Title: Survivor
Author: CSIphile
Rating/Spoilers: PG-13 and none
Category: G/S casefile
Disclaimers: I don't own em, other people do. Don't sue me.
Summary: A new case brings up some bad memories for Sara. Some background on the character.
Authors notes: This starts out light, but I swear it gets serious later. I need to give credit for the songs I used. The first is "Drive" by Incubus and the second is "So I Need You" by 3 doors down.
*~*~*~*~*~*
She is listening to a CD, loudly, singing along to the lyrics, while starting to pack up boxes. The lyrics seem to fit her life perfectly at that moment "and I, I cant help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer. Its driven me before, and it seems to have vague, haunting mass appeal. But lately I've beginning to find I should be the one behind the wheel. Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there with open arms and open eyes…" She has a lot on her mind, and the music helps her forget for a little while, forget what had happened, forget why she is thinking about leaving, forget who has forced her to even make that decision. Music was her diversion. The situation had become unbearable for her, so she decided to run, maybe not the best option, but it is the only one she has now. With her back to the door and the music up so loud, she doesn't even hear her door open, or the intruder enter, quietly closing and locking the door behind them. The next thing she knew, large hands had grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. Before she could fight back, or even get out a good scream she is tossed out the fourth floor window, through the glass, headfirst. She is now screaming and is only silenced when seconds later she hits the grass lawn with a sickening thud. Her neighbors heard the scream and in all the commotion, the attacker simply slid away, no one taking notice of the stranger. By the time the ambulance arrives, she is already dead.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As Grissom walks down the hall to his office, he stops in mid-step and strains to listen to what sounds like music coming from one of the labs.
"If that's Greg again…." He says quietly and walks away from his office and closer to the source of the sound.
As he draws closer, he can also hear voices, two of them, laughing. Reaching the layout room Grissom sees Sara and Nick leaning over the table, trying desperately to put back together a large paned window for the current case they are working on, passed down from the day shift. Music is playing on the CD player behind them. Ecklies team had gotten a multiple homicide and had asked Grissom if they could take a simple suicide. He had agreed, and assigned Sara and Nick to the case. Grissom wonders where Warrick is, he has experience in this area and smiles to himself inwardly at the memory. That was a hard case for them, particularly Sara, he knew that she identified with the victim, they were similar people. Introverted, dedicated to work, not much personal contact with people. Hell Sara and the woman had been on the same mailing lists. He knew it bothered her, he isn't as clueless as everyone makes him out to be.
Watching Sara and Nick, he realizes that Catherine was right, they are becoming a family, like it or not. Nick had obviously gotten over his initial infatuation with Sara, which Grissom was infinitely grateful for, and they now shared a comfortable brother/sister relationship. Together they pushed each other, always trying for that number one spot with Grissom, it can become annoying, but he has to admit, it really brought out the best in them, though sometimes the worst. Currently they are debating where one piece should go, he stops and quietly listens and watches them for a minute; Sara more than Nick.
"Nick, will you look at that piece, it doesn't…."
"Sara, will you just let me finish this, huh?"
"Fine, but you are wrong." She says and crosses her arms as he gives her a dirty look and continues.
Nick tries to put the piece in place, but it wont fit properly. Confused he looks around while Sara starts needling him.
"I told you that didn't go there. Are you going to listen to me now?"
"Nope." He says smugly and picks up another piece of their gigantic puzzle. Placing the two together, Nick gets them both to fit in the offending spot. Nick just looks up at Sara and smiles that Nicky grin at her.
"Well then. Men are better at spatial tasks, you know." Sara says and starts looking for the next piece.
"Oh no, you aren't getting off that easy girl, you were wrong weren't you?" Nick asks her in a teasing tone, mocking her.
Sighing Sara looks at him exasperated "Fine, I was wrong, is that what you wanted to hear?"
"Yep." He says and lightly punches her on the arm "Was that really so hard?"
Sara flings him another nasty look and then smiles at him, "Noooo, can we finish now? Or are you going to continue this?"
"I guess we should finish, but I was having such a good time." Nick says and starts laughing. Looking at him, Sara also breaks down into laughter.
