Chapter 6: A False Alarm and Poor Nicky

"It was Hank"

'Shit.' Sara thought. "What did he say?"

"He said, 'This is just a warning. Tell that brunette bitch that this isn't over. She will wish she had died in the accident.'" Elaine recounted Hank's threat. Then she looked at Sara, noticing the cast and the crutches. "My God, it was you wasn't it. He was talking about you."

"It appears that way." Sara said. Although she appeared calm and collected on the outside, inside she was panicking. 'Okay, breathe Sidle. He can't harm you when you are with Grissom. You'll be fine. You can't let Gil see you like this.'

Sara thanked Elaine for her testimony and then went to find Grissom.

"Hey Sara, how'd it go with the vic?" Grissom asked when he heard Sara behind him.

"Don't bother processing the scene, nothing was stolen. The vic, Elaine Alcott. The perp, Hank. This was a warning to me."

"My God Sara. I want you out of here right now. Brass," He called to his friend, "Get her out of here."

"Come on Sara." Brass said as he led her to his car.

Once they had started back to the lab brass asked what happened.

"This is all my fault." Sara said.

"Sara, how is this your fault. You did nothing wrong. We will catch Hank and put him away so that he'll never be able to hurt you again."

"I hope you're right Brass." Sara said as they pulled up to the lab. "I hope you're right."

'I guess I was right.' Sara thought as she went into the crime lab almost two months after the B&E at Elaine's house. 'Hank wouldn't come after me if I was with Grissom.'

Ever since Sara had heard Hank's threat she hadn't been alone. Grissom had asked her to move into his town house. She had said yes.

Hank had fled town. Last week Reno PD had spotted a man matching his description but he was gone by the time they had reached where he had been seated.

The B&E, as well as Sara's Crash-and Run, had been placed on the cold case board and Sara had gotten back to her usual work routine.

Once the entire team was seated in the break room Grissom passed out cases.

"Nick, you have a trick roll at the Sands."

"When will people learn not to trust hookers?" Nick asked as he walked out of the room, grabbing the case file.

"Poor Nicky." Grissom said.

Catherine and Sara smiled while Warrick chuckled.

"Catherine, you and Warrick have a 419 at the Tangiers."

"Oh, give me a straight up murder any day. Just no more decomps." Catherine said as she and Warrick left.

"And you, my sweet, have another B&E with me." Grissom said, turning to Sara.

"Oh, fun." Sara smirked.

Grissom gave her a quick kiss before they headed out to their scene.

Sara was resting her head on the break room table when Nick got back from his case.

"Hey Sar, how'd your case go?"

"False alarm. Daughter forgot her house key so she climbed in the back window. Neighbor spotted her and thought it was a robber. Hence the 911 call."

"Don't you love cases like that?" Nick said.

"Yeah, so how'd your case go?" Sara asked.

"Well the hooker was stupid enough to leave her 'calling card' behind, so we got her."

"So, do you think Griss had anymore cases for us?" Sara asked.

"I have a case for Nick." Grissom said as he walked into the room. "Here you go Nicky, another decomp. Have fun."

"Man, what do you have against me?" Nick complained.

"Nothing Nicky, but you're the one who asked for a solo."

"Stock up on the lemons Nicky." Sara teased him.

"Watch it Sidle. Once that leg of yours is better you'll get one." Nick kidded her good naturedly.

"Go Nick." Grissom said as Sara stuck her tongue out at the retreating Texan.

"So Griss, what do you have for me?"

"Well, we are leaving. I'm taking you out for breakfast and then we shall go get your cast removed."

"How'd you get Ecklie to let us out early?"

"I told him that we were going to a forensics seminar." Grissom smirked.

"Grissom!" Sara said, shocked at her boyfriend's behavior. "What has gotten into you?"

"Why you have my dear. Come on, let's go before Ecklie changes his mind."

"Catherine is going to kill you." Sara warned.

"Well, if I'm dead and she's in jail, you're the new supervisor. Wouldn't you like that?" He asked.

"I'd rather have you. Come on bugman, let's go to breakfast."

"Be careful Sara." Grissom said as she limped to the warehouse.

Grissom and Sara had been called to a 419 in a warehouse just outside the Vegas city limits.

"The doctor said you could only walk short distances on that leg." He reminded her.

"I guess that means you're doing the perimeter then, while I check the body." She smiled.

"Well, I guess this is your lucky day. The body is right inside the front entrance, I'm gonna check out the back by the exit."

"Have fun." Sara said as she set her kit down.

She took a look at the body in front of her. It was a woman, her dark brown hair was splayed across her face. The coroner had already pronounced so Sara brushed back the vic's hair to get a good look at her.

What she saw made her gasp. The woman looked just like her. Images from the Debbie Marlin case crossed her mind as she kneeled by the body in shock. 'Oh my God. With Hank on the loose this has to be more that a coincidence, I have to find Grissom.'

As she stood she heard a shot from the back of the building, followed by Grissom's strangled cry.

She looked up to find herself face to face with Hank. He was smiling and pointing a gun at her.

Scared, she turned to run out the door, however, when she put weight on her injured leg it buckled beneath her and she pitched forward, hitting her head on the door frame. Then everything went black.