Title: Fear
Author: CSIphile/A-Stepf
Disclaimers/Rating: I don't own em. PG13 for strong language
Thanks: Woo hoo!! 18 of 28 a mere 10 more chapters to go, coming down the home stretch now! I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me. I know it's long; I never expected it to be. This fic was supposed to be like 15,000 words, that's what I had planned. The best intentions.often go right out the window, 55,000 words later it's done and I am shaking my head. Challenge to myself: Write a vignette. Anyway, the moral here is you guys rock, the feedback is fabulous, lets me know that my extra words were not wasted. We really start to pick up steam here soon, have no fear, Mr. Harrington has gone nowhere. Special thanks to the G/S list and message board, you guys make this such a positive experience, man I am sappy today.geez. Big thanks to Meg of course, if she wasn't around y'all would be cringing at my bad grammar.
"Sidle," Her voice is firm, giving no indication of the inner turmoil of the speaker.
"Why, Sara? Right now your friends are leaving my house, taking my things, things that remind me of you, Sara. Why would you send them? I know you did. I just want you to understand how much I love you. We can be together if you give me a chance."
She shakes for a moment when she realizes what he just said. They left his house without him. Joey isn't in custody. "No, I won't give you a chance. You are sick, Joey. If you come in, someone can help you."
"I'm not SICK, Sara. But I will find you, don't worry about that. You will be mine, one way or the other. Your boyfriend? He's a little old for you, don't you think? Wouldn't take much to get rid of him, a little scare and he would probably stroke out. What do you think? Then you would have to come to me, there wouldn't be anyone else."
Nick watches as Sara's face blanches to a ghostly white. Immediately he takes one step to her, keeping himself within arm's reach.
"Listen to me, you bastard. You make one move to him.."
"What? And you'll come after me? Haven't you figured out that's what I want? Don't worry, your boyfriend is safe. He isn't what I want anyway. See you soon, love."
With that, the line goes dead and Sara looks at Nick with a horrified expression. Hanging up the phone, she turns to her friend and almost breaks down in tears. Nick can see her trying to hold back crying, so quickly he wraps an arm around her shoulder and guides her into Grissom's office, sitting them down on the matching chairs in front of the desk.
"Sara. That was him, but what did he say? Shouldn't he be in custody?"
"He..he wasn't there. He was watching them drive away, Nick. They don't have him. Its not even close to over." With that she stops talking and looks at her hands, slowly picking at her fingernails.
"Sar, what else did he say? Sara?" he asks and pushes some hair away from her face.
"Nothing," Is her first sharp answer before looking up at Nick. 'He wants to help,' she thinks. "He is determined though, I give him that. He threatened Grissom but then said he wouldn't hurt him, how can I trust that? I.I don't know what to do, Nick. I have never been so confused before. I can't make a decision without second guessing myself. Even getting dressed without wondering if **he** will see me and think I wore it for him."
"We will get him, Sara. This isn't the number one lab in the country with the best solve rate for nothing." When that doesn't even illicit a smile from her, Nick pulls her into an embrace, concern for her mental well-being growing. Sara is a strong person, but how much of this can anyone be expected to take? Voices from outside the closed door bring Nick back to reality. Looking down at Sara's head, he kisses it lightly and says her name.
"Sara. They're back, come on." He releases her and is surprised to see she had not shed one tear. For some reason, that elevates his concern. Sara pulls away from him and stands quietly. "Come on," he says again and guides her out to the layout room, wondering what the guys had found.
Grissom and Warrick are so focused on organizing the pictures now laid out on the table in front of them, neither one notices the two figures in the doorway until Sara gasping gets their attention.
"Oh.my.God. These were in his house? All these?" She looks at Grissom with a desperate expression.
"Yes. Sara you need to know something."
"He wasn't there, you don't have him. He was watching you, you know. As you searched his house, he was watching you from somewhere."
Grissom looks at the other men, confused. Warrick shares his look, but Nick wears an expression of knowing. "Sara, how can you know that?"
"He called here, as you were leaving. He was watching you, he was rather.upset that you removed all the stuff that reminds him of me." That said, she turns back to the photographs, separated into piles of with writing and without. Slowing putting on gloves, Sara watches her hand as it reaches out to the pile with writing, almost against her will, and shifts though them. The men watch her do this, a faraway expression on her face.
