Chapter one

Present day

Greg couldn't help but roll his eyes as he beat Nick and Warrick in yet another game of football. The pair slowly grumbled their way to handing a few dollars over to Greg who happily relieved them of their money.

"Warrick how are you losing to Greggo" Nick drawled turning his dark eyes to the other CSI who smirked and shook his head.

"Why you think man… Abby's teething and Luke refuses to let his daddy put him down. It's a miracle I still get to work without having to carry the little boy around all night long" Warrick declared as Nick smirked and shook his head.

What ever Sara had written to Warrick had proved to be a turning point in the other mans life… though Warrick's marriage didn't make it he soon fell in love with a school teacher who strangely enough he met during a case. This time however it had taken Warrick three years to finally pop the question and only four months before the pair were married.

It seemed Warrick really did take Sara's words to heart because it had been three years since he and Megan were married and a year since the arrival of the teams goddaughter Abby Brown and two months since the arrival of the teams godson Luke Brown.

"Not to mention that Megan has him whipped" Greg declared darting across the room to avoid Warrick's hit, gathering the game consol as he did.

"Man I warned you about that" "hey Megan told me she would stop making me cookies if I ever stopped reminding you of that" Greg chirped gaining a chuckle from Nick who lent back on the break room sofa smirking at Warrick who had begun to protest.

"It's true… if she didn't make damn good cookies it would only be half as fun" Nick added gaining a glare from his friend.

"Well Gris and Catherine will be here soon so you best hope we don't have a decomp and we're not working together" Warrick growled before he pushed himself from his spot and headed over to the cabinets to make himself a coffee from Greg's secret stash which two years earlier Greg had re hidden.

"Don't worry the way Cath's been going on about the wedding Grissom will gladly put you with her just to get some peace" Greg pointed out causing both men to laugh and shake their heads before the pair in question strolled into the room.

"No… and unless you want to spend the next two months in the spare room you will not bring it up again Gil" Catherine ordered firmly as she walked briskly over to Warrick and took the offered coffee and Grissom followed her attempting to give her a pleading look.

"But Lindsey loves the idea" "only because she can wear that dress I've forbidden her to wear" Catherine countered as she gave a pointed look to Grissom who hanged his head and nodded.

"How is Lindsey" Nick piped up trying his best to help his boss out gaining a thankful look from the older man.

"Doing fine… her and Adam have finally admitted to living together now" Catherine told them as Grissom shook his head.

"Catherine is still trying to convince me that she knew all along… long before the pair were even living together" Grissom declared as Catherine threw him a glare before turning her nose up.

"Just get to handing out assignments Gil… it will give you something to think about instead of the spare room" Catherine declared as Grissom sighed gaining a few stifled chuckles from the rest of his team.

"That's what whipped is Greg" Warrick pointed out to the younger man who laughed while Grissom levelled him with a glare "It's only one case tonight and it's a big one… two girls in the desert. Brass is starting to think it could be a serial" Grissom informed them slipping into work mode just like the rest had.

"Why he think that" Warrick asked as everyone watched Grissom closely as he handed out the address to everyone and the facts so far.

"Because one is a decomp and the other is fresh… both killed in the same way" Grissom's sombre voice managed to clear away any light heartedness that had been present before hand.

"Lets get to work then" Greg strong voice ordered as everyone nodded gathering them selves in their own way for what the rest of the night would bring.

It had taken nearly eight years for them all to change… some more then others but they still worked and though they would never admit it out loud it was all to do with Sara and her letters.

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It had been many years since Greg had balked at a dead body (both in late stages of decomp and freshly killed) but even he had to reel back at the sight and smell of the two bodies laying before them all.

But looking down at the bodies of two Jane does who could not have been any older they 14 Greg felt the bile rising up if it hadn't been for Nick hurrying forward and blocking the younger CSI's view Greg was sure he would have compromised the scene by up heaving his dinner all over the place.

"Son of a bitch" Warrick growled as his unconscionably ran his thumb over his wedding ring… despite most of the changes that took place in the CSI's over the years one bad thing has always struck home when they dealt with cases with children… what if it was?

Though each and everyone of them would fight tooth and nail to protect the youngest additions to their strange family unit they each let that one stray and terrible thought cross their minds, it could be one of the kids laying there.

It was to make sure that they really cherished what they had and what they future would bring to them.

"Nick and Greg process the area around the bodies… Catherine and Warrick you can talk to and process the couple that found them. I'm heading to Jim find out what we're dealing with" it was one of the new unspoken rules among them all. If they had the chance they would make sure the two CSI's with kids stayed away from the bodies and focused on anything else.

It was usually frowned upon but the team worked better this way.

