Inspired by my morning run :) Hope you like, let me know what you think
x x x x
She felt the air getting thin around her. Quickly casting her head to the side, she briefly glimpsed the barren surroundings, before returning her attention to the deserted road lying ahead. Her heart felt lighter out here, with nothing to hear but the sounds of her feet drumming on the ground and her own laboured breath echoing in her chest; with nothing to see but miles of empty nothingness.
X x x
Catherine was well and truly in panic mode now.
When she had awoken to find Sara's bed empty, she assumed the girl was in the shower, or downstairs. However, having eliminated both of them along with well as the garden and the car, she had come to the only other conclusion. Sara had run away.
Grabbing her car keys, Catherine tore out of the house like a bat out of hell, barely remembering to lock the door behind her. Her hair was untamed, her clothes were crumpled but she didn't care; she was a woman on a mission.
Pulling out of her drive one handed-while simultaneously trying to call Sara's cell, she plotted the fastest route to her destination: after all, there was only one place she could think of that Sara would go.
X x x
She hit the ground with a dull thud, her heart pounding against her ribcage. She fell back, letting the hot earth burn her skin. Dust clouds swirled around her playfully as she lay there, gasping for breath. The fierce sun burnt through her closed eyelids, casting a bright glow around the self-conjured images dancing before her eyes. She felt the powerful rays scorching her face. She imagined that if she stayed there long enough, it could burn off her entire skin and she could start again with a new one.
X x x
Catherine stumbled blindly over the low wall, crashing inelegantly through the neat park towards the carousel.
"Sara?" She called pitifully, choosing to ignore the judgemental looks from the other parents. How careless of her to lose her child, they were probably thinking. Perhaps they were right.
She found the hedge that she had clambered through that night she'd stumbled upon Sara, complete with the nice hole she'd made in it. Repressed images from that night tried to force their way to the front of her mind but she clamped down on them. "Sara?" She called again, walking around the hedge.
The old carousel; dilapidated and battered but as majestic as ever loomed before her, creaking in the early morning breeze...alone.
X x x
Forlorn, and significantly more panicked than before, Catherine drove home. She continued to cast anxious glances at her phone. She had tried to call Grissom, the only person who might still be at the lab at this hour, but he hadn't picked up so she'd left him a message. Well, three messages.
She didn't really think Sara would go to the lab anyway, but she had no idea where else to look. It had never crossed her mind to ask where Sara's hangouts were.
She had been racking her brains trying to think what could have caused her to split like this.
Last night they had watched a movie with Lindsey, followed by a slightly more adult movie once the little one went to bed. Sara had seemed relaxed and calm; she had seemed herself for the first time in weeks. They had gone to bed happy, and at some point in the night she had decided to up and leave without a word.
With a heavy sigh and a silent prayer that Sara had found her way home, Cath turned the vehicle onto the drive...
...and there was the girl herself, sitting on the front lawn, serene face turned up to the morning sun.
X x x
"Thank God." She muttered, slamming the car door shut, startling Sara out of her reverie. The brunette smiled at her, but it soon faded. "Where the hell have you been?" Catherine demanded, running a hand through her hair.
"I went for a run." Sara answered, slightly caught off guard at Catherine's tone. Cath looked Sara up and down, taking her appearance in: sweatpants, tank top, unruly hair stuffed haphazardly into a bobble. Cath sighed, dropping onto the dew-soaked grass next to her.
"Jesus, Sara." She gasped, resting her head on her knees. "Don't scare me like that." The brunette frowned, startled at the older woman's excessive reaction to her morning exercise.
"I'm sorry." She stuttered. Catherine looked up, meeting her eyes for the first time. She softened her features, laying a hand over Sara's.
"It's okay. Just, why didn't you tell me where you were going?"
"You were sleeping; I didn't want to disturb you." Sara explained.
"A note, then?" Cath pressed. Sara frowned.
"I left a note." She said. Catherine shook her head; it was too early for this.
"Come on." She said, tugging her hand lightly.
Inside, she made a beeline for the coffee – the freshly brewed coffee. And sitting beside it, in plain sight, was a note. Cath chuckled dryly. "'Gone for a run, back soon. Breakfast in the fridge.'" She read. She opened the fridge, instantly hit by the smell of freshly made pancakes. With a heavy sigh she slammed it shut and poured two cups of coffee. She drifted back into the lounge, where Sara was sat in the corner of the couch, staring at the floor dejectedly.
"I'm sorry." Cath started, dropping the note onto the table and placing one mug in front of her friend. She didn't even know if Sara liked coffee after running. Hell, she hadn't even known Sara went running. "I just panicked when I couldn't find you."
"I didn't mean to scare you." Sara promised quietly, "I left the note by the coffee because it's the first place you go." Catherine laughed.
"Second place." She said pointedly. Sara nodded in understanding. Clearly she was the first place Cath went on a morning.
"I just needed to clear my head." She explained softly. "I was wondering why you'd locked me out." She added with slight amusement. Cath chuckled.
"Yeah, sorry about that." She paused, watching Sara for a long moment. She looked hot, and tired. But there was something else, something different about her today. "Do you feel better?" She asked at last. A small smile crept onto Sara's face.
"Yeah, I do." Catherine matched her expression, reaching out to interlink their fingers.
"Then it's okay."
X x x
They sat like that for a while until Sara excused herself to go grab a shower. She barely made it to the bottom of the stairs when the phone started ringing. Cath leant across the couch to grab it from its cradle.
"Hello ... oh." Sara hovered, watching her expression change with curiosity. "Gil, calm down, everything's fine; I found her." An amused laugh bubbled from Sara's lips. Catherine stuck her tongue out playfully, silently threatening to throw a cushion at her as Gil continued to rant down the line. "No, I can promise you she's absolutely fine." She assured him, content for once that that might actually be true.