Thank you all for the feedback, I love feedback. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter… It might be a little creepy though…

Lady Jess, thank you so much for all the things you do to help making this story better. I have the best beta in the world!


Chapter Twenty Two

Jail

"Kimberly?" Veronica looked at her wife. "What are you talking about?"

"I want to come back home." Kimberly answered, looking her in the eyes.

"You have some nerve just walking in like this." Benjamin told her.

"How else should I do it?" Kimberly asked. "I love you, V. I want to come home."

"When it rains it pours," Veronica said sitting back down, feeling a little overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. "Ben, could you…"

"Sure." Benjamin left the room saying: "You just call if you need me, I won't be far away."

"Thanks." Veronica threw distractedly at him. "So…" She looked at Kimberly. "I thought you'd still be working Siobhan's case."

"Yeah," Kimberly was still standing at the door. "Sofia told me to go home and get a little sleep."

"Oh." The doctor gestured to the couch. "You can sit down if you want."

"Thanks." The detective sat down next to the petite redhead. "I want to come home, Veronica."

"Why?" Veronica turned and looked at her.

"Why? I love you. I miss you… I miss us."

"You left me, Kim."

"I didn't leave you, I needed a break. It just got too much for me. I…"

"You needed a break from me. You needed a break from me even though you promised to be with me in good times and bad. If I say ok and let you come back now, how will I know you won't just leave me again?"

"I…"

"Can you promise that you'll never leave me again, Kim? Because people seem to leave me all the time, and I'm not sure if I can take much more of it. I need to be strong right now. I need to protect our daughter and I can't do that unless I know that you're one hundred percent sure that you want to come back. I can't live with that uncertainty."

"I'm sure." Kimberly held Veronica's hand. "I want us to be together. I was miserable without you, and this case gave me the push I needed to realize that I want you – I want all of you. I want you to let me be strong for you." She leaned in pressing their foreheads together. "Please let me be there for you. Please let me protect you. I'll take time off work and stay here protecting my girls. Please be my girl again. Please, please, please be my girl again."

Veronica brought up a hand, cupping the other woman's cheek.

"I've always been your girl, Kim." She smiled softly. "I'm just not sure you're mine."

"There's never been anyone else for me. Please let me protect you and Julie."

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"Warden Matthews? I'm Catherine Willows with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. These are my colleagues Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes and Captain Brass with the LVPD." Catherine shook hands with the man who greeted them at the entrance to the prison.

"Hello, Miss Willows." Warden Matthews guided them inside. "You're here to see Oscar Charles Dunne?"

"Yes." Sara was the one to answer. "And we're going to need the visitors log as well."

"I would love to give it to you, but you need a warrant for that, I'm afraid." Warden Matthews said with an apologetic shrug.

"Like this one?" Brass asked, handing over the warrant.

"Yes, Sir," The warden smiled. "I'll get that ready for you while you visit with Mr. Dunne."

"Thank you," Catherine said, "Miss Sidle and I will not be in the room with Dunne, so I hope you have a room with a two way mirror."

"Yes, we have everything set up for you in here." He took them to a small interview room. "Is this alright for you?"

"Yes, this is fine." Brass told him. "Cath, Sara, why don't you two get into the other room? And you get Dunne in here with us, Matthews."

"Sure thing Brass. Sara…" Catherine took hold of Sara's hand in support, leading her into the observation room. Once alone in there, she turned towards the brunette. "Look, Sara, I'm sorry that we've been interrupted all day and I know that this isn't the best time, but…" She stepped into Sara's personal space and whispered: "I was about to kiss you when Grissom interrupted." She gave the surprised woman a short but sweet kiss and stepped back. "And I won't press charges if you don't."

"Ok..." Sara was utterly surprised and couldn't come up with a better answer.

"Good." Catherine smiled. "Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get back to work." And with that she moved to stand in front of the two way mirror.

"Ok..." Sara still hadn't moved since the kiss. 'She kissed me. Catherine kissed me. I just got kissed by Catherine Willows. She kissed me.'

"Sara." Catherine looked back at her. "You should probably get up here if you want a good look at him."

"What?" Sara shook her head, trying to get out of the trance she was in. "Right." She stepped closer to the mirror.

"I'll just get some sound on this." Catherine said, switching on the mike. She looked back and noticed the haunted look that had replaced the pleasantly surprised look on Sara's face. "Are you going to be ok doing this?" She asked, concerned.

