By the time that Catherine and the others arrived at the townhouse, Sara had managed to clean herself up and deal with the mess in the garbage can. She had taken a shower in the guest bathroom, letting the water run over her as she cleared her mind, thinking about every single thing that had happened. Maybe it was time for her to stop running and take a stand, to make a decision, even if it was something she did not want to do. Changing into a pair of sweats and a tank top, she pulled her hair into a pony tail before making her way back towards their bedroom.

As she went in to collect Gil's clothes from the bathroom floor, she heard him from behind her. "We'll need to keep those." He said dejectedly as he sat on the bed, staring at the floor. "For evidence."

She turned to look at him, deciding to leave the clothes on the floor, pushing them aside with her right foot. "Catherine and the guys are on their way over." She told him. "Do you want to tell me?"

He shook his head. "Not alone." Looking up at her, he saw the concern in her eyes. "Come here, Sara." She complied, sitting next to him as he put his arms around her, kissing her forehead. "Things are going to get pretty rough... our life is about to become very complicated. I just want you to know how very sorry I am; that there are some things out there that I am powerless to protect you from...like everything you are going to hear tonight."

"You really scared me, you know." She told him, pulling away to look at him and study his eyes. "I'm worried about you, Griss...You're not acting yourself... You're doing things that are harmful... You almost killed someone." She was searching his features, her brown eyes filled with emotion. "Something's happening to you, Gil, I'm not sure what, but I just think maybe..." she swallowed hard as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Maybe this relationship..." she shook her head, motioning with her hand back and forth between the two of them, looking away as she tried to gain control of her voice before saying unsteadily, "Maybe we should end this...before you throw everything away."

"Sara..." He reached for her as the doorbell rang and she was up, grabbing her crutch as she left the room to let the others in. Gil sat as he heard voices in the living room, heard Catherine ask where he was and he just wished he could be sucked into a crack in the hardwood floor, pulled far away from this to a world where none of it ever happened.

In the other room, Sara greeted their friends with a nervous smile. Offering them a seat before going to the kitchen to make some coffee. As she filled the pot full of water, her eyes glanced the framed photo in the kitchen window, it was of her and Gil at Lake Mead a few months before. They were standing along the water, arms wrapped around each other as Sara held up the fish she'd caught. She smiled as she remembered the day; the fish was barely legal and she had almost fallen off the dock trying to reel it in, finally feeling sorry for it after the photo was taken to release it back into the water.

"Need some help?" She jumped as Nick entered the kitchen, eyeing her cautiously. She looked over at him as the tears poured out, covering her face with both hands as he pulled her to him. He let her cry for a few moments, rubbing her back. "This will all be over soon, Sweety." He said.

She nodded, pulling back and grabbing a napkin to wipe her eyes as Nick watched her. "Can you grab the coffee?" She sniffed as she finished filling the pot. He helped her finish the coffee, getting cups and a carafe out to bring everything into the front room. They didn't talk, letting the knowing silence of the situation guide them through the movements.

Finally, Sara spoke. "You think that your folks would mind if I went and spent a couple weeks with them?"

He was putting some juice on a tray and stopped, looking over at her. "My folks love you..." he answered, a puzzled look on his face. He and Sara had actually spent a few weekends and even a Thanksgiving at his parents' home in Texas; they adored her and scolded him regularly for not making her "his girl". "They'd be thrilled to have you...but, Sara...what's goin' on?"

She added a set of napkins to the tray he had, responding simply. "I just need to get away for awhile, and I think Gil needs some time to sort out everything."

Nick's jaw locked. "He's sending you away?"

"No...no, Nick... He doesn't know I'm thinking about this. This isn't his idea, it's mine." She sighed. "And honestly...I just came up with it, so please don't tell anyone."

He nodded. "Okay. Just let me know when and I'll call Mom; you know she is going to go hog wild...she's going to fuss over you like a kitten." He followed her into the living room where the others were waiting, talking quietly as they entered. He looked over at Gil, who looked miserable and lost as he watched Sara enter the room. Nick knew that Sara's leaving, even if only for a few weeks, was going to tear him apart.

