Hmm… I guess I took a little longer between updates than I had intended… the holidays were part of the problem, and I was having some problems getting a few parts of this chapter to come together in a way I was happy with.
A mild warning- there will be a little GSR hints throughout this chapter and the next few... not much, but I want to give far warning to Sandle purists
Anyway, here it finally is. Thanks to everyone who's so patient with me and continuing to review!

Chapter Five

Several hours later, after showers and a dinner of Chinese takeout (which Sara had hardly touched), Nick entered into the cool air of the lab, with Sara following close behind.

Although she did not seem to waiver under the curious stares and whispers as she headed for Grissom's office, the confidence that normally was present in her stride was gone. Her gaze was fixed ahead of her and she stayed close to Nick as they wound their way through the maze of hallways.

Hesitating, for the first time, just out the office, Sara glancing inside to see Catherine and Warrick at the chairs in front of the desk, where Grissom sat as he flipped through a file folder. Taking a deep breath, she entered the office first- causing all three CSIs to look up in surprise.

"Sara? I didn't think you would come in tonight." Grissom took off his glasses, leaning forward to study her closely.

"Here I am." She shrugged with a weak smile.

"How you holding up?" Warrick looked up at her as she wandered nearer to the desk, concern in his dark eyes.

"Alright, I guess."

"Do we have any leads?" Nick asked, glancing between the supervisor and Catherine.

The redhead shook her head sadly. "Not at the moment."

"Do we know anything?" Sara looked toward Grissom, her eyes pleading, almost desperate, for some hope to hold onto.

"Very little." The supervisor replied, looking away from her gaze.

She dropped her gaze down to the floor momentarily, a thoughtful expression replacing the despair. "What can I be doing to help?"

"Are you sure you're up to it?" He glanced from her to Nick, who nodded in reply.

Sara also nodded, standing straighter as if his doubt gave her more confidence. "I'm sure. I need to be doing something."

"Alright." Grissom consented. "Warrick is in charge of the original 419 you were working. He brought in the computer from the scene. Can you start processing that?"

"Sure. I'll go get started." She gave the others an unconvincing smile as she turned and left the office.

Catherine waited until the brunette was out of sight before turning to Nick. "In my opinion, she doesn't seem okay, but you're the one who's been with her all day… How do you think she's holding up?"

"Considering everything, better then she could be. She seems to have accepted the situation with the mindset that she has to keep going, no matter what happens." Nick stared off in the direction Sara had gone.

"This can't be easy for her." Warrick glanced between Nick and the supervisors.

"It's not." Catherine answered. "She's a strong woman, but she's not that strong."

"She loves him much deeper that any of us could have realized." Nick replied sadly, almost guiltily. "They really love each other."

"The grief she's feeling is very different from what we're feeling." Catherine nodded understandingly.

Warrick sighed sadly. "We would be losing a close friend, where Sara..."

"She'd be losing a future." Grissom finished quietly.

The others looked between each other and the open file on Grissom's desk, considering his words. After a long silence, Nick finally spoke.

"What can I be doing to catch the bastard that did this?"

The supervisor nodded as if he had expected the question. "I want you to work with Warrick and Sara. The 419 was a young man, found shot in his livingroom. Warrick and Catherine already have finished processing the house, but there's a lot of evidence to process here. Check in with Sara occasionally to see if she's learned anything, and just to make she's okay." Grissom glanced toward the men.

"We will." Warrick assured him as he stood. "We'll let you know if we find anything important."

Catherine watched Nick and Warrick leave before turning back to Grissom. "And that leaves us with Greg's case…"

Grissom nodded silently, expression tired and sad.

The redhead watched him sympathetically. "We've all been so concerned about Sara, but what about you? How are you doing?"

He gave a deep sigh. "I'm trying, Catherine. What else can I say?"

"I understand."

A momentary silence fell between them in which Catherine shifted in the unusual awkwardness.

"You know, Gil, I'm kind of surprised at how well you've handled all this about Sara's relationship with Greg."

"It didn't really come as a surprise to me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I may be socially inept, but I do notice people changing." He looked down at his desk thoughtfully. "I've known Sara a long time, and I've seen her struggle through some awful times. I've seen her change- not always in good ways." He glanced up at Catherine. "The last few months I've seen her with Greg, and, for the first time in a long time, I've seen her happy again. Some of those changes have started to… undo… and I'm seeing some of that young woman I once knew return. I wish you could have known her back then, Catherine…"

"She was different then?"

"She was Sara, but she…" Grissom drifted off, having no words to describe the young woman he knew her as- maybe even loved her as. "I don't know where to begin... she'll always be Sara."

Catherine sighed, giving him a sympathetic smile. "The truth is, Gil, I'll never know her the way you do. She won't let me- or anyone else. Greg is the first person she's let close to her since…"

"Since?"

"Since she realized you couldn't return her affection, and never would."

He didn't respond immediately. He gazed at the redhead thoughtfully, knowing that she was right- and that she knew it as well. Finally, he spoke again with a soft voice, allowing his concern to bleed through.

"I'm afraid of what losing Greg will do to her."

"It will destroy her emotionally."

"We'll lose her." Grissom agreed quietly. "I've already lost her once, I don't want to lose her again."

"All we can do is wait." Sadness shone in Catherine's eyes as she watched the supervisor. He would never admit it out loud, but she knew that it pained Grissom to see how deeply Sara loved Greg. It was that pain, though, that made her realize that he held affections for the brunette- perhaps buried deeply, but still there. 'He loves her enough to want her to be happy- even if he is not the one to give that happiness.'

"We can do more than wait." Grissom shook his head, his voice drawing Catherine out of her thoughts.

"What can we do?"

"We can catch the bastard that did this."

She couldn't help but smile.

To be continued...