Sara's Secrets
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or its characters
A/N: I am new at writing fan fiction so please review and tell me what you think and thank you to my beta
Chapter One
Sara Sidle let out a sigh. She was tired of the way Gilbert Grissom had been treating her, his rude behavior. Sara had laid out all her cards on the table and asked him out on a date after the explosion at the CSI Lab. His response? He told her that he didn't know what to do about it. Then, to top it all off, while Sara was in the viewing room watching Grissom talk to Dr. Lurie, Grissom said he couldn't do it he couldn't risk it all. Sara knew he was talking about her and that was when Sara knew she had to move on; that he wasn't going to ever take a chance to be with her.
Sara knew Gil cared, he was just too damn chicken shit to do anything about it. Sara knew she couldn't let her life revolve around Grissom and the lab anymore. That was self-destructive behavior.
Sara needed to get out and do something other than work all the time. And reading forensic journals and listening to the police scanner when she was not working didn't count. Sara knew the real problem. She worked all the time because she had no one to come home to anymore, not a cat or dog, nor her children and husband, nothing to welcome her home.
Sara shook her head, banishing the thought she was about to have. She was sick of living in Grissom's shadow and being available all the time. All he had to do was call and she dropped everything. Sara's life had been the lab and doing everything she could to please Grissom, to be like Grissom. That was going to stop now. She couldn't remember the last time she had been truly happy just being 'Sara.'
Sara was tired of Grissom's game of push-and-pull. Grissom had hurt her too much; too many times for there to ever be anything between them. Sara had once told Grissom that he was going to be too late. After the way Grissom had treated her she was done with him. Grissom wasn't the one she trusted, he wasn't the one she cared about she realized.
Her Co-workers had seen how Grissom had treated Sara over the last year and they didn't think it was right but what could they do after all he was the boss.
Nick had told her that she needed to get out more and Sara had started to date Hank the Snake, boy was that a mistake, he failed to mention he already had a girlfriend. That had made her mad and she was hurt even though she never loved him. So she had turned her attention back to Grissom; that was another mistake.
She had changed so much since she first came to Vegas. She was miserable. Sara only had a couple friends outside the lab, and every time Sara tried to do something with them, Grissom had called her in and she had gone in.
Warrick Brown and Nick Stokes had asked Sara to go out with them to bars and clubs but that would have brought back memories that she hadn't been ready to face yet. Maybe Sara should give it a try again. Sara would have to talk to Nick about it. Nick and Sara were close, best friends actually, Sara needed a distraction from work and she knew Nick could help her find one. She hadn't told anyone about her past, not even Nick.
Nick had never said anything about her crush on Grissom but she figured that he had known about it; that everyone had known about it.
Her ex-husband Peter Connors had kidnapped her children after the judge had given her sole custody and Peter only visitation rights every other weekend. He had taken them god knows where on one of his weekends. She hadn't seen them in five years. She longed for her children and thought about them often. She would never be able to forget her children but she needed to start to live again.
In Sara's fantasies about Grissom she never thought of them married with children. What kind of father would Grissom make with working all the time and his bugs?
Sara had realized her and Grissom were too much alike to ever really make a go of it. She wanted to have a life and be happy again.
She understood it would be hard to change how she had become. She wasn't the same person she was before. Sara had turned to work to compensate for what was missing in her life, her children. The twin boys Trevor and Travis would now be 8 and her little girl Jasmine would be almost 7 years old. She missed them with every fiber of her being.
Drake Howard the FBI agent assigned to her case had never given up on finding her ex-husband and her children but Sara wasn't sure anymore that they would ever be found. It had been so long. She often wondered what they would look like now. She knew she had missed so much in her children's lives thanks to Peter.
Sara wondered if she would ever have a chance to love someone again. She missed being a wife and mother. That would shock everyone who knew her in Vegas. No one thought she had a maternal side, they didn't know that she had children because it was hard to talk about her children, she missed them so much, and it was like a part of her was missing.
