Title: From the Outside
By: Mindwalker78
Pairing: Catherine/Sara
Rating: PG
A/N: The whole thing is sitting on my HD since before Christmas. But my muse suddenly went of on vacation and was not seen 'til now. There are a few things in the series that have never been explained and I took my guess. Hope you like it!
SPECIAL THANKS goes to all my friends who helped me out beta reading and giving advice! Val, Maria, Cris, Beth and Mirage!
Summary: When a CSI member is attacked and the evidence points inside the department, the team must come together to protect each other and get to the heart of the matter.

1

A single shot, a bright white and yellow flash in the dark, and then there was silence. The only sound was a thud when the lone figure fell in slow motion to the floor of the apartment. She tried to reach out for the phone on the table, but with every second her vision became more blurry, and with blood pooling on the floor, finally she passed out.

+++

"Warrick, Nick, you're with me." Grissom handed them a file case and turned to Catherine Willows another one. "You take Sara and get there as soon as possible."

"Wait!" Catherine blinked confused, searching the room for the other woman. "Where is Sara anyway?" she looked through the glass walls, expecting to see Sara in the hallway, but the tall brunette wasn't anywhere near.

"I don't know. Shift just started five minutes ago." Grissom answered absent-mindedly, his mind already at his new case. "Traffic maybe. Call her!" he was clearly in a hurry as he followed his two CSI's out the door of the conference room.

"Okay." Catherine shook her head and frowned. As long as she could remember, Sara had never been late. Actually most of the time she was the first one to arrive for a shift and the last to go.

Even the flu couldn't keep her away.

So, before reading the file, Catherine pulled out her cell-phone and searched for her colleague's number. Letting it ring 'til the answering machine picked up, the blonde woman left a message, then gathered her belongings and walked to her SUV. On the way out, she got Sara's address from the admin desk, she knew better than to ignore the gut feeling in the pit of her stomach.

+++

Catherine emerged from the elevator and searched for Sara's apartment by the numbers on the doors. Reaching her destination, she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the slightly open front door.

Even if Sara was late or ill, she never would leave the door open. Not a compulsive perfectionist like Sara. She knew well enough from her work that an open door was an invitation for a crime.

Or evidence that a crime had happened.

Catherine inhaled deeply and braced herself for what she might find in Sara's apartment. Pulling out her 9mm Glock with one hand and a latex glove with the other, she came closer carefully, looking left and right down the empty hallway before she pushed the door open further.

"Sara?" No answer.

Adrenaline rushed through Catherine's system, making her even more alert to her surroundings, as she made the first step into the brunette's home.

Scanning the dark environment with trained, clear blue eyes, Catherine made sure that nobody was behind her or the door before walking further into the living room. Switching on the light she gasped.

There, in front of the couch, lay Sara face down in a pool of blood. Catherine forced herself to quickly secure the rest of the apartment before she holstered her gun and knelt down beside the injured woman, checking for a pulse.

It was weak, but it was there. Carefully turning her over and checking out the entry wound and the reaction of her pupils confirmed what she already suspected. Sara was in very serious condition. Getting clean towels from the bathroom, Catherine pressed one on the still bleeding wound.

"Sara! Can you hear me?" her voice trembled betraying her emotions, but her actions didn't show her anxiety. She lightly slapped Sara's cheek but there was no reaction. Pulling her cell phone from her belt she dialled 911 and waited impatiently for the answer.

"Officer down," giving the address and a quick description of Sara's vital signs she hung up and focused on caring for her colleague.



2

Sara was pale, which was no wonder due to the massive blood loss. Catherine dipped one rubber clad finger in the pool on the floor and smeared it with her index and thumb. Her guess was that the shot must have been fired more than an hour ago. The blood was already drying.

As soon as the paramedics arrived, Catherine was politely asked to step aside and let them do their job. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes to get her emotions back under control. She saw dead and injured people all the time on the job, but this was so much different.

She knew the victim. They spent more time together at the lab than she spent at home with her daughter.

While the two paramedics hooked up IV's and treated the wound, Catherine dialled Grissom's number with shaking hands.

"Sara was shot. They're taking her to the ER now," was all she could say before her voice betrayed her and a sob escaped.

She felt so helpless while she watched as they worked to stabilise Sara. Finally laying her on a stretcher they rolled her towards the door.

"Do you want to follow us, ma'am?" one of the men asked, but Catherine shook her head.

"No, I need to process the crime scene right away." she spoke as if she was detached when her professional side kicked in. She knew she would be more help to her friend if she stayed and tried to find any evidence to bring the bastard down who did this.

She just had to do something. For Sara and for herself.

+++

After picking up her gear from the car, she started processing the door for prints. It was only a few minutes later that Grissom walked down the hallway, followed by Brass and another officer she didn't know.

"Catherine." Grissom looked concerned and Brass' face was grim.

Biting her lip, Catherine tried to compose herself when she looked at them.

"I found her lying there," she gestured towards the couch and filled both men in on the rest of what she knew while the officer took notes.

Nodding, Grissom laid his hand on her shoulder. "You should go to the hospital after you give your statement to Brass. I'll finish processing the scene. There will also be an uniformed officer positioned outside her hospital room at all times 'til we find out more." Grissom was her friend and she knew he meant well. Even if she tried, she was far from being able to work. She wanted to protest, but she knew he was right. She was a witness and not allowed to investigate.

"Nick and Warrick will work the other case alone, and I already called the day shift to send some folks in to take over your assignment." Grissom looked at her over his glasses and Catherine wondered how he could stay so calm.



3

At the hospital, Catherine wanted to shout at the nurse at the admin desk because she wouldn't tell her what was going on. She kicked herself mentally for not lying and pretending to be Sara's sister or something. She decided to search for a doctor herself, leaving the stoic nurse behind. After finally finding out that Sara was already out of the trauma room and into surgery, the blonde took a seat in the hallway, waiting.

It was well over an hour later when the first doctor exited the operating room and walked towards her. "Are you here for Ms. Sidle?" he asked, and then started informing her about Sara's condition after the operation.

"It was critical for a while but we got her stabilised and were able to remove the bullet without further damage. She was lucky it only grazed her lungs. The bullet went right through. We were able to repair the damage with only a few stitches. The biggest concern was the amount of blood she lost. If she was brought in just a little later I'm afraid she wouldn't have made it." He smiled compassionately at her and asked if she had further questions. "She is in recovery right now. Once she leaves there you can see her."

The doctor gave her a reassuring touch on her shoulder and turned to walk away.

"Doctor Williams. Was there a bullet?"

"Yes. And it was relatively intact. There was an officer waiting when she was brought in and received the bullet. It should be at the lab already."



4

Everything was so strange. There were strange noises and she couldn't quite figure out where she was. It would have helped if she could have opened her eyes, but they were still so heavy. Not conscious enough to care, Sara drifted back into a deep sleep.

When she woke the next time, she heard a voice. Or were there two of them? Concentrating on opening her eyes, she quickly closed them again to shield them from the bright light of the hospital room. When she cleared her throat, the voices stopped.

"Sara!" a female voice was obviously talking to her. Was it Catherine?

Blinking her eyes, Sara focused on Catherine who was standing to her right. Looking around she saw a doctor standing at the foot of the bed.

"Miss Sidle! I'm glad you finally joined us."

Sara tried to say something but her throat was too dry.

"Here." Catherine held her a cup of water with a straw from the nightstand. "How are you feeling?"

After taking a few sips Sara handed the cup back and her colleague set it on the small table next to her bed.

"Fuzzy. It hurts." Sara made a pause and then asked "What happened?" she flinched when she moved and her damaged stomach muscles protested.

"You don't remember." Catherine stated more than questioned, and Sara shook her head no, eyeing the blonde curiously.

"I found you in your apartment. Somebody shot you."



5

"Sara, do you know who did this?"

Sara shook her head. She couldn't remember a thing.

"Ms. Willows, I'm afraid you will have to question her another time. Ms. Sidle needs rest."

"Of course, Doctor. Can I just talk to her in private for a minute?" Catherine smiled at him charmingly, and after a brief moment, the doctor nodded and left them alone.

"What happened?" Sara asked again, and Catherine sighed.

"When you were late for shift I asked for your address to check on you. I found you laying on the floor of your apartment." Catherine spared her the bloody details. "I can't tell you much more. Grissom pulled me from the case. He and Brass should be here shortly. The officer outside your door gave them a call when you woke up."

Sara pursed her lips and kept watching Catherine, who took a step closer. "I'm glad you're okay." the blonde CSI said softly and then turned to leave. "I'll check on you again before my shift tonight. Get some rest."



