A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm excited to be back with another chapter much sooner than the previous update. Thank you to everyone who has been reading so far. This chapter got a bit lengthy, but I hope that you will enjoy it. We're starting to get a bit more into the cases the ladies are working, and Lindsey makes an appearance! Feedback is much appreciated! If I don't post another update before the end of the year, I hope everyone enjoys the holidays and wish you all a happy New Year.

Catherine had worked hundreds of crime-scenes over the years, but she had never been able to get used to the smell of a decomposed body pulled out of the water. As she stepped out of Sara's Tahoe and walked around to the trunk with the brunette to retrieve her kit, she briefly thought about how that was probably a good thing. Becoming desensitized to certain sights and smells was a critical part of avoiding burnout in this job, but it probably wasn't healthy to ever become used to the smell of a decomposing body.

As she walked alongside Sara toward the yellow tape surrounding the scene, her stomach was already in knots as she dreaded what they were about to discover. A fair amount of her nerves probably had to do with what she had just been made aware of at the police station, but she tried to put that out of her mind right now. Sara looked ready and focused, and so should she. After all, she was supposed to be the more senior of the two of them, the one with more experience – she was supposed to have her game face on at all times, regardless of what might be going on behind the scenes in her personal life.

Sara held the yellow tape up to allow her to duck under. Catherine nodded her thanks to the brunette as they approached the coroner's van near the mouth of the lake. David was on his knees, the body having been laid out on a white tarp. The blonde began to breathe through her mouth as soon as the first whiff of decomposition assaulted her, even more than 10 feet from the body.

"David," Catherine greeted him, cringing as she got her first real look at the body. The skin appeared shriveled and green, but the body itself looked bloated, a tell-tale sign that it had been probably been in the water for some time now. "Sorry we're late."

"Hey girls," David nodded to them both as he reached into his kit to retrieve his thermometer. "No problem. I was just about to take liver temp, so you're right on time."

Sara set her kit down on the dirt, bending down to retrieve her camera. Both women had a natural rhythm and routine to their teamwork, with Sara automatically assuming the role of photographer and perimeter sweeper the majority of the time. It was a wordless nod of respect to Catherine, the more senior CSI of the two of them, who seemed to prefer working the body most of the time. Even when they had been butting heads, it rarely affected their work at the crime-scene, which was usually seamless.

"Looks like it's been out here a while," Sara commented, holding the eyepiece of her camera up to begin taking overall shots. "The clothes look too degraded to determine gender."

"Any ID?" Catherine asked, knowing it was a long shot, but had to be asked anyway.

"Pockets are clean," David shook his head, removing his thermometer from the body. "According to the liver temp, the victim has been dead for at least four days. But given the water…"

"It's impossible to know for sure," Catherine concluded with a frown, staring out at the lake. The water was so dark it nearly appeared black, even in the sunlight. "Especially given how cold it's been getting at night, and how much it warms up during the day. Great." She tugged on a pair of gloves as Sara snapped a few shots of the body. "Any idea what our COD might be?"

"Well, we won't know for sure until the autopsy, but look here," David motioned to the corpse's head. "I'm putting my money on a gunshot, and given the diameter of the wound, it looks like it was at fairly close range."

Wordlessly, Catherine stepped out of the way to allow Sara to move closer to capture shots of the wound. The brunette bit back the smallest of smiles at the fact that Catherine knew what she needed to do without her ever having to speak a word, and she stepped forward to take several photos. "Any GSR was probably washed away, but maybe we'll get lucky."

"Right," Catherine replied, glancing around the area. Her eyes locked onto a man approaching the yellow tape, dressed in a crisp suit. He looked clean-shaven and well-manicured, giving him a somewhat youthful appearance, but as he grew closer, Catherine could tell that he was probably closer to her age, if not even a few years older. She was about to tell him to stay back before she spotted the detective shield on the breast pocket of his suit jacket.

