Family Matters
By: Adriane's Firepower
Disclaimer: I do not own any character in this story…
Summary: A murder victim is closely tied to one of the C.S.I'S, how will she cope when the prime suspect turns out to be, not only tied to the victim, but to her as well? Slight GSR but not much, one shot, please read and review! I am an aspiring author! I desperately need feedback!
P.S – I do not know if Jamie is Sara's brothers real name, or if she even has a brother, but it's the name I used, SO PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!
'Okay people' said Gil Grissom as he strode into the break room. The rest of the CSI team was spread out across the break room, each with a cup of coffee in hand and all talking amongst themselves about one thing or another. Warrick Brown and Nick Stokes were engaged in one of their usual friendly arguments about something. Greg Sanders had cornered Sara Sidle at the coffee machine and was busy working his annoying charm on her as she smiled and stirred her coffee, and Catherine Willows was pacing near the front of the room talking on her cell phone, telling somebody that she couldn't have a friend spend the night on a school night, clearly she was talking to her daughter, Lindsey Willows. Grissom watched his team mingle for a moment longer, they all rarely got a chance to just, be human beings that it was somehow refreshing to watch them like this.
Sara laughed at something that Greg had said then turned to pour some sugar into her coffee, she glanced up and spotted Grissom standing in the doorway.
'Hey! Grissom!' she said, Greg looked up and took on that automatic "what did I do now?" look he always got when Grissom walked into a room, and moved half a step away from Sara. Catherine hung up her phone and Nick and Warrick quit arguing.
'I think that's the fastest it's ever gone quiet around here!' said another voice; Grissom stepped out of the way as Doc. Robbins gimped into the room. 'Catherine your body is ready for you' he said glancing to Catherine, she nodded and strode out of the room after Robbins nodding at Grissom as she passed.
'Ok' he said a moment after she left 'for the rest of you,' he held up a handful of papers 'new assignments, Nicky I have you on a suspicious suicide at the Palms, Greg you go with him.'
'Joy to the world' Greg said and Nick shot him a look.
'Warrick you working a solo out in Henderson,' the tall Black man crossed his strong arms across his chest and rolled his eyes
'And Sara, you and I have a murder on the strip.' She nodded and shrugged at Greg as she walked towards Grissom and met him at the door.
'I'll go start the car' she said.
Sara and Grissom walked through the double doors and into the lobby of one of Vegas' many theatres where live plays were preformed. Captain of Homicide, Detective Jim Brass, quickly met them as they entered.
'Sara, Gil' he said in acknowledgement, he turned to Grissom 'Gil can I talk to you in private for a moment?'
'Yeah' Grissom said, he glanced over at Sara, she held up her hands in an "I know, I know!" gesture
'Right' she said 'I'll go, scour the perimeter or something.' She turned on her heel and strode away. Brass watched her until she was out of earshot
'Your not gonna be happy about putting her on the case Gil' he said
'Why?' Grissom asked
'Because…' he paused and came up beside his friend leading him towards the doors of the theatre
'Well, we had our doubts right off the bat, so we ran a DNA test as fast as we could and…' he trailed off again 'well…' he pointed to a woman in a seat at the back of the theatre 'Gil Grissom, Meet Laura Sidle.' Grissoms heart leapt to his throat, he swallowed hard
'Not related to…'
'Sara?' Brass nodded 'She has seven eliels in common with her, enough to say that this is most likely her mother.'
'He mother is in jail' Grissom said turning to face Brass again, he shook his head
'Nope' he replied 'she was released a week ago.'
'Our vic?' came a female voice, both men wheeled around and Grissom had to step back to avoid colliding with Sara 'our vic was released from jail a week ago?' she repeated
'Um' Grissom said, he took her by the shoulders and steered her from the theatre
'Grissom?' she asked 'the scene won't process itself you know!' she said
'I know' Grissom said, he closed the theatre doors behind them as they stepped into the lobby 'but neither are you, join Warrick in Henderson.'
