Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine.

Author's Notes: I would like to thank everyone who replied to the last chapter, you guys have been very honest and open with me, and I really appreciate that. By being critical, you help me learn from my mistakes, and I know I make plenty of them.

As for speculation of what the future holds...you'll have to read the sequel and find out. Lol. I'm sad to say that this is the last chapter of "Denial", and later on this week or this weekend, I'll present you with the first chapter of "Shadows", which will continue this saga. In "Shadows", you can expect a few things to happen...Nick and Sara will reform their friendship, Catherine and Warrick will adjust to being new (well, relatively new) parents, and Greg will resurface...of course, there will be a few curve balls thrown into the mix, and a few last minute surprises I can't resist adding. Lol.

I'm sorry for anyone whom was disappointed by the turn of events, or who feels like I've taken the characters and totally morphed them into unrecognizable blobs. Although I hate to do this, because I hate to put people on the spot, I have to say (although not out of anger or defensiveness, but out of the intention to clarify) that I'm not trying to make anyone the 'bad guy'. That's why I put things in everyone's POV from time to time, so you can see their reasoning and motivation behind their actions. Yes, I made some characters do some things that were out of line. Yes, I created conflict everywhere possible. In reality, everyone is influenced by their experiences and their environment, and no one can ever understand why you do what you do until they've walked in a mile in your worn out flip flops.

And, as a writer, you can't make everyone happy, although you can try. So, I'm done with that enormously long ramble session, and it's off to the story.

I know it's left with some loose ends, but loose ends are a great way to start a new story. (Wink). Anyway...hope you enjoy, please leave a comment on your way out.

Jenny

Chapter Fourteen:

"Ryan."

"No." Warrick said, not even bothering to look up from his list of baby names. "How about Dayton?"

Catherine wrinkled her nose, "Like the city? I don't think so. Try again."

"This isn't working." Warrick said with a sigh, placing his hand over Catherine's abdomen, "Little guy, you just may be called Baby Boy Brown."

"Like 'Little boy blue'?" Lindsey said with a giggle as she walked into the bedroom, flopping down on the bed beside her mother, "You should name him Dante. There's a guy that's in my class, and his name's Dante, and he's so cute," she rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling, "Or Brad, like Brad Pitt."

Warrick smiled down at Lindsey, playfully tugging her hair, "I'm not naming my son," He stole a glance at Catherine, who was shooting him the evil eye, "I mean, our son, after a movie star or a dreamy sixth grader."

"I didn't say he was dreamy, I said he was cute." Lindsey pointed out, "If I were going for dreamy, I'd pick Matt Damon or Ben Affleck."

Warrick looked down at Catherine's list, tapping at the name 'Matthew' with his pen, "I'd say you may as well scratch that one off."

"If it were up to you, we'd have three kids, and they'd be called Dayton, Cleveland, and Philadelphia." Catherine said, rolling her eyes, "Let's stick to something normal, okay? I don't want our son to get beaten up on the playground."

Lindsey nodded, "I don't think beaten up would be a good idea...although it would be okay, because I'd kick the butt of whoever tried to mess with my little brother."

"No talking of kicking anyone's butts." Warrick interjected before Catherine could do the same, "You just worry about yourself right now."

Lindsey rolled back onto her stomach, watching with fascination as her little brother started to move, causing Catherine's stomach to contort into an unnatural shape, a large ball on one side, flat on the other, "I was thinking about myself. I came in to ask when you were going to stop reading that stupid name book and cook dinner."

"Watch your tone." Catherine said sharply, "There's ham in the fridge and chips in the pantry. Make a ham sandwich."

"A hamwich? I don't think so, Mom." Lindsey countered in a whiny voice, "I want real food. I'm tired of eating cereal, pizza, and hamwiches every night. Can't you just cook something? Or can't we go to get a hamburger?"

Catherine raised an eyebrow at her daughter, "You're tired of what you have to eat? I'm tired too, Linds, too tired to cook anything. I know it's hard for you to comprehend, but one day when you're pregnant, you'll understand. Do we have any TV dinners left?"

"No, you've got to get up and cook, Mom."

