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 6
Catherine shook the idea out of her head, keeping in mind that Sara was most likely straight. She was probably just getting comfortable around Catherine, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. As much as she knew that it was stupid, she couldn't help feeling a warm bubble in her stomach when she thought of the mysterious Sidle, who was currently sipping on her coffee with a funny look in her eyes. Catherine took a swig of her own coffee, looking around her home.
She liked what she saw. Although it had taken a lifetime of difficulties, she was finally where she wanted to be financially. Above her large television hung a painting of horses and knights in shining armor. She vaguely remembered buying it, considering it was Eddie who had found and interest in it. Now that she looked at it...
It seemed very familiar. It was a rescue scene in the midst of some sort of battle. There were evil knights dressed in dark greens molded to blackness, with trollish faces and slobbering jowls. The heroic knights were in armor carved of beautiful crimson red and gold. What caught Catherine's eye, however, was the main knight.
The knight was dressed in beautiful silver, with rust along the edges of the plate armor. He was on a beautiful black horse. Below the knight was a blond woman, reaching up to grasp the knight's extended hand. The knight was lanky, thin and bleeding. Catherine spotted strands of dark brown hair sticking out from under the knight's helmet. A sudden revelation struck her.
Tall, lanky, dark hair... Leaning down to rescue a blond woman... With blue eyes... Holy shit, I'm seeing us everywhere... Maybe it's some sort of strange omen... Catherine pondered, a tiny smile on her face. Everywhere she looked, she saw Sara. Speaking of Sara... She was walking around the living room, observing some of the key features of the home. Currently, she was staring intently at the china plates in the corner. Catherine spotted a pained look in Sara's eyes.
"Everything okay?" Catherine asked, standing up and walking over, stopping beside Sara. She couldn't help it, and made no attempt to stop herself as she reached up and let her hand drop onto Sara's shoulder. It was rigid and strong. Sara let a sad smile grace her features.
"Yeah. I just remembered a little something from a long time ago... Kinda bummed me out, don't worry about it. You're home is very beautiful, Cath." A shiver shot up Catherine's spine as she heard her name roll off of Sara's tongue. How she longed to hear her name moaned as she-
CATHERINE, STOP NOW! NO MORE BAD THOUGHTS!
Catherine mentally slapped herself, and smiled at Sara.
"Thank you very much, Sara. It's hard to keep it up, or add things to it because of the schedule, but I manage. So, what should we have for breakfast?" Catherine changed the topic, walking back to the kitchen. Sara followed her, sitting down at the heavy oak table. Catherine placed her coffee on the table, and turned to her kitchen cupboards and opened them, and having a gander.
"Whatever you'd like is fine, thank you." Sara answered, taking another sip of her coffee. What Catherine didn't realize, was that Sara was taking her sweet time staring at the busy blonde's finely shaped bottom. Catherine suddenly perked up when she saw that she had, in fact, managed to buy waffle mix sometime in between her busy agenda.
"Waffles it is!" Catherine exclaimed, pulling out the waffle mix box, turning around. Sara had moved her gaze to the stained glass window above the chrome kitchen sink. It was made of beautiful golden panes, with greens mixed in. Sara's face broke into a small smile as she remembered her painting at home. It reminded her a lot of the window. Sara was so busy staring at the designs in the windows that she didn't even notice Catherine finishing up the waffles.
"You okay, sweetie? You're a little distant." Catherine sat down, passing Sara her plate. Sara shook herself out of her thoughts, though she kept the friendly smile on her face.
"Yeah, I was just thinking how your window reminds me of a painting I have in my apartment. And how good these waffles smell..." Sara trailed off, already lathering the waffles in syrup. Catherine observed Sara's carefree attitude. She seemed to glow with a comfortable radiance, happily stuffing her face with thick waffle goodness. Catherine began eating, and was reminded that she was in fact a good waffle maker.
When she looked up from her own plate, she couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles. Sara had her mouth stuffed, a tiny piece of fluffy waffle sticking out the side of her mouth along with syrup dripping down her chin. Sara looked up, slightly confused.
"What?" She mumbled, her mouth still filled with remnants of waffles. This only caused Catherine to laugh harder, holding her ribs. Sara swallowed her mouthful, still generally confused. Catherine soon calmed her laughter, and grinned wide at Sara.
"Sorry, you just looked so adorable..." Catherine lost herself in Sara's eyes, reaching over and wiping Sara's chin with her napkin. She watched as Sara's deep, dark eyes followed every movement that she made. Oh shit... What the hell am I doing? Catherine scolded herself angrily, pulling back slowly. She was awaiting the repercussions, for some sort of pain or anger.
"Thanks... I tend to become a messy eater if the food is good. You're excellent at making waffles, Cath. We'll have to do this again sometime." Was Sara's simple reply, grabbing both of their plates and heading towards the sink. Catherine blinked, not being able to believe that Sara either, one, didn't catch on to her bold flirting, or two, was playing along with it. She watched intently as Sara rinsed off their plates and stuck everything into the wonder that was the dishwasher.
Afterwards, she leaned closer to the stained glass window, taking an interest in the fine grain of the window. She turned back to Catherine, who was staring at something on the floor. Sara walked over to Catherine, and leaned down, rubbing the side of her mouth.
"You had a little syrup stain. May I ask when Lindsey is coming home?" Sara sat down beside Catherine, a grin on her face. Catherine blinked, and then looked at the sun dial clock above the kitchen entranceway.
"Well, let's see... We have to be at work in around 3 hours, and Lindsey gets off of school at 3:30, so... In roughly 2 hours. I thought it was 6 before, but I suppose I'm really off today." Catherine reasoned, confused at the fact that she was so distraught today. Sara nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds about right. Since we have so much time, I might as well fix your car now. For once, I remembered to bring the right part." Sara offered, standing up and grabbing the part she had left in the plastic bag by the door. Catherine showed Sara the way to the door that led into the garage, following a path she took every morning before work. Sara grabbed the light and the skateboard, once again rolling underneath. Catherine leaned against a work bench that hadn't been used in years, listening to the loud clunks and thuds of Sara's work. She listened more intently as she heard what seemed like a struggle.
"Oh come on you little bitch!" She heard Sara exclaim, followed by a loud thud. Catherine listened, and almost laughed as she heard the familiar growl that Sara used when she was angry.
"Everything alright?" Catherine called out, slightly concerned. She heard a muffled answer.
"I'm okay, you're car just doesn't like me. Stiff little bitch, she is." Catherine laughed.
"That's my car, alright." Catherine waited a few moments, listening to a few more clangs, followed by the sound of sliding metal. Sara rolled out from underneath the car, sitting up and grabbing some sort of fluid in a bottle. She rolled back under, and Catherine could hear the sound of something being sprayed.
"Hey Cath, can you pass me an oil rag?" Sara called, sticking her hand out from under the car. Catherine picked up the rag from earlier with her pinky once again, handing it to Sara in a dainty manner. Sara's hand disappeared, and within a few minutes, she was standing beside the car.
"Well, it should be all set to go now." Sara stated, wiping her hands clean of the oil and grease.
Catherine waited till she discarded of the rag, and then flung her arms around Sara's neck in a tight hug.
"Thank you so much for all the help, I really appreciate it." Sara's ears began turning red, but she returned the hug anyway.
"No problem, it was nothing, really. It should run pretty smooth, but don't be afraid to call if she acts up again." Sara stated, both women pulling away from the hug that lasted a bit too long. Catherine led Sara back into the living room, where they both sat down. Sara stretched her long arms, wiggling her fingers. That's when Catherine noticed it. An old ring tan line, on her ring finger.
"Sara, were you engaged at one point?" Catherine asked slowly. She immediately knew the answer. Sara's face went pale, her eyes a little darker than normal.
"Yeah, but it wasn't meant to be. It was one of those uncharacteristic, stupid blitzkrieg type relationships. We both thought we could handle it, but in the end it just wasn't going to work out. I ended up hurting Ally really badly, and there's not a day I don't regret the pain I put her through. Honestly, if I was her, I wouldn't forgive me, either." Sara confessed, her eyes looking down at where the ring had once been. In her memory, it was still clear and shiny, not burned in the blaze that was used to try and erase the past. Catherine, however, was in shock. First off, she found out that the woman she was pinning after had actually been close to being married. Second, she learned that Sara had done something bad, but who knows what that could have been. And thirdly, she assumed that Sara had been engaged to a man, but she was wrong. Who was Ally, and what exactly did she mean to Sara? Was her first, immediate question, but she held it.
