Disclaimer:  I do not own or gain any monies from the writing of this story.  All characters are owned by CBS.

A/N:  I had began this story last winter under a different title and had gotten up to chapter 14, but realized it was too much like another one and it wasn't going the way I really wanted it to.  So here is my 2nd attempt.  Hope you enjoy it.  Let me know your thoughts on it, whether good or bad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The hot, muggy day continued to press heavily on the diverse forms of humanity as the sunlight slowly diminished behind the thick layer of clouds forming on the horizon.  Day became night and the residents of Las Vegas awaited release from the clouds crowding the night sky.

            Sara Sidle arrived at the designated location. The neighborhood held chaos in its wake and Sara thought about what might be awaiting her at the scene.  The heat of the day mixed with the loss of her car's air-conditioning played havoc on her body.  Climbing out of her car, she stripped off her light mock turtle-neck, revealing the white tank top underneath.  It had already begun showing signs of perspiration.  She grabbed a towel from the trunk to wipe the sweat off her neck and chest.  She hastily threw the towel back in the trunk then grabbed her gear and headed inside.

            This was the only case tonight and everyone else had already arrived.  She'd overslept and couldn't seem to motivate herself to go to work –much less want to.  Her legs felt as if they were filled with lead as she plodded along.  Sleep had eluded her all week and yesterday had been her sixth consecutive day of dozing.  That morning, her body had finally rebelled and regained control.   Grissom needed her and she responded as always –on the ready.  Sara, although knowing this week would be hellish, hadn't prepared herself for the coming onslaught of nightmares, tremors and the ever-present fear that somehow seemed to multiply each year.

            She showed her badge to the officers guarding the entrance and made her way into the house.  She expected a lot more of a mess but in the living room it appeared as if nothing had happened.  One of the officers motioned her on to the back of the house, which she guessed was where her coworkers were already hard at it.  She glanced around taking in everything as she strode into the kitchen.  Upon reaching the doorway, she stopped dead in her tracks. 

            GIL GRISSOM squatted before the body of a woman lying in front of an open refrigerator.  Milk had spilled on the floor.  Her clothes were in disarray and her pants had been removed.  His attention was drawn to the open doorway as he saw the woman who always seemed to pull his attention away from the work at hand, but when his gaze reached her face he saw a look of detachment from her surroundings. Approaching her with concern, he came to a halt as Nick walked in and smiled at her, nudging her as he went by.  Grissom noticed her lack of reaction as she stared at the woman on the floor.

            "Hey Grissom, it doesn't look like anything else has been touched in the rest of the house.  The fingerprints I found are probably all hers."  Nick's frowning expression pulled Grissom's attention from Sara as he tried to process what Nick had said.

            She stood, unmovable but Grissom was sure she heard everything happening around her but was not reacting to them.  She stooped to set her gear on the floor in the kitchen, her eyes never leaving the victim and the blood pooled around her lifeless body. She made no move to step closer or away from the scene.   

            Grissom had approached her and, after several attempts to get her attention, she finally looked at his face.  Their eyes made contact and yet Grissom had the feeling that Sara wasn't seeing him at all.  "Sara is something wrong?"  He moved to touch her arm but before he could Catherine walked up beside them.

            "Gris, there's no broken glass, no forced entry.  I'm beginning to wonder if the murderer wasn't somebody she knew."  Catherine spoke to Grissom but her eyes traveled back and forth between him and Sara.  "Nick didn't find anything in the bathroom or in the bedroom."

            With an eye still on Sara, he started to respond to Catherine, but when Sara bolted from the room he hastily said, "Keep looking."

            The hallway was dark and he tripped on something lying in his path.  Stooping to pick up the offending item, he found it and realized it was a Maglite –Sara's to be exact.  He turned it on and looked into the room to his left but saw no sign of her.  He turned to his right and did the same thing, this time finding Sara laying face down on the bedroom floor.  He crept closer, his concern increasing.  As he approached he saw where her eyes were looking –underneath the bed.

            He could feel his heart pounding at the thought that something was incredibly wrong with this picture.  Realizing his movements hadn't gained a reaction from her or even a shift in her position, he decided that it would be best not to disturb her at this point.  Silently, he knelt down on the floor and tilted his upper body and head downward to peer under the bed at whatever it was she was looking at.  Suddenly he lifted his head back up in astonishment and a growing feeling of fear.  He looked again and sure enough, just as before, the object he saw was actually there.

            Grissom blinked again as he glanced from the object then over to his CSI.  Sara remained still where she lay.  He reached forward but then he pulled back with the realization that he didn't have his gloves on.  He looked again at the object then back at her.  The last thing he wanted to do now was to leave her here, alone.  He sucked in his breath and held it in while he thought, and then when nothing came to him he let it out slowly.

