A/N: Hello, everyone! I want to sincerely apologize for the delay between the last chapter and this one. School took up all of my time, but I have a bit of a break right now and am back with the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who has been reading along, and especially to those who have been reviewing. Your feedback is greatly appreciated! Without further ado, here is the next chapter.

As consciousness began to return to her, she had the uncanny feeling that someone was standing next to her. Not lying in the bed beside her, but standing. It was that strange feeling of sensing a subtle shift in the energy of a room, just enough to inform you that you were no longer alone.

She sat up abruptly when the other presence grew nearer. She heard a gasp of surprise when she came face to face with Sara, and realized that the sound had come from herself.

"Hey," Sara greeted her, her voice soft but clearly laced with surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

Catherine let out a breath, slowly closing her eyes as she fought to control the racing of her heart. It was Sara. Of course it was just Sara. She was in her apartment. Silently, she cursed the fact that she was still obviously on edge about Eddie.

"No, it's alright, Sara," Catherine finally responded, not wanting to make the brunette uncomfortable in her own home. Just because her nerves were still clearly shot didn't mean that Sara should have to walk on eggshells around her in her own bedroom. "I was just about to get up anyway."

Sara pursed her lips slightly, and Catherine could tell that she clearly wasn't buying it. Instead of calling her out on it, the younger woman held up a tall to-go cup for her inspection before placing it on the nightstand beside the bed. "I was just coming to leave this here for you. It's still pretty hot, so if you'd like to grab a shower before drinking it, feel free."

Catherine blinked in surprise at the thoughtfulness of the gesture, and her lips curled into a small smile. She could smell the coffee and already knew, without even tasting it yet, that it was going to be miles above the sludge they had at the lab. "You know, if every morning at your place begins with an amazing cup of coffee you bring from god-knows-where, I just might never leave."

Sara laughed as she held up her own cup and took a small sip. "It's nothing. There's a coffee place just a couple blocks from here, and I pass it on my morning run. I usually grab something on the way back."

For the first time, Catherine noticed that Sara was dressed in what appeared to be workout clothes – a loose-fitting navy blue tank top, gray sports bra on underneath, black yoga pants that made her legs look like they truly went on forever, and tennis shoes. Grabbing her phone just long enough to glance at the clock, Catherine groaned when she saw the time. It was only a few minutes after 7:00 AM.

"I don't know how you do it," Catherine shook her head, reaching for her own cup of coffee. "I'm pretty much dead to the world any time before 9:00 AM. I can't imagine how you're able to work all that overtime every month and still muster the energy to go for a run in the mornings." She took a sip from the cup and closed her eyes in pure bliss. It was delicious.

"I got used to it," Sara offered with a small shrug. "I used to run in San Francisco all the time along the ocean, and I've missed it. But anyways, if you're not going to grab a shower, then I will before I stink up the place."

Catherine shot her a small smirk, unable to resist teasing her. "Too late."

The blonde chuckled as Sara rolled her eyes and began to walk out of the room. "I guess I set myself up for that one."

"You think?" Catherine laughed. Before she could disappear, she softly called her name. "Sara. Hang on a second."

Sara stopped in the doorway, turning to face her.

"I just… I just wanted to say thank you. For last night. It was… it was wonderful."

That was probably the understatement of the century. Aside from having been amazing sex, Catherine learned almost immediately that Sara was an incredibly thoughtful and intuitive lover. She'd seemed to know exactly what the blonde had wanted without her ever having to utter a single word. She'd gone out of her way to make sure she was comfortable. Catherine had never been with someone like that before.

Sara's brown eyes looked warm and relaxed, and she smiled at Catherine, leaning against the door-frame. "You don't have to thank me, Catherine. I enjoyed it, too."

They shared a silent acknowledgement between the two of them, both women saying things with their eyes that their words could not. After a few moments, Sara cleared her throat, pushing herself off the door-frame. "I think I'm going to go grab that shower now… before I get distracted by your whole 'no clothes' situation."

Catherine blinked in surprise, glancing down at herself. Her cheeks burned bright red when she realized that she had apparently fallen asleep stark naked. She began to pull the bed sheets up over her chest, but at Sara's chuckle, she decided she didn't particularly care, and she shot the younger woman a flirtatious smile and a shrug. "Oops."

