In the silence following Catherine's departure, everyone tried to catch each other's eyes at once.

Sara caught Warrick's.

"You want me to go?" he offered.

"I'll go," Sara said.

It was her that was apparently the cause – though the reason eluded her. With a sigh she got to her feet, dropping the throw blanket back on the couch, and after giving Catherine a brief head start, followed her out of the room.

She found her on the outdoor terrace, striding across the paved outdoor area towards a set of sun lounges, now set under the desert stars.

Sara hesitated, just outside the doorway, before wandering over. The night air was cold, a chill wind blowing across the landscape.

"Is it safe to approach?" she asked. "Or should I bring my duelling pistols?"

Catherine turned on the spot, eyeballing her.

"Very funny," she remarked.

Sara sighed as she reached her, and motioned to the lounges.

"Come sit down," Sara urged.

Catherine looked like she was almost tempted to argue, and possibly put Sara through the wringer, but then surrendered. Sara understood, too, that it had been a long day, with not just a hike but their confessions in the living room, and the trauma that weighed heavily on their shoulders.

Catherine sat with a sigh, opposite her, her knees touching Sara's.

"Tell me what's going on," Sara invited.

She had to wait a moment before Catherine spoke, and in that moment she watched as her friend's blue eyes wandered all over the landscape, the breeze blowing around the ends of her red hair. She looked wary, but also like she was struggling to wrestle her emotions into order.

"Take your time," Sara said.

"It's just –" Catherine heaved a deep breath "- what happened out there –"

"When I passed out?" Sara asked, trying to be helpful.

"You died," Catherine corrected. "The fact that we resuscitated you doesn't change that."

In a flash all the anger had returned to Catherine's eyes. But just as quick as it came, it vanished again, and in its wake Sara saw trauma – Catherine's blue eyes still looked everywhere but at her – over the landscape, the horse paddocks, the distant stars. She looked both angry and heartbroken.

"I mean, God, do you even know what that was like?" Catherine's eyes locked hard onto her, pressing in. "Sitting there, not knowing if you were going to wake up? If that was the end?"

Sara let out a breath. This was one subject, if truth be told, that she would rather never, ever talk about. But she could hardly go back inside. She had to stick it out.

"Tell me," she said, softly.

"I had nightmares for months," Catherine went on, "Watching everyone get thinner. Wondering what lay ahead, how long we had –"

Sara drew in another breath.

"- if we were going to die, one by one. Or get shot or raped. Sometimes I dreamt I'd be last, alone out there. And then we finally came through the gateway – whatever you call it – and you weren't moving –"

"I imagine that was scary," Sara said, trying to empathise.

"Scary?" Catherine's eyes were critical. "The word doesn't even cut it. Doesn't even come close. No word comes close to what that was like."

Sara let out a breath. She had no idea what Catherine wanted from her.

"And you were so still," Catherine went on, still firing. "It's not like in Vegas where we can call for help. We were isolated in the middle of nowhere. And Gil was crying, Nick in shock. And all we could do was keep trying, hoping you would hear us –"

"I did hear you," Sara said, leaning forward to seize her hand. "I woke up. The resuscitation worked."

"You were out," Catherine said. "And what are we supposed to do now? Just move on? Pretend that nothing happened? That you didn't die out there? That all this is okay?"

Catherine cocked her head to the side, staring at her, demanding answers. But Sara didn't have any.

"Cat, I'm alive," Sara said. "I'm right here. I'm okay."

"You were dead. And –"

She went to rant on, possibly endlessly, but then, abruptly, ran out of breath. She shook her head, closed her eyes, and sank her forehead into one hand, exhausted. Sara chose to give her a second, and squeezed her hand in solidarity, before realising that Catherine's shoulders were trembling, and that she was actually crying – wracking sobs shaking her body.

In a flash Sara got up, and crossed to sit on the same sun lounge. Suddenly she knew what to do, knew what it was about, and with a shush noise she urged Catherine into her arms.

"Come here – come here …"

Catherine's face pressed against her shoulder, and Sara held her as nine months of trauma, of horror, and of staying strong and denying everything took hold. Sara held her tight, and rocked her softly from side to side.

"Let it out. Let it out …"

Catherine said nothing.

"You're going to have us around for a long time, Cat," she vowed. "I promise. There's no getting rid of us now."

XXX

In the early morning, Sara lay awake, enjoying the peace and serenity which had fallen over the house. Next to her Grissom was asleep, and on the other mattresses her friends had finally drifted off. It had been a late night, both due to their talk with Dianne and Brass, and also Catherine's distress afterward. After Sara had hugged her, Dianne Curtis had emerged, having obviously peeked from behind the curtains to see if they were okay, and she had walked out with the calm authority of a mother, and offered a box of tissues. Dianne had also offered to call Catherine's mother, if she wanted her, but Catherine turned her down flat – an act for which Sara was not surprised. Sara knew that Catherine, more than anyone, hated an audience.

When she had dried her eyes they had walked back into the house, and thankfully, the others had the sense to be discrete about it. Sofia had hugged her, obviously worried, but Grissom and Warrick said nothing, knowing Catherine too well to ask questions. After that they had changed into their pyjamas, and they had never got around to asking Dianne or Brass what they had thought of the story, or even if they believed them. Part of Sara was glad about that, and understood, too, that it would probably take days for them to digest it, or even weeks. An opinion was a long time away.

