All For Elle

Disclaimer: I don't profit from any of these pieces it is just a hobby.

Summary: Sara's past is haunting, and people are starting to notice. A father who she hates, a sister who she has loved and lost. And secrets that are on the verge of being revealed.

**Past**

"Sara, come on we gotta go. Sara," The voice slowly became louder as the twelve year old girl drifted to consciousness. She thought against the current as her sister's voice became more anxious by the second. Then she finally awoke and opened her eyes to be greeted by the fifteen year olds panic stricken face. She stopped, looked at the time and turned back to question Elle's actions. Elle noticed her confused expression and explained quickly to jog her little sister's memory.

"Remember were getting out of her. Tonight. Leaving for good to get away from this dump to find those oh so greener pastures we've been dreaming about. Remember."

It hit her like a ton of bricks, and her expression quickly mirrored that of her sister's. Fearful. Elle stood up from the place next to Sara's bed where she had been kneeling, jolting Sara from her thoughts, hinting for her to do the same. This was the night where their plans would be put into action. Years of dreaming and months of planning all ended at this point in their lives.

Reaching out she picked the pre packed bag from under her bed and got her coat on. It was four in the morning, the safest time to leave without the old man seeing them. Their father was undoubtedly unconscious from a day and night of drinking. And in order for their plan to work, the reason for their leaving would have to be unaware of their departure.

"Sara time to g." a crash stopped her sentence and her motion of opening the bedroom window. They froze. Sara didn't know if she wasn't moving because she didn't want to make a sound, or because she physically couldn't move. She was to struck by fear, the only thing she could do was concentrate on the sound of hers and Elle's breath as it slowly calmed when the house remained silent. Elle moved her hand that had never left the window seal. Sara awaited a warm gush of air to hit her, but it never came. The window didn't open.

"It's stuck," Elle whispered, trying to remain calm in front of the younger Sidle. Sara looked down at her sisters hands, knuckles white as she attempted to pull the window open, and free them once and for all. Sara noticed something.different. She had always had a perceptive eye. Noticing things that didn't fit. A colour missing in her pencil crayons, stuff like that. The old man had said it was because she was nosey and had kicked her in the shoulder, leaving a bruise no one wanted to notice. But she couldn't help it. And now she noticed something that brought more fear than she thought possible, Two, three, no four nails hammered into the seal, stopping the window from opening. Elle stopped her efforts and turned to see her sister staring, she followed Sara's gaze, already knowing what her eyes would lead her to see. Sara could hear her sister's breath get harsher, and angry.

"We have to go through the front," Elle said walking to open the door of their room. Sara's mind clicked, the nails, the crash. They knew. They had to of known their plan.

"No. No. They know. They had to of known, Elle, think about it." Even though Sara was younger, she was smarter. It wasn't that Elle was dumb. She just didn't stop to think, she didn't connect like Sara did. She didn't stop and think why they had nailed the window shut. Her brain wasn't wired that way, and it would be her undoing.

Elle heard her sister's pleas and turned to look at Sara. For a split second Sara thought she understood, but it was quickly diminished by Elle's words.

"Were getting out of here tonight, I don't care what the plan says, were leaving, if it be through window of through the front door. Were getting out of here," her hand went down and turned the handle, her eyes never leaving Sara as she tried to convince her to risk it with her eyes, not knowing the reason for Sara's hesitance. Because of this she could not see the man behind the door as it opened. Waiting for them to come out. She knew, however that he stood there by the look on her sister's face. She knew she was already dead because of that look, and that look was the last thing she saw.

**Present**

Sara walked up towards the CSI building and entered for yet another night's

works. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy work, in fact it was her work that kept her going, made her.her. She enjoyed solving puzzles, and most of all she wanted to get down to the truth in investigations. She had learnt long ago that a person's word could easily be a lie, and only the evidence was entirely truthful.

"Sara, early as usual I see," Nick shouted as he caught up with his friend and colleague. "I thought today was you night off as well." She was caught; she knew that someone would notice. She knew that Grissom kept a list of the days she wasn't meant to be there. And she knew it was most likely that she would be sent home.

"Well, you know me, all ways raring to go," Sara smiled, if you could call it a smile. A big grin could be deceiving to the most through eyes, and that included the eyes of any CSI. She had it down to what could be defined an art. She wore her heart on her sleeve, protecting what lay deep on the inside.

"Yep. How many times now, have I told you to get a life? Any life," Nick joked as they walked into the break room.

