Never Forget The Past

Chapter Four

Warrick sat in the front seat as he drove them to The French Palace, his eyes kept flicking to the mirror and watching Catherine and Horatio in the back seat he wasn't worried about her not at all and he could hear his brain screaming liar at him. Calleigh sat in the passenger seat not saying anything just staring at the bright lights of Las Vegas out of her window. Horatio sat next to Catherine his eyes fixed straight ahead but he could still see her from the corner of his eye.

Her strawberry blonde hair framed her pale face, he had the urge to reach out and touch her skin, she was a classic beauty all class and elegance not matter what she did before this job, that could have been why she was a popular dancer and he knew that she was. He focused his mind back on the here and now he turned his head fully to her but she didn't notice her blue eyes were staring into another time, another place.

"Catherine?" He whispered not wanting to startle her from her memories.

"What is it Horatio?" Catherine asked her voice soft, but detached she couldn't break down not yet, she had to help solve these two new murders and maybe find the person who killed Stephanie if they were the same.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

Catherine turned and looked at him and smiled, it was a smile full of sadness. "I'm fine, just thinking about the past, my old life." She turned away and stared out of the side window. "I want to help solve this so I can finally move on." Catherine wished that Gil was here he knew her better than anyone, he would know what she needed right now without asking, he would just have held her.

It wasn't a long drive but the rest of it was made in silence but Catherine did notice that Warrick kept looking in the mirror at her, she smiled at him hoping that it would put him at ease; he had seen how it affected her when she looked back into the case last time.

Once the car finally pulled to a stop they all climbed out and she just stood there looking at the building where she had spent many years dancing.

"Catherine?" A feminine voice full of surprise called out.

"Sarah?" Catherine answered with a smile as a brunette with streaks of grey in her hair ran to her.

"Look at you. You look stunning." Sarah said as she eyed her old friend with a grin.

"So do you." The CSI said, it was the truth Sarah had kept her figure in good shape.

"But not as hot as you babe." Sarah said laughing. "You were always the best of us. How's Eddie?" The brunette grimaced as she said his name never understanding why Catherine had ever got together with him.

"We're getting divorced." Catherine lowered her eyes not wanting to see the 'I told you so' in her old friend's eyes.

"So are you seeing anyone now? That sexy doctor!" Catherine's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "The one with the bugs."

"Grissom." Catherine said with a laugh. "Gil Grissom, he's my boss."

"So you two never?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Catherine for the first time let out a real life at Sarah's facial expression, but it still never quite managed to reach her eyes. That had been her dream for so long, to be with Gil but she knew deep down that it would never happen.

"Sarah we need to talk." Catherine asked the smile vanishing quickly and her voice cracked slightly with emotion.

"What?" Sarah asked even though she thought that she actually didn't want to know.

"Do you remember Stephanie?" Catherine asked her throat dry and she forced the tears back.

"Of course I do and that guy that did it to her is still out there." Sarah paused as something hit her. "Something else has happened hasn't it?"

"Do you remember Judith Monroe and Emily Thrace?" Catherine asked.

"Of course I do we all hung out together, we were close all of us weren't we." Sarah said and watched Catherine nod in agreement. "They left not long after you." Sarah stopped suddenly she opened her mouth but nothing came out so she tried again. "They're dead aren't they? Was it, uhh you know the guy who did it to Stephanie?"

Catherine's eyes fell to the ground; Warrick walked forward and put a muscular arm around Catherine's shoulders, she turned to him and wrapped her arms around him, if Gil couldn't be here to do it, she glad Warrick was and she felt safe as his arms tightened around her.

"How you doing Cath?" he asked knowing in fact that she wasn't doing good at all.

"I'm fine Warrick." She mumbled into his chest and letting his strength hold her up, she always had to be the strong one and just for a minute she couldn't do it.

Warrick rested his chin on her head, he kissed the top it and rubbed his hands up and down her back and sighed he wanted this over and done with, he wanted to protect Catherine from this pain, she was his friend.

Horatio stood with his hands on his hips looking down at the pavement. "I uhh don't mean to interrupt but maybe we should go in and find out if anyone has seen the girls recently, or if they have heard anything or remember anything about the time you all worked there together." His voice as usual was quite and he hated to break up this moment but they did have two, no three murders to solve if Stephanie's was linked to the same person.

"I am back for you my heart." The male voice said as it stared down at a picture, it was old and tattered, "no I am back I will finish what I started I have to rid you of those who worked with you, who would drag you back into that hell. I know they would. I have to protect you, no one will hurt you while I am around and then we can be together again my love." He bent his head and kissed the picture and as his head slowly raised his eyes opened and focused on the beautiful strawberry blonde who stared back at him with azure eyes, and he could read love in those eyes, she had always loved him, her face and body young. "My sweet beautiful Catherine."

TBC