"You didn't have to accept it Cath. You had a choice!"
Sara's angry words ran through her mind. For months now it's all she hears as she tries to sleep. She lays there in this dank apartment body just aching from the lack of sleep and the stress she was under daily. She wonders if any one would recognize her now. Piercings and tattoos hair incredibly short eyes darker blue because she has to be cold and hard everyday now.
She hears the neighbors upstairs fighting again and she knows very soon they will be fucking like rabbits and she really didn't want to hear it tonight. She drags herself out of bed and throws on cloths and heads out into the balmy Vegas night. Once outside she pops her hood up and looked around. Her cell phones tucked away one in the ass pocket of her skinny jeans and the other in the breast pocket of her jacket. That one decided it would give her a minor heart attack by vibrating. Very seldom does that phone go off.
"Yeah?" She answers not even bothering to check the caller ID.
"Usual spot. Head there now."
The line went dead. Catherine rolled her eyes as she tucked the phone away. She walked the four miles to the diner on Fremont before checking her surroundings. She was always on edge with these meetings and she made sure the Feds knew it. She walked and to the 50s themed restaurant and found her contact in a both in the back corner.
She walked back there her hood covering the top half of her face. She slid into the booth and waited for the Agent to start talking.
"Jobs done. Go home Willows you did good." That's all she said. She dropped a bag of Catherine's personal stuff on the table and walked out.
Catherine watched her as she left. The utter disbelief and shock hit her like a train. She just stared at the bag of stuff infront her. House and car keys, her wallet, her crime lab ID, and her personal cellphone which was dead. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. She can finally go home. She took her things and slowly made her way out of the diner. She looked around the street and took a deep breath. She took the car keys from the bag and pressed the alarm pad. Her Denali was parked a few feet away. She sighed with relief. She climbed in and headed home.
As she pulled in the driveway a knot formed in her stomach. What if it was empty. What if she left her. She wouldn't blame her to be honest. The last thing her lover said to her was in anger. She checked the clock. It was 2am. Sara would still be at work. She sat there for a few minutes and contemplated going to the lab. She reversed out of the drive and headed for the Lab.
She parked the suv and made her way in. Her hands were shaking and her heart fluttered. She walked in and the receptionist looked up.
"Can I help. . ."
Catherine turned to face her and the woman's jaw dropped.
"Ms. Willows. Oh my gosh. Welcome back."
"Thank you Judy."
"Hold on let me call Mr. Grissom he is the only one in right now."
Catherine nodded and sat in the waiting area. She got a glimps of her reflection in the glass and scoffed at herself. Faux leather hooded jacket black ribed tank top and ripped skinny jeans tucked into her biker boots. She never in a million years would have worn clothes like this. She pulled her hood down and rubbed her fingers through her hair. She started at the floor for a minute lightly tugging on the vertical labret in the middle of her bottom lip with her teeth. It became a nervous habit. She looked up in time to see Grissom walk into the waiting room. She stood up and waited for him to notice her.
He looked up from his file and caught her eyes.
"Catherine?"
She couldn't stop the tears. She smiled at him and nodded. He walked toward her and in a very Un-Grissom way and pulled her into a tight hug. He held onto her for a second before pulling back.
"Is it over Catherine?"
She nodded not trusting her voice. She wiped her tears on her sleeve.
"Good. The others should be back from their scenes soon lets go get some coffee."
Catherine walked with him to the break room and sat at the table. He handed her a cup and sat across from her.
"Everything is as you left it in your office." Grissom commented.
"I still have an office?" She asked.
"Catherine this wasnt you leaving the job on your own volition. You were forced into this. Of course you still have your job." He insisted.
"Can you tell me if I still have my friends? Or my daughter? Or my Girlfriend?" She cried a bit hard with each question.
Grissom tried to catch her eye.
"Cath, Sara has missed you so much. We all have. And Lindsay is at school and she knew what was happening. She called everyday to ask about you and when we were updated on you so was she." His words were helping but she still had this immense fear of Sara walking in and not even acknowledging her.
"Hey Griss that B&E is pretty much open and shut. The perp. . ." Nick's voice trailed off when he laid eyes on the the blonde.
"Oh my God. Cath." He pulled her into a tight embrace lifting her slightly off the ground.
"Hey Nicky."
He placed her feet back on the ground and pulled away enough to look into her face.
"I'm so happy you're back. I missed the hell out of you."
"I missed you too."
"I'm gonna go start my evidence. Breakfast later?"
"Wouldn't miss it."
She turned around to see Grissom studying her face.
"What?"
"I was looking at your lip?"
"Oh. It's been there so long now I forget it's there."
"It suits you."
She smiled and thanked him.
"So does the short hair. Never thought you let them do it."
She laughed at that. They sat in comfortable silence until his pager went off. He excused himself and left Catherine alone with her thoughts. She pushed her chair out left the breakroom to walk toward her office.
"Cat?!"
The sound of her lover's voice stopped her dead in her tracks. She took a deep breath and turned around. Sara dropped her kit and practically ran to her. Catherine jumped up into Sara's arms. Wrapping her legs around her waist and hug her neck. Sara's arms were crushing around her waist. Both women crying into each other neither willing to let go. Catherine pulled her face back to look at Sara's.
"God I missed you. . . So so much." Catherine whispered.
"Don't you ever leave me again."Sara cried.