Sara realized she had to get ready; it was getting late and she was dreading going to work. Grissom had been ignoring her or being rude to her, giving her the worst assignments, it had only been a couple weeks since she heard Grissom talking to Dr. Lurie.
She thought about leaving Vegas but she really didn't want to do that either. Nick Stokes, Warrick Brown, Catherine Willows, Jim Brass and Greg Sanders were like family to her and she just didn't want to leave them no matter how Grissom behaved.
Sara finished getting ready for work, ate and headed out the door and locked it behind her. She drove her Denali to the Las Vegas Crime Lab. She was the first one there beside Grissom. She was early because she wanted to check with the DNA lab and see if they had gotten a hit on the sample that she and Nick collected from the rape,/homicide from last night. She always hated rape and domestic violence cases. They got to her the worst because when she was twelve her mother found out that Sara's father had been sneaking into Sara's bedroom and raping her. Sara's mother snapped and stabbed him to death. She and her brother Ryan had gone to a foster home. For four years she was in that home, she graduated at sixteen and she went to Harvard.
Sara walked down the hallway to the DNA lab after she had stowed her gear in her locker, and got her gun and badge out. She hoped that Greg was already there. She walked into the lab that was blaring music and looked at Greg. "Greg." Sara said to get his attention and he looked up from what he was doing "Do you have my results from last night?"
"Yes I do," Greg looked at her and smiled; he had been in love with her since he met her.
"Well did we get a hit on the boyfriend?" Sara looked at Greg and waited for her answer
"I compared the DNA you gave me to the boyfriend and didn't get a match but there were enough markers alike to know they are related probably a brother or father."
"So a close male relative of the boyfriend raped and murdered her. Thank you Greg." Sara grabbed the sheet of paper out of Greg's hand and went down the hall toward the break room to get a cup of coffee. She hoped Greg had made a pot of his Blue Hawaiian coffee; she didn't think she could stand day shifts swill. She was in luck, Greg had indeed made a pot of coffee. As she took a sip of the hot coffee, she sat down and took her phone out to call Brass.
"Brass." Brass answered his phone in his office.
"Hey Jim. I have just gotten the DNA results on the boyfriend and it doesn't match but it is a close male relative of the boyfriend who raped and murdered Angelina Rosetti the vic from last night."
"I'll bring the boyfriend in for questioning. I'll call you when I've got him." Brass hung up the phone got up and he left to go get the boyfriend.
Right as Sara hung up, Nick and Warrick walked into the break room talking about some video game. They each got a cup of coffee and Nick walked over to where Sara was seated on the couch and sat down next to her. "What's up Sara?"
"I went to see Greg and got our results on the boyfriend and he told me that the DNA didn't match the boyfriends but that there was enough markers the same that it had to be a close male relative of the boyfriend. I just talked to Brass and he's gone to bring the boyfriend in so we can talk to him." Sara informed Nick who was seated next to her.
"That's great Sara. Is Brass calling when he gets the boyfriend to PD." Nick questioned, looking at Sara.
"Yes." Sara looked at Nick, and wondered when the best time would be to talk to him about a life outside the lab. She thought about telling Nick about her past, but at this time she didn't know if she wanted to or not. She would decide later.
"Okay." Nick said, Sara didn't notice Nick watching her because she had her nose buried in a forensic journal but Warrick did notice Nick watching Sara.
Warrick knew that they cared about each other, it showed in the way they talked to each other, flirted with each other, treated each other and the way they looked at each other when the other one was not looking. Sara let Nick get away with just about anything, where no one else could. Nick didn't get upset or angry often but when he did look out! heads were going to roll and all Sara has to do is touch him to calm him down. They were made for each other.
Warrick wished that Nick would get his head out of his ass and ask her out already. Didn't he realize she was over Grissom? If they didn't do something soon Warrick was thinking about ways of getting them together and making them admit to their feelings for each other. He wasn't sure how to do that, maybe he would ask Catherine. Catherine and Sara were good friends now, after a very rocky start. She might have some ideas. Warrick was so lost in thought he didn't even hear Catherine come into the room.