6

"Is there anybody I should call? Family? Friends?" Catherine asked a couple of hours later. Sleep hadn't come easy and so she was up and about hours before work.

"Not really." Sara flinched a little and Catherine could see how uncomfortable she felt with this simple question.

Sara changed the subject. "But you could do me a favour and pick up some clothes from my apartment. I don't like these hospital gowns at all. And maybe you could bring some magazines?"

"I'll check with Grissom and Brass and pick them up later. Anything specific you need?"

"Just pick something comfortable. And the latest magazines are next to the couch. Ask Grissom about my keys. They should be checked for prints by now. It would be good to let Mrs. Rodriguez from next door know I was..." Sara trailed off, a strange look on her face.

"Sara, what is it?" she put a hand on the injured woman's arm.

After a moment Sara shook out of it, "Sorry, just when I wanted to say 'shot' I had some kind of flashback. It's gone again."

"That's normal I guess. At least that's what the doctors say." Catherine smiled assuring the brunette, even though the pale face scared her a little. She didn't expect the images of a shot and bleeding Sara lying in front of her to be gone just yet, but it was still frightening enough.

Putting on a straight face so as not to worry Sara, Catherine nodded at her to continue.

"Anyway, what I was going to say was that there must have been somebody waiting inside of my apartment as I'm a hundred percent sure my door was locked when I came home, and I locked it behind me once I was inside."

Seeing it wasn't at all easy for Sara to talk about it, Catherine told her it wasn't necessary to tell her everything just now.

"No, it's fine. I think it helps me. The more I talk the more I can remember." Sara shifted a little in her hospital bed and Catherine made her more comfortable by moving the pillows behind her back.

"Thanks." Sara smiled when the pain stopped.

"Should I call a nurse? Do you need more painkillers?" Catherine hated to see Sara in so much pain without doing anything about it. But Sara held up her hand.

"No, I'm fine. I remember I got home from shopping. I entered the apartment and unpacked the groceries into the fridge." Sara gazed at the wall behind Catherine's head, a deep frown on her face. "But I can't remember anything after that. I can't remember anything after closing the fridge."

"Don't worry, it'll come back, just give it time." Catherine smiled and took another look at her watch.

"Listen Sara, I know you need more sleep, and I need to be at the office."

"Thanks for dropping by." Sara smiled, showing the gap between her front teeth.

I haven't seen her grinning that goofy before. Those drugs must be good, Catherine thought, and smiled back.



7

The next morning, Catherine met up with Brass at Sara's apartment and he opened the seal for her. Since Grissom said the scene was clear, and all evidence had been processed, she was free to go in.

"She was lucky you found her when you did." Brass handed Catherine the keys after he had opened the door and let her enter first.

"I'm happy I did." The blonde CSI looked around the apartment and flicked the light on. Making a mental note to get the apartment cleaned before Sara was released from the hospital, she turned to Brass, who was standing next to her a little unsure.

"Did you find anything yet?" she asked him and collected the magazines Sara had asked for.

"Well, there were no signs of forced entry nor did they find any traces on Sara's keys." Brass shrugged. "There were no footprints other than Sara's on the floor. They didn't even find a single fiber that didn't belong here."

"That's not possible!" Catherine shook her head in disbelief.

"You know that when Grissom can't find anything, nothing was there in the first place. Do you need anything else?" he pointed at the magazines in Catherine's hands.

"Yes. Hold these, please." She gave them to him and went into the bedroom. "Be right back," she called.

"No hurry," Brass looked around. "Did Sara mention anybody to you who could have done this? I know she was pretty much out of it when we interviewed her."

"Not really. She can't remember much yet. And I've got to admit I don't know much about her outside of the job." Catherine opened one drawer after another and began putting clothes in a gym bag she found in one of the closets.

Sara's got good taste, she thought, when she looked through the lingerie, holding up black hot-pants with 'X-rated' prints. Chuckling and feeling a little guilty about the reason she was here in the first place, she put a few in the bag and closed it.

Nothing wrong with looking, anyway she thought, joining Brass and leaving the apartment.



8

"And I thought I wouldn't be here that soon again." Greg walked the hallway towards Sara's room, absently scratching the scar the explosion at the lab had caused just a few months back. Nodding to the officer and showing his ID he was allowed to enter.

"Hey Sara. How are you doing?" he grinned as charming as he could and held out a bouquet of flowers. "These are from the lab. The guys and I thought..." he trailed off, watching Sara for a reaction.

To his surprise Sara smiled at him. "Thanks." she motioned to the small table and told Greg to just put the flowers in the water glass that had been sitting there.

Reaching out to read the signatures on the small card attached, Greg was still unsure if he was welcome or if he should leave right away. But as soon as they started chatting about some interesting news from the latest magazines and the latest investigation strategies the ice was broken.

Greg was happy to have a conversation with Sara, and Sara was glad it was a civil conversation without any smart ass remarks. All in all, she could say she enjoyed the company.

When Greg was obviously having trouble to keep his eyes open, Sara suggested he might want to go home and get some sleep before he passed out in the chair beside her.

There was a knock at the door, and then Catherine entered the hospital room.

"Hey you two," she greeted them and closed the door. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything," she grinned.

"No, Greg was just about to leave." Sara's smile grew and Greg nodded. He was barely awake after all. Since the attack, it seemed that everybody at the lab worked even more than they usually did. Not only on her case, but in general. This was the first morning he finished on time, and that was only because he wanted to drop by the hospital. The workload was getting to him, and the rest of the crew, but despite all their work they couldn't find a single trace on the shooter.

"Well, I will be gone in a minute, too. Just wanted to bring you the stuff you asked for." Catherine didn't find it necessary to tell Greg that she carried a bag with Sara's clothes and underwear.

Winking at Sara she put it in the small closet.

"Thanks" she said to the blonde and turned to Greg, raising an eyebrow.

"I think I should get going" he grinned sheepishly and nodded once at each woman.

When he was out the door they shared a look. "He's too cute sometimes." Catherine sat by the end of the bed.

"Yeah, sometimes."

"How is it going today?" Catherine's expression changed to concern.

"It's okay. They examined me again earlier and said everything is healing nicely and there's no need to do a second operation. But I will have to stay here for at least a whole week. And no work for two weeks while I recover," Sara grumbled.

"And you don't like that one bit, do you?" Catherine smiled compassionately. "Just wait, time will pass like nothing," She said, and knew as soon as those words left her mouth they were so wrong. Sara would go stir crazy within the next couple of days.

"I brought you some magazines and also a book I just read myself. I thought you might enjoy it." Walking back to the closet she took the mentioned items out of the bag and placed them on the table beside Sara's bed.

Seeing Sara's doubtful expression when she showed her the novel she laughed, "Oh please, give it a chance! It's really good and you will be thankful when you start getting bored," the blonde winked.

Little did Catherine know how much it affected Sara to even be at a hospital.



9

"Mom said we'd go and get ice-cream if we came by here first," Lindsey grinned at her mother who slightly blushed.

"Hm ice-cream. Make sure she takes you to that lovely little store near work," Sara winked at Lindsey.

It was strange, really, that when the two Willows arrived she wasn't thrilled at all to see the little kid. It had only been a couple of months since she hadn't been able to solve Lindsey's father's death. Not to mention that she wasn't good with kids anyway.

But her worries were for no reason as Lindsey was being really nice. Must have been that Catherine told her Sara was sick and not to bother her too much.

"So this is how you spend your day off?" Sara saved Catherine from further embarrassment.

"I quit listening to the police radio when Lindsey was born." Catherine patted her daughter's head and grinned at Sara who knew what she was referring to.

"Very funny Ms. Willows. I'd laugh if it wouldn't hurt so much right now."

"Can I see it?" Lindsey asked with the innocence of a child, and her mother raised her eyebrows.

"Lindsey," she started, but Sara spoke up that she didn't mind.

"There's still tape and bandage around it, so there's nothing much to see." She pulled down her blanket and lifted up her gown showing the other two a big square of gauze taped across the wound on her stomach and the light bandage wrapped around her.

"Does it still hurt?" Lindsey stepped closer while Catherine looked away.

"Actually, as long as I don't move it's fine."

"Why did somebody shoot you?" the curious girl kept asking questions.

"Lindsey, I'm sure we've taken enough of Sara's time," Catherine looked at Sara apologetically

"It's fine, really. I've got nothing to do here all day. They won't even bring me in a police scanner so I can at least listen to the cases I'm missing." Sara pulled her blanket up again as it was always a little too cold for her liking. Looking at Lindsey she answered the girl's question.