'Grissom?' she said letting her mouth drop open slightly,
'I can't let you in there Sara, I'm sorry…'
'Why?' she asked 'if you are going to kick me off the case at least tell me why.' She searched his face when he said nothing 'there's more to this' she said. He met her eyes for a moment and his gaze confirmed her thought, he took her by the elbow and led her to one of the lobby benches.
'When was the last time you spoke to your mother?'
'Before she was put away, why?'
'Are you aware that she is out now?'
'She is?' Sara asked her stomach lurching, she didn't like where this was going
'She hasn't tried to contact you at all?' Grissom inquired, Sara shook her head
'No, Grissom! What's going on?' Suddenly it clicked, she straightened up and her eyes went wide 'what has this got to do with my family?' she asked. She searched his eyes for an answer and got nothing, her gaze turned sharp and she stood abruptly and started to make her way back the theatre. Grissom stood and stepped in her way
'I can't let you in there' he said catching her by the shoulders
'Why?' she said through her teeth as she pulled back from him, he didn't let go
'Because if you do you will…'
'Contaminate evidence?' she stopped struggling 'I need to know Grissom' she said 'either you tell me or I find out for myself.' There was a long moment of silence and finally he let her go.
'Okay' he said 'you win' he took a breath 'the victim in there is your mother, stabbed twice in the chest and once in the stomach.' Sara froze
'No way!' she said, he nodded
'That's why I can't let you in there.' She was suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea; she took a staggering step backwards
'Thanks for telling me' she said, she turned on her heel and bolted from the lobby and out into the night.
It had been nearly two hours after Sara fled the scene that Grissom Finally made his way back to the lab. He hauled the Victims personal Affects into the layout room and replaced his black "Forensics" jacket with a lab coat. He was about to settle in and begin the evenings lab work, but decided against it, he needed a caffeine kick first, so he turned and made his way to the break room.
He stopped as he approached the glass door; laying stretched out on the couch staring at nothingness was Sara. He frowned and entered the room, she glanced up briefly as he came in and headed for the coffee maker.
'I made a fresh pot' she said 'it's still brewing.' Grissom stopped and turned
'Thanks' he said he let his brow crease into a frown again 'why are you still here? I thought you would have gone home.' She shook her head, 'you know, come to think of it, Sara, you've been spending far more time here than at home lately.'
'Lot's to do' she said bluntly
'No' he sat down in the chair opposite her 'that's not it…'
'You know I've been thinking' she interrupted as she pulled herself into a sitting position 'about the case I think I know who killed…' she swallowed 'killed her, Jamie.'
'Who's Jamie?' Grissom asked cautiously, she looked up at him for the first time in a while
'My brother' she stated bluntly. Grissom said nothing and Sara continued 'the last time I saw my brother, he was talking to his friend and showing him a long knife and saying that he would kill my mother the same way she killed my father, stabbed twice in the chest and once in the stomach.' She looked up at him in a serious way 'I wouldn't put it past him, he's shoplifted from Liquor stores, jacked cars, assaulted people at his school, traded and used drugs, we nearly put one another in a coma once from fighting, Murder wouldn't be a long leap.' There was a moment of silence that hung like fog in the air.
'So just what are you proposing?' Grissom asked calmly Sara hesitated for a long moment and stood up
'I want to go find him' she said.
'No' Grissom replied right away, she turned around to face him as he stood
'Why not? I'm a big girl…'
'Well we get a lot of "big girls" that are brutally murdered on a daily basis' he said
'Not many of them carry guns and are trained in weaponless defense'
'Some of them are twice the size of their attacker and still killed'
'I would be armed at all times' she protested 'I would have my talkie with me all the time.'