"Oh, I see. There are a lot of ways to look at it. Time passes, Sara. Pain does heal." She tried her best at consoling the dark brunette. Sara looked up, and flashed a tiny grin.
"Time definitely does pass... Speaking of time, I think Lindsey is going to be home soon. I should probably get going..." Sara made to stand, when Catherine grabbed her hand.
"No, it's okay, you can stay a little longer. I'm sure Lindsey would love to see you again." Catherine tried. Sara thought for a moment, then sat back down.
"I guess so..." Sara reasoned, but didn't let go of Catherine's hand. And there was no way that Catherine was going to complain. Though, in an instant it was over, when Catherine sprang up as the door opened, revealing the thunderstorm that was Lindsey. Sara blinked, seeing Catherine go to greet her daughter.
"Hey Lindsey, how was school?" She asked, meeting her halfway through the kitchen. Lindsey grumbled.
"I hate my teacher. Apparently I got a question wrong, but he won't explain what I did wrong. I don't even think it's wrong, I think he just doesn't like me." The teen grumbled, slumping down at the kitchen table, still not noticing Sara. Sara walked into the kitchen, leaning on the doorway.
"What was the question on?" She asked, making her presence known. Lindsey perked up immediately, a grin stretching across her face.
"Oh hey Sara! I didn't know you were here. It was a math question, on algebra. According to Mr. Snot-nose-licker, the answer was 1. I said it was -1." Lindsey reasoned, popping open her thick blue math text book. Sara looked at the question, her eyes scanning over each step Lindsey took. She blinked a few times.
"Honey, what have I said about making fun of Mr.Snottosliker?" Catherine chastised, her hands on her hips. Lindsey was about to retaliate when Sara piped up.
"Catherine, Lindsey's right, it's -1." Sara stated, passing the work back to Lindsey. The teen beamed from the praise, her eyes lighting up.
"See Mom? I told you Mr.Snottosliker didn't like me!" Catherine was taken aback. Why would the teacher not like Lindsey? Oh yeah. She was stubborn, obnoxious, brave, smart, and had the Willows charm. Yup, there was a good reason.
"Well, we'll just have to talk to him about that." Catherine replied, a seriously deep undertone in her voice. Sara smiled, being thankful that she had a use.
"Well, we best be going if we're hoping to be on time. Nice seeing you again, Lindsey." Sara laced up her boots at the door, being as she had on the thick army ones today. Catherine joined her soon thereafter.
"Lindsey, be good for grandma. I think she's still sleeping, but if there's a fire, please poke her or something. Love you." Catherine hugged and kissed her daughter, before stepping out the door. Lindsey grinned.
"Okay, bye Mom. Love you too! Bye Sara, stop by again sometime!" With that, Lindsey shut the door, and the CSI women headed off to another day at work.
Things were about to get hectic.
Part 7
Sara plopped into the driver's seat of her car, rolling down the window and buckling in. She turned on the radio, and was just about to pull out when Catherine slumped into the passenger seat. Sara was slightly confused, since she had just finished fixing Catherine's car, so Catherine should have been ready to use it. Catherine saw the slight confusion in Sara's eyes, and gave a little laugh.
"Saving the environment, I suppose. Sides, I want to know the radio station you listen to, I love it." Catherine joked, buckling in. Sara laughed, leaning her arm on the open window. She began to back out of the driveway, pulling out onto the street. She quickly turned on the radio, and began driving towards work. Catherine leaned on the window, closing her eyes and inhaling the scent in Sara's car. It was lavender, but there was something else hidden within it that Catherine fancied. Something that could only be Sara.
Sara stopped at a red light, bobbing her head lightly to the music. The previous song ended, and after a few weird blabbers from the radio DJ, and a new song popped on. Catherine opened her eyes, and sat up, listening closer to the song. Sara smirked, and pumped up the volume. Catherine felt her head bobbing to the music involuntarily. She was even more pleased when she heard Sara's voice in the background.
Eye on the TV
'cause tragedy thrills me
Whatever flavour
It happens to be like;
Killed by the husband
Drowned by the ocean
Shot by his own son
She used the poison in his tea
And kissed him goodbye
That's my kind of story
It's no fun 'til someone dies
Don't look at me like
I am a monster
Frown out your one face
But with the other
Stare like a junkie
Into the tv
Stare like a zombie
While the mother
Holds her child
Watches him die
Hands to the sky crying
Why, oh why?
'cause I need to watch things die
From a distance
Vicariously I,
live while the whole world dies
You all need it too,
don't lie
Why can't we just admit it?
Why can't we just admit it?
We won't give pause until the blood is flowing
Neither the brave nor bold
The writers of stories sold
We won't give pause until the blood is flowing
I need to watch things die
From a good safe distance
Vicariously I,
live while the whole world dies
You all feel the same so
Why can't we just admit it?
Blood like rain come down
Drawn on grave and ground
Part vampire
Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
Stare at the transmitter
Sing to the death rattle
La, la, la, la, la, la, la-lie
Incredulous at best your desire to believe in
Angels in the hearts of men
Pull your head on out
Your head believes it give a listen
Shouldn't have to say it all again
The universe is hostile
So impersonal
Devour to survive, so it is
So it's always been
We all feed on tragedy
It's like blood to a vampire
Vicariously I,
live while the whole world dies
Much better you than I
By the end, Catherine had memorized the tune, looking over to Sara, who didn't seem to notice that she was staring quite suggestively at her.
"You know... You're a really good singer." Catherine mentioned as nonchalantly as possible. Sara laughed slightly.
"Yeah, if you like nails on a chalkboard." She replied, turning left at a corner. Catherine shook her head.
"I'm serious, Sara, you're really damn good. I think I'm going to ask for a ride to work more often..." She giggled out, tapping her fingers on the side of the window. Sara smiled to herself, trying to control her quickly reddening ears. Catherine reached over, and wiggled one of Sara's ears.
"Aw, is Sara blushing?" Catherine joked, talking like she would to a baby. Sara swatted her away, laughing.
"Ah, shuddap." She blushed further, trying to act serious only to have it fail miserably. Catherine smiled to herself.
"Cute..."She mumbled, smiling and staring out the window. Sara blinked a few times, but acted like she had heard nothing.
"Let's hope the DNA results are in. We'll probably have to go to the kids' school..." Sara spoke, already beginning to work out the case in her mind. Catherine sighed.
"It's a shame, really. Those poor girls, and those sick parents... Plus, whoever killed them is twice as worse." Catherine sighed again, unbuckling as they parked at headquarters. They both hopped out, and headed into the lab. When they entered, they were greeted by a few office workers, and soon headed straight towards the break room. Grissom was seated there, talking to someone else, whose back was turned to them.
The woman was around 5'2, with a sleek build and wide shoulders. She was wearing a white button up blouse, with the sleeves rolled up three-quarters of the way. She had tanned skin, and dark black hair with wicked bright blue streaks through it, held into a ponytail. She also wore a pair of black slacks, a huge gun strapped to her left side. Her thick army boots completed her ensemble. Sara blinked in recognition at the small, Japanese symbol tattooed to the back of the woman's left ear.
"Ah, Sara, Catherine. I'd like you both to meet our newest member of the LVPD. She'll be one of our graveyard officers. Say hello to-"Grissom started. The woman turned around, facing the two female CSIs. She had piercing green eyes, two long blue streaks hanging down beside them. She had a strong, beautiful face, with a nose stud and a tongue piercing. She had a long, jagged scar on the left side of her face, from chin to just under her eye and the bridge of her nose. The second she saw Sara, she gave an evil grin, her pointed teeth gleaming. Sara gave a grin as well, hands on her hips.
"Suzi Vayne." Sara finished, standing tall and up in Suzi's face. Suzi glared up at her.
"Sara Sidle." She spoke out. They held their glare for what seemed like hours. Grissom and Catherine blinked, giving each other the 'What the hell?' look. After a few seconds, both glaring women burst into laughter. Suzi hugged Sara around the waist, and yanked her off the ground, giving her a bear hug.
