Well, here's my first fic ever, so I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to my beta readers; I hope you all like it. Spoilers up to Butterflied, the story starts several weeks after that episode.

If anyone has any comments, suggestions, violent reactions, etc., feel free to e-mail me.

Title: Ghosts in the Shadows (Chapter 1 of ??)
Author: Jonathan
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or the characters; CBS please don't sue me.
Synopsis: A dangerous stalker mobilizes the whole team to protect one of their own - and forces Grissom and Sara to re-evaluate their current state of affairs.

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It had been a quiet shift for Sara Sidle, and she stifled a yawn as she entered her apartment. There had been a major heavyweight fight at the MGM Grand, and it looked like the crooks of Las Vegas had taken the opportunity to go on holiday. She liked her work, sure, but even she didn't mind having a slow shift. It had given her the chance to deal with the paperwork that was the bane of any CSI.

She went through the pile of accumulated mail. Nothing unusual, she thought, just the normal junk everyone got. Those went straight to the trash. Then she turned her attention to the last piece.

It was not in the usual envelope that was used for bills or day-to-day letters. Instead, it was in the larger envelope one might use to send over paperwork. That was unusual in itself, Sara mused. Then she noticed there was no return address.

Very interesting, Sara said to herself, silently. She got herself a letter opener and slit it open, to see what was inside.

Inside, she noticed that there were several sheets of paper. They were not ordinary pieces of paper; they were the glossy kind used for printing out photographs on a home computer. Who would send me this without any return address, Sara asked herself. This is very suspicious. However, she couldn't – or wouldn't – just set it aside. She slid them out of the envelope and looked at them closely.

She gasped as she saw the first one fully. It was a picture of her at a crime scene with Catherine and Warrick. It had been taken two weeks earlier at a pawnshop that had been the victim of a smash-and-grab gone horribly wrong; now a clerk and the owner were both in the hospital with gunshot wounds. That case had been closed quite quickly; for all its gore and violence, it had been a simple crime.

Her mouth was still agape as she quickly looked over the other pictures. They were more shots of her during the past two weeks as she had worked various scenes. Some of the later photographs, though, were becoming more... personal. One of them showed her as she was picking up some groceries. The last one showed her entering her apartment – two days ago.

Uh-oh, she thought. Everyone on the team remembered all too well what had happened the last time someone had a stalker. Her right hand wandered down to her gun, wondering if it would be needed today.

She pushed that thought out of her mind and forced herself to calmly think. What do I do now? She made a decision quickly enough. She pulled out her cellular phone and called Gil Grissom.

***

Gil Grissom was finishing off the last of the offending paperwork on his desk. It had been a quiet night for the team; even Sara, who had maxed out on overtime for as long as Grissom could remember, had left right as shift ended. Only he and Warrick were left, and they would both be gone soon.

His thoughts were interrupted by the trilling of his phone. He flipped it open, and saw who was calling – Sara. It's barely thirty minutes since she left, what's going on?

"Grissom."

"It's Sara. I've got a situation here." Grissom noted her matter-of-fact tone, though he had known her long enough to know there was something else behind it.

"What's the problem?"

"I think I have a stalker."

That definitely caught Grissom's attention. The last time a Las Vegas CSI had a stalker, he had ended up with a gun pointed at his head. Nick had barely gotten out alive. Grissom had no desire to repeat the experience.

Especially, a voice at the back of his head said, with Sara. He managed to keep his voice level as he answered Sara.

"Is he in your apartment? Are you in dan-"

"No, Just got some strange stuff in my mail."

"Define strange."

"Pictures. It looks like he's been following me around."

"Stay right there. I'll bring Brass over."

"Okay." Sara hung up.

His calm voice managed not to betray his alarm. He leapt out of his chair and sought out Captain Jim Brass – whom he found in his office, ready to go home too. Brass noticed Grissom was clearly agitated as he entered.

"Gil, what's-" Brass didn't have a chance to complete his sentence.

"Sara. She may have a stalker." And you know what that means, Jim...

"Are you sure?" Another one? After Nick?

"She just called. Stalker sent her pictures, he may have been following Sara around. I told her to stay put."

Just then, though, Warrick knocked on Brass' open door.

"Hey, Grissom, I was just about to head off, but I wanted to give this report-"

"Leave it in my office," said Grissom. "We're pulling some overtime today."

"I thought it was a quiet night, what happened?"

Brass answered. "Sara. Someone's been following her and sent her photos."

"Damn..." Another one? Warrick thought. Nick already had to deal with that crap, but that was a long time ago.

"Get your kit. You're driving."

Griss must be in one serious hurry if he's letting me drive...

***

Meanwhile, Sara was sitting in her apartment, nervous. I wonder if I'm being watched right now...

She rose from the couch she had been sitting on and looked around for her flashlight. She knew what to look for; small holes or poorly patched spots. Even then, though, she couldn't be sure that she would see any cameras, if they were there.

You're just being overly paranoid, Sara...

She was still looking when the doorbell rang.

She went to answer the door, but not before she glanced at the clock on the wall.

That was fast. Less than half an hour.

Opening the door, she found Grissom, Brass, and Warrick standing outside. She let them in, and the two arriving CSIs pulled on gloves.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a brief moment. Both Brass and Warrick could feel the tension between the two. Sometimes they can barely get along, Warrick quietly mused, but somehow I think they couldn't live apart. No sirree. He looked over at Brass, and his look told Warrick that this wasn't much of a surprise. Finally, Grissom broke the silence.

"What happened?"

Sara spoke in the tone she tended to use when things weren't going all that well. "I – I don't know. I was just going through my mail, when I saw that one."

