This chapter has some mild spoilers from the episode, "Werewolves".
Chapter Three
Sara gently stomped on the brakes when she saw Catherine's Denali stop in front. She spotted Catherine opening her door. Sara frowned at the surroundings. They had stopped right in front of a shabby looking house, standing snugly amongst thorny pine trees. Similar houses were scattered away at quite a distance. A dusty roadway curved ahead.
She got a better look at the house when she jumped out of her SUV. Catherine strode towards her.
"This place looks familiar." Sara put on her sunglasses and scanned the environment.
"It should. We have been here before." Catherine gestured towards the house.
"We have? When?"
"Do you remember an Alison Ludford?"
Sara scowled. "Is that name supposed to ring a bell?"
"Not really. It was a long time ago." Catherine linked her fingers in the crook of Sara's arm. "We came here to investigate the death of a young man. His sister had anonymously notified the police of her brother's death. We later found out that the guy was killed by his best friend who also happened to be his girlfriend's brother. The killer didn't want his sister marrying the guy due to his condition."
"What condition?"
"Hypertrichosis."
"The werewolf syndrome?" Sara's eyes widened. "Are you talking about the guy's sister who was so afflicted that she had to outcast herself socially?"
"Yes, that's Alison."
Sara looked confused. "So what are we doing here?"
"I… have stayed in contact with Alison since the case was solved. After her brother died, she became all alone. She couldn't leave the house and there wasn't anyone to take care of her." Catherine looked towards the house. "I figured I could try and offer her some help. Her mother did return after a few days. But in the meantime, Alison and I had gotten quite close."
Sara stared at her incredulously. "And you are telling me this… now? The case was like, what, two years ago?"
"Alison didn't want me to tell anybody about our friendship. You must understand that she has been living like a recluse for so long, she's afraid to show herself to a stranger. If not for her brother's death, she would never have talked to me."
"But what changed?"
"Last week I told her of our marriage. That was when she professed the desire to meet you." Catherine slowly smiled. "I was waiting for a good opportunity to introduce both of you to each other."
Sara uncertainly glanced around. Meeting new people and striking up polite small talk weren't her forte. But the eager look in Catherine's eyes told her that it was important to the redhead.
"Are you okay with it?" Catherine asked, a little worried.
"If she's a part of your life…" Sara breathed. "She's a part of my life. Of course, I'm okay with it."
She beamed and pecked Sara on the cheek. "Thanks, honey. This means a lot to me."
They walked across overgrown shrubs to a turquoise colored front door. Sara picked up the brass knocker and giving her companion a brief look, she rattled it.
The door was almost immediately opened by a middle-aged woman. Her fiery brown hair seemed to have been hastily combed and pinned up. She summoned a bright smile for her guests' benefit.
"Ms. Willows."
"Mrs. Ludford, this is my fiancée, Sara Sidle." Catherine introduced.
"I've seen you before." Her face pinched in thought. "You were at the police station too."
"Yeah, I'm a CSI." Sara politely said.
Mrs. Ludford's grey eyes ran up and down Sara as if measuring her. Apparently satisfied, she opened the door wider to let them in.
"Is Alison in?" Catherine asked.
"She's waiting for you in her room." Mrs. Ludford rubbed her arms. "She has been very excited ever since you called."
Sara stood back as Catherine made her way towards a cleverly hidden door in the wall. She vaguely remembered the last time she had been in this place. She could even visualize the body lying on the living room floor and the clumps of body fur littered all over. She hadn't personally met Alison Ludford but she had conjured up an image based on what she had seen of the brother.
However, nothing could have prepared her for the person who opened the door. It took all of Sara's CSI-trained control to not gape at Alison. The "person" was dressed in a loose sweater which seemed to hang from her frail shoulders. Her hands were held together close to her chest. But the shaggy, unkempt brown mane and the frizzly facial hair of the same color almost made Sara's heart stop.
"Hi." Alison greeted. Her voice was thin and nervous. But the innocent, child-like quality in it shook Sara away from her trance. She mustered a brave smile for her benefit.
"Hi, I am Sara."
"Hi Sara." Alison lowered her eyelashes coyly. "Please come in."
Catherine didn't realize she had been holding her breath until that moment. She allowed Alison to lead them inside her sanctuary. The room was as dark as it always was. Heavy drapes covered the windows and the only source of light was the floor lamps. A large desk dominated much of one wall. A laptop and an array of electronic gadgets, which she didn't recognize, stood on it.
Sara had obviously been looking in the same direction. She walked towards it.
"Sound mixers, game controllers, audioset chips, rostrum camera, Macromedia Flash, 3D Studio Max …" She murmured in fascination. "You are creating a computer animation."
"Yes." Alison sounded delighted. "I do some freelance work for small graphic industries. But graphic animation is my real interest. I have published my work on the internet for free. Now I'm aiming for some big studios to notice my animations."
"That is wonderful, Al." Catherine was impressed. She had no idea about Alison's accomplishments. Her knowledge in technology went as far as bare necessities.
"Thanks Catherine." The girl smiled sheepishly.
"I would love to see some of your work." Sara looked genuinely interested.
