Title: Lost Horizon
Spoilers: Not really any...
Rating: K
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI okay? Okay :)
Beta: /
Notes: Ick, I just hope it's not too cliched. I wanted to write an atmospheric-like story, I hope this cuts it. Enjoy!

Let me know if it's too cliched, please R&R!

Lost Horizon

The pebble felt comforting in her palm, smooth and small. Most people preferred coins, but she would take the natural texture of the pebble over a man-made object any day. It was quiet; she could almost hear the gentle lap of the water. She had picked the best time; the tiny rays of light were only just starting to bleed into the dark sky over her head.

She closed her eyes and pictured the vision in her mind's eye as she dropped the pebble, opening them just in time to catch it disappear down, down, down into the dark.

The dining room was peaceful, it was just her and an old couple. The books stacked by the corner caught her eye as she placed the bone china teacup down onto the table, china clashing beautifully with the English Rose tablecloth.

Modern classics mingled with Shakespeare. The Secret Garden on top of King Lear. Lolita and Othello.

She smiled, back in Vegas, both of them knew exactly where Shakespeare went – into its own bookshelf, the same with classics. Not mixed together like candy in a bowl.

The air was thick with the scent of old books and memories, she realised as she inhaled sharply at the thought of Vegas. It used to be a study room, the silver-haired owner told her. She picked up the teacup again, sipping the fragrant liquid. Peppermint.

Earl Grey was her Vegas favourite, Grissom would brew it every Sunday morning. It had been almost four months since she touched Earl Grey, but she was slowly getting used to peppermint.

Besides getting used to a different flavour of tea, she was also starting to get used to the small room overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the scent of the air. Clean and pure, unlike the one thick with sin she was used to.

Cup emptied, she stood up and grabbed The Lost Horizon from the pile as she started to head out. The gardens was her favourite place, she felt at ease amongst the shady plants and the muted sunlight.

Leaving Las Vegas was hard, one of the hardest things she had ever done. The hardest was of course leaving Grissom. Soon the lush leaves filled her vision and her usual bench came in sight, mossy and empty.

She however, kept walking. Something was drawing her deeper, the whole place felt eerily familiar as though she had been there before in another time, another life. She frowned as she encountered a brass gate, overgrown with ivy. It was unlocked, so she wandered in intrigued.

An ancient well greeted her sight, looking strangely majestic.

The place was part of the garden, a cordoned off part that is. A fine placed well for the old owners, she thought to herself. Her fingers danced along the edge as she walked around it, soothing her fingers with its cold and mossy front.

She looked down, expecting it to be dry, but was astonished. It was filled with sparkling dark water, the bottom too deep for her eyes. And then she recalled it, the memory flooding her mind. She had indeed seen the well before, she was young. She had made a wish in it, and the cool touch of the weathered stone felt like home.

Eyes closed, she tried thinking back to what she had wished for. She knew it wasn't to be smarter, she knew she already had that. It wasn't to be prettier either, she wasn't going to waste a wish on that. She didn't think it was true love too, every other teenager wished for that. She remembered her wish as being unique, something immensely different.

Realisation washed over her, the memory emerging itself from the back of her mind. "I wish for those moments that take my breath away," she whispered, a smile growing on her lips.

"Is this one of them?"

It was the same deep voice she heard daily, over the phone and in her dreams. The voice she had so hopelessly fallen in love with. Her eyes snapped open, hoping to prove her ears heard wrong.

They weren't, because he was standing right there.

Grissom.

A surge of questions flew through her mind. How did you find me? Why are you here? How do you know? Will you forgive me?

Familiar arms encircled her body, the warm touch she had been craving. His scent – clean soap and a tinge of cologne filled her senses, wiping her mind clean.

She looked up into his eyes, wonder filled hers. "Yes," she responded quietly, brushing her lips against his.