The days passed, and the group began to turn their minds to other things. Dianne, who had been concerned about the continued presence of the media and spectators down at the front gate, was glad to see the crowd finally dissipate, and after that, there were more administrative matters. First was getting back control of their assets – which had been allocated by the courts to a guardianship in their absence – and after that they had a brief foray into Las Vegas, visiting their homes, and gathering supplies. There seemed an unspoken agreement between them that they were not ready to return, and Grissom, acting on his need to move forward, started meeting with some estate agents, and inspecting properties. It did not take long to find one – properties in rural Nevada were not as in demand as those in the city – and though it was just a small wooden house and some surrounding land, it was cosy and tranquil.

It was a few days later that the lease was signed, and Sara stood in the middle of the bare living room. The house was still empty – they had yet to move in – and as she walked through its echoey rooms she felt a strange sense of peace. It was sunny outside, the desert grass blowing softly in a warm wind, and the bright light shone through the dusty windows.

She hovered at the window, taking in the view.

"It's gonna be weird without you guys," Nick said, behind her.

She heard a tremor in his voice, a slight regret.

"As we've said before, you're more than welcome to come," Grissom reiterated, kindly.

Sara looked over her shoulder. The entire group were there in the living room, having come over with them, but she sensed that although they smiled and were at ease, an inevitable conversation was looming. She took a breath, bracing herself for it.

"You're welcome to stay for as long as you like," she said, echoing Grissom. "It wouldn't be the same without you."

Sofia looked awkward. She saw her slip a discrete glance to Nick. A hint of prior agreement passed over their faces.

"We … should give you some privacy," Sofia said, awkward.

"We can't stay in this bubble forever," Warrick said, leaning against a door frame. "We have to handle things, sooner or later."

Sara had hoped it would be later, but pushed down her feelings. She saw that, ominously, Catherine had said nothing – which was rare for her.

"But, we can still spend time together, right?" Nick said, voice brightening a little. "I mean, it's just a bed at night, that's all. We can still do things."

"Of course we can," Grissom said. "We can take that kayaking trip you wanted, down the Colorado River."

Catherine scoffed, and turned away.

"What?" Nick asked.

"Kayaking?" she protested. She eyeballed him from across the room. "I grew up in the desert, Nicky. I can't swim."

"I'll teach you," Sara said.

Sara had grown up in California, close to the beach, and teaching someone did not worry her.

"You're safe with us," Sofia echoed.

But Catherine did not pursue the conversation, and she crossed instead to the window, gazing out beside Sara. Sara again took in the peaceful desert. There wasn't a house within sight – which was just how she liked it.

"No one for miles," Catherine said, with a content sigh. "You can make as much noise as you want."

She gave her a dirty smile, doused in sexual hints, and Sara fought down a smile.

"That's not why we're moving here," she said, quickly.

"You mean you'll be celibate?"

"I didn't say that."

Sara bit back another smile as Catherine stared at her. She had the feeling sometimes that Catherine could see straight through her.

"If anyone needs a few miles of desert around them, it isn't Sara," Sofia said, offering a slight grin.

"What are you saying?" Catherine asked, playful.

"She's silent," Sofia said. "You're not."

"You listening in?"

Nick laughed, in disbelief. "We didn't have to, Catherine. The wall was thin. I mean, you two –" he looked from Catherine to Warrick, lost for words, "- I mean, come on …"

"You're not so quiet yourself," Catherine said, to Sofia.

"Yeah, well … that's his fault."

Sofia gestured playfully over her shoulder to Nick, grinning contently to herself.

"Hey …" Nick said.

It took him a moment to catch on, but then he had swept Sofia into his arms, and playfully bent her over and kissed her. Sofia giggled into the kiss, and Sara had the impression that the two were starved for alone time, and that they would probably be happy to have a room to themselves again, rather than sharing the mattresses on the communal floor. All of their sex lives had come to a grinding halt when they were sharing a room.

"What's the matter?"

They had stopped giggling, and Sofia, now straightened up, looked across at Sara with concern, as if just realising that she was sombre.

"You don't look happy about this," she pressed.

Sara swallowed down a myriad of feelings, but tried to be honest.

"It's just odd," she confessed, fighting back tears. "We've all been together so long …"

"Are you gonna cry on us?" Catherine teased.