"I don't know. Somebody must not like me."

"But we all like you." Lindsey looked up at her mom. "Right?"

"Of course sweetheart."

Sara beamed. She was still afraid Lindsey would be mad at her for not solving the case of her father's death. It was good to know there were no hard feelings. The little girl had looked so heartbroken when she and her mother left the CSI headquarters the night her father had died.

While Catherine had been literally at her throat, the little girl had just looked so very sad. And it broke Sara's heart.



10

"You going to the hospital?" Greg entered the break room after Catherine, frowning.

"Yes, why?" the blonde CSI glanced over her shoulder and then refilled the coffee machine and pressed the start button.

"Nothing, just heard you talking to Warrick," Greg didn't meet her eyes, and Catherine smiled at his shy behaviour.

"Just spill it, Greg," she chuckled, leaning back on the counter.

"Nothing, really. I was just wondering," he shuffled his feet, watching the dark brew fill the glass container.

"Ok, I think it's a little strange," he blurted out after Catherine kept watching him. "We've all been there to visit her. Some more than others," he lifted his eyebrows. "And I always thought you don't even get along well," he added in a mumble.

"What makes you think that?" Catherine pushed away from the counter with a surprised look on her face.

"Well," Greg shrugged, "You two are always arguing. When you're in the same room that is. And then it's pretty chilly." Greg suddenly found the coffee-maker really interesting.

And it was Catherine's turn to frown. This wasn't the first time she had heard that. Warrick had mentioned something similar, only he was a little more subtle. And Grissom never really said anything, it was rather the things he didn't say.

Just because they were equal and exchanging their knowledge didn't mean they were arguing, was it?

"Does it really look that way?" she asked more to herself.

"Um, yeah?" Greg shrugged again, trying to find an exit out of a situation he shouldn't be in in the first place.



11

"No Doctor, you don't understand. I need to get out of here. I'm feeling fine and I will sign anything. Just give me the papers and I'm outta here."

Catherine heard Sara arguing with the doctor as she arrived. "Hi," she greeted her colleague, who was obvious in a heated discussion considering her red cheeks and the defensive body-language towards the doctor. "Should I wait outside?" she gestured with her thumb over her shoulder.

Sara waved her over. "No, come on in. We're not getting any further here anyway," she sighed and the doctor signed the chart. "I'm sorry Ms. Sidle, you will have to stay here another week at least," he smiled gently, and then excused himself, leaving the two women alone.

"Is one week really that bad, Sara?" Catherine asked, while she put her bag on the chair under the window and sat down on the end of the bed.

"Every single day is too much." Sara mumbled and smiled ruefully. "I've spent too much of my life in hospitals as it is."

"I didn't know that." Catherine added softly when Sara didn't continued.

"How could you? I have tried not to think about it, much less talk about it."

Catherine debated with herself if she should ask further or let sleeping dogs lie, but Sara took that decision from her by continuing on.

"Years ago, a friend and me were attacked on the way home from high school. We were beat up, and I must have hit my head somewhere. The next I remember I woke up in a hospital bed, over four weeks later."

"I'm sorry." Catherine had never seen Sara so vulnerable.

"S'okay. Nothing you could change." The injured CSI fiddled with the rim of her bedclothes.

"Anyway, since then I'm not good with hospitals." Catherine could feel that there was more to it, but seeing how much it affected her colleague, she let it rest, making a mental note to ask her another time.

"Just hang in there. One week will pass eventually. I could send every single tech over to keep you company," Catherine winked. She knew that Sara had ordered no other visitors beside her, Lindsey and Brass. She didn't even want to see Grissom, which Catherine thought was odd, but then again, before Sara's order he had only showed up once, anyway.

Catherine had asked him about it a few days back while they worked in the lab. He didn't answer her.

When Sara cleared her throat Catherine was pulled from her musings.

Changing topics, they chatted for a while 'til it was time for Catherine to get home to Lindsey.



12

"Grissom, do you have a minute?" Catherine caught him before he disappeared in his office yet again. He was doing that more and more and it annoyed her that he was never around when she needed him.

"I'm in the middle of something." Grissom held up a file and turned to leave.

Catherine stood in the hallway for a moment and then just walked in on her colleague and friend. "What's up with you?" she closed the door and sat down without waiting for an invitation.

"What do you mean?" Grissom sported his typical emotionless expression.

"I mean that you're avoiding me." Catherine crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why would I do that?" It was like ping pong. Back and forth. Every question was answered with another question.

"Okay, you don't want to talk to me for whatever reason, but I do need to discuss some of our cases with you."

Grissom pursed his lips and put away the folder he was holding. Folding his hands on the desk in front of him, he urged her to go on.

When they were through with the cases, Catherine made no move and until Gil asked her what else he could do for her.

"Actually you could tell me why you don't go visit Sara," the blonde asked after a moment of silence.

When Gil didn't reply, she went on. "We've all gone to the hospital, but you've were only there when she was brought in."

Grissom let out a long breath. "We've been friends long enough, haven't we?"

That wasn't what Catherine expected, but then again, it was Grissom.

They talked for over an hour 'til they got a call. Grissom wrote down an address and handed the paper to his friend. "Take Nick, he should be back by now."

There was no need to say more. They both smiled, one compassionately the other sad, then Catherine left.



13

"Hey Brass." Nick and Catherine greeted the cop who was waiting for them at the next crime scene. "What have we got?"

After he had them filled in on the facts, the two CSI's began working the crime scene.

A good hour later, Brass was still waiting outside the house, half sitting on a police car, sipping coffee from a paper cup. "So, what do you say?" he asked grinning when the two stored their gear in the back of their car.

"I'd say that guy was as stupid as they come. Not only had he taped the cord of his hairdryer back together several times, and that poorly, but he didn't even towel dry his dog after a bath. That fur ball was dripping wet and making a puddle on the floor. Poor thing couldn't help it when the guy started the hairdryer and fried them both. " Nick shrugged, still disgusted by the smell of burned flesh and hair.

"I'll go and sign the papers for the coroner." Nick was already gone when Catherine discovered the reason for his hurry as she saw the new female assistant coroner flirting with her colleague. Laughing she got out of her vest and put it in car.

"How's Sara doing?" Brass asked after throwing his coffee cup in the nearest trash can.

"Pretty good considering the circumstances. How are the investigations coming along?" she asked in return.

"Not too good. Grissom couldn't give us anything to go on. We're looking for a faceless person and it's kind of hard to arrest somebody if you don't know who you're looking for."

"I just can't believe they found nothing at all." Catherine threw the trunk shut with more force than necessary.

"We checked every single criminal Sara helped put in jail but we couldn't find a hint. They're either still in jail or not in the area." Brass was as frustrated as the blonde.



14

"Hey Warrick!" Greg tracked his fellow CSI down in one of the offices. "Can you take a look at something?"

Warrick closed the box he'd prepared for storage and followed his younger colleague to his office.

"It's been a slow night so far and so I've been trying to keep busy." Greg started with one of his usual long introductions while Warrick frowned.

"To make a long story short, I think I found something from the stuff you guys collected at," he hesitated a moment, "Sara's apartment." Greg cleared his voice and pointed at the table with various bags and papers.

"I'm not 100% sure so I'd appreciate it if you could take a look before I run to Grissom." Greg grinned.



15

Meanwhile, Catherine drove back to the hospital.

"I must have been drugged when I agreed to this." Sara muttered when she was wheeled out of her hospital room in a wheelchair. She was dressed in dark blue jeans and a long sleeved shirt and sported a huge grin. The thought of finally leaving the hospital was great.

Then she remembered where she was going and frowned. There were 4 SUV's with darkened widows waiting outside and a police officer escorted her, a nurse, and Brass who pushed her chair.

"Just be happy and go with the flow." Brass winked at her when she looked over her shoulder. Instead of wheeling her to the main entrance where the cars where waiting he took a left turn and they went to the back entrance where another car was waiting. Sara tried not to smile too broad when Catherine walked around the car to open the back seat door.

"You have a go!" Brass spoke to his micro and the cars on the front drove off. All in different directions. Since it was still unclear who had shot Sara they didn't want to take a chance and had organised a little show to distract everybody who might have been waiting for her.

"Hey!" Catherine greeted them and jumped when Sara got out of her chair just to remind them all that she was indeed healed and ready to go.

"How did you get her in the chair?" Catherine joked with Brass and he just gestured to the heavy built nurse who was smiling at them. "I had help." he winked at the elderly woman and thanked her for her assistance. "It's hospital policy after all." he couldn't keep the smirk off his face.



