The mug was slammed down in front of her with such force, she visibly jumped in her seat.

"What are you doing?" She demanded of her sister, who was standing over her with a raised eyebrow.

"Bringing you back from whatever far-away place you've drifted off to." Nancy replied, taking a seat at the table opposite with her own drink clutched between her hands.

"I was just thinking." Cath scowled defensively.

"You've been staring at the table for ten minutes." Nancy challenged. "Is it Lindsey? She hasn't been hitch-hiking again, has she?"

"No, she's doing okay. Well, as okay as she ever is at the moment." Cath shrugged.

"Alright." The nurse nodded slowly, considering the other options. "Is it mom?"

"No."

"Sam."

"No."

"You know that I'm going to keep guessing." She smiled coyly.

Catherine met her gaze and sighed.

"You'll be guessing for a long time." She noted. When Nancy didn't flinch at the assertion, she continued, rolling her eyes wearily towards the ceiling. "I found out something, and I don't know what to do about it."

"Okay, what did you find out?"

"I can't tell you. I promised that I wouldn't."

Nancy's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Is it about mom?"

Cath laughed softly.

"No, it's nothing to do with mom!" She promised. "It's about someone at work."

"Oh." The younger sister frowned. "So, why can't you tell me? I don't work with them."

Catherine pursed her lips, considering this. She had wanted to talk to someone about it since she found out, but everyone at the lab was off limits. She had considered telling Jim, but even he was too close to the situation.

But Nancy didn't know Sara, or Belinda...

Belinda's face lit up as soon as she walked in, something that caused Sara's stomach to knot and made it all the harder to do what she was about to.

"Hey Bel." She greeted anxiously.

"Sara!" Belinda gushed, moving to wrap the brunette in a hug, but Sara hurriedly stepped out of her reach.

"We need to talk." Sara began, and the tone of her voice made Belinda freeze to the spot, her expression merging into a mix of fear and panic.

"What's happened?"

Nancy hadn't said a word in response to Cath's tale, and remained sat with her brow furrowed.

"Gee Nance," Catherine rolled her eyes. "You're right, talking about it really did help. Thanks a lot."

Nancy continued to stare at the scarred wood of the table in deep thought.

"How long was she Sara's counsellor before the relationship started?" She asked at last.

"I don't know." Cath shrugged, standing up to pour herself another cup of coffee. "Sara said that she initiated the relationship after a couple of months, but I'm not sure I believe her. I think she might be covering for Belinda, to protect her job."

"It doesn't really matter who started it." Nancy scowled. "If Belinda knew that her client had feelings for her, she should have ended the sessions immediately."

"Well, she didn't." Cath dropped back into her seat tiredly and dragged a hand through her hair. "And now she's got Sara so turned around, the girl's actually defending her behaviour."

"Cathy, you have to report this." Nancy demanded.

"No, I can't." Cath took a mouthful of coffee and closed her eyes for a second against the bitter taste. "I promised Sara that I wouldn't."

"Never mind what Sara wants," Nancy dismissed, her voice rising in anger. "You just said yourself that this woman is already in her head. She cannot keep working with vulnerable people after something like this."

"Hey, I'm with you." Catherine held her hands up. "I'd like nothing more than to get her struck off. But Sara begged me to let her deal with it herself. And since I'm the only person who knows about this, I can't lose her trust right now."

"So, you're happy to just sit back while a trained medical professional takes advantage of your colleague?" Nancy reached across the table, moving Catherine's coffee cup aside and taking hold of both her hands. "Cath, do you have any idea the kind of long-term impact this could have on Sara?"

"I'm not happy about any of this." Cath retorted. "But the relationship is over, Sara's counselling sessions are finished – there's no need for them to have any more contact."

"How do you know it's over?"

"Sara told me that she ended things about a month ago, after Belinda asked her to quit so they could be together openly."

"Oh, that's just perfect!" Nancy choked. "Not only is this psychiatric professional involved with a patient, she's trying to manipulate her into changing her life as well."

"Which is why Sara ended things." Catherine reiterated. "She's a tough girl, Nancy; and she doesn't like being told what to do. Believe me!"

"Alright, well then answer me this Catherine – if things have been over between them for a month, why did you catch her coming from Sara's flat two weeks ago?"

