Little bit longer to make up for the wait :) Let me know what you guys think x

x x x x

"Lindsey!" Catherine hollered, taking the stairs two at a time. She had turned her back for one second and her little girl had vanished. And she had a pretty good idea of where she would find her.

"Lindsey." She scolded quietly, shuffling into her bedroom. The little blonde was on her knees on the bed, staring resolutely at Sara's sleeping face. "I thought I told you to stay downstairs." She said softly, trying not to wake her colleague.

"Why's Sara here?" Lindsey asked, not moving.

"She had a little accident at work, so she's staying here for a while." Cath explained, walking over to her. "But she's very tired so we don't want to wake her up." She placed both hands on her daughter's small waist and picked her up, balancing her on her hip. Lindsey's hand trailed behind, reaching down to the brunette in vain as she was carried out.

X x x

Later, with Lindsey fed and successfully occupied with her homework, Cath snuck into her own room, only to find it empty.

"Sara?" She queried. There was no answer, but she noticed a light creeping around the bathroom door. "Sara?" She asked again, rapping softly on the door, then a little louder. When she got no answer, she gripped the door and creaked it wider open, peeping inside.

Sara was in there, but she wasn't moving.

"Sar?" Cath asked, edging into the room. The girl was stood in front of the sink, her unwavering gaze fixed on her reflection.

Her t-shirt lay discarded on the floor.

Fighting every maternal instinct in her body, Catherine resisted the urge to wrap her in a hug. She wanted at least to reach out to her but she was not sure Sara had seen her yet. So she just kept edging closer.

A flash of movement in the mirror caught Sara's eye and she jumped, arms wrapping across her bare chest. Her dark eyes betrayed her shock and fear at being caught out.

Slowly, Catherine bent down and picked up the t-shirt before approaching the apprehensive brunette. She held the garment out and Sara snatched it back, holding it against her.

"What were you doing?" Catherine asked, keeping her voice non-accusing. Sara cast her eyes down, fidgeting awkwardly. Catherine didn't give up. She took another step, bringing her directly in front of Sara. The brunette glanced up, her cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment. Slowly, trying not to alarm the girl, Cath raised her hand and gently prised Sara's hands away from her body.

To her relief there were no cuts, no bleeding. However she did see something else.

On Sara's chest, at the top of her right breast, was a faded but undeniable scar.

And Catherine did not need to be an investigator to know what it was.

That was a bite mark.

"I wish it would disappear." Sara whispered, looking away. Cath sighed.

"Oh honey." She shook her head sadly, reaching out a hand to stroke the mark with the pad of her thumb. A thought struck her. "Come here." She took Sara's hand and led her back into the bedroom. Depositing Sara on the bed, she began rummaging through her vanity table, searching for something. After a few private mutterings she returned triumphant; a small plastic bottle in her hand. She sat next to Sara, who was eyeing the bottle suspiciously. Catherine ignored this as she leant across her to click the bedside lamp on. Blonde hair grazed her bare chest, causing her to hold her breath instinctively. "Alright." Cath said, leaning back. She carefully moved Sara's hair aside, revealing the mark better.

She uncapped the bottle and squeezed a bit of the clear, runny liquid into her palm. Sara watched her hands warily as Cath dipped her fingers into the fluid and gently touched it to the scar. It was cold and Sara jumped at the contact. "Sorry." Cath said with a half smile. She tenderly massaged it in, letting her fingers stroke Sara's soft skin, perhaps for a little longer than necessary.

Without warning, she repeated the motions on Sara's stomach.

"What is it?" Sara asked eventually, swallowing hard at the unusual feelings this was causing.

"Bio oil." Cath answered, not looking up from her motions. "Improves skin tone, gets rid of stretch marks, fades scars..."

X x x

"What did you do?" Lindsey asked, shuffling closer to Sara, peering at the re-dressed bandage on her face.

"Lindsey!" Cath scolded, frowning at her daughter. Sara, however, just laughed.

"It's okay Cat. I tripped, fell down some stairs."

"How?" She scrunched up her little nose curiously.

"Well, you know when your mom tells you to tie up your laces?" Lindsey nodded eagerly. "It's true. You should." Sara glanced up and caught Catherine's eye, sending her a sly wink. The blonde was chuckling to herself quietly, shaking her head.

"Did it hurt?" Apparently question time wasn't over yet.

"A lot." Sara admitted. The little girl opened her mouth again but Catherine placed her hands on her shoulders, silencing her.

"Linds, baby, why don't you show Sara your artwork?" the little girl skipped off upstairs and Catherine took her place on the couch. She leant back, relaxing into the cushions. "You're laces are always tied." She pointed out.

"Makes a good point though, don't you think?" Sara grinned at her. Cath laughed softly. She patted Sara's knee.

"You seem happier now." She stated, twisting to see her face better. Sara nodded slowly, chewing the inside of her cheek thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry about earlier." She mumbled at last. Cath smiled.

"Don't be. You just scared me that's all, I'm not used to you zoning out on me all the time." She admitted, moving her hand from Sara's knee to link their fingers together loosely, feeling the soft fabric of the bandage beneath her touch.

"I'm just..." Sara started, then trailed off, lapsing into silence for a long moment. "Why did he do it?" She asked at last. Catherine paused, unsure of who 'he' was. Hoping for the best, she took a guess.

"He was trying to help you. He just went about it the wrong way." Sara looked up, a frown etched into her expression and for a moment Cath thought she'd got it wrong.

"He stole my file. It was hard enough telling all that stuff to my doctor, now you guys know too. I never wanted anyone to find out." She mumbled, sinking into the cushions.

"I know honey." Cath said sympathetically, tucking a strand of hair behind Sara's ear. "But now that we do know, we can help." She pointed out. "We can keep a closer eye on you; make sure you're not struggling with anything." Unconsciously, Sara's hand returned to her stomach. "Yes, that too." Cath said softly, letting her know that she had spotted the movement. Sara wanted to speak, to say something in her defence, but there were no words.

Not that it mattered, because when she looked up she was presented with a smiley little blonde and a picture of Tinkerbelle.