Not Without You
Note: I've been busy busy busy but I thought I would try to release a story while I scamper around on my trips. While I don't own CSI... in my alternate universe I do so here is another take on Sara and Grissom. This is set sometime after Sara and Grissom's relationship has been discovered and Sara leaves. Now, what would have happened if Grissom had gone after her and what really made her leave?
Let's begin the story...
She sat there in the back of the taxi and told herself she wasn't really leaving. In a day, she would return to Vegas and she would suddenly appear on his doorstep and bang on the door until he opened it. She fished out her key ring and found that it was missing several keys now.
No key to his office…left in his desk
No key to my apartment…even though I lost my apartment months ago
No key to the townhouse…left in his locker
No key to his vehicle…left beside the key to the house
No key to my vehicle…left on the counter in the house
She stared at the key ring now void of all keys except one. It looked like any ordinary key except it wasn't. She kept it firmly in the palm of her hand. It was borrowed. It didn't even belong to her but she had taken it the moment it had been offered to her and had kept it. It had been in her possession for over a year and she was certain the owner did not remember leaving it with her and she prayed it would remain that way.
She closed her eyes shutting out the glare of the lights and the endless parade of faces on the sidewalk and knew that one of them would become a casualty causing the only man she ever loved to work a double on the night she decided to leave him.
She gulped down the lump in her throat and once again kept to the lie she was telling herself.
I'll be back tomorrow….
Maybe in a day or so….
I just need a break….
I just need Grissom…
She was startled when the taxi driver shouted she had arrived and she stepped out. She stood there while he took out her suitcases and then once he received his cab fare, he disappeared. She stood there trying to find the correct boarding spot and walked away briefly to assess the distance. She turned and found her luggage now gone and she cursed.
No clothing…
No medications…
No personal items…
She held onto her laptop and the carry on and told herself she could replace the items stolen once she reached her destination. She stood there now and stared at the airport. She had been here before. It seemed so long ago since she came to Las Vegas in search of Gil Grissom. Now she was leaving.
She took a deep breath and headed for her destination.
She checked the board and saw that her flight would be on time as she sat there in the airport staring at the passengers coming and leaving. She glanced at her watch and told herself if she hurried she could beat him home. She told herself that he probably had not noticed that she had already left and the note still remained with Judy. She told herself that if he had read it he would have already tried to call her but then her cell phone was now the sole property of Nevada again and there was no way to reach her. She was on her own.
She heard the calling of her flight and she stood with the other passengers and formed a line. She glanced a time or two expecting to be taken aside at any moment and accused of abandonment. With each small step she felt that fear envelope her and her knees threatened to buckle from the weight of the unknown that waited her at her destination. She wasn't sure how she made it inside the plane much less sitting now in her designated seat. She closed her eyes and fought back the urge to lock herself into the bathroom compartment and scream as the plane took off.
She had never been a fan of flying but yet there was a little sense of familiarity to this plane as she remembered the case in which the team had investigated a mob attack at twenty thousand feet in the air. It had been a strange case and now as she sat there quietly gripping the seat she wondered what would happen if she suddenly burst into tears and told them she was deathly afraid of thunderstorms as she heard the rain beating against the small window pane next to her.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to think of something else and prayed the plane would soon be in the air or else she would find herself sitting in the airport while the plane continued to San Francisco without her. She tried to ignore the tap but when it grew more persistent she opened her eyes and stared at him intently.
"You like the window seat?" he asked.
"No."
"Mind if we switch?" he asked.
She looked across and saw that the seat next to him contained a young man who was trying to sleep as well. She stood causing the man in the aisle seat to have to stand and once the seats were exchanged, she quickly sat down and found both of the arm rests now inhabited by the men. She folded her arms about herself and closed her eyes once more. It was the glint of something shiny that caught her eye and made her look next to her. It was a gun. The man shut his jacket quickly and they glanced at one another.
"Air Marshal," he said in a whisper.
She nodded her head and groaned when they announced the flight would be delayed. She got up quickly and ran to the lavatory and rushed inside. She sat down and forced herself to take a deep breath but the rain continued and the first clap of thunder sent her out of the door as she scrambled to the exit that remained open. She stood there a moment and contemplated what she was about to do but the lightning reinforced her decision to flee before she was escorted off the plane for screaming.
