Sorry this has taken so long everybody. I was away for a few days, and
every time I tried to post, the site was down. Please enjoy.
Out of Time: Chapter 3
Grissom lay on his leather couch with his eyes closed. He was tired. The shift had been long and busy, but still he could not sleep. His migraines were back with a vengeance. Even in complete darkness, shades drawn and eyes closed, his head throbbed. Nothing helped. Music only made the throbbing more rhythmic. His only relief was work. While he was up and moving, surrounded by people and solving crimes, he was blissfully pain free. But the solitude of his townhouse was a silent agony.
He had to do something about this. People at the lab were beginning to talk. His excitement over evidence could not conceal his haggard downcast feature that had aged years due to his fatigue. Maybe the doctor could give him some heavier medications. He wouldn't be able to take them everyday; they tended to make his mind fuzzy. Right now, his only companion was his mind. But if he took them two or three days a week, maybe he could get enough sleep to get by on. Eventually the headaches would go away. They always did. Before long everything would be back to normal.
*************************
"Good morning, Sara. How are you doing today? I made you French toast for breakfast."
Sara's eyes opened in shock. The voice of her captor had interrupted the first dream she'd had since she'd been taken. Her situation flooded back as she returned to consciousness. She saw him sitting on her bed and closed her eyes again trying to reenter the dream that had offered a brief respite from reality. She had been working a case with Grissom. Not what most people would consider a good or interesting dream, but that was the best experience from the past three years that her brain could dig up. Sad really, but it was infinitely better than opening her eyes and being forced to confront captivity.
"You must be so hungry, Sara. You're too skinny. Please have a bite to eat. I know you'll like it. Look, powdered sugar. I know you don't like syrup."
Sara knew she should be concerned that he knew that about her, but she was just too hungry. And the food did smell good. She met his eyes briefly and nodded. Funny, but he didn't seem all that threatening. In fact he looked almost boyish with thick brown hair and green eyes. She focused on his eyes and found nothing. Nothing like the madness she had expected see.
Tim smiled broadly and began to cut the toast. He talked while she ate. "I'm so glad you've decided to keep your strength up. I hate to see you suffer. See isn't this good? By the way, my name is Tim. It's so good to finally be able to talk to you in person. I know we'll be good friends."
Sara chewed and swallowed obediently, struck by Tim's words. Here he had kidnapped her and broken her toes and he didn't want her to suffer. His face betrayed no inner turmoil or evidence that he realized she was in pain. All she saw was overwhelming happiness.
Before long she had consumed three pieces of French toast and a glass of orange juice. She realized she hadn't had such a big meal in weeks. It was probably a sign of how weak she'd gotten, both in body and in spirit. She sighed as Tim cuffed her hands together and then released her from the bed. She limped her way to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet when Tim closed the door. She hung her head as shame coursed through her body. A little pain and hunger and she had caved in so easily. Why?
Tim waited for Sara to knock at the door, to signal she was done. He loved feeding her and talking to her. He knew she'd start talking back soon. He knew her so well; it was easy to read her thoughts in her eyes. She probably believed she had given in too easily. But the truth was that her strength had been slowly depleted over the past few weeks. Hank and Grissom and even Catherine had eaten away at her confidence and her self-esteem. She was a wreck before he had taken her. Soon, when there was nothing left to break, he would build her up again. He smiled. She will be so grateful, she will have to love me.
***************************
A week later, Grissom stood on a chair behind the counter, peering at the wall. Such a boring night. Nothing more exciting than a routine armed robbery at a 24 hour pawn shop. He dug a bullet out of the plaster. Good, he thought, mostly intact. Ballistics should be able to do something with this.
He continued to work the scene with Catherine. Nothing unusual here. Some guy comes in with a handgun and tries to rob the shop. Obviously an amateur. Everyone knew that pawn shops were the worst targets. The clerks were all armed to the teeth. Apparently this clerk had pulled a shotgun out and scared the bum off, but not before he fired a shot high into the wall.
"Hey Grissom! I think I may have the perp's weapon out here!"