She finally got through to him after repeatedly calling his name "Warrick, Warrick, earth to Warrick." When he looked up at her, Catherine sat down next to him with a cup of hot coffee.
"What did you want Cath?" Warrick asked his friend.
"What were you thinking about? I've been calling your name for a good five minutes?" Catherine was curious because it must be something pretty important to not notice her calling his name.
"Just some stuff I need to do." Warrick replied cryptically, knowing at a later time that he would tell her.
"I'll find out what it is." Catherine smiled, knowing she could get it out of him. She would do it when they were alone though.
Sara and Nick were watching Warrick and Catherine and wondering what he was thinking about too. Sara though had more important things on her mind. Sara was waiting for a chance to talk to Nick alone. She didn't want the whole lab to overhear her and Nick talk.
Sara felt she had been talked about enough by the whole lab when she had felt something for Grissom. She didn't want to be gossiped about again. She would invite Nick over for breakfast and talk to him then. They hung out a lot, so she was sure he would come over.
Sara decided it was time to tell Nick about her life and why she was the way she was, so he could understand her. She trusted Nick more than she had ever trusted anyone else in her life. She knew Nick wouldn't betray her trust.
Grissom entered the break room ready to hand out assignments.
"Nick how is your case from last night going? Any leads?" Grissom totally ignored Sara. Grissom didn't even look at her. He didn't talk to her, which was a normal behavior for Grissom lately.
Nick was angry at the way Grissom treated Sara. Grissom ignored her as if she wasn't even there. Sara knew Nick was angry and put her hand on his arm to calm him down which he did immediately after he looked at her. Grissom frowned when Sara put her hand on Nick's arm. Grissom realized he was jealous at how at ease Sara was when she touched Nick. Grissom knew that Sara and Nick hung out a lot but he wondered if that was all it was. Of course it was; Sara loved Grissom not Nick even though when Grissom called one of them in when they had the night off together, you heard the other one in the background. He never thought Sara would move on, that she might give up on him and the game of push-and-pull that he played with her. He had been doing that for a little over four years although Sara had been different the last couple of weeks. She had stopped coming to stand at his doorway at the end of shift and waiting for Grissom to look up and notice her and say goodbye when she left for the day.
Nick answered Grissom's questions but Grissom missed everything that Nick had said because he was lost in thought about Sara. Maybe he should make a move to bring her back to hoping that something could happen between them. He wasn't ready to risk his career for her but he didn't want her with anyone else either.
"Nick, can you repeat that again, I was lost in thought and missed what you said?" Grissom informed Nick.
"What I said was that Sara found out that the boyfriend's DNA wasn't a match but that there were enough markers that it had to be a close male relative of the boyfriend. She called Brass and he went to bring the boyfriend in to be questioned." Nick repeated what he had said before.
"Okay Nick, you and Sara keep working on that. Warrick you have a 419 at a residence in Henderson. Address is on the assignment sheet. Take Catherine with you. I have a 419 at the Tangiers."
"I'm driving." Catherine told Warrick, Catherine knew that they would talk on the way and she would find out what he was thinking about before Grissom came in. They headed to the locker room to get their kits. Grissom walked out behind Catherine and told Nick goodbye, not saying anything to Sara again.
"Sara." Nick started to say something, worried about her reaction to how Grissom ignored her.
"Nick I know what you are going to say. I don't care what Grissom does anymore. I don't want to be with him. I am over him. What hurts is that Grissom and I had a good friendship once and that friendship has been destroyed. I was a fool, I pinned all my hope on something that would never happen. I know he has feelings for me but even if he woke up and wanted a chance to be with me it would be too late. I have moved on with my life and Grissom can go to hell, he's too late." Sara tells Nick passionately.
Nick was shocked. He thought that Sara would die in love with Grissom and here she said she didn't want him anymore, Nick was hopeful that maybe now he had a shot at being with Sara. "Sara you astonish me. I thought that Grissom could do no wrong in your eyes. Are you sure you are really over him?"
"Nick, I don't want to talk about this here. Would you like to come to my place for breakfast? I'll even cook for you." Sara smiled at Nick and hoped he would accept her invitation.
