I Know I'll Never Love This Way Again
"Oscar, she's not waking up!" Charlotte said and tried to rouse Sara, but went back downstairs to inform her husband of her findings.
Oscar scoffed. "Who cares Charlotte, we want her dead anyway don't we?"
"Who ever said that?" demanded Charlotte, standing up and facing her husband.
"You did, you said you wanted to teach her a valuable lesson and that means death" Oscar said.
Charlotte turned pale as a ghost and gulped noisily. "Your intention all along was to kill her Oscar. I never said I wanted her dead; I wanted her to pay dearly for becoming miss perfect CSI and leaving me to fail. I just wanted to rattle her cage and scare her to teach her a lesson. Never said I wanted her dead"
"Charlotte shut the hell up" it was her father this time. Jonson. Al Jonson.
"Dad what are you doing?" she asked as she saw in horror that her father was holding a can of gas and matches.
"With Sara Sidle out of the way, you will have to take over her job, her identity and everything like that. I know people who are great plastic surgeons who can make you look like miss Sidle" Jonson said.
Charlotte stood up, facing her father. "This charade has gone way too far, it went too far with the crime lab rouse, the lies we told everything. I want out now, I do not want to be part of this any more" Charlotte said and ran upstairs to try to waken Sara again.
"Sara wake up please wake up!" Charlotte begged. She was being sincere now that she knew that she had gotten herself in deep. Sara on the other hand was stirring but very groggy.
"Charlotte? What the hell happened?"
"It is a very long story Sara" she said.
Sara sat up and eyed Charlotte warily. "Why should I trust you. You were in on this plot and look at where I am now. I'm tied up, I'm bruised and look at me! Gimme something to wear for goodness sake."
Charlotte rose and took a long shirt out of the closet. "Here Sara"
Sara gave Charlotte a sarcastic smile. "Would you mind untying me and not staring at my body Charlotte"
Charlotte untied Sara and handed her the shirt. "Noting happened to you Sara" Charlotte told her.
"Ha ha right. I'm tied up, naked and you say nothing happened to me"
"I just wanted to scare you and rattle your cage. Y'know, I never meant for this to go any further" Charlotte said.
"So something did happen then Charlotte?" Sara demanded. She now stood up and was towering over the other woman.
"NO nothing happened they didn't abuse you if that is what you are alluding to" Charlotte said.
Meanwhile downstairs, nobody had heard the two women talking because Oscar and Al Johnson were screaming and yelling at each other.
"Al, you are nuts, what is with that gas can and matches…are you crazy enough to burn your house down?"
"With you and that whore of a daughter of mine and Sara Sidle, while I leave in peace"
Suddenly they heard sirens and that frightened Al Johnson enough to drop the gas can & the match. Needless to say, the fire started and it spread fast. The two men made a bee-line for the front door and got out safely, until the Nick and Warrick grabbed them.
Upstairs was another matter. "What's that smell?" Sara demanded
"Uh he must have done it…the gas the matches" babbled Charlotte."Shit Charlotte, the house is on fire!" Sara said and went to the bedroom door and put her hand against it. It was hot, the heat was rising.
"Come to the window, we gotta get outta here!" Sara said.
"No, I don't want to live. You go. I've messed up enough Sara, you have to leave me I'm not budging."
"Shut your mouth Charlotte, you cannot give up. You are coming with me even if I have to drag you!"
Charlotte stood up and was feeling woozy. "They spiked my drink too! I can't Sara" she said and passed out.
By now flames were engulfing most of the house. The area where Charlotte and Sara were had not yet been touched for some reason. Sara appeared at the window. "HELP, WOMAN IS DOWN HERE! SHE'S UNCONSIOUS!"
All eyes were now on the second storey. Sara, was waving her arms and gesturing to get that fire truck ladder up to the second story. But the thing that was noticeable was that Sara was wearing a see-thru top. Charlotte had handed her a white shirt and now that Sara was sweating her breasts were showing thru.
The firefighters got their ladder and saved both Sara and the unconscious Charlotte and safely brought them to the ground. The house was gutted and would be demolished due to safety reasons.
"Oh Gil!" Sara yelled and jumped into Grissom's arms and began to cry.
Grissom, on the verge of tears himself, just comforted her and gave her his long jacket in order to cover her up.
As a precaution, Sara was taken to the hospital and placed in an area restricted to family only. Since Sara's family consisted of her CSI colleagues, they were allowed in to visit too.
"What is going to happen to Jonson, Oscar and Charlotte?" Sara asked a few days later as she and Gil were sitting in her hospital room chatting.
"Well jail for the two men of course, they lied, they conspired to commit murder, arson, a whole bunch of charges. Charlotte is going to get jail time too, but she is also in need of counseling. She annulled her marriage to Oscar and basically severed all ties and relations with her father. She even changed her name and identity so no one could link her to Al Jonson or Oscar.
"I'm sorry Griss, I am so sorry. This never would have happened if I had not snooped at that letter from Terri Miller."
"I should never have left that letter on my desk, and I should have told everyone that Terri married David Hodges. He didn't want anybody to know so that is why I didn't tell."
"Ecklie is partly to blame too"
Sara got up from her hospital bed and went over to Grissom. She did not want to talk about Ecklie she had been without Grissom for far too long. She was in the mood for one thing and one thing only…