DISCLAIMER: CSI and its characters are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS.
SPOILERS: I guess everything up to the beginning of season 6.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Poison Revelations
By Uriel Falcon
Part 1
Blurry, obscure, and quiet. Those were the only words she could use to describe where she was. She tried to feel around as to where she was, but couldn't quite pinpoint it, for her motor functions weren't working properly. She didn't even bother to attempt to open her eyes, for she knew that she would only be greeted by some sort of bright light or loud noise. All she wanted to do was sleep, but who was she? Ah yes, now she remembered, her name was Sara Sidle, and she needed to get up and go to work soon. Her alarm would soon go off, and Sara hated that bloody thing. She had never really used it, her internal alarm worked better than any mechanical thing.
She began to slide open her eyes, pushing up on the hard floor and looking around her apartment. Many bottles of beer were scattered along a black coffee table, with black couch and book cases matching with it. Sara stood up, and stumbled towards the bathroom. She struggled with her vision, but managed to awaken herself out of her hangover, slipping into a burning hot shower to awaken her fuzzy mind. When she got out, she changed into a faded gray sleeveless and an old pair of black jeans. It was casual Friday, after all. Sara retreated to the couch afterwards, a towel over her shoulder and a beer in her hand. She knew she had to go to work soon, a most likely stressful night.
Another graveyard shift, as usual. Today, she decided, would not be a double shift day. Too much work to handle when one is ever so hungover. Sara rubbed her eyes, letting out a groan at the light. Her furniture was modest... A black sofa, a long coffee table set in front of a huge stereo system not often found in an apartment. She also had an electric guitar in the corner, with the amp hooked into the massive stereo, with at least three 5'5 tall CD organizers along the wall. There were probably 14 or 15 frames with different parts of a large painting of hands playing a guitar with different weird things around it for a background hung on the wall opposite the window. It leads out to a balcony, with some hanging plants and other things.
Breakfast... She reminded herself, clicking on the stereo and walking towards her old toaster. Loud rock music boomed from the system, which was probably the reason that she took egg cartons and covered her walls, spray painting them black and white like a chessboard. The walls were almost as confusing as she was. She sang loudly to the music, doing very well. Of course, she'd never sing this loudly anywhere else, so taking the advantage while dancing and making toast was like practicing for something that would never be broadcast. And that was good enough for her.
A few minutes and a bit of peanut butter later and Sara was back on the couch, feet up on the coffee table. She looked at the beer bottles littering the room. I'll clean those up in a little while... After I finish my toast, She thought to herself as she finished up her toast. And then there came the clean up, bottle after bottle going back in the empty cases for returns. She stashed them in the corner of the room. There was a single mirror on the other wall, and Sara caught a glimpse of herself in it. Not half bad, doesn't even look like I'm hungover. After I brush my teeth, it's off to work. Sara recited in her head, walking towards the bathroom. After the morning, or should we say nightly, ritual, Sara was pulling on her army boots and an old, worn out leather jacket. Her kit was ready and by the door. Just as she was about to grab it, her cell phone began to ring. She picked up.
"Sidle." Sara spoke out, clicking off her stereo with a remote. It wasn't what the voice on the other end said that shocked her, but it was who the voice was.
"Hi, Sara? Sorry to bother you... It's me, Catherine. Listen, my car broke down, can I hitch a ride with you to work tonight?" Catherine asked, sounding slightly desperate. That was a different tone than what Sara was used to hearing from her.
"Sure, no problem. I'll see you in a few minutes." Sara agreed, and grabbed her keys. She heard a huge sigh of relief from the other line.
"Thank you so much, Sara, you've saved my ass." Catherine hung up. Sara laughed to herself, taking her kit and locking her door, walking down the stairs to her car. It must have been so awkward for Catherine to call Sara, as they weren't exactly the best of buddies. Sara began to drive to Catherine's house, turning up the radio as it blasted another chunk of metal music. She tapped on her steering wheel to the beat, humming along.
Sara began to think of exactly why Catherine and her were not so close. Her secretive lifestyle and cold exterior seemed to keep people and co-workers away. While it kept Sara safe, it also left her very much alone, which didn't bother her very much because that was just the lifestyle she had become accustomed to. She snapped out of her thinking pattern and pulled into the driveway, getting out of her car and leaning on it. She knew Catherine had seen her, because there was movement behind the stained glass entrance. Sara didn't believe she should go into her home... They may be co-workers, but she felt that entering would overstep the boundaries. Catherine came out of her home, locked the door and scuttled over towards Sara's car.
"Sorry, I didn't know you would be here so quickly." Catherine greeted, getting into the car. Sara joined her, revving up the engine.