As Grissom watches this he wonders why he can't be that comfortable with Sara, Nick makes it look so easy and in one instant he is jealous of the younger man, he has tapped into a part of Sara Grissom rarely sees. Whenever Grissom and Sara talk to each other it always seems so serious, always regarding work, they had avoided emotional issues since her threatening to quit. Neither had mentioned the plant, it was given, accepted and that was it, no discussion. Though Grissom had taken Catherine's suggestion and was trying to interact with them all more, it was hard for him, he was used to being a private person. Interacting with others meant revealing things about him also, he was not accustomed to that, and he wasn't that great at it to boot. Looking back at Sara in the lab, she is leaning over the table, grabbing some glass, when she comes back to standing, she has started singing along with the music. He has to smile at that; she is finally starting to loosen up a bit, be herself around her co-workers.
While the music had pulled Grissom in this direction, he had stopped hearing it until she starts singing, rather loudly at that.
"If you could step into my head, tell me would you still know me
If you woke up in my bed, tell me then would you hold me
Or would you simply let it lie, leaving me to wonder why
I can't get you out of this head I call mine And I will say
Oh no I can't let you go, my little girl
Because you're holding up my world,
so I need you
Your imitation of my walk and the perfect way you talk
It's just a couple of the million things that I love about you
So I need you So I need you
So I need you So I need you
And if I jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge,
tell me would you still follow me
And if I made you mad today,
tell me would you love me tomorrow? Please
Or would you say that you don't care,
and then leave me standing here
Like the fool who is drowning in despair and screamin'
Oh no I can't let you go, my little girl
because you're holding up my world,
so I need you
Your imitation of my walk and the perfect way you talk
It's just a couple of the million things that I love about you
So I need you So I need you
So I need you So I need you
I'm on my own I'm on my own I'm on my own
Oh no I can't let you go, my little girl
Because you're holding up my world,
so I need you
As she is singing, Sara starts to dance a bit around the table, moving to the music as Nicky smiles at her. When she stops, she is at the end of the table looking straight at Grissom with a stricken look on her face. Nick fails to notice and starts clapping.
"That was great Sara, you really should sing around here more often. Though 3 doors down? I am surprised." Nick tells her.
"Yea" Grissom says from the doorway causing Nick to jump, "You sounded good. How's the window coming?"
"It's going." She quietly replies, unsure how to behave after being caught by the boss, she knew his attitude about music in the lab. "We are almost done."
"We would be done already if Sara would stop arguing with me." Nick says staring straight at her with a smile.
Sara quickly smiles back "One time Nick, one time you were right, don't let it get to your head."
Grissom again watches, feeling a pang of something in his heart. Was that jealously again? He quickly tamps the thought and feeling down and regards his two CSIs.
"Well, keep it up then." He says and leaves the room. He is now thinking about the song Sara had been singing. He could only really remember two lines, one part that had hit him. He starting running it through his head, "Oh no I can't let you go, my little girl.
Because you're holding up my world, so I need you." Sighing, Grissom heads back to his office, determined to finish his paperwork for the night.
Unfortunately he can't get the brunette out of his head, or that song she was singing. Grissom shook his head and concentrated on the files in front of him. Next thing he knew Sara was standing in his office door.
"Hey" She says to get his attention.
"Hey, what's up?"
"We got the window together, you want to come check it out?" She says, smiling at him but behind the smile is a twinge of darkness in her eyes.
"Yep" He says and follows her out the office noticing that she seems to be in an extraordinarily good mood today, despite whatever he just saw in her eyes. Entering the layout room he looks at the pane and sighs.
"Well looks like our vic was thrown through the window. Dammit, not a simple suicide. Well I guess Ecklie was wrong." Grissom says with an almost satisfied look on his face.
"Nope." Sara and Nick say in unison. He looks at Sara, the darkness he noticed earlier more apparent.
"Ok, well so much for the 'she fell out the window theory' which leaves us where?" He asks, anticipating a quick answer.
"She was pushed." Sara says quietly.
