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. Thanks for the feedback. :) Two chapters posted since I'll be offline
this weekend. :)
Fifteen hours missing
3 pm
"I know with your jobs you deal with traumatic cases all the time but was there anything within the past month that Sara might have found hard to investigate?"Jack asked
Grissom shook his head. "No. Sara and Greg were injured in a lab explosion a few weeks ago."
"Was she seriously hurt?"Danny inquired as he jotted down notes on a small pad of paper in front of him.
"She had a cut on her hand that required stitches and a gash on her forehead. Greg was in the lab itself and was more seriously injured."
"Did Sara witness the explosion?"Jack asked.
Grissom had to concentrate as Jack's voice faded from his hearing. From what he had been able to lip read he guestimated what the question had been.
"She was walking past when the explosion occurred."
"Had she talked to anyone about the ordeal?"Danny questioned as he leaned forward.
"Not that I'm aware of. She seemed fine."Grissom replied hoping his words didn't sound as hallow to them as it did to him. He should've checked up on her. He had been meaning too. But everyone's attention was focused on Greg's recovery and rebuilding the lab.
"You have to know Sara."Gil continued as he met Jack's gaze. "She's strong, independent. When I came across her in the parking lot after the explosion. I had to insist that she get her hand looked at. Her first concern was with the cleanup in the lab."
"So there was no indication that she wanted to take off for a few days?"Danny asked as he leaned the eraser end of the pencil against the paper. "To get away, clear her head?"
"No."Grissom replied as he started to stand. "She and everyone else here have been pulling double shifts for the last week trying to get caught up. Trying to get cases reorganized. The breakfast she was having with Nick the next morning was the first free time they'd had in days."
Jack held his hand up trying to calm things down. "We're just trying to get a picture of what her state of mind was."
Danny nodded. "It's standard procedure. We need to rule things out."
Grissom sat back down slowly. "I'm sorry. I know it's procedure.....I just....I just hate sitting here and not be out there looking for her."
"We're doing everything we can."Jack assured the older man. "These interviews are the first step so we can get a feel of who Sara is, what her moods were that day."
"I know."Grissom replied quietly.
"Had she dated any one recently?"Taylor asked.
Grissom shook his head. "Last serious boyfriend she had was a paramedic named Hank Peddigrew."
Jack exchanged a look with Danny who nodded and set down his pencil."I think that's all we need right now."
Grissom stood. "Who do you want to talk to next?"
Jack looked down at the open file folder on the table in front of him. "Nick Stokes."
"I'll send him in."Grissom replied as he left.
Danny stood and sat down on the edge of the table as he absently tapped the pencil against his palm. "Do you want me to look into the suicide angle?"
Jack shook his head. "No, not yet. Let us do a few more interviews."
"You don't have too."Nick stated from the doorway trying to keep the anger out of his voice and failing. "Sara would never take her own life."
*******
Brass waved Martin Fitzgerald into his office as he said. "Have a seat."
"Thanks."Martin replied as he sat in one of the visitor's chairs.
"I pulled what information I have on the Sidle disappearance."Jim said trying to keep his voice professional. "I also put a new picture on the APB. The only one I had to work with last night was her driver license photo."
Martin nodded as he took the file folder. "Do you know Sara?"
Brass leaned forward resting one arm on the surface of the desk. "Yeah. She's a nice person, smart as hell CSI and a bit of a work-a-holic. I hope you guys can find her."
"I hope so too."Martin replied sincerly as he stood. "Thank you."
"Let me know if we can do anything to assist."Brass said quietly.
Martin nodded. "I will."he promised as he turned and left the office.
*******
Danny decided to take a different approach as Nick stepped into the room. "People hide things."
Nick shook his head as he came to stand next to the table. "Not something like that. We're a close knit group around here, Agent Taylor. If Sara was hurting that much she would've come to one of us."
"Are you sure of that?"Jack asked as he leaned back against the wall watching the younger man's reaction.
"Yes."Nick replied trying to calm himself down. Flying off the handle at the Feds wasn't going to bring Sara home any faster. "I saw her last night. She was fine."
