Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or anything relating to them, I'm just borrowing them to satisfy my crazy imagination. As this is a piece of fiction, the content is not 100% accurate to real life...I'm exaggerating certain aspects for the interest of the story...call it creative license. Any references to real life events; anything I may have read, seen or heard are completely unintentional and coincidental. I gain nothing from this, so please don't sue me or threaten to kill me. Any and all mistakes are mine. Also, any names, places or references are purely fictional!
A/N: Thank you for the reviews SevernSound and NickyStokes! I appreciate the input. I hope this chapter is a bit better. Thanks for reading and take care!
What do I do? What can I say? Sara is just a wreak...she's in pieces...I've never seen her anything remotely like this before...I'm actually scared for her.
Catherine had prepared a light vegetarian dinner for the two of them. However, against Sara's will, the dinner made an abrupt second appearance several minutes later.
"Cath, do you mind if I ummm...do you mind if I go out back for a smoke?" Sara asks in a soft reserved voice.
"No, ummm yeah, that's fine...may I join you?" Catherine asks with only a nod in return.
My God, she can't even make eye contact with me right now. She's receding into another world right in front of my eyes and I don't know how to pull her back.
As the two women stand in Catherine's backyard silently smoking , Sara finally breaks. Despite her best efforts, she can no longer hold back the tidal wave of tears and sobs. Quickly dropping her cigarette, Catherine wraps her arms around the brunette and joins her in tears for their fallen friend.
"Grissom...Grissom..." Sara tries to speak around the body wracking sobs.
"It's okay Sara, I understand..." Catherine begins saying through Sara's hair before she's cut off.
"No...Grissom and I were...we were...I loved him! Oh God I love him!" Sara says before another round of sobs take over.
"You two were in a relationship?" Catherine softly asks while pulling Sara slightly back so she can look at her.
"Yes...we were..but I screwed it up...like I always screw things up...we fought...I never should have left angry...but I did...and now he's gone...the last thing I said to him was in anger!" Sara sobs unable to make eye contact with Catherine.
"Oh honey...oh no, no...this is not your fault sweetheart. No Sara, Gil understood, he loved you sweetheart. It's not your fault Sara!" Catherine says while pulling Sara into another strong hug. Suddenly without warning, Sara's legs give out and Catherine guides them both into a sitting position on the ground.
They sit there for several minutes in joined sorrow before Catherine guides Sara up and back in the house and onto the sofa.
Words no longer matter as they cry and hold each other until they both fall into an uneasy sleep.
A hard pounding on the front door startles the two women awake and a confused Sara looks around wildly trying to figure out where she is; as all the memories flood back.
Catherine gently places a calming hand on Sara in an attempt to comfort and reassure her before getting up to answer the door.
Catherine's greeted by two uniformed police officers standing with a paper in hand.
"I'm CSI Catherine Willows, do you have a problem? I wasn't paged." Catherine says as a way of greeting the two officers she doesn't recognize.
"We are looking for a CSI Sara Sidle." One of the officers reply as Sara unknowingly approaches behind Catherine.
"Wha...what's going on, I'm Sara..." She starts before she's abruptly cut off as the officers push past Catherine.
"What the hell is going on!" Catherine demands trying to get to Sara who is now thrown up against her wall.
"Sara Sidle, you're under arrest for the murder of Gil Grissom!"
The next several minutes pass by Sara in a strangely detached blur until she finds herself on the wrong side in an interrogation room.
Catherine had rushed behind the squad car carrying Sara and sent off emergency pages to the rest of the night shift telling them to meet at the station.
As the team gathers behind the two-way glass, a myriad of expressions can be seen on all their faces.
Sitting stiff and still is a pale, broken looking Sara Sidle. Outside, Catherine is fuming as she paces the length of the window waiting for an explanation to the insanity.
Behind her, Greg appears with wrinkled clothes looking more like a lost child than the responsible young man they have all watched mature.
Warrick is the next to round the corner as he looks at Catherine for an explanation before glancing through the window at Sara with a shocked angry expression.
Nick is the next to arrive looking like he's fighting back tears, as he looks around at his devastated extended family.
Jim Brass is heard before he is actually seen as he booms in anger at the situation and issues several threats to anyone who stands in his way.
Sofia and Ecklie are the last to join the group in front of the two-way mirror. For her part, Sofia just looks plain confused as Ecklie is a cross between smug and nervous.
As Sara sits hurt and confused, a CSI and a uniformed officer enters the interrogation room and it takes Sara a second to place his face...he's the new guy on swing...
"Sara, you and I both know how well you know this process, so let's just cut to the chase...shall we?" Colton says while flicking his nametag forward so Sara can clearly see it.
"We both know what you did, and we have all the evidence we need to prove it in court, so why don't you just save yourself and confess...we may be able to save you from the death penalty." Colton says smoothly. He had practiced what he was going to say to Sara days ago; however he can't help but feel the nervous guilt raising.
Without waiting for Sara to reply, Colton continues, "I already checked and no one could verify where you were on the night Grissom was murdered...you called in 'sick' for work, right?" Colton ends with a hint of sarcasm.
"Your fingerprints are all over the crime scene and you have motive for murdering Grissom." Colton says leaning forward toward Sara.
Upon hearing Grissom's name coming from this vile man, the shock and anger begins to boil to the surface.
How dare he even speak Grissom's name...who the hell does he think he is...This can't be happening!
"You can't be serious?" Sara says still enraged and shell shocked.
"You're a CSI Sara, you know better than anyone how to hide the evidence. Of course there were no bullet casings, you know better than that. But you weren't able to commit the perfect murder Sara, we have you. Even with all your CSI knowledge, we are providing Gil Grissom justice." Colton replies leaning so close to Sara she can smell his breath.
"You have nothing Colton." Sara says looking down at his ID badge.
"Grissom was...he..." Sara stumbles and stops as her grief for her love takes over her whole being again.
Where is the team? Why aren't they here to help or defend me? They don't believe this bullshit do they? Oh God Grissom, why did you leave me like this?! I need you now.
Looking up at the two-way mirror Sara wonders if the team is watching or if they even care.
"I want my attorney." Sara finally mutters as she wipes an escaping tear off her face.
As she's led to booking and a holding cell, the reality of what has just transpired finally hits her. She knows her career and life as she once knew it is now over.
Fitting...when I found out Grissom had died, my soul died with him...I guess the rest of my existence is just following suit...
As he leaves the interrogation room Colton can barely keep the smile off his face. He quickly heads to the washroom away from the buzzing of staff that are gathering around at this new predicament. The overall feeling he's already getting is that his co-workers believe Sara murdered Grissom.
Heading back to the lab to complete the interview paperwork, Colt is stopped by Ecklie.
"Colton, just who I wanted to see. I want to thank you for your hard work on this case. You found and put together all that key evidence very quickly. You never got to meet him, but Grissom would be proud. This wasn't an easy or comfortable case." Ecklie says in his singsong tone.
"Your hard work and dedication didn't go unnoticed...not to mention that we still need to fill Grissom's old supervisor position." Ecklie says patting Colton's shoulder and giving a knowing nod before walking back toward his office.
Everything is falling perfectly into place...I couldn't ask for better...now all I have to do is get rid of Grissom...my life has finally turned around; thanks to me.