Notes: Officer Mark Johnson is MY character. I made him up; don't steal
him, blah blah blah.
"Hank.."
The name echoed in my mind. Sara's ex-boyfriend, the man who broke her heart. He did this to her?
I felt anger building in me, especially when I looked down at Sara and watched the tears pool in her eyes before trailing down her cheeks.
"Catherine, can I speak to you for a moment?" Grissom asked, taking my arm and leading me to the kitchen.
"Hank?" I cried, in a loud whisper, spitting the name out I began pacing angrily. "He did this to her? I'm gonna kill him. I swear to God. I'm gonna ring his skinny little -."
"Catherine," Grissom yelled, grabbing my arms and holding me in place. "Listen, we'll take care of Hank. But our first priority is to Sara."
I nodded, the anger inside me turning into pity and, most of all, sadness as I pictured Sara's tear-stained face. I nodded, "You're right." I paused for a second before turning back to him. "What are we gonna do?"
As if answering my question, the phone rang. Grissom and I looked at each other. "It's probably the police," I explained, swallowing past the lump that had formed in my throat.
I reached for the phone, noticing the slight shaking in my hand. "Hello?" I answered after the third ring.
"Catherine?" I recognized the voice.
"Mark," I said to the Officer Johnson, the officer in charge of the investigation into Sara's rape. I cast a glance at Grissom and saw him leaving forward, hanging on my every word. I turned my back to him. "Any news?"
"We found DNA on the sheets of the bed. Semen," he confirmed. "We also found a single strand of hair. We're taking them to the lab to run test right now."
I nodded. "Tell them about Hank," Grissom hissed in the background.
"Oh, I think I might have a possible suspect," I said quickly, before Mark could hang up. "A very strong possible suspect."
"Who?"
"Hank Peddigrew. Used to go out with Sara Sidle. She was looking at a picture of him here, and she's confirmed that he has the same eyes as the man who raped her. She thinks it's him."
"Ok," Mark said. "We'll run some tests to confirm it."
"Thanks, Mark," I said, suddenly exhausted. I replaced the phone and took a few deep breaths before turning back around to face Grissom. "They found semen on the bed and a strand of hair. They're gonna go run tests."
I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes and breathing deeply again. I felt tears form in my eyes again as I recalled the defeated look on Sara's face.
I felt a pair of arms around me, and I let myself relax into Grissom's embrace. "It's OK, Cath," I heard him whisper. "We'll catch him."
I looked up into his eyes, suddenly realizing how close our lips were. He moved his mouth closer to mine, pausing as his eyes searched mine. I smiled gently, and waited as he closed the distance between us, our lips meeting finally.
I felt myself melt into him as we deepened the kiss. A smile played on the corner of my mouth as the realization of what we were doing suddenly set in. This was something that I had only dreamed of doing, something that I had never thought of as being a possibility before.
As if on cue, I felt a vibration against my stomach. "What the hell?" Grissom cursed angrily, as he pulled back. He flipped his cell phone open. "Grissom," he answered shortly.
"Yeah. Well, I thought we would take the night of to spend some time with Sara. Yeah, but --," he paused, listening to the person on the other end. "But shouldn't someone stay with her? Oh, ok. Well, I guess we'll be right in them," he said dejectedly. He flipped the phone shut and thrust it back into his pocket.
"What was that about?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"That was Brass. They just got three new cases, a double homicide, a Jane Doe, and one apparent suicide." He paused, removing his glassed and wiping them on the edge of his short before returning them to his face. "They need both of us in."
"What?" I cried. "But someone needs to stay with Sara." He nodded but turned away. "Gil, you're the boss. You can tell them that one of us needs to stay here."
"You're right, Catherine, I am the boss." He paused again before continuing. "But Jim's right. This is a tough night, and they do need both of us there." I stuck my head into the living room where Sara was asleep on the couch. I smiled at how peaceful and happy she looked.
"Well.." I let myself trail off, before turning back to Grissom. "You're right. Of coarse you're right. I'll just go leave a note for her for when she wakes up. My sister will be here with Lindsey in about an hour anyway. I'll have her stay with Sara until I get back."
I jotted out a quick note and left it on the coffee table next to Sara, along with a fresh cup of tea. I stood staring at Sara for a few minutes, thinking about how happy she was before. I had never seen her cry in all of the years we had worked together. And now she was so unhappy. She doesn't deserve this.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear Grissom come up beside me. "Do you really think it was him?" He asked softly, referring to Hank.
I thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know. I'd like to think that it wasn't just some random psycho. But, at the same time, it hurts to think that we may have worked side by side with Hank on many of our cases, but we never suspected him to be like that. To be capable of doing something like.like that."
Grissom took my arm and steered me toward the front door. As we headed towards his car, I cast a glance over my shoulder at a navy blue Passat that was parked across the street. I had never noticed it there before. But something about the car looked strangely familiar.
"Come on," Grissom said, taking my hand. The gesture pulled my attention away from the strange car. I gently squeezed Grissom's hand, loving the feel of my soft, small one in his tough, large one.