"No," Sara said, and held it in. "It's just … "

But she couldn't describe it, and Warrick jumped in.

"It's not the end," he said, his voice soothing.

"As Nick said, we can still spend plenty of time together," Grissom added.

"Like you told me the other night," Catherine added, "You don't get rid of us that easily."

"Yeah," Sara said.

But she did not know what else to say.

In the end, Sofia hugged her, and it was one of the most tender hugs she had ever had from Sofia. Sara lingered there, pulling herself together, determined not to cry, but afterward, said no more. The group moved on, facing the inevitable, and over the following week, they organised a removalist truck, and moved over Sara and Grissom's furniture to the new house. Sara set up spare bedrooms for her friends, knowing they might stay from time-to-time, but still the mood was flat as she knew their time together was coming to an end.

Oddly enough, it was Dianne Curtis who actually said something, suddenly and unexpected as their day of moving came to a close. She had voluntarily helped them out, moving boxes and unpacking what she could, but as the day drew on and Sara began to feel faint, Dianne drew her over to her SUV, nudging her gently with a hand on her back.

"Sit down," she ordered. "Take a break."

Sara went without a fight, and sat in the passenger seat of Dianne's SUV, her legs dangling out, the door wide open.

She sighed.

"Eat something," Dianne said, drawing a muesli bar from her pocket and handing it over. "Eat small, eat regularly."

Sara had heard this advice before. The fact was, her body had been half starved by her ordeal, and her stomach had gotten used to small meals. The doctors had advised her to eat small meals regularly, rather than large ones, and build herself up gradually. Doc Robbins had said the same thing.

As she sat there, however, Dianne Curtis leaning against the car beside her, Sara saw out of the corner of her eye that her absence had not gone unnoticed by her friends. She saw Catherine and Nick look over their shoulders, spotting her there but not interfering, and Grissom stopped dead on the veranda, almost coming over, before Dianne gave the most minute shake of her head, warning him away. He retreated back inside.

"They worry about you," Dianne said, conversationally.

"We're all close," Sara replied.

It did not bother her. The affection they gave her was no different to that she gave to them. Over the past week, she had seen signs of trauma in them all, and had tried to support them, to help them through it. Catherine was having nightmares – and twice Sara had spotted that her space on the mattress had been vacant at night, and gone searching for her. Once she had found her in the bathroom, splashing water on her face, hands gripping the basin until they were white, and the other time she had been sitting in the living room, alone, deep in thought. Sara had stayed with her, arm around her, and not much in the way of words had been needed. Sara had had one or two nightmares herself.

Nick, was happy as long as he was busy, and struggled only when things were quiet. Nick had taken the lead on all their administrative things they had had to handle, paperwork caused by their absence, and he had also taken up a new gym membership, and had disappeared there a few times with Warrick, when it was off-peak. Sofia, so often by his side, was not saying much at all, though Sara had caught a vacant, disengaged expression on her face, once or twice, and strongly suspected she was having flashbacks. It was not something she had found a suitable moment to talk to her about, but it was something she knew would have to be addressed, at some stage.

Grissom, however, was taking an oddly philosophical view to it all, and was calmer than all the rest combined. He seemed a little down, but determined to get through it, and like Nick, preferred to keep busy. He had taken his mother to lunch, trying to re-build the bond, and had also fired off a few e-mails to old contacts in entomology, sounding them out about possible opportunities for guest lectures. He had also been counselling the group, trying to get them to view their PTSD with open honesty, but it was an uphill battle. The only one who at the moment who seemed ready to talk about it was Warrick, and the two had disappeared for several long chats over the previous days.

For Sara's part, she mostly struggled with her appetite, and was frequently pressured into eating by the others. While most of the group had been hugely relieved to have an ample supply of food again, and piled up their plates and savoured old forgotten flavours, Sara struggled to eat at all, and it was something that had begun to draw glances from the others.

"They love you more than you realise," Dianne said.

Sara did not know what to say, but was saved from replying, as she had a mouth full of muesli. She chewed her way through it, but Dianne did not seem to want an answer. Apparently, the statement had been perfunctory.

"Look, can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Of course," Sara said.