As she spoke, she gestured over to the counter where she had left the envelope before she called Grissom. Warrick walked over to it, field kit in hand. He opened it, pulled out the small digital camera in it, and began taking photos of the rude surprise the stalker had left for Sara.

Grissom bit his lower lip, not quite sure what to say. He went over to Warrick, to look over the photos himself. Brass then continued interviewing Sara, as the two CSIs went about the work of processing the evidence.

"Did you notice anything unusual at the scenes where the photos were taken?"

"No, just your usual crowd of rubberneckers outside the tape. I mean, we were all there. None of us saw anything strange."

Warrick and Grissom went back to the small area with the couch and chairs where Sara and Brass had been talking. Grissom was holding a paper bag; Sara presumed he and Warrick had finished processing the stalker's photos.

"We're done with the photos here," Warrick said.

Sara asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Now what?"

Grissom answered. "First of all, this is now a crime scene. For all we know, there could be cameras all around the place and our stalker could be watching us right now. Warrick, you stay here and see if our stalker has any surprises. I'll call in Catherine and Nick to give you a hand. Brass, I think we could use some uniforms to keep an eye on the place."

Brass nodded.

"Sara, since your place is now a crime scene, you need a place to stay."

"There's a motel down the road-"

Grissom cut Sara off. "Too dangerous. If he is following you around, there's a chance he'll follow you wherever you end up going. You shouldn't leave yourself alone until this is resolved."

"I do carry a gun, you know..." Sara protested, albeit weakly. And I have been alone for quite a while, if you've noticed.

"Not much use if you're suddenly surprised," Brass said. "Look, Grissom is right, someone should be with you for the time being."

Grissom spoke up next. "Sara, you can stay at my place. Until we fix this."

As he was saying the words his mind was going into overdrive. Did I just say what I think I did? Did I just invite Sara to my house? Why did I just say what I just said? His face didn't betray the flood of thoughts going through his mind at that very moment.

Neither did Sara's. Grissom's words had caught her attention too. Did Gil Grissom just invite me, Sara Sidle, to his place? It's been a while, but I don't exactly want to go back under these circumstances... but I know he's perfectly right.

"I guess that'll have to do, then. Just let me get a few things together." With that, she left and headed for her bedroom. When she was out of sight, Grissom let out a small sigh of relief, which only Warrick noticed. Now this is even more interesting. I'll have to see what Catherine thinks...

Sara spent the next ten minutes to get clothes for about two nights into a medium-sized bag. While she was doing that, Brass called for two uniformed police officers to guard the scene, then left to talk to the building manager and see if he had noticed anything.

Meanwhile, Grissom got a hold of Nick and Catherine. He knew he was asking a lot of his team to work a double shift almost out of the blue, but he also knew how they'd respond. Nick said he was on his way, while Cath would first see off Lindsey to school, then she would join Warrick as well.

Just as Grissom was getting off the phone with Catherine, Sara stepped out of her bedroom, bag of clothes in hand. "Grissom? I'm all packed here."

Grissom nodded. "Okay. Warrick, keep searching for any other cameras in place here. Sara and I are heading back to the lab." With that, Grissom and Sara stepped out of the apartment, into Grissom's blue Denali.

When Warrick was sure they were both out of earshot, he said to himself, "Nick and Cath are not going to believe this." Warrick wasn't referring to the case, either. He just shook his head as he went back to searching for any hidden cameras.

***

It had been a long and quiet ride back to the lab for Grissom and Sara, a ride made even longer by the traffic. The events of the early morning had tired Sara out a bit, and she had spent most of the trip snoozing in the passenger seat beside Grissom.

A good thing, he thought. Things between us have become... confusing lately. First it had been the explosion at the lab several months ago, then about two months ago she had told him she was worried whatever happened between them might affect her career.

Now why would she think that? I'd never do anything to hurt her intentionally. Whether I've hurt her without thinking is another story entirely... Grissom thought back to his parting words with Doctor Lurie, the man who had killed Debbie Marlin. "I couldn't do it..." Yes, it's another story entirely, indeed.

Grissom pulled the Denali into his parking spot and unbuckled his seat belt before gently tapping Sara on her shoulder. She woke up with a start, before realizing what had happened and where she was.

What now? Hmm... it's not that I mind going to Grissom's house, but just not under these circumstances. On the other hand, I could really use some sleep right now...

"Grissom?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you need to process the photos, but... can you do that at your place? I could really, really, use some sleep."

Grissom gave it some thought, the nodded. "Let me just drop these off at the lab, so they can see if they can turn up anything our suspect left behind. You coming?"

Well, it beats waiting here in the parking lot. "Sure."

As they were about to enter Trace, Grissom and Sara ran into the one person they didn't want to run into, especially right now. Conrad Ecklie.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here. Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle. I thought graveyard was slow, so what are you two doing here?"

Grissom was in no mood to humor Ecklie, especially right now. "Conrad, if you're not going to help, shut up and get out of the way." His tone was calm, but anyone who heard him could tell that he was extremely angry.

Ecklie thought about making a snide remark, but the cold fury he saw in Grissom's eyes made him fear for his own safety. "Erm, okay..." He got out as fast as he could without making it seem like he was running. Eventually Grissom and Sara made it to Trace, where Hodges was today.

He had heard the exchange between Grissom and Ecklie, so he wisely decided to hold his tongue. "Yes, sir?"

Grissom was quick to the point. "Test everything for prints and run them through AFIS. If there's any bit of evidence as to who sent these, I want to find out yesterday. If you can't find me, give it to any CSI on graveyard."

"Right away." Hodges may have been an ass sometimes, but even he knew better than to get in the way of an angry Grissom.

Grissom turned to Sara, his tone noticeably softening. "Let's go."

***

To be continued...