He set the tray down, sitting next to Catherine as Sara sat next to Gil, his arm instinctively falling around her shoulders protectively. Sara scanned their faces, nearly everyone was there and it made the panic in her even worse. Warrick was pouring coffee for them and Greg handed out cups, Gil being the only to decline the offer.

"Well," Catherine finally broke the awkward silence as she offered Sara a small grin. "You know we're not here for good news." She said, looking at Gil. "You haven't told her anything?"

He shook his head, glancing at Sara, who was trying desperately not to look at him. "Okay..." Catherine continued. "Sara...you know how..."She took a deep breath, wondering how the guys conned her into being the one to deliver the news. "You know how you thought you saw Hodges sleeping in his car the night you were kidnapped?"

"Uh-huh..." Sara responded in a far away voice. She distinctively pressed herself closer to Gil, he squeezed her shoulder as she did so, reaching down to clasp her other hand that was lying in his lap.

Gil looked at Catherine, seeing how hard she was struggling with the reality of David Hodges's involvement, let alone having to tell Sara about it. "Honey..." He said, removing his arm from around her to join his other hand around her own. "This is not going to be easy to hear..."

"Then don't tell me." She said suddenly. "Just don't tell me...I don't want to hear it, I don't want to know. Just don't tell me."

"You have to know, Sara." Warrick said softly. "You are going to be asked a lot of questions about this and it is better that you hear it from us...your friends...then from someone else."

"But, you're going to tell me it is someone I know." She accused. "Someone... Like Greg," She motioned at him. "When they thought he did it, and he didn't do it...someone set him up." She shook her head as she looked at Greg. "No one I know would do this, there isn't anyone I can think of and if you're all trying to tell me that Hodges is involved..."

"Hodges was involved." Gil told her more firmly than he had anticipated. She recoiled, looking at him with disgust momentarily.

"Hodges??" She shot out. "Hodges?" She looked at all of them, a look of extreme distrust in her eyes. "No way...noooooo way..." She was shaking her head. "You're just saying that because none of you like him; because he's different. Because he isn't like you...but, he wouldn't do this. He didn't do this..."

"Sara," Catherine said. "They have him on video tape...they found your blood in the trunk of his car..." Sara was shaking her head, having recoiled completely from Gil.

"That was Hodges's blood?" She spat out at him, her eyes wide. "You almost killed Hodges?"

"He tried to kill you, Sara..." He nearly pleaded, trying to reach her hand as she jumped back away from him, looking at him as though he were a murderer.

"Sweety, listen..." Nick begged. "He's on the video tape...I know this is hard, but listen, Sara, please..."

"No..." she was shaking her head, still staring at Gil.

"He hit you from behind with a heavy flashlight." Catherine pressed, knowing they had to tell her, to make her believe them. Greg was up, pacing the room hating seeing Sara being tortured like this. "He picked you up, put you in his trunk...he put you under that car, Sara and he left you there...his prints are all over the evidence..."

"SHUT UP!" Sara screamed at her suddenly. "SHUT UP, CATHERINE!" She shot up off the couch, ignoring her crutches and the brutal pain in her leg as it protested the move. "HE DIDN'T DO THIS!! HE DIDN'T DO THIS!" She backed away from the couch, her leg threatening to give out on her as she did. She didn't care; she had to get out of there, had to get away from all of them. This was not true; she didn't know why they would lie to her, why they would blame Hodges, but this wasn't true.

"Sara...Honey..." Gil was up, trying to reach for her.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed, actually taking a swing at him with her arm, missing him by mere inches. "This is your fault!" She began sobbing, backing away more as she fell into the end table, supporting herself with her arm as coffee cups fell to the floor, shattering brutally as coffee splattered everywhere. "You always treated him bad...you were always so cruel to him...why did you have to be so mean to him?"

Bruno was by her side, standing protectively between her and Gil, unsure which of his owners he needed to protect the most. "Sara, please..." He begged as she recoiled even further.

Greg couldn't take it anymore, rushing over to Sara. "Stop!" He yelled. "Everyone just stop!" He was looking at Sara, "Sara please just stop...please..."