Sara rummaged through the closet in the hallway, retrieving a towel for her shower, before she poked her head back into the bedroom one last time. "Catherine?" she softly asked. "About when I came in…"

Catherine felt a slight chill run up her spine as the tone in the room shifted considerably. She lifted her coffee cup and took a small sip, hoping that Sara didn't notice the way her hand was slightly shaking now. With a sigh, she set the cup back down. "I'm sorry, Sara. I hope I didn't offend you. I guess I was just startled for a second. I woke up not really remembering where I was, and when I could tell someone else was there, I just…"

"You thought it was him," Sara finished for her. She'd recognized the wide-eyed look of panic on the blonde's face, how her hands had automatically clenched into fists, ready to ward off an attacker. She understood that feeling better than most, but it hurt her heart all the same that Catherine was having to deal with any of this.

Catherine slowly and stiffly nodded. Part of her was amazed once again at just how intuitive Sara was. She ran a hand through her messy hair and tucked a stray strand behind her ear. "I know how stupid that sounds, but as soon as I could tell someone else was in the room… for just a split second, I thought maybe he'd found me and…" She sighed, shaking her head. "Forget it. I'm sorry, Sara, really."

"Catherine," Sara's voice was still soft, and as she took a few steps toward the bed and sat down, the mattress dipping slightly with her weight, Catherine could also sense the patience and understanding. "You don't have to apologize for anything. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I should've known better than to creep into the room while you were sleeping just to leave you coffee after everything you've been through."

"Of course not, Sara," Catherine replied, and she reached a hand out toward the younger woman, gently laying it on her shoulder. "It's your home, and what you did was thoughtful. I guess… I guess I just didn't expect to have that reaction. I mean… I've suspected for a while that I probably have some PTSD, but I didn't think it would get stirred up so easily."

Sara again shook her head, and she reached for Catherine's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Nothing about what you went through was easy, Catherine, either in the parking lot the other night or anything else he put you through. Trauma is trauma, and sometimes it sneaks up on you. You don't have to apologize for that. But I want you to know," she added, "I'm willing to listen to you talk about any of this anytime you want. Just name the time and place."

Catherine blinked back the tears that had suddenly sprung to her eyes, and she tugged Sara closer to her so she could press their lips together in a kiss. Before it could lead to anything else, Catherine pulled away, shooting the brunette a smile. "Thank you, Sara. That means more to me than you know. But you better get in the shower now before I'm the one who gets distracted."

After both women were showered and dressed for work, they grabbed a quick breakfast at the same diner from the day before. The meal was casual and comfortable, a shared bite between new friends who weren't quite sure if their relationship had moved to another, more intimate level. Catherine spoke about Lindsey returning from Laughlin with her mother later that day, and Sara listened intently, curiously asking questions about the little girl and her interests.

"So was Nick right? She likes marine animals?" Sara asked as she finished off the rest of her coffee. She had surprised them both when she'd ordered a Belgian waffle and a side of eggs this morning rather than another bowl of oatmeal. She ended up being hungrier than she thought, and Catherine was just pleased to see the thin brunette eating more.

"Dolphins, in particular," Catherine nodded. "Followed by turtles, penguins, seahorses… we stayed up late one night and watched a documentary about ocean life. I was about to change the channel, but as soon as she saw the dolphins, she made me leave it. Never in a million years did I think my five-year-old would be glued to a three-hour documentary on sea animals, but she was so into it, I didn't have the heart to turn it off and make her go to bed."

"Aww," Sara shot Catherine a crooked sort of smile. "I didn't know you were such a soft touch, Cath."

Catherine laughed as she finished off the rest of her own coffee. "Speak for yourself, Sara. Those tickets to the aquarium are probably one of the most thoughtful gifts anyone has ever gotten for Lindsey. You should've seen her face when I showed them to her. You were pretty much her hero, and I'm the one who bought her the Barbie Dream House."

Sara laughed at that, and Catherine grinned when she noticed the soft tinge of pink creeping up her neck. "Well, I'm glad she liked them. I've always loved going, myself. Have you taken her yet?"

