A/N – well, I am just absolutely floored at the feedback I've gotten on this story – thank you! I'm trying really hard to make this my top priority (outside of school and work lol). Who knows what I'll be able to cook up next! Keep reviewing, commenting – any feedback only makes me a better writer – whether positive or negative. (Not negative…constructive lol) By the way, 'words in single apostrophes and italics' mean that the character is thinking.

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Chapter 12:

Grissom sat in silence, the buzz of the lights overhead driving into his occupied mind. He tried blanked out his surroundings, wanting not to notice the people whizzing by outside his closed door, struggling to ignore the feelings that there was something else he needed to do, attempting to disregard the exhaustion and horror he felt inside. Instead he sat, trying to focus on the piece of paper in front of him. He needed to. For Sara. His purpose revealed, silence came, and he was alone with his thoughts. He examined the note - word for word, sentence-by-sentence, oblivious to the world outside.

- Sara, you tell me this and then you leave?

'Tell him what?' Grissom thought desperately. 'What did you tell him? Were you going to leave him? Where did you go? Think. She had to leave suddenly, that day a few weeks ago when we had that case. I called her in – she had plans and was reluctant to break them. Not like her. What did she tell me on the phone? Something about needing to talk to him – maybe that's when she left. She told him something, and then she had to go but it was so important she got it over with first.' His brow furrowed. The possibilities were endless – Chris could have written this note anytime, but somehow, he felt that this note tied everything together, the one clue they had to solve what really happened. He moved onto the next line.

- You can't think that I'm happy about this – you are a slut and a liar.

This line made him angry. Of all things Sara needed a life outside of work, and was in no way a woman who took relationships lightly nor was one to spout off lies. 'He wasn't happy with what she told him, using his anger to call her names. She did something to make him upset and he really was not pleased with her about it – she hid something from him, which is why he calls her a liar. Was she seeing someone else too? That's not like Sara. Slut might have been the limit of his vocabulary in an effort to bring her down.' One of the things Grissom absolutely hated was a man who would beat a woman. He wasn't an expert when it came to relationships but he knew that no one deserved that kind of treatment, no matter what they did. He could feel his pulse rising as the anger surged through his veins. It wasn't a man who had just beaten a woman, something that caused him enough anguish already. It was a man who had beaten a friend of his, someone he had grown to care about and respect. A man he was going to make pay for his mistakes. More sure than ever that he was doing the right thing by investigating Chris, he carried on:

- You spout off any of my secrets, more little accidents with happen, I assure you.

The note seemed to escalate, and Grissom could feel the hatred written with each letter. But why hadn't Sara approached them? If someone were hurting her, she would've been the first person to come forward and set him straight. 'Maybe I don't know her as well as I thought.' Grissom though pathetically to himself, feeling more and more defeated. 'Still, he has secrets too and he was hurting her. The key to it all is what was she hiding from him? Not just him, everyone else too. Was it the piece of information Catherine knew?' Finally the last line caught his attention.

- You won't…

There was a sudden knock at the door and Grissom broke out of his reverie.

"Greg?" he said, confused. "What's up?" Greg hesitated at the door. It wasn't like him, and Grissom started to get worried at his silence. "Is it Sara? Is she okay?" He said quickly getting up.

"No, no – she's fine as far as I know." Grissom's heart was racing at the scare. Still, something wasn't right. Greg continued. "Well, actually, it is about Sara but it's not what you think." He closed the office door and sat down, placing the papers on the desk. Greg started,

"I was going through some files of solved cases a few minutes ago. I found something… interesting. You remember that recent rape case – the 13-year-old girl?" Grissom nodded. "Well, the guy we caught – his name was Josh Whitman. The name sounded familiar, so I looked him up. You'll never guess who he's friends with and where I heard his name."

"Chris," was all Grissom said.

"Bingo – Sara mentioned his name about 2 months ago. Something about all going out together, and I heard her saying Josh Whitman on the phone. So, I did a little more digging. Chris has been to see Josh since he was arrested on the rape case last week. A case Sara wasn't working on until…" Grissom cut in.

"Until Catherine asked her to do the rape kit for her, because Lindsey was sick." Greg nodded, visibly upset.

"I thought you should know. Have you figured out the note yet? Warrick and I have been busy looking up more on Chris, but other than what I just told you, nothing else has surfaced. Brass is still trying to get a warrant." Greg added.

"I've still got some work to do on this note. Bottom-line what I think so far? She hid something from him; she told him but then had to go to work. He hurt her, and threatened to do so again. Whether he did, I don't know. He's also got some secrets other than just the abuse he was inflicting. We need to get this guy." Greg excused himself to go find Warrick again and keep working.

Grissom read over the last line of the note - over and over and over. He wished he could just make this all come together, for Sara's sake. At least they had a lead.

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"Are you sure that you'll be okay while I'm at work?" Nick asked one last time. The whole day they had spent on the couch, just in each other's company, with the exception of her counseling session. Nick needed to head to work for the night shift, but was reluctant to leave Sara all alone. Most of his things had been moved into her apartment, and the living arrangements seemed to be working out. Sara was quiet and reserved, obviously still processing the last few days. Nick tried not to worry, but couldn't help it – not after what he had witnessed from her.

"I'll be fine Nick. I'm tired, I'm just going to go to bed – and when I wake up, you should be at home. I won't go anywhere or open up the door to anyone." He nodded but gave her one last look of uncertainty. "Go – you'll be late." She gave him a weak smile that melted his heart. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She leaned into him, and suddenly he was standing at the door just holding her. She seemed to just crumble in his arms, needing his support. He loved the feeling of her next to him and prayed that some way he could help her return to her normal self. A few minutes passed and she broke free from his embrace. The tears were running down her face.

"I can call in sick." He said quickly. She shook her head.

"No, no. Go – I'll be fine." He looked at her skeptically, but agreed, knowing that he had taken a lot of time off already, time he had never asked for. They were already short one CSI.

"I'll call in about an hour okay – my phone will be on." He kissed her on the cheek again and made his way out, making sure to lock the various bolts on the door. Sara leaned against the locked door and sighed. Half of her was so happy that Nick was taking care of her. She could feel how much he loved her. But the other half doubted. She felt as if she was taking advantage of him, which is something she didn't want. All her friends were so worried about her, and there was so much she was hiding from them.

'I told Catherine.' she thought to herself. 'Even she understood why I wanted to keep it secret, and not press charges.' She went into the bathroom to run some water into the tub and relax before another restless night of nightmares. She looked into the mirror and saw the bruises that still masked her skin. She wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach and let the tears fall. 'One step at a time,' she thought. 'One step at a time.'