Dianne was leaning against the side of the SUV, arms crossed casually, and at first glance seemed at ease. And yet, Sara saw her blue eyes were narrowed on the others as they took boxes in and out, and saw that for all her appearances of relaxation – the situation was causing her some kind of concern.

"Are you sure you're not rushing this?" Dianne asked, suddenly.

Sara followed her gaze, but did not see anything unusual in her friends' behaviour.

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"You want me to be honest?"

"If you want."

"This parting," Dianne went on. "You and Grissom moving out. Catherine going back to Vegas. Are you sure it's not premature?"

Sara gazed over at all her friends, but still did not see cause for concern. The parting hurt, but most of the group argued it was necessary. And Warrick certainly had a point that they couldn't stay in a bubble forever.

"Sofia's not right," Dianne went on, with maternal intuition. "Even though she tells me she's fine. Nick won't sit still for more than five minutes at a time. Grissom won't talk to anyone but you, and Catherine insists on moving back to Vegas – even though she shakes like a leaf when she's within five miles of it."

"She feels pressured to be with Lindsey," Sara confessed, able to answer this one. "She feels she has to be there."

"I understand that," Dianne said. "But still …"

She gazed at the house, at the others finishing up with the unpacking, and her expression did not change.

"Trauma heals at its own pace, that's all," she said. "I've seen a lot of it over the years – shootings, robberies, accidents, suicides … more times than I can count. A lot of traumatised officers. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that it takes time. You can't rush it. Especially not something of this magnitude."

Sara did not know what to say, but Dianne seemed to want to talk, rather than require immediate solutions, and she trailed off, and passed Sara a water bottle, instructing her to drink. It was only later that Sara realised that she may have actually seen something that the group hadn't.

The harrowing inevitable happened two days later. Grissom and Sara had moved in, in a move that had been painful for everyone, but it was the following night that Grissom announced he was having dinner with a colleague, in an attempt to reignite his professional networks. Sara, not wanting to join him for what was sure to be an old boys' chat, had accepted an invitation to have dinner at Dianne's house with Nick and Sofia. Catherine and Warrick had already forced themselves to move to Vegas to be with Lindsey, and were spending the evening there, and Sara had settled in to have what turned out to be a pleasant dinner with her two friends and Dianne. It had been weird to not have the others there, but she also maturely accepted that it was inevitable – and as the group were scheduled to spend the entire next day together, it had not mattered too much.

She had hung around for a while afterward, and had helped to clean up, but later, when it came time to leave, had grabbed her keys and headed out – intending to head for her SUV, which was parked under a tree. They had just left the porch, however – the others accompanying her to say goodbye – when Sara heard a sharp shout pierce the night.

"What was that?" Sara asked.

She paused on Dianne's porch, eyes peeled. There were still stragglers down at the front gate, mostly media, but they had not bothered them much. The shout, however, was unusual. Next to her, Nick and Sofia stilled, and Dianne stepped forward, keen eyes scanning the distance. They searched the dark night, the shadows of the landscape.

Soon enough it came again.

"They need to tell the truth!"

Sara did not recognise the voice, and had no idea who it was, but suddenly a complete stranger stormed up the driveway toward them, a solidly built man with a dirty beard, aggressively charging toward them. Sara had a brief impression that the man was not media, before Dianne seized Sara's elbow, and pulled her behind her, and then charged past to address him instead.

"LVPD! Stop there!"

She tried to draw her weapon, but there was just no time, and when the fight erupted, it happened fast. Sara watched, in horror, as the events unfolded. The man lunged at Dianne, who was then forced to tackle him, applying decades of experience in wrestling him, and the group sprinted ahead to help. Nick and Dianne threw him between them roughly to the ground, pinning him, and Sara tackled one of his flailing limbs down as Dianne withdrew her handcuffs.

It was then however that Sara saw the man had not been alone, and that a friend was storming up the driveway to join him.

"Hold him!" Nick shouted. "Take him!"

He tried to withdraw his hands, and Sofia took over. She threw him aggressively into the dirt, face-down, and helped her mother cuff him. The second man charged, and Nick leapt up to grab him. Sara, terrified, leapt up to assist, and felt a jolt of raw terror in her gut as the man tossed a punch at Nick. He ducked, and Sara went to grab him, but then, out of nowhere, a second solid fist hit her in the cheek, and flying back, another caught her under the ribs.