"Not yet," Catherine shook her head. "I'm hoping to be able to take her soon, maybe when I can take a weekend off."

The waitress returned to the table to bring their bill. Both women fought for it, but Catherine was closer and ultimately managed to snatch it straight out of Sara's hand before the younger woman could protest. As Catherine grinned in triumph, Sara rolled her eyes but thanked her.

"You know," Catherine began, signing her name at the bottom of the receipt. "If you like the aquarium so much… why don't you come with us?"

The invitation rendered Sara completely silent, and Catherine glanced up at her, waiting for her response. In truth, she was a bit surprised herself that she was extending the invitation, but she truly enjoyed Sara's company and felt comfortable around her. She already trusted her around Lindsey, and knowing her daughter, the little girl would leap at the opportunity to pick the brain of someone as intelligent as Sara.

"You… want me to go with you and Lindsey?" Sara finally asked.

"Sure, if you want to," Catherine replied. "Unless you've been already? I don't want to bore you to death."

"No, I've never been," Sara shook her head, and cleared her throat. "I'm just… I'm just surprised, is all, and… I don't really know how to act around kids."

Catherine couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped. "Wow, did I finally find Sara Sidle's Achilles heel? Talking to kids? Please don't worry about that, Sara. Lindsey won't bite, I promise. She will likely talk your head off, but she'd love to get to know you."

There was no doubt in her mind that Lindsey would fall in love with Sara, and as Catherine thought about it, she realized that she did want Lindsey to know her. Lindsey had met the guys several times, so it only made sense that she would meet Sara as well. But this was different. She wanted Lindsey to get to know Sara because the brunette was quickly turning into someone significantly important in her life. Someone she was quickly falling for. Someone that could be really good in their lives.

She watched Sara carefully, gauging her reaction. Her heart fluttered a bit when the younger woman's face lit up in a small smile. "Then… thank you, Catherine. I would love to meet her. Once all of my stuff gets here from San Francisco, I'll have to loan her some of my old books. I think I have one on dolphins from when I was a kid."

As they both slid out of the booth to leave the restaurant, Catherine patted her back. "Do that, Sara, and she'll never stop talking."

As both women walked into the lab break room just a few minutes before Grissom was due to hand out assignments, Catherine couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face as she listened to Nick and Warrick's banter about something or other. Sara walked straight to the coffee pot to pour herself some sludge and joined in on the conversation, inserting herself just long enough to toss in a teasing jab at Nick's expense. As Warrick roared with laughter and Nick placed a hand over his heart, acting wounded, Catherine shook her head in amusement as she watched them.

Things were beginning to feel normal again. It had been only been a couple of days since everything had drastically changed in her life, but she was infinitely grateful for some of the things that remained constant. Her friends and colleagues were one of those constants. No matter how crazy things could get in her personal life, the Las Vegas Crime Lab always stayed the same. That was a comforting thought, even if that dynamic was also shifting slightly now as well with the recent development in her relationship with Sara. It was a new chapter she was eager and happy to welcome, and she realized, it might be just what she needed to close the chapter of her dysfunctional marriage.

Grissom walked into the room minutes later, his glasses resting on the bridge of his nose as he looked through assignment slips on his trusty clipboard. "Good morning," he greeted them all. "Believe it or not, it was actually a bit of a slow night. Nick and Warrick, you've got a 416 over at UNLV. Something with a fraternity."

"A fight?" Nick asked, clearly sounding disappointed as Warrick took the assignment slip from him. "Gris, c'mon man, I'm a CSI Level 3 now and you've got me working a fight between some rowdy frat boys? I can't get a solo homicide or something?"

"Nick, I'd be less concerned with working your next solo and more concerned about working the scene in front of you. Even Level Threes have slow days. Be thankful you're not about to pull the floater out in Lake Mead." To punctuate his point, Grissom held up that assignment slip next.

Warrick had a shit-eating grin as he patted Nick's back and started to walk out of the break room. "C'mon, Level Three. The fraternity's waiting."

Nick cleared his throat in embarrassment, nodding to Catherine and Sara, before exiting the break room.

Now that the room was reduced to three, Catherine heavily sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "Don't tell us. That floater in Lake Mead…"

"Is for you ladies," Grissom confirmed, holding out the assignment slip.