"SARA!" She exclaimed, looking very happy. Sara coughed.
"SUZI, CAN'T BREATHE!" She laughed out. Suzi promptly dropped Sara, adjusting her tie.
"Erm, sorry about that. Long time no see!" Suzi gave another grin, probably one of those famous grins that Sara remembered her for. Sara smiled.
"Yeah, I know. God, what is it now? 10 years?" Sara tried, leaning against the break room table. Suzi nodded.
"Yup... You haven't changed a bit. You're still ugly." Suzi joked, giving Sara a punch in the arm. Sara growled a laugh, giving Suzi a little shove back.
"Yeah? Keep talking, Midget. By the way, you have the same name as one of our victims. Except for the fact that you're a grandma compared to how old this girl is..." Sara mentioned. Suzi nodded.
"I know. Her adopted parents are my cousins. I figured, not only would I score a great job in Vegas, but I could help them cope with the pain of losing her. I met her once... Nice kid, reminded me of myself, ironically enough. Even more ironic that I meet my pothead, Californian buddy here." Suzi changed the mood many times throughout her sentence, leaning up beside Sara. Catherine raised an eyebrow. Pothead, eh? We'll have to make a note of that...
"I'll have you know I quit all of that... 'Sides, you were a bigger pothead than I was, you're from Vancouver. I do miss the beer, though..." Sara reminisced, laughing. Suzi smirked.
"I brought you some Kokanee... The best of British Columbia, just for my old friend... By the way..." Suzi started, leaving a little pause in her sentence. She struck to the side, punching Sara square in the shoulder hard enough to send her off her feet. Sara stood up, a look of 'Oh no you didn't' plastered on her face.
"YOU NEVER CALL!" Suzi complained, waving a finger at Sara. Sara blinked, then shrugged.
"Oops?" She reasoned, a tiny smile on her face. Suzi rolled her eyes.
"Workaholic little shit..." She mumbled, shaking her head. Sara huffed.
"Meh. Anyway, are you here to help us with the case, or just annoy me?" Sara asked, sitting on the table. Suzi laughed.
"Well, I'd be glad to help you if you'd introduce me to this lovely lady here..." Suzi stated, leaning back on the table. Sara laughed.
"Sorry about that. This is Catherine Willows. Catherine, this is Suzi Vayne. We worked together in Canada. And it looks like you've already met Grissom..." Sara introduced them. Suzi shook Catherine's hand, giving her a wide, enthusiastic grin.
"Nice to meet cha." Catherine grinned. Suzi was like Greg with a sugar boost.
"You too. It's nice to finally have another person to lighten up this lab." Catherine walked over to the coffee machine, beginning a fresh brew of Greg's hidden coffee. Nick bounded into the break room, leaping on the couch just as Warrick came barreling down the hallway.
"HAHA! Beat you!" Nick taunted, grabbing the first player controller console. Warrick grumbled, sitting down and grabbing second player.
"That's cause you started early!" He complained. Grissom cleared his throat loudly, and both men looked up, slightly confused.
"Guys, I would like you to meet the newest member of our team, Suzi Vayne." Nick stood up, and shook Suzi's hand.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Nick Stokes, and this here is Warrick Brown." Warrick shook Suzi's hand, giving her a smile. Suzi laughed.
"Pleasure's all mine, dudes." Suzi had a slight coastal accent, Warrick noticed. Both guys slumped back on the couch, and picked up their controllers, ready for a round of some racing game. At that moment, Greg came bounding into the room, waving some sort of report.
"Sara, just the woman I wanted to see. Mia got your results back. No hit on CODIS, but it says that there was an unknown male AND an unknown female present. The blood under the bed is the male, the blood on the knuckles of the girl, was female AND male. There was a huge brawl and-Hello..." Greg stopped, reaching out and grasping Suzi's hand. She laughed and shook it.
"I'm Suzi Vayne, I'll be working with Graveyard from now on." She explained, leaning back on the table. Greg smiled wide.
"I'm Greg Sanders. I used to be the DNA guy, but I finally got the leash off." Suzi laughed a booming laugh.
"Well, I'm sure you're doing well. Otherwise Sara probably would have whooped your ass by now." Sara raised an eyebrow, thinking about it for a moment.
"Yeah, probably." Greg gave a little squeak.
"Oh, dear..." He said meekly. Suzi gave another loud laugh.
"Ahaha, you rock, dude." She said as she walked over to the coffee machine, using a mug that said, "CANUCK" in bright red letters. Catherine turned to Sara.
"So, two unknown people... It think we better go to school." She stated, popping the lid on her coffee. Sara nodded.
"Yeah. Are you going to be our officer, Suzi?" Sara asked, sipping her coffee. Suzi nodded, adjusting her belt buckle.
"True to that, friend. Let's get going. Do we know which school these kids go to?" She asked, downing her coffee in a fast chug. Catherine turned to her files, scanning down the page.
"Says here, Miranda Junior High School... 6124 Alderberry road."Catherine read out. With that, the three women walked out, heading towards the parking lot. Suzi hit something on her maple leaf key chain. The roar of an engine sparked up, and they hopped into her truck, buckling in. With a few adjustments, they were off. Suzi cranked up her stereo to a couple tunes, constantly tapping her hands as she went.
"So, give me the low down on this case. So far, I've got mass murder in my mind." Suzi asked as they pulled to a stop at a red light. Catherine rattled off the details, focusing more so on observing the quirky officer. Suzi nodded.
"Alright, gotcha. So we're looking for friends, associates, teachers. No body who has a criminal offense because nothing turned up on CODIS... Judging by what you've told me, I'm presuming that we are dealing with a crime of passion. Lovely first case..." Suzi grumbled the last bit, beginning to pull through another intersection. Sara chuckled.
"So, where are you living now?" Sara asked casually. Suzi spoke her address.
"Just a little apartment. I'm looking for a house so that when I secure my position here, I can move up my family." Sara blinked wide.
"Tell me you didn't forget to call me about kids or a wedding of some kind..." Sara warned. Suzi chuckled sheepishly.
"I would of, but it happened so fast. I've got my own baby girl, a beautiful stepdaughter and a husband to kill for. I knew you were living in Vegas, I heard from your friend in 'Frisco, so I decided, what the hell, let's get to tell her personally." Sara laughed, a grin on her face.
"I'm happy for you, Suzi." Suzi blushed, a soft smile on her face.
"Yeah, me too. Anyway, here's the school." Suzi parked, hopping out of the truck. Catherine and Sara followed, putting on their game faces. Suzi marched through the front doors, and slapped her hand on the administrative desk. Turns out, it was a big school. The secretary jumped.
"S'cuse me miss, my name's Vayne, I'm from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. See these two kids? I know you recognize them. I need their class numbers, the names of the teachers who taught them, and names of any friends you can think of." Suzi explained, holding up school pictures of the two girls. The secretary nodded, writing down some information on a piece of looseleaf. Catherine was impressed at how fast Suzi was able to extract information. Sara was busy observing the bustling hallways.
"Okay, ladies, here we go. Both were in the same class, grade... Oh, poor souls. Both were in grade nine... Let's go before I start to lose it." Suzi said sadly, walking towards the hallways. Sara followed with Catherine, feeling slightly out of place as they got stares from the younger teens. Suzi knocked on a classroom door, and then walked in, motioning for the teacher to come out. He walked over, and closed the door behind him.
"What's this about?" He asked. He looked young, probably a fresh teacher. Suzi looked up at him.
"My name is Vayne, I'm from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. These are my colleagues, Sidle and Willows. I regret to tell you this, but Dana Redden and Suzi Vayne are both dead. We were wondering if you knew any of their friends, who they hung out with and so forth..." The teacher looked genuinely shocked. Then he frowned deeply.
"Was it that damned Johnson kid? He's such a bad influence on Dana. They were such good kids, I can't believe that someone would want to hurt them. Suzi was a very secretive girl. Sat at the back of the class, quiet as the night is dark. She really didn't have any friends, save for Dana. I always wondered about her, though. Suzi was incredibly smart, a genius, in fact. But she always had bruises."