"Thrown is more like it." Nick says and looks down at the window. "If she was pushed or fell out a window, the point of impact would be bigger, her whole body making contact with the glass. Thrown you get what we have here, small POI middle of the window." Nick looks up at Grissom and gets a nod from the older man.
"Excellent Nick. Check with the coroner, see if he managed to wade through the day shifts multiple and has gotten to our girl yet. If not tell him to hurry up, we have a murder now." Grissom tells them as he leaves the room.
"Wonder why he didn't say anything about the music?" Sara asks, honestly confused as they walk down to autopsy.
"Because you were singing… if that had been me or Greg or even Warrick in there doing what you were, we would be on scat patrol for the next month. You know Sara, for someone who is so smart, you really are dense." Nick says and shakes his head at her.
"Nick, cut it out, there is nothing going on." Sara says and tries, unsuccessfully, not to blush at the implications of what Nick said. She didn't want to go down that road right now, that road currently has fork, and right now she didn't know which way to go. It confused her, and Sara Sidle didn't like being confused.
"If you say so…" Nick tells her as he opens the autopsy bay door open for her and giving her the smallest of winks.
"Hey David, what's the word?" Nick asks "You get to our girl."
"The one that was thrown out the window?" David asks and is greeting with two surprised faces.
"How'd you know that?" Sara inquires.
"When I did the autopsy I made an educated guess, there were no wounds on the hands, only face and neck. If you fall out a window, usually you go hands first, leaving gashes where there was contact with the window. Your girl had no marks on her hands, they never touched the glass. Am I right?"
"Yep. You have anything for us?" Nick asks and looks down at the body and thinks to himself what a waste, she was too young.
"Nothing, the fall killed her. Instant, her neck snapped when she hit the ground."
"Poor girl. She had no chance, none." Sara says quietly. Nick looks up and gives her a funny look at that comment.
"Ok, thanks doc." Nick says as he and Sara leave.
"Back to the dorm room?" Sara asks.
"Yep, now we are looking for a person with a motive."
"What motive do you have to kill a 19 year old college sophomore, she can't have that many enemies." Sara says and sighs following him out to the Tahoe.
Tbc………
Author: CSIphile
Rating/Spoilers: PG-13 and none
Category: G/S casefile
Disclaimers: I don't own em, other people do. Don't sue me.
Summary: A new case brings up some bad memories for Sara. Some background on the character.
Authors notes: This starts out light, but I swear it gets serious later. I need to give credit for the songs I used. The first is "Drive" by Incubus and the second is "So I Need You" by 3 doors down.
*~*~*~*~*~*
She is listening to a CD, loudly, singing along to the lyrics, while starting to pack up boxes. The lyrics seem to fit her life perfectly at that moment "and I, I cant help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer. Its driven me before, and it seems to have vague, haunting mass appeal. But lately I've beginning to find I should be the one behind the wheel. Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there with open arms and open eyes…" She has a lot on her mind, and the music helps her forget for a little while, forget what had happened, forget why she is thinking about leaving, forget who has forced her to even make that decision. Music was her diversion. The situation had become unbearable for her, so she decided to run, maybe not the best option, but it is the only one she has now. With her back to the door and the music up so loud, she doesn't even hear her door open, or the intruder enter, quietly closing and locking the door behind them. The next thing she knew, large hands had grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. Before she could fight back, or even get out a good scream she is tossed out the fourth floor window, through the glass, headfirst. She is now screaming and is only silenced when seconds later she hits the grass lawn with a sickening thud. Her neighbors heard the scream and in all the commotion, the attacker simply slid away, no one taking notice of the stranger. By the time the ambulance arrives, she is already dead.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As Grissom walks down the hall to his office, he stops in mid-step and strains to listen to what sounds like music coming from one of the labs.
"If that's Greg again…." He says quietly and walks away from his office and closer to the source of the sound.
