A/N: Please note that this is not a continuation of The Life and Times of Sara Sidle. I just thought about a 'what-if' scenario of Matthew (if you have read the story you will know who this is) coming back. Thank you, and I apologize for any confusion!

Catherine waited a minute before walking into the hallway to set up a place for Sara to sleep. Opening the closet, she pulled out a few blankets and some spare pillows. She walked back into the living room and set them down, setting Sara's jacket on the back of the couch. Once a little place was set up, she walked over to a lounge chair next to the couch and took a seat, resting her head on the head-rest.

Catherine did not think any of this was going to happen tonight. She had fallen into a light sleep and then wham- a knock at the door, and who does she find behind the door? None other than her coworker, who looked like she had been beaten to a bloody pulp. And then Sara told her about her past, which was something Catherine thought would never happen. And Sara definetly did not have a happy childhood. From her father abusing her, to her mother killing her father, to being raped by her own foster brother, there only seemed to be little snippets in between that actually sounded cheerful.

How the hell did she keep this in the whole time? How could she have gone through life without telling anyone? How could she have worked this job, talking to people who had gone through things very similar to her own experiences, without cracking? Catherine had no idea. She, for one, knew that if she were in Sara's shoes she would have cracked a long time ago. But Sara, instead of telling people about everything, kept it bottled up inside of her, having outbursts whenever someone came too close to the truth for her own comfort.

And Sara hadn't always had a cheerful time working at the Las Vegas Crime Lab. She had almost been blown up in the lab explosion, which Catherine blamed herself for. Too many cases had haunted her every thought or gotten her in trouble with her superiors because she refused to ask someone for help. Hank Peddigrew had used her to cheat on his girlfriend. Something, or someone, led her to a DUI. And she found herself in the clutches of a psychotic rapist in the state mental instituition where she worked a case with Grissom.

A lot for one person to handle, as well as her past.

Catherine sighed deeply, looking over at a picture on the wall to try to take her mind away from everything for a little while. Thinking about this certainly wasn't making her feel any better. She closed her eyes and tried to relax for a few minutes, but her eyes opened again when she heard something. It was a small, whimper coming from the bathroom, the most pitiful sound Catherine had ever heard in her life. She knew instantly who the sound was coming from and she got out of the chair, slowly making her way down the hallway to the bathroom.

She knocked on the door softly as she heard another whimper. "Sara?" she asked quietly. She didn't get a response from the woman inside, so she knocked again, this time a little harder. "Sara?" she said again. "Sara, are you okay?" she asked, now genuinely concerned. Each time she said something, her only response was the eerie silence that followed. "Sara, I'm going to come in," Catherine said, slowly turning the doorknob.

Catherine poked her head inside and looked down at Sara. She had tears running down her cheeks, and her entire body was submerged in water. She held a damp washcloth in her hand, scrubbing furiously at her body. Catherine threw the door open and kneeled down beside her. "Sara," Catherine started. "Sara, you're going to hurt yourself," Catherine said, reaching for the washcloth.

Sara finally looked up at her when her hand came into view. She tore it away from her, finally looking up and making eye-contact with the other woman. She looked absolutely terrified. Catherine had never seen someone this scared before. Looking down at her wrists and arms, Catherine noted the raw red skin, which was only becoming more raw with each time Sara scrubbed at it.

"Sara, hand me the washcloth," Catherine said quietly.

"No," Sara protested.

"Sara, please, you're scrubbing too hard," Catherine said, reaching for the washcloth once again.

"No, Catherine," Sara said, looking up at her. "I can feel him."

"Honey, I know, but you're going to hurt yourself.." she said, finally grabbing onto the washcloth. Sara looked up at her, one hand held in mid-air, reaching for the washcloth. "Sara, come on, let's get you out of here so you can get some rest.." Catherine told her. She drained the water and grabbed the towel she had set out for Sara, draping it around her shoulders and helping her out of the tub. Sara excepted the hand Catherine extended to her to help pull herself up. Catherine winced as she got a full look at the exposed parts of her body- all she could see was bruises, bruises everywhere.

Turning back to the counter, she handed Sara the clothes she had picked out for her. "I'll be outside the door," Catherine told her. "Go ahead and get dressed and then you can get some sleep." Sara nodded slowly and Catherine stepped out to give her some privacy. Sara finally emerged from the bathroom and looked up at Catherine from the damp strands of hair that were in her face. "Come on," Catherine said quietly, leading her into the living room. Sara followed her with both arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"You can sleep here tonight," Catherine told her. Sara nodded slowly, sitting down on the couch and looking at the floor. Sara seemed to be in another place and time at the moment- she wasn't responded verbally, only physically. "There's some extra blankets in the hallway closet," Catherine told her. "Go ahead and try to get some sleep," Catherine said. "I'll be just down the hall if you need me," Catherine told her. Sara obeyed, slowly lying down on the couch against the pillows. Catherine pulled the blanket over her as Sara closed her eyes. Catherine smiled a little and walked down the hallway to her bedroom.

Collapsing on her bed, she sighed deeply. She was definetly going to have trouble falling asleep that night, but she just hoped to god Sara would get some rest, even if she didn't sleep a wink. Closing her eyes, she was surprised to find herself falling into a deep sleep.

She woke up when she heard it. The most blood-curdling scream she had ever heard in her life. She quickly sat up and threw the covers off of her, running through the doorway to the living room. Lying there on the couch, Sara was thrashing violently, whimpering and whispering things incoherently. Catherine walked over to her slowly, kneeling down beside her. "Sara," Catherine said to try and wake her up. The brunette did not wake, and she continued to thrash on the couch. Catherine knew if she didn't do something quickly Sara ran the risk of hurting herself, so she grabbed both of her arms and held onto them tightly.

"Sara, wake up," Catherine said in a louder tone. Sara still did not wake, and only began to thrash against Catherine. Catherine moved out of the way quickly to avoid being scratched in the face. "Sara, wake up!" she yelled.

Finally, her eyes popped open and she looked aroud quickly for the voice. She looked at the dark figure of Catherine sitting next to her, holding her arms in place. "Cath.." she whispered.

"It's okay Sara, you had a nightmare," Catherine whispered, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, which was now damp with sweat.

"Cath...no...he-"

"Shh..." Catherine said. "Shh...it's okay, he's not here. You're safe," she told her.

Sara looked up at her and just slowly nodded before burying herself in the older woman's arms. Catherine put a hand on her back, rubbing it softly as Sara cried into her shoulder. "Shh...shh, it's okay," Catherine whispered.

Sara continue to sob into her shoulder for a few more moments before her breaths slowed down and she fell limp in Catherine's arms.