"Dana, on the other hand, was very outgoing. She was close to Suzi, and normally if anyone asked I would say to talk to their counterpart. But I guess it would probably be either Rina Costa or Darwin Johnson. Both were horrible influences. Darwin, according to the grapevine of gossip, got Dana and Rina hooked on drugs. Suzi apparently had wanted no part in it, and they all had a falling out. Except for Darwin and Dana. Suzi was worried, and Rina was furious. I'm not sure if it was because she liked Darwin, or because she just hated Suzi. Either way, there was a lot of animosity flowing. If I were to talk to anyone, it would be them." The teacher explained, trying to recall all the detail he had heard around the classroom. Suzi handed him a card.
"Thank you very much, sir. If you hear or think of anything else that may be important, give me a ring." Suzi explained, walking into the classroom. Sara and Catherine followed, feeling like moral backup. Suzi looked around the room, and spotted who she believed were Darwin and Rina.
"Darwin Johnson, and Rina Costa, would you mind stepping out of class for a minute?" Suzi's voice was very demanding, and Catherine probably would have been slightly intimidated if it weren't for the fact that Suzi was on their side. The two kids stood up, and walked toward the door. The boy, Darwin, looked very strange, and seemed paranoid, his eyes flickering strangely. He had short blonde hair, and was quite tall for a kid.
The girl was a mess. Frizzy red hair that was knotted messily, sunken in eyes, and chapped lips. Her eyes were red, and her pupils dilated. She was stoned. When Suzi had both kids outside, she crossed her arms, and gave them both a death glare.
"You lovely kids remember Dana and Suzi, don't you?" She asked calmly, but Sara could tell that Suzi had a plan of some sort. They both nodded, although Rina looked angry at the mention of Suzi's name.
"You guys hung out in a while, or what, eh?" She asked calmly, her coastal accent kicking in around a few words. Darwin itched the back of his neck, looking left at the ground.
"No, not in a while." He spoke, his voice a little shaky. Catherine crossed her arms. He was lying, they had been hanging out. Looking left for fabrication, as she recalled. Rina's eyes shifted.
"I did. Me and Dana went out, partied a little, smoked up. She stopped suddenly and said that she couldn't do it, that Suzi would get mad. I told her to forget about Suzi, and she freaked out on me and left for home. I shrugged it off and just smoked more. That was... I dunno when, I don't really remember. Could have been yesterday morning..." Rina offered. Sara almost raised an eyebrow, and gave Catherine a look that relayed her obvious doubt. But Suzi ran with it anyway, taking on a relaxed pose.
"Ah, okay. So, about her parents... What has she told you guys?" Darwin perked up, an angry look on his face.
"They were horrible to her. They beat her, pushed her around, called her names. She hated them." Darwin explained. Catherine noted his angry attitude. Suzi nodded.
"Hmm... That confirms my suspicions. Bastards. Now Rina... Why was Dana so afraid that she would upset Suzi?" She asked carefully, as if she was truly concerned for Dana. Rina flared up.
"I think they were fucking. Suzi, that bitch, told Dana that I wasn't good for her. I bet she was beating Dana right along side her parents, fucked her up real good." Catherine nearly gasped. Concern? Ah, no chance. Jealousy, on the other hand... Suzi nodded.
"Okay, thank you for your co-operation. If you don't mind, could we take a sample of your DNA?" The kids nodded, and Sara quickly swabbed them, labeling the tubes for DNA, on rush. Suzi gave a semi waving salute, and both kids walked back into the classroom. Immediately Sara's eyebrows struck the roof.
"If that wasn't the motive of the century, I don't know what is." She stated, hands on her hips. Catherine nodded.
"And Darwin was lying about hanging out with her. He was looking left... Fabricating." Catherine added, standing beside Sara. Suzi nodded, crossing her arms again.
"I've got a theory, and your DNA stuff should probably back it up. Let's get back to the lab." Suzi stated, already walking towards the hallways again. The CSIs followed, already wondering what Suzi had concocted in her strange little mind. They got back into the truck, Suzi giving the fuzzy red maple leafs hanging over her rear view mirror a swing. Catherine sat in the middle this time, smiling at the novelty items all around the car. Stickers of flags, beer bottle labels, and random coins.
"So, are these Canadian?" Catherine asked, holding a few of the coins in her hand. Suzi nodded.
"Yup. Beaver's five cents, moose is 25 cents, the loon is a dollar, and that polar bear is a lovely two dollars. The Bluenose is our ten cents. And of course, the maple leaf is our one cent coin." Suzi explained. Catherine put the coins back, leaning back in the seat, casually resting her hand on a knee. Wait, hold the presses. That wasn't her knee. Catherine took a quick glance down, and realized that because she was in a smaller space, she accidentally placed her hand on Sara's knee.
"Well, I hope you listen to the same stuff Sara does, I can't stand when I have to go out to a crime scene in Nick's car. WAY too much country for any soul to stand..." Suzi burst into her booming laughed, clicking on her CD player. A heavy bass line kicked in, and Suzi pulled out of the parking lot, a smirk on her face.
"Well, then I guess Sara hasn't changed much then. Good thing too, I'd hate to see her change from anything but the mean ass, cold, caring, funny individual she is." Sara blushed slightly, but not from the comment. She noticed right away Catherine's hand upon her knee, and she was trying desperately to focus on anything but the soft fingers massaging her-Woah. Stop. Massaging her knee? Sara immediately suppressed a blush, feeling her ears begin to burn, along with something else in the pit of her stomach. Catherine grinned, feeling Sara heat up.
"So... Want to let us in on what you were thinking?" Catherine asked, absently stroking Sara's knee. Suzi sighed.
"Well... I know we're not supposed to guess before the evidence...But I know that Darwin is involved with the murder of the Redden parents, there's no doubt. The male evidence you found... It's his. I know how to read this guy... He was in love with Dana, you could see it in his eyes. He hung his shoulders in guilt, he was paranoid because it's his first kill and he got the jitters because he feels like everyone knows. He killed them, and I bet he killed Dana, too. Went under, reached for her, searching for approval. When she screamed and kicked in horror, he dragged her out. There's no damper for adrenaline, so he shot her, and then regretted it. So he fled..." Suzi looked over, smiling slightly at Catherine's gesture. She then got back into detective mode.
"I can't tell when Suzi was killed. Either, she got there just in time to warn Dana that she was about to be killed, or walked in after Dana was already dead. This is where Rina comes in. She's in love with Dana, too. I can't tell if it's friendly or romantic, but she obviously thought that Suzi was Dana's lover, when they were in fact sisters. So, either driven by homophobia, fear, love or revenge, or a twisted combination of them all, these two were driven to kill. I can't tell if they were in it together or not, but in a sick link of their minds, they've wiped out two generations of a very broken family." Suzi finished, her theory elaborate, but very factual and possible. Sara nodded.
"Sounds about what I was thinking. We'll have a brainstorm when we get back." Sara stated, quickly giving Catherine a pat on the hand. Catherine smiled to herself. Now this is getting interesting...
Part 8
As the women hopped out of the truck. The sun was just beginning to set, causing a gleam along the windows of HQ. Suzi walked ahead quickly, giving Sara a sly grin and a friendly elbow nudge. Sara watched as Suzi enthusiastically greeted Greg through the windows of HQ, and began thinking of what she should do. Should she follow her greatest friend's advice, or stick it safe?
"Hey, Catherine, could I talk to you for a minute?" Sara asked, stopping before they reached the doors. Catherine looked back, and nodded. Sara was stunned. The sunset was behind Catherine, sending a golden halo around her strawberry blond hair, turning her eyes into shadows that held two sparkling sapphires within their depths. Sara shook herself out of her trance, and led them back to Suzi's truck.
Offering her hand to Catherine, she helped her up into the box, where Catherine sat down. Sara hopped up, sitting beside Catherine. Sara tried several times to start conversation, but ended up opening and closing her mouth a few hundred times. Catherine giggled at her nervousness, reaching over to caress Sara's cheek, pulling up on Sara's chin to look her in the eye. She smiled sweetly, her blue eyes once again locked with Sara's deeply emotional eyes.