Catherine and Lindsey both turned to Warrick for help, and he shook his head quickly, "I'm neutral."

Catherine sighed, "What do you want me to fix, Linds?"

Lindsey tapped her finger on the bedspread for a moment before answering, "French Bread Pizza."

"Just order a damn pizza, Lindsey." Catherine sighed, pulling a pillow over her head, "I'm so tired, sweetie."

"Come on, Lindsey, I'll cook you something, and we'll let your Mom take a nap."

Lindsey's face lit up, "Cool! I didn't know you could cook!"

"I can do tons of stuff you don't know about. I'll need some help though, so you better stick close by." Warrick told Lindsey with a smile, "And while it's cooking, I can kick your butt at our new dirtbike video game."

The two of them left the bedroom in an animated conversation about the video game, and Catherine release a content sigh. With them gone, she could finally stretch out in her bed and get some much needed rest.


Sara walked through the front door of the Ritz-Carlton Maison Orleans, and despite her rush to see Greg, she had to stop and look around. Compared to the French Quarter, where she had just spent a good half hour trying to find her hotel, this was amazing. Gone was the stench of urine, vomit, and beer of Bourbon Street, replaced with the pleasant aroma of freshly cut Magnolias. Despite the rising temperatures outside, the lobby was cool and refreshing, and decorated beautifully.

She walked to the front desk, flashing her badge at the desk clerk, "Hi, my name is Sara Sidle, and I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. I was wondering if you could tell me which room Greg Sanders is staying. It's part of an, er, ongoing investigation."

"I'm really not allowed to give out guest information." the petite blonde replied, glancing nervously at Sara's badge, "It's against hotel policy, an invasion of our guests rights."

Sara sighed, running her fingers through her hair, "Okay, let me level with you," she looked at the girl's name tag, "Felicia, you look like a pretty smart woman."

"I graduated fifth in my class." Felicia said proudly, her smile dimming a bit as she added, "Of course, where were only 54 graduates."

Sara resisted the urge to roll her eyes before continuing, "Mr. Sanders is a colleague of mine, and about a month ago he left without a word to anyone. It's imperative that I speak to him," she hesitated before adding, "It's a matter of life or death, Felicia."

"Life or," Felicia swallowed nervously, "Death? Really?" she sighed, "Oh, alright, I guess I could look his information up. Greg Sanders, you said?"

Sara nodded, and Felicia pushed a few buttons on her keyboard, "Miss Sidle, I'm sorry, Mr. Sanders checked out a few hours ago, he didn't leave a forwarding address. I had to say, I was quite surprised he finally checked out. He's been staying in room 214 for almost a month now." Her lips formed an 'oh' when she realized that Sara had told her he had been missing for a month.

Felicia leaned forward to Sara, whispering quietly, "We're not normally allowed to do this, but if you want, I can let you into his hotel room and you can search for any, I don't know, clues or something before housekeeping starts cleaning it."

Sara nodded, her expression turning from sad to anxious within moments, "That would be great, you're such a big help."

"Thank you." Felicia said with a proud smile as she pulled out a small plastic card, "Room 214, just don't let anyone know I gave you this, I need to keep this job all summer, I'm starting college in the fall, SLU. My parents would be so mad if they found out I was fired for something like this."

With a grateful smile, Sara rushed towards the elevator, hoping that Greg left something behind that would indicate where he was hiding now.

When she stepped foot in the hotel room, her wishes were answered. Taped to the mirror was a letter with her name on it. With a resigned sigh, she unfolded the paper, sat on the bed, and began to read...

Sara,

I know you're probably royally pissed at me, and I don't blame you at all. I took off without a word, I abandoned you when you needed someone on your side, I nearly killed, or maybe even did kill, Warrick and Catherine's baby, and I've been a totally selfish jerk.

I've done a lot of thinking over the last couple of weeks, and I've decided that I don't want to do anything that's going to mess up anyone else's life. I love you guys more than my own flesh and blood, and it kills me to know that any of you have suffered because of me and my irresponsible actions.