Sara was afraid that he would have a prior engagement with some leggy big-busted blonde airhead. Sara had a lot to tell him and she had chosen today to do it because for one she didn't want to lose her nerve and two they were both off schedule the next night.
"I would love to Sara. I didn't know that you knew how to cook though." Nick smiled at the thought of being alone with Sara now that he knew she was no longer interested in Grissom. It wouldn't be the first time they were alone but before he never thought she would ever get over Grissom. Maybe there was a chance to win Sara's heart. He had been in love with her since the day he met her throwing dummies off the roof.
"There's a lot about me you don't know Nicky. I grew up in a bed and breakfast so I learned to cook at an early age." This is the first time he heard anything about her past. Sara never talked about her life before she came to Vegas four years ago.
Sara's phone rang. She took out her phone and noticed that the caller was Brass. She answered it like she normally does. "Sidle."
"I've got the boyfriend at PD. You want to come over? He is in the interrogation room waiting for you." Brass informed Sara. He thought of Sara like a daughter. He hated how Grissom was treating her and he was tired of it and was going to talk to Grissom about it.
"Nick and I will be right over." Sara told Brass and hung up the phone and took a long look at Nick. "I have some things I want to tell you just not here, can it wait till we get to my apartment?"
"Okay it can wait, let's go." Nick got up off of the couch and held his hand out to Sara who took it and got up. They went to the locker room and got their kits and headed out to the Denali. Sara said "I'm driving." So Nick got in the passenger seat of the Denali. Sara started the Denali and headed over to the Police Department.
Nick and Sara walked into the PD and found Brass who led them into the interrogation room that Stanley Myers is in. He was sitting at the table, twiddling his thumbs. Sara noticed the nervous habit. Maybe he knows something, Sara thought.
Brass, Nick and Sara sat down at the table. "I am Sara Sidle this is my partner Nick Stokes we are from the crime lab. We met last night. I don't know if you remember that though. And this is Detective Jim Brass who you already know."
"Yes I remember you took a swab of my mouth." Stanley was nervous after being put in a squad car and being taken to the police station "Why am I here? What do you want? I didn't hurt Angelina. I didn't kill her I loved her."
"We know you didn't, but someone did and we want your help in finding out who killed her." Nick tells the nervous Stanley.
Stanley relaxed a little bit. "What do you want to know? I will help in any way I can."
Sara took over from Nick. They have their routine down pat. "Mr. Myers, what is your family like? Do you have any brothers? Is your father still alive?"
"Why do you want to know about my family? What does this have to do with Angelina's murder?" A curious Stanley asked, not expecting this time of questions.
Brass tells Stanley. "It's just we need to know a little more about you, where you come from and what your family is like. So please answer the questions,"
"Okay I have two brothers, Michael and Steven. My father is dead."
Nick informed Stanley "The DNA sample we took from you last night came back and it cleared you but there was enough markers in the DNA that we believe one of your brothers raped and killed Angelina."
'"That's not possible." a shocked Stanley exclaimed. "Steven and Michael would not have done that. They loved her." Stanley thought for a minute and said "Well Michael didn't. Angelina and Michael had a weird relationship one minute they acted like the best of friends and the next they would be yelling at each other. Michael wouldn't have killed her though. My brothers knew I loved her and Michael wouldn't have raped and killed her. He isn't capable of doing that." He was dazed that they could think that one of his brothers was responsible for his girlfriend's death.
Sara replied. "We need to talk to your brothers. We need to get a DNA sample to eliminate them as suspects. You want to tell us where they are right now. The DNA test will prove who killed her and if they aren't guilty the DNA test will prove that too."
After thinking for a moment Stanley answered, "Okay I'll tell you where you can find them. I know that neither one of my brothers could have done this and the DNA test will prove that you are barking up the wrong tree and then maybe you can find out who really killed Angelina." Stanley was convinced that he was right. Neither of his brothers were capable of rape and murder, especially not Angelina's. What would be the motive?
