Chapter XXVI

The Darkest Hour

They slept late, a novel thing for both of them, and they spent the late morning and early afternoon curled up together in the bed, talking. The ringing phones that they both had been, on some level, expecting to hear, came at four o'clock. Sofia smirked and untangled herself from Sara, "All good things must come to an end." She slid out of the bed and made her way to the doorway where her pants had been discarded. She grabbed the cellphone off them and flipped it open. "Curtis."

Sara had known the phone was going to ring. She knew that the safety of her haven with Sofia would eventually be invaded. She knew that reality would eventually push its way back in. She watched Sofia walk, mesmerized by the gentle sway of her hips. Oh, yes, the swagger was definitely better when there were no clothes to restrict it. When Sofia's entire body went rigid, though, Sara knew something was wrong. All the blood drained out of her face and she disconnected the call. Sara sat up, sheet pulled tight to her chest. "What is it?"

Sofia could barely push the words out of her throat. "Lindsey. She took Catherine's daughter."

For a brief moment, everything stopped. Sara blinked once, twice, three times. It was an explosion in her mind, it numbed her to the bone. "Oh God." Her own words pushed her to action and she sprang from the bed. The fact that she'd been thrown from the case was unimportant. She had to help save Lindsey.

Catherine sat in the lounge, her cold hands wrapped around a hot cup of Greg's coffee. People were asking her questions, moving around her, working the case. Any other time she'd be right in the middle of everything, working. Now, though, she was empty and strangely cold. All she could see was Lindsey with her throat cut, her daughter dead. She didn't know what to do. Years of CSI work, years of helping mothers through just this sort of thing, and she didn't know what to do for herself. There was no culvert this time, no jumping in to save her daughter. There was nothing to do but wait. A sob caught in her chest. Wait until they found the body.
Sara bulldozed past two day shift workers, she didn't know their names, nor did she care at this point. She almost ran through the hallways. She had to find Lindsey. That was the mantra that kept repeating through her head. She couldn't fail this time. She had to save her. She caught a flash of red-gold through the break room windows and she stopped in her tracks. Catherine. She went to the door, the room was empty, save for the other woman.

She sat on the same couch as Lindsey had just a few nights before. Catherine was pale, and her hands shook. Her makeup, usually flawless, was ruined.

Sara's heart lurched and the voices inside her head screamed at her. This was her fault. "Catherine?"

Catherine looked up and saw Sara standing in the doorway to the lounge. What was once empty quickly filled with rage, white hot and viscous.

"You."

Sara's eyes were cast down at the floor. "Catherine I am so sor-"

Catherine stood up, and glared at the other woman. "Don't you dare apologize to me."

Sara looked up, "Cath, I..."

Catherine came closer until they were standing nose to nose. "This is all your fault. If you had worked the case instead of chasing rabbits, followed the evidence instead of thinking about your career, you would have caught the fucking bastard who's doing this. THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

Catherine's hands lashed out and shoved Sara. She didn't fall but she stumbled backwards. "MY DAUGHTER IS AS GOOD AS DEAD AND IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Catherine's face had gone from white to red and her blue eyes were hard and they flashed with an almost unholy anger. Scalding hot tears poured down the woman's face as she continued, she wasn't screaming anymore but her voice was still hot and razor sharp. "You think you're better then everyone else. That the rules don't apply to you. Grissom's little pet. Everything just rolls right off your back. My Lindsey is missing and you think an apology is good enough! I'll never forgive you. Never. I don't want you near me or the case. You are incompetent, but I never thought that you would let a child killer run rampant so you could be the press's golden girl. My daughter's blood is on your hands."

Catherine's breathes were coming in wheezes and gasps. "Get away from me, Sidle."

Sara, brown eyes wide, didn't move. "Catherine, please."

Catherine's fingers gripped the mug tightly between her hand and she threw it at the floor, hard. The ceramic shattered at Sara's feet, sending coffee and broken pieces everywhere. "GO!"

Hand over her mouth, fighting back tears, Sara stumbled backwards and she fled.

Catherine blindly groped for the wall and slid down against it, the tears coming down fast, the sobs wracking her body.

Both women had a single thought in their minds, 'It's all my fault.'

Author's Note: Yeah, when I look back at everyone's reaction to 'Consequences' I knew I would be in trouble over this one...Bring on the yelling, I like feedback, even if people are throwing things at me. Though, in my defence, Cath threatened to kill Candeece the Singer in Lady Heather's Box...so Sara is kind of getting off easy.

Put this chapterup earlier then usual...not because I was feeling nice and generous...I just know that I will be otherwise occupied for the rest of the day... Translation, I will be far too intoxicated to use a computer this evening.