Actually, getting Sara in the chair had been fairly easy. But getting her to agree she needed protection was another story. When her release date was due Brass had a tough nut to crack. Sara didn't want uniformed guards following her all day long nor did she want to stay at a safe house for some time. But after endless debating she had agreed to stay at Catherine's for at least a week to see if she was still in danger. Lindsey would be on a short vacation with her aunt and her cousin and Sara could keep a low profile after all. Not fully satisfied, Brass was glad she was at least out of the spotlight. It was all he could do to protect her. That and the two cops he would assign outside Catherine's house.



16

Catherine frowned when she entered her house. The smell of something delicious entered her nose when she set down her bag next to the door and hung her heavy jacket away.

"What?" Sara looked at her colleague's facial expression, which was somewhere in between shocked and delighted. "I was hungry. My cooking abilities are limited, but pasta with sauce I can put together. How was work?" Catherine blinked while she took in the picture. The kitchen looked all cleaned up and the table was set for dinner.

"Work was okay, I guess. My DB, or what was left of it, turned out to be a cow. Took them a while to dig it out of the riverbank."

"Lindsey says 'Hi!' She called about an hour ago before they went out for lunch themselves."

"Thanks!" Catherine smiled. She missed her daughter even though she had only been gone for four days. At least Linds called a couple of times a day and when Catherine wasn't home yet, she chatted with Sara about her holidays and how cool it was.



17

"I found it by mistake. They were laying right under my car in the parking lot." Greg held up a pair of latex gloves. Seeing Warrick's doubtful expression he went on. "That's nothing unusual in front of a CSI station, right? But," he stretched the word to get more attention, "there was also this." he held up a folded piece of plastic drop cloths. "I found it strange because if you work with it, you throw it away where you work with it, not outside in the parking lot."

"True man, that's a little unusual. Did you find anything else?"

"I've been testing the plastic and the gloves for various things and what I found was gun powder."

"The only folks who fire a gun here are the guys in ballistic. But their office is at the other end of the building. Why would they throw away anything that far away?"

"Exactly, so, I checked for prints inside the gloves."

"And?" Warrick was more than curious now.

"Em, that's why I called you my man." Greg blushed a little. "I need some help." he added. "I can't get anything off and before I destroy anything, I'd rather you have a look."

"Well, then let's get started." Warrick grabbed a new pair of gloves and they headed over to his office with the evidence.



18

"That was delicious." Catherine put the napkin on her now empty plate and leaned back in her chair, a satisfied smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

"Glad you liked it." Sara blushed slightly and poured them both another glass of red wine. "So you cashed Sam's check?"

"I've been thinking about it so long, about the pros and cons but in the end I decided I would do it. I can hire a babysitter for Lindsey while I'm at work and not worry about running out of money, and I can give her the things I couldn't without that money." Catherine wasn't sure how to read Sara's expression. Was the brunette thinking she was corrupt because she took the money from her disreputable father who was also a murderer?

"I think you did the right thing, though you should tell Grissom. You never know when something like that may come back and bite you in the butt."

Catherine smiled and sipped on her wine.

"Does anybody else know about Sam Brown?" Sara asked timidly. She didn't wanted to step on anybody's toes, and especially not Catherine's. She had enjoyed the few days they'd spent together, and liked their slowly building friendship.

"Greg. He ran the test. Other than that, you're the only one. I really have to tell Grissom though. But enough of that, no more talk about work." Catherine took a sip of her wine.

"Yes, ma'am." Sara pouted a little.

"Tell me something about yourself." Catherine was slowly getting the whole picture that was Sara Sidle, even though there were still so many blank spots.

"What do you want to know?" Sara was doing a good job hiding her panic. She was never very good at social gatherings or chit-chat. Tearing off another piece of bread she watched Catherine watching her.

"Anything." the blonde played with the rim of her glass. "How about your most cherished holiday memory."

Sara's eyes narrowed for a moment while she thought back in time. "That must have been when I was six or seven years old." Sara began, and Catherine could see in her eyes that they were pleasant memories.

"I spent the summer holidays with my grandfather. He owned a small rent-a-boat near my parent's inn. They were just renovating the whole building and thought it was better if I was out of their way. I kind of tended to get in more trouble than they liked." Sara grinned sheepishly.

"Anyway, I was sitting with my grandpa at the dock and he would tell me tales. About pirates and stuff. Really silly." the brunette blushed.

"Not silly, it's rather cute on you." Catherine winked which didn't help the blush at all.

"So, he told me a tale about a dolphin one day, and as if he had planned it, a dolphin showed up that afternoon where we were sitting playing cards. We named him Jack." Sara laughed at the images that were returning to her mind. "He came back every day from then on. And I'm sure it wasn't only for the fish my grandpa fed him."

"That's really a nice story. What happened then?" the blonde asked, and immediately saw from the change in Sara's expression that this was the wrong question.

Sara looked out the kitchen window.

"My grandpa died just a few weeks later. I never went back to that dock." Sara got up and began collecting the plates. Catherine was at her side when she put the dishes in the sink.

Laying a hand on Sara's arm, Catherine urged her to stop.

"Sara, I'm so sorry. I... I don't know what to say. I never meant to bring back bad memories."

Sara pushed her hands in the pockets of her jeans and watched her feet. "I know, it's okay."

Getting a refill for her wine glass, Sara took off into the living room without looking back.

Sighing, Catherine kicked herself mentally. It was her bad luck that she always asked the brunette the wrong things. But she wasn't ready to give up yet.



19

"Hey Warrick, found any prints?" Greg arrived back in the lab where he was working on the gloves.

"No." Warrick sighed. "Nothing useful." he was clearly frustrated and so Greg didn't push any more.

"I found something on the drop cloths. Check this out." Greg waved with various papers in front of Warrick's face.

"There was minimal gun powder traces on the cloths as well. It might have covered something like furniture or something. But the really interesting thing is this." He handed Warrick some papers. "I ran a chemical test and there were traces of wax on the other side of the cloths. The kind of wax you use on your hardwood floor. And, even better, somebody was standing on the plastic. I got a light shoe print." Greg beamed and Warrick frowned.

"So we got possible evidence from a crime scene here. Good job, man."

The both knew that if it was indeed evidence from a crime scene it wasn't supposed to be outside in the parking lot. It would be either archived and brought in during trial or it would be destroyed after an official order.

Greg beamed and scratched his neck. "What are we gonna do with it now?"

"I'm gonna show you how to take a footprint off of something like this and you're going to find out exactly what kind of wax there is on the drop cloths. Maybe that'll help us place it with any of our cases."

"Cool with me. But what about Grissom. Shouldn't we let him know we're investigating something?"

"As soon as he's back. And here's something else you might want to run a test on. I found a hair in the gloves. Looks like it's complete with root."



20

Putting two bowls with ice cream on the coffee table Catherine seated herself next to Sara on the couch.

The blonde couldn't see if her colleague was still mad at her, or if she had ever actually been mad. But seeing Sara pick up one of the bowls was a good sign.

They watched the news without talking and halfway through the weather report Sara turned to Catherine.

"Please, don't look at me like that." she said softly. "You don't need to feel sorry for me. It was a long time ago, and I have had more than enough time to deal with it." Sara spoke those words so genuinely that Catherine was touched.

"Can I ask you something else?" It was a daring step, but Catherine thought it was now or never.

"Go ahead." Sara had finished her ice cream and put the bowl back on the table.

Doing the same with her bowl, Catherine sat back on the couch and pulled one leg up, facing Sara.

"Why do you hate hospitals?"

Sara took a deep breath. "Is this your idea of a slumber party? Because, we're missing the PJ's and the silly flicks," the brunette tried to lighten up the mood.

She hadn't really told many people before, but for some reason she felt it was a good time to tell Catherine.

"I told you part of it, about how a friend and I were attacked on our way home from high school. It was just a week or so before graduation. Everybody was in a good mood, exams were over and we were basically just having fun 'til the big party." Sara put her sock covered feet on the coffee table and stretched. "Anyway, Kerry and I were finished for the day and headed over to her house. Since my parents were always busy, and there were just too many people in the Inn, we usually hung out at her home. Her family had moved into the neighbourhood when we were about ten, and we'd been friends ever since. Best friends."

Catherine could see the same happiness in Sara's dark brown eyes that she had seen when she was talking about her grandpa. But there was sadness, too.

"That day, we took the same shortcut through the park we always did. Suddenly two guys jumped out of nowhere and started beating us. I can't remember any more because they either hit my head with a rock or pushed me on one. I passed out and woke about four weeks later in the hospital."