"I said don't tell us, Gil. Don't."

"Sorry, Cath. I actually pulled this one for you both because the body can wait a while. Brass called and he needs you both over at PD to answer some additional questions about the video footage. Shouldn't take long."

Catherine and Sara both exchanged glances in surprise. Brass had said there was a chance there could be additional questions after they'd finished pulling and reviewing the CCTV footage from the parking lot, but it hadn't sounded likely. Both knew the footage was likely to speak for itself and were unsure what additional questions there could possibly be.

"Okay." When Catherine got the word out, she realized she'd been holding her breath. Sara met her eyes with a gaze of concern.

"Thanks, Grissom," Sara replied, taking the assignment slip from his hand. After he nodded and walked out, she took a few steps toward Catherine, closing the space between them both. "You okay?" she asked, placing a friendly hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Yeah," Catherine nodded, shooting her a small smile. "I'm fine. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"Cath, Sara, thank you both for stopping by on such short notice," Brass greeted them both as they walked into his office. "I'm sorry to grab you both right before you're about to head out to a crime-scene."

"It's alright, Jim," Catherine tried to smile, hoping that it might help the pounding of her heart. "Don't apologize for keeping us from a floater."

The detective shot them both a look of sympathy as he got to his feet and motioned for the door. "This should only take a few minutes, if you both want to follow me to the A/V room."

Both women stepped aside to let Brass through the door, then walked behind him to the small audio and visual lab past the interrogation rooms. When they stepped into the small, dimly lit room, Catherine instantly tensed when she realized that the CCTV footage was already loaded on the screen. She recognized the date and time-stamp in the upper right-hand corner, and spotted Eddie's parked car in the footage.

Her pounding heart calmed some when she felt Sara's supportive hand on her back.

"Grissom said you had some questions?" Sara asked.

"Yes, but mostly, I wanted to show you both something." Brass nodded to the young man sitting at the desk. Catherine hadn't even noticed him when they'd walked in. "Go ahead and scrub through to 0100 hours."

As the man at the desk began to scrub through footage, Catherine's breaths began to come out shallower. She'd come upon Sara asleep in the break room right around 1:00 AM, which meant that it was only a few minutes later at most before all hell had broke loose. Even though she'd lived it, she was riddled with feelings of consternation as she watched the footage choppily jump around until she spotted herself on the screen. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched herself walk to her Tahoe, spotting Eddie approaching from the shadows. The room grew deathly silent as the group watched Eddie grab her on the screen, violently yanking her from the vehicle.

Catherine's eyes found their way to Sara, who appeared as tense as she did as she watched the footage. Even though Sara had intervened and had seen a bit of the exchange between them both leading up to that point, she was witnessing what had happened prior to her stepping outside now. Her fists involuntarily clenched as she watched Catherine struggle against Eddie's grip before he shoved her hard into the side of the car.

Watching the altercation from this angle somehow made Eddie appear even more violent. The footage continued, Sara having now appeared. The group watched her pin Eddie to the hood of the car, followed by the satisfying sight of her fist connecting with his face. Despite the anticipation Brass had expressed at re-watching that moment, no one said a word now.

As Eddie stumbled into his car and drove out of the parking lot on the screen, Catherine let out a shaky breath, turning to Brass. "Jim?"

"Scrub forward a bit more," Brass told his tech guy. He shot both women a knowing look, having picked up on their obvious distress – Catherine more so than Sara, but the brunette also looked like she was ready to punch a hole in the wall right now.

Both women returned their attention to the screen. The parking lot was now empty, both women having walked to the police station to give their statements. Catherine didn't know what it was they were supposed to be seeing.

"What are we looking for, Jim?" Catherine finally asked.

"Just a few seconds more," Brass replied, examining the timestamp. Then he pointed at the upper left-hand corner of the screen where a vehicle came into frame. Its headlights were off and it appeared to be cruising at only a few miles per hour, almost riding the curb adjacent to the lab parking lot.

Sara's sharp intake of air caused Catherine's heart to begin pounding again. She turned to Brass.

