2. Why didn't you catch me.
A. N. I don't know if anyone wanted me to carry this on. It was gonna be a one off, but this has been floating around on my hard drive for a while, so I decided to post it.
'We're gonna be one short, so we're gonna be stretched.' Grissom's announcement was meet with understandable curiosity.
'Where's Sara?' Nick finally asked.
'She's been suspended.' Grissom stated.
'Suspended? Why?' Catherine asked; they were all visibly shocked.
'She attacked a suspect in custody, who's now suing her for assault.'
'Sara did?' Catherine checked.
'Oh man.' Nick added.
'Catherine, I want you and Warrick to follow up on Sara's case, get all the facts together, get Sara's statement.'
'Is that wise?' Catherine asked.
'I'm not letting Eckley do it.' Grissom stated. 'Look, say now if you really don't want to. All I want you to do is go over the case, and make sure Sara has everything down in writing, now, before she can forget anything.'
Catherine and Warrick exchanged a look, before Catherine nodded at Grissom. 'Ok.'
'What about me?' Nick asked. 'I want to do this.'
'No.' The flat response from Grissom was final. 'We've got one more case, a homicide to work as well. You're with me.'
Catherine and Warrick didn't speak until they were alone in the car.
'I can't believe it.'
Warrick broke the eye contact with the road, to look at Catherine. 'I know.'
'What was she thinking?'
'Why wasn't she thinking?' Warrick corrected.
'Why didn't she stop herself? Why didn't she leave before it got that far?' Catherine wondered out loud.
'Maybe she didn't realise.' Warrick said. 'Is it left or right at the lights?'
Catherine consulted the town map she had. 'Left. Then first right.'
'What was the case?' Warrick asked.
Catherine pulled out the file, finding crime details, forensic details neatly scripted in Sara's easy to read handwriting. 'Um fifteen year old found dead in her bathroom, swallowed a gun. Two sets of prints on the gun, hers and the boyfriend's.'
'He a suspect?'
'To Sara. Brass's report states that she accused the boyfriend of talking the vic into shooting herself.'
'He denied it?' Warrick guessed.
'Not exactly. He told her to prove it. Which is when she tried to attack him.'
'That's not like Sara.'
'Why was she solo on this case?' Catherine wondered.
'We all had other cases ongoing.' Warrick reminded her.
'Why didn't Sara ask for someone?'
'Ever known Sara to ask for help?'
'Man, this is going to be hard.'
They turned into Sara's street, driving slowly, trying to see apartment numbers. They pulled up outside a two story, non-descript house, split into two apartments. Sara's was on the ground floor, the top floor had a 'for let' sign.
The windows were all in darkness. Catherine checked her watch, seeing it was just past nine. 'Do you reckon she's asleep?'
'No.' Warrick said immediately.
Catherine led Warrick to the door, where she pressed Sara's doorbell. They waited a full minute before she repeated the action, still to no answer.
'She's ignoring us?' Warrick suggested.
'Probably.' Catherine pulled out her cell phone, scrolling through the phonebook to Sara's number. Sara's cell must have been off, as it cut straight through to voice mail. 'Have you got her home number?' Catherine asked Warrick.
'No. But Nick might have it.'
Catherine rung Nick, and he did indeed have the number. Warrick dialled it as Catherine said it out loud, hearing the phone begin to ring in the downstairs room. But that was all it did; ring, for five minutes till Warrick finally gave up and hit the end button.
'What do we do?' Warrick asked. Catherine had turned to the door, pulling on the handle even though she didn't expect it to open.
It opened without resistance.
They exchanged looks. Catherine squinted down at the lock, seeing that it had been put on latch. She shrugged, kicking the door open fully, and walking into a small hallway. Sara's front door was to their left, the stairs directly in front of them.
Catherine wasted no time, knocking on Sara's door, even calling her name, identifying them, telling her why they were there.
Still no response.
'Come on, Catherine. No one's here. Let's go.'
