Sorry for the long wait for this update, but I was offered a job for 2 weeks, and I had to take it to earn a little money. Hopefully I won't take too long posting the next chapter. I love reviews, so please feel free to leave some for me. And thank you for the ones on chapter 30.

Thank you for betaing for me, Jess. You are the best. And I'm running out of ways to thank you here…

Chapter Thirty One

The Car

Catherine walked down the corridor searching for Nick, having just left Sara to get started on the statements in the conference room. Despite their seriousness, the brunette's words had made her feel warm and tingly inside. She felt like the luckiest person alive to be the one that Sara had let in behind all of her defences. As she turned the corner she saw Nick in one of the labs talking to someone on the phone. She walked in without disturbing him, getting lost in thoughts waiting for him to finish.

Things had developed fast between her and Sara in the last couple of days, not that she minded really. She had always been the type to jump into things without thinking too much about the consequences. Sure, she'd had a scare with Adam Novak, but that had been different, she would never have considered a relationship with him – with Sara she would. Hell, she was already in a relationship with the other woman as far as she was concerned, despite the fact that they hadn't even been on a date or even had sex yet. Sex – she wasn't sure that it would be just that with the brunette, they would make love.

The blonde smiled as the thought crossed her mind. Nick, still on the phone, smiled back thinking she was smiling at him.

The feelings she had for Sara had to have been buried somewhere in her subconscious for a long time, Catherine reasoned. There was no way that she could feel this strongly for her after barely a week, and she did feel very strongly for her. She didn't want to use the L word yet, but things were heading in that direction and she just hoped that Sara felt the same about her. She thought she did because she had been very open about her feelings since the case started. She had allowed Catherine to see her cry; a necessary part of life to the blonde, but the biggest sign of weakness to the brunette. And she had told her that she couldn't go through this terrible time without her. That had to mean that things were going in the right direction, right?

"Catherine?" Nick interrupted her train of thoughts.

"Yes," Catherine blinked him into focus. "Are you getting anything on the blueprint?"

"Nothing so far," Nick sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Hey, didn't you date a guy with some expertise in this kind of thing once?"

"Oh yeah, you're right, I did," Catherine suddenly remembered. "Paul Newsome. Here, let me find his number for you." She looked through the numbers stored on her cell and gave it to him. "Just tell him that I'd appreciate all the help he can give us – and it probably wouldn't hurt to mention that the Governor would as well."

"Right," Nick smiled, "I'll call him right away."

"Great. Call me as soon as you get anything." Catherine said as she left the room, headed towards the lab where Grissom was working. She wasn't really sure if now was the time for them to have a talk about Sara, a talk she wasn't looking forward to.

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"Dad?" Benjamin knocked on the half opened door to the Governor's office. When nobody answered he opened the door fully and entered the dark room. "Dad?" He asked a little louder.

"What?" The Governor turned from where he was stood looking out the window, his voice flat and detached.

Benjamin turned on the lights and took a closer look at his father, whom for years he had seen only in papers and on TV. The man seemed to have aged overnight; his face had a greyish glow to it and he looked older than his years. His eyes had lost their usual sparkle, the same sparkle Benjamin had always seen in his twin sister's eyes. The thought of her made him speak up again.

"They took Bridget?" It was a rhetorical question really, but he had to get the conversation started somewhere.

"Yes." His father sighed in the same defeated tone of voice.

"They took Veronica as well."

"Oh God." The older man sat down in the chair behind his desk and hid his head in his hands.

"And Julie." Benjamin added.

"Julie?" The Governor looked up at him, the tears evident in his eyes. "Who is Julie?"

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Veronica sat back down with a sigh. She had been trying to find a way out of the room, but without any luck.

"What are we going to do?" Bridget asked.

"We are going to think things over." Veronica answered. "The only chance we have of ever escaping this nightmare is if I can outthink him."

"How do you outthink a psychopath?" The younger woman asked, but was answered only with a shrug – Veronica didn't know.

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Kimberly sat on a chair in the Lavisham living room. Matthew was sitting on the couch opposite her, but she had no idea what to talk to him about.

"So…" Matthew started. "You married my sister?"

"Yes." Kimberly nodded.

"How long have you been married?"

"Almost four years."

"Right." Matthew looked at his hands, before looking back up at her. "Is she happy?" He asked quietly.

Kimberly felt the tears pressing but willed them not to fall.

"We were getting back to happy." She answered truthfully.

"What do you mean, getting back to happy?" A new voice asked.

The detective looked around and found the person belonging to the voice.

"That's my other sister Anita." Matthew introduced. "Nita this is Kimberly, Veronica's wife."

The two women nodded in acknowledgement of each other, both sizing the other up.

"Well, are you going to answer my question?" Anita demanded.

"It's really none of your business." Kim told her.

"She's my sister; that makes it my business."

"You haven't been her sister for more than ten years!" Kimberly stood up, prepared for a fight.

"How dare you come here and…"

"Anita." An authoritative voice stopped her. "She's right. None of us have been a family to Veronica for a long time – too long."

