Rating: PG

Spoilers: No Humans and Nesting Dolls.

A/N: Thanks to DeeDee for her last minute beta job! This chapter is dedicated to Lohan and Heathie, my two 'go to gals' and my loyal reviewers. Thanks to everyone else for the reviews, you guys rock my socks! I think the story is winding to and end soon, but there might be an opening for a nice spin-off story. Tell me what you think…

"Do you believe in reinvention?

Do you believe that life is holding the clue?

Anyway to face the silence,

Any way to face the pain that kills you."

Syntax, Pride

"Two weeks unpaid leave, pending review."

The words stung Sara's ears and gave her a bitter taste in her mouth. She wasn't regretful for her actions but they did puzzle her. In some ways it felt liberating, but in other ways it put knots in the pit of her stomach. She knew that she had a good chance of losing her job, she was obviously replaceable and at this point she didn't have to wonder what Ecklie thought of her. She knew that before she could face the present, face being fired, she had to confront the demons of her past.

Booking a flight to San Francisco was probably the hardest thing she had done in a long time. Knowing that she was going back to her past, to her future, to her mother, made her sick to her stomach. It took her minutes just to dial the first number of the airlines. She knew that she needed to do this. To see her mother again and to take care of these feelings was the only way she could move on, and make things right.

"Gil!" Ecklie screamed down the hallway.

"I need to see you in my office."

Grissom rolled his eyes and sighed, turning around and walking towards Ecklie's office.

"What is it Conrad?" Grissom asked, standing in Ecklie's doorway.

"Come in, close the door."

Grissom sat down in front of Ecklie and dreaded what was going to come out of his mouth.

"How is that Troy case going?"

"It's going." Grissom said dryly. "Sophia and I are close to an arrest."

"And who might that be?"

"The daughter."

Ecklie stared blankly at Grissom.

"How old is she?"

"Ten."

Ecklie shook his head. The last thing this lab needs to have damning evidence against a ten-year-old girl.

"What do you want Conrad?" Grissom snapped.

"I called you in here about Sidle's behavior."

Grissom sighed.

"As you know she was given two weeks of unpaid leave."

"Yes." Grissom responded.

"Now I know what I want to do, what do you think would be the appropriate action?" Ecklie asked Grissom.

"Well I know you want to fire her." Grissom said.

"Well I think that's appropriate action."

"But is it justified?" Grissom asked.

"Was Sara hitting Sophia in front of the whole lab justified Gil?"

"Sophia's comment was uncalled for." Grissom said.

"The point is Gil, like I said before, Sara is a lose cannon with a gun. She's out of control."

"You can't fire her." Grissom said sternly.

"No, but you can."

"Well I'm not going to fire her Conrad. I'm not going to do that to her. This lab is the only stable thing in her life right now and she's going through a tough period. If she gets fired who knows what she's going to do. I'm afraid that she'll do something stupid." Grissom hung his head.

"Like pull her gun on you." Ecklie said slyly.

Grissom shot a confused look at Ecklie.

"Sophia told me the whole story Gil. I should fire you from trying to keep it from me."

"Conrad…" Grissom started.

"Sara's case is going to the panel, don't expect a positive result."

Grissom shook his head.

"Do you still need her now Gil?"

Grissom thought for a moment. He knew that he wanted Sara at the lab, but did he need her. He just wanted to make things right, he thought that by keeping Sara at the lab he could mend things. He thought that it would make her understand.

"This conversation is over." Grissom said, standing up and disappearing out the door.

Perhaps the lab isn't what Sara needed at all.

"I'm coming!" Sara screamed towards the excessive knocking coming from her front door. She whipped open the door to find Greg mid knock.

"You're early." Sara said, smiling.

"I'm punctual." Greg said, returning her smile.

"Let me just grab a few more things then we can go."

"Okay take your time, I'm early." Greg laughed.

"Oh shut up." Sara said, disappearing into her bedroom.

"Okay, I'm ready." Sara said, emerging from her bedroom a few minutes later with two suitcases.

"Then lets get you on a plane." Greg said, grabbing her suitcases and leading Sara to the car.

The car ride was silent to the airport. Greg could tell that Sara was nervous. She hadn't seen her mother in over 10 years and now she was to face her head on like an on coming car. Her job was at risk, her life was as risk, and even her sanity was at risk. Letting her on a plane to go confront her past even made Greg uneasy. He told her that she could call him any time, day or night. He was there for her, and he didn't want to let her go.

"Evening Gil, ready to get to work on that case?" Sophia said, walking by Grissom as he was walking out of Ecklie's office.

"Ummm…Yeah. Let me grab something."

Grissom slipped into his office and closed the door. He sat down at his desk and fumbled through the files on his desk, staring nervously at the phone. He knew she didn't want to talk to him, but he needed to hear her voice, make sure she was ok. Dialing her numbers seemed like they took forever, and when a sudden ring greeted him, he held his breath. Slowly he let his breath go with each new ring, knowing with each new ring she wasn't going to answer the phone. He gave up and slammed the phone on the receiver. With a sigh he grabbed the case file and made his way to the interrogation room where Sophia and Brass were waiting.