Things have really changed in the last year or two, we started dating, I started working as a CSI instead of a lab-rat, we almost died together, we mourned the loss of a stranger, a felon, but still a stranger, and we bonded in a way I never thought I'd bond with anyone. I love you, I don't think you could even realize how much I love you.

I feel so guilty about the accident, about your injuries, about the sadness and anger I know you must be feeling right now. I let you down, I didn't protect you when you needed it. I let Warrick and Catherine down, I was supposed to be their friend, and I took their baby's life into my own hands.

Please, tell them I'm so sorry about causing so much pain and heartache.

I let Nick down when I stopped being his friend and grew jealous over your friendship with him, I let Grissom down when I stopped putting my work first and I let my emotions get carried away. While you were unconscious, fighting for your life, I burned every bridge with everyone around me. Now, I realize the error of my ways, but I know it's too late to repair the damage I've caused.

I know you're looking for me, and if I know you as well as I think I do, you've enlisted the help of everyone you know to help you search. You've been through a terrible ordeal, Sara, don't forget to recuperate and take time for yourself, you'll find a better man. I think Nick's interested, at the risk of sounded redundant.

I knew that when I called you, I hadn't waited long enough, and I knew that you would trace the number. That is why I had to leave, I can't face seeing you right now, because if I see your beautiful face, I won't be able to help myself, and I'll walk right back into your life. I can't do that to you, I can't do that to the others.

Please, stop trying to look for me. Try to move on, you're a wonderful woman and there are so many opportunities for you, just don't close yourself off. Any man would be lucky to have you, I sure was.

I love you, I will call you when I think the timing is right. Please don't try to follow me...And don't even think about searching this room for evidence of where I'm off to next, I'm a CSI too, you know, I know how to cover my tracks.

I'm sorry things turned out the way that they did, please forgive me.

Love,

Greg

Sara squeezed the paper tightly, letting out a angry moan of frustration as tears began to build up in her eyes. He wanted her to just let go? To move on? Without him? Was he insane? What the hell was going on through his mind? Where the hell was he?

She fell back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to control her emotions before leaving. You can run, Sanders. She thought bitterly, But you can't hide.

As she walked through the door, she found herself with a new resolution, not only to find Greg, but to bring him home and slap his head back on straight.


"We, the jury, find the defendant Jessica Lynn Stokes guilty for 1st degree murder, guilty for obstruction of justice, guilty for conspiracy..."

Nick let out a soft sob as Jessica turned to him, tears shining in her eyes. This couldn't be happening, his big sister couldn't be going to jail, she couldn't have been found guilty.

Travis had been a crazy, abusive, hateful man. Jessica had practically performed a community service by ridding the world of him. He couldn't believe they were going to send her to jail.

Beside him, his mother sobbed loudly into her hands, her head buried in his father's shoulder. On the other side sat his siblings, his sisters crying, his brother shaking his head with a sad face, his hands trembling slightly as he struggled to keep his emotions in check.

Nick leaned forward, placing his hand on Jessica's shoulder to show his support as the sentencing was read out loud. She had managed to escape the death penalty, but was going to be held in prison for the next 75 years, or her death, whichever came first. He wanted to hold her so badly as her shoulders started to violently shake and the tears started to flow. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life.

He was shocked that his family had been in town for the entire week, faithfully attending Jessica's trial. He had been relieved to see him, relieved for their support for Jessica, yet saddened that it had taken an ordeal such as this to bring them all together.

Beside Nick, Karen had her own hand on Jessica's shoulder, "I'm so, so sorry Jessie. If I hadn't married Travis, if I hadn't told anyone what he did...If I hadn't tried to run away...Oh, Jess, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Jessica murmured through her own sobs, shrugging off both of her siblings grasps. This was something she'd have to do alone, she would be alone for the rest of her life.

Court was dismissed, and slowly the room began to empty, Jessica being taken away in handcuffs, nearly stumbling over her long orange jumpsuit as she was escorted from her family in tears.

Soon, only the Stokes were left in the courtroom, all consumed in their own grief. Karen and Nick clung together, both sobbing with personal guilt, feeling like they could have stopped her, could have changed things. If only Karen wouldn't have come to Vegas in the first place, if only Nick wouldn't have forced her to confess right away.

