~3~3~3~3~3~

Nick woke Sara up in the afternoon. She was curled up in his yellow satin sheets and was sleeping like a stone. She looked so peaceful there, just lying, having no troubles or worries. He really didn't want to disturb her, but he had to. Just to be nice, he had cut her up some cantaloupe and strawberries. He didn't want to get on her good side like Grissom did, but she was stressed, and a little nice might help her ease up.

"Sara, Time to get up." He shook her shoulders lightly. "I cut some fruit for you."

She did awaken, but didn't open her eyes yet. "Oh Grissom, that was so kind of you." She put her arms around Nick. "You shouldn't have." She opened her eyes to find Nick in her arms. "Oh Nick!" She broke from the embrace. "I'm so sorry! I thought you were Grissom. It was just yesterday that I was in bed with him."

"It's okay. Here, I brought you something." Nick put the tray of fruit in front of her. "Hope you like cantaloupe and strawberries." He took the tray and put it on her nightstand.

"Oh, I do!" she said when she saw the fruit. "Come here, Nick." She grabbed him close to her and gave him another hug, but this time, she did it with meaning and the knowledge that he was Nick. Tears had begun to leak out of her eyes again. She had cried so much the past day. Why? Why did she cry? There was only one answer. And that answer's name was Gil Grissom.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Grissom woke with a start. He had been dreaming of Sara. He just couldn't stop thinking of her. She had been his whole life, and now, now what? She still was. She just wasn't here. He still loved her and she knew it. He'd get her to come back, he was sure. But how? Catherine said she'd help.

He got out of bed, missing the warmth of Sara's body when he woke up. He desperately missed her. Why did she have to go? Heather. He now wished that he never met her. She was nothing but trouble.

He went to get ready for work, and to see Sara. Maybe she'd talk to him today. She'd have to sooner or later. After all, he was her boss.

He'd win her over. It was just a matter of time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Grissom was tense that night. When he got to work, Brass came up to him in the hallway with a new case. "Hey Griss. New case."

"What?" Grissom walked into the break room and sat down.

"Another murder." Said Brass, who was leaned against the counter.

"Surprise, Surprise. That's our job Jim, to investigate murders." Grissom said with the most openness in the world. "What the hell are they teaching you anyway?"

"Well, you're edgy tonight. What I was saying was, it's just that, well," Brass stammered, "to cut a long story short, the body's at Heather's."

Grissom took this new piece of information in. He didn't speak but rather held his breath in. This wasn't good news. He didn't mean for the victim, because it was always bad news for them. He meant for himself.

"Yeah. That's what I thought." Brass said upon seeing Grissom. "Anyway, I need someone on it tonight." Brass walked away, leaving Grissom to his work.

Grissom couldn't decide who to put on the case. He surely wasn't setting foot over there again. He'd never get Sara back then. Sara would really blow when she found out that was Lady Heather. Warrick and Nick were doing really well on their case, and he didn't want to pull them away from it. Maybe Catherine was the only option.

He was just thinking of what to do when Catherine walked in. It was a cold winter night, and she was wearing a sweater that went down to her knees. She held a cup of Starbuck's coffee in her hands. Grissom didn't say anything to her.

She set her purse down and glanced at Grissom. "What's up, Grissom?" she asked him, seeing his worried expression.

"A murder at Lady Heather's," he responded. "I don't know who to put on the case."

Catherine thought for a second. "Put me and Sara on it." She took out a pop tart from the cabinet and opened it.

"Are you kidding?!" Grissom said in surprise. "The whole reason Sara isn't sitting next to me right now is because of Heather!"

"I can get a chance to talk to Sara. And let her see that you never would have looked at Heather the same way you do her." She mulled over this for a second. "Trust me, Grissom. This will work."

"Well," Grissom said in deep thought. "If you think you can handle it, then go for it." He took a crossword out and started to work on it.

"Pfanks," she said through a mouthful of pop tart.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Catherine lifted the brass knocker on the door and let it go.

"What the hell is this place, a haunted castle?" Sara asked Catherine.

Before Catherine could reply, the door opened and Lady Heather was standing in front of them. "Hello," she said.

"Hi Catherine Willows, Sara Sidle. Las Vegas Crime Lab."

"Oh the Crime Lab," Heather responded. "Welcome. Welcome to my dominion. Make yourself at home."

She stepped back to let Sara and Catherine through. They stepped into the entrance hall. The spiral staircase seemed to watch them from above. The ceiling was at least two stories high, and gave the whole place an eerie feeling. They looked around at the gothic style. Sara was somewhat interested, as she had never been here before. Catherine had once.

"Yes, it's nice isn't it?" Heather asked them, her tone carefree and mysterious.

"Where's the body Miss?" Sara asked her. She was done looking and wanted to get to work.

"Right this way," Lady Heather replied and waved them to follow her. "And please, call me Lady Heather."

At this, Sara gasped.

"You alright?" Lady Heather asked her.

"Never better," replied Sara, densely. She was putting the pieces together, but slowly. Grissom was the one who assigned them to cases and he knew everything that was involved with them. Why would Grissom send her here? And with Catherine. Well, Catherine was right about one thing. That man was one damn big mystery.

Sara had never actually seen Heather or her place. This was what Grissom was all about? It both intrigued and disgusted Sara as she followed Heather. She was led past rooms with people in them, screaming at each other. Sara didn't see what Grissom saw in here, and that made her even angrier.