"Sara, you don't need to see those," Warrick says and reaches out to stop her, lightly grabbing her forearm.
Violently, Sara pulls her hand back and fixes him an angry look. "Yes I do. I want to know, I need to know." Going back to looking, Sara reads the writing hastily written across her face. Most are derogatory terms, with bitch, slut and whore appearing to be his favorites, as they repeat on several pictures. Finding one at the bottom, this one of her at a crime scene, she sees that this one is different. On this one he had written 'I never believed in love at first sight, but I do now'. Looking for visual clues in the surroundings, Sara recognizes it as a case from almost six weeks ago, shortly after she saw him for the first time.
She turns to Grissom with a detached look on her face, like none of this is affecting her. In a clinical tone, she speaks to him. "What's next? Bring him in again, he posts bail and gets out. That's if we can find him, a smart guy would be halfway to Mexico by now. Issuing an extended restraining order if they can serve him? Not that that will stop him."
Stripping off his gloves, Grissom looks at Nick and Warrick. "I'm taking her home, she shouldn't be here anymore. ONLY you guys and Catherine touch this evidence, understand me? Process, and I will be back in a little bit. She will be safe at my townhouse for now."
He had been paying little attention to Sara while giving directions to the guys, and when he notices her, he is surprised to see her standing with a small baggie in her hand.
"This is mine. I didn't even know it was missing. I.had no clue. You find anything else?"
"Nothing, Warrick replies.
Anger flashes in her eyes at him. "Are you sure you're not hiding something from me?"
"Sara, I wouldn't do that and you know it. That's all we found of yours."
"Mmmm. I know, sorry."
"Sara, let's go, I am taking you home." Grissom receives little argument from her as he leads her out of the room, to the locker room and out to the truck. He can sense her slipping even farther away from him than before, and during the ride back to his townhouse, wonders how to get her back.
After several checks in the rearview mirror and the long way home, Grissom pulls into the driveway. As they enter his townhouse, he watches Sara carefully as she walks into the bathroom to take a shower. Frowning, he walks into the kitchen and starts to make dinner; honestly, he can't remember the last time he saw her eat. Minutes after he hears the shower shut off, Sara enters the kitchen, wearing track pants and a Harvard t- shirt, her damp hair pulled back.
"Hey, sit down." She quietly does as he asks, really not paying attention to what he is doing. "Made some veggie stir fry, I want you to eat."
"Not hungry." She looks at him with a blank expression and starts picking at her nails. He can tell she has been doing it a lot; the normally smooth edges are cracked and splintering.
"Sara. For me, please?"
She smiles a real smile for the first time in days. She will do anything for him if he asks. "Ok. For you, but I am telling you, I'm not that hungry."
He nods and places a plate in front of her. They sit in silence as they eat at the island, neither willing to talk about the events of that evening. Sara eats probably a third of what's on her plate before she starts playing with the food, which indicates to Grissom that she is done eating.
"I'm tired, going to bed. Coming?"
"I told them I would be back to the office tonight. I talked to Brass, they have a man outside to watch. Will you be ok? I'll stay if you want me to."
"No, it's fine. I'll probably sleep the whole time you're gone."
As she talks, Grissom gets up and looks out the front window, waving to the marked car positioned across the street. He recognizes the cops, Davis and Johnson. Good guys, he trusts them.
"Ok, they are already there. It's Davis and Johnson. You sure?"
"Huh. They were there when he attacked me, that's good. They'll know who he is," she says almost to herself as she stands and walks into the living room.
"I can stay."
She snaps her head up at him. "No, really I'm fine. I'll sleep and see you in a while."
Walking back to her position, he pulls her into his arms, hugging her fiercely. "I love you, Sara."
"Love you too. Get to work, catch the bad guy."
Pulling away he looks into her tired eyes. "Count on it."
Smiling slightly, she watches him leave. As he closes and locks the door, Sara walks over and double checks the locks on the door and all the windows. When she gets to the one Grissom was just looking out of, she also notices the car sitting there, the officers conversing with each other. Checking the bedroom last, she lies down on the bed, pulls the covers over her head, and falls into a fitful sleep.
tbc......
Again, thank you to those who have reviewed, you make my day.