They had no reason to look twice at the green Ford parked across the street. They left the street, wondering what they were going to tell Grissom.
Sara had seen guns from many angles before. This gun was resting on the floor, pinned to it by a heavy hand. As hands went it was fairly ordinary; a few stray hairs at the knuckles, the fingernails bitten short.
Underneath his hand, she knew it was a Glock, police issue. It was her gun after all. She'd just never thought that she would see it with the barrel pointed in her direction.
She looked up into those eyes, those strange grey eyes staring at her across the hall, and wondered how this had happened.
Her legs were beginning to cramp in the position she was sitting, knees bent, legs under her, back against the wall. He was two foot from her, his bent knee barely eluding hers. He hadn't shifted position in two hours. She wasn't about to move without instructions. So they sat, staring at each other, staring at the gun. A strange cycle of looking. Almost daring the other to be the first to move. Move for the gun.
He was growing into his looks. He was barely seventeen, the muscle starting to build on the body, baby fat turning hard as the body responded to the cascade of hormones deluging on it. His hair was shaved close to the scalp, showing off an old scar on the edge of the hairline. Sara focused on the scar for a moment, wondering about the story behind it, the scientist in her wanting to know the cause, the infliction, the age.wanting to know.
The phone ringing barely broke through her concentrated look on his face, studying his eyes. Studying him for any ounce of knowledge he could offer her about her current situation. The headache drummed up once again, beating along at the same time as the phone ring, Sara swearing off alcohol as she had been doing all day since waking up and having to make a run for the bathroom.
She was relieved when the phone stopped. Relieved for the silence, relieved for the sudden peace. Relieved till the banging started.
She looked back at his eyes, seeing the quick look he shot towards the door, barely five feet away. She heard Catherine call her name, tell her that they had come for a statement. Finally giving up, saying they would get back to her.
She turned her attention back to him. 'Why did you come here?' She asked.
He studied her intently for a second, doing back much like she had just done to him. 'To give you the proof you need.' He finally answered, a small smile of relief evident on his face.
A. N. I don't know if anyone wanted me to carry this on. It was gonna be a one off, but this has been floating around on my hard drive for a while, so I decided to post it.
'We're gonna be one short, so we're gonna be stretched.' Grissom's announcement was meet with understandable curiosity.
'Where's Sara?' Nick finally asked.
'She's been suspended.' Grissom stated.
'Suspended? Why?' Catherine asked; they were all visibly shocked.
'She attacked a suspect in custody, who's now suing her for assault.'
'Sara did?' Catherine checked.
'Oh man.' Nick added.
'Catherine, I want you and Warrick to follow up on Sara's case, get all the facts together, get Sara's statement.'
'Is that wise?' Catherine asked.
'I'm not letting Eckley do it.' Grissom stated. 'Look, say now if you really don't want to. All I want you to do is go over the case, and make sure Sara has everything down in writing, now, before she can forget anything.'
Catherine and Warrick exchanged a look, before Catherine nodded at Grissom. 'Ok.'
'What about me?' Nick asked. 'I want to do this.'
'No.' The flat response from Grissom was final. 'We've got one more case, a homicide to work as well. You're with me.'
Catherine and Warrick didn't speak until they were alone in the car.
'I can't believe it.'
Warrick broke the eye contact with the road, to look at Catherine. 'I know.'
'What was she thinking?'
'Why wasn't she thinking?' Warrick corrected.
'Why didn't she stop herself? Why didn't she leave before it got that far?' Catherine wondered out loud.
'Maybe she didn't realise.' Warrick said. 'Is it left or right at the lights?'
Catherine consulted the town map she had. 'Left. Then first right.'
'What was the case?' Warrick asked.
Catherine pulled out the file, finding crime details, forensic details neatly scripted in Sara's easy to read handwriting. 'Um fifteen year old found dead in her bathroom, swallowed a gun. Two sets of prints on the gun, hers and the boyfriend's.'
'He a suspect?'
