"Hey." Sara looked up at the soft voice, a genuine smile gracing her face for the first time in days. Catherine was leaning against the doorframe holding her car keys up like bait. "You ready to go?"

"Absolutely." Sara agreed, instantly jumping off the bed. Having done very little movement in the last couple of days, she overestimated her strength and as soon as her feet touched the floor she lost balance and grabbed the bedrail before she fell.

"Hey, easy there girl." Cath scolded, materialising by her side in a heartbeat to support her.

"I'm okay." Sara mumbled, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself.

"All evidence to the contrary, missy." Catherine frowned, keeping tight hold of Sara's arm as she helped her to slip her jacket on. "Remember, you are under strict instructions to take it easy."

"I know." Sara muttered, zipping her coat up.

"And my sister's a nurse, so don't try to pull any stunts." Cath continued, placing her hands on her hips sternly. "You are on rest."

"Okay." Sara nodded, trying to keep a straight at Catherine's attempt at mothering her. "Can we go now, please?" Cath pursed her lips, hiding a smile at Sara's cheeky insolence.

"Yes. We can go now."

The staff hadn't really wanted her to go home yet, more due to her mental state than anything, but Catherine had convinced Nancy that the brunette would behave herself if she was under suitable supervision.

And who better than her assistance supervisor?

X x x

Warrick kept his unfocused gaze fixed on the ground as he was frog-marched in handcuffs to the interrogation rooms. He could feel the cold eyes of nearby police officers watching his jerky movements but maintained his stance of avoiding their stares.

Brass tugged on his arm, dragging him into the nearest room and effectively dropping him into a seat. He heard the detective leave again, slamming the door behind him. After a long moment he lifted his gaze, surprised by what he saw.

Grissom stared back at him patiently.

"Hey." Warrick greeted hoarsely. He hadn't been particularly shocked when the Police turned up at his door, but this was unexpected. He glanced around the room awkwardly; it suddenly seemed so unfamiliar to him despite the many hours he had spent in there. His gaze finally settled back on Grissom and he shuffled awkwardly under his old friend's unwavering blue eyes.

"What have you taken?" The supervisor asked bluntly after scrutinising the man for a long minute.

Warrick shook his head, although it was barely noticeable beneath his general shaking.

"Nothing … just painkillers." He lied, his foot tapping against the floor beyond his control. Grissom raised an eyebrow at him but didn't question it. Instead, he slid a file across the table to him.

"You were on more than that a couple of nights ago." He pointed out calmly. Warrick's face fell as he scanned the jumble of numbers before him. Had he really been that drunk?

"Griss, man … I don't know what to say." He mumbled sheepishly, nudging the paperwork back towards him. He could feel Brass staring at him through the one-way mirror. It wouldn't surprise him if Nick was lurking behind there somewhere as well, waiting to have another pop at him.

"Well," Grissom drawled slowly. "You could start by telling me what happened that night." Warrick sighed, dropping his head into his hands.

"I don't know what happened." He growled, trying to hold his temper. He had never lost it in front of his boss yet, he wasn't about to start now.

"We already know what happened." Griss shrugged. "I just want to hear your side of it." The CSI shook his head, glancing up.

"Gil, I swear this isn't right." He mumbled, at a loss of what else to say.

Without a word, Grissom slid another folder across the table towards him. Warrick blinked at it, before reaching a trembling hand towards it.

X x x

"What?" Sara asked after a long period of silence. Catherine briefly drew her eyes from the road to send her a sideways glance.

"What?" She echoed with a frown. Sara turned away from the window to send her an obvious look.

"I know you want to ask me something. What is it?" Catherine pursed her lips, a guilty look crossing her features. Apparently this one was hard to fool.

"Well, there was something." She admitted. "I was going to wait until we got back, but I doubt it'll make it any easier." She stopped the car at a red light and turned to face her passenger, taking a deep breath. "We got the DNA results back."

"Oh." Sara's face fell and she averted her gaze to her lap. Catherine watched her for a long moment, waiting to see if she was going to speak again. A horn blaring behind them startled her back to present time and she realised that the light had changed.

"So, what happens now?" Sara asked quietly after a few minutes of driving in silence. Catherine exhaled slowly.

