"So I'm meeting the team today, huh?" Tanya asked Catherine. After being together "officially" for almost a month, Tanya had been pushing to meet the team.
"Hmm." Catherine replied. She didn't really know how she'd ended up here, with Tanya, another in a long line of abusive relationships. Why did she always do this to herself?
"Was that a 'yes Tanya', Catherine?" Tanya asked, her fists clenching at her sides.
"Yes. Sorry, I'm just tired." Catherine answered, pushing her fear down and replacing it with a faked yawn.
"You're always tired." Tanya snarled. Catherine ran a hand through her hair and sighed.
"I don't know what to say to that, Tan. You know the hours I work, I should be asleep now but instead we're having this conversation-" She was stopped by a hard slap across the face.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" Catherine blinked away the tears, she wouldn't give Tanya the satisfaction.
"Hey Nicky..." Sara started, they were nearing the end of taking apart a car.
"Yeah?" He replied, wheeling himself out from under the vehicle and standing up.
"Have you noticed anything... Different about Catherine lately?" The brunette asked, a sadness creeping into her voice.
"Now that you mention it... She's not like Cath anymore, y'know? It's like she just goes through the motions." Sara sighed and nodded.
"She's lost her fire." Nick agreed.
"I wonder if it's something to do with her girlfriend." Sara's head shot up toward Nick.
"What?!"
"Yeah, she's meant to be meeting us today... Tanya Dean, I think." Sara's jaw dropped but Nick had already left the room muttering something about his bladder.
"No..." Sara breathed out. No, it couldn't be Tanya. Catherine wouldn't be with someone like that... Could she?
Catherine stepped out of the shower and looked at herself in the mirror. Her body was littered with bruises and scratches, some old and some new. She sighed and stepped out of the reflection, shoving her clothes on. Once upon a time, she was incredibly proud of her body, she knew she looked good but now... No. Tanya had taken that away from her.
"You ready to go?" Tanya asked, popping her head into the room, Catherine nodded and followed Tanya to the car, got behind the wheel and drove them both to the lab.
"I paged Sara, she's just on the way." Warrick said to Catherine. "So how did you two meet?" Warrick asked, looking at Tanya. The woman opened her mouth to reply when Sara walked in.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Tanya turned toward Sara and smiled.
"Someone ought to wash your mouth out with soap, Sara." Tanya said, ignoring the confused faces everyone was sporting.
"You two know each other?" Nick asked.
"Unfortunately." Sara replied, not taking her eyes off Tanya. "Catherine, can I have a word please?" Catherine nodded and stepped forward, still confused. Tanya reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her harshly back to her.
"No, Sara, you can't."
"Let go of her." Sara said, hate dripping from every word.
"Uh, Tanya, why don't I show you around?" Greg asked Tanya, sensing that this would help Sara out.
"Sure. You two can have your word." Tanya let go of Catherine and pushed her toward Sara, who caught her. After Greg and Tanya had left, Warrick and Nick followed, giving Sara and Catherine some privacy.
"Cath... What the fuck are you doing with her?!" Sara asked and Catherine gasped.
"What do you mean?" She asked, an incredulous look on her face. "How do you two know each other anyway?"
"I used to date her. I know exactly what she's like Catherine-"
"Look, I don't know what she was like when you were with her but I can assure we're fine." The blonde stood up to leave, if she stayed with Sara any longer she'd confess what Tanya was doing to her, she'd confess her feelings for Sara and that wouldn't go well. For anyone.
"Catherine, let me help you, please?"
"I don't need help." Catherine said before she left the room.
"Open up! I know you're in there! Open the fucking door!" Tanya pounded at the door, Catherine was sat behind it, knees huddled up to her chest, sobbing. Everything hurt. It had been five days since she'd met the team and her run in with Sara had made her furious, which she then took out on Catherine. It had gotten so bad that Catherine had to take the day off work today, which is why Tanya knew she was home. "Open the door you stupid whore!" Catherine felt Tanya kicking at the door, but she couldn't move away from it, she couldn't speak, she could barely think. She didn't notice her hand moving of it's own accord, dialling Sara's cell number. "Open this door, now! I'll fucking kill you, you stupid bitch!" Catherine was shaking with silent tears.
"Sara... Help me..." She whispered into the phone. She had no idea whether Sara was at the other end of the phone or not. Sara was at the other end of the call.
"Cath? Catherine! Where are you? Talk to me!" But Catherine couldn't hear her over her own tears, Tanya's shouting and the pounding of the door. Sara thanked anyone who was listening for the fact it was a slow night and sprinted to her car, calling Brass from her other cell and telling him to get a team down to Catherine's place immediately.
"You stupid bitch!" Tanya shouted as the door crashed open, Catherine screamed and scrabbled across the floor, away from Tanya. "You can't fucking hide from me." Tanya snarled, her boot connecting with Catherine's ribs. As Tanya lifted her foot to stamp down on Catherine's face, something pulled her backwards by her hair and pushed her onto the floor, kneeling on her back.
