Title: Barely Existing
Author: Cindy Ryan
catagory: angst, Xover
pairings: Jack/Sam, Grissom/Sara
Summary: After 'Play with fire' Sara vanishes, Grissom calls in a favor
Notes: See part one
10 a.m.
Nick sat at a table in the break room. A stack of folders in front of him and a pile of papers to his right. He had sat in the trace lab for nearly an hour staring at the same slide through a microscope. When he realized he hadn't looked at more than one slide for that long a period of time Nick had given up and retreated to the break room.
If he couldn't concentrate on evidence maybe he could concentrate on paperwork.
"Hey,Nick."
Stokes looked up to see Greg standing in the door way his hands bandaged. "Hey, Greg. I didn't think you were back to work yet."
The lab tech shook his head as he stepped into the room. "I'm not. Warrick called and told me about Sara.....is there anything new?"
Nick tossed down his pen and leaned back in his chair as he shook his head wearily. "No. Brass hasn't turned up any witnesses. They're still sifting through the prints in her apartment. But no blood or fibers or hair were found."
Greg sank down into the chair across from Nick. "I guess nowhere is safe any more."
Nick caught the sadness in his friend's voice. "How are you doing?"
Greg held up his bandaged hands. "Maybe if I keep these till Halloween I'll have a ready made costume."
"Greg....."
Sanders stood. "I'm okay, Nick. Just tired. You know me I bounce back from anything. Just keep me in the loop if there's anything on Sara."
"I will."Nick promised. "Get some rest."
"I think I'll hang around here for awhile."Greg stated as he walked out of the break room. "See if I can do anything to help."
Nick watched the younger man leave. A worried frown crossing his face. Greg had just started to recover both physically and emotionally from the explosion. Nick could only hope that Sara's disappearance wouldn't be too much of an added strain.
**********
Ten hours missing
Homicide Captain Jim Brass stood just inside the doorway to Gil Grissom's office file folder in hand. More than anything he hated spinning his wheels. Especially when a friend's life was at stake.
"Tell me you have something."Grissom said as he sat down on the corner of his desk taking off his glasses.
Brass shook his head. "Wish I could. None of the neighbors saw or heard anything. Her Tahoe's still at the repair shop. None of her friends have talked to her in the last two days outside of a quick phone call. Her parents last contact with Sara was almost three weeks ago. There was one message on her answering machine but it was a wrong number."
Grissom rubbed a hand over his face before saying. "Somebody can't have just grabbed her without leaving any evidence. There has to be something."
"So far there isn't."Brass said as he leaned against the back of one of the visitors chairs.
"You said there was one message on her machine."Grissom stated. "What about her cell?"
"Haven't found it."Brass replied. "If it was left on when the perp grabbed her we could trace the signal but the technology is still cagey at best."
"Try anyway."Grissom replied grimly. "Right now it's all we have."
"I have every officer available working on this."Brass assured his friend. "We'll find her."
"Jim."Grissom called halting the police detective in the doorway. "I don't want to step on your toes but I called you in some back up."
"Who?"Brass asked as he turned back.
"Jack Malone. He's head of the missing persons unit for the FBI."Grissom replied. "They should be here in a couple hours."
"Okay."Brass acknowledged.
"It's not that I don't trust your department to bring Sara home."Grissom explained as he stood. "I just wanted to explore every avenue available."
"I understand."Brass said quietly. "The Feds can do more than we can as far as the search goes. I'll help them any way I can."
"Thanks Jim."
********
Sara struggled to stay awake. She knew she had a concussion at the very least.
Her arms ached from being tied behind her back for so long. Her knees weren't any better for being pushed against a wall at an odd angle.
Sara had no idea where she was or who had taken her. The memories of her abduction were fuzzy. But one thing that came through clear was the fear.
She'd never felt anything like it.
Sara hated the fact that she was scared. But she was. But she vowed never to let her captor see that she was afraid.
She'd never let him have that victory.
********
"I've been trying your cell for the past hour."Catherine commented as she ducked under the crime scene tape that barricaded Sara's front door and stepped into the living room.
Grissom looked up from his spot by the small kitchen counter. He fished his phone out of his jacket pocket and looked at the display.
"Sorry, battery's dead."Grissom replied distractedly as he replaced the phone. "Has Brass found......"
Catherine shook her head. "No. I was just worried about you."
Grissom tossed down the stack of mail he had been sifting through. "I'm not the one that's missing."
"Gil......"
Grissom walked toward the front door and stepped past Catherine. He paused and leaned against the doorway. The dayside CSI unit had finished with the apartment an hour before. No evidence found, no evidence left to damage.
As Grissom stared out the open doorway he couldn't help but wonder if Sara had even made it through her front door before this person had grabbed her. Had she put her key in the lock or had he ripped the keys out of her hand? Had he chrlorphormed her or used a more violent method to subdue her?
Catherine came up behind her friend and placed a gentle hand on his right shoulder. "Gil?"