Catherine scooted a little closer and put her hand on Sara's shoulder.

Sara shook her head a little to clear it from the cobwebs. "The worst part after waking up was that they wouldn't let me know what had happened to Kerry. I'd been pleading with my parents and the doctors, but they kept telling me I needed to recover first. The hell I did. I needed to know, and finally, they told me she had died a few days after we'd been brought in."

"That's horrible." Catherine was rubbing small circles on Sara's back by now and tears were swelling up in both their eyes.

"Kerry and I had been friends for years and we'd been together-together for over two years by that time." Sara glanced at Catherine for any reaction but there was nothing but concern in her gentle blue eyes. Dropping her gaze back to the hands in her lap she continued. "Of course, we didn't tell anyone, and so my parents had hoped I would eventually get over the fact that my friend was never coming back."

Sara couldn't keep the tears at bay anymore and just let them run freely. Crying she leaned over hugging Catherine.

A few weeks ago, she couldn't have pictured herself even patting the older CSI on the back, and now she was clinging to her like her life depended on it.

Usually she never got far enough in a friendship or relationship to tell her story. She rather kept people at distance, but somehow Catherine Willows had wormed her way into her heart.

"Did they ever find out who did this to you?" Catherine asked when Sara had calmed down a little.

Sara nodded against her shoulder but made no attempt to let go. "The only guy I could remember that we were having trouble with was someone from school. He'd been asking Kerry out all the time but he didn't seem to get it. The police found bloody clothes in his room and it wasn't long 'til his buddy was arrested as well." Sara relaxed more and more, the slow massage of her neck helping. "He never confessed but the evidence was enough to bring him in."

"Was that then that you decided to become a CSI?" Catherine asked and felt Sara nod again.

"Thanks for telling me."



21

The following afternoon, Grissom sat down in Brass' office.

"So, you're telling me Greg found these by mistake and they're fitting with Sara's case?" Brass handed Grissom a cup of coffee and sat down behind his desk.

"Yes. They were stuck under his car."

Greg and Warrick had reported what they'd found out so far, and further investigations had lead them to believe that the wax found on the drop cloths was identical to the wax from Sara's apartment floor. Grissom had noticed the faint smell of a fresh waxed floor, and indeed, the apartment manager confirmed that Sara had called in for the company to come and wax the floor one week before the attack.

"Now, do you have any idea who did this?" Brass knew something was very wrong here.

"Someone from CSI or somebody wants us to believe it was a CSI." It was the only rational conclusion.

"That's a tough nut."

"But that's not all, I'm afraid." Grissom handed the cop a piece of paper.

"You're telling me that your DNA was found in one of the gloves?" Brass frowned.

"That's what the evidence says. Greg found a tiny piece of hair in one of the gloves and it's mine. It was torn out with its root probably while taking them off."

"And what am I supposed to do now. Arrest you for the attempted murder of Sara Sidle?" Brass wondered if this wasn't just a bad dream.

"Well, I don't have an alibi for that day, if that's the next thing you want to ask me." It unsettled Brass a little how cool and aloof Grissom seemed. "I was home and arrived at the office about an hour after the shoot."





22

"They did what?!" Sara couldn't believe her ears when Catherine called her from her car.

"Okay, I'll wait 'til you get here." Sara hung up and sat down on the couch. Grissom arrested for attempting to murder her? That was just not possible.

Five minutes later Sara was still sitting motionless when Catherine opened the front door.

"Hey!" she didn't bother hanging up her jacket but threw it on the chair next to the couch.

"I just heard it myself. Nick just called me on my way home."

"But how's that possible? I mean, Grissom?" Sara got up and paced the living room.

"The little information Nick could give me was this: Greg found latex gloves and plastic drop cloths outside on the parking of headquarters. Processing the evidence, they found a hair and tested the DNA. It turned out to be Grissom's. The drop cloths had gunpowder and wax from your floor. And we have basically all been pulled from the case."

"That's a little too much to believe." Sara was still pacing.



23

Gil heard footsteps nearing the cell he was sitting in. By the sound of it, it was Brass. He didn't expect him to come back just yet. He had only been sitting there for an hour.

"Grissom. You're free to go." he motioned the officer next to him to unlock the door then and held it open for Grissom.

Not knowing what was up, Gil didn't move.

"Come on." Brass urged him politely out of the cell. "Somebody paid the bail for you."

"Who?" Grissom was more than surprised. He hadn't even called a lawyer yet.

When they walked up to the admin desk he was even more surprised. A tall, slender woman with long, dark hair was talking silently to one of the officers.

"Lady Heather?" Grissom asked, and the woman turned around. Watching him coolly she waited 'til Brass and the other officers left them alone. Walking out the door of the police station, she didn't even wait to see if he was following. She knew he was.

"Why did you do that for me?" Grissom asked her straight out, when they had reached her dark green coloured Jaguar.

"Because I could." she didn't meet his eyes yet.

"I don't really understand." Grissom acknowledged.

"And I'm not surprised you don't." Lady Heather stopped and turned, with Grissom just one step behind her. Looking him straight in the eyes they stared at each other for a moment.

"We both know you couldn't have shot her."

"Do we?" Grissom asked, as if he wasn't so sure himself.

Lady Heather smiled. "I know." with that she got into her car and drove off, leaving a confused Grissom behind.





24

Word travels fast, and so Catherine got a call from Warrick before shift the following night to say that Grissom was out of jail and at home pending further investigation.

"Do you know who paid his bail?" Catherine asked, and already had an idea of what the answer would be.

Nodding she thanked her workmate and hung up.

"That was Warrick." she joined Sara in the kitchen while she buttoned up her shirt and donned her black leather jacket. "Lady Heather got Grissom out of jail."

She pulled at the collar of her shirt while Sara was still leaning on the counter.

"Lady Heather, eh?" Sara didn't show any emotions.

"Listen Sara, I'm already running late. Sounds like it's a little chaotic at headquarters right now and I better get there in time. We'll talk when I get back, okay?" It was the best she could offer for now. "I'll keep my eyes and ears open and call you when I get a free minute." she smiled and hoped it was enough.

"Sure." Sara nodded and trotted off towards her room. Actually it was Catherine's office but they'd put up a guest-bed in there since there was no chance either one of them would fit in Lindsey's.

"I swear I'm gonna kick Grissom myself if he doesn't talk to her soon." Catherine mumbled and hurried to her car.



25

"Evening, Catherine." Warrick was waiting for her at the admin desk when Catherine arrived to sign in. "The Chief wants to see you in his office." Warrick frowned and smiled compassionately at the blonde. "It's been pretty wild since Grissom was arrested. I've been here since last night."

Catherine could see he could barely keep his eyes open. "Go get some rest, I'll take over for you." She gently pushed Warrick in direction of the break room and went to her locker.

Five minutes later she was sitting with Brass and the chief. Both looked more than unhappy.

"Hello Catherine," Brass greeted her.

"Good Evening, Ms. Willows, please take a seat." The chief greeted her and Brass got up and poured her a cup of coffee which she took gratefully.

"As you might have heard, Mr. Grissom was arrested last night."

"Yes, sir."

"Further investigation leads us to believe that it was a set-up," Brass continued. "The shoe print was checked by day-shift and they found out it was at least two sizes smaller than Grissom's size. And they also found traces of another latex glove inside the ones Greg found."

"This leads to the conclusion that somebody set this up. That somebody was wearing Grissom's gloves on top of another pair of gloves we never found," The chief finished.



26

Taking a short break, Catherine sat down in Grissom's office and dialled her home number from her cell phone. She knew there was no way Sara was asleep just yet, as she had started to get back to her regular working hours. She'd go to sleep after they had breakfast together and get up with Catherine before she left for work.

After the third ring she picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey Sara, it's me." Catherine smiled and relaxed a little. "Are you sitting? Because you should sit down before I tell you the news."

"Which is?" Sara was close to driving to the office herself.

"It's a set up. Somebody used Grissom's gloves, probably made sure that there was a hair in there. But what they didn't consider was that your floor was waxed just days before it happened." Catherine made sure to leave the words "shooting" or "attempted murder" out. "And we got a nice shoe print, or better half one off the plastic drop cloths Greg found. And it's two sizes smaller than Gil's."

"Wow. That's what I call news. Not sure if it's good news yet." Sara rubbed her temple.

"What does Brass say?"

"That you should keep a low profile. Day shift took over the case, but Brass is keeping me informed."

"Well, thanks for calling." Sara stated, still a little stunned by the news.

"You're welcome." They talked a few more minutes, until a knock at the door interrupted them. "Sorry, Sara, they're calling for me." Catherine apologised and they said their good-byes.

