He unlocked the door and entered her apartment, he was staying there that night because he knew she wouldn't be able to do it alone. This shift had been a bad one. The case they had been working had really gotten to her and he knew that as much as she tried to hide it from the others he could tell. The case was a battered wife and child and a dead husband. At first they had suspected the wife and that was when it really got to her. Today was her parents wedding anniversary, today was one of two days she would call off work and drink herself to oblivion so that she wouldn't have to think about it. As the case progressed he realised just how much it was affecting her and tried to be supportive but every time he came close she told him to back off, so he did. As much as it pain him to see her hurting so much, he backed off and let her mind deal with it. As the case unfolded it became clear that the wife didn't kill her abusive husband so they looked for other suspects. It was Sara's discovery that really drove her over the edge, she found inconsistencies' in the blood spatter, small voids that could mean only one thing; the child killed her father to protect her mother. The little girl was four and a half and did everything she could to save her mother, when Sara was facing the same situation she did nothing. Which is what really made her crack. She grabbed her gear and raced out of CSI, people tried to stop her but it was pointless, she wasn't going to stop for anybody. He tried but she brushed past him and called after her 'see you later?' To which she didn't reply. When he walked out of work three hours later he saw her car still in the parking lot and figured that she had just gone to clear her head so he went back to her apartment to be there when she calmed enough to go home.

He walked across the threshold and dumped his bags on an armchair in the lounge room before continuing on to the kitchen to make some coffee. When he got to the pot he found it half empty and still warm. A confused expression passed over his face and he tried to explain it. His conclusion was that Sara had already come home, how he could not tell as her car was still at CSI and she wasn't one to catch either a bus or a cab. He couldn't see her in the apartment so he checked the bathroom and the study before trying the bedroom at the far end of the apartment. He cracked the door open a little bit and peeked in, and there she was. Sara was curled up in a ball on her bed completely naked, he looked away as an instinct but then remembered that he was allowed to see her naked. Her small fragile body was covered in sweat and even though the temperature in the room was pleasant she was shivering uncontrollable.

"Oh Sara." He said calmingly, "what's wrong dear?"

He knew what was wrong but he also knew her and she wouldn't ask for help from anyone not even him. He walked over to the right side of the bed and knelt so his face was level with hers. She opened her eyes and he could see the pain she was in and felt it crush his heart. He reached over to pull her hair off her face but she cut the motion as she yelled

"Don't touch me." He looked taken aback so she continued, "Gill if you touch me I'm going to cry and if I cry there is no going back and I'll have to feel everything." He understood but that didn't stop him brushing her hair out of her eyes. A lone tear rolled down her cheek and he couldn't take it any more so he climbed up onto the bed and pulled her broken form into his arms. She struggled but ultimately she had no energy so she let herself succumb to the pain she was in, that she was always in. she let it all out in his arms, tears poured down her face and he whispered loving things into her ears as he cradled her body against his. She cried non-stop for two hours letting all of her pain flow out in the safety of his arms. After she was finished she sat up and realised that she was naked.

"Oh crap, I'm naked, shit. Gil not that I don't love you looking at me…" she started

"You just don't want me to see you naked like this?" he finished, she nodded her head and he closed his eyes whilst she put her terry cloth robe on.

"Ok I'm good now, I'm so sorry about all of this." She said when she noticed her wet his shirt was, "Give me your shirt and I'll put it in the laundry." He nodded and removed it for her. When she came back from the laundry he pulled her back into his arms and waited for her to talk, he knew that she would eventually. After about thirty minutes she spoke up:

"Gill I'm so sorry about all, the case it just really rattled me."

"Sara you don't have to apologise for that, given your history I'd be worried if it didn't rattle you." She let out a small reserved laugh and continued:

"Well I owe you an explanation," she paused and took a deep breath, "today would have been my parents wedding anniversary, when he was in a good mood and not drunk he would take my mum out and they wouldn't be home till the morning. It was always one of those good days where nothing really went wrong" she paused again, "and usually I would take today off and drink myself to oblivion so that I didn't have to think about the times when my dad was kind because then I would have to admit that I loved him and still miss him. People would think that I'm crazy to love him, but he was my father and even after everything…" she wiped a tear from her eye before continuing, "I still miss him. And then today with this case it just reminded me of it all and then I realised that this four year old girl was stronger than I am, she killed him so that he couldn't hurt her and her mum anymore and I just stood there and let it all happen. That was why I left." She didn't cry but she buried her face into his bare chest and just listened to his heart.

"Sara, you listen to me and you listen to what I'm about to say because as much as you don't believe it everything I'm about to tell you is true. I love you more than anything, you are my world and you are the strongest person that I have ever met." She shook her head, "you have been through more than your fair share of horrific events but never once have you let these things define who you are. Sure you are a little more sensitive to some peoples situations because every time you see someone that reminds you of your old life it hurts and you hope that it doesn't end the same way your story did. My God Sara you are strong, beautiful and the love of my life forever and always. There will never be anyone other than you and there never has been"

"Nobody is youer than you." She said

"Dr. Seuss."

"Correct Mr Grissom, ten points." And she laughed, "I love you so much Gil, don't ever leave me. Don't ever get scared of this because I love you and you love me and nothing else matters." She pulled herself out of his arms and kissed him hard on the lips with all the pain she had in her flowing away at his touch.

"Be careful or I'll have my way with you." He said jokingly

"Why Mr Grissom, I thought you'd never ask." She said in a fake British accent as she laughed and pounced on top of him kissing him senselessly.