*****************************
"I was thinking, Sara, that a nice big chef's salad and some garlic bread would be good tonight. How does that sound."
"It sounds fine, Tim." Sara knew by know that what ever he brought her would be fine. He hadn't brought her anything with meat and seemed to genuinely know what she did and didn't like. How ironic that the man who held her captive knew her better than any of her coworkers. Grissom included. She had long ago given up hope of anyone coming for her, and knew that escape was impossible. So she went along with Tim's plans and tried not to anger him. He toes were still heavily bruised and were a painful reminder of his anger.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"You could always let me go."
"You ask me that every day Sara. You know I can't do that yet. You're not ready."
"I know, Tim"
"You know nobody loves you more than I do. No one knows you like I do, or cares about you as much. They have all stopped looking for you."
"You don't know that. They probably know by now that something's wrong."
"Come now, Sara. You don't really believe that. Catherine is probably enjoying being the only female on the team and doesn't have to be reminded of her ex's death every time she looks at you. Warrick never truly forgave you for investigating him twice, and not trusting him. Nick has probably buried any concerns about you under a pile of one night stands and Grissom. Well, Grissom is Grissom. They have all moved on with their lives. Don't you think you should do the same?"
Sara closed her eyes, trying to shut out his words. He was right. They had moved on and she was more alone than ever. Except of course, for Tim's constant presence. He talked to her for hours about everything. Sometimes he brought a newspaper in and read it to her. Other times it was a novel. She had tried to get him to talk about his life, but he seemed reluctant to visit the past. All she had managed to learn was that he had grown up on a cattle farm in Montana.
She still had no idea why he was doing this. He seemed to truly be in love with her and convinced that she would love him back. What in his past had caused this? Did his mother not love him enough? Did his daddy beat him? Or was he just born this way, sick and evil? It didn't matter anyway. He was her reality now. Two weeks ago her life was empty and her job the only thing worth living for. Now, the only thing keeping her alive was his obsession. His love.
*******************
"I'm not having this discussion with you Catherine. Especially not during working hours." Grissom glared at her as she stood blocking the door to his office. He leaned forward in his chair. "I told you already. I am fine."
Catherine stood firm, hands on hips in full concerned mother mode. "You are not fine. You're at work all the time. You snap at everybody. Poor Greg is scared to page you. I don't think you've slept since Sara."
"I'm fine Catherine. My migraines have just been bad recently. The doc gave me new pills. I slept over six hours last night."
Catherine sat down across from him and shook her head sadly. "The pills aren't the solution Gil. You're upset about Sara, and I don't blame you. Ignoring the emotional pain won't help."
"As I told you before. She's gone. There is nothing anyone can do about it. And I've moved on.
Catherine didn't know what to say to that. He was right in that Sara's absence seemed to be a done deal. But how could she make him realize that his standard operating procedure of ignoring emotions would just make things worse. She started to reach for his hand across the desk, to try to offer him some comfort when her pager went off.
"Ballistics lab, 911 page."
"Why would they be paging you? I told them to get me when they had the results?"
"I don't know, Gil. Why don't we go find out?"
They made their way down the hallway to ballistics. The technician on duty looked extremely relieved to see Catherine enter the lab.
"Hi Catherine. I think you need to see this. Look we fired some bullets from the." The tech stopped abruptly as Grissom followed her into the room.
"Go on."
"Look I don't think that you should.. I mean I only paged Catherine."
Grissom shot a deadly look at him. "Well last time I checked, I was supervisor around here and lead investigator on this case, so I strongly suggest you tell me about the results unless you'd like to look for another job."
"Yes sir. I, uhhh tested bullets fired from the gun found at the crime scene, and they are a match to the slugs you dug out of the wall."
"That hardly warrants a 911 page. Out with it."
"I was able to raise the serial number off the gun. Someone didn't do a good job removing it. I've seen this gun before."
"It was used in another crime?"
"No. It's department issued."
"To who?"
"Sara Sidle."