"Good morning, Catherine," the nameless detective shot her a warm, charming smile. "Ms. Sidle. It's nice to see you both, despite the circumstances."

Catherine blinked in surprise, and she briefly glanced at Sara, who was regarding the detective with her investigator's eye. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've ever met, Detective…?"

"Of course, my apologies. Detective Majors, Ryan Majors. Got promoted to detective three weeks ago, prior to that I was pounding the pavement on narcotics detail."

Neither Catherine nor Sara had ever worked particularly closely with the narcotics unit of the police department, so the name wasn't ringing a bell. Both women exchanged curious glances, and Catherine noted that Sara was tensing her jaw as she resumed taking photos of the body.

"Congratulations on your promotion," Catherine replied. "I would shake your hand, but I'm afraid I'm already wearing gloves. I take it you're working this scene?"

"That's right," Majors shot her a smile, the skin at the corner of his eyes wrinkling warmly. His eyes were a calm, deep shade of green, nicely contrasted against his olive complexion, and the gray specks in his hair made him appear classy and somewhat elegant. "I apologize for keeping you both waiting. I was just interviewing the witness who found the body."

Majors had an easy charm about him, his words dripping effortlessly off his tongue, his voice low and commanding. Catherine knew instantly that if she had met him fifteen years ago, she would have fallen for his act immediately. Upon closer inspection, though, she saw through the cracks in his façade, the slight note of condescension to the tone of his voice as he addressed her and Sara, the way his eyes were not-at-all subtle as he tried to discreetly look her up and down.

Jesus. Great, just what we need.

Catherine plastered a very phony but convincing smile on her face. "Care to share?"

"The body was found by a jogger," Majors said, retrieving his notepad from his suit jacket. "Marisa Winters, 32. Said she was jogging by the lake around five this morning when it was still dark out. She noticed something had washed up on the shore and went to check it out and found… well, this."

Catherine glanced back down at the body, then up at Majors, who was still staring at her intently. She heard Sara take a few steps toward them both and was grateful for the reminder of her presence. If this detective kept gawking at her like this, the smell of decomp wasn't going to be the only thing making her stomach turn.

"She works as a broker at a local insurance agency and said her firm's been so busy lately, she's been pulling a lot overtime. It'll be easy enough to look into an alibi for her," Majors added.

"Does Ms. Winters normally go out running by Lake Mead in the wee hours of the morning?" Sara finally asked. It was the first time she was addressing the detective, and as usual, her tone was straightforward and business-like.

"It doesn't sound like it, Ms. Sidle," Majors answered, still smiling his charming smile. "She said she normally goes running through her neighborhood but chose to go a bit further today than usual. She lives just a few blocks away, off Industrial."

Catherine thought the way that Majors kept referring to Sara by her last name was downright strange, but the brunette didn't appear overly concerned by it. In fact, she looked distracted as she took a few steps toward the shore. "So she came upon the body here? Where did she approach from?"

"From the west," Majors answered just moments before his cell phone began ringing. He reached into his pocket to retrieve it, staring at the readout before shooting Catherine an apologetic smile. "Excuse me, I have to take this. I'll catch up with you later, Catherine." Before he turned to walk away, he shot her a slight wink.

Once Majors had ducked under the tape and was out of earshot, Sara snorted back a laugh. "Bummer. Ms. Sidle didn't even get a goodbye."

Catherine couldn't hold in her laugh. "A major bummer, for sure. And apparently, he and I have known each other for so long he feels comfortable addressing me by my first name. What was that all about?"

"You're asking the wrong person," Sara shook her head. "But the guy's flirting is about as discreet as an atomic bomb."

"Oh god," Catherine groaned. "I don't even want to talk about that." Sara had a hint of a smirk on her face, but Catherine noticed there was something more serious about her eyes as she continued to glance out past the lake shore. "What is it?"

"I want to check out the perimeter," Sara replied, "get a look at where the witness said she came from before finding the body."