"this is going to be a long night" Greg declared as though he was trying get a bad taste out of his mouth his eyes focused on the ground around girls instead of on the girls.

"Well it got a whole lot shorter for these two" Nick offered as Greg looked at him and nodded running hand through his hair.

"We better make sure that the sick bastard who did this is going to have long night in prison… I'm hoping his made a bitch on his first night" Greg declared and Nick knew only too well that it wasn't a joke.

It was a wish.

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Jim couldn't help but offer the supportive look when Grissom stood beside him "holding up" he questioned as Grissom nodded glancing to Catherine one last time as she and Warrick focused on questioning the witnesses.

"In time…do you have names" Grissom asked as Jim sighed before he pulled a bagged evidence bag from his pocket "found by the couple, I bagged it as soon as we got here. They picked it up with the intention of giving it into the police when they went back to the city" Jim declared gaining a raised eyebrow from Grissom.

"Their from out of town… they even put a pie out on the window still to cool. Jane Doe two is Keely Appleton, 14 years old. This is her student I.D, she's from San Francisco" Jim informed him as Grissom took the ID from him and studied the picture of the freckled faced red head who only grinned up at him with a haunting happiness he knew she was never going to have again.

"I've put in a call to the CSI's over there and their going to call back when they have more to tell us" Jim admitted the hint of defeat evident in his voice.

"look Gris is it fair on Brown… or Catherine" Jim questioned lowering his voice in the hopes not to be overheard but Grissom gave him a tight smile.

"It isn't but we both know what would happen if I removed them from the case… these girls deserve peace and we're the best people to give them that" Grissom admitted before he looked at the bodies again and watched Nick and Greg move gracefully and respectfully.

"Jane Doe one didn't have ID and we can't tell you much from what we've found so far… but she could be from San Francisco like Appleton" Jim admitted staring directly in to the other mans eyes.

"Then they are a long way from home… once we've finished processing I want Doc robins to get to work" Grissom ordered as Jim nodded before shrill beep from his cell made both men start.

Snatching his cell up quickly Jim answered on the third ring "Brass" he answered training his eyes on the ground while Grissom waited patiently.

"Yeah… fax them over" Jim ordered before he straightened "when" Grissom tried his best to piece the conversation together but he found it was harder then he thought so simply watched Jim's facial expressions.

"Fine… I'll tell them, hope to speak to you with some better news. I'll pick them up myself" Jim answered before he hanged up and looked to Grissom.

"they have confirmed Appleton… went missing a week ago on her way home, parents filled out a missing persons report. The second vic might be Jane Combs… she went missing three weeks before Appleton attended the same school and like Appleton went missing on the way home" Jim told him as Grissom mentally took note of what he was being told.

"Gris there is more… they think Appleton was taken by a serial, he's kidnapped and killed seven other girls in San Francisco. It's an on going case so that means" "their sending one of their own" Grissom finished as Jim nodded.

"Their going to be here first thing tomorrow morning… the case CSI is going to be working with you guys with what they got, their sending over all their information" Jim informed him causing Grissom to raise an eyebrow.

"No questions asked" Grissom asked as Jim nodded his own shock etched across his face.

"Apparently someone vouched for us over there and know that we can be trusted to keep them up to date on everything that is going on with the case" Jim added causing Grissom to start thinking, wondering if their reputation had reached that far or if they had a hidden friend within the San Francisco crime lab.

"You best tell the rest of them… I know it hasn't been easy for them to work with anyone else since Sara left" Jim declared as Grissom nodded and followed the other man over to his team.


She was scared… her hands trembled as she packed her bag, even repacking it twice. She had made the arrangements the moment she heard the call come in.

Her heart was thumping because she was that closer to getting him, the serial who for the past year and half had made every teenager girls life a living hell. Parents had changed routines just to ward him off but even that hadn't been enough.

She knew he was hiding in plain sight, he was taunting them all by outsmarting them all. But he slipped up, he only had the advantaged in San Francisco because it was his home. He knew it like the back of his hand… his mistake this time was going somewhere else.

He had gone to her home… even now eight years later it was still her home and he had mistakenly decided to taunt her family on her home turf.

Sighing she glanced at the pictures gracing her bedside table, looking past the most recent pictures she looked at the one that had been taken a long time ago.

"I'm coming home" she muttered before she returned to her packing, slowly making the call she knew she would have to make one day.

She just wished it was because of a happy event not because she had a bad guy to catch.


ok so here is chapter one... we've seen Catherine's letter and we will see the rest of the letters later on but for now we've got to get over the shock of someone coming home.

GSRFAN27 thanks for my first review and the wonderful way you open your review i bet if you said that word that many times it woulnd't make sense any more.