Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or its characters…obviously.
Rating: T
A/N: Wow, I am so glad that people actually like my story! Thank you all so, so, so much for reading and reviewing! It really means a lot to me. I tried not to end this with too much of a cliffhanger, after being threatened with a baseball bat (j/k!). I apologize if the forensics stuff isn't too accurate. If I screw up, just let me know. Again, thanks for reading!
(By the way, if anyone cares, my other piece, The Women in his Life, was supposed to have a "to be continued" at the end of it. I'll post the rest soon.)
Chapter 6
Catherine placed a hand on Grissom's shoulder as she stood over him. He had remained in the same position on the floor since he had realized that someone had attacked Sara. Catherine was the first to arrive at the scene after receiving a phone call from her shattered friend.
"Willows." Catherine answered her phone as she was driving home from work.
"It's Sara…there's blood and…"
"Gil? Is that you?"
"…and her gun's on the floor and…and the chain…on the door…"
"Gil? Hold on a minute. I can't understand what you're saying? What about Sara?"
"…and she's gone."
"You have to speak up. I can't…"
"She's gone!" Catherine recognized the tone in his voice as one of sheer terror. After a few seconds of silence, knowing that Catherine had heard him, Grissom continued. "I came over to talk to her and when I got here…" he swallowed hard, "the door was broken, there was blood on the floor…and someone else's gun…someone must have…"
"…Broken in," she finished to herself as she flipped on the sirens and turned the SUV in the direction of Sara's apartment complex. "Don't touch anything; I'll be over as soon as I can."
"Thank you." Grissom's voice was barely there.
"And Gil, don't worry. We'll find her." She hung up.
Grissom sat motionlessly, his gaze transfixed on a framed picture of Sara and him.
"Gris," Catherine started gently, "you have to get up and let us work."
After a few moments, he got up and slowly looked over the apartment. The spilt bottles of Budweiser caught his attention. He could feel tears begin to form in the corner of his eyes as he saw a beer-soaked note on the coffee table, the greeting being Dear Grissom in Sara's handwriting. The rest was unreadable because of the liquid. He reached down to pick it up, but a voice from behind him stopped him from doing so.
"We'll get it." Turning around, Grissom found that the voice belonged to Nick, who stood with the entire graveyard team, along with Jim Brass and a few investigators from the dayshift. Each held a kit, ready to do what they did best, and each wore a look of deep concern on their faces. Everyone at the lab loved Sara for her distinctive personality, skill and ambition. And everybody looked up to Grissom; wise and loyal, he was always there for his CSI's. They were his family, and now, in his time of need, they stood ready to do all they could to help him.
Sara and Grissom's feelings towards each other were not a mystery to the employees of the Las Vegas Criminalistics Bureau. Their stolen glances, double entendres, and near touches were anything but overlooked by their co-workers. The whole nightshift had a pool going with bets on when the two would, according to Greg, "get is on already". Catherine was the only one still standing – her fifty bucks were on this November, two weeks from now. All other dates had already been surpassed. Knowing Grissom for the longest time out of the group, she was sure he wouldn't commit to anything but his work for quite some time. But the time had come.
The desire for Sara and Grissom to become a couple was now not just for sake of good water cooler gossip, but for the welfare of the two CSI's. There lack of a relationship was visibly hurting both of them.
"No, I'll get it. Gloves…I need gloves."
"Gris, really," Warrick walked over to him, "let us process the scene. We'll let you know what we find."
Grissom snapped at him. "Don't you tell me what to do, Warrick! I'm in charge here. Nick, find out who that gun belongs to. Greg, get those blood samples back to the lab, now!" Greg, still taken aback by the situation, did not move right away. "What the hell are you waiting for!" Grissom roared. "I said blood samples, now!"
"Grissom!" Catherine yelled back at him. "You can't be here. You're emotionally involved and you might compromise the evidence."
"Emotionally involved?" He yelled back. "Of course I'm emotionally involved! She's one of my CSI's. I already came close to losing one, and I'm damn sure as hell not going to let that happen again!"
Greg took a chance and stepped forward from the group. "Look, we know how much Sara means to you, but do you realize what she is to the rest of us? Grissom, we all love Sara. This isn't just about you, now. This is about her. We're going to find Sara as fast as we possibly can. So for God's sake, just let us work!"
Grissom looked at each person; for what, he was unsure of, but whatever it was, he did not find it in their faces. He pushed past the group and walked out of the apartment.
"Both guns were never fired," Warrick stated.
"And there's no cast-off; she couldn't have been stabbed," Catherine added as she snapped a photograph of the blood droplets on the floor. "My guess this is from some sort of altercation…a bloody nose, or something."
"That's my girl," Warrick said to himself. He knew Sara was strong and that she wouldn't give up so easily. "Whoa, wait a minute. The intruder's gun wasn't even loaded!"
Catherine knelt next to him. "This guy wasn't trying to kill her, or rob her for that matter. Nothing seems to be missing. He definitely wanted her in one piece."
"Hey guys," Greg started apprehensively, "her cell is broken and her caller ID says she's got seven missed calls. Maybe someone was bothering her."
"Does the ID have a name?" Catherine asked.
Greg pressed the missed calls button. "Gil Grissom," he stated quietly.
"Grissom?" Warrick inquired, "All seven times?"
Greg nodded. Catherine tried to explain. "Gris was going to move her to days. Naturally, they fought about it." She played the answering machine message.
Sara, it's me. Please pick up. I know you're there. Look, I…I know you're mad at me…and rightfully so. But I think I finally figured it all out. I know what I want now. I'm sure of it this time. Sara…I love you. I'm coming over.
Everyone stared at the floor, letting Grissom's message seep into their brains. Never before had they heard their boss so emotionally distraught. Without a word, they continued to collect evidence.
Finally, Nick broke the silence. "Hey, I think I found something this guy left behind." He held up a small tin container.
"Chewing tobacco," Catherine stated.
To be continued…
A/N: Review!