By now, everyone was standing, ready to grab her or intervene if things escalated. Sara looked from Gil to Greg, her eyes filled with an emotion close to hatred. "Just leave me alone." She said in a whisper, the vision of all of them standing around her making her heart thump madly in her chest, her fear level rising. "I want you all to just leave me alone." She backed away again, stumbling as she reached for her car keys.

Gil made a move to try and stop her, but she bolted, making it to the door before he had her arm, pulling her back. Without thinking Sara struck, slapping him across his face with enough force to snap his head back, blood trickled from his nose as she pulled away from him. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" She screamed as she opened the door. "Don't you ever touch me..." She ran out the door, limping slightly as she ran to her car, opening the door to get in as Warrick and Nick rushed out after her. She was out of the driveway, the tires squealing in protest as she put the car in drive, speeding out of sight.

Sara raced down the road, not really sure where she was going. The tears were blinding her as she drove, and she wiped them away angrily as she flew past stop signs and streetlights, making her way to the interstate before she was able to calm her nerves enough to slow the vehicle down. She took some steadying breaths, gripping the steering wheel tight as she drove, trying to figure out where she was going and what she was doing. She slowly realized that she had struck Gil; she had actually physically hurt him. The realization brought a new wave of tears and she wanted to turn the car around, to drive back to their home and hold him, telling him how sorry she was.

She continued driving, making it 50 miles down the interstate before pulling off the road and staring into the dark horizon. Her leg was throbbing, and she silently cursed it, telling herself that running from the house without her crutches was all good therapy. She didn't know how long she sat along the road, staring out the windshield as cars flew by her before she finally pulled back out, driving to the next exit where she turned the car around, heading back towards Vegas.

An hour later, she hobbled into the hospital ward at the Las Vegas confinement center. Her leg hurt, but she thought she was doing pretty well considering. She had a spare set of crutches in her car that Gil had put in for her, and they offered some relief from the steady throbbing. She reached the reception desk, flashing her badge. "CSI Sidle." She said. "I'm here to see David Hodges."

The officer behind the desk eyed her suspiciously. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hodges is on strict prohibitive security...no one's allowed in or out."

Sara glared at him. "Anyone I can talk to about his condition?"

He nodded, picking up the phone and calling in a supervisor, telling her to take a seat. She waited a few minutes before a uniformed Lietenant came up to her, introducing himself and asking her to follow him. They came to a room with a thick plexi-glass partitioned window and Sara gasped as she saw Hodges, laying in a hospital bed, arms and legs handcuffed to the rails as he slept. His face was horribly swollen and his head completely bandaged; she had a hard time comprehending that Gil had done that much damage to him. "Is he...uhm..." she swallowed, remembering all of her training at being subjective. "Will he recover?"

The Lietenant looked at her. "For now." He responded. "Once he gets into the prison system?" He shrugged. "I don't know...prison guards don't take too kindly to someone who tries to murder a fellow Law Enforcement personnel." He stared at her a moment. "Dr. Grissom would have been doing him a favor by killing him."

"You have a lot of people out looking for you." Sara turned to see Jim Brass coming up to them, nodding at the Lietenant. "I got half my squad out patrolling the city trying to find you."

"Well, aren't you the lucky one then." She replied coldly, looking back at Hodges."Good thing you have contacts all over the damn place to keep tabs on me." She glared at the Lietenant before turning away from the window, walking past Jim as she headed for the exit.

"What do you want me to tell Gil, Sara?" He called as she pushed open the door.

She turned to look at him sadly. "Tell him I'm sorry." She said as she exited, the door swinging closed behind her.

Gil sat in the lobby of the Las Vegas court building, awaiting his departmental judicial review; his black suit feeling far too constricting in the Vegas heat. He had not seen or heard from Sara since she ran from their home the week before and he was beside himself with concern. Nick had come to the house a few days after, collecting some of her things to send to his parents' home in Texas, where Sara was staying. Nick himself had not spoken to Sara, his mother instead calling him to request Sara's things and to tell him to 'just give her some time'. It seemed as though, to all of her friends, that Sara wanted nothing to do with any of them. Gil had tried calling her multiple times, letting the voice mail pick up just so he could hear her voice. He had left messages until her voice box was full, but she had not returned a call.