Author: CSIphile/A-Stepf
Disclaimers/Rating: I don't own em. PG13 for strong language
Thanks: Woo hoo!! 18 of 28 a mere 10 more chapters to go, coming down the home stretch now! I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me. I know it's long; I never expected it to be. This fic was supposed to be like 15,000 words, that's what I had planned. The best intentions.often go right out the window, 55,000 words later it's done and I am shaking my head. Challenge to myself: Write a vignette. Anyway, the moral here is you guys rock, the feedback is fabulous, lets me know that my extra words were not wasted. We really start to pick up steam here soon, have no fear, Mr. Harrington has gone nowhere. Special thanks to the G/S list and message board, you guys make this such a positive experience, man I am sappy today.geez. Big thanks to Meg of course, if she wasn't around y'all would be cringing at my bad grammar.
"Sidle," Her voice is firm, giving no indication of the inner turmoil of the speaker.
"Why, Sara? Right now your friends are leaving my house, taking my things, things that remind me of you, Sara. Why would you send them? I know you did. I just want you to understand how much I love you. We can be together if you give me a chance."
She shakes for a moment when she realizes what he just said. They left his house without him. Joey isn't in custody. "No, I won't give you a chance. You are sick, Joey. If you come in, someone can help you."
"I'm not SICK, Sara. But I will find you, don't worry about that. You will be mine, one way or the other. Your boyfriend? He's a little old for you, don't you think? Wouldn't take much to get rid of him, a little scare and he would probably stroke out. What do you think? Then you would have to come to me, there wouldn't be anyone else."
Nick watches as Sara's face blanches to a ghostly white. Immediately he takes one step to her, keeping himself within arm's reach.
"Listen to me, you bastard. You make one move to him.."
"What? And you'll come after me? Haven't you figured out that's what I want? Don't worry, your boyfriend is safe. He isn't what I want anyway. See you soon, love."
With that, the line goes dead and Sara looks at Nick with a horrified expression. Hanging up the phone, she turns to her friend and almost breaks down in tears. Nick can see her trying to hold back crying, so quickly he wraps an arm around her shoulder and guides her into Grissom's office, sitting them down on the matching chairs in front of the desk.
"Sara. That was him, but what did he say? Shouldn't he be in custody?"
"He..he wasn't there. He was watching them drive away, Nick. They don't have him. Its not even close to over." With that she stops talking and looks at her hands, slowly picking at her fingernails.
"Sar, what else did he say? Sara?" he asks and pushes some hair away from her face.
"Nothing," Is her first sharp answer before looking up at Nick. 'He wants to help,' she thinks. "He is determined though, I give him that. He threatened Grissom but then said he wouldn't hurt him, how can I trust that? I.I don't know what to do, Nick. I have never been so confused before. I can't make a decision without second guessing myself. Even getting dressed without wondering if **he** will see me and think I wore it for him."
"We will get him, Sara. This isn't the number one lab in the country with the best solve rate for nothing." When that doesn't even illicit a smile from her, Nick pulls her into an embrace, concern for her mental well-being growing. Sara is a strong person, but how much of this can anyone be expected to take? Voices from outside the closed door bring Nick back to reality. Looking down at Sara's head, he kisses it lightly and says her name.
"Sara. They're back, come on." He releases her and is surprised to see she had not shed one tear. For some reason, that elevates his concern. Sara pulls away from him and stands quietly. "Come on," he says again and guides her out to the layout room, wondering what the guys had found.
Grissom and Warrick are so focused on organizing the pictures now laid out on the table in front of them, neither one notices the two figures in the doorway until Sara gasping gets their attention.
"Oh.my.God. These were in his house? All these?" She looks at Grissom with a desperate expression.
"Yes. Sara you need to know something."
"He wasn't there, you don't have him. He was watching you, you know. As you searched his house, he was watching you from somewhere."
Grissom looks at the other men, confused. Warrick shares his look, but Nick wears an expression of knowing. "Sara, how can you know that?"
"He called here, as you were leaving. He was watching you, he was rather.upset that you removed all the stuff that reminds him of me." That said, she turns back to the photographs, separated into piles of with writing and without. Slowing putting on gloves, Sara watches her hand as it reaches out to the pile with writing, almost against her will, and shifts though them. The men watch her do this, a faraway expression on her face.