Kimberly looked at the woman talking and saw, again, how her wife would look twenty years from now. How she would look if she… She shook her head dismissing the thought; that was how Veronica would look twenty years from now.

"It's nice meeting you again, Kimberly." Helen Lavisham held out her hand and Kim shook it. "May I call you Kimberly?"

"Yes," Kimberly sat back down. "Nice to meet you again Mrs. Lavisham."

"I just wish it was under better circumstances." Helen smiled sadly. "And please call me Helen."

"Yes, so do I," Kimberly nodded. "I just want them back."

"Them?" The older woman looked at her. "Oh God, did they get Veronica as well?" Tears fell silently down her cheeks.

"And Julie." The detective told them.

"Julie?" Helen looked at her. "Who's Julie?"

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"Hi." Sofia sat down next to Sara with a sigh.

"How did it go with Ecklie?" Sara asked.

"He was being an ass as usual." Sofia responded, making a face. "Did you find anything here yet?"

"Not really," Sara said. "I'm just getting started myself."

"Look, Sara…" Sofia started as she was looking through a stack of papers. "If you need to talk about anything, I'm here to listen."

Sara looked up surprised.

"Really?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Really." Sofia looked up from the papers and met the brunette's eyes. "Maybe we started out not liking each other that much, but I'd like to think that's changed."

"It has." Sara stated. "And it's nothing personal, but I don't think I can open up to you just yet."

"That's ok." Sofia said with a smile. "Just promise me you won't keep it all bottled up inside. At least let Catherine comfort you a little."

"I am letting her…" Sara stopped abruptly and looked at the detective. "You knew?"

"It was obvious." Sofia said with a chuckle. "Now let's get on with this and catch those bastards." With that she started reading her papers again.

Sara looked at her once more before looking down at her own papers.

When had they been obvious?

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"Julie's…" Benjamin sat down opposite his father. "Julie is Veronica's daughter."

"Oh God," The Governor started crying silently. "She has a daughter?"

"Yes." Benjamin nodded. "She's three and the most gorgeous little girl, and she has been kidnapped by psychopaths."

"My daughter has a daughter." The Governor mumbled to himself.

"Dad, we have to do something to get them back." Benjamin tried to get through the older man's grieving.

"But what can we do? Every police officer in town is out looking for them, what can we do?"

"You have men to protect you, you have money, you have influence. Don't tell me there's nothing you can do!"

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The door opened slowly, revealing two dark shadows against the lights shining in though the doorway. They stood, silently watching the two women inside the room, ignoring the sleeping child.

"I think it is time for your first lesson, Stanley." One of the men said to the other as he stepped inside the room. "Go get your mate."

"Yes, Sir." The other man stepped into the room as well and walked towards a shaking Bridget.

"No!" Veronica stood up shielding her sister. "He can not take her, Charles."

"Now, now, Veronica. What kind of behaviour is that?" Dunne shook his head. "I thought you had learnt your lesson."

"He can't take her yet, Charles." Veronica stood firmly in place, not letting Stanley near Bridget.

"Move away from her now, Veronica, or I will have to move you myself. You cannot prevent her from seeing her true path."

"I'm not trying to do that, Charles. I'm trying to save you from making a mistake."

"Me making a mistake?" He looked at her laughing. "I never make mistakes."

"You are about to." Veronica challenged. "If you let him take her now, you will go against the word of the Lord."

"And how exactly will I do that?" He asked her, unbelievingly.

"They are not married." Veronica stated.

"That girl was made for Stanley by the good Lord." Dunne countered.

"They have not been lawfully wed in the house of God." Veronica hoped that she was convincing him. "They have not been blessed by a servant of God."

"They have been blessed by me!" Dunne shouted.

"Is that how you will defend this blasphemy when you face Him?" Veronica shouted back.

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"Julie is our daughter." Kimberly said quietly, not succeeding at keeping the tears at bay this time around. "She's three. She's my little angel and she's missing."

"Daughter?" Helen looked at the distraught woman. "I'm a grandmother?"

Kim could only nod.

"Do…" The older woman bit back a sob. "Do you have a picture of her?"

"Yes." Kimberly took out a photo from her purse. "This is the newest one I have of her. It was taken two months ago, at Christmas." She handed it to the woman.

Helen Lavisham looked intently at the photo.

"She looks just like Veronica." She smiled through tears. "Do you want to see pictures of her when she was a child?" She asked the detective.

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"Curtis." Sofia answered her phone. She listened to what the caller had to say. "Yes, I'll be right there. Secure the premises and start canvassing the area." She ordered as she finished the call.

Sara looked at her for an explanation.

"We found the car." Sofia told her.

"Go tell Catherine." Sara said, feeling a small ray of hope. "I'll continue with this." She gestured to all the statements they still had to work through.

Sofia nodded and ran out the door but doubled back.

"We will get them back, Sara." She said before vanishing again.

"I hope you're right." Sara whispered to herself.