Jim Brass came up next to him, taking a seat as they waited for Ecklie to call them in. "How're you doing, Gil?" He asked

Gil looked at him, spreading his hands in a 'I don't know' gesture. "I wish that Sara were here." He said as the door opened and Ecklie called them in. They went into the courtroom, the temperature much cooler than the lobby and for that Gil was relieved. Undersheriff McKeen sat at a big table along with the lab's head director Dr. Derrick Davis, two judges, and a Federal representative. Gil could feel the noose tighten around his neck as he took a seat next to Jim and across from Ecklie.

"This is the Departmental judicial disciplinary review for Doctor Gilbert James Grissom," One of the judges began, rattling off the names of everyone in attendance. "Dr. Grissom has been a member of the Las Vegas Crime Lab for..." he looked at his notes, "21 years, with no previous disciplinary issues or corrective actions noted." He looked at Ecklie, indicated it was his turn to speak.

McKeen looked at Gil, seeing the exhausted appearance of a man who had hit rock bottom. He had always respected Gil Grissom and honestly hoped that the department would side with him. He was a damn good CSI.

"Thank you, You're Honor." Ecklie began as he eyed Gil. "It is true that Dr. Grissom has been an exempliary asset to the Las Vegas crime division for many years. However, in the last month alone he has been arrested for a DUI, wrecked a company assigned vehicle while intoxicated, physically attacked me and beat a subordinate nearly to death during an interrogation." He mentioned exhibit numbers, passing them around the table for everyone to observe. Gil didn't bother looking at any of them; he knew what they were. "Luckily, CSI Hodges will make a full recovery, but the psychological damages inflicted upon him are evident, not to mention the excessive repairs necessary to fix the damage to the interrogation room."

Gil glared at Ecklie. "What about the psychological damages he infliced on CSI Sidle?" He demanded. "What about the trauma she suffered being beaten and put under a car left to die? Not to mention the fact that he deliberately tried to kill her while she was in a comatose state at the hospital by injecting her with dangerous medicinal combinations?"

The judge banged a gavel, looking at Gil. "Dr. Grissom," He cautioned. "I will ask you to keep your temper down and wait your turn."

Gil nodded, still glaring at Ecklie. Ecklie returned the look, continuing. "Dr. Grissom is suffering an elevated level of agitation over CSI Sidle due to another departmental violation." He said coolly. "Dr. Grissom is CSI Sidle's direct supervisor, he has been for several years. He is fully aware that any personal relationship between a supervisor and a subordinate must be kept strictly limited, yet for the past two years he and Sidle have been romantically, and physically, involved...unknown to the department. They currently reside together as a couple and this is in harsh violation of departmental policy"

The judges looked at Gil. "Is this true, Dr. Grissom?" One asked him as they both jotted notes on paper.

He nodded. "Yes." He said softly.

"Do you disagree with anything that Conrad Ecklie is telling us?"

"Only that David Hodges inflicted psychological damage on not only Sara, but each and every one of her co-workers as well."

"Enough to justify killing him?" The first Judge asked him, watching him intently.

Gil swallowed, looking at them. "It was never my intention to kill David Hodges." He replied. "I was acting on an impulse, a moment of temporary insanity if you will. You both saw the news, you read the papers...Your Honors have both seen the photographs of what David Hodges did to Sara Sidle. When I grabbed him, the only thing I could see was her lying under that car covered in blood."

The two judges exchanged glances, the older one looking back to him. "So, you are saying that your emotional involvement with CSI Sidle clouds your ability to remain objective?"

He nodded. "I am saying that it did, at that moment, yes."

"How can we know that will not happen again?"

'Because she left me' He thought. "I have worked with CSI Sidle for seven years in the crime lab." He responded in an objective professional tone. "She and I have been involved in a relationship for two years, and during this time we have both maintained only a professional, working relationship while on duty. We have not let our relationship carry over into our responsibilities to the lab or to this city."

"Until now." Ecklie said.