"Come in." Catherine was still smiling a bit when Hodges, one of the lab technicians, entered the office a little unsure. "Um, I need you to sign this for me." he handed Catherine his report and she signed after reading it.

"Catherine." he started and corrected to "Ms. Willows" after a very stern look from the blonde. "Sorry, but I've been wondering when we gonna work with full staff again. With Sara and Grissom gone we're a little tight, right?"

Though it didn't really concern his work, Catherine promised they'd all be back working regular hours in a couple of days.

"How is Sara doing anyway? I heard she was released from the hospital last weekend?"

For some reason Catherine was always annoyed with Hodges. He was trying too hard to play nice while he was leaving a trace of slime behind.

"She's doing good. You can ask her herself when she comes back next week." Catherine forced a smile.

Nodding, he thanked her and left the office while Catherine went back to work on the assignments for that night. Luckily, for some reason, it as a quiet night in town.



27

"Hey there!" Sara walked out of the kitchen and greeted Catherine when she got home after shift and dropped her jacket and her backpack on the couch.

"Am I glad to be back home." Catherine flipped off her shoes and sank into the couch. "I'm beat."

"Don't get too comfy there. I'm waiting with breakfast for you." Sara stretched out her hand to help the tired blonde back up.

"Now, that's how I like coming home." Catherine let herself be helped up and trotted after the brunette towards something smelling really good. "Can I hire you?" She let her eyes travel up those long jean clad legs and rested probably longer on her butt then she should.

Noticing she got caught staring, Catherine blushed.





28

Grissom hesitated before he knocked on the door. The sun was still rising and the sky was all reddish.

After a few moments the door opened. "What do you want?" Lady Heather asked him, looking down at him from her position two steps above.

"May I come in?"

Lady Heather eyed him up and down slowly, and then stepped aside to let him enter her private house and led him out to the backyard.

"I don't want to steal too much of your time, but I'd like to know why you bailed me out of jail." Grissom got right to the point like usual.

Lady Heather just nodded and motioned him to follow her to the patio.

"I was just having breakfast. Can I offer you anything?" They sat down under the glass roof and Lady Heather placed another plate in front of Grissom.

"Thank you." he bowed his head slightly. "So, will you tell me or not?"

"I could, but what would it matter?" Lady Heather started to fill her plate with a very assorted breakfast.

"I'd like to apologise for the way I treated you , and even more for the fact that I never called back."

"Why didn't you then?" It was more a rhetoric question. She knew why, but she wanted to hear him say it. Lady Heather had called Grissom two months ago after he accused her of murder.

"Because I was scared." he surprised her with his bluntness.

"Of me?"

Grissom smiled at her. More of myself, he thought.

"It doesn't happen very often that I'm so distracted I can't even work right," Grissom began after a while of eating breakfast in silence. "Especially because I told myself I wouldn't let it happen to me."

Lady Heather watched him silently, sipping her tea.

"But I just couldn't forget you." Grissom got up, ready to leave. He waited for any reaction from Heather, and when he didn't get any, he walked off the patio and to the front door.

"Gil?" he heard her call back to him. Turning and looking back at her, they watched each other. Letting go of the door handle, he walked back out on the patio. Coming to a halt in front of the windows, he gazed at the beautiful garden in front of him.

"I already forgave you," Lady Heather pushed her chair back slowly and walked up next to him. "Do you think you can forgive yourself now? I won't deny I wasn't deeply hurt that you really thought I could be a suspect, but thinking about it, I realized you must have seen a lot on your job."

Grissom smiled at her while they locked eyes via their reflection in the windows.





29

"I don't like this one bit." Catherine looked concerned at the suggestion Brass had just made.

They were sitting together, with Sara, in the blondes' living room and, Sara had just agreed to play along and go back to work Monday night. It was a wild guess but Brass thought they could maybe unsettle the attacker. Now that they knew framing Grissom was part of the plan, they weren't even sure if she was the primary target or just a random victim.

But it was still risky.

After Brass left, they stayed in the living room talking.

"So, is there still something going on with Grissom and Lady Heather?" Sara asked.

"Like everything with Grissom, I believe it's complicated." Catherine smiled ruefully. "Would it hurt you if it was?" she asked carefully, watching Sara's face and surprisingly saw her smile.

"If you believe it or not, I'm more pissed at Grissom now that I'm hurt. And mad at myself because I wanted to date him knowing it wouldn't work. We're too much alike. Can you picture us together?" Sara asked and the blonde shook her head.

"Not really. And while Gil certainly is attractive, he's more than lacking on the interpersonal level. Don't get me wrong, I love him dearly, he's like the brother I never had, and a great mentor, but I certainly can't imagine him in a "normal" relationship."

"Sounds like me," Sara said after a moment of silence, and wasn't really sure how to read the smile she got from Catherine.

"While I can't say much about relationships, but I'd be dating you, if, you know...." Catherine gestured with her hands and trailed of.

If what? Sara was dying to know. Did she mean if she was interested in dating women? If they weren't co-workers?

But it wasn't the time to find out just yet , as the phone rang and Lindsey called to let them know when she'd be home.



30

It was a strange feeling for Sara to be back at work. Sure, she missed work, but she had to admit she actually enjoyed the last couple of days after the release from the hospital. It was nice to stay at Catherine's place, and she liked the growing friendship and the things she could share with the blonde. She had finally found someone who she could talk about anything, and not be afraid of being judged. Sara was glad Catherine was both patient with her, and a little persistent. If it wasn't for her bluntness, Sara would have just pulled back into her own shell after the hospital and had buried everything.

Now she felt refreshed, and even though her wound gave her some trouble in the shower and getting dressed, it was a constant reminder that she might still be in danger.

A knock on the doorframe pulled the brunette out of her musings and she turned to find Greg standing in the door, sporting a cheesy grin.

"Well, well, if this isn't my favourite CSI."

"You should be careful with such statements, Greg," Sara chuckled, "You don't want to step on any toes, do you?"

"Why yes, but you're still my favourite." Greg hopped on the evidence table. "Any assignments yet for tonight?" he opened the folder that was laying next to his butt.

"Not so far. Grissom is making me finish some paperwork that's due." Sara sighed and Greg smiled compassionately. "Nick and Catherine are out on the Strip and as far as I know, Warrick is at a convention, right?"

"I heard you cracked the case?" Sara raised one eyebrow and watched Greg blush a little.

Greg kept telling Sara about all the great cases she had missed while she was away. She didn't see a point in stopping him just because Catherine had filled her in daily while she stayed at her place.

"So, how was Catherine?" Greg changed subject and Sara looked up, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, did she pamper you?" And Greg knew as soon as the words were spoken he hit a sore spot.

"She didn't need to pamper me," for Sara the conversation had ended here.

"Can I try again?" Greg didn't make a move to leave. "I didn't assume, by any means, that you needed to be pampered, but it is nice sometimes." He grinned and hoped she understood that he thought she was anything but weak.

Sara knew she was going off on the wrong guy here and instead of apologising for being rude, she admitted that she indeed did enjoy being a little spoiled. But she felt the need to let Greg know it was here who did the cooking most of the time.

"That sounds fine with me. Man, should I ever get injured, can I please move in with both of you?" Greg sighed good naturedly and decided it was the perfect moment to make an exit. Nothing was better than leaving a smiling Sara. It just had something.

Sara chucked again, and with a big sigh, sat down to finish her reports.





31

Lady Heather, dressed in a long, waving red dress, that showed every accent of her figure, strolled along the museum, watching various pieces of exhibits that were in town just for the weekend. It was impossible to get tickets for the opening but she had been given two. One she had showed to enter the museum, the other one she had sent to Grissom.



32

Catherine was off on her own to the outskirts of Las Vegas where kids had found what looked like the remains of a burnt body. Nick and Greg had a break-in to a villa in the richer part of town. Sara was getting bored after a second night in a row stuck at headquarters. Grissom had taken the night off and she had already finished up every single report.

She pondered about where Grissom might be. She couldn't remember the last time he had taken off work other to go to a convention or some other work related trip. But she was getting used to not be surprised at anything Grissom did anymore.

Sara didn't feel a need to go home early at all. She glanced at her watch for the hundredth time that night. It would be strange going back to her apartment tonight. Before her shift, she had packed all her stuff at Catherine's place and due to Lindsey's return, there wasn't much time for her and Catherine to really talk. Her daughter was far to animated and hyper to let them say more than a word. She reported every single detail of all the cool stuff she did with her aunt and cousin, and when Michelle, the babysitter, arrived and both Catherine and Sara had to get ready for work.