As Sara lay awake, though, she felt calm, and was enjoying the darkness and quiet when she sensed Grissom wake, shifting beside her.

"Can't sleep?" he whispered.

"Nope," Sara replied.

She stared up at the ceiling, mulling things over, and was watching the light gradually turn to a pale purple behind the curtains, as sunrise approached.

All of a sudden Grissom sat up, pushing the blanket down to his waist. He gave a look to their four friends, but they were all fast asleep.

"Want some air?" he asked.

"Sure," she replied.

They crept out of the bedroom, and down the dark hallway to the kitchen. There Grissom turned the light on and sculled some water, but Sara had already drifted to the living room windows, eyeing the first hint of sunrise on the distant horizon. The world was still dim, and full of shadows, but in another half hour it would be light.

"Enjoying the view?" he queried, joining her.

Sara leaned against the window frame, not removing her eyes from the night desert.

"It's one thing I'll miss," she confessed. "Having the time to take in the sunrise – or sunset."

"To be at one with nature," Grissom said, understanding. "To appreciate its beauty, and its rhythms…"

Sara looked to him, surprised that he understood so well, and then smiled. After a moment he smiled back at her.

"Well, we have time now," he suggested.

He inclined his head to the outside door.

"Let's go," she replied.

They found coats on the coat pegs and tugged them on, and Sara jammed her bare feet into shoes. The fact was, her pajamas were thin, and she appreciated the thick duffel coat as they stepped outside, into the night. There was a still a slight breeze, chilling but not icy, and they held hands automatically as they drifted away from the house, down the slopes toward the horse paddocks and barn.

"What do you think?" she asked at last.

"About what?" he replied.

"Last night," she said. "I never got a chance to tell if they believed us."

They paused beside the paddock, stopping to admire the horse for a while, and beside her, she sensed him shrug.

"It was hard to tell," he said. "I don't think they believe that we're lying. But nor do I think they believed it."

"I wouldn't believe it," Sara said. "If I was in their shoes."

"The problem is, they know we're telling the truth. Our stories are too well coordinated. Too natural. Jim knows a liar when he sees one. And I don't think Dianne will disbelieve her own daughter. But all the same, it's a huge thing to ask anyone to take in."

Sara nodded. "It needs time. Maybe one day."

"Maybe," he conceded.

They leaned on the fence and watched the horse as it ate some grass, chewing slowly. On the distant horizon, Sara now saw a strip of yellow sunrise amongst the purple, and the world was slowly becoming a bit clearer. Nevertheless, it was still chilly, and she shivered, involuntarily.

"Come on," he said, and his arm landed on her back. "Let's get out of the cold."

He led her to the barn, out of the chilling wind, and they ascended a stairway of hay bales until they were up near the roof. Through the barn doorway Sara could still see the miles of desert outside, and she felt calm as Grissom kept his arm around her, apparently also at peace.

"Do you remember the last time we were in a hay stack?" Grissom asked.

Sara looked to him. A smile automatically hit her lips, and was reflected on his face.

"I couldn't forget it if I tried," she joked. "The others won't let it pass."

"At least we made them smile," he said.

Sara nodded. It was just like Grissom to take one for the team, to not care about jokes as long as his friends were coping. He was selfless like that.

But that's not where Sara's mind was. It had not escaped her notice that they were alone now for the first time in a week, or that her mind felt oddly at peace.

Only one thing occurred to her.

"You want to replicate it?" she suggested.

His eyes widened, just a fraction.

"We shouldn't," he said. "Your doctor said –"

"I'm done with what other people say," she corrected. "I feel good."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." And then, to calm him, added, "We can always stop at second base, if you're worried."

"Or third," he suggested.

She grinned. "You know I thought you'd need more convincing."

"If you're asking me to be the strong one, you might be disappointed."

"I wasn't asking."

She kissed him, and he kissed back, with twice the pressure. His hands slipped around her waist, holding and caressing her, and they made out for a while, simply enjoying each other's company, before Grissom removed his coat, and gently lay her back onto it, like a blanket.

He then leaned over her, and gently worked free the buttons that he done up so gentlemanly not ten minutes before. He kissed her passionately, and before she knew it she had lost track of what was happening, and felt a chill of outside air against her chest, as he worked her pajama shirt open. She still wore a bra underneath, largely because Nick and Warrick were also in their bedroom, and he broke free of kissing her for a second to sit back, admiring the view.

Sara slid her own hands out from under his T-shirt. Despite the cold, he was still warm underneath.

"Admiring the view?" she quipped.

"You'd be disappointed if I didn't," he teased.

"Probably."

He kissed her again, and Sara, feeling things were far too one-sided, soon whipped off his grey T-shirt, and tossed it aside. She slid her hands over his chest, slow and sensually, but was caught off-guard as he descended and kissed her again, throwing her back onto the hay. In no time at all her bra was off, and she lay there bare-chested as his lips descended to her breasts, kissing and teasing, finally making contact with a nipple.

"Ah.." she said, eyes closing.

For once, he said nothing. He was entirely occupied with his task, and Sara was just sliding away into a far more pleasant state of consciousness when she heard it – a crack of twigs, a crunch of hay.

She turned her head, flat on the hay, and saw Sofia Curtis in the doorway.

"Now, how did I know I'd find you here?"

She leaned against the barn door, looking both amused and stunned, and Sara knew – they had been caught.

Thanks to those who left feedback - you keep me going. Hope you enjoyed this.