"How about we... Skip the dinner, cheesy talks with the nervous smiles and the fleeting touches and get right to the good part?" Catherine spoke, leaning close to Sara, trying to control her breathing and keep her blatant confidence. Sara pushed forward, capturing Catherine's lower lip with her teeth, initiating a fiery kiss. Catherine let herself be dominated, leaning back as Sara's arms surrounded her, pulling her tight to a muscled torso. When they broke for air, Catherine looked up at Sara, and observed the darkness of her eyes, the flush of her lips and the depth of the shadows that climbed the length of her face.
"I think that's a good idea." Sara mumbled, leaning down for another kiss, cradling Catherine's head with her large hands. Catherine moaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Sara's neck and pulling her closer. Sara pulled away, smiling. Catherine sighed.
"Damn, we're still on the clock..." She laughed, sitting up straight. Sara leaped down from the truck, offering her hand up to Catherine, who took it. Sara pulled and cradled Catherine in her arms like newlyweds, laughing at the little shriek Catherine let out. When she placed her down, Catherine gave a little huff.
"You are such a goof." She laughed, skipping ahead. Sara shrugged, using her long legs to catch up in a few steps.
"I know. But hey, if you like goofs, than I'm the goof for you." She laughed out, giving Catherine's round bottom a pinch before she jogged ahead into the builder. Catherine let out a little shriek, and stood stunned. She glared humorously in Sara's direction, shaking her head and continuing to follow her into the building. When she entered, Sara was speaking with Greg, looking at the DNA result sheet. She gave an evil grin to Greg, along with a little slap on the back for reassurance.
"I'm presuming we've got something?" Catherine asked, taking her spot beside Sara. Greg nodded.
"All of the blood, epithelial, and hair samples match up with the others. You've got yourself two unrelated people, one boy, one girl. The male inflicted most of the bruises on the second victim, and climbed the wall. But so did the female, her hair is embedded in some of the second victim's wounds. I hope you catch these guys." Greg explained. Suzi nodded.
"Friend, I think we might have already. Now, would you mind processing these and comparing them to those? I'll buy you a drink if you get it done fast, eh?" Suzi offered, handing Greg the swabs. Greg grinned.
"Sure thing, see you ladies around!" With that, Greg hopped off. Suzi smirked.
"I love that dude, what a spunky little thing! Man, I need some coffee..." Suzi mumbled, walking into the break room. Grissom was seated at the table, staring at something moving in a jar. Suzi leaned close and stared over Grissom's shoulder, blinking.
"That's a friggin' big cockroach, eh?" Suzi stood up, leaving Grissom to laugh.
"In more or less words, yes, it is. It's 5 inches wide and long, I just received it from Brazil." Catherine blinked, and shuddered.
"Grissom, would you mind keeping it out of the break room? I'd rather not be worried about where it gets out. At least if it's in your office there's a fair warning." Catherine laughed, grabbing a soda from the fridge. Sara stretched out, working some kinks out of her neck. Grissom looked up.
"Rough night?" He asked. Sara nodded.
"Yeah, I fell asleep on the couch, rolled off this morning. I'm fine though, it's just my back acting up again." Suzi looked over to Sara, smiling sheepishly.
"Man, I'm still sorry for that." Sara laughed, brushing it off.
"Nah, it wasn't you're fault, it wasn't really anyone's fault. How were you supposed to know that the frame was going to fall?" Suzi sighed, shaking her head.
"Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I still don't feel guilty." She murmured, taking a sip of her coffee. Catherine blinked.
"Um... Can I ask what happened?" She offered, leaning beside Suzi on the counter. Sara stretched again.
"Yeah. We were working on her grandmother's roof, back in Canada. I was climbing up to finish something off, and the frame we were using as scaffolding collapsed. I landed on a log at a funny angle, hurt my back. It wasn't really the accident, I've had back problems since I was five, but it agitated it enough. Couple beers later, and I was fine, eh Suzi?" Sara laughed out. Suzi snorted and laughed.
"Silly ass punk, drank my last beer... Chased her around the dock, till she moved and I ended up sputtering in the damn water. And it just so happened to be November, so I damn near froze my nips off." Catherine choked on her soda, sputtering and laughing at the same time. Grissom looked up, trying to gauge if Catherine was dying or not.
"I'm... I'm okay!" Catherine coughed out between laughing and breathing. Sara smiled to herself, remembering the look on Suzi's face after she went splashing into the near frozen lake.
"So, how is your case going?" Grissom asked. Suzi gave a thumbs up.
"Great, I think we've all agreed that the suspects we questioned are the murders. We're just waiting on Greg, now." Suzi explained, taking another gulp of coffee. Grissom grabbed his bug case, and stood up.
"Excellent work. If anyone needs me, I'm in my office." Grissom walked away, humming something about a bug's life. Sara shook her head, laughing.
"Suzi, you managed to put a smile on Grissom's face within the first few hours you got here. You could make a monk break his vow of silence to laugh." Suzi smirked at Sara, and then looked between her and Catherine slyly.
"So, ladies..." Suzi started. Sara cut in almost immediately.
"Shuddap, Suzi." Suzi broke into laughter, giving Sara an evil smirk.
"Oh come on, you don't even know what I was gonna say!" Sara shook her head.
"Yeah I did, and the answer is no you cannot ask!" Suzi put on a mock face of disappointment. She was then struck with a fabulous idea.
"Fine, then I'll just tell Catherine about the time you-"
"SHUDDAP, SUZI!" Sara sprang at the smaller woman, slapping her hand over her mouth. Suzi's muffled laughter was all Catherine needed to know that it was an embarrassing story. Suzi wriggled out of Sara's grasp, and picked the CSI off the ground by her knees, chucking her behind the couch. Sara landed with a loud 'oof'.
"Now, before I was so rudely interrupted... would you like to know of the time I took Sara water skiing?" Sara's head popped out from behind the couch.
"That's all? Oh thank god... Yeah, she'd probably find it funny." Sara answered, laughing to herself. Catherine sat down, a smile gracing her face. Suzi smirked.
"Well, as I've already explained, Sara here was a little 'free-spirited'. So, we went down to the lake for some water skiing. We decided that since she had hung out with Mary Jane, we'd strap her in for some water skiing. Of course, she was happy to get in, although it took forever 'cause she kept stopping to stare at shit. Anyway, we were a little drunk, so we gunned it. For the first little while, she was fine. Then she lost a ski, and ended up balancing on one ski for the remaining trip. Near the end, we pulled a corner and she went flying off the back of a turtle. Belly flopped on the lake, but wouldn't let go of the bloody rope. We dragged her back to shore laughing like hell." Suzi explained, smirking wide. Catherine laughed loudly, looking at Sara, who was snickering herself.
"That hurt, so bad. My belly was pink and bruised for a week. And you laughed at me for even longer." At that moment, Greg came bounding into the room, waving a paper around.
"WE'VE GOT A MATCH!" He exclaimed, doing a little dance. Suzi leaped up into a heel click. Sara smiled wide, and Catherine took a gulp of her remaining coffee.
"Let's bring em' in!" Suzi shouted, bounding out of the break room towards where she needed to go to obtain an arrest warrant. Sara shook her head.
"I guess that kind of energy comes with having two kids, eh?" Sara guessed, following in suit of Suzi. Catherine laughed.
"Both under 5? She'll need it." Catherine answered, her heels clicking as they walked quickly. By the time they even got to the office, Suzi came thundering out, yelling something to the effect of 'Get in the truck now!' and ran outside. Sara and Catherine shrugged, following Suzi outside. She was already revving the engine.
"MOVE IT LOVEBIRDS!" She yelled out the window, honking the horn. Sara's jaw dropped, and Catherine laughed, walking quickly to the truck. Sara followed, and they drove off. Suzi was driving quite quickly, using her cop status to fly down the roads. When they hit a bump, Sara wrapped her arm around Catherine's shoulders, worried that she'd hit the roof. Suzi struck another bump, and Sara's head made a lovely 'THWACK' sound as it connected with the ceiling of the truck.
"Sonuvabitch..." She mumbled, shaking her head. Catherine dragged her finger across Sara's thigh, silencing the curses that Sara had been spewing forth. Suzi made a pin-drop turn, sending Sara colliding with the side of the door, and Catherine sprawled on her lap.
"Sorry, ladies, no time to slow down! We got murderous bitches to catch!" Suzi explained quickly, hitting the main road. Catherine looked up at Sara from her place on the brunette's lap, and smiled sweetly. Sara grinned, suddenly feeling that the pain was more than worth it today. Suzi performed another turn, screeching into the parking lot.