There seemed to be a scuffle inside the cockpit as she slipped out and made her way back into the airport. She cursed when she realized her laptop remained in the plane and she turned to go back for it when the door was shut as two security officers came rushing up to stand guard in front of it.
The explosion could be felt and suddenly she was running away as the security officers scurried down the hall to join the other officers at the entrance. Smoke billowed from the plane and she knew there had been a major explosion. She smelled the smoke and the fumes. It reminded her when the lab had exploded and she glanced down at her palm where the scar still remained.
She clutched her one remaining luggage, her purse and she headed back to the main entrance. She stood there and waited for a taxi when a woman came to stand next to her. The explosion had startled her memories into overdrive and now she wanted nothing more than to get away from Vegas.
"Been waiting here for twenty minutes for a rental car and have yet to see it," she said.
Sara stood there looking over her shoulder.
"You okay?"
She nodded but said nothing more. She glanced down at her palm and rubbed the scar. Greg could have died that day. She could have been seriously injured if she had been inside with Greg. Instead she had been on the other side of the glass wall. She had been following Grissom but as he continued on his errands throughout the lab that day, she had given up. She could still hear the echo of the explosion in her head.
The woman's voice brought her back.
"You familiar with Las Vegas?" the woman asked.
"Where do you need to go?" asked Sara. Sara knew the area. They had worked a case once or twice.
"It's nice there," she said. Sara rattled off the directions as the lady stared at her.
"You wouldn't be heading in that direction, would you?" the woman asked.
"Yes," lied Sara.
"Want to split the rental expense?" the woman asked.
Sara stared at her.
This is where I say no thanks…
This is how abductions occur…
This is why I'm burned out…
"Sure," said Sara as she stepped into the car when it appeared several minutes later. She would be out of Vegas soon. Anything was better than here.
Grissom ran his hands through his hair as he read the letter over and over. He stood there and wondered where she could be at that moment. He reached for his phone and dialed her number. He could hear it ringing inside his desk. He quickly opened the top drawer and found her phone along with her copy of his office key. He jumped when he heard Brass's voice at the doorway.
"Hey, I heard about the big smooch today from Sara…what's wrong?" he asked coming further into the room. He handed the letter to Brass. He glanced up once it was read.
"This doesn't sound like Sara," he said.
"She gave it to Judy before she left. Jim, I'm worried," he said.
"Maybe she's at the townhouse…I could send a patrol car over there," he offered.
Nick tapped at the door and quickly came inside.
"Griss, is there any reason why Sara's name tag from her jacket was found in the trash can in the locker room?" asked Nick.
He handed it to Grissom.
"You guys made it official already or something?" he smiled.
Nick's smile faded when he looked at Grissom.
"Is Sara okay?" he asked suddenly.
"She may have left," said Brass. "Did anyone talk with her this afternoon?"
Nick shook his head. "She seemed a little odd but then she's been a little out of sorts since she started the new shift."
"Nick, check the locker room and see if you can locate anything else that might have been left behind. Be sure to check the inside of her locker," said Brass.
"Sure…what am I looking for?" he asked.
"Anything out of place…unusual," said Brass.
He disappeared as Grissom stood there staring at the floor.
"Want me to put out an APB?" he asked.
He shook his head.
"I can have the uniform officers to do a drive by of the townhouse," he said.
Grissom said nothing but then nodded.
Brass picked up his phone and made the call.
Hodges came running to the doorway. "Have you heard the news?" he asked.
"What news?" asked Grissom.
"There was an explosion on a flight headed to San Francisco this evening. A disgruntled pilot locked himself up in the cock pit and blew the plane up on the run way. There are several casualties," said Hodges.
"How did you hear about it so quickly?" asked Brass.
"I have a friend who is a pilot," said Hodges.
"Looks like we're going to be working all night," said Brass to Grissom.
Nick came hurrying back. "I found her boots in one of the trash cans. Her car is parked outside. Ronnie found her jacket inside her locker."