Sara flinched as the contents of Belinda's desk skittered across the floor in a tidal wave of fury. The taller woman had her back to her, with her palms flat on the desk and her chest heaving with deep breaths.

"I can't believe you did that."

"I didn't have a choice, Bel." Sara insisted, resisting the urge to get any closer in case the woman turned her anger on her. "Catherine saw you coming from my apartment, she'd already seen us together outside work – she figured it out."

"You could have denied it!" Belinda shouted, whirling on her. Despite the tense situation, Sara couldn't help the tiny smile that crept onto her face.

"You haven't met Catherine, have you?"

Belinda stared at her open-mouthed.

"Sara, you don't get it! I could lose my job, my whole career!"

"No, it's okay." Sara risked getting close enough to grip her wrists, attempting to calm her down. "She promised me that she wasn't going to report you."

"And you believe her?" Belinda scoffed. "See, this is exactly what I mean when I say that you let people manipulate you."

Sara's eyes widened with insult.

"You mean like you were trying to do, when you asked me to quit my job?" She challenged. Belinda opened her mouth, but she was cut off by Sara.

"You know what, Bel." She sighed. "Just forget it. I came here as a courtesy, but Cath's right – there's no need for us to see each other anymore."

"Sara, wait..." Belinda softened suddenly.

But the brunette was already gone, leaving the door standing open in her wake.

The shrink turned back with surprise to the chaos she had caused in her office, as if she were looking at it for the first time. She didn't even remember clearing the contents of her desk; when Sara had told her that Catherine was aware of their relationship, she had just seen red.

With a heavy groan, she stooped down and began cleaning up her belongings.

Maybe Sara was right and Catherine Willows could be trusted with their secret. Then again, maybe she couldn't.

"Look, there's still a lot that Sara and I have to talk about." Cath deflected with a shrug. "But when we do, I will get the full details and I'll make sure things are well and truly over. If I report Belinda now, Sara will never trust me with anything again."

"And what about Belinda's other patients?" Nancy challenged. "I'm a nurse, Cathy; I can't sit back and watch while a medical professional – a psychiatric specialist, no less – is arbitrarily breaking rules like this."

"Well, you don't have a choice."

Realising that she wasn't getting through to her sister, Nancy moved into the seat beside her.

"Catherine, do you know what Sara talked to her about in those sessions?"

"No, of course not."

"No, but you know that Sara's behaviour in the past has been erratic and defensive?"

"Yeah, you could call it that." She bit back a smile.

"And that kind of behaviour usually stems from some sort of issue from years ago. So, lets say hypothetically, Sara suffered some kind of abuse when she was younger – physical, emotional, sexual – you decide. And she's bottled up all that pain for years, and finally she's confided it in this woman. And, in turn, this woman has started a sexual relationship with her and begun attempting to emotionally control her."

"You're reaching." Cath said, although she could not deny the unsettling feeling starting to burn in the pit of her stomach.

"Did you know that Sara dated women?"

"No." Cath laughed in surprise. "In fact, I always thought she had a thing for Gil."

"So, she may have even been coerced into this relationship?" Nancy continued, watching her sibling's expression for any signs that she was getting through to her. "How many times have you spoken to this women, who works in your building?"

"None."

"And how many times have you seen her with Sara, in the lab?"

Catherine thought about it for a moment.

"Three, I guess. Maybe four."

"Plus a couple of times outside work."

"That's not uncommon, if they've been dating."

"But they haven't – not according to Sara, not for a month."

Catherine sat back in her chair, letting her mind work through everything as if she were piecing together the evidence from a crime scene.

"You think that she's trying to get back together with Sara?"

"Catherine, when you and Eddie broke up, he wanted to be back in your life and it turned into a slinging match – you both knew a lot about each other and used it against each other. Now, imagine he had known every last dark thought that ever went through your head – and imagine he was in a position to use it against you?"

"Like Belinda did when she went to Ecklie." Cath realised, pursing her lips. "She's used Sara's medical information to get her own way, because she doesn't want Sara working at the lab. If Sara quits –or gets fired – then they could be together."

"And if she's done it once, she'll do it again – regardless of anything Sara has to say to her." Nancy said, relieved that Catherine was finally seeing her point. "I know you and Sara have had your differences; but if you care about her at all, you need to get her away from Belinda for good, before she does any more damage to the poor girl."