"Blow up the image a bit," Brass instructed the man at the desk. The man paused the video, isolated the vehicle on the screen, and pressed a few keys on his keyboard. The image of the car was enlarged, and despite its grainy appearance, Catherine knew instantly that the car belonged to Eddie.

"That's his car," Catherine got out, her voice carrying a frightened edge to it. "But why would he have come back?"

It was really more of a rhetorical question, or at least one she really didn't want an answer to, but Catherine hadn't expected both Brass and Sara to remain silent. They both exchanged glances, and Catherine's chest filled with dread as she watched them silently debate whether or not to respond. She felt sick. "What?"

Sara turned to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "He came back to wait for you."

"No, he wouldn't do that," Catherine shook her head in disbelief. "Even Eddie isn't that stupid."

"Catherine, he was drunk," Sara reminded her. "Which meant he probably wasn't thinking straight, so the fact that you were right next to the police station probably didn't register with him."

Catherine again shook her head, turning to Brass. "How long was he there?" Brass pursed his lips, and Catherine thought she might go insane. Both Jim and Sara seemed to be tiptoeing around telling her what she needed to know, and she was quickly losing patience. "Damn it, Jim, how long was he there?"

"He stayed the entire time," Brass finally answered. "He parked and waited while you two gave your statements. He pulled away when you both walked out and drove off with the uniforms to go to your house. After that, he disappears from the feed. We suspect he may have been planning to follow you, but probably got spooked when he saw the uniforms."

"Shit," Sara cursed through clenched teeth. "The whole time… and I didn't even notice his car when we walked outside."

"Sara, you and Catherine were both exhausted and had just gone through an ordeal," Brass reminded her. The brunette was always quick to anger, especially when the ire was directed at herself. "Even you have limits, Sidle."

Sara clenched her jaw, obviously not pleased with that response. She turned to Catherine, who had grown eerily silent. "Catherine?" she softly asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Catherine replied, the words coming out too fast to be convincing in any way. Her tone was clipped and short, and she turned to Brass as she fought to keep it together. "So what did you want to ask us? Whether we noticed him? Because we clearly didn't." Sara flinched a bit at her words, obviously not missing the fact that she had said 'we', rather than 'I'.

"Yes," Brass answered, "but more importantly, I wanted you both to see this, to make you aware that he may be planning to follow you. And… there's this." He nodded to the man at the desk, who pulled up another screenshot. It was another blown-up image of Eddie's car, nearly out of frame, likely from when he had been driving off. But clearly visible in his hand was a handgun. All of the color instantly drained from Catherine's face.

"What the hell?" Her voice came out as a whisper. Her knees felt weak, and she stumbled back a bit, catching herself on the wall. Sara placed a supportive hand on her back, but she hardly felt it. "He has a gun? When did he get a fucking gun?" The thought terrified her. She already knew how violent and unpredictable Eddie could be, but he had never used weapons before. The strong feeling of nausea quickly returned as she considered just how differently the incident in the parking lot could have gone. He honestly could have killed her, could have killed Sara. As she closed her eyes and tried to take deep breaths before she ended up passing out, she silently said a prayer thanking whoever or whatever may have been listening.

Brass turned to Catherine, his eyes sympathetic. "I think we should assign you some protection, at least until we pick him up and book him."

"I think that's a good idea," Sara immediately responded. Catherine met her gaze and realized that Sara was now standing in the corner of the room with her, a strong hand helping her remain upright.

"I meant for you too, Sara," Brass replied. There was no way he was letting the headstrong brunette get out of this that easily.

"What?" Sara asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"I agree," Catherine nodded, finally relaxing some. If Eddie hadn't followed them past the parking lot because the police escort made him nervous, then she was fairly confident he wouldn't dare try anything if there were squad cars outside her mother's house. While it was bound to be a bit uncomfortable and somewhat invasive to have constant supervision, she was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that her daughter and mother were safe.

"I don't need any protection," Sara shook her head. "Catherine's the one who should have it. Send the officers who would watch me with her."

"Sara, he knows who you are now, and likely knows your vehicle," Brass responded. "You're taking the protection."