Catherine recognized the look in Sara's eyes – it was what the team had referred to on multiple occasions as "that Sidle look". "Let's go check it out," the blonde suggested, walking off in that direction. Sara fell in step alongside her, camera still in hand, before her long legs carried her a few strides ahead of Catherine. The blonde hung back, letting Sara take the lead for this part. When Sara had a hunch about something, it was best to stand back and let her run with it, much the way it was always best to leave Grissom alone when he was handling his bugs.

They ventured about thirty yards away from where the body had been bound, which took them outside the crime-scene tape. Catherine remained silent, watching Sara glance up and down the shoreline, until her curiosity got the better of her. "What are you thinking?"

Sara paused, glancing down at the damp ground. Finally, she shook her head. "It might be nothing."

"Come on, Sara, I think we know each other better than that now. You've got that look in your eye."

Sara bit back a smile as she pointed to the ground. "There's an interesting lack of footprints up and down the shoreline, don't you think? The ones that are here look to have been here a while – they're deep and collected rain from last night."

Catherine glanced down at the muddy ground and realized Sara was right. If the witness had approached from the west and had come upon the body in the distance, there would definitely be fresh footprints in the mud. "Maybe she wasn't running along the shoreline? Maybe she was running along the road, so she wouldn't have left footprints?"

"Five in the morning out here means it's practically pitch black outside. There's no way she could've been running along the road and spotted the body from that far out. She had to have at least been close to the shoreline."

Catherine quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "Is this the voice of experience?"

"Perhaps," Sara smirked. "I have gone running out here a time or two, but I stopped."

"How come, aside from the fact that we're called out here for a 419 at least every other week?"

"First time I came out here to go running, I nearly broke my ankle on the uneven terrain. Stepped into a hole it was too dark to see. The second time, the mud was so soft it was slippery. That's also why I'm thinking this is a bit strange. It sounds like the witness goes running all the time and sticks to her neighborhood, so she's probably used to smooth pavement. Why come all the way out here, especially when it's black as night? It just doesn't make sense."

Catherine didn't bother to hide her smile as she listened to Sara's analysis. "Well, there's an easy way to determine if her story checks out. Let's collect her shoes and see what they tell us."

Sara readied the camera, holding it up to snap a few shots of the footprints in the mud. She pursed her lips as she tossed a glance over at the blonde. "Which means we'll need Majors."

"Correction, you'll need Majors," Catherine smirked. "This lead is all you, so you get the honors of telling him about it."

"I'm not the one he's trying so hard to charm."

"Exactly," Catherine chuckled, already walking back toward the body. "It's all yours, Ms. Sidle."

"Ugh. No, that is not a 'thing' we're starting here, Willows."

Hours later back at the lab, Catherine went looking for Sara and found her in the layout room. Blown-up copies of the crime-scene photos were spread out across the table, but what got the blonde's attention were the women's tennis shoes sitting on the table in a plastic evidence bag. The blonde knocked on the door-frame to alert Sara of her presence before stepping into the room, holding up two mugs of coffee.

"I'm afraid it's nowhere near as good as the stuff you've been surprising me with in the mornings, but it's got caffeine in it."

Sara laughed and accepted one of the mugs. "Good enough for me. You just get back from seeing Doc Robbins?"

"Yeah. Remind me again how I ended up being stuck with the autopsy?"

"Just lucky, I guess. Trust me, I much rather would've sat in on the autopsy than dealt with Majors over these shoes."

Catherine smirked in amusement. "What happened, did he try to charm you, too? Start calling you by your first name?"

"Worse," Sara answered, taking a small sip from her mug before setting it down on a side table, away from the evidence. "He asked me if you were seeing anyone, and if I could give him your number."

Catherine's face instantly contorted into a grimace. "Oh, gross. Seriously? I'm pretty sure the man is at least three years older than me, but he's a child who can't even work up the nerve to ask me himself?"