"It's no problem, I was already on my way out. What's you car dying from?" Sara asked, beginning to exit the driveway. Catherine groaned.
"I have no idea, I don't work with cars often and this particular car is giving me issues..." Catherine mumbled, sighing at her lack of luck that day. Sara thought for a moment.
"If you aren't too busy after shift, I can take a look at it for you." She offered, turning a corner and slowing to a stop at a red light. Catherine suddenly perked up.
"That'd be great, I didn't know you were a mechanic!" Catherine adjusted her posture, suddenly very interested in learning something new about her mysterious co-worker. Sara shrugged nonchalantly.
"It used to be a side job I had while I was in school. Not a bad pay, I did the work and the boss made the fees. Put me through my entry university year." Sara explained, a tiny smile on her face while she was in the comfort zone of auto mechanics. Catherine noticed that tiny smile, something that didn't appear very often. She studied it for a second. It was a cute smile, she concluded as they started going again from the red light. They stayed relatively quiet, though Sara was humming along with the radio.
As they pulled into the parking lot, Sara had composed herself into the frozen detective she was. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any domestic cases. Then again, when was she ever lucky?
Part 2
Sara walked into Grissom's office with Catherine, where Warrick, Nick and Grissom were already waiting. Grissom had a few brown folders on his desk.
"Morning, ladies, nice of you to appear. Anyway, as I was saying, time to distribute the cases. Nick, you've got a solo, car theft found with evidence of a possible struggle. Warrick, you and I have a double homicide. Sara, Catherine, you have a quadruple homicide. I trust you will be able to work in a civil matter...?" Grissom questioned, handing out the cases. Catherine flashed a smile, while Sara stayed silent.
"Sure thing, Griss." Catherine replied, taking the file and following Sara into the break room. They both read through the report. 2214 Cherrygrove Lane, downtown, two young females murdered in their room, parents dead downstairs in the kitchen. Sara already felt the knot in her stomach. How did she know that this wasn't going to work out well? As they headed out the door towards the car, Catherine felt the tension already. This was going to be tough... Sara started up the car, waiting for Catherine to buckle up. They soon departed from the crime lab, towards 2214 Cherrygrove Lane.
Catherine took this time to observe the difference between Sara now and before the case. Her jaw was clenched tightly, her knuckles white. Her lips didn't hold the same shine, her eyes much more cloudy and distant. But what set Catherine off, was the air around them. Almost frozen, and there wasn't even any air conditioning. Catherine tried to ignore the frozen chill go up her spine, but to no avail as she shivered. As they began to pull up near the crime scene, Catherine already began to get that sinking feeling. They both got out of the car, and walked over to the flashing lights and yellow tape.
"What happened here?" Sara asked one of the officers. He shook his head.
"Ms. Sidle, I've seen some horrible stuff, but this tops it. Two female teens dead in the room with the side window, the parents tortured and dead on the kitchen floor. Please be wary of the amount of blood, you could slip. Coroner's already in there, checking it out." The officer explained. Sara nodded, and walked forward, clicking on her flashlight and watching the ground. No apparent footprints or fibres on the grass or stone pathway. She also examined the front door... It hadn't been forced open, and apparently was closed tight before the authorities were called. No prints, no tear off material. The front door was not used, there was no way. Catherine walked into the home, and immediately gasped. Sara joined in behind her, towering at least a head above.
The kitchen was a mess. The male was mutilated so badly that it was hard to identify where an ear was or if it was just skin shredding off. His clothes were cut, with 4 different kitchen utensils sticking out of his chest; a fork, a large serrated knife, what appeared to be a salad prong and a large spoon. A very horrible way to go. The woman's head was decapitated and sitting on her chest, a turkey baster in her mouth. Other than that, it appeared there was no other torture. Beside her was a bloody cheese grater. They snapped pictures at many angles, coming around the bodies for fibres. There were none, unfortunately, as only the Luminol had any effect on the crime scene at all. Sara began on the stairs, only generating a half footprint going up the stairs in the plush carpet. She retrieved some clay specks from the carpet.
Catherine was working the living room, but it appeared that there was nothing involved with the living room. She walked back to where Sara was, but soon realized that Sara was already upstairs. She was standing in front of a bedroom door, a stunned look on her face. Now it was Catherine's turn to come up behind Sara, stunned at what she was seeing. The coroner was leaning over a 16 year old girl, who was torn to shreds, stabbed, a bullet through her chest. Over beside the low bed was another girl, pulled out from a crawlspace beneath the bed, a single shot to the head, with no other injuries. Catherine could feel the air around her boil, but when she stepped closer to Sara, felt everything freeze.