'Sara listen…'
'I would just look until I hit the Nevada Border
'Sara…'
'Even just the city limits'
'SARA!' Grissom shouted grabbing her by the shoulders, she shut up almost instantly. He'd never yelled at her before, in fact she couldn't remember a time when he'd ever yelled at all… well okay, he probably yelled at Ecklie a few times. 'I'm saying this as your friend and your supervisor' he put emphasis on the word "Supervisor" 'and I'm not going to see you running around Vegas in search of a possibly psychotic killer' his voice lowered 'I know you Sara' he said 'you wouldn't stop at the City limits, you probably wouldn't stop at the border of Nevada.'
'I would' she said 'because I know he's in Vegas'
'How do you know?'
'Because…' she paused wondering how Grissom would take this 'he's called my like ten times in the past week, a Vegas number, he's sent me three E-Mails sending directions over to where he lives, and…' she looked up guiltily 'I even considered going over there a few times.'
'But you didn't'
'No'
'Because…'
'Because I didn't think it would be safe'
'Then why do you want to go now?'
'Because…' she paused 'I Don't know' she said in a frustrated tone, why did he have to complicate everything? 'I just have to, for my own… sanity!'
'Your not going' he said 'I'll keep you updated on the case if your brother comes up okay? But right now you need to go home, to your home.' She stared at him for a few moments in frustration
'Fine' she said.
'Your not going to see him' he repeated again
'I know…'
'I will have no choice but to suspend you if you do…'
'Grissom, I know.' He nodded slowly
'Okay' he said 'go home, you need some rest,' he dropped his arms from her shoulders
'I could say the same thing for you' she said.
Grissom sat leaned back in the computer chair as colors and shapes of AFIS flashed before his eyes and reflected in his glasses, he drummed his fingers on the desktop and waited, suddenly there was a beep and a box came up saying MATCH FOUND, JAMIE SIDLE. Grissom leaned forward and clicked on the box, a screen came up with Jamie's police record on it complete with fingerprint set, photograph and a detailed description of the three accounts of assault he had completed. His eyes went wide and he reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone. It rang five times and finally a voice picked up
Hi it's Sara…The message only got that far before Grissom hung up and put his phone on the desk. He pursed his lips, she could just be sleeping, but he somehow doubted it, he took up the phone again and tried her cell…
Her cell phone rang so suddenly it made her jump and clench onto the steering wheel harder. She took her eyes off the road for a moment and glanced at the LED display on her phone, which had a single word on it: GRISSOM.She turned her attention back to the road, let it ring she thought, let him think I'm sleeping. She was halfway to the Monaco Hotel, according to her Brothers directions, he lived somewhere around there. She was crazy! She was going to visit her dangerously temperamental brother about him being a murder suspect. She took a breath through her nose as she turned off the main drag and into a trashy suburban area. He lived in condo 26B, she pulled up and parallel parked along the curb, Condo 26A was playing Rocky music and had every light in the house on, 26B however was almost dead silent with every light off with the exception of a tiny glow from the living room window. Sara hesitated at the door and thoughts reeled through her mind, what if he wasn't awake, what if he was drunk or high? And what if he did kill their mother. She took another breath through her nose getting a lungful of cigarette smoke and another moldy smell, she closed her eyes and knocked. She waited several long moments and there was no sign of movement in the house, she turned on her heel and began to walk down the concrete stairs. She had tried. Just as the heel of her combat boot hit the sidewalk, a croaky voice called out behind her
'Sara?' she wheeled around and came face to face with her brother.
'Jamie' she said, he looked nothing like how he looked the last time she saw him, he was thin and unshaven with the pasty sick look of a serious drug addict. 'what happened to you?' she asked
'You came, come in' he said evading the question and motioning to the inside of his house. She hesitated then climbed the stairs and walked through the door. The Living room was a mess; there were clothes, beer bottles, cigarette butts and trays like the kind T.V dinners come in all over the place. She sat down on the edge of the couch while Jamie flopped in the armchair across from her and picked up the large half drunk whiskey bottle and took another swig. The two didn't say much for several long minutes, just pleasantries were exchanged, small talk and nothing more, finally Sara gathered enough courage to ask her brother what she'd come here to ask.
