The Entomologist And The Loose Cannon
Risty Maskell

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. For non-profit, entertainment purposes only. The persons, living or dead, and events described herein are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

"Sara?" Laura Sidle leaned on the desk and looked at her middle child, as if seeing a ghost.
"Yeah, mom. It's me." Sara shifted under her mother's curious gaze and tried to smile, tentatively. "How are you?"
"Well… there's no need to sound so formal!" Laura said, snapping back to reality and walking out from behind the desk, holding out her arms. "How about giving me a hug?"

All Sara wanted to do was drop her suitcase and her back pack and run into her mother's arms, to pretend like she was six years old again and have Laura take all her hurt away with a single kiss to the forehead. But she couldn't. Her lower lip trembled slightly and she cursed herself when she realised she was about to start crying again. Slowly lowering her back pack, she walked forward and embraced her mother. Laura squeezed her tight as she felt Sara's stiff shoulders begin to shake with barely controlled sobs. "Hey…" She murmured, rubbing Sara's back softly. "Hey… what's wrong, sweetheart?"
"N-nothing." Sara said, not wanting to speak too much in case she lost total control. "I just… it's just that I missed you."
Laura pulled away and held her daughter at arms length, studying her with concern. "It's not just that, Sara…" She said. "Come on… come into the kitchen, we'll have some coffee. You can tell me all that's happened since I saw you last."
Sara couldn't answer, but nodded at her mother's offer.
"Have you eaten? James is in the kitchen. I'm sure he can get you something."
It was only just then that Sara realised how hungry she was. "Okay…" She said with a nod. "How is James? Marie told me about his accident."
"Oh, he's fine. Taking to life like a duck does to water again." Laura said with a smile. "James! We have a guest!"
"Be right out, mom!" A male voice called out from the kitchen. Sara looked up as a tall, good looking man came out of the kitchen. His hair was long and brown, tied in a ponytail. His visible eye, where his mother and sister's were brown, was bright blue, the other covered by an eye patch. He looked at the figure sitting in a chair and frowned slightly.
"Hey, Jimmy." Sara said, looking up at her brother.
"Sassy?" James said, recognition flickering in his one good eye. He grinned. "Sassy!" He picked her up and gave her a big hug, causing Sara to laugh a little as she hugged him back.
"You've grown tall, damn you." She said as he set her back on the floor. "It's not fair. I used to be the tall one."
"Sucks to be you, don't it?" James chuckled, amused. "Hey, you want some food? I just made chicken salad."
"If you hold off on the chicken, I will." Sara said with a small smile.
"Oh, that's right. Marie told us you were a veggie now." He said with a laugh. "Well, hang tight. I'll get you some chicken salad – minus the chicken." He walked back into the kitchen. Laura turned back to her daughter and handed her a coffee.
"So, you want to tell me what you've been up to?" She asked, sitting across from Sara and taking a sip of her coffee.
"Well…" Sara shifted into a more comfortable position. "I don't know… where would you want me to start?"
"The beginning's always a good place." James said, entering the room again and placing a bowl of salad in front of her. "People who start at the end only finish at the beginning and then the whole story gets confused and you have to tell it all over again."
"Wow, you really make things easy to understand, Jimmy." Sara said dryly.
"I know. Specialty of mine. Now spill."
"Well… I'm engaged." Laura nearly choked on her coffee. Jimmy dropped his fork with a clatter. Sara raised her eyebrows at their reactions. "Is that so hard to believe?" She asked.
"Well…" Laura exchanged a glance with James. "Don't take this personally, sweetheart. But you don't usually let people get so close to you."
"Times change." Sara said, frowning. "I thought you'd be happy for me!"
"I am, baby. I am." Laura tried to soothe her. "I'm just surprised, that's all."
"Surprised about what?" Sara said in a low voice. "Surprised that I can get a boyfriend at all, after what happened with Ken?"
"Sara…" Laura said, sensing her daughter's temper was starting to fray. "I didn't mean that at all. I'm pleased for you, really, I am."
"Then act like it." Sara said, her eyes flashing.
"Hey, Sara… we're sorry, okay? Tell us more about this guy." Jimmy said slowly. "I need to know who my future brother-in-law is, don't I?"
"Yeah, tell us more." Laura offered. "He must be quite a catch, if he's caught your attention."
"Oh, don't butter it up, mom." Sara said, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. "Everyone knows I have a bad taste in men. I'd like, just this once, to think that I've made a good choice. Just once!"
"I'm sure you have." Laura said soothingly. "So, tell us about him. What's his name?"
"Gil Grissom." Sara said after a pause, looking at her salad and poking it with her fork. "He's an Entomologist."
"A what now?" Jimmy asked. "What the hell is an Ento…whatchamacallit?"
"Entomologist." Sara said, looking up at her brother. "He studies insects and stuff. He works at LVPD with me."
"Ooh… cop?" Jimmy asked.
"Criminologist." Sara corrected. "He… he used to be my supervisor."
"Gil…Grissom, right?" Jimmy said slowly, after a pause. "Wait a minute! Isn't that that guy from Berkeley that you wouldn't shut the hell up about? That professor guy? The one you were always emailing and writing to and stuff?"
"Uh… yeah." Sara didn't look up at either her mother or her brother and missed the surprised, but pleased look they exchanged.
"Well, congratulations, sweetheart." Laura said with a smile. "I'm really proud of you."
"Yeah, me too." Jimmy smiled. "Come on… I think you've murdered the salad enough… or do you want to take crime scene photos and launch an investigation?" He teased, earning him a slap upside the head from his mother. Sara managed a weak smile.
"Jimmy, show your sister up to her room." Laura said, gathering the plates and putting them in the sink. "What do you both say that I call Marie and we'll have a big family dinner tonight?"
Jimmy looked at Sara with a grin. "Whaddaya say, Sassy? C'mon! You haven't seen Marie for years… and you gotta meet Kaitlyn. She's four now."
"Kaitlyn?" Sara looked confused. Jimmy rolled his eye.
"Kaitie. Marie's youngest."
"Oh." Sara remembered her sister mentioning in her letters about her children. "Yeah, okay…" She said, picking up her suitcase from where she'd left it, only to have it wrestled from her by her brother. "Hey! Jimmy!"
"You take the back pack. I'll take this." Jimmy said with an air of self-importance. "Come on. Your room awaits you."
"You are such an idiot." Sara shook her head.
"But the best idiot you'll find in Tamales Bay." Jimmy said with a smile.