Next to Nick and Karen, the other Stokes children sat in stunned silence, unable to accept that their little sister would be in jail for the rest of her life. Jessica had always been the sweet one, the good one, and now she was the convicted one. She wouldn't be coming to Christmas, she wouldn't be the next one getting married...it seemed as if she fit the Stokes mold after all. The family had always worked for the law, and while Nick stayed on the legal side, Jessica picked the other side.

After a few minutes of quiet silence, Nick broke the ice, "I need to get to work, we're short handed right now, and there's no one to cover for me."

"Son, work shouldn't be your priority right now, you are going to spend the evening with your family, they'll manage one shift without you there."

Nick scowled at his father, anger starting to bubble up inside of him. Didn't his father know that work was the only thing keeping him sane? That if he spent the whole evening with the family that the memories, the sadness, the missing Stokes would drive him to insanity?

Deciding it wouldn't be the right time to disobey his father, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Grissom's number, guilt flooding through his body. Sara had left mid-shift the night before to follow Greg on a chase halfway through the country, Catherine was barely able to work out in the field, and Warrick was worried sick about Catherine's every move. That meant that Grissom would be working on cases alongside a distracted daddy, which was a recipe for disaster. No one functioned well when they were distracted, as all could attest to over the last few months.

Looking at his grieving family, however, he knew he had to stand by their side. All of the fighting he had done to get his parents and siblings to support Jessica weren't going to be written as hypocrisy, he was going to prove that he could be just as loyal as he expected them to be. Telling Grissom the situation, he made an inner vow to have this unfortunate turn start a new, positive chapter of his life.

As he watched his siblings and parents interact, sad smiles creeping onto some of their faces, Nick decided the first step into moving on would be to releasing his inner demons.

In that moment, all of the anger disappeared and he made a vow to himself that he would mend all broken relationships, starting with his family...both blood and work.


Catherine pulled Lindsey's comforter up to her chest, brushing her blonde hair from her face to her pillow. Asleep, she was a beautiful, sweet angel who could do no wrong, full of innocence and purity. Awake, a miniature cross of Catherine and Eddie, a future hellion on wheels. While Catherine admired Lindsey's sense of compassion and blatant honesty, she couldn't help but enjoy the sleeping child more.

Her hand slid down to her bulging abdomen, coming to rest on the smallest addition to their lives. She hadn't been this relaxed and focused when she was pregnant with Lindsey. She and Eddie had constantly been at each other's throats, her mood swings and his temper clashing like oil and water. With this pregnancy, she had quite a bit more scares, such as the miscarriage threat the previous month, but overall she had been so much more relaxed. While she loathed being pregnant with Lindsey, she was enjoying every moment of this pregnancy, morning sickness, aching joints, fatigue and all.

She quietly slipped out of Lindsey's room, sliding her shoes on once she reached the hallway. Shutting the door with a soft click, she quietly made her way to the living room, "She's asleep."

"Good timing, if we don't leave now, we'll be late." Warrick said quietly, helping her slip her jacket on, "Christina is in the kitchen, starting the dishes, I told her Lindsey was already in bed, and I gave her the list of things that need to be done." He leaned a bit closer, "Think we could get her to stay late so we could have some alone time?"

Catherine rolled her eyes, "Warrick, tomorrow is not a school day, and she's practically a teenager. Do you really think she's going to be awake when we get home from work?"

Warrick sighed, "Depends, do you think Gris will let us out of there on time?"

"Good point." Catherine said with a smirk, grabbing her purse, "Let's go, we'll discuss this later." As she followed Warrick out the door, she called over her shoulder, "By Christina! Call if you need!"

"Come on, Cath!" Warrick said, pulling his fiancé out of the apartment, "Lindsey's old enough to practically babysit herself, let's go!"

Following Warrick to the car, Catherine inhaled deeply, sighing contentedly. Things just couldn't get any better than they were right now. For once, her life was perfect.