"What's the scoop, Robbins?" Sara asked. Catherine felt another shiver flow down her spine, Sara's heavily controlled voice breaking the air. Doctor Robins sighed.
"No postmortem injuries, all before death. The cause of death was the bullet through her head. It seemed that she was defending the other girl. Other female, single shot to the head, no other injuries. I'll tell you more once I get the bodies to the morgue. Officer, please assist me." Catherine and Sara stepped out of the way as the bodies were moved downstairs. The photographs had already been taken, but Sara insisted on clicking photo's of every angle. She began speaking aloud.
"Other than the gunshots, there seems to be less blood around the first female victim. I think most of her lesser injuries were done somewhere else. She was definitely trying to protect victim two. Looks like the first victim was hiding in the crawlspace, so the attacker must be taller, probably an older teen or adult male. For some reason, I don't think victim 2 was ever supposed to be here..." Sara spoke, almost like a documentary on the death. Catherine began combing the hardwood floor for any evidence, finding a lot of male hair samples.
"Heavy trace evidence... crime of passion without thought process." Catherine stated, bagging the trace evidence. Sara continued to snap pictures, focusing on the constricting space of the bed and the open window. Catherine dusted the floor, finding a large shoe print. " Definitely male." She added.
"I'll dust the window sill, I think that's how he gained entry." Sara walked over to the window sill, and began dusting with the Red Creeper dust. Catherine began processing the desk, finding a few things moved. There was blood soaking all over a belt and a knife blade. There was also a suspicious blood splatter on the chair. She swabbed and took all of the information down. She looked over to where Sara was taking at least 20 different finger prints, labeling and bagging.
"This was where he gained entry, but it's all where the second victim did. I've already swabbed the blood. Although we are at the scene of a murder, this is a secondary crime scene. I figure there are footprints below the window, probably skidding run marks, too. Could you go and check those, please? I need to check something out here..." Sara mumbled, kneeling down in front of the crawlspace again. Catherine nodded, though she didn't quite understand what exactly Sara was doing. Probably going into her anger phase again. Such a great soul, has such a streak of anger. Or is it depression? Catherine thought as she descended the stairs.
Just as Sara had predicted, there were track marks, and large footprints along with smaller ones. Definitely a running scene. Catherine began processing, and managed to pull a full print from the adult. Just as she was finishing up, Sara came down, flashing her light on the wall under the sill. Sure enough, there was a blood mark, that looked like it came from a foot.
"She tried to warn her friend... Or go to her for help. She was too short to just jump up, so she had to use some leverage... Tried to make some noise, parents didn't hear because the T.V was too loud, as she always complained. Friend told her to hide in the crawlspace, she listened and did as she was told. Watched as her friend was slaughtered trying to protect her... Stayed there out of fear as the attacker went downstairs and massacred her parents... I suspect he came back up to get her approval... She didn't want him to do this, so he killed her in rage. Then he ran." Sara hypothesized, her eyes closed as she went through her idea. As she did, Catherine felt a chill through her spine once again.
"A noble death for one, a violent for the others and a tearful for the last... How did you come up with this, Sara?" Catherine placed her question carefully, placing a hand on Sara's shoulder. She could feel Sara's skin crawl awkwardly. Sara lifted up a bagged book.
"Her diary spoke of an older teen who loved her and wanted to take her away from her parents, apparently very controlling and abusive. He was so in love with her that he killed everyone around her. The only one who had any sense was the friend, and look what happened to her." Sara shook her head after her words, and looked down at the ground. Catherine was confused. How had she attained so much information so quickly? She was such an efficient worker, but yet it still was hard to believe.
"So, should we check the other rooms?" Catherine asked, clearing the heavy air. Sara nodded.
"Yes, but not for blood evidence. For items... Belts, slippers, anything that can be used to hit. Disciplinary things. I'm going to try to get a warrant for the bed." Sara instructed, though she was under Catherine in rank. Catherine simply nodded again, and followed through with Sara's strange but plausible requests. What she found disturbed her to no end. Exactly what she was told to find, she found.
Part 3
Catherine stood stunned at the findings, blinking slowly to clear her mind of any anger that would jeopardize the case. She knelt down to the cabinets and bedding, finding blood on the edges and corners of almost everything in the room. As she bagged many pieces of evidence, she continued to think her own thoughts. How did Sara know to check the parent's room for abuse signs? And more precisely, how did she know what to look for? It can't be all investigator's intuition... Catherine's thoughts were interrupted as she spotted something on the bed. A hair, very small. She bagged it, and continued to search the bed, turning on the blue flashlight and putting on her orange glasses.