Stanley told Brass where they would be and Brass sent uniforms to get them and bring them to the station while he got a warrant for the DNA samples of both of Stanley's brothers. Brass explained to the judge about the markers and that is why they need a warrant for a DNA sample for the brothers. The judge gave it to him.
Brass had the brothers put into separate rooms and led Sara and Nick into Steven Myers room, who willingly gave a DNA sample.
When they went into the interrogation room that Michael Myers was in he refused to open his mouth. Brass held up the warrant for the DNA sample and he knew he was in trouble so he decided to tell them what had happened. Brass asked him if he wanted an attorney. He said no. He just wanted to tell them what happened. Brass recorded the conversation with Nick and Sara also in the room.
Michael Myers started to tell them what happened yesterday and how Angelina wound up dead. Michael was in love with Angelina and he was her lover and she told him that she wasn't sleeping with Stanley. She thought she was pregnant and told Michael about it and Michael who wasn't able to have children, knew she had slept with Stanley and that it was Stanley child he got mad he walked away though, a couple of days later she got her period and she found out she wasn't pregnant but Michael was still mad that she had slept with Stanley.
Michael was so much older than Angelina, a good twelve years, and they didn't want anyone to know about them, so she started to date his brother so no one would guess that they were together. People were suspicious of them, A couple of days after she got her period Michael had gone over to Angelina's just to talk, to tell her that he wanted her to break up with Stanley and to come out of the closet with their relationship. She wouldn't do it. She said she liked Stanley too much to hurt him, that Michael and her had to end it, that she wanted to be with Stanley not him and he lost his temper and he accidentally killed her. Michael was just trying to show her how much he loved her, he was trying to make love to her as he had a hundred times before when she hit him, Angelina fought him so he took her to the floor and raped her. She was screaming at him to stop and so he took the phone that was laying on the floor where it had fallen during the struggle and took the cord and wrapped it around her neck and squeezed it to get her to shut up and stop screaming. He didn't realize he had killed her until after he was finished raping her. Michael killed her and left her there in her house. Michael said that he was not thinking straight and he had loved Angelina and didn't mean to kill her. But he had. Brass arrested him for the rape and murder of Angelina Rosetti. Michael was going to spend years in prison, for which Sara was grateful.
Nick and Sara left PD and made their way back to the lab in a comfortable silence each one thinking about the case.
When they got to the crime lab no one else but Grissom was around. Shift had been over for a while and everyone else had gone home. Grissom asked Nick about the case "Nick did you find out who killed the vic?"
"Angelina Rosetti was killed by her lover who was her boyfriend's brother. He got jealous and killed her." Sara answered the question irritated at Grissom and not caring what Grissom thought. She walked away.
Grissom watched her walk away. She had never taken that tone of voice with him before and he didn't like it. Sara acted like she didn't care. He didn't want to lose her so he would ask her out that night, wait she had that night off, he would ask her the next night. Nick watched Grissom's face and was shocked by the expression on his face. Grissom walked back into his office and Nick took off down the hall to the locker room where he knew Sara was. They both grabbed their things and as they walked out. Grissom heard them talking, he had left his door open. Nick asked Sara "Are we still on for breakfast at your place?"
Grissom heard Sara reply "Of course we are Nick; I'll meet you at my apartment. Okay?"
"Sounds good to me I will meet you there." Grissom couldn't hear them anymore. Sara seemed to be spending more and more time with Nick. Grissom didn't want to lose Sara. Grissom did love her but he was afraid of his feelings for Sara so he kept pushing her away and pulling her back in; giving her just a little bit of hope. Sara seemed to be withdrawing from him. He realized he needed to make his move before he lost her. Grissom would talk to her about a possible relationship. She wasn't going to be there that night; she and Nick both had the night off. He hoped they would not be spending it together. He knew they were close friends. Grissom was sure that Sara would leap at the chance to go out with him and explore a possible relationship. They would have to keep it quiet. No one could find out about it. With that in mind he took a file that was on his desk and got back to work. Boy was he in for a surprise though he didn't realize it was already too late.