After our case was over with the hockey player I walked over to Grissom's office seeing him sitting at his desk writing a report. He glanced over at me before writing again.

"Going home?" He asked

"Actually I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me."

He stopped writing sitting back in his chair looking at me.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to." He said

"Oh." I said, looking down.

"Was there anything else?"

"No." I said, rolling my eyes leaving. I stopped in the hallway going back. He looked over at me again as he wrote. "Grissom, you said you were interested in beauty since you met me. I am getting mixed signals here. Are you interested in me or not?"

"No, I am not."

"Fine." I said, leaving.

I left with a heavy heart confused by Grissom at the ice hockey rink and this one. He sat back in his chair as I left sighing as he played with his pen.

A few months later I met a paramedic named Hank Peddigrew. We went out and he stayed over on numerous occasions. Then something changed in him. He became mad and in these ugly rants that usually left me bruised.

All the while this was happening Grissom watched from a distance seeing the distinct change in my behavior. I seemed subdued and scared. I came in late one day seeing him walk over to me at the front desk.

"You're late." He said

"I know I am sorry." I said, trying to get past him. I noticed he seemed curious over the bruise on my hairline. His hand came up moving my hair back to look.

"What happened?" he asked

"I ran into the door." I said

"I see, are you okay?"

"Yes."

I slid past him to run to the locker room. He walked back to his office thinking about the situation. In the break room I threw my uneaten meal in the trash seeing Grissom coming in looking at the trash then at me.

"Not hungry?"

"No." I said

He nodded walking over to get some coffee.

"Sara?"

I turned looking at him.

"Come to my office later."

"Why?"

"Because I want to talk to you."

"What about?" I asked, putting my arms over my chest.

"You're in defense mode I think my office would be a better place for this."

"Fine." I said, leaving.

Later he watched me come in shutting the door. I walked over sitting down staring at him. He got up walking over sitting next to me in a chair.

"Sara, I think you know what I wanted to talk about."

"No." I said

"Okay, I wanted to talk about these injuries you keep getting."

"I can't help it if I am clumsy."

"Ordinarily I would agree with you, but these seem to be deliberately done. I know you are in a relationship."

"I don't want to talk about this." I said, looking down.

"Never the less I think we need to." He said, rubbing his hands together. "Does he hit you?"

"No." I said, looking down.

"Then why are you looking down?"

I sighed looking at him.

"I know something is going on."

"Why can't you leave me alone?"

"I am concerned about you."

I made a sound getting up.

"You don't need to be I am fine."

"Sara, why were you really late this shift?"

I looked at him a moment.

"I have to go."

"We are not done yet." He said

"Well I am." I said

My phone rang as I reached down getting it.

"Sidle."

Grissom stood as he watched me.

"Hey, I am coming home soon."

I looked down listening.

"I did, I swear I did." I said, quietly. "Babe, I would not do that on purpose….okay, I have to go."

I hung up sighing looking sad then I recovered looking at Grissom.

"Are we done?"

He slowly nodded as I left.

The next week I called in sick making Grissom worry more. He tried calling me only to get the answering machine. He told Catherine he would be back later as he went to his car driving to my apartment. When he got up to my door a woman in a robe opened her door next door coming over to him.

"Sir, are you here to see Sara?"

"Yes, I am her boss and I was worried."

"Me to, I heard a terrible fight going on between her and this man she sees a few hours ago."

"I will look into it." He said

She nodded leaving him alone. He knocked hearing a small voice on the other side asking who it is.

"Sara, its Grissom."

"I…I can't see you now."

"Please open the door."

"No."

"Sara, I want to see you I am not leaving."

He waited hearing nothing then my door gently opened and he saw half my face peeking out at him.

"Satisfied?" I asked

"No, I want to see all of you."

"Look can we do this some other time?"

"No."

I sighed opening the door more. He came in looking around the dark room. I shut the door standing in the dim light.

"Why aren't the lights on?"

"I wanted them off."

"Is he here?"

"No."

"Good." He said, reaching over beside the door flipping a switch turning the lights on. I hid my face with one hand as I held my body with the other. He saw the bruises on my thin arms. I felt him step closer taking my hand down lifting my face seeing the dark bruises around my mouth and cheek. "Sara."

I looked down avoiding his eyes.

"I forgot to give him an important message." I said

"We should take you to the hospital." He said

"No, I can't." I said, walking slowly past him.

"Sara, you could have broken ribs."

"No, I will be just fine."

He sighed walking over to me.

"Sara, did he…rape you?"

I continued to look down not saying a thing.

"That does it; we are going to the hospital!" He said, getting a coat putting it over my shoulders.