She gasped as she spotted the huge blotches of old blood, both on and underneath the bed covers. The walls were drenched with spatter, the room was almost all bright blue from the heavy amount of blood. Catherine began snapping pictures through a special lens, already almost sick to her very core. She swabbed the walls and the furniture, and bagged the whole set of bed sheets and covers, bringing them out to the Tahoe. When she came back in after talking to a few officers, she checked the living room. It was also covered with blood, high on the walls like it was sprayed there. Once again, she photographed, swabbed and bagged all of the evidence.
Catherine took the evidence back to the Tahoe once again, then went around to the window, deciding once again to take more pictures with the blue lighted camera. She swabbed more of the blood, now that she could see that it was in a definite climbing and dripping pattern. And she also spotted something inside of the blood. As she leaned closer, she smiled a little to herself. Some sort of trace fiber was embedded in the blood, along with a piece of glass.
"Looks like whoever climbed up this wall cut themselves... It's up to you, Greg, it's all up to you." Catherine mumbled to herself, bagging the evidence. She looked up, and spotted Sara leaning out the window almost to her knees, processing the outside of the window sill. Catherine had to confess, she was quite worried about Sara falling out of that window. On the other hand, however, she was glad for the view of her co-workers stomach. Of course, this was that bad hand that she wasn't quite sure of trusting, yet. Catherine laughed to herself, but made sure to burn the image of Sara's strong stomach into her mind.
"Sara, how are you doing up there?" Catherine called. Sara looked down for a split second, then pulled a print of the place she was working on.
"Good, I've got more prints, and some blood and glass. I'm almost ready to wrap things up here. Are we allowed to take the bed without a warrant, or has that changed?" Sara asked, bagging the print tape. Catherine nodded.
"Yeah, we can take anything we want, technically. Nothing has changed, my dear." OH CRAP! Catherine cussed herself out in her mind. You slipped up big time! Catherine waited for the repercussion, but soon realized that it seemed to have squirmed right past Sara. Thank god she's too into her work to notice... Catherine let out a big sigh, and walked back into the house, processing the actual crime scene of the parents. People are creative, but a cheese grater? That's just awkward... Catherine thought, taking more photos, like she had of the bodies in their original positions. She dusted for prints from the drawers, and lifted them all, while photographing and swabbing every possible surface in that kitchen. She checked the railing of the stairs, even the vases around the area.
A few minutes after she was done, Sara came downstairs, a huge bag of evidence under her arm.
"Alright, I'm done up there. We need to get the bed to the lab, in full tact. Want to give me a hand?" Sara asked, walking with Catherine back to the Tahoe.
"Are you sure that we alone can get that bed downstairs?" Catherine asked as they walked back up to the bedroom. Sara nodded.
"Yeah, it seems like a fairly light thing. It's all one piece with a few drawers and a cubby-hole directly in the center grain. I'll take the stairs first, you just have to balance it on me." Sara instructed. The bedding had already been bagged and removed, leaving just the frame. The mattress had been removed. After wrapping the bed in plastic to make sure no evidence was lost or contaminated, Sara grabbed on end, while Catherine had the other, and with a swift jerk, up came the bed off of the floor. Catherine made an 'oof' sound as she struggled with the grip on her side. Sara quickly adjusted so the blunt weight was on her, and led them out of the room, the bed at a vertical angle.
"Okay, now keep it steady, I'm hitting the steps..." Sara coached from her side, slowly going down the stairs. Catherine did her job, though struggled a few times when it seemed like it was going to go crashing down on Sara's head. Sara hit the bottom step, and then down onto the floor, propping the bed up on her elbows and chest.
"Great work, we're clear. Now just out the door and onto the trailer I called for..." Sara called out, the door opening when she pushed her back through. While they were loading the bed into the truck, Sara was thinking about what exactly had happened.
"Thanks guys, we'll meet you back at the lab soon." Catherine told the officers. They drove away in the trailer. Sara and Catherine loaded their kits into the Tahoe, and set off back to the lab. The drive was pretty much in silence, as both were thinking. Not of the same things, but that was beside the point. The point was, it was way too quiet for Sara to handle. She reached forward and adjusted the radio to her station, tapping away on the steering wheel to ' Suffering Overdue' by Black Label Society. Catherine recognized the song from somewhere, but she couldn't place where she remembered it from.