"Was she?"Danny asked as he looked back at his notes. "Grissom told us you'd been working a lot of hours."
Nick's eyes narrowed sharply. "Everybody was. There was an explosion here a couple weeks back. Destroyed a lot of evidence. Took awhile to get cases reorganized and we still had new cases to work on."
Danny nodded. "Sounds like a lot of stress. From what I understand she was injured in the explosion. Not taking any time off afterwards. Long hours."
"I had worked with her closely on a couple cases over the last few days."Nick countered."If something was wrong I would've seen it. Sara's one of the strongest people I know."
"Even strong people crack."Jack stated softly."Had she had any trouble recently? A case gone bad? Threats? Ex-boyfriend that didn't want to let go?"
Nick shook his head. "No, outside of the explosion things were normal."
"And you were the one that reported her missing?"Danny asked.
Nick nodded grimly. "Yeah. We had made plans to grab breakfast before shift. Her Tahoe's in the shop so I said I'd pick her up. I got there and the door was unlocked."
"Was the door open?"Jack inquired.
Nick shook his head. "No. It was closed. It opened easily when I knocked. She's never that careless to leave it unlocked."
"Did she keep a spare key outside?"
"No."
"Do you know where she keeps one?"Jack asked as he moved away from the wall.
"With the hours we work."Nick explained. "Some of us, Warrick, me and Catherine decided to keep spare keys at the other's houses. Just in case. That way nobody would be vulernable at that time of night."
"Okay."Jack acknowledged as he walked toward Nick. "Can you tell Warrick Brown to come in?"
Nick nodded as he walked to the doorway. "You're wrong about Sara. She didn't disappear on her own and she didn't take her own life. She's out there somewhere in trouble."
"We'll do our best to find her."Jack assured the younger man.
Nick looked from one agent to the other and back again before the turned and left the room.
"I don't think he has much confidence in us."Danny stated wryly as he stood and stretched.
Jack shook his head wearily. "I don't blame him. The evidence we have to work with is thin to say the least."
"We've worked with less."
"Yeah."
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. Thanks for the feedback. :) Two chapters posted since I'll be offline
this weekend. :)
Fifteen hours missing
3 pm
"I know with your jobs you deal with traumatic cases all the time but was there anything within the past month that Sara might have found hard to investigate?"Jack asked
Grissom shook his head. "No. Sara and Greg were injured in a lab explosion a few weeks ago."
"Was she seriously hurt?"Danny inquired as he jotted down notes on a small pad of paper in front of him.
"She had a cut on her hand that required stitches and a gash on her forehead. Greg was in the lab itself and was more seriously injured."
"Did Sara witness the explosion?"Jack asked.
Grissom had to concentrate as Jack's voice faded from his hearing. From what he had been able to lip read he guestimated what the question had been.
"She was walking past when the explosion occurred."
"Had she talked to anyone about the ordeal?"Danny questioned as he leaned forward.
"Not that I'm aware of. She seemed fine."Grissom replied hoping his words didn't sound as hallow to them as it did to him. He should've checked up on her. He had been meaning too. But everyone's attention was focused on Greg's recovery and rebuilding the lab.
"You have to know Sara."Gil continued as he met Jack's gaze. "She's strong, independent. When I came across her in the parking lot after the explosion. I had to insist that she get her hand looked at. Her first concern was with the cleanup in the lab."
"So there was no indication that she wanted to take off for a few days?"Danny asked as he leaned the eraser end of the pencil against the paper. "To get away, clear her head?"
"No."Grissom replied as he started to stand. "She and everyone else here have been pulling double shifts for the last week trying to get caught up. Trying to get cases reorganized. The breakfast she was having with Nick the next morning was the first free time they'd had in days."
Jack held his hand up trying to calm things down. "We're just trying to get a picture of what her state of mind was."
Danny nodded. "It's standard procedure. We need to rule things out."
Grissom sat back down slowly. "I'm sorry. I know it's procedure.....I just....I just hate sitting here and not be out there looking for her."
"We're doing everything we can."Jack assured the older man. "These interviews are the first step so we can get a feel of who Sara is, what her moods were that day."