"Well, I'm sorry." Sara snapped into the phone, "I'm not coming in. My plane just landed, and before I can even think of work, I need to get home, take a shower, and get a few hours of sleep. I'm exhausted, my knee hurts, and I'm not in a good mood at all. Do you really want me in the lab tonight?"

"Nicky's out, they just read the verdict on his sister. Catherine and Warrick are running late, and I've got a stack of cases. Crime doesn't stop because you're having a bad day, Sara. Get in here, now."

"No!" Sara snapped, "Tonight was my scheduled night off, and I'm still recovering from knee surgery. I'm taking my night! Besides, if Jessica's verdict was just read, Nick's going to need a friend tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

She flipped her phone shut, dropping it into her purse and struggling to her feet. Her knee was throbbing painfully from the uncomfortable angle she had been forced to sit in during the flight, and it seemed like her crutches never fully cooperated with her. She pulled her bag from the overhead compartment and slung it over her shoulder, yawning tiredly and slowly making her way to the exit area of the airplane.

The moment she arrived at her car, she gently sat on the seat, careful not to move her leg into any uncomfortable positions as she dug her phone out and dialed a number she had nearly forgotten from neglect.

"Stokes."

"Hey there, I thought you could use a friend?" Sara suggested, hearing the sadness in her friend's voice, "Up for some company?"

"So, I guess you heard the news, huh? Guilty on every charge, life in prison. I'm with my family right now."

Sara looked down disappointedly, shutting her car door. There went one plan for the evening, it seemed as if she had been replaced as his confidant. Not that it wasn't her own fault, she had been an awful friend for the last couple of months, she had neglected his feelings, his situation, his friendship. If she had been in his shoes, she would have moved on as well. Knowing he had someone to lean on, knowing it was what he needed didn't help as much as it should...it didn't even begin to fill the gaping hole on her heart and the loneliness that consumed her soul.

"But I'm sure no one would mind meeting you, Sara, I've told them a lot about you." Nick's voice came across as hopeful, which brightened Sara's mood slightly. Maybe he did still need her, maybe their friendship wasn't completely lost. "We're at my parent's suite at New York, New York, PH5. Just call when you get here and I'll buzz you up."

"I'm just leaving the airport, I'll see you in a few." Sara said softly, starting to hesitate, feeling guilty over intruding on a family gathering. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"I wouldn't have invited you if it wasn't okay. How did New Orleans go?"

Sara sighed, the sadness clear in her voice, "He doesn't want to be found, he wants me to leave him alone, he plans on disappearing from all of us, permanently."

"That good, huh?" Nick's sad voice replied, "Don't worry about it, Sar, everything happens for a reason. I mean, look at it this way, it took all of this with Jess to happen just to get my entire family in a room together. You have to look for the good in things, Sara, you can't let the bad consume you."

"Oh, I'm not letting the bad consume me," Sara said cooly, "Although when I get my hands on his goofy little neck...he worried the hell out of me, and he thinks he can just run away? He's got another thought coming. When I get my hands on him..."

"And we have a minibar at our disposal..."

"I'm on my way." Sara said, slamming the car door and flipping her phone shut. Sadness, guilt, anger, and betrayal were all having a battle in Sara's heart, and she had just made the decision not to focus on the pain. It was time to move forward, to try and find happiness at the end of this tunnel of heartache.

45 minutes later, she threw her arms around Nick's neck, "Oh, I'm so sorry about Jessica."

"I'm sorry about Greg." Nick replied, stroking her hair as he embraced her tightly, "I'm sorry about everything. I've been an awful friend to you."

"So have I." Sara murmured in his ear, "Oh, so have I."

Nick pulled away, using his thumb to wipe away a few tears that had fallen on to her cheeks, "Let's get upstairs, everyone is dying to meet you. After we visit for awhile, we can go somewhere more private and talk...just the two of us. It's been awhile."

"Awhile, indeed."

Placing a hand on Sara's back, he led her towards the elevator, feeling like he had someone on his side for the first time in nearly six months. Maybe things would work out for the best in the end after all.

The End.

If you'd like to see the sequel, where the real resolution happens and trouble starts to brew once more, drop me a reply and tell me so. :-)

Thanks to everyone who replied, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be writing.

Jenny