Miami
10:00 AM
Miami International Airport (MIA)

Horatio Caine was smiling.

This in itself was not an unusual thing. Horatio smiled a lot, whether in love, happiness, or otherwise. Today, however, he sat in the throes of Miami International, smiling for absolutely no reason at all.

The people around him passed by without a second thought to the red-haired Lieutenant and his blonde-haired companion. Calleigh Duquesne sat next to Horatio, watching as her partner smiled slightly behind his ever-present sunglasses.

"Hey, handsome," she smiled. He turned to look at her. "You okay?"

Horatio raised his eyebrows at the blue-eyed Southern belle next to him.

"I'm fine, Calleigh." He smiled. "Just fine."

She laughed.

"In true Horatio Caine fashion, he fails to elaborate."

"Sorry," he chuckled, "but it's the truth. I really am fine. Nothing's wrong. The world is free of a dangerous murderer. Miami is at peace. I can honestly say that there is nothing for me to complain about in the world right now."

Calleigh tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled. Truth be told, she felt the same way Horatio did at that moment. She was content.

Still, a prickling of loss plagued her as she sat with Horatio. The last five days that had been passed in the company of the New York and Las Vegas CSIs had been the slowest, most nerve-wracking, wonderful hours that Calleigh had ever experienced. She felt a sort of kinship to the four men and women they'd said goodbye to only hours before. A bond had been formed between the six. They'd been thrown together by duty, stayed together by determination, banded together by tragedy, healed together by friendship. There was no doubt in Calleigh's mind that she would miss them.

Horatio had gotten up. The arrival of Flight 229 from New York had taxied into the gate was beginning to unload.

Laughing and joking, Tim Speedle and Eric Delko emerged from the runway, dropping their bags to hug Calleigh and to receive a warm handshake each from Horatio. They told Calleigh of their hellish flight (Tim fought hard not to laugh as Eric regaled them with the events involving himself, an airplane lavatory, and an extremely stubborn lock) and dug enthusiastically through their carry-on bags to produce to identical envelopes with both Calleigh and Horatio's names on them. Inside contained a single sheet of paper bearing the phrase "12/12/05"—the date of the weekend she and Horatio were instructed to take off later that year. Underneath, a handwritten note read:

"Only four months away—this time no work-just play!"

A single plane ticket to New York sat next to the note. Calleigh exchanged smiles with Horatio and tucked the envelope away.

Together, Calleigh, Horatio, Tim, and Eric left the airport and piled into Horatio's Hummer.

They were finally home.

New York
7:00 PM
House of Rice

Mac Taylor was hungry.

It happened often. Between pulling two all-nighters, flying all over the country to catch a serial killer and rescuing one man's true love (Mac pondered that it all sounded like a rather twisted fairy tale), he'd built up an appetite rivalled only to that of a tiger. So, when Stella had suggested they go out for Chinese food, the only thing faster than his affirmative reply was his hand grabbing for his car keys. The Chinese place they frequented was close, anyway.

Aiden Burn, Danny Messer, and Don Flack called to tell Stella that they were on their way, and could they "Please, please, with a cherry on top" order a plate of spring rolls for when they arrived? Stella had laughed and agreed.

Which was how Mac found himself munching happily on one of the many rolls a few minutes later. Stella couldn't blame him. The last meal they'd eaten was the night before, at Calleigh's proclaimed favourite restaurant—after that, only numerous cups of coffee and a croissant they'd split while waiting for their plane back to New York. She had opted to abstain from eating the plane food.

"What's up?" Mac questioned his partner across from him. She shrugged.

"Just thinking. Are you sure the plane tickets got to everyone?"

Mac nodded, smiling.

"I had Flack print off everything. Two went with Greg and Nick, and two went with Tim and Eric. They're in good hands."

Stella reluctantly grinned.

"If they're with Sanders…maybe not the greatest hands."

He laughed. Taking another roll, Mac popped it into his mouth and watched Stella stir her tea.

"You're going to miss them, aren't you?" He asked.

"Well, yeah, Mac." She smiled. "You can't spend an experience like that was someone and not. I don't think I'll ever forget the last five days."

Mac knew what she meant. The bond that had been forged between the six of them was one he never wished to break. He knew Stella felt the same way, too.

"Hey," he laid his hand on hers to draw her attention away from her tea, "we'll see them in a few months. And in the meantime, you've always got me."

Stella smiled and squeezed his hand gratefully.

Danny, Flack, and Aiden showed up as soon as Mac reached for another spring roll, laughing and talking. They ordered a bottle of red wine and clinked their glasses together in a toast.

"To us," Stella said. "May we never forget the true meaning of friendship."

The others agreed and drank to the pronouncement.

Mac watched his team interact with one another. They were smiling, laughing, relishing in the fact that they'd made some small difference in the world.

"What're you thinking?" Stella asked, watching him.

He raised his glass to hers and smiled as they touched. She smiled at him. He took a sip and leaned back, letting out a relaxed breath as he did so.

"Just that," Mac looked up and met Stella's eyes with his own. "It feels damn good to be home."

Las Vegas
8:00 PM
Catherine Willows' House

Gil Grissom was sleeping.