"You're under arrest for..." Catherine didn't hear the rest as Tanya was shouting and struggling under the two officers. They dragged her out and away and Sara ran in, straight to Catherine.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I tried to get here as fast as I could. How are you? Are you okay?" Sara asked before Catherine curled up to her.
"My ribs." Catherine choked out before everything around her turned to black.
"I can't believe we didn't notice." Warrick said, shaking his head and looking at Catherine lying in the hospital bed.
"We did. Just not properly." Nick spoke. "Sara and I noticed the spark had gone from Catherine, we just didn't know why..." He ran a hand through his short hair.
"I knew. I knew what Tanya was like. I tried to help her... I- I should've done more." Sara choked out from beside Catherine.
"Hey it's not your fault Sar, we all know how stubborn Catherine can be when it comes to taking help."
"I should've done more." Sara spoke again, her hand hadn't left Catherine's since they had arrived at the hospital, which was an hour ago.
"Listen, Ecklie's called us back, he said you can stay here though. Call us when she wakes up, yeah?" Warrick said, enveloping Sara in a hug and leaving, Nick did the same.
"I should've done more." Sara whispered, hanging her head as tears fell from her eyes.
"It's not your fault Sara." The brunette's head snapped up, chocolate brown eyes met ocean blue.
"Cath! How are you feeling?"
"I'll be a lot better when you stop blaming yourself." The blonde's thumb was tracing invisible patterns on Sara's hand. "So what's the damage?" Catherine asked, gesturing to herself with her free hand.
"Uh, a fractured rib and sprained wrist are your main injuries. You're also covered in bruises and cuts but... I'm sure you already know that." There was a long silence.
"You used to date her." Catherine spoke. "How did you two end?" Sara sighed.
"She hospitalised me too, Cath. Well, she put me in a coma." Catherine's eyes widened. "Why were you with her?" Sara asked, her voice full of sadness.
"Because I couldn't have who I wanted and she was the only person who wanted me..." Sara shook her head.
"You could have anyone you wanted-"
"Anyone, maybe. But not her." There was a pause. "Why are you here?" Catherine asked, her tone was confused, not angry or malicious. "I've been awful to you."
"I care about you, Catherine." A pause. "More than I should." Sara whispered to herself but Catherine heard.
"And how much is more than you should?" Sara contemplated denying that she'd said that but sighed.
"Fuck it. I love you Catherine, I always have and I always will. The thought that you'd be with someone like Tanya when you deserve so much more... It kills me. You should be treated like the fucking goddess you are, I wish I could show you how you should be loved." Catherine's eyes widened again.
"Show me." Now Sara's eyes widened. "Show me, Sara. Because it's you. I want you, it's always been you. I love you." Sara opened her mouth to speak but her phone beeped, she flipped it open and read the message, a grin spreading on to her face. She stood up and placed a tender kiss on Catherine's forehead.
"I just gotta go take care of something, then I'll be back. I wont be long, get some rest." She smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too." Catherine shouted after her.
No one had ever stood up to Tanya before. No one had ever hurt her like she hurt people. Well, not before now. Sara pushed the back of Tanya's head, effectively slamming her face off the table for the fourth time.
"You don't fuck with one of ours. You don't fuck with what's mine." Sara said, pulling Tanya back by her hair and then slamming her face back on to the table top. "You'll do well to remember that." Sara said, before leaving the room and stopping next to Brass.
"You get what you needed?" Sara nodded.
"She got what she deserved." Brass grinned and walked back into the interrogation room while Sara made her way back to the hospital.
"Where did you get to?" Catherine asked as Sara entered the room. She was sat up and looking a lot more like herself.
"I was just helping Brass out."
"What did you do?" Catherine asked and Sara laughed.
"It's best if you don't know."
"Sara stop being so mysterious and just tell me what you did." Sara laughed again.
"I'm glad you're back to your old self."
"Sara..." Catherine warned. "You might as well tell me now because I will find out."
"I just paid a visit to Tanya, I helped her get acquainted with the table."
"Sara! You could lose your job!" Sara shook her head.
"I won't."
"You could... I know how important it is to you... I can't believe you'd risk it for me."
"I'd do it every time, no question." Sara replied, smiling at Catherine.
"How acquainted is she with the table?" Sara pretended to think.
"They met about five times."
"Fucking hell Sara." Sara just grinned.
"No one fucks with what's mine." Now Catherine grinned.
"Mmm, my big, badass girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?"
"Oh no, have I fucked this up already?" Catherine said, putting her hands over her face.
"No! No, not at all. You're right. I'm your big, badass girlfriend. I was just checking you'd got it right." Catherine smiled.
"I can't wait til I'm out of here to... Repay you." The blonde said, winking at the laughing brunette.
"Neither can I."