A/N: I can't wait for this Thursday's episode, Unleashed, and the long awaited return of a favourite character of mine, Lady Heather. I was watching the promo for it on YouTube when this came to me. Surely I'm not the only one eagerly waiting for Sara and Heather to finally meet – properly. There are just so many ways the writers can go. I just wish Grissom could feature too. The three of them in a locked room now that would be interesting.
Let me know what you think, and if it's worth pursuing the idea once the episode has aired.
If Looks Could Kill.
"So, Dr Langston, Sara, what can I do for you?" Heather asked as she showed the two CSIs into her office.
"You're a sex therapist," Sara said.
Unperturbed by Sara's forthright approach Heather gave a soft nod of the head in acquiescence and sat down at her desk. Her eyes flicked from Sara to Ray as she opened her hand inviting them to do the same. "And I can help," she said pleasantly, "I specialise in unusual sexual deviances."
An uneasy smile forming on her lips Sara shook her head with disbelief and sat down on the Burgundy Voltaire chair.
"Grissom didn't tell you?" Heather went on, refocusing knowing eyes on Sara.
"You two already know each other?" Ray asked the surprise evident in his tone, his gaze flitting between the two women as he too took a seat.
Sara's smile vanished instantly and she fixed Heather with a hard stare before flicking her eyes onto Ray. He was watching her expectantly, his brow arched with interest.
"No," she told him. "Lady―Dr Kessler and I do not know each other. We met once in the course of…" her gaze flickered to Heather as she searched for the right words before settling for, "a murder investigation four years ago."
"Heather," Heather said quietly, her eyes nodding her thanks at Sara for her discretion. "Please, Sara, call me Heather."
Sara paused, and shot Heather a dark look. "Doctor Kessler," she said deliberately, addressing Ray, "is an acquaintance of Grissom's."
"A personal friend," Heather amended with a fond smile to Ray.
Sara sighed but didn't deny Heather's assertion. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the pendant sitting square on the ex-Dominatrix's chest.
Heather's hand perfectly-manicured hand immediately flew to it, a wide beautiful grin spreading across her face. "You like it?" she asked sweetly, picking the stone up and looking down toward it. "I've had it years. It was gifted to me by a dear friend."
Sara's hands clasped together on her lap, the thumb and index finger of her right hand unconsciously coming to touch her wedding ring. She forced a smile, conceding with mock-pleasantness, "It's very nice." Turning toward Ray she added, "You may have heard Dr Kessler being referred to at the lab as Lady Heather."
Ray already knew that of course, Greg had made a point of informing him in detail, but willing to play along with Sara tried his hardest to hide the smile of titillation tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Ah," he managed unconvincingly.
Heather's warm chuckle filled the room. "Ah, indeed, Dr Langston," she said, smiling at Ray. "I see my former profession has once again preceded me. Grissom and I have a long standing friendship – and working relationship – despite what you may have heard about me."
Ray waved his hands in front of him in apology. "Oh, I wasn't making any assumptions about-"
Sara raised her hands in a helpless gesture. "They met several years ago during a murder investigation," she said, cutting in sharply and the pleasantries short as she kept a cool steadfast gaze on Heather, "And then again the next year. Four separate cases, was it? Three murder investigations and your attempted suicide?" She exchanged a look with Ray who just lifted a non-committal shoulder, and then fixed Heather with a tight smile that seemed to say, if that's how you want to play it.
Heather's lips twitched with amusement. "You're forgetting the time Grissom came to me, as you are doing now, for a consult." She leaned back into her chair and smoothed down a strand of long auburn hair. "Oh, but maybe you don't know about that time. After all you weren't in Vegas anymore, were you? You'd left him, hadn't you? For the second time? That video you sent him certainly messed him up bad."
Shifting uncomfortably in her seat Sara held Heather's gaze levelly.
"How is Grissom?" Heather continued pointedly, a well-defined brow lifting. "Still digging up graves in Peru?"
Sara's face lit up with mischief, and she couldn't help the quiet scoff. "He's back. He's home," she checked her watch, adding wickedly, "waiting. Actually, I'll remind him to give you a call at some point, shall I?"
Ray covered his amused chuckle with a quiet cough. "Ladies, please," he said pleasantly. "Can we maybe call a truce and bring this conversation back to the case?" He waited a beat while the two women held each other's gazes unwaveringly, then opened his briefcase and pulled out a stack of photographs which he placed on the desk in front of Heather. "I'm sure Catherine had legitimate reasons to suggest we came and talked to you."
Nodding, Heather broke eye contact with Sara first and leaned across to examine the pictures. Her face took on a deeply serious expression. She opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of black-framed spectacles, which she slipped on before picking up the first photo. She studied it closely and at length, the frown deepening on her face, then reached for the second one.
"You're the expert, Heather," Ray said, glancing toward Sara. "So what do you think could have happened here?"