TBC. Please review and let me know how it's coming along. BTW Tim and Grissom meet in the next chapter.
Out of Time: Chapter 3
Grissom lay on his leather couch with his eyes closed. He was tired. The shift had been long and busy, but still he could not sleep. His migraines were back with a vengeance. Even in complete darkness, shades drawn and eyes closed, his head throbbed. Nothing helped. Music only made the throbbing more rhythmic. His only relief was work. While he was up and moving, surrounded by people and solving crimes, he was blissfully pain free. But the solitude of his townhouse was a silent agony.
He had to do something about this. People at the lab were beginning to talk. His excitement over evidence could not conceal his haggard downcast feature that had aged years due to his fatigue. Maybe the doctor could give him some heavier medications. He wouldn't be able to take them everyday; they tended to make his mind fuzzy. Right now, his only companion was his mind. But if he took them two or three days a week, maybe he could get enough sleep to get by on. Eventually the headaches would go away. They always did. Before long everything would be back to normal.
*************************
"Good morning, Sara. How are you doing today? I made you French toast for breakfast."
Sara's eyes opened in shock. The voice of her captor had interrupted the first dream she'd had since she'd been taken. Her situation flooded back as she returned to consciousness. She saw him sitting on her bed and closed her eyes again trying to reenter the dream that had offered a brief respite from reality. She had been working a case with Grissom. Not what most people would consider a good or interesting dream, but that was the best experience from the past three years that her brain could dig up. Sad really, but it was infinitely better than opening her eyes and being forced to confront captivity.
"You must be so hungry, Sara. You're too skinny. Please have a bite to eat. I know you'll like it. Look, powdered sugar. I know you don't like syrup."
Sara knew she should be concerned that he knew that about her, but she was just too hungry. And the food did smell good. She met his eyes briefly and nodded. Funny, but he didn't seem all that threatening. In fact he looked almost boyish with thick brown hair and green eyes. She focused on his eyes and found nothing. Nothing like the madness she had expected see.
Tim smiled broadly and began to cut the toast. He talked while she ate. "I'm so glad you've decided to keep your strength up. I hate to see you suffer. See isn't this good? By the way, my name is Tim. It's so good to finally be able to talk to you in person. I know we'll be good friends."
Sara chewed and swallowed obediently, struck by Tim's words. Here he had kidnapped her and broken her toes and he didn't want her to suffer. His face betrayed no inner turmoil or evidence that he realized she was in pain. All she saw was overwhelming happiness.
Before long she had consumed three pieces of French toast and a glass of orange juice. She realized she hadn't had such a big meal in weeks. It was probably a sign of how weak she'd gotten, both in body and in spirit. She sighed as Tim cuffed her hands together and then released her from the bed. She limped her way to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet when Tim closed the door. She hung her head as shame coursed through her body. A little pain and hunger and she had caved in so easily. Why?
Tim waited for Sara to knock at the door, to signal she was done. He loved feeding her and talking to her. He knew she'd start talking back soon. He knew her so well; it was easy to read her thoughts in her eyes. She probably believed she had given in too easily. But the truth was that her strength had been slowly depleted over the past few weeks. Hank and Grissom and even Catherine had eaten away at her confidence and her self-esteem. She was a wreck before he had taken her. Soon, when there was nothing left to break, he would build her up again. He smiled. She will be so grateful, she will have to love me.
***************************
A week later, Grissom stood on a chair behind the counter, peering at the wall. Such a boring night. Nothing more exciting than a routine armed robbery at a 24 hour pawn shop. He dug a bullet out of the plaster. Good, he thought, mostly intact. Ballistics should be able to do something with this.
He continued to work the scene with Catherine. Nothing unusual here. Some guy comes in with a handgun and tries to rob the shop. Obviously an amateur. Everyone knew that pawn shops were the worst targets. The clerks were all armed to the teeth. Apparently this clerk had pulled a shotgun out and scared the bum off, but not before he fired a shot high into the wall.
"Hey Grissom! I think I may have the perp's weapon out here!"
