Chapter 13

Nick led Sara to the kitchen, unaware of who was presently sitting at the table. Grissom frowned in response to the two CSI's entering the room hand in hand.

"I trust you slept well Nick." Grissom growled as his eyes continued to glare at the couple.

"Not really, I was worried for Sara." Nick retorted, continuing to hold Sara's hand. Grissom quickly changed the subject.

"We need to look over more evidence relating to that homicide at the Nouvelle's Sara, it's the freshest case we've got, it could give us some leads." He thought a business-like approach would shift the awkwardness which filled the room. He was wrong.

"I don't think Sara is ready to work with you just yet Grissom. Quite frankly, I told her to give up on the case and to go back home. I guess she still somehow has faith in you to deny my request." Both men were surprised when Sara broke out of Nick's embrace.

"I just want to help out with the case, to catch the guy who's doing this. After that, we can go our separate ways." Sara looked down at the floor and tried to hide from Grissom's reaction.

"Oh I see. Mr. Right has come along and swept you off your feet?" Grissom shot his eyes at Nick and tried to keep his anger in check.

"Grissom, give it up." Sara sighed.

"What made you change your mind Sara? Was it his stunning good looks or his cute little ass that did you in?" Grissom was beginning to feel the familiar sense of rage swirl through out his body as Nick stepped forward incase his boss over reacted.

"How about it was because I am scared out of my mind to work with you let alone be intimate!" Sara replied, not holding back any of her anger as she watched Grissom's expression change.

"Sara…" Grissom sadly sighed.

"No I don't care what you have to say. You can't change what you did and I can never forgive you." Sara ran out of the room before Grissom could see her cry.

"I can't believe I used to look up to you. Any man would be grateful to have a woman like Sara. I just don't know who you are anymore." Nick exclaimed. After taking one last foul look at Grissom he walked away to comfort Sara.

"It's OK, you're going to be alright. Sara you don't have to finish this assignment, once Culpepper finds out about what's been going on he's not going to expect you to stay." Nick held Sara and waited for her whimpers to seize.

"No Nick I may hate him for what he did but I don't want him to lose his job." Sara continued to hide her head in Nick's chest wishing her pain would be taken away by his comfort.

"You know I can't stay here forever, If you are going to carry out this mission it just wouldn't work." Nick replied.

"You could be my little brother who's just visiting here for a while until we get settled in." Sara smiled.

"I don't think that would go down well with Culpepper and his friends at the FBI. I just don't feel comfortable with leaving you here by yourself with 'you know who' pursing the home." Nick bitterly exclaimed.

Grissom hid outside Sara's room barely getting a view of the couple. He listened closely and his heart lurched at their conversation.

"Is it so bad to hate someone so much you begin to wish they were dead?" Sara cried.

"Sara after being attacked the way you were I wouldn't blame you. Hate is a normal emotion in your situation."

"I'm moving back to San Francisco Nick, after the case. I just can't be reminded of him anymore. Of what he's capable of." Sara tried to calm down, trying to regain the sense of strength she had earlier.

"I'm gonna miss you but I know it's best. I'm scared of him too. Warrick and Cath are the only other ones who know and I don't think they're gonna stick around that much longer either." Nick held Sara close as he tried to calm her down. Grissom stood stunned in the hallway.

"What have I become?" Grissom thought as he walked into his bedroom and turned on the radio to block out the rest of the world around him.

"What have I become? My sweetest friend. Everyone I know goes away in the end…
You could have it all…My empire of dirt. I will let you down, I will make you hurt."

As Grissom listened to the lyrics he felt a tear roll down his cheek as he looked at himself in his mirror with disgust. As he continued to gaze into the mirror his reflection quickly morphed into his Father's. The man sneered as he continued to look at Grissom with a sense of pride.

"I told you son you were gonna end up just like me." The man laughed.

"No I'm not like this. I'm better then this. Mom taught me to treat others with respect, she made me who I am today." Grissom shouted at the mirror.