"That's up to you." She said. "Due to the circumstances the DA is willing to follow your lead on this. Whatever you decide, that's what'll happen." Sara looked up wide-eyed.

"Do I have to decide now?" She asked, not even attempting to disguise the vulnerability in her voice this time.

"No, of course not sweetie." Cath reached out to grip Sara's hand. "Take all the time you need. Sofia was going to come around later to talk about the options with you."

"Okay." Sara mumbled, staring at their conjoined hands thoughtfully. "Thank you." She added as an afterthought.

Catherine squeezed her hand gently, silently letting her know it was okay.

X x x

"This isn't right. It can't be." Warrick mumbled, shaking his head in loss as his eyes scanned the paper in front of him. He had seen many a results sheet like this before, but his brain simply wouldn't process the information he was seeing.

"It is." Grissom contradicted softly. Warrick looked up, meeting his supervisor's disappointed gaze.

"Gil, I swear…"

"Save it Warrick." He shook his head, standing up. "I'm not the one who you need to explain it to."

The boss shuffled out, leaving Warrick to stare after him dejectedly.

X x x

Catherine pulled up the drive, releasing a relieved breath. Sara had not spoken again, which had resulted in a twenty minute journey of silence.

Opening the car door, Cath swung her legs out and gladly breathed in the fresh dawn air. She realised how long it had been since she'd had time to enjoy such simple beauties of life.

In the back of her mind, she wondered whether Sara would notice these things again. She still seemed numb.

She hopped out of the car and stretched, before realising that the girl remained where she was, facing out of the windscreen with an unreadable expression.

"Sara?" She queried softly, leaning back into the car. "Honey, you okay?" Sara didn't move, or acknowledge her question as she spoke.

"Can you call Sofia, please?" She asked quietly. Catherine frowned, reaching for her cell phone.

"Sure, is everything alright?"

"Yeah." Sara nodded slowly, finally turning to face her. "I've made my decision."

X x x

Warrick looked up despondently as Brass re-entered the room and sat back down, slipping his phone into his pocket. He held the dark-skinned man's gaze for a long moment before tossing him a clear plastic bag. Warrick stared at it dumbly for a moment. It contained his watch, wallet and keys.

"Get out of here." The detective spat sullenly.

"I can go?" He questioned suspiciously. Brass's lips turned into a sneer.

"Luckily for you, Sara still believes there's some good in you." He hissed. Warrick's green eyes widened impossibly.

"She's not pressing charges?" He clarified, releasing a breath. He ran a hand over his face, snatching the bag with his other hand. "Thank you." He breathed, relief flooding his features.

"It's not me you have to thank." Jim snapped, pushing himself away from the table and stalking out of the room. Warrick watched him go with a dazed look, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

X x x

"Hey," Cath rapped lightly on her guest room door. "You decent?" She poked her head inside tentatively. Sara looked up, smiling tiredly at the blonde. She was already under the duvet, with her knees pulled up to her chest and a book in her hands. Catherine slipped inside and placed a steaming mug of tea on the table, perching on the bed beside Sara.

"Honey," she began gently, "I know that you need to deal with this in your own way." She reached out to lay a hand over Sara's, rubbing small circles with the pad of her thumb. "But, I also know that you don't have family to call on … so I just want you to know that you can talk to me." Sara gave her a quizzical look, opening and closing her mouth without releasing a sound. "Grissom told me." Cath answered her silent question softly, understanding her confusion.

"How much did he tell you?" The brunette asked uncertainly. Catherine pursed her lips, tightening her grip on Sara's hand.

"That you grew up in foster care."

"Oh. Okay." Sara nodded, a soft frown embedding itself in her features. Cath studied her face for a minute before deciding the subject was best left closed for the time being. She leant forward, placing a kiss on Sara's forehead.

"Get some rest, honey. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Sara watched her go, searching for something to say in return. She wanted to thank her, to tell her how much she appreciated everything. But the words came too late; Catherine had already disappeared. With a sigh, Sara put the book back where she had found it on the bedside table and switched off the lamp. She curled up beneath the covers, breathing in the scent of Catherine's home.

She hadn't wanted to admit it, but she was glad Catherine insisted she stayed with her. She hadn't really wanted to be alone anyway.

x x x x

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