"Sara is never late," Catherine mumbled worriedly heading for her Denali. She was assigned to a B&E gone bad with Nick, who was already at the scene, and Sara who hadn't showed up. She got into her Denali and headed towards Sara's apartment.
Inside Sara's apartment Catherine was shocked to find it empty aside from a couple of pieces of furniture and five envelopes on a small coffee table. One had her name on it. She read the enclosed letter and was moved to tears by what she read. Sara was gone. Sara had always thought that she was strong, intelligent, beautiful and determined. Catherine gathered up the other envelopes and with a heavy heart drove back to CSI.
Grissom, Warrick, and Nick entered the break room and found Catherine curled up on the couch, crying.
"Cath, what's wrong," Warrick asked worriedly. Catherine let out a quiet sob and pointed to the envelopes on the table. The guys each picked up their own one and read.
"She's gone?" Warrick's voice cracked.
"Someone should take Greg's one to him," Nick stated, holding back tears. Grissom walked away and locked himself in his office. Nick picked up the fifth letter and went to find Greg. Warrick hugged Catherine tightly.
"She said she thinks that I'm beautiful and intelligent and determined and strong," Catherine sobbed. "I always thought she was all those things."
"I know Cath. I know," Warrick murmured, a few stray tears running down his cheeks into Catherine's hair.
" No. No. No. She's not gone. She can't be gone! Nick! She just can't," Greg howled angrily.
"I know man. None of us saw this coming," Nick said to him. Greg took off out of the DNA lab and disappeared for quite a while. Nick headed back to the break room to see Warrick and Catherine.
In his office Grissom choked back a sob. He loved her too. Now he really was too late. He wondered where she'd gone. Maybe back to Tamales Bay or San Francisco. He wished he hadn't been so outright stupid. He should have gone out to dinner with her. He should have told her he was in love with her. He was an idiot. He'd let fear rule his heart and he had turned her down. Now she had left. In his brain he had hope that she'd change her mind but in his heart he knew it wasn't likely that she would.