"NO! I'm the one who made you who you are today and don't you ever forget it." Grissom smashed the mirror with his fist and his Father's laughter finally stopped. The radio drained out the noise as the lyrics continued to echo through out his empty bedroom. Drips of blood continued to fall to the floor, but Grissom remained hypnotized on the smashed mirror which once held his Father's aura.

"On my liar's chair, full of broken thoughts I cannot repair. Beneath the stain of time,
the feeling disappears. You are someone else… I am still right here."

Later that day

"You sure you're alright here by yourself?" Nick questioned Sara for the hundredth time as he grabbed his bag.

"Yes Nick. I have your cell number and I will promise to call you everyday or the minute I need help." Sara smiled at Nick's protectiveness. She was confident Grissom was not going to hurt her again; he seemed rather distant since this morning.

"Remember, I'm just three miles away in my hotel. Please be careful Sara. With Grissom and the case. I read that this killer is relentless and his evaded the police for months now."

"Yeah well the faster I solve this the faster I move away from the lab. As much as I'm going to miss you guys I have to move on." Sara gave Nick one last hug before shutting the door behind her. The air conditioning cooled her face which held a trace amount of perspiration from the intense heat from the afternoon sun.

"Where did Grissom go I don't remember him ever leaving." Sara wondered as she sat down and pursued through the case files, trying to clear her thoughts from the past few days of stress. A knock on the door reflected her attention once more.

"Nick must have forgotten something." Sara noted as she swung open the door.

"Sidle I need to talk with you and your supervisor." Culpepper walked right through the doorway, not even waiting for a sign that he could enter. He began to take note of the damage done to the living room; several holes in the far wall caught his attention.

"How was this done Sidle?" Culpepper forcibly asked.

"I uhh don't know…" Sara stumbled over her words waiting for Culpepper to notice that the spare bedroom door was knocked down. Nick didn't even bother to ask about it knowing probably what her answer would be. Nick and Sara were forced to sleep in the guest room as all the rest of the rooms on the upper level were in use to store their lab equipment.

"What the hell is going on Sidle? Holes in walls? Knocked down doors…The bruises on your wrists? This isn't looking good for Grissom."

"What are you talking about? The holes were from an experiment we were testing on plaster. We plan on fixing the damage by the way. And the door was from Grissom believing I was being attacked by the serial killer. I went to bed early one night and out of habit I locked my door and when I had a nightmare Grissom broke it down." Sara nervously replied. She tried to hide her bruises but there was no point as she was wearing a short sleeved shirt, not expecting any visitors.

"I'm not buying it. From Grissom's wrap sheet it seems like violence is not an irregularity. He was arrested when he was seventeen for the abuse of his girlfriend, she was found in her dorm with a bruise on the side of her face. Charges were eventually dropped." Culpepper watched Sara's face turn pale with the news.

"So he has abused women in his past?" Sara questioned.

"Probably more, who knows how many haven't come forward. Listen I don't need to be a CSI to figure out what has been going on here. I know Grissom has been abusing you and I will do everything in my power to get him arrested and charged." Culpepper tried to put a hand on Sara's shoulder but she quickly flinched.

"No he hasn't done anything wrong. You can't charge him unless I press charges. Nothing has been going on so I'm not going to have him arrested. I need him on the case." Sara lied for him one last time knowing very well if Grissom tried anything again she would change her mind.

"Fine but I'm still going to question him about it Protocol, you know that better then anyone. Where is Dr. Grissom by the way?"

"I'm right here." Grissom solemnly replied, not looking at Sara.

"Why is she protecting me? I deserve to lose everything for what I did." Grissom thought.

"Come on we're just gonna chat at the station for a bit Dr. Grissom. We need to clarify a couple of things." Culpepper took note of a deep gash which wounded the CSI's right hand. Grissom quickly walked ahead of Culpepper and out of the door. Sara was left alone to contemplate on the days ahead and what her future will be like without the man she loves and hates.