She leaped out after killing the engine. Sara and Catherine jumped out, and followed the spitfire of a woman into the school. Suzi scanned the hallways, but then grunted in annoyance.
"Sara, pick me up, I can't see them." Sara choked back a laugh, and picked Suzi up, letting her stand on her shoulders. Suzi scanned the area again. Suddenly, she jumped down and took off through the hallways. Sara followed, her long legs once again coming in handy to catch up to Suzi. Catherine hung back, observing the arrest.
Suzi grabbed Darwin and Rina, tossing them to the ground and cuffing both of them. She hoisted them up by the link on the cuffs, reading them their rights and stalking out of the building. Darwin tried to bolt, but Sara caught him by the cuff of his shirt, almost bending him over backwards before yanking him back in line. Catherine grinned, and was quite pleased when Suzi's back-up arrived.
As the two suspects were tossed into the back of the car's cab, Sara felt her hands curl into fists, feeling the case set in and take over her very being. Because Sara's past had nearly been let out at least once before due to Catherine, she had learned to block everything out while she was around the blond. But now... It was getting to her again.
I want a drink.
Part 9
As they drove towards the police station, Catherine felt herself lean completely into Sara's body, resting her head on the brunette's slightly bony shoulder. Sara draped her arm around Catherine's shoulders, resting the side of her head atop Catherine's blond curls. Suzi was way too busy tapping along to another song to even notice the soft interaction.
"So, how should we do the interrogation?" Suzi asked, pulling up to a red light. Catherine shrugged.
"Well, you seem to be pretty forceful. You should deal with Rina, she won't crack as easy as Darwin. I'll mess with his mind." Catherine offered, absently wrapping her fingers in the belt loops of Sara's pants. Sara's fingers were slowly moving across the top of her right hand, causing shivers to go up her spine.
"Sounds good to me. Sara, you should pull that 'Bad ass enforcer' thing you used to do. You know, where you hung back slightly in the shadows, crossed your arms and glared. You're so bloody tall that with you standing and them sitting, you'll make them very uncomfortable. We'll make em' squirm." Suzi grinned to herself, feeling revved up for a slam dunk case. Sara laughed.
"Dude, that was like, one time. The rest was you stalking around the table, or jumping on top of it yelling your conclusions. Scared the hell out of those crooks..." Sara replied. Suzi shrugged.
"Meh. Anyway, we're here. And keep it PG next time, I don't want to have to disinfect this truck AGAIN 'cause of you, Sara." Suzi laughed, killing the engine. Catherine raised her eyebrow, looking up to Sara. Her ears were fire red.
"Oh come on, this was barely G. And no one said you HAD to disinfect the truck, it was your choice. We've also got all the print records, just to let you know. I bet they match up real nice." Sara taunted back, slipping out of the truck. Catherine followed, shaking her head at the playful banter these two had. Suzi stopped for a minute. She once again rolled up her sleeves up three-quarters of the way, adjusted her tie, and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, save for her favorite blue streaks.
"Okay Sara, how do I look? Professional, or ass kicker?" She asked. Sara looked her over once.
"Ass kicker." She stated. Suzi grinned.
"Perfect." Suzi led the way into the police station. They made their way to the interrogation rooms, where Darwin and Rina had already been separated. In the rooms were two guards stationed behind each teen. Suzi grinned.
"Okay, ladies. Show time." She stated as she pulled open the door. Catherine noticed that Sara stood very tall, her hair framing her eyes with shadows. Catherine sat down across from Darwin, and Suzi slumped in beside her.
"So, Darwin... I see you've waived your Miranda rights? You really think that's smart?" Suzi stated calmly. When he didn't reply she slapped her hand on the table, causing the shaky boy to almost jump in his seat. He looked up with fearful eyes, much like a deer in the headlights. Catherine pulled out the DNA results sheet, placing it in front of him.
"Your DNA was found in the wound tracks of Suzi Vayne, and your hair was found on Dana Redden's body. I dug a little deeper, too. There were fingerprints on the objects used to kill Dana's parents. I bet they're yours. We've got you for the murder of Dana Redden. But my question is... Why?" Catherine asked, leaning forward slightly. Darwin started sobbing lightly.
"I...I didn't mean to kill Dana. I didn't know what I had done until it was over. I just wanted to make her pain go away, so I killed her parents. The torture... I wanted them to feel what she had felt for the last few years. I loved Dana, so much. But when she crawled away from me, I didn't know what to do. She'd betrayed me. I thought she would love me for what I had done for her. But she didn't. So... I lost it. I shot her. God, I'm so sorry..."
"Suzi was never supposed to be involved. I got the gun from her house... I stole it. But she caught me, and she knew what I was going to do. We fought over the gun, she actually hurt me really badly, my ribs were all bruised up. When I grabbed the gun, she took off running. I ran after her, I didn't want her alerting Dana, I wanted it to be a surprise. She climbed up through the window, I followed her."
"Rina was already inside. She was screaming at Suzi, telling her to get out, to let us finish this. She knew what I was going to do, and I guess she wanted Suzi out of the picture, too. So we all started fighting. Suzi yelled at Dana, told her to get under the bed and hide. I went downstairs. I grabbed Mrs. Redden by her hair and slit her throat. When Mr. Redden came around, I stabbed him, I beat him... I did everything I could to make them both suffer. When I came back up... Rina had grabbed my gun from my hand. Suzi was lying on the ground, there was a blade in Rina's hand..."
"Suzi was wrecked up bad. So many slash wounds. But she was still breathing, lying on the ground, trying to get up again to stop Rina. I guess she was protecting Dana, they were lovers, after all. I guess that's why we never got along, because I wanted Dana and she was in the way. Rina shot Suzi in the head. She then threw the gun at me, and told me to get rid of everything. She climbed through the window and just... walked away."
"I reached for Dana, I thought she'd want to see me, after all, I killed her abusers, not her lover. But she screamed at me and kicked me. I hit my head on the bottom of the bed. Something snapped in me. I grabbed her, yanked her out and shot her. I regret everything I've done, I'm so sorry... I never meant to hurt her..." Darwin cried out, his head in his hands. Suzi sighed.
"You've made a terrible mistake, Darwin. And I'm gonna let you in on something that's probably going to hurt. Dana and Suzi were not lovers. They were sisters. Suzi was trying to get Dana out of that house, but because of you guys getting her involved with drugs, she was on the wrong side of the law. She wasn't getting help. There were so many other things you could have done. But you didn't. You are under arrest for the murder of the Redden family." Suzi stated, standing up. Darwin was cuffed by the officer, and led out sobbing. Catherine gathered her papers, and stood, ready to go after Rina. Suzi shot a glance to Sara.
"Time to do your stuff, Sara." Sara nodded, and walked out. She pulled something out of a briefcase she had brought. With a swing, Sara pulled on a black leather jacket that went to her ankles in length. It looked burnt, well worn and very comfortable. She pulled at it slightly, making it look rigid near her shoulders.
"Alright, this should suffice." Sara stated as she walked into the smaller interrogation room. Rina glared at her. Suzi sat down calmly in the chair, folding her hands on the table. Catherine popped open her folder, going straight for the DNA.
"Did you think you could really fool us?" Sara spoke from the shadows. Rina looked over, but couldn't quite see Sara. Only a faint, tall outline stood out in the corner, along with the gleam of her gun resting at her side. Rina snarled.
"Fool you about what?" She stated angrily. Suzi slammed her hands down on the table, standing up.
"Look at my face, you little punk. Do you honestly believe that your 'I don't know shit' act is going to hold up? Lemme tell you something about the girl you brutally murdered. She knew about you, didn't she Rina? She knew what you really were. And she also knew that you weren't good enough for Dana. And I bet you know it too, don't you?" Suzi growled. Rina became even angrier.
"Fuck you! You don't know shit about me!" She yelled. Suzi laughed loudly, standing to her full height, beginning to walk around the table.