"Had you talked with her since the explosion?"Grissom asked his voice hoarse and full of worry.
Catherine shook her head as she moved to stand next to him. "Just briefly in the break room or the locker room. I'd been meaning to see if she wanted to grab dinner one night with Lindsey and me but time just got away from me."
"Things had been strained between Sara and I since the explosion."Grissom confided.
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "She didn't mention anything."
"I handled things badly."Grissom replied quietly. "She had stopped by my office and asked if I wanted to go out to dinner."
Catherine nodded in understanding. "And you said no."
"It sounds lame, but I didn't want to take a chance at ruining our friendship."Grissom stated hating how the words sounded. There had always been something between Sara and him but he'd never been able to define it.
"Maybe if I had taken the chance she wanted me to take."Grissom continued his voice catching. "I could've done something to protect her...."
"No matter how much we want to some times we can't see into the future."Catherine replied softly. "Roads not taken don't always mean we get to avoid the bad stuff."
Grissom slammed his right hand against the door frame causing Catherine to jump slightly. "I just can't believe there's nothing here for us to work with. Every crime leaves something behind."
Catherine tugged at his right arm. "Come on, lets get out of here."
Grissom caught the expression on her face. "You have an idea?"
"When does your Fed buddy get here?"Catherine asked as she ducked under the yellow tape.
Grissom glanced at his watch as he ducked under the tape and came to stand next to her in the hallway. It was twelve thirty. "If they're not delayed should be here about two."
"Covollo may have banned us from working the evidence."Catherine replied as they walked down the hall. "But he can't stop us from getting together on our free time."
Catherine pulled her cell phone out of her purse and tossed it to her boss. "We're going to brain storm. Tell everybody to meet at my house."
For the first time all morning Grissom smiled. It felt good to finally be doing something to find Sara.
*******
"How long before we land?"Martin asked tiredly as he tried to find a more comfortable position in his chair.
Danny stretched and tried not to knock over the can of soda that was resting on the tray in front of him. "Probably another hour or so. How much sleep have you had?"
Martin grinned at his friend. "Today or this week?"
Danny smiled. "Both."
"About ten hours."
"Get some sleep."Danny urged as he took a sip of his soda. "I'll wake in about forty minutes."
"Alright."Martin agreed as he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. "I have a feeling we're not going to be getting much sleep during this case."
Danny nodded as he turned to look out the window next to him. "I hate to say it but I agree with you. Priority cases at least in my experience are never easy."
Author: Cindy Ryan
catagory: angst, Xover
pairings: Jack/Sam, Grissom/Sara
Summary: After 'Play with fire' Sara vanishes, Grissom calls in a favor
Notes: See part one
10 a.m.
Nick sat at a table in the break room. A stack of folders in front of him and a pile of papers to his right. He had sat in the trace lab for nearly an hour staring at the same slide through a microscope. When he realized he hadn't looked at more than one slide for that long a period of time Nick had given up and retreated to the break room.
If he couldn't concentrate on evidence maybe he could concentrate on paperwork.
"Hey,Nick."
Stokes looked up to see Greg standing in the door way his hands bandaged. "Hey, Greg. I didn't think you were back to work yet."
The lab tech shook his head as he stepped into the room. "I'm not. Warrick called and told me about Sara.....is there anything new?"
Nick tossed down his pen and leaned back in his chair as he shook his head wearily. "No. Brass hasn't turned up any witnesses. They're still sifting through the prints in her apartment. But no blood or fibers or hair were found."
Greg sank down into the chair across from Nick. "I guess nowhere is safe any more."
Nick caught the sadness in his friend's voice. "How are you doing?"
Greg held up his bandaged hands. "Maybe if I keep these till Halloween I'll have a ready made costume."
"Greg....."
Sanders stood. "I'm okay, Nick. Just tired. You know me I bounce back from anything. Just keep me in the loop if there's anything on Sara."
"I will."Nick promised. "Get some rest."
"I think I'll hang around here for awhile."Greg stated as he walked out of the break room. "See if I can do anything to help."
Nick watched the younger man leave. A worried frown crossing his face. Greg had just started to recover both physically and emotionally from the explosion. Nick could only hope that Sara's disappearance wouldn't be too much of an added strain.
**********
Ten hours missing
Homicide Captain Jim Brass stood just inside the doorway to Gil Grissom's office file folder in hand. More than anything he hated spinning his wheels. Especially when a friend's life was at stake.
"Tell me you have something."Grissom said as he sat down on the corner of his desk taking off his glasses.
Brass shook his head. "Wish I could. None of the neighbors saw or heard anything. Her Tahoe's still at the repair shop. None of her friends have talked to her in the last two days outside of a quick phone call. Her parents last contact with Sara was almost three weeks ago. There was one message on her answering machine but it was a wrong number."
Grissom rubbed a hand over his face before saying. "Somebody can't have just grabbed her without leaving any evidence. There has to be something."