"He's right, Sara," Catherine added. "I don't think I need to tell you what Eddie is capable of, and that was before he got himself a gun. Not to mention the fact that he's probably pissed as hell that a woman half his size most likely broke his nose." She felt a pang of guilt as she realized that the only reason Sara had been dragged into this mess at all was because of her.

"I'm not the one we should be worried about," Sara again shook her head, her voice beginning to carry an edge of irritation and frustration to it. "Catherine, you need the protection. You have your daughter and your mother to think about…"

"Damn it, Sidle." Brass was quickly losing patience with the younger woman. "I don't want to pull rank, but I will. You're accepting the protection, or I'll talk to Grissom about keeping you relegated to lab duty until this gets sorted out."

The tension in the room was suddenly thick enough to cut with a knife, and Catherine watched the silent exchange between the detective and the brunette. Sara's eyes held a quiet fury to them, and she looked to be biting the inside of her bottom lip to keep herself from saying something she'd likely regret. She clearly wasn't happy about this arrangement, but there was nothing she could say or do at this point to change it. She did recognize, though, that it at least meant that Catherine and her family would be protected.

"Fine." Sara's one-word response told everyone in the room what they needed to know. She was pissed about it, but she would consent to what needed to be done.

"Alright," Brass nodded. "You'll each have two squad cars outside your residences, and I want an armed officer present with you two at all times while you're out in the field. I've already discussed it with Gil."

"Thank you, Jim," Catherine replied. "Is that all, then?"

"Yes," Brass answered, glancing at them both. "I'll continue to keep you both posted. Don't worry. We'll find him."

The drive to the crime-scene was uncomfortably quiet. Catherine sat in the passenger's seat of Sara's Tahoe, mindlessly fiddling with radio stations while the brunette drove. Her posture looked strangely tense, her face guarded by her dark sunglasses.

Catherine finally decided to turn the radio off when it was apparent it was nothing more than a distraction. With a sigh, she ran a hand through her hair and turned to her younger colleague. "Sara, I'm really, really sorry about all of this."

Sara's shoulders seemed to lose some of their tension, and she briefly glanced over at Catherine to shoot her a look of surprise. Catherine's words seemed to have broken her of whatever trance she had previously been in. "Why are you sorry? None of this is your fault, Catherine."

"Of course it is," Catherine chuckled ruefully. "All of this is my fault. You wouldn't be having to accept police protection if you hadn't had to step in to protect me from my abusive ex-husband."

"No, Catherine," Sara shook her head. "This didn't happen because of you. This happened because of him. And sure, I'm not thrilled about having the protection, but that's hardly your fault, and I'll survive."

"Does it bother you?" Catherine asked her. "The protection?"

"Why would it bother me?"

"I don't know, but you didn't seem happy with Brass when he told you that you didn't have a choice."

Catherine knew she needed to tread carefully. Sara didn't seem to take too kindly to poking and prodding, even about something that was objectively in her best interest. The last thing the blonde wanted was for this to turn into an argument.

"I just don't think it's necessary," Sara replied. "I think that it's more important that you and your family have the protection. I'm not the one…" She was about to add 'that he's after', but stopped herself when she realized that it was the very last thing Catherine needed a reminder of right now. The blonde's silence informed her that Catherine had already finished her thought for her, and Sara heavily sighed, cursing herself. "Shit. I'm sorry, Catherine."

"It's fine, Sara," Catherine shook her head. "But you heard Jim. We'll each have two squad cars, so that means two at your place, and two at my mother's house. You don't need to worry about us."

"I would feel better if they were all going to your mother's house," Sara honestly replied.

Catherine stared at her for a few moments before she realized what it was that Sara was really trying to tell her. It wasn't that the brunette was upset about having squad cars outside her apartment – she was upset that the squad cars would be protecting her rather than Catherine. Her irritation at Brass hadn't been coming from a place of stubbornness. It had come from a place of concern for the safety of Catherine and her family.

She was mad because she thought that Catherine deserved the protection more than she did.

Catherine shook her head, letting out a sigh. "Jesus, Sara."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just forget it. But you're taking that protection, or else I'll make a call to Jim. Got it?"

Sara's jaw was clenching anxiously, but when Catherine turned to look at her again, she saw the faintest hint of a smile. "Yes, Ma'am."

TO BE CONTINUED