x x x x

"I thought you quit." She heard the detective's rough voice behind her and felt him lean against the railing, but didn't meet his eyes.

"I needed it." She answered simply, taking another drag of her illicit cigarette.

"Yeah, I uh, I heard what happened."

"Really?" Cath asked, not in the least bit surprised. She was sure it was all over the lab by now.

"Nicky." Brass explained anyway. To his credit, he didn't ask for elaboration or explanation, although she knew that he must be dying to know what it was all about.

Cath continued to stare out over the view of Las Vegas. She started to raise the cigarette to her lips but Brass took it from her and stomped it out beneath his foot.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" He asked when she turned to glare at him.

"What can I do? She doesn't want to talk to me." She sighed, folding her arms on the cold railings and resting her head on them desolately.

"Come on Cath, you just announced to her – and half the lab – that you're her mother. She probably doesn't know what to think right now." Jim pointed out.

"I didn't mean for her to find out like that." She mumbled. "It's just such a mess – I just want the chance to explain it to her, properly."

"There'll be plenty of time for that." He brushed it aside. "She doesn't need to know the details right now; she just needs to know that you're there for her and that you understand what she's going through."

Catherine choked out a laugh, shaking her head.

"With all due respect, Jim," she pursed her lips tightly, "the only thing that Sara accepts worse than criticism is pity."

He chuckled, conceding her point.

"Alright, so, don't say anything. Just be there." The detective pushed. "Let her be mad at you, let her get upset if that's what she needs."

Catherine thought about his words for a moment before emitting a pathetic sigh.

"I don't even know where she is. She ran off." She moaned sadly.

Jim smiled and took her by the arm, leading her to the other side of the roof, where he pointed down to the parking lot. More specifically, to a car with a certain brunette stretched out on her back across the roof, staring at the stars. Catherine couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped her lips at the sight. She had assumed that Sara had taken off back home, or to a bar to drown her sorrows.

Apparently she hadn't even left the lot.

Offering a grateful smile at Jim, she turned to leave.

"Go be a mother Cath," he called after her. "It's what you do best."

X x x

Catherine approached the car slowly, not wanting to startle her, but once again Sara seemed to sense her presence before she even saw her.

"This is a joke, right?" The young woman asked, not tearing her gaze from the night sky.

"It's not a joke, Sara." Catherine answered softly, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to shield herself from the cold. Sara sat up, looking down at Cath with a perplexed expression.

"You can't be...you can't..."

"I am." Cath tentatively approached the car.

"No." Sara shook her head, refusing to believe it. "No, because you ... you're from Vegas, and I, I wasn't born in Vegas."

"No." Catherine agreed. "You were born in Santa Cruz. On my kitchen floor."

Sara blinked at her, not quite sure how to respond. If Catherine were making it up, she would have expected her to say San Francisco, or perhaps Bodega Bay.

But she was right. According to her birth certificate, Sara had been born in Santa Cruz. She had never known why she was born there, when to her knowledge she had only ever lived in Tomales Bay, 130 miles North of Santa Cruz.

Shuffling down the windscreen until she was sat on the bonnet, she met Catherine's gaze. The blonde was watching her cautiously, letting her revelation sink in.

"How can you...how did ...?"

Cath answered with the only word that she could manage to form.

"Jack."

"My brother?" Sara frowned, visibly thrown by the response. Cath shook her head slowly.

"Your father."

X x x

"Say something."

"Like what?"

"Anything." Catherine shrugged. Sara remained where she was sat on the bonnet and eventually Catherine had had the guts to climb up next to her, ensuring she kept enough distance not to crowd her. The brunette was staring into space and had not spoken a word in several minutes. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking ... I need a drink." Sara exhaled.

"Okay." Cath drawled. "We could do that."

"I meant alone." Sara's voice was raw with emotion, her composure slowly falling down.

Cath looked away, sad, but not that shocked by Sara's reaction. However, Sara made no ovet effort to move, so Catherine remained where she was too.

It was starting to rain.

She didn't know what made her do it, but Cath reached out a trembling hand and brushed Sara's hair aside, tenderly stroking the faded mark on her neck. Last time it rained in Las Vegas her daughter was raped. Sara pulled away and Catherine dropped her hand sadly into her lap.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "Sara, you've opened up to me a lot in the last few weeks. I don't want to lose that. I know that it's not going to be easy, but we don't have to start from scratch again..."

Before she could continue, Sara had hopped off the car and was walking away in the direction of the street. Cath followed suit and jogged to catch her up.

"Why don't you come back to mine. I can explain some more." She pleaded. "It might start to make sense..."

"No." Sara mumbled, shrugging her off.

"There are things I can show you that might help..." Cath tried again but Sara's mind was made up.

"No, I just need to be alone." The girl said firmly. Turning her back on Catherine, she walked away, dazed, into the rain.

X x x

It was coming down hard now.

Catherine was vaguely aware of a coat being draped around her shoulders. She must be drenched, but she hadn't noticed. To be honest she had no idea how long she had been sitting out here on the sidewalk, staring vacantly in the direction that Sara had vanished.

Jim sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"She hates me." She cried, tears mingling with the rain as they streamed down her face. Brass didn't say anything; he just tightened his grip, holding her together as heart-wrenching sobs choked their way from her frail body.