After a quick hug and a promise to go to the movies soon, Sara said goodbye to the girl and next she knew, she was all packed and ready to go.





33

Just when Sara was on her way to the break room for a coffee refill, she thought she saw Grissom walk into his office. Making a beeline past the break room, she knocked on his door.

"Wow." escaped her lips when she saw his tuxedo. "I mean, I thought you had tonight off?"

Grissom was searching in his desk for something.

"I was," Grissom replied, and when he found what he was looking for, he straightened up. "Left my keys here," he held them up.

Sara nodded and looked him up and down once more. She hadn't seen Grissom dressed up like that before and she was dying to know why.



"Quiet night?" Grissom asked and put his keys into his pockets.

"Kind of. They're all out and there's nothing left for me." Sara grumbled and Grissom knew how much she hated to be stuck at a desk. Just then the phone rang. Grissom picked up and after replying twice with yes and scribbling down an address he hung up and smiled at the brunette.

"Looks like you're getting out after all. Breaking and entering. I'll join you by the car after I get changed." Grissom tore the paper off the pad and headed to the locker room.

"Okay," Sara mumbled to an empty office.



34

Grissom and Sara were greeted by Brass at their crime scene for the night.

"Hey Sara, Grissom, how's it going?" the older cop lead them to the backyard of a middle class house with white fences. The whole area around the house was secured and police officers held back curious neighbours.

"What have we got?" Sara asked after a quick smile at Brass to show him she was doing okay.

"Robbery, that's what the owners say." Brass nodded towards two people talking animatedly to a uniformed officer in front of one of the department cars.

"Signs of forced entry," the older cop pointed at the pieces of broken glass below the back entrance.

Walking into the kitchen with their plastic covered shoes, Brass read them the list of things the owners reported stolen so far.

"Wife says her jewellery box is gone. The Kadinsky painting in the living-room is gone and the safe was opened."

"Where were they while all this happened?" Sara started to take pictures while Grissom stood in a corner observing and obviously trying to put the pieces together.

"At the museum." Brass checked his notes. "Till after midnight. Nobody was supposed to be here since they left since 8 pm. The maid left at 4 pm."

Neither Sara nor Brass had noticed that Grissom had halted at the mention of the museum.

"Did they say which museum they went to?" he asked.

That was why the couple seemed fairy familiar to Grissom. He had seen them at the museum just a couple of hours back. Or had he. Replaying the evening in front of his minds eye Grissom nodded.

"I've seen them." and at that both Brass and Sara peaked up. "And I remember that they caused a small scene about 11 pm. The wife wanted to go back home, but her husband convinced her to stay a while longer. They weren't really civil about it, and I'm sure the whole museum remembers hearing about it."





35

"So, you went to the museum tonight?" Sara asked casually while she and Grissom both worked the living-room.

They were alone now. Two officers were outside securing the scene while Brass took the couple back to headquarters for an interrogation.

A quick call to the security company where the painting and the jewellery were secured confirmed Brass' suspicion about the couple. Just one week before they had raised the insurance coverage to more than double than what it had been before. And for some strange reason, the alarm system had been turned off.

So it was up to Grissom and Sara to find the physical evidence to prove the fraud.

"Lady Heather sent me an invitation." Grissom said straight out and Sara just nodded.

She was surprised, that he replied to her at all. "So are you two dating or something?" Sara figured this was the best chance she would get to finally talk to Grissom. He usually tried to avoid her all together.

Bagging the hair he found, Grissom got up from his knees and watched Sara watch him.

"I guess?" he answered and waited.

"You guess?" Sara laughed, "What's that supposed to mean? She invited you and you went out. That sounds like a date to me." she shrugged.

"Well, then we're dating." Grissom smirked, surprised at how easily Sara chatted about it to him.

"I hope it'll work out. She seems like an interesting woman." Sara went back to work and left Grissom behind, feeling a little stunned.

Was that her way of telling me she was perfectly fine with that? Grissom frowned a little and focused back on his evidence.





36

"Grissom?" Catherine looked surprised when she almost bumped into him exiting the locker room. "I thought you were off tonight?" It was well past 9 am, and she was on her way home.

"I've been out on a case with Sara. You got a minute?" He gestured towards his office. After a quick glance at her watch, Catherine nodded and followed her friend.

"Did you have a talk with Sara?" he asked as he closed the door behind the blonde.

"What do you mean?" Catherine was confused. Sure she talked to Sara.

"Sara and I had a little talk earlier and I was wondering where it came from. Because I think we're okay now." Grissom watched Catherine pull up one eyebrow.

"And you're telling me exactly what now?" she was a little confused. Those two both talked in riddles sometimes.

"I think Sara gave me her blessings with Lady Heather," Grissom frowned and Catherine grinned.



37

Sara was sitting alone in her living room and zapped through various channels without really focusing on anything particular. Her shift had been easy but sleep hadn't come too easy, though she had managed to catch a few hours. Now it was way too early for the next shift and she had already done her shopping in the morning. Not having any intention going in to work early again, she was trying to decide what to do when the ring of her cell phone interrupted her.

"Sidle." she answered the unidentified caller.

"Hi Sara!" Lindsey was thrilled to catch the brunette. Her mother had suggested she'd try to call her since she was talking 'Sara this' and 'Sara that' all afternoon since Catherine had got up. "Will you have dinner with mom and me?" the little Willows asked and Sara grinned. It was just what she needed now.

"Sure, kiddo. Ask your mom if I should bring something." Sara put on her shoes and went to get her jeans jacket when she heard Lindsey call to her mom. Or shout would be a better description. Rubbing her ear with one hand she put the phone on the other one.

"Mom says to just bring yourself."

"I think I can manage that," Sara chuckled. "I'll be over in twenty or so."



38

"You like the lasagne, Sara?" Lindsey was constantly grinning since had Sara stepped foot in the Willows house.

"It's absolutely fantastic!" the brunette was digging in to her food like she hadn't eaten in days. "My compliments to the cook." Sara winked at Catherine.

"But I had great help. Right, Linds?"

"Mom let me wash and cut the vegetables!" the blonde little girl beamed and Sara couldn't tell who was more proud, mother or daughter.

"Are you alright yet to go to the movies this weekend?" the smaller Willows asked and Sara nodded.

"Sure. I'm off work Friday and Saturday. How about you, Cathy?" Sara flinched and Catherine looked up surprised. Maybe calling her nicknames wasn't such a bright idea but much to Sara's surprise, Catherine got that look, that cat-that-just-ate-the-canary-look. It seemed like she actually liked it but didn't comment.

"I'm on call over the weekend but you two feel free to go."

"Cool!" Lindsey said enthusiastically and Sara repeated "Cool!" a little less thrilled, but just a little.

"What are you up to, kiddo? We gonna check the newspaper when we finish with dinner, ok?" Sara wasn't sure when she started to hang out with kids, but for some strange reason she looked forward to going out with the little one.





39

Two weeks passed just like that, and Catherine had the feeling that Sara never had really moved out. Her daughter made sure to invite her over more than she could count. Which was just fine with her. After getting to know Sara better and knowing where she came from they spent some quality time together. Either they cooked something together with Lindsey or sometimes Sara brought take-out and they'd just chat while Lindsey was still in school or at Catherine's sisters place.

"Maybe you should look for a new apartment, then?" Catherine dipped her fried shrimp into the sauce and moved the chopsticks with skilled fingers to her mouth, taking a small bite.

Sara had just told her how uncomfortable she now felt in her own home. That was right after she apologised for hanging around Catherine's place so much. Of course Catherine had told her that she didn't need to say that, and she was always welcome.

"I guess I need to do just that." Sara played more with her food than she actually ate.

"I know somebody who's renting a small place. The parents of one of Lindsey's best friends, Cindy, the little redheaded girl, are renting one side of their house."

"I think I saw them once when I picked up Lindsey." Sara nodded. "Don't they live just down your block?"

"Right. They have lots of space now that their oldest son went to the army and their oldest daughter went to study in France. I could give them a call if you like."

"Why not. The sooner I can move the better."





40

The short blonde checked her hair in the glass part of the heavy door and after arranging a few lose strands with her fingers, she inhaled deeply and rang the bell of Lady Heather's mansion.

Smiling at the short but heavy built butler, Alex told him she had an appointment with Lady Heather. She knew she was half an hour early but she liked it that way. She could get a feeling for the place and maybe even for the people there. Being led past the "official" business area she was asked to sit and wait in front what appeared to be an office.