"There's something sick,
Inside these walls,
Your loss of mind has,
come and called,
Your dissolution view of
why,
You'll find no dignity upon
the day you die
In the end we find what's
true,
suffering overdue
You claimed this oath and
then you swore,
Beyond today, beyond
forever more,
Withdrawn inside these,
sickened walls,
Silence is broken and you,
can't break me no more
I tried to speak my mind,
but it fell don deaf ears
These scars I've held,
within so many years..." Sara didn't realize she was singing along until it was much too late to stop. She continued singing with the song, deciding for once just not to care if she was around somebody else. Hell, today was just one of those days. Meanwhile, Catherine was bobbing her head to the music, smiling out the window. Why doesn't she sing more often, she is very good... Where have I heard this song before? Catherine wondered to herself. As they pulled closer to the office, Sara spoke up.
"So, should we call it a day now, or work a little longer?" She asked. Catherine looked over to Sara.
"How about we... Process the bed, hand over the DNA evidence, the trace and the fingerprints, and then go?" Catherine replied, not wanting to spend too much overtime. Her true intentions were hidden, but she honestly wanted to spend time with Sara. Catherine had never really gotten to know her, after all these years. What was she like off the job? Who did she associate with? What did she like do to on her spare time, what was her favorite food, favorite colour or artist? Did she have any family, or did she leave them all behind in San Francisco? There were so many things that made the enigmatic Sara Sidle.
The two women got out of the car once Sara had it parked in the lot. After picking up all the evidence and dropping them at their corresponding locations, Catherine decided to go see what Sara was doing with the bed in the workshop. When she entered, all she saw were Sara's legs sticking out from under the cubby-hole.
"Sara... What are you doing?" She asked, kneeling down beside the bed. Sara scooted out, a swab in her hand.
"The victim was around 5'4, and with some bending was able to fit into this cubbyhole, near the back where the wall would have been. I found a small bit of blood on the ceiling of the inside of this bed. Our killer must have reached in to grab the victim, thinking she would be proud of them for what they did. When she screamed and kicked at them, they were too tall and knocked their head on the board here, leaving some DNA. By the look of the drag marks on the hardwood floor, they became enraged and pulled her out. That's when they shot her." Sara explained, standing up, bagging the evidence. "I'm pretty much done here. Off to autopsy we go." Sara explained, walking out of the workshop and dropping her findings off at DNA.
Once in the autopsy room, they could see the extent of what had happened. Doctor Robbins was shaking his head at the second female victim, the young friend.
"So, who are our victims?" Catherine asked, looking at the 4 bodies. Doctor Robbins sighed.
"Well, this girl's name is Suzi Vayne, 15 years old. Cause of death was the bullet that shot through her brain. She has lacerations almost everywhere, consistent with a serrated blade of some sort. She has spinal damage, a few fractures of the lower back. A broken wrist, cheekbone and foot, all from blunt force trauma. Stab wounds, scratches, this girl went through hell. No signs of sexual assault. The brutality of these injuries suggests that she fought back, and quite violently. I recovered skin and blood cells from her teeth, and the tops of her knuckles. I've sent it all to trace and DNA. This was one tough girl. Suzi had a very strong body for a 5'1 person. Her feet are all scratched up from running on what seems like glass and gravel." Doctor Robbins explained, pointing with the scalpel.
"Over here, we have the other girl, Dana Redden, 14 years old. Cause of death was the single bullet through her head. No other injuries exist. The only other consistency with Suzi is that both have old scars and fractures that had been caused only a few days before death. Some even ranged back years. These kids were heavily abused, it seems..." Catherine flinched. Just like Sara had predicted...
"Now this... This is a strange thing. The father, Bob Redden, age 42. Cause of death was the salad spoon piercing the heart and causing him to bleed out. The lacerations and abrasions all over his body were caused by the cheese grater found on the scene. The mutilation is bad, he was definitely alive when he was grated and stabbed. Blunt force trauma cracked a key vertebrae in his spine. He couldn't move, so he could only feel the pain."
"Andrea Redden, age 40. Cause of death was the decapitation. Bruises on the wrists and ankles, suggesting some sort of binding. Her vocal chords were not in tact before death, so she was slashed first. As for the turkey baster, I have no idea what that signifies. The person who did this was terribly sick. You ladies should be careful." Sara nodded, and together with Catherine prepared to leave.
"Oh, there's one more thing I have to tell you. The records say that her name is Suzi Vayne, but she's actually adopted. She's a Redden, too. I figure that might be useful." Catherine blinked at this information. Did Suzi go back to save her sister from her parents? She asked herself as they walked back into the break room, white coats already discarded and in the wash. Sara slumped down on the couch, rubbing her eyes.
"What a case..." She mumbled, staring at the coffee table. Catherine sighed.