"Have a good day off?" He asked Catherine as he poked his head in the break room on his way.

"The best." She said before Grissom vanished out of sight.

"Hey Gil," Brass said as Grissom walked into the well-lit interrogation room.

"Where's Sophia?" Grissom asked, sitting next to him, fanning out the case file.

"She's with Mrs. Troy and Julia."

"Oh. Well when is she coming in here?" Grissom asked, slightly annoyed.

"Any minute." Brass said, strumming his fingers on the cool metal table.

Grissom and Brass's attention was turned suddenly to the opening door. They stood up and pointed Mrs. Troy to a seat across from her.

"Thank you for coming Mrs. Troy." Brass said.

"I know this is a troubling time."

"Yes, yes it is. Did you find out who did this to Henry?" She asked frantically.

"We might have a lead." Grissom said.

"And what is it?" Mrs. Troy demanded.

"Did you try to resuscitate your husband Mrs. Troy?"

"Well, I…I…I really don't remember. It all happened so quickly. I guess I tried, I did what anyone would do in that situation."

"These are pictures of the clothes you wore when you found your husband." Grissom said, sliding a picture to Mrs. Troy.

"And?"

"There is no blood on them. There would have been any kind of transfer blood if you tried to resuscitate your husband."

"So?" She said with an attitude.

"That means your lying to us Mrs. Troy." Brass said, staring at her.

"How are you today Julia?" Sophia asked the girl, who was sitting besides her coloring.

"I'm fine." The little girl responded quietly.

"You are really brave." Sophia said, putting her hand over the girl's shoulder.

"I guess." The little girl said, continuing to color.

"Do you miss your dad?"

"No."

Sophia was a little taken back with the child's sudden response. She didn't' even think about it.

"Why don't you miss your dad?" Sophia said sweetly.

"Because he's a bad man."

"Why he is bad?"

"Because he did bad things to me." Julia said, lifting her eyes up to Sophia.

Sophia stared into the child's eyes, her eyes full of hate. Too much hate for a 10 year-old. Maybe this little girl killed her father after all. She wondered how it was going inside with Mrs. Troy. She lifted her head and glanced inside the window, Mrs. Troy was off her feet yelling something at Brass and Grissom. She came flying out of the door in a rage.

"Julia! Let's go!" Mrs. Troy said, grabbing her daughter's arm and practically yanking her from her seat.

"Mom!" Julia screamed.

Brass and Grissom came out and watched Mrs. Troy drag her daughter out of the lab.

"Well, that didn't go to well." Brass said dryly.

Grissom shot a 'you think?' look at Brass.

Sophia spun around to Brass and Grissom.

"We have a problem."

"What?" Grissom asked.

"The little girl claimed that her father 'did bad things to her'."

"I'll call social services." Brass said, digging in his coat pocket for his phone.

"We need to go back to that house." Grissom said. Sophia nodded.

The plane ride into San Francisco seemed like a plane ride to the other side of the world. It seemed like they were moving, they were just in limbo in the air. But that could have been Sara's reluctance to even get off the plane. She managed to get a few minutes of rest, the best sleep she's had in a while. She was jolted awake by the boisterous captain over the intercom, announcing landing. Stretching she glanced out of her window, the sun glistening off of the bay, she sighed.

She felt relaxed and in control when she grabbed her luggage and when she hailed a cab. But when she mumbled her mother's address to the cab driver, it all hit her suddenly. She was going to see her mother. Her mother that killed her father. The father that hurt her and her mother. Her head started to throb and she tried to breathe in and out slowly. Looking out window, trying to find anything that would take her mind off of what was to come. When the taxi slowed to a stop she realized that she had drifted off to sleep. She looked up at her mother's house, which was situated like most San Francisco houses, on a hill with stairs leading up to the house. She followed the cab driver to the rear of the cab and grabbed her suitcases. She handed the cabbie some money and thanked him. He drove off and she looked up at the house. The stairs seemed to go on forever. Sara closed her eyes and forced the bile threatening to rise, back down into her stomach. She breathed in and out, in and out. Each step she took she wanted to take two steps back. She wanted to run down those steps and run down the street. Away from this place.

"Breathe, Sara…Breathe." She heard Greg's voice in her head as she reached the porch.

Setting her bags down she clenched her hands together; they were sweating. She didn't know what her mother's reaction would be; she didn't know what her reaction would be. Sara raised her hand to knock on the door when it suddenly whipped open. There standing in the door way was Laura Sidle, tall, bohemian with long flowing curly hair. An obvious example of where Sara got her looks.

"Mom?" Sara whispered.

"Oh Sara!" her mother said, flying towards her with arms wide.

Sara dropped her bags and embraced her mom, the tears of years past finally flowing. They stood there on the porch crying together. Wondering about their futures, forgetting their pasts and moving on together.

TBC Hope you guys like!