            Suddenly, Sara moved.  She stood and waited for Grissom to do likewise.  Her voice low and edgy, she firmly stated, "Grissom, I'm off this case."  Without another word, she abruptly turned and walked out.

            Caught unawares, Grissom stood in silence as he watched her leave the bedroom.  His mouth opened slightly to speak, then just as quickly he shut it and scrambled after her.  When he reached the living room, he just glimpsed her as she left the house.  He turned back to the kitchen where activity still thrived and saw that she left all of her gear on the floor.

Catherine approached and asked, "Grissom, where have you been?"  Grissom, not sure what to say in response, decided not to disclose what had just happened except where to find the knife.  "Catherine, I believe the murder weapon is underneath the mattress in the main bedroom and stuck up into it.  Please retrieve it.  You, Nick and Warrick finish here.  Page me if you need me."  Retrieving Sara's gear, he walked out without any further comment, leaving an astonished Catherine in his wake.

            After depositing Sara's gear in the back of the Tahoe, Grissom jumped in the front seat, intending to follow her, when he realized he didn't know where she had gone.  He sat in his vehicle contemplating his next move or, more specifically, what Sara's had been.  Several options came to mind but none sounded viable.  He didn't know enough of Sara's habits to figure out her whereabouts.

            He chose first to drive by her apartment and see if she was there, if not, then he would try the lab.  Grissom's anxiety continued to rise as he drove.  He'd never seen her react as she did at the crime scene.  Even though he had some idea about what it was, he couldn't quite bring the thought to the fore in fear that he might be right.  I'm not thinking about that unless I hear it from her directly. 

Arriving at her complex and wending his way around the driveways, he reached her apartment but her car was not in the parking lot.  He floored the accelerator and headed for his next option.

SHE WALKED DETERMINEDLY through the quiet hallways, arms crossed in front of her chest and her head hung low with her hair hanging loosely shielding her face.  A shiver ran through her frame, the cold air conditioning contrasting against her heated skin.  Sara's only current case was the one that everyone else was currently out working on.  She couldn't do it.  Her mind rebelled with itself.  The protective side won out.  She couldn't go home –too dangerous.  Besides, Grissom was probably trying to locate her.  Damn him and his curiosity.  Why was it he would choose these times to notice her but when she really wanted him to, he was totally oblivious to her?

            It had been too hot outside but now her shivers were becoming worse.  Coffee would be a good start in warming her up.  She turned on her heel and headed back to the break room.  As she turned the corner she felt two strong hands grasp her shoulders, effectively halting her and keeping her from bowling over the other person.  She looked up into two flame-blue eyes.

            "Sara.  Are you alright?"  His grip hadn't slackened and her first instinct was to withdraw.  The events of the evening brought forth too many thoughts and memories, making defense her first option.  Tamping down her reaction, she nodded in reply.  Even though her instinct was to disengage herself, her emotions soon took over and she wanted nothing more than for him to hold her.  Her mind fought the feeling.  If she acquiesced to it, she'd soon find herself explaining all.

            "Are you sure?  You took off without any notice."

            "I'm fine.  I just can't deal with…" she hesitated, searching for the words.  "Another female victim."

            Grissom nodded in understanding, at least that's what she thought.  "I could understand that, Sara.  But…"

            "But what?  What isn't there to understand?  I can't deal with it tonight."

            "You knew where the murder weapon was."

            "I… I guessed Nick might have missed something," she winced at her words.  She'd lied.  Lied to Grissom.  Another voice in her head, however, said, So what?  You don't have to explain yourself to anyone.  The words strengthened her resolve.  Her head lifted and she shrugged off his hands from her shoulders.

            He flinched.  She saw it but her stance didn't waver.  He can't know.  He'll think the worst of me for what I did.  She sucked in a breath, holding it as she awaited the onslaught from him.

            His lips twitched then pressed together, pursing into a pucker.  It was a familiar sight to Sara.  He was thinking and thinking hard. 

            "Two can play this game, Sara."  He dipped his head then looked back at her with a sorrow in his eyes that cut her to the quick.  He held out his hand and Sara was unsure of his meaning.  Her eyes darted to it then back to his face –his hardened face.

            "Give me your gun and your ID badge."

            "What?"

            "You're on administrative leave until further notice."

            "You have got to be kidding."  She slumped for a moment, the unexpected direction of this conversation taking all of her energy.

            "Do I look like I'm kidding?  Either tell me the… truth… or hand over your gun."

            Her eyes blazed.  He straightened as if feeling the burn.  She unclipped her gun and her ID and instead of placing them in his hand, she slammed them down into his palm so that he almost dropped them.  "Fine, I needed some time off anyway."  She brushed past him but called back with anger lacing her words.  "Just remember, you put me on leave.  Don't call me when you need help."

            Sara stormed out of the building, unaware of the lab techs and other co-workers who quickly moved out of her way as she approached then passed them by.

TBC