As he draws closer, he can also hear voices, two of them, laughing. Reaching the layout room Grissom sees Sara and Nick leaning over the table, trying desperately to put back together a large paned window for the current case they are working on, passed down from the day shift. Music is playing on the CD player behind them. Ecklies team had gotten a multiple homicide and had asked Grissom if they could take a simple suicide. He had agreed, and assigned Sara and Nick to the case. Grissom wonders where Warrick is, he has experience in this area and smiles to himself inwardly at the memory. That was a hard case for them, particularly Sara, he knew that she identified with the victim, they were similar people. Introverted, dedicated to work, not much personal contact with people. Hell Sara and the woman had been on the same mailing lists. He knew it bothered her, he isn't as clueless as everyone makes him out to be.
Watching Sara and Nick, he realizes that Catherine was right, they are becoming a family, like it or not. Nick had obviously gotten over his initial infatuation with Sara, which Grissom was infinitely grateful for, and they now shared a comfortable brother/sister relationship. Together they pushed each other, always trying for that number one spot with Grissom, it can become annoying, but he has to admit, it really brought out the best in them, though sometimes the worst. Currently they are debating where one piece should go, he stops and quietly listens and watches them for a minute; Sara more than Nick.
"Nick, will you look at that piece, it doesn't…."
"Sara, will you just let me finish this, huh?"
"Fine, but you are wrong." She says and crosses her arms as he gives her a dirty look and continues.
Nick tries to put the piece in place, but it wont fit properly. Confused he looks around while Sara starts needling him.
"I told you that didn't go there. Are you going to listen to me now?"
"Nope." He says smugly and picks up another piece of their gigantic puzzle. Placing the two together, Nick gets them both to fit in the offending spot. Nick just looks up at Sara and smiles that Nicky grin at her.
"Well then. Men are better at spatial tasks, you know." Sara says and starts looking for the next piece.
"Oh no, you aren't getting off that easy girl, you were wrong weren't you?" Nick asks her in a teasing tone, mocking her.
Sighing Sara looks at him exasperated "Fine, I was wrong, is that what you wanted to hear?"
"Yep." He says and lightly punches her on the arm "Was that really so hard?"
Sara flings him another nasty look and then smiles at him, "Noooo, can we finish now? Or are you going to continue this?"
"I guess we should finish, but I was having such a good time." Nick says and starts laughing. Looking at him, Sara also breaks down into laughter.
As Grissom watches this he wonders why he can't be that comfortable with Sara, Nick makes it look so easy and in one instant he is jealous of the younger man, he has tapped into a part of Sara Grissom rarely sees. Whenever Grissom and Sara talk to each other it always seems so serious, always regarding work, they had avoided emotional issues since her threatening to quit. Neither had mentioned the plant, it was given, accepted and that was it, no discussion. Though Grissom had taken Catherine's suggestion and was trying to interact with them all more, it was hard for him, he was used to being a private person. Interacting with others meant revealing things about him also, he was not accustomed to that, and he wasn't that great at it to boot. Looking back at Sara in the lab, she is leaning over the table, grabbing some glass, when she comes back to standing, she has started singing along with the music. He has to smile at that; she is finally starting to loosen up a bit, be herself around her co-workers.
While the music had pulled Grissom in this direction, he had stopped hearing it until she starts singing, rather loudly at that.
"If you could step into my head, tell me would you still know me
If you woke up in my bed, tell me then would you hold me
Or would you simply let it lie, leaving me to wonder why
I can't get you out of this head I call mine And I will say
Oh no I can't let you go, my little girl
Because you're holding up my world,
so I need you
Your imitation of my walk and the perfect way you talk
It's just a couple of the million things that I love about you
So I need you So I need you
So I need you So I need you
And if I jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge,
tell me would you still follow me
And if I made you mad today,
tell me would you love me tomorrow? Please
Or would you say that you don't care,
and then leave me standing here
Like the fool who is drowning in despair and screamin'
Oh no I can't let you go, my little girl
because you're holding up my world,
so I need you
Your imitation of my walk and the perfect way you talk
It's just a couple of the million things that I love about you
So I need you So I need you
So I need you So I need you
I'm on my own I'm on my own I'm on my own
Oh no I can't let you go, my little girl
Because you're holding up my world,
so I need you
As she is singing, Sara starts to dance a bit around the table, moving to the music as Nicky smiles at her. When she stops, she is at the end of the table looking straight at Grissom with a stricken look on her face. Nick fails to notice and starts clapping.