She tumbled to the ground.

There was a panicked shout from behind.

"SARA!"

It was Sofia, and then she heard Dianne, somewhere in the far distance, talking fast into the radio.

"Control, this is Captain Dianne Curtis, I need immediate backup to 4872 Shannessy Road –"

Sara's head spun, and she blacked out.

XXX

When Sara woke, she instinctively knew that only seconds had passed. She lay face down in the dirt, stones jutting into her face. Her head spun, and she struggled to get her bearings.

Behind her, there was shouting. Dianne was talking hurriedly into the radio, and then there was Nick's voice, urgent.

"Go, I've got him, go –"

Footsteps dashed across the dirt, and then there was Sofia's fingers, snapping onto her pulse at her neck.

"Sara?" she queried, urgent.

Sara breathed. Dirt was stuck to her lips. The pain was excruciating.

"I'm okay," she breathed.

But then she hyperventilated. It was hard to get air. She grunted, into the dirt.

"I need a paramedic!" Sofia shouted.

"Is she breathing?" Nick called.

Sofia did not answer. She was tugging at Sara's shoulder.

"Turn over," she said. "Turn over –"

Sara delayed, trying to breathe, but then at last, the oxygen came. She gave into Sofia's insistent hand, and rolled over, very carefully, onto her back.

Sofia was straddling her – one knee either side of her hips – urgently peering down into her face.

"Can you breathe?" she demanded.

Sara nodded, though it hurt to move her head. The world spun.

"Sofia, is she breathing?" Nick called.

"She's breathing -" Sofia said.

"Paramedics are on their way," Dianne called. "Sof, stay with her, keep her still."

"Are they okay?" Sara breathed.

Sofia barely glanced over her shoulder.

"They're fine –"

Sara relaxed – or tried to. She heard grunting, verbal abuse from the cuffed offenders, but shut that out. She had to trust the others were okay. She took stock of her own injuries. Her head hurt, but it was not critical, even though she was dizzy. A slight concussion at most. Worse, though, was her stomach. The punch had landed at the base of her rib cage, and though it did not feel like anything was fractured, it hurt to move. It felt like a boulder had pummelled through her abdomen.

She swore, frustrated.

"Breathe," Sofia said. "Just breathe –"

Sara closed her eyes, immensely annoyed. Every time she took a breath the skin on her stomach screamed, and she tried to breathe shallowly. She grimaced.

"Open your eyes," Sofia admonished. "Don't close them."

Sara forced her eyes open. She gazed up at the night sky for a second, not even wanting to look at the pinned offenders, wanting nothing to do with them. She focused on breathing, fighting through the pain.

"Where are you hurt?" Sofia asked.

The detective's eyes were scanning Sara's body, and paused on her pupils, assessing them. Sara knew she suspected a head injury.

"I'm okay," Sara corrected. "I think I'm okay –"

But she tentatively touched her stomach, sounding it out.

"May I look?" Sofia asked.

"Yeah," Sara replied.

She helped Sofia tug her top up a little, raising it level with her bra. Sofia's torso shielded her from view of the others as she took a quick look. She saw Sofia wince a little in sympathy, but she did not look alarmed.

"The skin's not broken," she reported. "It's quite red, but hopefully just a bruise. Just stay still. We'll get you checked by a medic."

Sara took in a breath. She knew it would come to that, but still hated the thought. She did not like being fussed over at the best of times, and now more than ever, despised the idea of having strangers poking and probing, their hands in places they did not belong. But she steadied her frustration, and bit it back. She had to be diplomatic now.

Sofia replaced the shirt, and then shifted her form off of Sara, the need for CPR now negated. She looked over her shoulder, cataloguing the scene, and Sara inclined her head, briefly fighting the pain to take in the others, to make sure both Nick and Dianne were okay.

At a glance she saw Dianne had one offender pinned, effortlessly on his stomach, and Nick had the other, and Sara knew – there was nothing more they could do now but wait for PD.

Eventually they came, and when two squad cars came up, Nick immediately collared the occupants.

"Here, book this idiot," he said.

He sounded thoroughly pissed off, and Sara saw him thrust his offender toward them. Two officers caught the guy, and marched him to the car. Dianne followed with the second, giving a brief explanation and instructions as she did.