*****************************
"I was thinking, Sara, that a nice big chef's salad and some garlic bread would be good tonight. How does that sound."
"It sounds fine, Tim." Sara knew by know that what ever he brought her would be fine. He hadn't brought her anything with meat and seemed to genuinely know what she did and didn't like. How ironic that the man who held her captive knew her better than any of her coworkers. Grissom included. She had long ago given up hope of anyone coming for her, and knew that escape was impossible. So she went along with Tim's plans and tried not to anger him. He toes were still heavily bruised and were a painful reminder of his anger.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"You could always let me go."
"You ask me that every day Sara. You know I can't do that yet. You're not ready."
"I know, Tim"
"You know nobody loves you more than I do. No one knows you like I do, or cares about you as much. They have all stopped looking for you."
"You don't know that. They probably know by now that something's wrong."
"Come now, Sara. You don't really believe that. Catherine is probably enjoying being the only female on the team and doesn't have to be reminded of her ex's death every time she looks at you. Warrick never truly forgave you for investigating him twice, and not trusting him. Nick has probably buried any concerns about you under a pile of one night stands and Grissom. Well, Grissom is Grissom. They have all moved on with their lives. Don't you think you should do the same?"
Sara closed her eyes, trying to shut out his words. He was right. They had moved on and she was more alone than ever. Except of course, for Tim's constant presence. He talked to her for hours about everything. Sometimes he brought a newspaper in and read it to her. Other times it was a novel. She had tried to get him to talk about his life, but he seemed reluctant to visit the past. All she had managed to learn was that he had grown up on a cattle farm in Montana.
She still had no idea why he was doing this. He seemed to truly be in love with her and convinced that she would love him back. What in his past had caused this? Did his mother not love him enough? Did his daddy beat him? Or was he just born this way, sick and evil? It didn't matter anyway. He was her reality now. Two weeks ago her life was empty and her job the only thing worth living for. Now, the only thing keeping her alive was his obsession. His love.
*******************
"I'm not having this discussion with you Catherine. Especially not during working hours." Grissom glared at her as she stood blocking the door to his office. He leaned forward in his chair. "I told you already. I am fine."
Catherine stood firm, hands on hips in full concerned mother mode. "You are not fine. You're at work all the time. You snap at everybody. Poor Greg is scared to page you. I don't think you've slept since Sara."
"I'm fine Catherine. My migraines have just been bad recently. The doc gave me new pills. I slept over six hours last night."
Catherine sat down across from him and shook her head sadly. "The pills aren't the solution Gil. You're upset about Sara, and I don't blame you. Ignoring the emotional pain won't help."
"As I told you before. She's gone. There is nothing anyone can do about it. And I've moved on.
Catherine didn't know what to say to that. He was right in that Sara's absence seemed to be a done deal. But how could she make him realize that his standard operating procedure of ignoring emotions would just make things worse. She started to reach for his hand across the desk, to try to offer him some comfort when her pager went off.
"Ballistics lab, 911 page."
"Why would they be paging you? I told them to get me when they had the results?"
"I don't know, Gil. Why don't we go find out?"
They made their way down the hallway to ballistics. The technician on duty looked extremely relieved to see Catherine enter the lab.
"Hi Catherine. I think you need to see this. Look we fired some bullets from the." The tech stopped abruptly as Grissom followed her into the room.
"Go on."
"Look I don't think that you should.. I mean I only paged Catherine."
Grissom shot a deadly look at him. "Well last time I checked, I was supervisor around here and lead investigator on this case, so I strongly suggest you tell me about the results unless you'd like to look for another job."
"Yes sir. I, uhhh tested bullets fired from the gun found at the crime scene, and they are a match to the slugs you dug out of the wall."
"That hardly warrants a 911 page. Out with it."
"I was able to raise the serial number off the gun. Someone didn't do a good job removing it. I've seen this gun before."
"It was used in another crime?"
"No. It's department issued."
"To who?"
"Sara Sidle."
TBC. Please review and let me know how it's coming along. BTW Tim and Grissom meet in the next chapter.