I was about an hour outside of LA when my phone rang. I glanced quickly at the caller ID before I answered it. I was not in the mood to talk to Grissom. I had a feeling that he was at the heart of why Sara had so quickly left Vegas without even a phone call. That wasn't like her. She was one of my closest friends and we called each other for no good reason all the time. That's why it seemed so strange to me that she didn't return my first two phone calls.

The first day she was gone, I didn't think much of it. I figured at first that she'd just taken the night off. Then Catherine informed me and Warrick that she was taking a few days off. We exchanged a confused look. The three of us often went out and did things together quite often and we always seemed to know what each other was up to. Each of us left her a message to call us, so when she hadn't called either one of us the next day, I called her again. I was getting worried about her. Grissom hadn't said a word to us about why Sara wasn't there. That in and of itself pissed me off.

On the third day I had finally cornered Catherine and she had told me she wasn't sure when Sara was coming back, but that she had gone to stay at a friend's house near LA. I was not happy. I told Catherine to tell Grissom that I was taking a few days off. I certainly had them coming. I think I probably have at least three or four weeks worth of vacation just sitting there waiting to be used. Not that I have time for it. I always seem to be working overtime. Of course Sara beats the rest of us to maxing out on it each month. So when I saw that it was Sara calling me back, I answered it on the second ring.

"Sara!?" I exclaimed.

"Hey, Nicky, where are you?" I heard her ask.

I chuckled, "Where am I? Shouldn't I be asking you that question? Oh, wait, I already did in my messages."

She laughed. I loved her laughter. She answered me, "I'm in Malibu. I've got a friend from college that has a house on the beach. She said I could use it for a few days. Now where are you?"

I smiled, "I'm about an hour outside of LA." The tone in my voice changed. I was worried about why she had so abruptly left Vegas. "Hey, are you ok?"

She chuckled, "We'll talk when you get here. I'm assuming you haven't eaten anything, have you?"

She knew me well. I laughed, "I guess I am hungry. I don't suppose you have any meat to eat." Sara and I often bantered about my meat eating habits. It wasn't that I didn't like vegetables. I did. It's just that being from Texas, I appreciate a fine cut of beef. I can't imagine any reason in the world to give it up. Sara can't imagine eating it. I think it goes back to when she had to watch a pig decompose. She hasn't been able to stomach meat since then.

Sara laughed, "I don't know, Stokes. Call me when you get a bit closer and I'll give you directions. I don't want you to have an accident because I know you didn't pull over."

"Guilty. Ok, I'll call you when I'm close to Malibu." I smiled. "Hey, Sar. Whatever he did, it's gonna be ok."

She was quiet for a moment. "I know, Nicky. I know. I'll talk to you a little later."

With that we ended the conversation. I relaxed a little. After hearing her voice, I wasn't quite as worried. She just needed some physical distance between her and Vegas. I understood. When I needed that I went home to Texas. Sara didn't visit her family much. We had pretty much become her family. I think that's why whatever Grissom did hit her so hard.

I neared Malibu and pulled the Tahoe over. I punched in her cell phone number and waited for her to pick up. I smiled as I heard her voice come on the line. She gave me directions and within about ten minutes, I pulled into the driveway alongside her Tahoe.

As I stepped on the porch, the front door opened and Sara pulled me into a hug as she ushered me into the house.