"Arrest them," she said. "Charge them with trespass and assaulting an officer."

They stashed the guys in their cars, and Nick and Dianne then rushed over to her, joining Sofia beside her.

"You okay?" Nick asked, urgently.

He put his hand on her shoulder, looking ready to sweep her off to hospital with his bare arms.

"I'm good," Sara said. "I think."

Breathing was getting a little easier.

"Show me," Dianne said.

Sara hoisted her shirt again, offering a brief look, before Dianne nodded and stood.

"I'll get an ice pack," she said.

She marched off toward the house. Nick looked anxious.

"That looks nasty," he commented.

"Yeah," Sara said.

She wasn't interested in exploring it, and frustrated, cut him off. She put one hand to the ground, and reached with her other to Sofia.

"Help me up," she said.

Sofia did, and Sara grunted and grimaced her way into a sitting position. She held the spot with one hand, willing the pain to settle.

"Who are they?" Sofia asked, peering over her shoulder at the two squad cars and their occupants. "Do we know?"

"Some UFO nut," Nick said, disinterested. "He was mouthing off that we need to tell the truth, thinks we were abducted. Something about Area 51."

Sofia scoffed, then gave a brief amused smile.

"Maybe we should give that excuse to Ecklie, see what he does with it."

"Let's keep it in reserve," Sara said.

She was steadily regaining strength, and after another moment's recovery, gripped her friends' arms. They took the hint and helped her up into a standing position, supporting her as they still frowned in concern.

"You sure you're okay?" Sofia asked.

"I'll cope," Sara said.

Dianne returned then, carrying an ice pack, and also passed the group three jackets, one for each of them.

"Put this on," she said to Sara, handing her an LVPD windbreaker. "It's one of Sofia's, but it should fit. You need to keep warm."

The night air was freezing cold, and Sara slipped it on, then reluctantly also took the ice pack, slipping it under her shirt. Despite not wanting it, it actually did help, and she felt guilty for a moment at nearly refusing their assistance.

"Thanks," she said.

"You should sit down," Sofia said.

"I'm okay."

But they did sit down, for a while, until the ambulance arrived. Sara had hoped it would be a mere formality, a brief check-up, before the crew went on their merry way, but was disappointed when they seemed almost as obstinate and determined as Nick. She had not factored in that she was still emaciated, perilously thin from their ordeal, and that they would be so cautious.

She stood with her shirt raised, as one paramedic squinted and examined the wound, poking a little, before the guy stood again.

"You should get an ultrasound just in case," he said, with a look to his partner, who nodded.

"Just in case of what?" Sara asked.

"Complications," Nick said, as though she was dim.

"I feel fine," she said.

"In your state it's best to be sure," the paramedic said. "You can't be too careful."

It was utterly perplexing. Sara had seen countless cops get beaten, hit and tackled, and though it was indeed protocol for the medics to be called, they rarely were. Most cops took it in their stride, and simply iced it later, if they remembered. Sara had even seen Sofia and Brass get hurt a few times, usually unintentionally. But to be singled out now due to their ordeal, and her thin frame, was frustrating.

"You have to look after yourself, Sara," Nick said.

But Sara eyed the ambulance, with its lights still flashing through the dark, and gritted her teeth. There was no way she was riding in an ambulance, to a hospital with a thousand people in it. She had no interest in that.

"I'm good," she told the paramedic. "Thanks."

The paramedic raised a defiant eyebrow, but just then Sara felt Sofia clamp a hand around her elbow, and draw her away.

"Give us a minute," Sofia said.

Sara had no choice but to follow, and soon found herself a short distance away, Sofia's blue insistent eyes looking at her with determination and concern.

"I'll come with you," she offered.

Sara sighed. She hated to admit that she was scared, but there was no point in denying it. Sofia knew every part of Sara's trauma as well as Sara knew hers. She glanced at the ambulance again, but then shook her head.

"I don't think I can," she confessed.

"I'll stay with you the whole time," Sofia reiterated.

But it was then, in that split second in which she felt the others watching them, that Sara felt the first wave of nausea hit. She bent over a second, before straightening. She did feel like hell.

"Come on," Sofia said.

And Sara did not resist her.

Would love to hear if people are still enjoying this. Hope everyone has a good weekend.