"Yeah... The more we seem to find out, the more it complicates things. We should probably get going, Lindsey will be home soon... Could I bug you for-"
"Of course, I'm fixing your car, remember?" Sara laughed out, cutting Catherine off. Catherine blinked, and laughed at herself for almost forgetting.
"Let's get going, so we can have coffee."
Part 4
As the women walked towards the door of the office, Greg walked by, waving goodbye to Catherine and Sara. Before they could finally reach the door, however, Grissom stopped them.
"I was wondering how things went today." He mentioned, observing the two women with unwavering eyes. Catherine shrugged, deciding to answer for them.
"As well as it could, considering the intensity and the violence involved in this case. We're both going home for a break, and Sara's going to try to fix my demented-demon-from-a-hell-basket-car. We'll be back by night shift, don't fret your crickets." Catherine laughed as Grissom simply raised his eyebrows. He walked away, repeating the phrase to himself in a questionable manner. Sara huffed a little laugh.
"Don't fret your crickets? That's got to be a first." Sara stated aloud, walking towards her car. Catherine followed, smiling gently at the amusement that four simple words could cause. She sat in the passenger side, buckling up as Sara revved up the engine, the radio clicking on immediately. Catherine watched as Sara's eyes opened with excitement. Catherine raised her eyebrow.
"Something special about this song?" She asked, already seeing Sara's fingers tapping against the wheel as they drove down the highway. Sara shrugged, the smile unfading in the car.
"I've always loved this song, since I was a teen. It's a dark romance song. I'm surprised you don't know it. Don't Fear the Reaper, by Blue Oyster Cult. I'll burn you the CD one of these days." The name rung a bell for Catherine, and she began listening to the lyrics. Although, perhaps it wasn't the actual song she was listening to, but Sara's own quiet version that she was particularly attracted to.
All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain..we can be like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man...
Valentine is done
Here but now they're gone
Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity...Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday...Like Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday...Redefine happiness
Another 40,000 coming everyday...We can be like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man...
Love of two is one
Here but now they're gone
Came the last night of sadness
And it was clear she couldn't go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew then disappeared
The curtains flew then he appeared...saying don't be afraid
Come on baby...and she had no fear
And she ran to him...then they started to fly
They looked backward and said goodbye...she had become like they are
She had taken his hand...she had become like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
Catherine felt a surge of electricity as she watched Sara's mouth form certain words. Baby, Don't fear, Don't be afraid, We'll be able to fly, Baby take my hand. Those words were now stuck in her mind, and would be for a while. By the time she realized she had been staring at Sara's lips, it was too late, and Sara had spotted her. Instead of reacting badly, however, Sara flashed her a sly grin. Catherine felt her face flush red, and turned to stare out the window, trying to get her body under control. She could hear Sara snickering to herself. What the hell is so funny?
"May I ask what is so entertaining to you?" Catherine asked, although her voice betrayed her seriousness, as it was still husky from thoughts that she really SHOULDN'T be thinking. She had to remind herself of that. Sara smiled.
"Don't worry about it, just a little personal thing I remembered. Hehehe..." Now this was awkward. Sara, did NOT, giggle. Ever. And Catherine was very sure of that. As she worked over the many possibilities in her head, she didn't even notice Sara catching quick glances at her from the corner of her eye. She shook the thoughts out of her head, and realized that they were approaching her house. Sara pulled into the driveway, shutting down the engine. Catherine pulled out her keys, and hit a button. The garage door slowly opened, revealing her car. Sara walked up to the garage, looking for a light. She found one on an inside panel, and clicked it on.
"Alright, let's see what we've got here..." Sara murmured, kneeling down beside the car. Catherine leaned against the car, folding her arms across her chest.
"I'm sorry I can't be of much help to you, I don't exactly know what's wrong..." Catherine spoke aloud, trying to distract herself from obsessing over being able to look down and see past Sara's collar bone. Sara thought for a second, then stood up, looking around. She spotted an old skateboard, and quickly grabbed it from the shelf. She used it as a slider, and was soon under the car. Catherine heard a few banging noises, along with a grunt of frustration.
"You okay?" Catherine called, grabbing an oil rag with her pinky finger. It was quite gross. Sara rolled out from underneath the car, a big oil splotch already on her face. Catherine couldn't help the silly grin burst out on her face, handing Sara the rag.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I know what's wrong, I think we're going to need a certain part, but I can fix it up to just before that." Sara stated, slipping back underneath the car. "You should go inside and get yourself a drink, this is going to take a while."