Gil looked at him. "Tell me, Conrad." He said. "If it was your wife, or your daughter, that David Hodges put under that car...if you'd had to watch them suffer as Sara suffered, would you not do everything in your power...stop the world if you had to...to protect them?"

"Sidle isn't your wife, Gil." Ecklie responded. "She's your employee...and she is a handful"

McKeen shifted in his seat, leaning on the table to address the judges. "Who CSI Sidle is or isn't is not at issue here." He said. "What is at issue is Dr. Grissom's recent departmental violations. I think we can make it through this meeting, Mr. Ecklie, without turning this into a Sara-bashing episode."

"Duly noted." The judge said. "Mr. Ecklie will keep his comments about CSI Sidle to himself unless it is a direct reflection of this case."

Dr. Davis cleared his throat. "I would like to point out that other than an issue of insubordination against Conrad Ecklie himself two years ago, CSI Sidle has been an outstanding pilar of commitment to the lab with a solve rate that far surpasses any of her peers. She is a brilliant CSI and has been a dedicated employee; definitely not a handful...I do not want your own personal feelings clouding this investigation, Ecklie."

"Gil Grissom attacked a man." Ecklie pushed. "Violently...I do not see how he cannot be held accountable for those actions."

"Gil Grissom acted out of a moment of temporary insanity." Jim Brass spoke up. "He was not acting out of pre-meditation, he did not have time to consider his actions before it happened, Conrad. I know, I was there." He stopped, thinking of how Sara had just up and left him without so much as a goodbye."Besides, I think he is already suffering greatly for those actions...David Hodges had plenty of time to think of his actions before he brutally attacked Sara and left her for dead. Everyone in Las Vegas knows that."

"There will be in inquest into the attack of CSI Hodges." One of the judges said. "Whether or not Dr. Grissom faces criminal charges on that matter will be determined at that time." He looked to the federal representative. "Dr. Hennessy, your recommendation."

"Dr. Grissom," Dr. Hennessy began."Under your direction, the Las Vegas Crime lab has gone from a ranking of 14 to the number 1 lab in the country; that is pretty impressive. It is no question that you have been a dedicated representative to the people of the State of Nevada. What is at question is your ability to perform your duties given the events of just this past month, and this is what we must determine. You have not had vacation in over 12 years, indicating that you are suffering a state of burn out, exemplified by the circumstances involving CSI Sidle. It is my recommendation therefore, based on your recent conduct, that you are suspended with pay until a full inquest is completed into your actions and a process is in place for your treatment for anger and substance issues."

Gil stared him. Substance issues? Anger, he could accept, but he didn't have substance issues.

The lead judge looked around the room. "Does anyone have any objection to Mr. Henessey's recommendation?"

Gil said nothing, he knew this was going easier than he thought. Ecklie opened his mouth to say something, stopping and then continuing. "What about the relationship with CSI Sidle? Shouldn't he refrain from contact until this is complete?

Dr. Davis spoke up. "I see no reason to refrain Dr. Grissom from contact with her." He said. "Obviously, the entire event regarding her kidnapping has put both CSI Sidle and Dr. Grissom under a great deal of duress and up until that event there have been no issues with the relationship, other than that it is strictly against departmental policy."

"Noted." The judges conversed quietly for a moment. "Dr. Grissom, you are officially relieved of your duties as Supervisor for the Las Vegas Crime lab until a full investigation is completed and recommendations are brought forth about your future status at the lab. Please turn in your badge and gun to Dr. Davis and do not return to the lab until this investigation is complete. You will be paid full scale while on leave." He banged the gavel. "This meeting is adjourned."

Gil stood, dumbstruck, as Dr. Davis approached him reaching out to shake Gil's hand. "I have always had a lot of respect for you, Gil." He said. "I am very sorry it has come to this, but I guarantee that our inquest will be fair and objective...I'll be expecting you to drop off your gun and badge this afternoon."

Gil walked out, feeling numb. He had said, years before, during an interrogation of Dr. Lurie, that he was not able to sacrafice everything that he had worked for to have Sara, but he had done just that. And not only was he losing everything he had worked for, but he was also losing Sara. And Gil didn't know which hurt worse.