DISCLAIMER: I own nothing here. Please no sueing.

Chapter 1

The music was loud; blaring. She turned the knob clockwise. The dash thumped with the steady drum beat flowing under the growling voice of Beth Hart. The car sped down the long desert highway. It was a temporary escape from the rest of the word; the lab, her life, even Grissom. Here he barely penetrated her thoughts for more than a few fleeting seconds. Sara glanced in her rear view mirror at the empty road behind her. The sun was rising over the sands. Soon, the morning traffic would crowd her from her sanctuary. She turned her car haphazardly, and headed back to her apartment for a few hours of sleep before going back to work. Cases came and went. She had put more to rest than most on the night shift. She was used to the nightmares she sometimes got after a particularly gruesome case, but nothing like this. Was it burn out? Had she finally reached that point they all flirted with after a week of heavy overtime, and another unsolved case? Somewhere there was a family who desperately needed closure, but none was to be offered from the Las Vegas crime lab. She felt the familiar pang of guilt that always came when she couldn't pin down the bad guy. There was that feeling that the answer was right in front of her, but she blinded to it. For Sara Sidle every case was personal. If it was unsolved, she had failed. The bad guy got away, and she had let him.

Sara felt her phone vibrating in her coat pocket. She turned the music down quickly.

"Sidle."

"Sara?" Grissom was relieved to finally reach her.

"Hey. What's up?"

"I've been trying to reach you for over two hours. Where are you?"

"I must've been out of range. I sometimes lose the signal out here."

"Out here?"

"I'm on my way home, Grissom. Something up?" Sara could tell he was perturbed.

"I need you back at the lab right away. We have a new suspect. I could really use your help."

Sara smiled despite herself.

"I'm on my way." She closed her phone, and cranked up the music.

Sara strode through the halls of the crime lab in search of Gil Grissom. After first stopping at trace, and then his office, she finally found him pouring over photos on the labs huge light table. If not for the serious circumstances, she might have enjoyed the view. He glasses were halfway down his nose, as he gingerly worked his hand over his well-trimmed beard. She liked the beard. She was glad he kept it.

Sara gently knocked on the door frame as she entered. He motioned for her to come closer, and handed her his magnifier.

"Look here. What do you see?"

Sara studied the photo from the crime scene.

"How'd we miss that?" She was stunned. She frowned in dismay.

"Fresh eyes. We'd been at it for hours." Grissom tilted his head to the side, and looked up at her.

The photo showed the figure of Candice Feldmore stretched out across the hood of her car on the edge of the highway. They had been searching for the murder weapon the previous shift. The photo clearly showed that her antenna was missing.

"Could've been the murder weapon." Sara nodded to Grissom who was looking pleased.

"We need to find an antenna for a 2002 Grand Am." Grissom stood, and turned to face her. "Doesn't Hodges drive a Pontiac?" Grissom sported a mischievous grin.

Sara smiled, nodded, and followed him out the door.

"It's the right diameter." Doc Robbins rolled the woman's body over on her side, as the two CSI's and the Coroner examined the body of Candice.

"So he stabbed her twice with her antenna." Sara spoke softly, and looked up at the monitor. "That explains the small puncture wounds, but we still haven't found the murder weapon." She looked over at the table once more. Candice stared into eternity with a perfect clarity that Sara felt suddenly envious of.

"Sara?" Grissom waved a hand in front of her face, bringing her back from her ruminations. "Did you get that?" He stared at her with concern. She'd been gazing at the dead girl for several quiet moments. It was unsettling for him.

"Yeah. Sure, why?" She shook it off, and glanced up at him. He looked worried.

"Let's get going then. Thanks, Doc." Grissom smiled as they walked out, but grabbed Sara's arm gently as they exited the morgue. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired." She yawned as if to show how tired she truly was.

"Breakfast?" He looked at her hopefully.

"Good idea."

"My turn to treat." His broad smile returned, and Sara couldn't help but smile in return.

They grabbed their coats, and headed for Grissom's car. It had been several weeks since Sara spoke with Grissom regarding her leave of absence. Several weeks since he held onto her as she cried on his shoulder. He proved to be more than willing to listen to her, and comfort her when she truly needed him. To the rest of the world they were simply colleagues. To each other, however, so much more was true. Still, there was so much Sara had yet to tell him about herself. Certain things she simply couldn't talk about.

"Sara, honey? You still with me?" Grissom glanced over at her as he pulled into the Denny's parking lot. Sara seemed distant this day.

"Sorry. Guess I need some coffee." She grinned sheepishly, and shrugged.

Grissom didn't quite believe her, but decided to let it be for now.

"Let's get some food, and then go over that evidence again before Hodges sees his car." This evoked a rolling laughter from them both.