"Oh, I know a lot about you. I know that you like girls. I know that you're a stoner, I know that you come from a broken family where no one pays any attention to you because you're worthless and you do everything wrong. I know that you hated Suzi because you thought she was fucking what you thought was YOUR girl, and I know you killed Suzi because she was in your way. I know you compulsively masturbate, I know that you start tiny fires that you think no one sees. I know that you hurt little animals, envisioning them as your enemies. I know a lot about you, Rina Costa." Suzi spoke clearly, throwing in what seemed to be a mad hatter slur of speech, as her words were drawn out and fluttering in tone. Rina was completely silent.
"Your DNA was found on the knife that slashed apart Suzi, and you've been sold out by your friend. You killed Suzi. All because you wanted Dana. But she's dead too, isn't she? Now what do you think you'd do? Did you think you'd get away with it?" Catherine asked, leaning back in her chair. Rina glared at her. A deep, husky laugh was heard from the corner of the room.
"Wanna know something fucking hilarious, kid?" Sara asked, walking out from the shadows. Rina looked up, for once seeming intimidated.
"Suzi wasn't fucking your girlfriend. Dana and Suzi were sisters. Now look at what you've done... And think about it long and hard in jail. You did this all for nothing." Sara stated. Rina began sobbing uncontrollably, dropping her head into her hands. The three women walked out of the room as Rina was cuffed. Sara sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"Damn, Suzi. I still can't believe they haven't grabbed you for Quantico yet." Sara stated. Suzi shrugged.
"Probably because I just had a baby. Anyway, great work on the tough act, though I think you've lost a bit of the edge." Suzi mentioned. Sara sighed.
"Suzi, we have a lot to catch up on." She replied with a slap on the smaller officer's back. The three women began walking towards the truck once again. Suzi jumped into the truck, after giving Sara another nudge. Sara grabbed Catherine's hand, and tugged her back slightly, enveloping her in a warm hug. Catherine wrapped her arms around Sara's neck, running her fingers through Sara's hair. Sara leaned down, kissed Catherine as softly, and as tenderly as she possible could.
Catherine felt her knees give out, electricity fluttering through her spine and lower stomach. Sara reached down, and picked Catherine up once again, opening the door to the truck and placing her inside. Sara jumped in, closing the door. Suzi had the music up again, tapping away with an evil grin on her face. Catherine was flushed, trying to smooth out her hair. Suzi began driving back to HQ, one hand leaning out the window slightly.
Catherine looked forward, and spotted something odd. A struggle was going on in the alley that they were stopped across from.
"Suzi, pull over, something is happening in that alley!" Catherine cried. Suzi pulled up to the alley, where a man was forcing himself on a girl. Sara leaped out of the door, taking off after the now running man. Catherine ran up to the girl, who was crying uncontrollably. Suzi grabbed her radio, taking off after Sara.
"This is VL124, suspect in pursuit off Alder and Rannock, through alleys, requesting backup. Suspect may be armed! SARA GET THE FUCK BACK HERE YOU CRAZY SHIT!" Suzi cried out, hooking her radio back up and breaking into a full run, trying to catch up to the long-legged Sara and the suspect.
Meanwhile, Sara was breathing hard as she jumped over and dodged things that the suspect was throwing back into her way. He started up an escape ladder, scaling quickly. Sara followed, still a few feet behind. He jumped up onto the roof, and took off running. Sara followed, her hair flying behind her as she continued to pursue the suspect.
Suzi looked up at the ladder, and shook her head, deciding to run back to Catherine. When she arrived, Catherine was holding the girl, who was still sobbing. Suzi radioed again.
"This is VL124, I am unable to pursue the suspect due to obstructions. Suspect and CSI Sidle are in pursuit on the rooftops. Suspect could be armed, I repeat, could be armed. Requesting backup NOW!" Suzi bellowed, taking off down another alley way, watching the suspect run along the edge of a roof.
Sara followed right behind him, getting very pissed off at the fact that he was still running. The suspect made a jump for the building across, but ended up hooking onto the side of the roof, his feet dangling. Without thinking, Sara jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. As they fought, dangling two stories from the ground, Suzi ran towards them, aiming her gun upwards.
"Sorry Sara, this is gonna hurt!" She yelled as she fired. The bullet hit near the suspect's hands. He dropped, and they began to fall towards the ground. Sara let go of the suspect, having to worry now about her own safety. The suspect bounced off of a fire escape, and landed on a pile of garbage bags. Sara also bounced off the same fire escape, her back making a horrible cracking noise. She then fell backwards and landed face down on the lid of a large garbage bin, making a perfect indentation.
Suzi ran over to the suspect, and cuffed him quickly, shoving him to the ground and quickly rattling off his rights. She then jumped up to Sara.
"You okay?" She asked. Sara groaned, still lying face down.
"Fmhsk." She moaned again, her arm looking like it was at a very odd angle, twisted behind her back. Catherine came with the truck around the corner, the girl inside. Two police vehicles showed up a minute after, with a few officers running in and grabbing the suspect, hauling him off. The officers also took the girl's statement, and she got in a patrol car for a ride home. Catherine jumped up onto the garbage bin with Suzi, looking at Sara, who had yet to move from her spot.
"Sara? Sweety, are you alright? Honey, talk to me... Do you think you broke anything?" Catherine asked, prodding at Sara's side. Sara grunted, and rolled over, right off of the garbage bin. She landed with a thud, face down again. Catherine looked at the indentation on the garbage bin lid. It was a perfect Sara. She laughed and clicked a picture, then jumped down to aid her lover. Wait, lover? Wow, have I got it bad... Maybe I could make it true today. Catherine thought.
Sara slowly pushed herself up. She wiggled her left arm, earning several pops and cracks from her bones. Catherine hugged Sara around the waist, burying her face in Sara's slightly damp shoulder.
"You do realize you are the most inconsiderate, unthoughtful, brave and honorable woman I've ever known? Remind me to kick your ass if you do that again, you could have been killed!" Catherine complained. Sara laughed.
"I know, I really wasn't thinking of anything... Hey, would you like to do me a favor?" Sara asked slyly. Catherine looked up, raising her eyebrow.
"Depends on the favor..." She answered slowly. Suzi walked by, mumbling something about 'hurrying the fuck up'. Sara smiled as sweetly as she could.
"Could you... Well, could you... Um... Well, you see my back is really acting up right now, and normally I go to a specialist but I was just wondering if... Well, you know... If you could work on my back... You don't have to, but I mean... yeah." Sara stumbled, suddenly losing her nerve. Catherine ran her hand up the base of Sara's spine to the back of her neck, watching Sara's mixed reaction. On one side, she looked pleasured. On the more prominent side, she looked like she was in an incredible amount of pain.
"Sure thing. But how about we go to my house? I bet I have a bigger bed." Catherine teased, giving Sara a ginger kiss. Sara smiled, and they walked over to the truck. Catherine hopped in, and Sara followed, although a little slower. Suzi sped off, and finally they arrived at the HQ.
"Sara, go home and get some friggin' rest." Suzi ordered, leaving them and going inside. Sara walked towards her car, leaning down to open the door. She suddenly yelped, her hands flying to her back as she leaned against her car. Catherine grabbed her, and led her over to her car, seating her in the passenger's seat. Catherine started up her engine, and peeled out of the parking lot, heading towards her home. She took a glance over at Sara. Her face was contorted in pain, sweat gathering above her brow.
Hold on Baby, we're almost home.
Part 10
Catherine pulled up into her driveway, clicking off her lights. She walked around to the other side of her car, and helped Sara out of the vehicle. Sara was holding her back gingerly as she walked towards the door. Lindsey came bounding out, Nancy following behind her. Catherine ran in front of Sara, blocking Lindsey from jumping her.
"Lindsey, I know you want to see Sara, but hugging her might be a bad thing. Her back is really bad right now, so be gentle, okay?" Catherine warned, moving out of the way. Lindsey nodded, and padded over to Sara, intertwining their fingers.
"Are you going to be okay, Sara?" She asked, walking with Sara towards the door. Catherine was rattling off to Nancy about some thing or another. Sara nodded although she was grimacing at the pain of walking.
"Yeah, I will be. I hurt myself when I was younger, and then I kept getting into accidents or falling out of trees, so my back really hasn't ever recovered..." Sara explained nervously, trying to alleviate any fears that Lindsey might have. Lindsey smiled.