"Sara, you don't need to see those," Warrick says and reaches out to stop her, lightly grabbing her forearm.
Violently, Sara pulls her hand back and fixes him an angry look. "Yes I do. I want to know, I need to know." Going back to looking, Sara reads the writing hastily written across her face. Most are derogatory terms, with bitch, slut and whore appearing to be his favorites, as they repeat on several pictures. Finding one at the bottom, this one of her at a crime scene, she sees that this one is different. On this one he had written 'I never believed in love at first sight, but I do now'. Looking for visual clues in the surroundings, Sara recognizes it as a case from almost six weeks ago, shortly after she saw him for the first time.
She turns to Grissom with a detached look on her face, like none of this is affecting her. In a clinical tone, she speaks to him. "What's next? Bring him in again, he posts bail and gets out. That's if we can find him, a smart guy would be halfway to Mexico by now. Issuing an extended restraining order if they can serve him? Not that that will stop him."
Stripping off his gloves, Grissom looks at Nick and Warrick. "I'm taking her home, she shouldn't be here anymore. ONLY you guys and Catherine touch this evidence, understand me? Process, and I will be back in a little bit. She will be safe at my townhouse for now."
He had been paying little attention to Sara while giving directions to the guys, and when he notices her, he is surprised to see her standing with a small baggie in her hand.
"This is mine. I didn't even know it was missing. I.had no clue. You find anything else?"
"Nothing, Warrick replies.
Anger flashes in her eyes at him. "Are you sure you're not hiding something from me?"
"Sara, I wouldn't do that and you know it. That's all we found of yours."
"Mmmm. I know, sorry."
"Sara, let's go, I am taking you home." Grissom receives little argument from her as he leads her out of the room, to the locker room and out to the truck. He can sense her slipping even farther away from him than before, and during the ride back to his townhouse, wonders how to get her back.
After several checks in the rearview mirror and the long way home, Grissom pulls into the driveway. As they enter his townhouse, he watches Sara carefully as she walks into the bathroom to take a shower. Frowning, he walks into the kitchen and starts to make dinner; honestly, he can't remember the last time he saw her eat. Minutes after he hears the shower shut off, Sara enters the kitchen, wearing track pants and a Harvard t- shirt, her damp hair pulled back.
"Hey, sit down." She quietly does as he asks, really not paying attention to what he is doing. "Made some veggie stir fry, I want you to eat."
"Not hungry." She looks at him with a blank expression and starts picking at her nails. He can tell she has been doing it a lot; the normally smooth edges are cracked and splintering.
"Sara. For me, please?"
She smiles a real smile for the first time in days. She will do anything for him if he asks. "Ok. For you, but I am telling you, I'm not that hungry."
He nods and places a plate in front of her. They sit in silence as they eat at the island, neither willing to talk about the events of that evening. Sara eats probably a third of what's on her plate before she starts playing with the food, which indicates to Grissom that she is done eating.
"I'm tired, going to bed. Coming?"
"I told them I would be back to the office tonight. I talked to Brass, they have a man outside to watch. Will you be ok? I'll stay if you want me to."
"No, it's fine. I'll probably sleep the whole time you're gone."
As she talks, Grissom gets up and looks out the front window, waving to the marked car positioned across the street. He recognizes the cops, Davis and Johnson. Good guys, he trusts them.
"Ok, they are already there. It's Davis and Johnson. You sure?"
"Huh. They were there when he attacked me, that's good. They'll know who he is," she says almost to herself as she stands and walks into the living room.
"I can stay."
She snaps her head up at him. "No, really I'm fine. I'll sleep and see you in a while."
Walking back to her position, he pulls her into his arms, hugging her fiercely. "I love you, Sara."
"Love you too. Get to work, catch the bad guy."
Pulling away he looks into her tired eyes. "Count on it."
Smiling slightly, she watches him leave. As he closes and locks the door, Sara walks over and double checks the locks on the door and all the windows. When she gets to the one Grissom was just looking out of, she also notices the car sitting there, the officers conversing with each other. Checking the bedroom last, she lies down on the bed, pulls the covers over her head, and falls into a fitful sleep.
tbc......
Again, thank you to those who have reviewed, you make my day.