"So far there isn't."Brass said as he leaned against the back of one of the visitors chairs.
"You said there was one message on her machine."Grissom stated. "What about her cell?"
"Haven't found it."Brass replied. "If it was left on when the perp grabbed her we could trace the signal but the technology is still cagey at best."
"Try anyway."Grissom replied grimly. "Right now it's all we have."
"I have every officer available working on this."Brass assured his friend. "We'll find her."
"Jim."Grissom called halting the police detective in the doorway. "I don't want to step on your toes but I called you in some back up."
"Who?"Brass asked as he turned back.
"Jack Malone. He's head of the missing persons unit for the FBI."Grissom replied. "They should be here in a couple hours."
"Okay."Brass acknowledged.
"It's not that I don't trust your department to bring Sara home."Grissom explained as he stood. "I just wanted to explore every avenue available."
"I understand."Brass said quietly. "The Feds can do more than we can as far as the search goes. I'll help them any way I can."
"Thanks Jim."
********
Sara struggled to stay awake. She knew she had a concussion at the very least.
Her arms ached from being tied behind her back for so long. Her knees weren't any better for being pushed against a wall at an odd angle.
Sara had no idea where she was or who had taken her. The memories of her abduction were fuzzy. But one thing that came through clear was the fear.
She'd never felt anything like it.
Sara hated the fact that she was scared. But she was. But she vowed never to let her captor see that she was afraid.
She'd never let him have that victory.
********
"I've been trying your cell for the past hour."Catherine commented as she ducked under the crime scene tape that barricaded Sara's front door and stepped into the living room.
Grissom looked up from his spot by the small kitchen counter. He fished his phone out of his jacket pocket and looked at the display.
"Sorry, battery's dead."Grissom replied distractedly as he replaced the phone. "Has Brass found......"
Catherine shook her head. "No. I was just worried about you."
Grissom tossed down the stack of mail he had been sifting through. "I'm not the one that's missing."
"Gil......"
Grissom walked toward the front door and stepped past Catherine. He paused and leaned against the doorway. The dayside CSI unit had finished with the apartment an hour before. No evidence found, no evidence left to damage.
As Grissom stared out the open doorway he couldn't help but wonder if Sara had even made it through her front door before this person had grabbed her. Had she put her key in the lock or had he ripped the keys out of her hand? Had he chrlorphormed her or used a more violent method to subdue her?
Catherine came up behind her friend and placed a gentle hand on his right shoulder. "Gil?"
"Had you talked with her since the explosion?"Grissom asked his voice hoarse and full of worry.
Catherine shook her head as she moved to stand next to him. "Just briefly in the break room or the locker room. I'd been meaning to see if she wanted to grab dinner one night with Lindsey and me but time just got away from me."
"Things had been strained between Sara and I since the explosion."Grissom confided.
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "She didn't mention anything."
"I handled things badly."Grissom replied quietly. "She had stopped by my office and asked if I wanted to go out to dinner."
Catherine nodded in understanding. "And you said no."
"It sounds lame, but I didn't want to take a chance at ruining our friendship."Grissom stated hating how the words sounded. There had always been something between Sara and him but he'd never been able to define it.
"Maybe if I had taken the chance she wanted me to take."Grissom continued his voice catching. "I could've done something to protect her...."
"No matter how much we want to some times we can't see into the future."Catherine replied softly. "Roads not taken don't always mean we get to avoid the bad stuff."
Grissom slammed his right hand against the door frame causing Catherine to jump slightly. "I just can't believe there's nothing here for us to work with. Every crime leaves something behind."
Catherine tugged at his right arm. "Come on, lets get out of here."
Grissom caught the expression on her face. "You have an idea?"
"When does your Fed buddy get here?"Catherine asked as she ducked under the yellow tape.
Grissom glanced at his watch as he ducked under the tape and came to stand next to her in the hallway. It was twelve thirty. "If they're not delayed should be here about two."
"Covollo may have banned us from working the evidence."Catherine replied as they walked down the hall. "But he can't stop us from getting together on our free time."
Catherine pulled her cell phone out of her purse and tossed it to her boss. "We're going to brain storm. Tell everybody to meet at my house."
For the first time all morning Grissom smiled. It felt good to finally be doing something to find Sara.
*******
"How long before we land?"Martin asked tiredly as he tried to find a more comfortable position in his chair.
Danny stretched and tried not to knock over the can of soda that was resting on the tray in front of him. "Probably another hour or so. How much sleep have you had?"
Martin grinned at his friend. "Today or this week?"
Danny smiled. "Both."
"About ten hours."
"Get some sleep."Danny urged as he took a sip of his soda. "I'll wake in about forty minutes."
"Alright."Martin agreed as he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. "I have a feeling we're not going to be getting much sleep during this case."
Danny nodded as he turned to look out the window next to him. "I hate to say it but I agree with you. Priority cases at least in my experience are never easy."