"To his credit," Sara added, tugging on a pair of gloves as she started to remove the shoes from the evidence bag, "to encourage me to cooperate, he assured me that he knows how to treat a lady right, and that you'd be in for the night of your life."

Catherine choked a bit on her coffee, coughing as she set her mug down on the table. Her cheeks burned red in embarrassment. "He did not."

"He did," Sara bit her lip as she set the shoes on a piece of white parchment paper to collect any trace that might fall off.

"Did you tell him to fuck off?"

"And ruin what's sure to be an amazing evening for you?" Sara couldn't resist teasing the blonde, chuckling at the death glare that was shot her way. "I wish I could say I did, but I didn't think that would be the most professional response."

Catherine groaned. "So what the hell did you tell him?"

"I told him I didn't know if you were seeing anyone," Sara replied. "And I gave him Greg's cell number."

That made Catherine chuckle, and she walked around the side of the layout table to join Sara by her side. Reaching across the brunette, she removed a pair of gloves from the box and tugged them on. "I owe you for that. Except you need to get your information straight. I am seeing someone right now, and am no way interested in whatever amazing night Majors has cooked up in his head."

Sara's lips curled in a slight smirk, her cheeks burning with just a slight tinge of pink. "He'll be devastated."

"He'll get over himself. Alright, what's the verdict on these shoes?"

"Women's Nike running shoes, size six-and-a-half."

"They look awfully small to have left those prints we found along the shoreline."

"That's not all," Sara replied, "check out the soles." She turned the shoes upside down to reveal the soles. The shoes had definitely seen some use, the soles scuffed and dirty, but given where the body was found, they seemed remarkably clean.

"Where's all the mud?" Catherine asked. "If she'd been running along that shoreline like she said, her shoes should be caked in mud. My heels are toast, and we were only out there walking around."

"Exactly," Sara replied. "I'll take some soil samples for a trace comparison, but I think it's safe to say that something isn't adding up here."

Catherine watched Sara in admiration as the younger woman retrieved a pair of tweezers from her kit and got to work collecting the samples. Sara had amazing instincts and her attention to detail was second to none, but she wasn't arrogant about it. Everything she did was matter-of-fact and in the best interest of the case at hand. She'd picked up on something being off within moments of Majors recalling the witness' story and had ended up being exactly right.

Feeling the blonde's eyes on her, Sara glanced over at her as she placed some of the soil into a small evidence envelope. "Alright, your turn. What did Doc say?"

"Our victim is a Caucasian male, early-to-mid forties. David was right on about COD – Doc said he died of a single gunshot wound to the head, likely fired from three to four feet away. Bullet fractured the skull and lodged in the brain. Doc was able to retrieve it and it's with Bobby now." Sara's eyes lit up a bit, and Catherine knew what she was probably thinking. Having the bullet could very well be a key piece of evidence that could break the entire case.

"Does Doc have any idea of just how long the vic has been dead?" Sara asked.

"Best he could say is likely between seven to ten days, but we might have caught a break there, too. Doc found maggots and blow flies in the wound tract, which I'm sure made Gil's evening. He's getting started on a timeline for us."

"Wow," Sara replied, shaking her head in amazement. She couldn't believe their luck. "Maybe we should go buy some lottery tickets."

"Let's hope our luck continues and we get an ID on our vic," Catherine replied. "Speaking of which, any news on an ID for our 419 off Fremont Street?"

"Still running," Sara shook her head, "but hopefully soon."

"You heading out?"

Catherine paused in the doorway of the locker room, having spotted Sara inside, pulling her jacket over her shoulders. The blonde had been on her way to look for her in one of the labs, figuring she'd still be hard at work even though shift was over.

"Hey," Sara turned to her. "Yeah, I was just about to."

"You got a hot date?" Catherine asked with a smirk.

"That depends," Sara returned the smirk. "Majors sweep you off your feet yet?"