As he started the car and pulled out of the drive, I barely gave another car to that strange, familiar car across the street.
"Hank.."
The name echoed in my mind. Sara's ex-boyfriend, the man who broke her heart. He did this to her?
I felt anger building in me, especially when I looked down at Sara and watched the tears pool in her eyes before trailing down her cheeks.
"Catherine, can I speak to you for a moment?" Grissom asked, taking my arm and leading me to the kitchen.
"Hank?" I cried, in a loud whisper, spitting the name out I began pacing angrily. "He did this to her? I'm gonna kill him. I swear to God. I'm gonna ring his skinny little -."
"Catherine," Grissom yelled, grabbing my arms and holding me in place. "Listen, we'll take care of Hank. But our first priority is to Sara."
I nodded, the anger inside me turning into pity and, most of all, sadness as I pictured Sara's tear-stained face. I nodded, "You're right." I paused for a second before turning back to him. "What are we gonna do?"
As if answering my question, the phone rang. Grissom and I looked at each other. "It's probably the police," I explained, swallowing past the lump that had formed in my throat.
I reached for the phone, noticing the slight shaking in my hand. "Hello?" I answered after the third ring.
"Catherine?" I recognized the voice.
"Mark," I said to the Officer Johnson, the officer in charge of the investigation into Sara's rape. I cast a glance at Grissom and saw him leaving forward, hanging on my every word. I turned my back to him. "Any news?"
"We found DNA on the sheets of the bed. Semen," he confirmed. "We also found a single strand of hair. We're taking them to the lab to run test right now."
I nodded. "Tell them about Hank," Grissom hissed in the background.
"Oh, I think I might have a possible suspect," I said quickly, before Mark could hang up. "A very strong possible suspect."
"Who?"
"Hank Peddigrew. Used to go out with Sara Sidle. She was looking at a picture of him here, and she's confirmed that he has the same eyes as the man who raped her. She thinks it's him."
"Ok," Mark said. "We'll run some tests to confirm it."
"Thanks, Mark," I said, suddenly exhausted. I replaced the phone and took a few deep breaths before turning back around to face Grissom. "They found semen on the bed and a strand of hair. They're gonna go run tests."
I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes and breathing deeply again. I felt tears form in my eyes again as I recalled the defeated look on Sara's face.
I felt a pair of arms around me, and I let myself relax into Grissom's embrace. "It's OK, Cath," I heard him whisper. "We'll catch him."
I looked up into his eyes, suddenly realizing how close our lips were. He moved his mouth closer to mine, pausing as his eyes searched mine. I smiled gently, and waited as he closed the distance between us, our lips meeting finally.
I felt myself melt into him as we deepened the kiss. A smile played on the corner of my mouth as the realization of what we were doing suddenly set in. This was something that I had only dreamed of doing, something that I had never thought of as being a possibility before.
As if on cue, I felt a vibration against my stomach. "What the hell?" Grissom cursed angrily, as he pulled back. He flipped his cell phone open. "Grissom," he answered shortly.
"Yeah. Well, I thought we would take the night of to spend some time with Sara. Yeah, but --," he paused, listening to the person on the other end. "But shouldn't someone stay with her? Oh, ok. Well, I guess we'll be right in them," he said dejectedly. He flipped the phone shut and thrust it back into his pocket.
"What was that about?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"That was Brass. They just got three new cases, a double homicide, a Jane Doe, and one apparent suicide." He paused, removing his glassed and wiping them on the edge of his short before returning them to his face. "They need both of us in."
"What?" I cried. "But someone needs to stay with Sara." He nodded but turned away. "Gil, you're the boss. You can tell them that one of us needs to stay here."
"You're right, Catherine, I am the boss." He paused again before continuing. "But Jim's right. This is a tough night, and they do need both of us there." I stuck my head into the living room where Sara was asleep on the couch. I smiled at how peaceful and happy she looked.
"Well.." I let myself trail off, before turning back to Grissom. "You're right. Of coarse you're right. I'll just go leave a note for her for when she wakes up. My sister will be here with Lindsey in about an hour anyway. I'll have her stay with Sara until I get back."
I jotted out a quick note and left it on the coffee table next to Sara, along with a fresh cup of tea. I stood staring at Sara for a few minutes, thinking about how happy she was before. I had never seen her cry in all of the years we had worked together. And now she was so unhappy. She doesn't deserve this.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear Grissom come up beside me. "Do you really think it was him?" He asked softly, referring to Hank.
I thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know. I'd like to think that it wasn't just some random psycho. But, at the same time, it hurts to think that we may have worked side by side with Hank on many of our cases, but we never suspected him to be like that. To be capable of doing something like.like that."
Grissom took my arm and steered me toward the front door. As we headed towards his car, I cast a glance over my shoulder at a navy blue Passat that was parked across the street. I had never noticed it there before. But something about the car looked strangely familiar.
"Come on," Grissom said, taking my hand. The gesture pulled my attention away from the strange car. I gently squeezed Grissom's hand, loving the feel of my soft, small one in his tough, large one.
As he started the car and pulled out of the drive, I barely gave another car to that strange, familiar car across the street.