"I don't know…" Sara stepped closer to the mirror, but kept her distance from Catherine. She looked into the room with Nick and Brass in it. "It's been so long since all this happened. I didn't think I'd ever have to…" She looked over at the blonde, "…deal with him again. I really thought that all this was behind me."

"I'm sorry." Catherine moved a little closer to Sara without pushing her. "I wish you didn't have to go through it."

Sara smiled in thanks and reached out for Catherine's hand. She needed to feel the strength that the other woman exuded. She took the last step closer to her, and watched as the door in the other room slowly opened.

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"I need you to find the guy who did this to Siobhan." Veronica started. "We have enough protection here." She added as Kimberly was about to interrupt. "With Mr. Jones we have seven people looking after us - eight if you count Benjamin. We'll be safe." She kissed Kimberly lightly on the lips. "You need to get some sleep."

"Are you going to take me back?" Kimberly asked.

"For now, yes." Veronica nodded. "But we need to talk this through later – when all this is over we need to have a long talk."

"I know." Kimberly smiled happily. "Thank you. I'm so sorry that I ever hurt you. I'll make it up to you, I promise." She leaned in, placing a kiss soft kiss on the smaller woman's lips. When she started to deepen the kiss Veronica pulled back.

"You need to sleep." She told her. "Don't start something you can't finish."

"I can finish." Kimberly said with a pout. "I promise." She leaned in for another kiss.

"Right." Veronica said sarcastically, leaning back. "You need sleep." She repeated.

"Where's Julie?"

"Napping in my… our bedroom."

"Ok. Would you mind if I crash here?"

"No, I wouldn't mind."

"Want to join me?" Kimberly held out her hand.

Veronica looked at the offered hand for a second, thinking about the offer the other woman had made.

"To sleep," Kimberly clarified. "No hanky panky with Jules in the room."

"I know." Veronica said with a small smile. She took the offered hand. "Sure. Let's go sleep." If she was taking Kimberly back, she might as well do it fully.

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The door seemed to take hours opening. Dunne entered the room; his hands in handcuffs and his feet chained together. Catherine couldn't suppress a gasp as she saw him.

"That's the one thing I'll never get used to in this job." She said. "He looks so normal."

"Yeah." Sara's voice sounded detached. "That's how he got away with stalking Veronica for months without her noticing. He looks so average."

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Dunne was wearing the government issued orange jumpsuit with a white t-shirt underneath and black shoes. He had no visible tattoos or scars of any kind. His brown hair was neatly trimmed and he was clean shaven. Despite being in chains, he walked into the room as if he owned it.

"Oscar Dunne." Brass greeted him. "I'm Jim Brass with the LVPD and this is Nick Stokes with the crime lab. We have a couple of questions to ask you. Have a seat." He pulled out a chair for Dunne.

"I see," Dunne smiled pleasantly. "You found my business card, did you?"

The guard who had escorted Dunne to the room chained him to the table.

"Thank you, Stanley." Dunne said to him.

He kept quiet and stood by the door, keeping an eye on the prisoner.

"Well." Dunne seemed to have taken over the conversation. "What do you want to ask me?" He asked, looking directly towards the mirror on the wall.

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"That's definitely Dunne." Sara took an involuntary step back, dragging Catherine with her. "He knows we're in here."

"There's no way he could know, Sara." Catherine tried to reassure her.

"I can see it in his eyes. He knows I'm here." Sara was sure that he knew. "Catherine, you need to get protection for Lindsey."

"What?"

"He will find out about you. He has someone on the outside who kills like him. He might have him spy on both Veronica and I, as well. Please, just get protection for her."

"Sara, Lindsey is hardly in any danger. We haven't even been on a date yet."

"If he has had months to study me, he will know how I feel about you…" Sara turned and looked Catherine in the eyes. "Please have Lindsey protected."

"Sara…" Catherine's protest was stopped by Sara's lips claiming hers. They were demanding, and Catherine felt the pure need from the other woman. As she felt a tongue caress her lips, she granted it entrance and tongues duelled until they both felt the need for air. As their lips parted Sara drew her into a tight hug, panting slightly.

"Please have her protected." She whispered in the blonde's ear. "I couldn't live with myself if anything should happen to either of you because of me."

Having felt the feeling the brunette had poured into the kiss, Catherine merely nodded against her shoulder holding on tightly.

"Thank you." Sara whispered and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Thank you."