Catherine rolled her eyes. "I haven't seen him since the crime-scene, and with any luck, it'll stay that way. I was thinking of asking if you wanted to grab a bite to eat, but if you're going to be a smart ass about it—"

"I'm sorry," Sara chuckled, holding her hands up in surrender. "I promise, I come in peace. Dinner sounds great, Catherine."

"Great," Catherine winked at her. "You drive, Ms. Sidle."

"No. I said we are not turning that into a thing."

"You started it," Catherine shrugged innocently as she stepped aside to allow Sara to pass. She smelled like vanilla and something earthy the blonde couldn't quite put her finger on. Briefly, it brought her mind back to the intimate evening they'd spent together the night before, and it made her heart race.

"Fair enough," Sara responded, propping the front door of the lab open for Catherine to join her. "So what are you in the mood for?"

Catherine walked through the door, but paused just long enough to lean into Sara's body, making sure the brunette could feel her hot breath on her neck. Sara's breathing instantly became a bit labored as Catherine just barely brushed her lips against her skin. "You really shouldn't ask me things like that."

Sara stared at her, the blonde's blue eyes a shade darker than normal. Her eyes held a silent challenge, a silent question. The brunette's heart pounded loudly in response and she let out a ragged breath. "Maybe… we could go back to my place. Leftovers are in the fridge, or we could pick something up—"

"Mommy!"

Both women startled when they heard the high-pitched voice. Catherine's eyes widened as she took in the sight of her daughter running toward her, her mother standing just a few feet behind her. She hadn't expected them back from Laughlin until late in the evening.

"Linds?" Catherine asked in surprise, her face breaking out into a smile as she dropped to one knee. Lindsey ran full speed toward her and she caught the little girl in a hug. "You're back early! I wasn't expecting you and Grandma back until this evening."

"Traffic was lighter than usual." Catherine glanced up to see her mother walking toward them with a smile. "We thought we'd surprise you."

"Did we, Mommy?" Lindsey excitedly asked. "Did we surprise you?"

"You sure did," Catherine grinned, tapping her on the nose. "This is a wonderful surprise. I missed you both."

"It was all Lindsey's idea," Lilly replied. As Catherine rose to her feet, she noticed that Sara was now awkwardly standing a few feet away from them all, looking like she felt very out of place. Lilly's eyes were locked on the brunette before they shifted to Catherine. "I don't believe we've been introduced to your friend, Catherine."

Catherine bit her lip, able to sense Sara's discomfort from a mile away, but she tried to smile at her encouragingly. "This is Sara Sidle. She's a friend and a colleague of mine."

"Oh, so you're Sara," Lilly smiled, taking a step forward, and extending her hand. "I've heard a lot about you. I'm Lilly, Catherine's mother."

"Hello," Sara nodded, politely shaking hands. "It's very nice to meet you."

"You're Sara?" Lindsey gasped in surprise. "Mommy, she's the one who got me the tickets to the aquarium for my birthday!"

"I know that, Linds," Catherine chuckled.

"Hi Sara, I'm Lindsey!" the little girl walked over to her excitedly, practically bouncing from foot to foot. "Thank you for my birthday present! I can't wait for Mommy to take me! Do you like sea animals? I like dolphins best. Do you like dolphins? Do you know anything about them?"

Catherine bit her lip in amusement. Once Lindsey got started, it was near impossible to make her stop.

Sara wasn't quite sure which question or comment to start with first, but was surprised to find that her internal panic mechanism, which was normally easily triggered whenever she was even in slight close proximity with a child, was not going haywire. In fact, she felt relatively at ease. It was something about the little girl's curiosity, how her eyes were bright and full of questions, or maybe it was because Catherine was standing just feet away, her smile warm and encouraging.

"Well," Sara knelt down to her level, wracking her brain for any fun facts about dolphins. "Let's see… did you know that dolphins have two stomachs?"

