Chapter 2

August 2015

Sara Sidle opened her locker. She smelt, bad, and all she wanted now was to jump into the labs shower and wash off what had been the busiest day the team had seen in weeks. Which was saying something. Over the last couple of months, the Las Vegas Crime Lab had worked more cases than they had all year. Each team was working overtime, pulling doubles and sometimes triples, just to cover the backlog. While simultaneously being called out to yet another B&E... or trick-roll... or bar fight.

It seemed that, whenever there was a lull, a moment of peace so that Sara could sit and work out what she was going to do next, something else would come in. Requiring her urgent attention.

She and Morgan had just spent the last five hours processing an attempted robbery at one of Las Vegas' most prestigious bridal shops. Which resulted in Sara having to go dumpster diving, after a witness claimed that the robber had thrown his mask in one of the bins lining the alley behind the shop. There was no mask.

Morgan had offered to do it, but Sara waved her down. The younger CSI had taken the last three dumpsters on previous crime scenes.

Now Sara stood in the locker room. Covered in muck, grime, food, and God only knows what. She pulled out the bag where she kept her spare set of clothing and toiletries, specifically for nights like tonight, and her wedding ring caught on the strap pausing her movements.

The gold band had a brown smear on it. Hopefully just some sort of condiment from the restaurant the bridal shop had the joy of sharing a dumpster with. Sara picked up a tissue from the pack in her locker and gently wiped the ring. It had been two years and she still hadn't taken it off.

Two years since her unofficial goodbye drinks with Nick and Greg. Two years since she received documents from Grissom's lawyers. Two years since she had signed them. Two years since she had spoken to him.

It was a couple of days after her drinks with the guys, when Sara received the papers. Only two sentences written on a separate sheet within.

I'm sorry. Be happy.

Sara had tried to call him, to speak to him, but Grissom didn't answer his phone. He didn't respond to her emails, or her letters. She had even gone to Betty, Grissom's mother and, for all intents and purposes, Sara's. But the older Mrs Grissom couldn't explain it either. Sara knew Betty had spoken to Grissom, that she wasn't happy with what he did, or why he did it. But no explanation came to Sara. And though the two women were still in contact, neither of them ever mentioned the man who initially connected them.

Betty had never blamed Sara. So whatever Grissom had told his mother couldn't have been bad for her, but the older woman would never tell her why. The one question Sara tortured herself with constantly.

After months of radio silence, Sara had given up trying to reach him. She threw herself back into her work, pulling longer shifts than the rest of the team put together. Initially Russell was over the moon when she had told him that she changed her mind, that she was staying. But eventually, her supervisor began to suspect something else was going on.

Nick and Greg questioned her about her change of heart, but Sara didn't, couldn't, confide in either of them. How could she explain that the guy they both looked up to, admired, had broken her heart? That she had somehow done something to ruin the best thing in her life?

It was only after the Basderic case that it all came out, and, once again, they guys were there. And have been ever since. Neither of them has questioned why she didn't take off her ring, though both Morgan and Finn have commented on it. Neither of them has pushed her to move on, or forget about Grissom, though Dr Jimmy has frequently made those remarks.

Nick and Greg didn't need to question her. They knew: Sara Sidle was still helplessly in love with her ex-husband.

Shaking her head, Sara pulled out her bag and made her way to the showers. After quickly, but thoroughly, scrubbing herself clean, Sara threw her overalls in the labs wash bin and bagged up her clothes to take home.

Just as she was putting her wet, curling hair into a ponytail, Greg walked in. He wrinkled his nose in displeasure at the smell coming from the basket.

"Thanks for taking dumpster duty," he said with a grin as he opened his locker.

"Well, I couldn't let Morgan show up to your date reeking of garbage, could I?" Sara quipped, smiling over at him. After some gentle prodding, and persistent teasing from Nick and Sara, Greg had finally admitted his feelings for the young blonde and the two had been dating for the last year. "Though," she continued with a grin. "As a young lab tech once told me, a real man wouldn't mind." Sara pursed her lips, in what the guys affectionately called the 'Sidle Smile', and Greg laughed.

"And I don't, that doesn't mean I don't have to be grateful."

"Sure," Sara said, raising her eyebrows.

"Are you going to talk to Russell tonight?" Greg asked, closing his locker, and looking over at her. And uncharacteristically serious look on his face.

"I'm going over there now," she replied.

"Are you sure about this, Sara?"

"Greg," Sara sighed.

"Just hear me out, ok?" Greg said, holding up his hands. Sara looked him over before nodding, leaning against her locker. "I just want to make sure you've thought about it, that's all. Jimmy…"

"Jimmy? You're talking to Jimmy about this now?"

"He talked, I only listened," Greg said defensively. "Look, the guy might have been a pain in the ass when we first met, but he's ok, really. And he cares about you."

"Greg…"

"And so do I. It killed me, watching you go through it all last time. Knowing there wasn't anything I could do to make it better. Me and Nick even talked about going to Uganda to kick Grissom's ass."

"What?" Sara cried, interrupting.

"Like you wouldn't have done the same if it was one of us?" Greg raised his brows and Sara sagged. It warmed her, to know that he cared so much. But this wasn't his decision to make. It was hers, and she was tired of waiting around for the opportunity to go.

"I have to talk to him, Greg," she said, softly. She looked down at her hands, the fingers on her right playing with the gold band adorning her left. "I need to know why."