They were shown into a dimly lit room with very few furnishings. There was a figure slumped over in a chair and a knife through her heart. "Here you go," Lady Heather said as she directed them inside. "Jennifer Trenton. She normally was the submissive with her clients." Lady heather paused and looked at Jen. "Poor thing. She will definitely be missed around here. Brought in a load of cash too." She looked at her employee, expressionless. "Take all the time you want. I'm here if you need me." With that, she left them to do their work.

Sara turned to Catherine as she was opening her field kit. "Why didn't you tell me we were coming here of all places?" she snapped at Catherine. "You probably knew this was where she is. You've been here before."

Catherine thought out her response carefully. "You need to realize that Grissom was never interested in her," she replied dryly. She took out her gloves and put them on.

"I do?!" Sara howled. "Look, Catherine, I told you not to fucking interfere and I meant it!" She bent down to look for footprints.

"Sara, he needs you and you need him." She snapped a picture of the body. "You know that."

"I don't need him." she lifted the paper up. "Got one," she said, as she saw a partial footprint on the film.

Catherine looked at the body closely. She found a hair, lifted it, and put it in an evidence bag. "Yes you do Sara. You damn well know it."

"Bullshit." She paused. "Where's Heather?" she asked, getting up. "I want to talk to her."

"no idea, but when you find her, bring her in here," said Catherine from across the small room.

"Okay." Sara went out of the room and soon returned with Lady Heather.

"What would you like with me?" she asked.

"Who discovered the body?" Catherine asked her.

"I did."

"Okay. Can you tell me a little more about Jennifer?"

"Well, she was a really good worker as I might have said before. Lots of our clients asked for her. Now I have a question for you. Where's Mister Grissom? He came here the last two times to investigate. I thought he might have come here this time."

Sara was livid. "I knew it! See Catherine! I told you!" She continued to yell. Without warning, Sara lunged at Lady Heather. "You bitch! You stole him from me!" Just in time, Catherine was able to grab Sara and manage to keep her away from Lady Heather. She had Sara by the arms and wasn't letting go anytime soon. Sara was putting up a good fight though. "I'll get you, I promise! I'll put you in the ground!" Sara was yelling. She still tried to get at Heather. "Let me go, Catherine! Get the hell off of me!" She was strong, but Catherine was stronger.

"SARA!" Catherine yelled with more force than she had ever before. Sara was stunned. She had never heard Catherine yell like that before. She stopped trying to get at Heather, and both women fell back. Once she caught her breath, Catherine spoke up. "We're here to investigate a murder! Not make one!" She got up, leaving Sara on the floor, shocked. "Look what you did. Most of the evidence is destroyed now! How do you think that's going to make this look in court?" Sara just looked at her. "This was a bad idea. Take the Tahoe and go back to the lab. Send Nick over here. And," she added as an afterthought, "take of your clothes. They're evidence." With this, she motioned Lady Heather to follow her. She walked away, leaving Sara on the cold floor, all alone.

Sara got up and went out to the Tahoe. So that was Lady Heather. Disgusting. She didn't like her one bit. What was Grissom thinking? She was totally wrong for him. She took off her clothes and put them in an evidence bag, just as Cath had asked her. She put on her black Forensics jumpsuit that was in the back of the Tahoe. Maybe she went a little overboard. She could see the attraction that men saw in Heather, she was mysterious, and Grissom did like that. But the rest of her was all wrong. Everything. Sara got in the Tahoe and drove back to the lab. Maybe she was right to lunge at lady heather. She was the one who chose Grissom, not Grissom her. She could lure any man in there with those sexy clothes she wears and that rock hard body of hers. But Grissom was smarter than that. He should have known. She was so mixed up, she didn't know what to think. She definitely needed another night of sleep on it. Maybe two.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Sara got to Nick's house that night, she longed for someone to be beside her. Someone to cuddle. Someone to keep her warm. Someone to talk to. Someone to love. Nick was just across the hall, she reminded herself. She thought for a minute and made up her mind. She got up and walked across the hall to Nick.

His door was wide open, but she knocked on it anyway. "Hey Nick." She looked at him. He was watching TV.

"Need Something Sara?" he asked turning away from the TV. "I'll get it for you."

"Actually, I do need something," she said as she moved closer to him. "I need that something very, very much." She sighed.

"Anything," he said. He pulled off his sheets and got up. "Tell me what it is you desire."

Sara looked at him. He had nothing on except his boxer shorts. He looked hot and tempting. "I need..." Sara stuttered.

"Yes?"

Sara couldn't bring herself to say it. This whole thing was wrong. Nick looked so tempting standing there half naked, but she just couldn't say it. It wasn't right. Not Nick. "I need to know where the peanut butter and jelly are. I'm hungry." She said in a rush.

Nick looked surprised. "If that's what you want," he said, He went to the kitchen and fished out the peanut butter and jelly. "You need bread too," he said. He also got that for Sara. "Knives are over there," he said, pointing, "and that's where the paper plates are." He bid her goodnight and went back to his room.

Sara wasn't hungry at all. If anything, she was sick. The last thing she wanted to do was eat. She took the ingredients and put them back where Nick had gotten them.

Sara returned to her room. She needed Grissom, no doubt about it. But he wouldn't take her back. He just wouldn't. Catherine didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Or so Sara thought.

Sara got into her bed. She cried herself to sleep that night.

To be continued...