"Two stomachs?" Lindsey's eyes went wide in absolute astonishment, and she turned to Catherine in surprise. "Mommy, dolphins have TWO stomachs!"

"So I hear," Catherine again laughed.

"What else?" Lindsey asked, her eyes now intently focused on Sara.

"Hmm… well, did you know that dolphins can dive 1,000 feet underwater?"

Catherine had to bite her lip so she wouldn't laugh out loud at Lindsey's audible gasp. "I can only count to a hundred! What else?"

"Well…"

"Okay, Linds," Catherine chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough dolphin facts for tonight. Sara's not an encyclopedia." Although the blonde was starting to think maybe she was, given the random facts she was apparently able to rattle off at the drop of a hat.

"Thanks, Sara," Lindsey nodded. "You're really smart!" That made Sara blush, and the brunette looked away, the sudden attention making her slightly uncomfortable.

"We were just coming to take you to dinner, Catherine," Lilly replied. "But Sara, since you're here too, why don't you tag along with us?"

"Can she, Mommy?" Lindsey's eyes went wide at just the thought. "Oh, can she, Mommy? Please?"

Catherine bit her lip, catching the slight look of panic that crossed the brunette's features at the suggestion. She didn't blame her. She was pretty sure she would also be pretty freaked out if she were suddenly confronted by not only her lover's child but also her overly nosy mother a day after sleeping together and practically coerced into sharing a meal with them all.

She hoped, though, that one day, and hopefully one day soon, Sara would feel comfortable in accepting that invitation.

"I wish she could, Linds," Catherine clicked her tongue, "but unfortunately, she's got to get going. Isn't that right, Sara? You've got that thing across town?"

Sara met Catherine's gaze, and good god, could she have kissed her in that moment. "That's right," she cleared her throat. "I'm really sorry, but I unfortunately won't be able to join you all tonight. Thank you for the invitation, though."

Lindsey groaned in disappointment. "But I wanted to hear more about what you know about dolphins."

"Well," Sara smiled, "I was just telling your mom how I'm waiting on some of my things to get here from where I moved from, but when they come in, I think I have a book about dolphins. I promise to loan it to you when it gets here."

Lindsey's eyes went so wide for a moment Catherine thought they might actually bug out of her head. "Really? Okay!"

Told you, Catherine mouthed to Sara with a smirk. "Alright Linds, why don't you go get in the car with your grandma, and I'll be there in a minute after I say goodnight to Sara?"

"Okay!" Lindsey happily replied. "Bye, Sara! Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, Lindsey," Sara smiled. "Nice to meet you too, Lilly."

"It was a pleasure," Lilly nodded at the brunette kindly, tossed one look at Catherine, and then began to walk off toward the car, following behind Lindsey, who was skipping along.

Once they were relatively alone, Catherine shot Sara a shy smile. "Sorry about that. I thought they wouldn't be back until late. I should've known better."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Cath," Sara smiled at her. "Go spend time with your family."

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Catherine asked, already knowing the answer. She felt a bit selfish for hoping that Sara would change her mind. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to her yet, despite the fact that she would see her tomorrow at the start of shift.

"Yeah," Sara pursed her lips. "I'm, uh, I'm sorry, Catherine. I just…"

"It's okay, Sara," Catherine spared her, shooting her a knowing smile. "It's too much, too soon. I get it. Besides, I'm sure you're tired, and the last thing you need right now is a five year old asking non-stop dolphin questions."

Sara laughed, shaking her head. "I don't mind at all. She's a sweet girl, Catherine. Thank you for introducing me to her."

"You're welcome," Catherine smiled, desperately wishing she could feel her lips one more time before they parted ways, but thinking better of it. "I'll just grab our suitcases from your car, and then we'll get out of your hair."

"Not at all. Let me help."