One of Alex fellow students at the stunt school had told her about the job and since she had to support herself during school she applied for the job of Lady Heather's bodyguard. After a quick talk on the phone they had set up a meeting and now here she was.

Crashing in one of the two leather chairs Alex watched the hallway. There were no doors to either side. Just a long carpet the length of the hallway and antique looking lamps every few feet. She hadn't expected everything to look that exquisite.

Her ears picked up sounds from inside the office and she tried to make out what it was. There was a click-sound which could have been a window. Then silence.



41

Meanwhile Lady Heather entered the office through a second door from her private chambers.

She had a meeting in fifteen minutes and some calls to make. She just hoped the new bodyguard was better than the twenty or thirty that had applied before. She didn't want anybody who actually looked like security. Rather somebody who would blend in with the rest of her employers.

Maybe she had more luck with Alexandra DuChamp.

Flipping through her scheduler with long, well manicured fingers, she didn't notice that someone was approaching her from behind the curtains.



42

There were all sort of sounds coming from the mansion, most certainly from the clients, and Alex tried to relax. Crossing her feet and her hands on her belly, the blonde closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

One single cry from inside the office startled her after just a few moments. Alex eyes flew open and almost as quickly she entered the office.

Standing in the doorway she took in the scene and within seconds she took actions.

A stranger stood in front of the huge marble desk and behind him in the chair slumped a heavily bleeding woman.

The guy still held a knife and threatened Alex with sparkling eyes. He was a good two heads taller than her, which didn't help him much when she blocked his lunging arm and placed two heavy punches to his liver. Falling to his knees, Alex twisted the hand which held the knife and made him drop it. Bringing her elbow down hard on his neck he dropped down on the floor unconscious. Making sure he was no longer a threat, and kicking the knife aside, Alex hurried over to the woman. She was leaning with her forehead on the desk and a wound from the knife could be seen on her back.

Taking off her vest, Alex pressed it on the wound and checked for a pulse with the other hand.

Satisfied once she found one, she started shouting for help. Only a moment later, the butler stood in the door with a horrified expression on his face. Alex flipped open her cell and dialled 911. Giving a short description of events and the address she hung up.

"You!" she called, and the butler startled out of his shock. "Tie him down with something and then help me to lay her on the floor. We've got to stop the bleeding."



43

"Gil!" Brass barked through the whole hallway on his way out.

He didn't even wait for him to poke his head out of his office and just shouted the address. Grissom quickly searched for Warrick, and the two were on their way.

They arrived only minutes after Brass and uniformed officers already had secured the whole mansion.

Walking up to Brass, Grissom and Warrick sported equal concerned faces when they saw the EMT's carry a stretcher to the back entrance.

"Zephyr attacked Lady Heather. She was very lucky somebody heard her right away and took him out before he could strike another time. She's got a stab wound in the back but the EMT's are taking care of her now."

The Amazing Zephyr was an old friend of Grissom and Brass. Last year he was on tour with his magic show with his son. He had faked his death by burning his son, and he almost got away with it. Almost. Grissom collected all the evidence to get him arrested but unfortunately, right after the arrest, Zephyr fled and was nowhere be seen since then.

They walked down the same hallway like Alex had less than an hour ago.

"Alex DuChamp was waiting out here for a job interview when she heard a cry," Brass informed the two CSI and introduced them.

"Ms. DuChamp took him out and he's being taken care of too, right now," the older cop pointed towards the open office door.

When Warrick noticed that Grissom wasn't about to say anything, he took over and questioned the witness while his boss and Brass entered the office. According to the grim look on the other CSI's face it unsettled him.

"Warrick, the case's yours. I'll go to the hospital with her." he said and followed the paramedics outside while Warrick and Brass shared a look.

"So, Ms. DuChamp, I assume you gave a statement to the cops already. What I'd like to know is if you touched anything?" Warrick looked down at the blonde and was surprised at how composed she seemed, though she was clearly a bit nervous.

"I," she trailed off to sort her thoughts, "I heard the cry and ran inside. That guy," she pointed at the man on the stretcher, "He was standing behind her, a bloody knife in his hands."

Alex saw it all again in front of her minds eye. "He came up from behind the desk and walked up to me. I did was I was trained to and blocked his attack. I hit him a couple of times and made him drop the weapon. I kicked it over there," she pointed towards the closet at the near wall and Warrick nodded. "Good job, ma'am!"

Alex smiled shyly. "That's all I did. Then we, I mean the butler, sorry, I don't know his name yet, we lifted her from the chair and tried to stop the bleeding till the EMT's arrived."

"Thanks a lot, Ms. DuChamp. I think you did a great job." Warrick smiled and went to pick up the knife with his latex gloves and put it inside an evidence bag.

"A wise man once said, a timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterwards." Brass nodded friendly at the blonde to show her she had every right to be nervous. "That's Jean Paul F. Richter by the way." He said to Warrick. "Grissom's not the only poet in the team."

"Ms. DuChamp, would you like to come to headquarters with me now? We need you to sign your statement and fill out some paperwork." Brass walked up beside her and Alex nodded. So much for her new job Alex thought. And rent was due in ten days.



44

"Hey! How are you feeling?" Catherine opened her locker and looked back over her shoulder to where Sara was sitting.

"You mean beside the fact of knowing I was used and just a convenient victim? Or the fact that Brass just called to let us know Lady Heather made it?"

They both smiled. After all, that was good news.

"He also told me that they found evidence in Zephyr's motel room that he had planned the attack on me. There were a dozen photos of both, Lady Heather and myself. He must have planned this for quite a while. There's no way he can wiggle out of this now. Brass said they found notes on how he planned the attack on me." Sara sighed.

"Grissom is still at the hospital and Warrick is bagging the evidence. Which won't be needed this time I guess." Catherine sounded as tired as Sara felt.

"Nope. He must really hate Grissom to do something like that. And it could have been anyone really."

"Yes, but he picked Lady Heather and you because Zephyr knew it would affect Grissom deeply."

"I feel honoured," Sara laughed but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

They sat there for a while, both pondering on what happened and what might have happened.

Sara was glad it was her that got hurt and not Catherine. Not the mother of a child and certainly not her friend. She didn't know Lady Heather personally but Sara decided then and there that she'd pay her a visit at the hospital soon.

Meanwhile Catherine thought of the best way to distract Sara. She knew how hard it was on her.

"Do you still want to move?" Catherine wasn't sure if it was the right time, but if she waited the apartment might be gone, and she'd be thrilled if the brunette would move into her neighborhood.

"I," Sara tried to get her thoughts back into order. "I think so."

"That's good," Catherine smiled, "Because I talked to the Fosters and they said we should drop by after shift tomorrow morning. I hope that's okay with you." Catherine added quickly when Sara frowned but nodded.

"Sure. That sounds like a good idea."

While Sara was pretty composed after the attack on her, she was shaking now. Recognizing the starting shock Catherine closed her locker and dropped down on the bench next to Sara. Putting a comforting arm around her workmate's shoulder, the blonde quickly thought about what best to do now.

"Sara?" she asked tenderly. "Hey!" she placed her fingers under Sara's chin and turned her face to look at her. It took Sara a moment to focus on Catherine. Her whole body was trembling now and she couldn't do a thing to stop it.

"I'll gonna take you home now. You need a hot bath and rest now, okay?"

A nod confirmed it was indeed okay, Catherine got up and took the key to Sara's locker out of her hand, collected the brunettes stuff and put it in her own backpack and helped Sara up.

Together they walked the quiet hallway towards the parking lot.





Epilogue

45

"Hello Mr. Grissom!" Gil was greeted by Alex, Lady Heather's new bodyguard. He held a bucket of assorted flowers which he all knew by name and waited for the blonde to walk him to Lady Heather's private chambers. "She's feeling much better. Her physio-therapist just left and she'll meet you on the patio in a moment." Alex informed him and gestured him to take a seat.



46

"Catherine!" Sara was jogging over the parking towards the blonde who just had gotten into her car.

"Hey," the blonde smiled and watched amazed how quickly those long legs carried her colleague over the parking lot. "Did I forget anything?" she asked and rolled down the window.

"Actually," Sara breathed heavily, "I just wanted to, um," Catherine didn't know if she was searching for words or catching breath.

"To thank you I'd like to invite you for dinner. For all the trouble with me and all. My new kitchen is not finished yet and most of my boxes are still packed, so I thought we go to Luiggie's." Sara was babbling and she knew it.

"I'd like that." Catherine tried not to grin too much. "But it was no trouble, really." Catherine winked and Sara beamed.

She waited till Catherine had driven off and then walked back to the office whistling.



The END

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