Title: Returning Home

Author: Elizabeth Kelly

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: CSI, its plot and characters, belong to CBS Worldwide Inc., and Alliance Atlantis Productions.

Summary: GSR - What if something you thought was lost forever, returned home?

Chapter Six

"Have you found Beetle yet?"

"Beetle?" Catherine asked, staring at Grissom as though he had two heads.

"Grissom's pet name for Maddie was his Little Lady Beetle. Beetle for short," Sara explained. Catherine nodded in understanding and fought with all her control to stop her eyes from rolling. 'Trust Grissom to use entomology to nick name his kid,' she thought.

"No, sorry, but we found the apartment where they have been staying, and we know the man who took them, and we know why he took them."

"Where? Who? Why?" Sara asked, sitting up straighter causing Grissom to grimace at the sudden shift of weight.

"His name is Timothy Isaacs, his wife and two children were killed in a church bombing a few weeks before the kidnapping. We believe, actually, I can't believe I'm saying this, Greg believes that he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He thinks that Isaacs believes that Maddie and Emily are really his two daughters Abigail and Rebekah." Catherine looked from Grissom's confused face to Sara's stunned one.

"You mean, he thinks our little girl is his daughter?" Grissom asked. Catherine nodded.

Sara felt Grissom tense, beneath her. She soothingly began rubbing his back.

"Breathe, Gil, breathe," she whispered into his ear. Catherine found this amusing, she was still having trouble adjusting to the idea of Sara and Grissom together. Yet, she knew that had Sara not been there to calm him, Grissom wouldn't have handled the news as well.

"So, where have they been staying whilst here in Vegas?" Catherine paused, before answering his question. Sara sensed the hesitation.

"Catherine, what is it?" she asked.

"He was staying in, God I'm sorry Sara,he was renting an apartmentinDesert SunriseApartments." Sara froze, as Grissom turned to look at her.

"But that's your apartment building isn't it?" he asked her. Sara nodded, unable to find her voice. His arms automatically tightened around her waist. Catherine looked around, unsure of what to say.

"Which apartment?" Sara managed.

"Three – B," Catherine replied.

"That's the apartment right above mine!" Sara jumped off Grissom's knee, and began to pace, mumbling to herself. "I could have seen him every day… I don't remember seeing two girls… She's been right there for weeks now." Suddenly, she turned to Catherine. "I could have saved her!"

"Sara, there was no way you could have known," Catherine tried to reason.

"I should have known, I should have sensed her, I should have been more observant. I'm a CSI! That's my job!"

"Sara…" Catherine tried again, looking at Grissom helplessly.

"I- I, she was ten feet away, and I never knew!" she yelled. Grissom stood up and moved to Sara's side. He placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her from pacing.

"Sara…" he said gently.

"I could have seen him every day, and I never knew!"

"Sara, honey, listen to me, there was no way you could have known," he said, tilting her chin so that she looked into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

For a fleeting moment, Grissom wondered how the tables had switched so quickly. One minute she was comforting him, the next he was comforting her.

"It's ok, honey, I don't blame you. They will find her. Catherine, Nick, Warrick, Brass and even Greg, they will find her." Sara laid her head down on his shoulder, as more tears began to fall. Grissom ran his hand through her hair. Catherine wiped away the tears that had managed to slip down her cheeks.

"I'll leave you two alone," Catherine said as she began to walk out of the office. When she got to the door, she turned around. "Gil, take her home. You both need to rest, and you won't get any here." Grissom looked at her and nodded.

"We'll find her," Catherine said. "I promise."

"Good news guys," Warrick, said as he entered the room where Nick and Greg were looking over the evidence from the original kidnapping, five years ago.

"Whatcha got?" Nick asked looking up from the crime scene photos.

"A guy just rang in, he saw the Amber Alert we put out a couple of hours ago, he said he saw a man and a girl matching the description, getting into a car at a gas station just outside of Bakersfield, California."

"Could be heading to LA," Greg suggested.

"Or San Francisco," Nick thought aloud.

"I just got a hit on his credit card!" Catherine said breathlessly, entering the room. He stopped for some gas about an hour ago at a gas station just outside…"

"Bakersfield, we know. We got a hit off the Amber Alert," Nick interrupted.

"Oh, okay. Did they give you a description of the car?" Catherine asked turning to Warrick.

"A late-nineties, white BMW sedan, California plates. A licence number wasn't given, but hopefully it's registered then the DMV should kick one out." Catherine nodded and looked down at the report in front of her.

"Ok, Warrick stick with the car, Greg monitor his credit card transactions, Nick you ring the Highway Patrol and I'll ring Bakersfield, we're going to need their help." Catherine looked up to see the guys looking at something behind her.

"What?" she asked turning around to see Atwater walking down the hall with a man dressed in a black suit. "Oh, crap," she muttered to herself.

"How about we leave you alone with the Feds?" Greg suggested, as he began to walk out of the room. Catherine grabbed him by the back of the collar.

"Uh-uh, if I have to deal with this, then you guys have to do it with me." Catherine smirked at the glare she received from Greg, and the boys at the table.

"Catherine, just who I was looking for. I would like you to meet Agent Charlton of the FBI," Atwater introduced the newcomer.

"Hi, Catherine Willows," she said holding her hand out.

"Andrew Charlton," he replied shaking her hand.

"This is my team, Warrick Brown, Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders." Agent Charlton shook hands with each of the men.

"Agent Charlton is here to take over the Grissom case…" Atwater began to explain, but Catherine shook her head and held up her hand to stop him.

"Excuse me, no offence Agent Charlton, but this case is ours. We are in the middle of our investigation, we can't just stop."

"You are too close to this case all of you are," Atwater tried to reason.

"We've never even met the victim," Catherine defended their position.

"But you know the mother and the father, and it could be a problem."

"Sir, you can't take this case from us, we are this close to nailing this guy," Catherine held up her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.

"Sir, I am willing to work on the case with Ms Willows, I can't see any reason for us not to work together," Agent Charlton interrupted. Catherine turned to him, her eyebrow raised.

"Well, I don't see why not. This lab needs another high profile case," Atwater agreed, as he turned and walked away.

"High profile?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah, it's all over the news, reporters are camped out on the front steps," Greg spoke up from behind her. Catherine turned to look at him for a second.

"Damn it!" she muttered before running out of the room. Agent Charlton turned to look at the men at the table, his eyebrows raised, they just shrugged at him.

Catherine arrived at the door to Grissom's office. She knocked, and when no one answered, she opened the door to see that it was empty.

"If you're looking for Grissom, he left with Sara about five minutes ago," Jacqui told her as she was walking past.

"Thanks," Catherine yelled as she ran out of the room to the front entrance.

The stairs were packed with reporters, Catherine looked around for Sara and Grissom. Not seeing them, she waved an officer over.

"Hey, Thomas, have you seen Grissom and Sara walk through here?" she asked.

"Yeah, they came through about five minutes ago, saw the reporters and Grissom asked me and my partner to accompany them out, to his car. It was crazy." Sighing Catherine rubbed her forehead with her hand.

"Did they say anything to the press?" she pressed.

"Not really, just that they trusted that the crime lab would find their daughter real soon."

"Thanks, Thomas," Catherine replied, sighing softly.

"I didn't even realise they were married," Thomas continued conversationally, as he looked through the glass doors at the press milling about outside.

"Their not married," Catherine replied.

"Oh, how long have they been engaged for?"

"Their not engaged," Catherine continued.

"Then,who's rock is on her finger?"

A/N: Who knew I would have this chapter out so soon? Anyway, hope you enjoy! I haven't started Chapter Seven, but I will try and get it done by Sunday.