'To Sara. Brass's report states that she accused the boyfriend of talking the vic into shooting herself.'
'He denied it?' Warrick guessed.
'Not exactly. He told her to prove it. Which is when she tried to attack him.'
'That's not like Sara.'
'Why was she solo on this case?' Catherine wondered.
'We all had other cases ongoing.' Warrick reminded her.
'Why didn't Sara ask for someone?'
'Ever known Sara to ask for help?'
'Man, this is going to be hard.'
They turned into Sara's street, driving slowly, trying to see apartment numbers. They pulled up outside a two story, non-descript house, split into two apartments. Sara's was on the ground floor, the top floor had a 'for let' sign.
The windows were all in darkness. Catherine checked her watch, seeing it was just past nine. 'Do you reckon she's asleep?'
'No.' Warrick said immediately.
Catherine led Warrick to the door, where she pressed Sara's doorbell. They waited a full minute before she repeated the action, still to no answer.
'She's ignoring us?' Warrick suggested.
'Probably.' Catherine pulled out her cell phone, scrolling through the phonebook to Sara's number. Sara's cell must have been off, as it cut straight through to voice mail. 'Have you got her home number?' Catherine asked Warrick.
'No. But Nick might have it.'
Catherine rung Nick, and he did indeed have the number. Warrick dialled it as Catherine said it out loud, hearing the phone begin to ring in the downstairs room. But that was all it did; ring, for five minutes till Warrick finally gave up and hit the end button.
'What do we do?' Warrick asked. Catherine had turned to the door, pulling on the handle even though she didn't expect it to open.
It opened without resistance.
They exchanged looks. Catherine squinted down at the lock, seeing that it had been put on latch. She shrugged, kicking the door open fully, and walking into a small hallway. Sara's front door was to their left, the stairs directly in front of them.
Catherine wasted no time, knocking on Sara's door, even calling her name, identifying them, telling her why they were there.
Still no response.
'Come on, Catherine. No one's here. Let's go.'
They had no reason to look twice at the green Ford parked across the street. They left the street, wondering what they were going to tell Grissom.
Sara had seen guns from many angles before. This gun was resting on the floor, pinned to it by a heavy hand. As hands went it was fairly ordinary; a few stray hairs at the knuckles, the fingernails bitten short.
Underneath his hand, she knew it was a Glock, police issue. It was her gun after all. She'd just never thought that she would see it with the barrel pointed in her direction.
She looked up into those eyes, those strange grey eyes staring at her across the hall, and wondered how this had happened.
Her legs were beginning to cramp in the position she was sitting, knees bent, legs under her, back against the wall. He was two foot from her, his bent knee barely eluding hers. He hadn't shifted position in two hours. She wasn't about to move without instructions. So they sat, staring at each other, staring at the gun. A strange cycle of looking. Almost daring the other to be the first to move. Move for the gun.
He was growing into his looks. He was barely seventeen, the muscle starting to build on the body, baby fat turning hard as the body responded to the cascade of hormones deluging on it. His hair was shaved close to the scalp, showing off an old scar on the edge of the hairline. Sara focused on the scar for a moment, wondering about the story behind it, the scientist in her wanting to know the cause, the infliction, the age.wanting to know.
The phone ringing barely broke through her concentrated look on his face, studying his eyes. Studying him for any ounce of knowledge he could offer her about her current situation. The headache drummed up once again, beating along at the same time as the phone ring, Sara swearing off alcohol as she had been doing all day since waking up and having to make a run for the bathroom.
She was relieved when the phone stopped. Relieved for the silence, relieved for the sudden peace. Relieved till the banging started.
She looked back at his eyes, seeing the quick look he shot towards the door, barely five feet away. She heard Catherine call her name, tell her that they had come for a statement. Finally giving up, saying they would get back to her.
She turned her attention back to him. 'Why did you come here?' She asked.
He studied her intently for a second, doing back much like she had just done to him. 'To give you the proof you need.' He finally answered, a small smile of relief evident on his face.