"It's not that good." Alison shrunk. "I am quite adept at the graphics part. But unfortunately, I have little skill with the camera. Hayden used to be a good photographer but after he…" She let the rest of the words trail off.
Sara delicately ran a finger along the smooth lens. "If you agree, I could help you with that. I have had some training in photography."
Both Alison and Catherine blinked in surprise. Alison glanced hesitantly at Catherine, who gave a supporting nod, keeping her own doubts well hidden.
"You… I…" The girl cleared her throat. "I would like that, if it's no trouble to you."
"None at all."
The three women stood awkwardly. Thankfully, Mrs. Ludford chose to show herself at that moment. She asked them whether they would like to grab a bite of her freshly baked pecan pie. Catherine offered to help serve, leaving Sara and Alison alone. She hoped her absence would give the two women some time to get to know each other.
One of the reasons why she had never told anyone about her friendship with Alison was due to her own fear. She was aware of Grissom's policy of not being attached to the cases they handled and to be especially detached from the persons involved in those cases. It not only compromises their objectivity but it could also possibly have legal implications. She certainly could do without one of his lectures and so she never told him about Alison
But she wanted to share this part of her life with Sara. Not keeping anything from her future wife was important to her. She didn't want anything to shadow their relationship.
Catherine carefully placed slabs of pie on the plates Mrs. Ludford handed to her. She could smell the aroma of brewed coffee beans. The small kitchen was crowded with pots containing some kind of deliciously smelling broth. Catherine didn't want to ask what they were. But her dinner experience at the Ludfords had assured her that Mrs. Ludford was an excellent cook.
"She is a very nice girl." Mrs. Ludford commented.
Catherine frowned until she understood who the woman was referring to. "Sara will be glad to hear that."
"Most people wouldn't be able to hide their disgust on seeing Alison's condition." She murmured.
"Not Sara. She is not someone who judges people based on their physical appearances." Catherine stated, slightly proud.
"You must love her a lot."
"I do."
"Sometimes it saddens me to know that my daughter will never experience love of this kind." Mrs. Ludford's shoulders slumped heavily.
Catherine felt her pain. It was something she herself had thought about couple of times. Alison was a dear girl and had it not been for her condition, she would have made someone so happy. She had often wondered why life was so terribly unfair to some people. For no reason other than a genetic mutation, Alison was going to lead an existence bereft of some of the most basic pleasures.
"I suppose, I should be grateful that she has a friend like you." Mrs. Ludford managed a smile. "Hayden was her only friend and she would have been lost after his death. You have no idea how truly positive your friendship has been for her."
"I am glad you feel this way." Catherine returned the warmth. "But I really enjoy spending time with her."
The woman quickly looked away but Catherine caught her brushing away a single tear from the corner of her eye. Whatever she was feeling, they didn't discuss the topic any further.
Sara shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She wished she was a person who was at ease talking about the weather. But she wasn't and she had no idea how to begin a conversation with Alison. For her part, the young girl seemed equally nervous.
Sara finally tried the grief angle.
"I am really sorry about your brother. I know about it, I was working on his case too."
Alison's grey eyes, not unlike her mother's, dulled. "It's not been the same since Hayden… died."
"I can understand. He was not only your brother but also your close friend."
"He was the only one I had in this world."
Sara's heart reached out at the forlorn expression on Alison's face. "I have a brother too."
"You do?"
Sara smiled. "We used to always be together when we were kids."
"He was older than you?" Alison had considerably brightened. Sara could see she was interested.
"Yeah, by two years. But I was always the sensible one." Sara gave a small laugh. "He would always get into trouble with everyone."
"And I bet even when you would do anything wrong, he'll get the blame." The girl was chuckling.
"Yes." A wave of nostalgia hit Sara. "But he did it deliberately. He would never allow me to take the punishment. He would tell the others that it was his fault."
"You two sound close."
"We were."
The past tense didn't escape Alison. "Where is he now?"
Sara swallowed a lump. "We got separated a long time ago. I don't know where he is. He never tried to contact me."
"You must miss him a lot."
"He was…" Sara searched for an appropriate term.
"Family. He was family and you felt as if no one can ever replace that connection." Alison finished off.
"Yes, that's exactly how I felt." Sara was astounded by her insight.
"I feel the same way about Hayden."
Sara reached out and covered the girl's hands in her own. Alison flinched, which puzzled her until her fingers encountered the soft blanket of fur on the girl's hand.
"It's ok." She softly worded. The girl visibly relaxed herself slightly and allowed Sara to touch her.
Sara could sense the tensed muscles in those lean hands but she understood the need for Alison to be wary. She tried her best to keep her expression neutral. She had first hand knowledge of what it felt like being an outsider in society. People usually expressed either repulsion or pity. Both emotions were equally unpleasant to the recipient.
Catherine and Mrs. Ludford appeared just then. Catherine shot Sara a questioning glance which she answered with a smile. As the smell of baked nuts and strong coffee flooded the room, Sara remembered how hungry she was. The ladies almost devoured their breakfast while trying their best to give the Ludfords the details of their upcoming marriage.
Thanks to graveyard-cat for pointing out a serious error!