'Listen Jamie' she said carefully, 'I've been suspended, my supervisor has practically quarantined me to my house…'
'Yeah so?' Jamie slurred his words dreadfully.
'I want you to know that I'm here as your sister, not as a cop…' she slowed down and lowered her voice '…and I need to know, did you…' she took a breath 'did you kill mom tonight?'
Jamie looked up at her just as he was about to take a swig from the whiskey bottle, she stared at him 'tell me' she said, his eyes narrowed
'You're a cop' he slurred as he staggered to his feet and stumbled into the adjoining bedroom and opened the door 'figure it out for yourself' Sara hesitated then walked towards the open door watching Jamie closely as she did, finally satisfied he wasn't armed she turned her attention to the bedroom, no, the bloodbath. Her eyes widened as she looked upon the entire bedroom painted with blood, to much to be from a person, her thoughts were disrupted as she suddenly felt a sharp point press against her side, she froze and that crackly slurred voice whispered by her ear
'I killed her.' Despite how Much Sara hated her family she was horrified to hear this and acted before she thought about it. She wheeled around and wound up as she did, she swung her fist around and smoked Jamie in the jaw, he staggered backwards and she made a reach for her gun, but just as she gun came up the knife came down and sheared through skin and muscle on her forearm, the searing pain made her drop her gun and the blow came, as she doubled over and pulled her injured arm into her body, his knee came up and got her right in the nose. The force knocked her backwards but as she fell she kicked out and struck him in the kneecaps making him fall to the ground as well. Now with a bleeding arm and nose she army crawled towards her gun, he stabbed the knife down towards her, she rolled and caught her gun as she did, she sprang to her feet and smacked her face against the corner of the coffee table as soon as she was on her feet she slammed the heel of her combat boots into Jamie's jaw, he cried out and rolled onto his back, he cracked his jaw and sprang to his feet, now they were face to face with the gun laying on the floor between them and Sara doubted she would be the one to get it, she had a bloody nose and injured arm and Jamie had the knife. The two of them had a standoff for a long few moments and suddenly Jamie Lunged, she was caught so off guard that he easily knocked her onto her back and, seemingly forgetting he had a knife caught her around the throat and pressed down, she could feel her windpipes collapsing and almost hear her lungs screaming for mercy. She struggled against him while trying to reach the gun that was barely at her fingertips. She barely heard the sirens or the door crashing open, she didn't hear the gunshots, didn't feel herself pick the gun and didn't hear the gunshot, what she was conscious of was her brother's dead weight falling across her torso and his hand releasing from her neck, she took in a ragged breath of air and lay perfectly still. To shocked to move and still trying to catch her breath, she was barely aware of the body being rolled off of her, she took a deep breath and pushed herself up, someone took her by the shoulders and helped her up. That person came around in front of her and took her injured arm
'this doesn't look good at all' said the voice of Gil Grissom, he sounded so far away. She looked up at him, her eyes feeling cloudy,
'How did you find me?' she asked
'I had a hunch' Grissom said, he met her eyes 'you never have been submissive to direction' his half smile made Sara's ragged breathing calm down and go back to normal.
'Come on' he said taking the hand of her good arm and helping her to her feet. She stood and looked around as if seeing the living room for the first time, her eyes settled on the, very dead, Jamie. Her eyes went wide and the reality hit her
'I killed him!' she said, Grissom could have seen this coming a mile away, he put his arm around her shoulders and steered her from the house, she didn't pull against him as he led her to the Ambulance, but that was simply out of shock 'I killed him' she said again as her mind reeled, jail, suspension… 'what's going to happen to me?' she asked turning to face Grissom
'Nothing' he said 'self defense, I'll make sure nothing will happen to you'
'What happened to "if you go over there I'll have to suspend you"?' she asked, she got another warm half smile
'Like I said' Grissom replied 'you've never taken to well to direction, I kind of expected you would come over though…' He indicated her arm 'your inability t shoot a firearm now means no field work for a while' Sara looked up at him
'Now that is some direction I will agree to.'