(ok so i updated twice on the same day... well technically two different days but whatever. I couldn't sleep and had to get the chapter down!! still a bit of a cliffy hanging around guys :D )
Chapter three.
Catherine's black high heels were loud on the labs dark floor tiles. She stormed through the corridor, glancing through doorways briefly as she reached them. Everyone was rushing around, wanting to get their paperwork completed as soon as possible so they could go home. Many of the graveyard shift workers had children who would soon be getting up for school, and Catherine was one of them. Her daughter Lindsay had exams today, and Catherine had promised to be there as she left the house to wish her look, and she was adamant that she would not let her down again.
Finally she spotted a fellow co-workers face; "Nicky!" she called speeding up.
"Oh hey Cat, what's up?" Nicky said slowing and closing the file he was leafing through.
"Not much, I've got Jim to send two uniforms down to the casino to get the surveillance tapes for Archie to take a look at…" Catherine smiled and nodded as Conrad Ecklie, in charge of the lab, walked past with all the graces and heir of a tyrant. Nick shook his head forcing back a few remarks about their boss, whom all on the graveyard shift disliked. "Have you seen Sara? I want to fill her in…"
"I though you and her were partners on this…?" Nick asked confused, holding the door to the break room open for them to enter.
"So did I. She's done a disappearing act the last few days."
"Is it down to this mystery caller?" he asked pulling two bottles of water out of the shared mini-fridge and hanging one to his superior.
"I don't know… I guess so though. You have any idea who it is?"
Nicky took a swig of ice water and shrugged "No idea Cat. Must be important though if she's willing to give up her responsibilities."
Greg Sanders, the youngest, least experienced member of the LVPD CSI entered the break room, his hair a mess from were he'd been tugging at it in frustration. He went to the kettle and poured hot water into his coffee mug and added the coffee and milk to it and stirred it noisily. Nick grinned to himself, he loved winding Greg up. "What did that coffee ever do to you?"
Greg noisily dropped the teaspoon into the metal sink and it landed with a clank, took a sip of his scolding drink and burnt his tongue "For fksake!" He swore angrily as Grissom and Warrick entered together.
"Less of that language please Sanders" Grissom said pointing a finger at the 'surfer-scientist' as he chose a seat and sat down.
"He's a little bit angry" Nick laughed.
"Oh?" Grissom looked interested "why?" Greg hesitated…unsure whether snitching to the boss was a good idea. "Out with it Greggo."
After a few moments Greg blurted out "Its Sara Griss!" Grissom raised his eyebrows behind his spectacles as Greg explained all the procedures Sara had failed to follow, which in turn had meant his research was ruined and a waste of time, which then resulted in a good telling off from Ecklie. "And she didn't even apologise. She just said 'its Ecklie. Deal with it."
Grissom frowned, disbelievingly. "That doesn't sound like Sara…"
Catherine sighed and added her contribution "She hasn't been herself lately Griss…"
"She's rushing everything" Warrick inputted. "She didn't even stop for break yesterday to read her crime novels!"
Catherine continued : "she seems preoccupied. Like something else is on her mind all the time."
"Well what's wrong with that, we all know she needs a distraction, Catherine, we all do" Grissom asked defensive of his girlfriend.
"What's wrong is when those distractions get in the way of your work. She practically compromised an entire crime scene on Wednesday Gil. In this frame of mind Sara is a burden to the team!"
"A burden am I?" A soft voice interjected.
The team all turned around in horror to see Sara, tall and slim stood leaning against the door frame, her arms tightly folded over her body, a hurt expression across her face. No one spoke. They were all too startled at her sudden appearance. "I guess me leaving my note of absence on your desk was a good idea after all, huh Grissom."
"Sara…I.." Catherine began.
"No, don't bother. I'll see myself out." Sara allowed herself one last glare around the room of her 'friends' before she turned on her heels and walked directly to the locker room to gather her belongings.
Grissom rose and chased after her. He bounded into the locker room and found her pulling items out of her locker. "Sara, wait, calm down and think this over will you?"
"Think what over Gil?" she demanded "I'm a burden to the team."
"No you're not, don't be daft… they're just… tired." Grissom tried to explain.
"No Gil, I'm tired. I have other stuff to deal with at the minute. Its best I leave, for now anyway. I'm sorry." And with that, she picked up her bag, put her headphones in her small ears and walked passed him without another word.
Back in the break room, Catherine was explaining to the boys about Sara and hers conversation at the crime scene earlier that week. Greg, who had always been a fan of Sara's refused to believe she would do anything to hurt Grissom such as cheating on him, he just couldn't imagine it. Warrick and Nick had both been fairly surprised to find out about Grissom and Sara's relationship and felt that if they had worked so hard to keep it quiet, and if it meant so much, surely Sara would not just give it up in an instance. Nick had always felt a connection to Sara, but in a brotherly-sisterly kind of way, he didn't understand what was going on, it just didn't make sense.
Grissom walked into his dull office, crammed full of animals in jars, and slouched into his desk. He picked up Sara's note on his desk:
Request: 3 weeks holiday, effective immediately. CSI Sidle.
He remembered the last time she'd disappeared like this and sighed. What was going on with her, he wished she'd talk to him. "Everything takes its own time Gilbert…Sara will explain when she's ready" he told himself. He took his glasses off and folded them up, got out his cell phone and dialled Sara's number.
Sara noticed her phone ringing whilst she was driving home. She didn't answer it. She couldn't talk to him now. Turning the radio on, and winding down the windows Sara tried to calm herself down. After another fifteen minutes, Sara reverse parked in her underground parking lot underneath her apartment building. She locked the door and headed to the elevator. That stupid music was playing again. Rubbing her temples as she exited it, she smiled to her neighbours and headed to the further-most door and put her keys in the keyhole. The door was only locked once and the chain was off. She stepped through the door of number 18 and into her somewhat roomy apartment. The television was on. Surely she had turned it off before she left for work that evening. Then she noticed her bedroom door ajar and went to investigate. Poking her head round the door frame she saw an alien lump in the cream duvet sheets and a gap-toothed grin spread across her face. She coughed loudly and the lump sprang to life.
Sara laughed and shut the door behind her. "Morning Sam. Did you have a good sleep?"
The lump, Sam sat up and smiled. "Yeh thanks, your bed is so much comfier than mine".