He handed it to Grissom. He stared at the make shift name tag now in place of the one that had been ripped off.
"It's her handwriting," he said.
Brass's phone rang and he answered it. He glanced at Grissom. "No one was found at the townhouse."
"Since her car is here, she would have gotten a ride from someone or called a taxi," said Brass.
"Airport," said Nick quickly. "She would have gotten a taxi if she intended to catch a flight."
Grissom stared at Brass. "The plane that exploded was headed to San Francisco."
They were hurrying now as they headed toward the airport. He rode with Brass as he called ahead to the airport.
"We need a passenger manifest for everyone on that flight," said Grissom. "Good. Go down the list and see if there was a Sara Sidle…"
He looked at Brass. "Where was her seat?"
Brass quickly sped up.
Grissom hung up the phone.
"Where was she sitting?" he asked.
"Near the cockpit. The Air Marshal was sitting in the same row…he's dead," said Grissom.
"Gil, the Feds may not let us on the plane," said Brass.
"This is Vegas jurisdiction," said Grissom.
"That means bullshit when a Federal Marshal is dead," said Brass.
They arrived to utter chaos as the airport was under lockdown and despite their badges it took several minutes before they were given clearance to enter inside. They quickly made their way to the plane and were stopped by Federal Officers.
"We're calling jurisdiction," said the officer.
"Do you have a list of the survivors?" asked Grissom quickly.
"Yes." The officer handed him the roster and he handed it to Brass.
"Is it possible she was taken to the hospital with injuries?" asked Brass.
"They're listed with the survivors…there was one person who could not give us their name…it was a male….he was burned extensively and is not expected to make it."
Brass looked at Grissom. "Have you identified the victims?"
"We have to confirm that through positive ID or through DNA…some of the bodies were thrown from their seats."
"We need to see the victims," said Grissom.
"They're not going to be moved until our crew lands and has a chance to investigate."
"Look, we're not trying to step on anyone's toes…we understand you want to take care of your own but so do we….we had an investigator on that plane…we just want to locate her," said Brass.
The two officers looked at one another.
"We have the list of the seats containing a body." He handed the list to Grissom and he swallowed hard.
"We need to see the body," he said.
"We've confirmed they're dead."
"Please, we…I need to see for myself," said Grissom.
The officer glanced at Brass and Grissom.
"Five minutes," he said.
They started up the steps when Brass grabbed his arm.
"Gil, I can ID the body."
He shook his head and continued.
There was extensive damage to the front part of the plane but they were able to step through to the other side. He stood there now and stared at the bodies in the seats.
"First six rows on this side ….all casualties."
"Sara's side," he managed to get out.
He walked down to the aisle and stopped. He turned slowly and came face to face with the deceased Federal Marshal. He then forced himself to look beside him and the seat was vacant. He found another body in the next seat as he let out a gasp.
"Not her. It's a man's body."
"Maybe she switched seats with the man…Could have gone to the laboratory…hell maybe she didn't get on the plane at all," said Brass.
Grissom started opening up the overhead compartments. He stopped when he recognized the red tag on the laptop case.
"It's Sara's. She was on the plane," said Grissom taking the laptop with him.
They began searching the other bodies as a federal officer appeared.
"Five minutes are up. Did you locate her?" he asked.
"She wasn't in her seat. We found her laptop but she's not among the dead," said Grissom.
"Where are the passengers that survived?" asked Brass.
"They're in a huge conference room. We're keeping them sequestered until we can interview each of them."
"We're going to need to check to see if she's among the survivors."
"You've seen the list already…"
"Look, her name is not on the list of survivors and she is not among the dead here….that leaves the conference room," said Grissom.
They were taken to the conference room and they split up walking by each of the tables. They did another search before exiting.
"She's not in there," said Grissom.
"This doesn't make sense," said Brass.
"She got on the plane because her laptop was on there…"
"What if someone else carried it on?" asked Brass.
Grissom breathed in deeply. "Jim, you can put out that APB now."
Note from author:
So we begin a new story….you know the routine. Leave a review for each chapter. For those that are new readers, I post daily until the story is completed….sometimes I post more than once each day. Welcome!
Take care,
Penny