A/N: Just because I needed some time for the next chapter at the club, I'm using a filler one. It'll explain a bit more in detail Kat's and Griss's relationship. Please read and review:)
Back at the lab…
Gil was walking around in somewhat of a daze. He couldn't believe the young lady he knew all those years ago was here, and was very much grown up. He could see the resentment in Sara's eyes over the way he was taking care of Kat, but she didn't realize how much the girl meant to him. He felt responsible for her, after her family died. The police never caught the killer, and he was always afraid he could come back, after he realized he had left one family member alive. Gil decided he had better explain to the team members who were still at the lab who exactly this girl was. He found Warrick and Catherine in the DNA lab going over a sample from the case they were working on.
"Rick, Cath, I have something I want to talk to you about. Do you know where Sara is? She should hear this too." The two colleagues watched their boss's face, and realized just how serious he really was.
"No, I haven't seen her since the handout of assignments" said Warrick "do you want me to track her down? I can."
"No it's okay, I'll just tell her later. I just wanted you two to know who Kat is to me and why this case is so important." Gil started to explain when Catherine interrupted him.
"It's not us you need to be explaining the situation to Gil, it's Sara. She's pissed. You need to let her know what's going on with this girl. Who is she? Where did she come from? Did you have a relationship with her? We can tell there's a past there, and yeah it would be nice to know about it, but we're not the ones you're supposed to be having a relationship with, it's Sara. You need to find her and tell her what's going on." Catherine was always the most up front and forward one of the bunch. She told it exactly how she saw it.
"Tell me what exactly?" said Sara as she walked into the room.
Grissom turned around, his big blue eyes wide. "What's going on? You look like a kid who just got caught with his hand in the candy jar. Why don't you just spill and tell me what's happening with you and this girl? Are you dating? I mean you can just tell me." Sara was hopping mad, but she tried to contain it so that she could listen to Grissom try and explain his way out of the situation.
Gil took a deep breath and started in on the story. He told them everything, about how they were neighbors growing up, he was friends with her father, how he helped her with her science homework when she was in high school, how she was going to go to college to be a forensic artist. Then he explained about that night…and the horrible scene he walked in on.
It was around 5 pm. Kat had gone home earlier that day she had fallen asleep at his house after working on her science fair project. She said she would call him when she got home, but he never got a call. Finally at around 4, he started getting worried so he tried calling their house, and got no answer. So at 5 he walked over and knocked on the door. It was open a crack so he let himself in. He could smell it before he even walked through the door. There was blood, and lots of it. He made sure he stuck close by the walls, as not to disturb any evidence. He called to her and she didn't answer. He started thinking maybe she had been hurt, but then he walked into the living room. There she was, curled up in a ball in the corner. She wasn't crying, she wasn't making a sound. She was just staring and rocking back and forth. He came to her and knelt down in front of her and she said to him "Uncle G, they're dead. They're all dead." He turned and looked at the couch and there was her mother, just like she always would, laying on the couch waiting for her to get home. Except this time she wasn't going to wake up. Her parents, her siblings, everyone was killed. She blamed herself, for not being there. The police had no leads, except thinking it was just a bunch of crazy teenagers looking for drugs or money. They stole the TV, the DVD player, anything of value. He would never forget the look in Kat's eyes they were empty, like all the life was drained out of her.
"I told myself I would watch over her for the rest of my life" he finished "no matter what she needed I was going to be there for her. Now the day has finally come that I can help her with what she needs. I can help protect her like I should have been able to do all those years ago. Please understand this is important to me, that she's important to me."
He stated those words looking directly at Sara, who after hearing the story immediately felt immense guilt and distain at herself for being so ugly to the girl before. She knew what it was like having a rough childhood, hers was no picnic, so she could relate. Instead she was rude and nasty to her. She would give anything to take back the ugliness she portrayed earlier. "I understand completely Griss, and I'm so sorry for what I said earlier, and how I said it. As soon as I see her I'll apologize to her too." Sara had no problems admitting when she was wrong, and this time was a doozy.
Catherine and Warrick were in shock about the whole thing, they couldn't understand how an 18 year-old girl could go through what she went through, and turn out to be the confident strong 28 year old woman who had stood in front of the group of them earlier. Both were immensely impressed with her character. "I'm sorry too Gil, I'm glad she has you for support. If you need any help on her case, we'll be happy to-"
Catherine was interrupted by Brass running in and saying he had a call from Greg reporting the need for back up at The Pink Panda, on the strip. Catherine had heard of the place, one of her former boss's old friends, Todd Numan owned it. Catherine shook herself out of her thoughts to hear Grissom tell Brass to hurry up, and watched him run out of the room. Catherine thought to herself, the girl is lucky to have such wonderful people surrounding her, and protecting her. Hopefully they would make it in time.
Please R&R and let me know what you think!!! I live for reviews! (and I'll give you great praise in my upcoming chapters!)