"That was great Sara, you really should sing around here more often. Though 3 doors down? I am surprised." Nick tells her.
"Yea" Grissom says from the doorway causing Nick to jump, "You sounded good. How's the window coming?"
"It's going." She quietly replies, unsure how to behave after being caught by the boss, she knew his attitude about music in the lab. "We are almost done."
"We would be done already if Sara would stop arguing with me." Nick says staring straight at her with a smile.
Sara quickly smiles back "One time Nick, one time you were right, don't let it get to your head."
Grissom again watches, feeling a pang of something in his heart. Was that jealously again? He quickly tamps the thought and feeling down and regards his two CSIs.
"Well, keep it up then." He says and leaves the room. He is now thinking about the song Sara had been singing. He could only really remember two lines, one part that had hit him. He starting running it through his head, "Oh no I can't let you go, my little girl.
Because you're holding up my world, so I need you." Sighing, Grissom heads back to his office, determined to finish his paperwork for the night.
Unfortunately he can't get the brunette out of his head, or that song she was singing. Grissom shook his head and concentrated on the files in front of him. Next thing he knew Sara was standing in his office door.
"Hey" She says to get his attention.
"Hey, what's up?"
"We got the window together, you want to come check it out?" She says, smiling at him but behind the smile is a twinge of darkness in her eyes.
"Yep" He says and follows her out the office noticing that she seems to be in an extraordinarily good mood today, despite whatever he just saw in her eyes. Entering the layout room he looks at the pane and sighs.
"Well looks like our vic was thrown through the window. Dammit, not a simple suicide. Well I guess Ecklie was wrong." Grissom says with an almost satisfied look on his face.
"Nope." Sara and Nick say in unison. He looks at Sara, the darkness he noticed earlier more apparent.
"Ok, well so much for the 'she fell out the window theory' which leaves us where?" He asks, anticipating a quick answer.
"She was pushed." Sara says quietly.
"Thrown is more like it." Nick says and looks down at the window. "If she was pushed or fell out a window, the point of impact would be bigger, her whole body making contact with the glass. Thrown you get what we have here, small POI middle of the window." Nick looks up at Grissom and gets a nod from the older man.
"Excellent Nick. Check with the coroner, see if he managed to wade through the day shifts multiple and has gotten to our girl yet. If not tell him to hurry up, we have a murder now." Grissom tells them as he leaves the room.
"Wonder why he didn't say anything about the music?" Sara asks, honestly confused as they walk down to autopsy.
"Because you were singing… if that had been me or Greg or even Warrick in there doing what you were, we would be on scat patrol for the next month. You know Sara, for someone who is so smart, you really are dense." Nick says and shakes his head at her.
"Nick, cut it out, there is nothing going on." Sara says and tries, unsuccessfully, not to blush at the implications of what Nick said. She didn't want to go down that road right now, that road currently has fork, and right now she didn't know which way to go. It confused her, and Sara Sidle didn't like being confused.
"If you say so…" Nick tells her as he opens the autopsy bay door open for her and giving her the smallest of winks.
"Hey David, what's the word?" Nick asks "You get to our girl."
"The one that was thrown out the window?" David asks and is greeting with two surprised faces.
"How'd you know that?" Sara inquires.
"When I did the autopsy I made an educated guess, there were no wounds on the hands, only face and neck. If you fall out a window, usually you go hands first, leaving gashes where there was contact with the window. Your girl had no marks on her hands, they never touched the glass. Am I right?"
"Yep. You have anything for us?" Nick asks and looks down at the body and thinks to himself what a waste, she was too young.
"Nothing, the fall killed her. Instant, her neck snapped when she hit the ground."
"Poor girl. She had no chance, none." Sara says quietly. Nick looks up and gives her a funny look at that comment.
"Ok, thanks doc." Nick says as he and Sara leave.
"Back to the dorm room?" Sara asks.
"Yep, now we are looking for a person with a motive."
"What motive do you have to kill a 19 year old college sophomore, she can't have that many enemies." Sara says and sighs following him out to the Tahoe.
Tbc………