"Grissom, no!" I cried

He never said a word as he steered me to the door. The hospital staff checked me doing a rape test. Grissom waited outside the room. The nurse gave him the kit and he walked out to make a call. I was allowed to leave taking some medicine. Grissom instead drove me to his house. He helped me lay on the couch then he ran off to cook something for me. I moved as he walked over looking at me.

His cell phone went off and he answered it.

"Grissom."

I watched him as he looked down listening.

"Thank you Catherine." He said, before hanging up.

"Why did she call?" I asked

"She worked on the rape kit for me."

"Look you don't have to tell me." I said

"I wish I didn't have to."

He dialed a number putting it to his ear.

"Now what are you doing?"

He looked at me waiting.

"Jim, its Grissom the test was positive."

I gasped getting up feeling him try to push me down.

"Call me when you have him."

"Let me go!" I said, getting up.

"Sara, it is against the law to…"

"Don't tell me things I know! I am not pressing charges!"

"You have to! How many times have I watched you convince a victim to press charges against a man for doing the exact same thing?"

He pulled me closer to him as I looked down.

"Sara, what he did was wrong. He violated you against your will. You may think you are in love with him and he needs you, but he really does not care about you. All he wants is that you should back down."

I continued to look down as he gently touched my arms.

"What are you going to do?" He asked

I looked at him then I ran to the spare bedroom laying on the bed. He sighed looking at the closed door down the hallway. Hours later I moved hearing the door open gently. Grissom came in standing at the doorway looking in.

"Brass wants to see you at the station."

"Fine." I said

He nodded closing the door. I sighed looking down. He drove me to the lab then we walked to the police station where Brass ushered me into an interrogation room with Grissom. We sat down as I looked around feeling weird being in the chair the suspects were normally in.

"Sara, I want you to tell us what happened the day of the incident." Brass said

I sighed shifting in my seat looking down at my hands in my lap.

"It started that night. Hank…came over and we ate then sat on the couch to watch TV. As we were watching he turned to me asking me if I got the ice cream he liked. I forgot. He got up and I could tell he was upset."

"Go on." Brass said

"He…went into the bedroom coming out walking over to me. I moved back into the couch seeing he was holding his favorite shirt out for me to see. He said he told me to wash it, but he found it on the floor next to the hamper which meant I didn't. He yanked me up hitting me over and over until he just walked out the door."

"Where did he go?" Grissom asked

"A bar he likes."

"Okay, what happened then?" Brass asked

"I went to sleep in bed jumping when I heard the front door slam shut. I remember it was four in the morning. He comes in reeking of alcohol. I watched him even though I pretended to sleep. He falls on top of me and I thought he passed out. I was wrong. I tried to get him off me, but he began to…."

"What?" Brass asked

I closed my eyes taking a breath.

"He began to rape me."

Grissom looked at Brass then at me.

"After he…what happened then?"

"He got up and stumbled out the front door. I never saw him again."

Grissom and Brass stood going out of the room leaving me to cry quietly. Grissom came back in half an hour later telling me it was time to leave. When we got to his place I laid down in his spare room bedroom sleeping. Grissom sat on his couch holding his head with his hands trying to think.

He looked up as the spare room door opened and I slid out quietly peeking out seeing him. He stood as I walked out slowly looking like I had been crying.

"You okay?" He asked

"I…had a nightmare."

"Come here." He said

I went without any protest feeling his arms pull me against him. I felt safe in his strong arms. Smoothing my cheek against his shirt as his head rested on mine. Grissom sat us back on the couch lying down beside me. He moved my hair looking at me as I closed my eyes sleeping.

The phone rang and Grissom got it as I still slept on the couch. He walked into his bedroom talking then he came out looking at me sighing. I woke sitting up ten minutes later seeing Grissom dressed for work standing by the chair looking at me.

"Where are you going?" I asked

"Work."

I rubbed my arm standing.

"Can you take me home and I can change?"

"I thought you could stay here and rest."

I looked at him as he looked at me.

"I appreciate the offer, but I should really go home." I said

"Sara, I want you to take some time off."

"Grissom, I want to work."

"No." He said

I walked over to him standing face to face.

"I need to work right now. I can't just stay home!"

"No." He said "I will take you home, but not to work."

"Don't bother." I said, walking past him. He sighed watching me go to the spare room and dress. I came out looking at him then I went to the door.

"Sara?" He said, walking over to me.

"What?"

"I want to help you."

"I don't need you anymore." I said

He took hold of my arm as I tried to leave.

"Sara, please let me help you."

I looked down as he let my arm go.

"You are angry, and scared. If you need to let that out on me then I am here, but I cannot allow you to work right now."

I looked at his chest feeling tears go down my cheeks. He pulled me to him walking back to the couch.

"I won't go to work. I will stay with you."

I nodded against his chest feeling comforted.