These days, this was a rarity for him to do. His sleep pattern had been somewhat interrupted since the kidnapping and subsequent rescue of the woman curled next to him. Since then, he had been afraid to sleep, lest he awake and find the last five days to be a dream. They had been days of intense trauma, yes, but without them, Gil was quite sure Catherine wouldn't be beside him. Without them, Gil would have never gotten the courage to tell her his deepest secret.

Thankfully, she harboured the same one.

Gil was in such a deep sleep he failed to hear the dinging of the front doorbell as it was continually rung throughout the house.

"Gil," Catherine mumbled, snuggled into his chest, "get the door."

"Maybe whoever it is will go away." He whispered.

Catherine didn't say anything, but promptly shoved him over the side of the bed.

"Aw, Cath…"

"If you want to marry me, Gil Grissom, you'll answer the damn door."

Gil smirked as he pulled on a grey t-shirt.

"And who said I wanted to marry you?"

She opened her eyes to stare at him.

"What? Am I not marriage material?"
Gil smiled and leaned over, brushing the strawberry blonde curls from her face and kissing her forehead.

"Of course you are, Cath," he said. "But let's take this one step at a time, okay?"

She smirked and brought his head down for a swift kiss before sending him on his way.

"Go answer that door before Greg has a heart attack."

"How do you know it's Greg?" He called as he ambled down the hall.

"Women's intuition!" She called back.

Sure enough, as soon as Gil opened the front door, Greg Sanders bounded in, grinning and carrying more grocery bags than Gil could count. Nick Stokes, Warrick Brown, and Sara Sidle, all of who carried bags, as well, followed him.

"What're you doin' here, Grissom?" Greg inquired, smirking underneath his grin in the most annoyingly knowing way.

"I was sleeping, Greg," Gil sighed. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"They came to se me, of course!" Catherine entered the front room, pulling her hair into a ponytail and wearing one of Gil's shirts with her favourite pair of jeans.

" 'Course we did." Greg grinned. Catherine laughed.

"What's all this?" She indicated the bags still clutched in the lab rat's hands.

"Well," Nick said, "we figured you'd need a little help around here until you get back on your feet."

"Yeah," Warrick said, "plus, we missed you."

Sara nodded.

"And we felt like a barbeque."

The group headed into the kitchen without further explanation, leaving both Gil and Catherine standing at the front door with rather surprised looks upon their faces.

"You okay?" Gil asked her.

"Yeah," she smiled weakly. "I just wasn't prepared for all the energy."

He smiled and pulled her to him, enveloping her in a warm hug. She buried her head in the crook of his neck.

"What would I do without you?" She whispered.

"Hey, I should be asking you that." He rested his chin on top of her head. "You're going to be okay, Cath."

She titled her head up to meet his gaze and smiled, placing a soft hand on his cheek.

"I know," she whispered. Her lips met his in a gentle kiss. "I have you."

Hand in hand, they turned and made their way into the kitchen to join their team.

Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Everyday, one by one, men and women venture into our lives and leave just as quickly. They may only stay for a few days, a few hours, or a few years, but each one of those men and women leave a lasting impression upon us and change us for the better or worse. They leave their footprints in the sand of our hearts. And each one of these people change us in some way, shape, or form. What is important to remember is to enjoy the time we have with those around us—they may not be there tomorrow. Cherish the love, the happiness, the memories that linger, and learn to live in the moment.

For Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows—well, let's just say they've learned their lesson well. Maybe a little too well…but that's another story.

A/N: Wow. That was one of the hardest chapters I've probably ever had to write. This story has been a complete joy to write, and a complete labour of love. I truly hope you enjoyed it, because I truly enjoyed writing it. And to all of my reviewers: Thank you, from the deepest place in my heart. Your words always make me smile. I'd like to thank the lovely reviewers from the last chapter: Megan 16-16 (I'm glad you enjoyed the gooey/cheesy stuff—I love writing it!), Katrina (Wow! I love that enthusiasm! I hope this chapter partially satisfied your shipper needs :D), gloomy forensic scientist (Of course I don't mind. The three-way crossover was in no way solely my idea, and I absolutely look forward to reading yours), DrusillaBraun (Lmao, well, I don't know about the good story/bad story ending theory, but that was just funny to read. Thanks so much for all of your reviews—now that I have time I'll definitely be checking out your wonderful fics!), Shy9 (Sunny holiday? Lucky you! Thanks so much for the review), sweetlake-girl (No way I mind you reading all the way through to review this one! I'm glad I sucked you in enough to keep your attention), Cathryn G (Oh, no worries, you'll be reading more from me soon enough. Thanks so much for the wonderful compliment—I'm blushing!), kiara-malfoy (Unfortunately, this is the end, but I'll still be around with some other projects I'm working on!), Ally (Thanks so much!), and /phew/ reviewer (I'm so glad you loved the story. All the positive feedback I'm getting is so encouraging).

Okay, this is officially the longest Author's Note in the history of Author's Notes. Just one more note: for those of you asking about my WIPs…keep a lookout, that's all I'm going to say.

…No, I'm not really that mean! WIPs 2 and 3 are deep in the mix. Lots of chapters and lots of adventures ahead! Expect them relatively soon.

So, for the last time…(oh, that's sad…)

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