"Alright..." Catherine replied, heading off towards the door that led into her home. As she did, she began thinking of what she was feeling. She had no qualms about being attracted to her female colleague, she quite enjoyed the curvaceous hips of the lovely Sidle. She also enjoyed what she saw of her tight stomach and smooth looking skin. Catherine already knew that this woman was a tasty piece of eye candy. But what she didn't understand was the feeling that went along with the sexual attraction. Something was there, something much stronger than the urge of a one night stand. She believed it was love.
But like that would happen, considering that she was fairly sure that Sara was straight and probably had a thing for Grissom. There was also another factor: Sara was very uncomfortable with children, and there was no way that Catherine would give up Lindsey for love. The 14 year old girl was everything to her, though they were steadily growing apart. That was something that she did not want to happen. Even though these things were strong to dissuade her love, there was no way that Catherine could completely crush the feeling. And it was killing her.
Catherine let out a huge sigh and started making some coffee, whilst performing trivial acts of cleaning around the house. After the coffee was brewed, Catherine poured two cups, taking milk and two packets of sugar in her coffee. She pondered only for a moment as she remembered that Sara took three sugar and two milk in hers. That's a lot of sugar for somebody so thin... Geez, no wonder she can stay awake so long. Catherine picked up the cups and walked back into the garage, sipping her coffee and putting Sara's down on the work bench that Eddie had never claimed since the divorce. And he would never claim it, considering his death.
Sara hadn't noticed Catherine's entrance yet, her legs protruding out from under the car. Catherine could hear light humming, followed by a bang, a splashing noise and a loud curse. Then it hit her. Wait a minute... Eddie's case! She must be so angry with herself that she could never solve it... And I was so cruel to her even though she was trying her best... What have I done? Catherine's thoughts rang through her mind like the sound of a crystal being clinked with metal. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thought before she said something to Sara that would jeopardize her chance of making it up to the hardened CSI that was Sara Sidle.
"Hey, you okay under there, Sara?" Catherine called, hearing another swear ring through the garage. She heard a sturdy thud, followed by something cranking. Sara slid out from underneath the car, and Catherine couldn't help a grin to break out on her face. Sara had dirt and grease smudged across her face and hands, her hair tied back to keep the grease out of it.
"Yeah, I'm alright. I figured out what was wrong, but we're going to need a piece. I'm pretty sure I've got a spare at home, I could run it back here before shift tonight, it'll only take a few minutes to install it. Ah, coffee. Thank you, Catherine." Sara stood up, grabbing the cup and taking a tentative sip. When she found it was a fairly good temperature, she began gulping it down, relishing the thick liquid and the caffeine replenishing her weary mind.
"No, thank you for doing all of this. I really appreciate it. Would you like to come in for a drink or something?" Catherine asked, handing Sara another dirt rag. Sara wiped down her face, thinking it over.
"I'd love to, but I really should go and take a shower, clean up a little before shift. How 'bout I come pick you up and hour early? We could have a coffee before work, go finish this case, come back and install the new part. Deal?" Sara reasoned, wiping off her hands. Catherine nodded.
"Sounds great. See you then. Once again, thank you so much." Catherine walked Sara to her car, still sipping her coffee. Sara threw a smile her way.
"It's no problem. Bye for now." She called out, slumping into her car and rolling out of the driveway. Catherine watched as Sara left, lost in thought for a minute before she walked back into her home, a tiny smile of hope on her face.
Sara continued to drive to her apartment, thinking over the day and its strange events. She was ready to settle into her apartment after a long shower, and retain the rest she was deprived of the night before. No drinking tonight, she decided as she turned a corner. Sara hoped that they would find a break in the case, that she would be able to finish up Catherine's car, and that the coffee they had before shift would go smoothly without any questions about her life. Then again, the things she hoped for were always on the low end of occurrence.
Part 5
As soon as Sara reached her apartment, she went right to the back room, rummaging around in her well organized shelves for the pieces Catherine's car needed. When she found it, Sara wrapped it in a bag, and set it near the door, where she would easily be able to grab it on the way out. Technically, the back room was supposed to be her bedroom, but the single bed in the corner of the room behind some shelves didn't really count. She never used it anyway, considering her couch was extremely comfortable.
Sara went to take a shower, tossing her clothing along the hallway as she went. Lucky nobody liked to drop by randomly, otherwise this would be quite the sight to see.
Catherine sighed, slumping down onto her couch, rubbing her eyes to rid herself of the exhaustion plaguing her, along with the mental kicks she was giving herself for not pushing further with Sara. Although it was a start, she wanted more, and she wanted more soon. Catherine rolled herself to the side, and spotted the clock up on the wall, above the fireplace. Well, I still have 6 hours before Lindsey gets home, then 2 hours before Sara gets here...Nap time. Catherine thought to herself as she sprawled out on the couch, slipping into a deep sleep.
