DISCLAIMER: These characters and situations do not belong to me in any way, shape, or form. I have borrowed them as part of my sanity maintenance.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: 400 of my words… 86 episode words (in italics)
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To deb123em[at]gmail.com
SPOILERS: Too Tough To Die
Saints Avow
By Debbie
Sara Sidle walked out of Grissom's office sobbing quietly to herself. Looking around she hoped nobody witnessed this collapse. Normally, so in control of her emotions, this case had upset her greatly. Pamela Adler, a 26 year-old woman, abducted, raped and clinically shot in the head, while out shopping. For no more reason than a juvenile guy needed to be accepted by his local gang. For that Pamela and her husband Thomas would suffer years of hell, while he would be out of juvenile in two years, free to live his life to the max. At the root of it all was the impossible fact that he'd get away almost scotch free because Pamela was too tough to die.
Failure: Sara hated it. Hated it in herself and in her job. This time they had caught the guy and still she sensed failure. Today things were cutting to the bone and he, *he* had given no support whatsoever. His words cut through her as she walked, swirling around her brain in a maelstrom of emotion, tangling up with her own thoughts and feelings:
If you try and chase two rabbits you end up losing them both… It's the system… Do you have any diversions? … You've got to learn to let this go… This shouldn't have happened to you… overtime, police scanner, forensic books… You can't get too close to the victims… I promise I will find out who did this… You'll burn out…I wish I was like you… I wish I didn't feel anything.
But she did care, no matter what people thought Sara did care. Cases like this were special, she just couldn't help it, they hurt her, and when things like today happened, she knew life was no longer fair.
Lost in thoughts, she stopped suddenly. Her walking had taken her somewhere, but where? Sobbing and alone, she slumped to the floor. Six months in Vegas and no friends. What was wrong with her? Grissom was right; she needed a diversion. Not him, not now. She needed someone to give her support: someone who understood her, someone to care.
Saint Catherine…she studied science…she was tough and very outspoken…she never gave up…she was brave.
Standing and walking once more, her words came back to her, with a vision of Catherine lashing out at her ex, word traveled fast in the world of CSI. The similarities threw her. Catherine, a woman who stood up for herself and stood up for her friends. Only Catherine could have saved Nick from Ecklie so quickly and so expertly. Catherine cared. Catherine would always be there.
Startled again, she raised her hand to the door before her and knocked.
"Sara?"
One look at the sobbing, heartbroken Sara, told Catherine Willows all she needed to know. Guiding the young woman to her couch, she pulled her down into a comforting hug, and whispered soothing words into her hair.
Catherine cared.
The End