"I know."Grissom replied quietly.
"Had she dated any one recently?"Taylor asked.
Grissom shook his head. "Last serious boyfriend she had was a paramedic named Hank Peddigrew."
Jack exchanged a look with Danny who nodded and set down his pencil."I think that's all we need right now."
Grissom stood. "Who do you want to talk to next?"
Jack looked down at the open file folder on the table in front of him. "Nick Stokes."
"I'll send him in."Grissom replied as he left.
Danny stood and sat down on the edge of the table as he absently tapped the pencil against his palm. "Do you want me to look into the suicide angle?"
Jack shook his head. "No, not yet. Let us do a few more interviews."
"You don't have too."Nick stated from the doorway trying to keep the anger out of his voice and failing. "Sara would never take her own life."
*******
Brass waved Martin Fitzgerald into his office as he said. "Have a seat."
"Thanks."Martin replied as he sat in one of the visitor's chairs.
"I pulled what information I have on the Sidle disappearance."Jim said trying to keep his voice professional. "I also put a new picture on the APB. The only one I had to work with last night was her driver license photo."
Martin nodded as he took the file folder. "Do you know Sara?"
Brass leaned forward resting one arm on the surface of the desk. "Yeah. She's a nice person, smart as hell CSI and a bit of a work-a-holic. I hope you guys can find her."
"I hope so too."Martin replied sincerly as he stood. "Thank you."
"Let me know if we can do anything to assist."Brass said quietly.
Martin nodded. "I will."he promised as he turned and left the office.
*******
Danny decided to take a different approach as Nick stepped into the room. "People hide things."
Nick shook his head as he came to stand next to the table. "Not something like that. We're a close knit group around here, Agent Taylor. If Sara was hurting that much she would've come to one of us."
"Are you sure of that?"Jack asked as he leaned back against the wall watching the younger man's reaction.
"Yes."Nick replied trying to calm himself down. Flying off the handle at the Feds wasn't going to bring Sara home any faster. "I saw her last night. She was fine."
"Was she?"Danny asked as he looked back at his notes. "Grissom told us you'd been working a lot of hours."
Nick's eyes narrowed sharply. "Everybody was. There was an explosion here a couple weeks back. Destroyed a lot of evidence. Took awhile to get cases reorganized and we still had new cases to work on."
Danny nodded. "Sounds like a lot of stress. From what I understand she was injured in the explosion. Not taking any time off afterwards. Long hours."
"I had worked with her closely on a couple cases over the last few days."Nick countered."If something was wrong I would've seen it. Sara's one of the strongest people I know."
"Even strong people crack."Jack stated softly."Had she had any trouble recently? A case gone bad? Threats? Ex-boyfriend that didn't want to let go?"
Nick shook his head. "No, outside of the explosion things were normal."
"And you were the one that reported her missing?"Danny asked.
Nick nodded grimly. "Yeah. We had made plans to grab breakfast before shift. Her Tahoe's in the shop so I said I'd pick her up. I got there and the door was unlocked."
"Was the door open?"Jack inquired.
Nick shook his head. "No. It was closed. It opened easily when I knocked. She's never that careless to leave it unlocked."
"Did she keep a spare key outside?"
"No."
"Do you know where she keeps one?"Jack asked as he moved away from the wall.
"With the hours we work."Nick explained. "Some of us, Warrick, me and Catherine decided to keep spare keys at the other's houses. Just in case. That way nobody would be vulernable at that time of night."
"Okay."Jack acknowledged as he walked toward Nick. "Can you tell Warrick Brown to come in?"
Nick nodded as he walked to the doorway. "You're wrong about Sara. She didn't disappear on her own and she didn't take her own life. She's out there somewhere in trouble."
"We'll do our best to find her."Jack assured the younger man.
Nick looked from one agent to the other and back again before the turned and left the room.
"I don't think he has much confidence in us."Danny stated wryly as he stood and stretched.
Jack shook his head wearily. "I don't blame him. The evidence we have to work with is thin to say the least."
"We've worked with less."
"Yeah."