Greg sighed and lent against his own, open locker. He wouldn't fight her on this, even if he wanted too.

"Do you even know where he is?"

"I have an idea," she said, evasively. The truth was, Sara wasn't sure where her ex-husband was at that moment. Grissom moved around so much, sailing across the oceans, it was hard to pinpoint an exact location. But she knew where she could find out, and that was her first stop. Greg opened his mouth to say something when David Hodges walked in.

"Oh," the trace tech said, coming short when he saw the two of them. "Am I interrupting?" He shot them both a questioning look and Sara only shook her head, forcing a smile to her lips. Out of everyone in the lab, Hodges' reaction to her divorce to Grissom, his idol, had shocked her the most.

Rather than pester her for information or make veiled comments on how she had messed up, the nosey lab rat had been uncharacteristically sympathetic. Even, much to everyone's surprise, mad at Grissom. Especially after what had happened with Basderic.

It might be down to Morgan's influence, the CSI and the lab rat had become firm friends, but Sara thought that Hodges was finally realising that no one, not even Gilbert Grissom, was infallible.

"No, Hodges," Sara replied. "Did you need anything?"

"Morgan was looking for you. She said prints came back from the register at the bridal shop. No hits in AFIS, but a match to another robbery swing is working on. She's in the layout room with Russell and Finn."

"Great, thanks," Sara said and left the two men. She could feel Greg watching her and she knew her friend wasn't done with his interrogation just yet.

Sara met Russell, Morgan, and Finn in the layout room, they were looking over pictures of, from what she could see, three different crime scenes. Russell glanced up as she entered and waved her over.

"Ah, Sara, we think we may have found something," the man said. Sara made her way around the table and Morgan moved over so she could fit in between her two colleagues. Finn was standing on the other side, reading a report.

"Hodges said we've got a match on prints?" Sara asked as she looked over the photos before them.

"Yes," Morgan replied, and Finn handed Sara the folder. "We've matched it to two open robberies."

"Two?"

"One was a swing case from three weeks ago," Finn supplied. "The other was mine from last week." Sara read over the file; it was the report on Finn case. Witnesses said they saw a tall man, wearing a balaclava, run out of 'Whips and Kicks', an adult store on the other side of the strip from the bridal shop Sara and Morgan were just processing. Descriptions varied from the man being black, to Caucasian, to Asian. Blonde hair, brown hair, no hair. Though how the witnesses saw his hair when he was wearing a balaclava, Sara didn't know.

He was wearing grey jogging bottoms and a black hoodie.

"There's not much to go on," Sara said, pursing her lips in thought. "Where were the prints found?"

"One on the door handle," Morgan said, gesturing to one of the pictures. "And the other on the cash register."

"How much did they get?"

"Well," Russell said, pulling out a piece of paper from the folder Sara was holding. "That's the thing, they didn't take anything. All the registers still held the exact amount they were supposed to."

"So, this guy breaks in, trashes the place, but doesn't steal anything?" Sara asked, her voice lilting up in disbelief.

"Just like the bridal shop," Morgan replied, looking over the evidence documented before them. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Did the witnesses say anything about the robber being intoxicated?" Sara asked. "That could explain this. A guy gets high, decides to rob the place but doesn't go through with it. Or isn't able to because of the drugs?"

"It's a theory," Russell said, looking back over the photographs. "Jules, I want you to keep on this. Talk with swing and see if they can get you up to speed with their case. Morgan, have a look through the other open robberies and B&E's. See if there's another connection somewhere." Morgan and Finn nodded and started to pick up the photographs from the table. Russell waited for the two women to leave before turning to Sara. She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"I know what you're going to say, Sara, but we can't lose you just now."

"Russell," Sara began.

"I know you want to go. But with everything that's going on, I need you here."

Sara looked up at him, her mouth hanging open slightly and her eyes flicking between his.

"Russell, I've already waited three months. I can't wait any longer," she said, throwing her hands up to emphasise her point.

"What exactly are you hoping for, Sara?" Russell asked. She looked away, across the room, at the board lining the opposite wall. The board was full of multiple cases that were still open, many of them had been linked together, much like the robberies. By DNA, trace, or fingerprints.

Sara knew, this was the worst possible moment for her to leave, that she would be leaving the team short for however long she'd be gone. But she had to do it.

"It's been two years, Sara," Russell said, gently.

"I know how long it's been, DB," Sara replied, sharper than she meant to. She took a breath before speaking again. "Look, just give me two weeks. Two weeks and I'll come back."

"Will you though?" the supervisor asked.

"I have no expectations, Russell. I just want answers. Two weeks, and I'll come back. I promise."

Russell looked over that the board and Sara watched as different emotions crossed his face. He was concerned. About the lab. About the crime wave that seemed to have washed over Las Vegas. How the team would fair in her absence. The additional strain it would put them under. But, most of all, he was concerned about her. About how this trip, how the confrontation would affect her. To Russell she wasn'tSara, Grissom's wife. She was just Sara. His friend and colleague.

"Ok," he finally said. "Two weeks." Russell looked back over at her, and Sara gave him a thankful smile. "But we need you back, Sara. This is all connected, I can feel it. We need you back. At least until we can find a replacement, or we find out whoever is behind it all."

"Two weeks," Sara promised.

"Fill Finn in on the robbery from this morning then head out. And, Sara," he called after her as she turned to leave. "Look after yourself." He gave her a searching look, but Sara only nodded with a small smile before walking out.