A dinner out, a lengthy retelling of all of the super incredibly fun things Lindsey did with her grandmother over the weekend, and a pot of coffee later, Catherine eased herself in one of the wooden chairs at her mother's kitchen table with a tired sigh. She was realizing she was more tired than she'd first thought, especially as she glanced over at Lindsey, who was now sound asleep on the couch, wrapped in a blanket.

She lifted her coffee mug to her lips as her mother joined her at the table, her own mug in hand. Catherine smiled as she watched her daughter sleep, watching the relaxed rise and fall of her chest.

"I'm glad you two had fun this weekend," Catherine softly told her mother. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to come with you both."

"Oh, we managed," Lilly replied, spooning some sugar into her mug. "Besides, I don't know that you're that sorry."

Catherine quirked an eyebrow at her mother as she lowered her coffee mug to the table. "What?"

"Something tells me you didn't spend the weekend alone."

"What are you…?"

"Come on, Catherine. I'm getting old, but I'm not blind. You spent the weekend with Sara, didn't you? Or was that doe-eyed look on your face every time you looked at her just my imagination?"

Catherine's eyes went wide in horror. Oh god, was she that transparent?

Lilly stirred the sugar into her cup of coffee, looking over at her daughter as if they were having a casual conversation about the weather outside. "So, how long has this been going on?"

Catherine was sure her face had be beet red, and she cleared her throat, raising her mug up to her lips to take a sip as she thought about how to respond. There was no sense in denying it at this point. Somehow her mother had figured out she had slept with Sara within 10 minutes of meeting her.

"It… it just happened this weekend."

Lilly quirked a surprised eyebrow. "I suppose I was right, then. You know, you've always been one to move fast, Catherine."

"Mother."

"I'm just speaking the truth," Lilly offered a shrug. "So how did this happen?"

Suddenly, Catherine decided that she would much rather her mother continue her uncomfortable probing about her sex life than have to answer that question. She suddenly remembered that she was going to have to explain everything to her mother about what had happened with Eddie, about how things had escalated to the point of them needing police protection. How it was only a matter of time before Eddie was arrested and Lindsey probably wouldn't see her father again for a long time.

Catherine took a deep breath to calm her nerves, before finally letting out a sigh. "We… we should talk about that."

A loud knock at the door made Catherine jump. Lilly glanced that way and began to rise to her feet to answer it, until she froze when Catherine placed a hand on her arm.

"Let me get it," Catherine told her, the feeling of dread back in her gut. She rose to her feet and cursed silently when she realized she didn't bring her service weapon with her from the lab. Her spare was in a locked case and buried in a suitcase in the living room. It would take her at least a few minutes to retrieve it.

"What is it?" Lilly asked, instantly sensing something was wrong.

Catherine momentarily ignored her as she took a few cautious steps into the living room. Her eyes fell on Lindsey, who was still somehow sound asleep on the couch and completely oblivious to the possible threat just feet away behind the door. Catherine briefly considered scooping her into her arms and telling her mother to lock them both in a distant room, until she heard another lock at the door, followed by, "Ms. Willows? It's Deputy Reeves and Deputy Lewis! Captain Brass sent us!"

Catherine's heart rate instantly began to return to normal as she approached the door. Pulling the curtain next to the window aside just to make sure, she sighed in relief when she spotted the deputies behind the door in uniform. She recognized them both from having seen them around the police station.

She quickly unlocked the door and pulled it open. "Hello, and I'm sorry about the wait."

"It's no trouble, Ms. Willows," Deputy Reeves nodded politely toward her. "We just wanted to let you know that we'll be across the street all night if you need anything."

"Thank you," Catherine replied, keeping her voice low and soft, both so she didn't wake Lindsey and she didn't alert her mother to their presence. "Have you heard any updates?"

"I'm afraid not, Ms. Willows," Deputy Lewis shook his head. "But rest assured, we'll pick him up soon, and you and your family will be safe."