After Jimmy had left her in her room to freshen up before dinner, Sara looked around with morbid fascination. It was almost exactly as she'd left it. The posters of 1980's music groups were still tacked to the walls, the desk was still cluttered with an organised chaos of pens, pencils and books, the only things that had changed were that the closet was bare of all her little girl clothes, since they'd been removed along with her when she'd been taken away by social services, and the bed was made. She slowly unpacked the clothes that she'd put into her suitcase and hung them up, then getting down on her knees to shove the empty case under the bed.

Looking under the bed, she noticed a shoebox, covered with dust, clearly marked 'SARA'S BOX. DON'T TOUCH'. Curious, she pulled it out and dusted it off. Sitting on the floor; she opened the box, suddenly feeling like she needed her rubber gloves and some evidence bags.
Don't be stupid, Sidle. This is your stuff.
Looking through the photos that were stacked in the box, she began to chew her lip absentmindedly. There was a formal family portrait, taken when James was only a baby. Sara couldn't help but smile at the sight of herself, five years old, pigtails askew, dusty marks on her knees peeking out from under her dress. She remembered absolutelyhating that dress. Hating it because it wasn't her usual pair of overalls. She set the photo aside, continuing to look through the box. There was a school portrait from second grade. Her sitting there in jeans and a Captain Caveman t-shirt, a gappy smile, half filled by a new front tooth coming through. Sara chuckled lightly. A photo of her parents, standing out the front of their new house with the brand new B&B sign out the front: Sidle On Inn. Sara sighed, putting the lid back on the box, not wanting to see any more in case she really did begin to cry. Picking up the box and putting it on the desk, she turned and lay back on her bed, staring up at the Van Halen poster that was tacked to her ceiling.

The trial of Valerie Eckman had gone well. She'd been found guilty of murdering her husband and brother upon finding them in bed together, and had been sentenced to serve two life sentences for cold blooded murder.
Grissom walked out of the courtroom, loosening his tie when he came out to the street. Standing in the sunshine, taking a deep breath of fresh air, he looked around, stifling a yawn.
"Gil!" He heard a voice behind him and turned, seeing Ecklie walking toward him. He raised his eyebrows in question toward the assistant director. "Fantastic job in there, Gil." Ecklie said with his trademark smile. "Really nailed them."
"Well, I did the best I could be the time frame I had." Gil shrugged. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Conrad. I need to get going." He nodded to the man and left, turning on his cell as he went. No messages. He sighed, walking back into LVPD and toward the locker room.
"Hey, Griss." Said Warrick as the older man entered. "How was court?"
"It went well." Gil offered a half-smile. "Now I can't wait to get home."
"That's gotta be a first." Warrick said with a grin.
"What are you still doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be at home, sleeping?"
"Yeh, I should. I was just finishing up some work I had here for the higher-ups." Warrick shrugged. "If I ever find the bastard who invented paperwork, I'll kill him myself."
"Ah, we can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork can be overwhelming." Grissom nodded, as if agreeing with Warrick. The younger man raised his eyebrows. "Wernher von Braun."
"Uh huh." Warrick shook his head and grinned. "I'll never understand you, Griss."
"Some people would probably take that as a threat," Grissom said, taking his coat out of his locker and looking at him. Offering him a thoughtful glance, he nodded. "See you tonight, Warrick."
"Yeah…" Warrick said as he watched Grissom leave. "Seeya."