"Okay. I'm going to Aunt Nancy's tonight, so hurry up and poke Mom!" She grinned out, skipping ahead. Sara stopped, her jaw hitting the floor. When the hell did she learn THAT kind of terminology? Sara thought, shaking her head and walking slowly over to where Catherine was.
"Oh, Nancy, this is Sara. Sara, this is my sister, Nancy. Sis, be nice. I'm warning you." Catherine almost growled the last part. Sara shook hands with Nancy, giving her the most genuine smile she could in her condition.
"It's nice to meet you, Nancy." Sara spoke. Nancy smiled.
"You too, Sara. Now, you take care of my older sister, or I might get crazy. Bye Catherine, have a nice evening. Come on Lindsey, let's get going!" Nancy chimed. Sara's left eye twitched, and she gulped. She was in no condition to be fending off an overprotective younger sister. Catherine hugged and kissed her daughter.
"Love you sweetie. By the way, where did your grandma go?" Catherine asked. Lindsey shrugged.
"After Aunt Nancy came, Grandma said she had a date with Sammy." Catherine kissed her on the head again.
"Thanks, kiddo. Have fun at your Aunt's house!" After Nancy and Lindsey departed, Catherine led Sara into the house, locking up the doors afterwards. Sara leaned down to unlace her boots. With a sharp intake of breath she stood up again, holding her lower back in pain. Catherine grimaced, kneeling down.
"Here, let me help you." Catherine unlaced Sara's boots, pulling them off with ease.
"God, these are heavy! How did you run that fast in these honking things?" Catherine asked, pushing both boots aside onto the mat. Sara shrugged.
"I guess I just got used to it after awhile. Thank you for your help. I don't think I would have made it up all of those stairs. Four flights are not fun in any condition." Sara thanked. Catherine smiled and leaned up, giving Sara a tiny kiss on the cheek.
"It's no problem at all. Now, come on. One more set of stairs and then total relaxation." Catherine gave Sara a sultry smile, leading her upstairs. Sara took her time, eventually making it to the top of the stairs, a permanent frown on her face. Catherine led her into her bedroom.
The walls were a warm beige, along with the waving curtains in front of the large window. The bed sheets were a deep blue, and looked like they were satin. The canopy over the bed was beige, the frame some sort of dark wood. The dresser was made of the same wood, along with the cabinet in the corner and the closet door.
Catherine patted the bed, waiting for Sara to react. Sara snapped out of her reverie, and slowly made her way to lie on her stomach on the bed. Catherine propped a pillow underneath her head, after yanking off Sara's tank top without any sort of warning. She tossed it to the side, and straddled Sara's upper thighs, grinning at her own boldness.
"You know, I always pictured a sports bra... But I think I like lace better. Anyway, where exactly does it hurt?" She asked. Sara felt her ears go fire red. Feeling Catherine sitting on her legs, and the satin under her now bare skin was driving her slightly mad. But her throbbing back brought her back to reality.
"Do you see those two scars, running horizontal on either side of my spine? It's pretty far down. Anyway, the pain is all in that area of my spine. Sometimes I can't even bend." Sara explained. Catherine looked across Sara's back, her eyes fluttering over many different scars. She trailed her hands across Sara's back, causing goosebumps to form in her wake. Sara let out a shaky breath, feeling her strength and resistance wavering.
Catherine followed the two scars with her fingers, and pressed at the spine. She heard Sara growl deep in her throat, obviously trying to repress pain. Catherine felt the tenseness underneath her fingers, and began kneading at the spot, hard. Sara's fingers gripped hard at the pillow.
"Baby, god, you're so tense... Are you like this all the time?" Catherine asked, continuing to rub. Sara huffed a laugh.
"Unfortunately, yes." She answered, her voice raspy and deep. Catherine decided to tease Sara, smiling to herself. She leaned forward as she kneaded, pressing her breasts to Sara's back. Sara felt herself groan, feeling Catherine's nipples prodding into her back, the blond woman's center radiating heat. Catherine breathed into Sara's ear, licking the shell slowly with her hot tongue. She pressed her thumbs deep into Sara's lower back, causing the brunette to arch upwards away from the bed, pushing herself flush to Catherine.
"God, right there... uhn..." She moaned, feeling her pain drift away through the kneading of Catherine's hands. Catherine began suckling on her earlobe, pressing her center to Sara's lush rear end. Sara reached an arm back, stroking up Catherine's thigh. Catherine smiled, and leaned back again, still rubbing at Sara's back.
"Thanks Cath, that's good." Sara stated, slowly turning over. Catherine straddled her lap, running her hands up Sara's back. There was no grimace, only a large smile. Catherine grinned, and captured Sara's lips in a heated kiss, her hands flying over Sara's shoulders. Sara's hands busied themselves with her buttons, popping each one open easily.
Sara pulled the shirt off of Catherine's shoulders rapidly, her hands already exploring her skin. She squeezed Catherine's left breast with her hand while pulling the shirt further down her back. Catherine tossed her head back and moaned, throwing her shirt to the side, leaving her in a lacy red bra. Sara's mouth flew to her neck, sucking on the hollow of Catherine's throat. Her hands flew to the back of the blonde's bra, undoing the clasp and moving it out of the way.
Sara began kissing downwards, capturing a nipple in her mouth, suckling on it slowly while kneading the other. Catherine moaned even louder, her fingers pushing themselves through Sara's dark tresses, holding her to her breasts. Sara pushed forward, and soon Catherine was on her back, her legs locked around Sara's waist. Sara kissed her way down to Catherine's navel, dipping her tongue inside as she kissed and licked at her skin. Catherine looked into Sara's eyes, feeling heat making its way through their bodies.
Sara unbuttoned Catherine's pants, pulling them off, and tossing them into the corner. She kissed up back to Catherine's mouth, and looked into her eyes as she held herself above the blonde with her strong arms.
"Catherine, I... I don't want to do this if it's too fast for you. I love you, I'd do anything for you. Will you let me?" Sara spoke, her deep voice expressing exactly what she wanted to. Catherine smiled, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
"I love you, too. I want... No, I need you, Sara." Catherine spoke as she leaned up and kissed Sara with all the emotion she could muster. Sara's eyes spoke a thousands words as she looked down to her lover. Sara leaned forward, kissing Catherine's jaw underneath her ear, making soft clicking noises as she sucked on the soft area. Catherine squeaked as she felt teeth nip at her skin. She sighed in relief as she felt her panties being pushed down, and finally removed with a little help.
Sara massaged her inner thighs, slowly making her way towards Catherine's throbbing heat. With a little spreading movement, Sara slowly entered her with two fingers, causing Catherine to let out a loud shriek.
"Oh God, Sara, yes!" She moaned out, feeling Sara moving within her wet center. Sara smirked into her skin, her other hand running across the blonde's taut body. Catherine arched into Sara's palm, her hips bouncing off the bed. Sara slowly pushed another finger in, continued to thrust against her, rubbing her thumb over Catherine's nub. Catherine began to chant, her hands gripping at Sara's shoulders, feeling waves of pleasure crashing over her body. Sara began kissing downwards, finally landing at her wet, heated core.
Catherine let out a scream as she felt Sara's hot tongue press along her slit and nub. Sara continued licking away, enjoying the screams and shrieks Catherine was emitting. Catherine reached down and grabbed Sara's hand in a tight grip, raising her hips to meet every thrust. Sara gave a final lick, followed by a soft nip. Catherine found herself tumbling over the edge, her body clamping down on Sara's fingers, her eyes staring straight up, as if looking far out across something beautiful.
"Oh...Sara..." She whispered, her hand still wrapped in Sara's. Sara slowly made her way back up to Catherine's face, dropping soft kisses along her jaw. Catherine sighed, kissing Sara softly.
"I love you Sara. And I really want you to be a part of my life. A part of Lindsey's life." Catherine stated, curling up to Sara. Sara smiled, resting her chin on Catherine's golden curls.
"I do too. To both... Er... Ah, you know what I mean..." Sara laughed out, placing a kiss atop Catherine's head. Catherine grinned.
"Sara Sidle at a loss for words? That's different..." She giggled out, flipping over to lean over Sara. Sara shrugged.
"Only around you." She stated, rubbing her hands up Catherine's sides. Catherine laughed, leaning in for a kiss.
"Now, about repaying you... I have a few ideas..."
The End