"Thank you," Catherine repeated, shooting them both the smallest of smiles. She was so tired now and wished she could just go to bed – or better yet, fall asleep with Sara's strong arms linked around her waist like she had last night – but she knew that her evening was just starting. Now she had to talk to her mother. "Have a good night, both of you."

"Goodnight, Ms. Willows."

Catherine pushed the door closed, re-locking it as she watched the officers walk down the paved entryway toward the sidewalk. She waited until she saw them both return to their squad cars before she sighed and walked back to the kitchen.

Her mother was still sitting at the kitchen table, looking at her expectantly. "Catherine," she began, "why are there police officers outside my house?"

Catherine closed her eyes for a moment. She should've known better than to think that her mother somehow wouldn't have heard all of that. "It's… it's a long story, Mother. You might want to get yourself some more coffee."

Catherine stared up at the ceiling of the guest bedroom, unable to make her mind shut up. She'd tucked Lindsey into bed before explaining everything to her mother, and as she turned to glance at her daughter, she noted that she was still sound asleep. Catherine had been lying awake on her back, staring at the ceiling for nearly two hours now.

Her eyes were burning and her body felt exhausted, but there was too much on her mind to succumb to sleep. It had been hard recalling the events with Eddie to her mother, watching the way her eyes twisted in pain and concern for her. It had been even harder when her mother started crying when she saw the bruises.

Her mother had been fully aware of how violent and volatile Eddie could be over the years. Catherine had never hidden that from her. She knew about the abuse, both physical and emotional, how her daughter had escaped from him before the damage was irrevocable, before her life moved in a direction she could never turn back from. She would always be incredibly proud of Catherine for rescuing herself from that situation, for making sure Lindsey could grow up in as normal a household as possible.

But she never stopped being afraid for her.

The evening had been emotional and draining, and Catherine and Lilly had both had a couple of shots of whiskey to help them sleep. Catherine could hear her mother softly snoring in her bedroom, for which she was grateful. Her mother wasn't thrilled about the prospect of having police parked outside her house, but she at least understood why they were there. The worst part had been seeing the fear in her eyes as she explained exactly what was going on, and how this time seemed to be more serious than most.

Catherine let out a breath, slipping her eyes closed. Her heart had started pounding at the knock on the door, and it seemed like it had never stopped. Halfheartedly, she attempted to recall some deep-breathing techniques toted by one of the departmental psychologists from the last mandatory training she'd been forced to sit through. She focused on counting her breaths, on trying to relax her tense muscles, but it seemed that the more she thought about trying to relax, the harder it became.

She was debating getting up and moving to the couch to pass out in front of the TV when she heard a noise from outside. At first it seemed innocuous enough, maybe a car door slamming shut. But then she heard voices shouting and her heart sank. She instantly bolted upright and jumped out of bed, immediately going for her gun case, which she had taken out of the suitcase and placed on the top shelf of the closet. She retrieved it and unlocked it, removing her gun as she took a few steps into the hallway of the house.

As she approached the living room, the voices from outside were growing louder. She could also hear static from a police radio, and the pounding of her heart in her ears was nearly deafening. Her hands slightly shook as she approached the front door. She could now make out the voices as Reeves and Lewis. She held her body against the door as she nudged the curtain aside with the barrel of her gun. She took a hesitant look outside, and what she saw nearly made her drop her gun in surprise.

She quickly unlocked the front door and raced outside. She was barefoot and dressed in a tank top and cotton shorts, the crisp night air raising goosebumps along her exposed flesh, but she hardly felt the cold.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Reeves and Lewis glanced over at Catherine in surprise. Reeves had one hand on his radio, another on his gun, while Lewis had someone pinned to the pavement in the middle of the street, arms behind their back. Instantly recognizing that the person wasn't who she feared it was, Catherine quickly made sure the safety on her weapon was engaged before she took a few steps toward the group… and when her eyes fell on the face of the person pinned to the ground, her heart nearly stopped a beat.

"Sara!?"

TO BE CONTINUED