Author's Notes: Here's chapter two, and it's a little slower moving than chapter one was (don't know if that's a blessing or not)...next chapter should delve a bit more into the angsty side of things...let me know if you're reading!

Jenny

Chapter Two:

Greg walked to the doorway, shakily wiping tears from his cheeks as he watched Chrissy fitfully sleep, clinging to her teddy bear as she rolled from her side to her back, then to her other side. He had been watching her for over an hour, afraid that if he turned his back, something may happen to her as well.

Quietly shutting the door behind him, he leaned against the wall, his hand pressed against his mouth as he choked back a sob. He couldn't fall apart right now, he family needed him to remain strong. He had to be the support for Sara and Chrissy, and under no circumstances could he allow himself to crumble under the pressure. It was his duty as a father, a husband, a man.

Sara had been eerily calm as the day shift coroner's assistant had loaded Sadie's pale body onto a black padded gurney, and surprisingly shed a minimal amount of tears as Chrissy asked a streaming line of questions, trying to understand what had happened to her little sister. They had drove home in silence, Sara disappearing into the house before both Chrissy and Greg had unfastened their seatbelts. She hadn't been seen since.

Greg's initial reaction was to follow his wife and try to gauge her state of mind. He knew her well enough to know that even though she wasn't crying and openly hysterical, her heart could still be breaking inside. He had decided, however, to give her some space and let her grieve in her own way while he tried to maintain Chrissy's evening routine of bathing, eating, and brushing her teeth.

Exhausted, Chrissy had gone to sleep early and Greg had been too fretful to leave her alone until he was sure she would be able to sleep. He walked to the window, looking out over their back yard with a heavy sigh. Their green grass was scattered with toys belonging to both Chrissy and Sadie, and through watery eyes, he realized he'd have to go through those toys at some point and store what had belonged to Sadie. As he wiped moisture from his cheeks, he wondered if he even possessed enough strength to do that.

It was no secret that Sara was the leader of the family. She made the rules, she disciplined the children, she handled the money and the decisions. That was the way had it been since they had moved in together, and Greg was more than happy to relinquish that control. He had always been the happy, relaxed parent, regarded by Chrissy and her friends as "wickedly cool". As he fought nausea, he began to wonder if he had been too concerned with Chrissy, and not enough with Sadie.

It was clear that Chrissy favored her father, while Sadie was always at Sara's side. It wasn't a conscious decision by either Sara or Greg, it was just something that had happened. If he had been watching Sadie, would this accident have happened? Would he have let her get away?

Fiercely wiping away tears, he shook his head bitterly. He couldn't play the blame game, this was not Sara's fault. It was an accident. If it had been done on purpose, his wife would be sitting in the interrogation room at LVPD. As quickly as his mind jumped to Sara, it rebounded back to him. If he had been paying attention, maybe he could have gotten to her in time. He had heard the shouts, but had figured that Sara had brought her to watch. He had barely acknowledged the child as he listened to Chrissy recount her class field trip to the zoo. It wasn't until he heard Sara's terrified voice that he realized there was a problem.

He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to close his eyes again without seeing his baby girl face down in the water.

--

Catherine walked into the lab, immediately noticing the tense silence that filled the halls. She made her way to the break room, taking a seat as she sipped the iced coffee she had picked up on her way in.

She had only read the first page of the newspaper when Nick and Warrick walked in, talking animatedly to each other, wide smiles on both of their faces. While their teasing banter eased the tension a bit, Catherine could still feel it's ominous presence in the air.

"What's up, Cath?" Warrick asked, sitting across from her, "Had a good night off with Lindsey?"

"We went to the movies." Catherine replied quietly, "It's quiet around here today."

Nick was quiet for a moment before shrugged, "Hadn't noticed, but I suppose you're right."

Catherine's apprehension was confirmed when Grissom walked into the room a few moments later, his face solemn.

"Head up, guys, we've got a busy night." Grissom spoke quietly, handing each CSI a slip of paper, "We're still shorthanded, so we'll probably have to double up on cases."

Nick was the first to voice the group's silent question, "I thought Greg and Sara were coming back from their vacation tonight?"

"There's been a change of plans." Grissom replied, his voice catching slightly, "They'll probably be out for awhile."

Grissom's emotional response didn't go unnoticed by the team, and after a brief silence, Catherine tentatively asked, "Are they okay?"

Grissom sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly, "There was an accident...Sadie--Sadie was killed this morning."

A deafening silence fell over the room as Grissom's statement fell on the ears of the CSIs. For a moment, no one moved or spoke.

After a few minutes had passed, Warrick asked softly, "What happened?"

"She drowned. Day shift processed the scene, she was gone before the paramedics arrived. I really don't know much more than that."

Catherine spoke next, her voice hollow as her heart beat rapidly, "How are Greg and Sara taking it? Chrissy?"Her voice trembled as she spoke, she couldn't bear to imagine losing her own daughter.

Grissom shook his head, giving them a small shrug, "I don't know. You guys get out there and handle your cases, I'll call to check on them if it makes you feel any better?"

"I can't believe it." Nick muttered, standing and walking to the door, glancing down at his assignment sheet. "Poor Sadie."

With a heavy sigh, Warrick followed suit, sadly shaking his head as he made his way to the locker room. They investigated the deaths of children constantly, but it felt this depressing. Leaning his head against the cool metal of his locker, he said a small prayer that the Sanders family could make it through this loss.

--

His heart broke as he creaked open the door to Sadie's room, instantly spotting his wife curled into a ball in the corner of the room. She held a battered black and white teddy bear close to her chest, and he instantly recognized it as a gift he had given her the day they found out she was pregnant. It had been Sadie's favorite toy, and it had definitely seen it's fair share of better days.

He didn't want to startle her, so he gently cleared his throat. He was surprised to see her face dry of tears when she looked up towards him. Patting the floor beside her, she motioned that it was okay for him to join her.

He sat down, leaning against the wall, struggling to keep his tears at bay. Sara had the notion to let Sadie decorate her own bedroom, leading the pale pink walls to be covered with Barbie wallpaper border, 'Curious George' and 'Dora the Explorer' posters, and 'Scooby Doo' pictures won from the carnival they had attended earlier that year. She still had the worn 'Disney Princess' comforter and sheets on her toddler bed that had been purchased before she had been born. Her presence was felt so deeply in the room that Greg was certain he could nearly smell her.

Stealing a glance at Sara, who was staring at the bedroom with a dazed expression, he spoke softly, "Do you need anything?"

"Nothing you can give me." Sara replied with a cracking voice, her calm facade crumbling for just a moment to reveal pain on her pale face. Within seconds, the wall had been reconstructed, and the only sign that she was feeling the loss of her daughter was the white knuckles that tightly grasped the small teddy bear.

Sara's resilience was the final push Greg needed to release a floodgate of emotion. Dropping his head into his knees, he began to painfully sob, his sorrow, guilt, anger, and disgust at the situation too powerful to handle. He hated himself for being weak, he hated Sara for being so strong, he hated the world for taking his daughter away from him.

He wasn't sure what he had expected to come from his outburst, but Sara's response not only shocked him, but angered him as well. Letting the bear fall to the floor, she stood up on trembling legs and silently walked out of the door, shutting the door behind her. Unable to control the surge of emotions that he had started to unleash, Greg only sobbed harder, adding the silent pain of rejection to the many heartbreaking feelings soaring through his veins.

TBC