Sara awoke with a start, flipping off of the couch onto her back. She stared blankly up at the ceiling, blinking a few times.
"Ouch..." She mumbled, shaking her head and sitting up. She barely remembered changing into the shorts and t-shirt she was wearing, and recalled nothing of how long she had been sleeping, or if she even had set her alarm clock. Then again, she never needed that bloody thing in the first place. It would probably go off right about... Now. Sara grumbled, reaching to where her alarm was, and slammed the off button. With a feline stretch and a grunt of annoyance, Sara stood up and stumbled towards her 'room', shuffling through her closet for what to wear. She decided on a red muscle shirt and a pair of black slacks with a thick belt fitted with a silver buckle.
After her morning dose of coffee and toast, Sara cleaned herself up and slumped onto the couch, stretching out her long arms and legs once again. The light shone in through the blinds of her balcony window, sending lovely lines of lights cascading across her living room. Sara looked over to her red digital clock. She still had an hour before she had to go pick up Catherine. Sara grinned to herself, remembering that it was mid-day, and she could make as much noise as she wanted, to a degree. She reached over and snatched up her electric guitar. It was a Fender Powerhouse Stratocaster, a deep red in colour. Sara grabbed her neatly wrapped patch cord, and hooked herself up to the amplifier system she had painstakingly set up when she had first moved in. With a few strums, she had the sound she wanted: Loud, with heavy gain and strong tones on the higher notes.
Of course, nobody at the office-except for Greg-knew of her guitar obsession. She had saved big time for the sound system, and even more for her 'baby'. Greg had managed to catch her air guitaring to Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. He had the most amused look on his face, but then snapped into his interpretation of air 'bass guitaring'. They had laughed for a fair amount of time, and then discussed many different bands.
Sara shook her head, and began warming up with a few scales, such as the Aeolian, or the Dorian modes. Every once and a while, she threw in a pinch harmonic, loving how she could hear the glass in her apartment vibrating. She began throwing in power chords, only just beginning to warm up. The feeling of her fingers flying over the fretboard at breakneck speed was amazing, producing sounds that connected to songs that meant nothing as she seemed to fly.
Sara already knew what she was playing, out of instinct. She heard the riffs and licks of 'Stoned and Drunk' by Black Label Society flying out. She loved soloing, the feeling of being alone, standing out without being held back. It was like flying in the sky, without the horrible recognition that you WILL hit the ground eventually. Before she knew it, she had been playing different riffs for 30 minutes. Sara decided that she would pack up and head to Catherine's, considering she would probably grab a coffee along the way.
As she drove, Sara began to think of a few things. For one, her attraction to Catherine. It wasn't like she hadn't loved women before, but the last time hadn't ended exactly well. Come to think of it, the relationship had ended with a dreadful ending including sex, lies, cheating and broken tables. Sara snapped out of her thoughts, and took a long drink of her coffee.
She had to remember, Catherine was straight. And come to think of it, Catherine didn't like her very much, taking into fact all the times that they had exploded at each other. It seemed to be going alright now, but as always, something was bound to go wrong. It was simply a matter of time before either one of their fiery tempers exploded.
She wasn't looking forward to it.
Catherine awoke to a soft knocking on her door. Her eyes flew open as she realized that she had overslept on the couch. Up she flew, straightening her blouse and hair as she went to open the door. When she pulled it open, she smiled. Sara was fidgeting with the side of her black slacks nervously, her hair very straight. Catherine leaned against the doorway, waving Sara inside.
"Come on in, I just woke up from a nap. Have a seat, I'll make some coffee." Catherine beckoned. Sara smiled and walked inside of Catherine's house, taking off her shoes and marveling at the house she was in. Large, golden hued windows were in the front, with beautiful wood floors and rooms with semitones of caramel. Catherine giggled at Sara's reaction, and proceeded to push her back, sliding her across the floor and pushed her into a large chair. Sara was a little stunned, and seemed to be taking in her environment. Catherine smiled wide, and busied herself in the kitchen. She took glances at Sara, who was staring out the window to their large backyard, where a decaying tree house was rotting away. Catherine could see a tiny smile on Sara's face, and took the time to enjoy it.
But of course, the annoying beep of that godforsaken coffee maker interrupted both of their thoughts, and Catherine grumbled to herself as she poured them both some coffee. She brought it back, placing both cups on the table.
"I see you noticed the horrible attempt at a tree house. I can't build worth crap, but it lasted for around two years..." Catherine gave a heart-filled smile. Sara huffed a laugh.
"I can see that... Maybe we'll fix it one of these days."
Wait... Did she just say we?