AN: Rock on! Another chapter so soon, see how I love you guys! Keep up the
reviews they keep me going. Thanks to everyone, you know who you are by
now.
Joey's back, and now they know...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Swallowing the lump in her throat and unconsciously touching the baby, Sara gets out and eyes the small bouquet of pink and purple lilies. Looking around, she sees no unknown cars and reaches out to grab them before snatching her hand back.
'Dammit, Sidle: gloves. You know better than that,' she thinks and moves to the back of the vehicle, snatching a pair and returning to the front warily. Sara is hoping when she looks again the flowers will be gone, but they are not; they remain, mocking her, bringing back memories she fought so hard to control.
Reaching out, Sara grabs the flowers carefully by the stems. There are four flowers, two of each color bound with a white ribbon, which winds through a note.
'Maybe it's a mistake, maybe someone put these on the wrong car. Grissom would know better than to give me lilies.' Sara runs through all the other options before opening the note, and finding her worst fears are realized.
'You are my one true love, Sara. I'm back; we can finally be together.'
"Oh my God, no." Sara's hand on her stomach quickly turns into a protective embrace with her whole arm. She has trouble breathing, and everything is getting fuzzy, the edges of her vision blurring. To keep from falling, Sara leans against the Tahoe and slides down the side, sitting as gently as she can on the ground, the flowers forgotten and dropped next to her. The cold Vegas air barely registers with her; she hadn't grabbed a coat and the wind is whipping around her. She brings her knees up and places her head between them in an attempt to keep from fainting.
'It cant be. He's supposed to be locked up, gone, for years. How? Why? Why now?' The thoughts are swirling in her head and Sara doesn't hear the footsteps or someone calling out her name.
"Sara? Hey Sar? Where you at?" Nick calls out concerned. He can see the drivers side door open, but no sign of Sara as he approaches the vehicle. Coming around the end of the truck he sees her, she is sitting on the cold ground, shivering, her head locked between her knees. Lying innocently next to her are the flowers. Nick immediately recognizes them and panics.
"Sara! Are you ok?" He kneels in front of her and touches her arm lightly. Nick is shocked and dismayed when she pulls away from him, bringing her head up with fear in her brown eyes.
"Sara." he whispers and she softens upon recognizing him.
"Nick..I came out and." Is all she can get out before pointing to the discarded flowers.
"Ok, ok. First let's get you inside; you're cold. I'll take care of it." He helps her up and grabs his phone, quickly calling Warrick and telling him to meet them at the door without explanation.
Wrapping an arm around her for warmth as much as support, Nick barely hears her speak, but catches two words. "He's back."
Guiding her into the lab after giving Warrick the rundown, Nick sits her down in Grissom's office and quickly fires off two calls. One 911 page he sends to Grissom, Nick isn't in the mood to search the lab for him, and one call to Brass, for whom he leaves a voice mail. Once that is accomplished, he turns his attention back to Sara who has one arm wrapped around herself and is still shivering, as much from the cold as shock. She is staring into nowhere, her eyes glazed over, one hand still on her stomach.
"Sara, Grissom is on his way. It's ok." He stands in front of her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.
Finally she looks at him, really looks at him, with a sad smile. "No, its not."
Nick is about to speak again when Grissom opens his door, confused as to why Nick would 911 him back to his office. Seeing Sara, he knows why.
"Sara?" He questions. Nick moves out of the way, allowing Grissom access to the woman who has spoken only a handful of words.
Sara can only manage to look up at Grissom, she cant seem to speak.
"We have a problem." Nick says. Quickly, Nick runs down what happened in the parking lot, and that Warrick has the flowers now and is processing them and the note.
"Can't be, Nick. Cant be. He is in the psychiatric center." He is trying to convince himself as much as Nick.
"I know. I called Brass at any rate, he should know."
"Good. Thank you, Nick. Go help Warrick will you? And get back to me as soon as you can."
"No problem, we'll figure this out."
Nick closes the door on his way out, leaving Grissom and Sara in peace. Slowly Grissom reaches out and touches her face, pushing some hair back.
"Sara? You ok?"
She looks up at him and takes a deep breath. Sara refuses to break; Joey Harrington did that to her once, never again. "I'm ok, just shocked. He's supposed to be put away Grissom. Gone for good.out of our lives."
"Maybe its not him." Even as he says it, Grissom doesn't believe a word he just said.
"Come on, we both know it is. I don't need fingerprints to tell me that. I just want to know how."
Nick walks into the lab and finds Warrick sitting at a computer, waiting for the prints to download.
"You get those prints lifted already?"
"Yeah, Sara made it easy for me by not touching it. I grabbed one clear set and." As he speaks the print appears on the right side of the screen in blue. On the left is Harrington's prints from booking, in yellow. A few swift clicks on the keyboard and they have a match.