"I have a life. Last time I checked I was still breathing. And I've stopped counting." There conversation was quickly brought to a halt when Grissom stood up at the sight of Sara, and it could be noticed by everyone in the room that he was not pleased by her appearance. And everyone knew that he was growing more and more stressed over the fact that Sara had been coming in everyday and staying for too long. She had already timed out on overtime and they were only part way through the month. Though everyone joked about her habits, it was escalating in to some thing serious.

"Sara." but she didn't let him finish the line that she knew he was about to say. He had said it before, too many times for her liking.

She turned around and walked back out of the door, not making eye contact with anyone else in the room. But she knew they were looking at her. She could feel the stares on her back as she stormed out, not saying a word to Grissom or anyone. She was sick of the same old argument every week in which he would always win. She saw no point to it. Of course she had thought about actually not coming in on the days she was told to have off. To anybody else it may seem like the obvious thing to do. But not to Sara Sidle.

If there were one thing that she hated most about her life, it was being idle. Having nothing to do, and when she was forced to have days off, idle she was. So on those days off it had become a kind of ritual, she would come to work as normal, chat to people as normal, and when she walked into that room which she had just a moment ago occupied, she would wait for the answer to her silent prays. An answer that was given by Grissom. Silence meant yes, but if her name should come upon his lips. No. And then the lecture would start.

But today was different. Today she was too annoyed to hear that particular lecture. Today she was just going to leave without a fight. Go home and sulk and remain idle. Her mind would drift, and reality would sink in. And reality was not something she wanted to deal with right now.

****

"Well she seemed." Nick said being the one to break the silence that had donned the room. "Mad."

"Yea she didn't even put up her usual argument, and that's saying something," Warick agreed looking through the door to see the retreating Sara storming off into the distance. Catherine turned to Grissom and this quickly caught on as the other two CSI's also looked towards their boss.

Grissom was not amused.

"What you want me to go after her. Why? She shouldn't even be here," Grissom said coldly, but his face softened ever so slightly. It was so easy to get mad at her lately, but deep down he was just worried about her. All this work and no play, it wasn't healthy. She needed to get out more, she needed to live in order to work not work so she could live.

Everyone joked about her, but everyone was worried about her as well. She didn't see that.

**Past** She was on the floor dead with in a matter of a second after the shot. But for Sara it had seemed to take forever for her sister's body to fall the ground. And a body it was, as all life that once filled the girl had left her the moment the bullet had connected with her heart.

Sara remained still, not sure weather to fall on the floor and give in to her emotions that threatened her. Or to look up at the old man, and see if she would be his next victim.

She looked up. Yet she didn't know if she was relieved to find he had no intention of killing her. Not today anyway.

"Sara your sister ran away tonight, do you understand," The old man told her in a sharp tone. "I never had this gun in my hand, and you know nothing about your sisters whereabouts. Clear," Saying the last line he raised his arm, and with it the gun that was securely in his hand. Sara could take a hint. She knew what he meant. If she told a soul, she would meet an end like Elle. And no matter how luring that option maybe, she knew she couldn't let her sister die in vain. She would get out of here, one day. For Elle.

**Present**

Getting into her Tahoe, Sara was already calming down from her silent out burst in the break room. Now that her anger was dissipating, her embarrassment was growing considerably. Weather this be due to her giving up so easily or because she had stormed out rather immaturely she didn't know. All she wanted to do now was go home, and read a book, have her police radio on and wait for a major incident to come her way. And only then would Grissom let her come in today. Some how she got the feeling this was not going to happen. The embarrassed part of her was glad at least. Facing her colleagues again today was not going to be easy.

Turing the key in the ignition, the engine started and Sara manoeuvred her vehicle home automatically. Before she knew it she was there, which she always found rather disconcerting. Parking, she walked up to her apartment and let her self in. Closing the door behind her, she was glad to be in the comfort of her own home.

Taking off her jacket, she put it carefully on the side. Everything in Sara's apartment was carefully placed. That's what Sara liked, everything to have order and a place. She had grown up in a home where no one bothered to clean up, and she had hated it. She had tried day after day to keep it clean and tidy, sweep the floors, pick the rubbish up and clean the dishes. But it was only she after. she was only one girl then, and she had no control. But now, now she had all the control in her life. No real commitments, except to her work, but she could still leave. She had colleagues, which could be classified by many people as her friends. But, she wasn't dependent on them. She wasn't the type of person who depended on people.

At a brisk pace she walked into the middle of the room where her sofa and telephone was. Sitting down she leaned back, closing her eyes for just a moment to gather any bearings she had left. It wasn't that she was depressed or anything as serious as that. She had learnt long ago that self- pity didn't help, and she hated just as much as she hated receiving other people's pity. Sara Sidle could look after her self that was a known fact.

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tbc