"Shit." Nick says slowly, presses his hands flat on the countertop, and turns to look at his friend. "How?"
tbc.......
Joey's back, and now they know...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Swallowing the lump in her throat and unconsciously touching the baby, Sara gets out and eyes the small bouquet of pink and purple lilies. Looking around, she sees no unknown cars and reaches out to grab them before snatching her hand back.
'Dammit, Sidle: gloves. You know better than that,' she thinks and moves to the back of the vehicle, snatching a pair and returning to the front warily. Sara is hoping when she looks again the flowers will be gone, but they are not; they remain, mocking her, bringing back memories she fought so hard to control.
Reaching out, Sara grabs the flowers carefully by the stems. There are four flowers, two of each color bound with a white ribbon, which winds through a note.
'Maybe it's a mistake, maybe someone put these on the wrong car. Grissom would know better than to give me lilies.' Sara runs through all the other options before opening the note, and finding her worst fears are realized.
'You are my one true love, Sara. I'm back; we can finally be together.'
"Oh my God, no." Sara's hand on her stomach quickly turns into a protective embrace with her whole arm. She has trouble breathing, and everything is getting fuzzy, the edges of her vision blurring. To keep from falling, Sara leans against the Tahoe and slides down the side, sitting as gently as she can on the ground, the flowers forgotten and dropped next to her. The cold Vegas air barely registers with her; she hadn't grabbed a coat and the wind is whipping around her. She brings her knees up and places her head between them in an attempt to keep from fainting.
'It cant be. He's supposed to be locked up, gone, for years. How? Why? Why now?' The thoughts are swirling in her head and Sara doesn't hear the footsteps or someone calling out her name.
"Sara? Hey Sar? Where you at?" Nick calls out concerned. He can see the drivers side door open, but no sign of Sara as he approaches the vehicle. Coming around the end of the truck he sees her, she is sitting on the cold ground, shivering, her head locked between her knees. Lying innocently next to her are the flowers. Nick immediately recognizes them and panics.
"Sara! Are you ok?" He kneels in front of her and touches her arm lightly. Nick is shocked and dismayed when she pulls away from him, bringing her head up with fear in her brown eyes.
"Sara." he whispers and she softens upon recognizing him.
"Nick..I came out and." Is all she can get out before pointing to the discarded flowers.
"Ok, ok. First let's get you inside; you're cold. I'll take care of it." He helps her up and grabs his phone, quickly calling Warrick and telling him to meet them at the door without explanation.
Wrapping an arm around her for warmth as much as support, Nick barely hears her speak, but catches two words. "He's back."
Guiding her into the lab after giving Warrick the rundown, Nick sits her down in Grissom's office and quickly fires off two calls. One 911 page he sends to Grissom, Nick isn't in the mood to search the lab for him, and one call to Brass, for whom he leaves a voice mail. Once that is accomplished, he turns his attention back to Sara who has one arm wrapped around herself and is still shivering, as much from the cold as shock. She is staring into nowhere, her eyes glazed over, one hand still on her stomach.
"Sara, Grissom is on his way. It's ok." He stands in front of her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.
Finally she looks at him, really looks at him, with a sad smile. "No, its not."
Nick is about to speak again when Grissom opens his door, confused as to why Nick would 911 him back to his office. Seeing Sara, he knows why.
"Sara?" He questions. Nick moves out of the way, allowing Grissom access to the woman who has spoken only a handful of words.
Sara can only manage to look up at Grissom, she cant seem to speak.
"We have a problem." Nick says. Quickly, Nick runs down what happened in the parking lot, and that Warrick has the flowers now and is processing them and the note.
"Can't be, Nick. Cant be. He is in the psychiatric center." He is trying to convince himself as much as Nick.
"I know. I called Brass at any rate, he should know."
"Good. Thank you, Nick. Go help Warrick will you? And get back to me as soon as you can."
"No problem, we'll figure this out."
Nick closes the door on his way out, leaving Grissom and Sara in peace. Slowly Grissom reaches out and touches her face, pushing some hair back.
"Sara? You ok?"
She looks up at him and takes a deep breath. Sara refuses to break; Joey Harrington did that to her once, never again. "I'm ok, just shocked. He's supposed to be put away Grissom. Gone for good.out of our lives."
"Maybe its not him." Even as he says it, Grissom doesn't believe a word he just said.
"Come on, we both know it is. I don't need fingerprints to tell me that. I just want to know how."
Nick walks into the lab and finds Warrick sitting at a computer, waiting for the prints to download.
"You get those prints lifted already?"
"Yeah, Sara made it easy for me by not touching it. I grabbed one clear set and." As he speaks the print appears on the right side of the screen in blue. On the left is Harrington's prints from booking, in yellow. A few swift clicks on the keyboard and they have a match.
"Shit." Nick says slowly, presses his hands flat on the countertop, and turns to look at his friend. "How?"
tbc.......