Title: Sara's Secret Photograph
Rating:Pairing: GSR to come :)
Characters: Lindsey, Judy, Sara, Grissom, Catherine, Hodges
Summary: 5 years ago the last photograph was sent. The last piece of evidence that even proved that she existed was sent. That she was part of Sara.
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI, or any of the characters except Carla which I made up so please don't sue!
A/N: This is my first fiction so please be gentle and smother me in reviews. This story is AU.
Big thanks to the wonder beta Giwu and this chapter is dedicated to JavaJunkieGSR :D
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"Ready?" Lindsey asked.
"Ready'' Carla answered.
They carefully lifted their backpacks, filled with everything they needed; DNA processing instructions, Sara's DNA, and history and math textbooks to make sure it didn't look obvious. It had taken them almost two weeks to teach themselves how to operate the DNA machine in the lab. Hodges had almost caught Lindsey stealing the manual. They stepped out the apartment heading toward the bus stop, where they would complete their first step of their mission.
The entered the lab to find it surprisingly empty.
"Lindsey, your mom is out on a case with Carla's aunt, they won't be back for a while. Why don't you wait in the break room?" Judy directed them towards the break room, yet she couldn't help but wonder why they had decided to come into the lab, especially on a Saturday. David had mentioned in passing Lindsey had been hanging around a lot lately.
"Here you go girls, I am sure there is some food in the fridge for you to eat, but you might be safer getting something from the vending machines. Dr. Grissom is in his room doing an experiment with Mr. Sanders so I don't think they will be available if you need help with your homework. I am sure some of the other lab employees would be more than happy to help," she said. She gave them both a genuine smile and left the break room, returning to her sanctuary behind the reception desk.
"Now what?" Carla looked around the break room; she really had a bad feeling about this.
"We go to the DNA lab, and do the test. Simple," Lindsey replied as if it was nowhere near rocket science or just as important. They went straight for the lab once Judy was out of sight.
The girls found themselves staring at all the equipment. Maybe they hadn't thought this through…
"Right, according to this book, that goes in there and that goes there, then you press that button and wait a good half an hour," Lindsey was pointing out everything with her left hand, while her right held the book.
Carla stared at her as if she was speaking a different language. Lindsey caught on, and decided to speak very slowly, step by step. "This is really going to take a long time…." she thought.
Carla listened to Lindsey's instructions with only a few mistakes, and then once she pressed the button, she sighed full of relief.
"Now we wait, right?" Carla said. She was now biting her nails, a habit her father had tried to break. In a few minutes she would learn if her whole life so far had been filled with lies, or it was just coincidences that drew them to this idea…
Lindsey noticed Carla's anxiety and went over and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Carla, if Sara is your mom then it isn't the end of the world, she isn't a bad person you know, you could be stuck with a drug dealing hooker as a mother who had stabbed…"
"Okay, okay, I get the picture. Sara is a nice person. But how would you feel if your whole life all that you knew and believed was total crap? Or that your dad had lied to you by saying that your mother died, when really your mother was living in the same country as you were," Carla asked as she wiped away a tear.
"Carla, I don't think you see it, but Sara loves you so much. My mom says it all the time. Before you came Sara had had a drinking problem and she would NEVER leave this lab, look how much she has changed. She isn't a workaholic anymore; she takes you to all these cool places and loves spending time with you. You are lucky. And believe me Carla, I know what it is like to know when your perception of people is garbage, my dad was no angel," said Lindsey.
Carla turned around, fully facing Lindsey. They stared into each other eyes and both of them saw a sense of understanding and empathy in each other's eyes. Lindsey saw Carla's eyes beginning to be clouded with tears, so drew her in towards her, into a strong, understanding hug.
Before they knew it, a loud 'beep' broke them out of their trance and they drew away from each other.
"It's time," Lindsey said, looking deep into Carla's brown eyes.
"It's time," Carla repeated and headed towards the piece of paper that was in the process of being ejected from the printer.
"Time for what, girls?" Grissom asked firmly. He stood behind them leaning against the doorframe in feigned casualness. His eyes were a solid blue and both could see he was angry enough that he looked like he was going to snap like an old rubber band.
They both froze in mid-motion. They both simultaneously turned around to face each other, then to see Grissom staring back at them, his face showing, a mixture of anger and confusion.
"Eh…we were, we were…" Carla stuttered through the forming of the sentences, lying was not a strong point of hers.
"Hi, Uncle Gilly," said Lindsey opening her eyes wide with feigned innocence. "We were doing a science experiment, weren't we Carla?" She nudged Carla's arm to follow on with the lie.
Unfortunately, it took Carla a few seconds to catch on, and her affirmative reply came too late. Grissom had known Lindsey her whole life and was aware of her slightly conniving behavior. This was one of hose times she reminded him too much of Catherine.
"Your mother gets the same look on her face when she is trying to pull a fast one as well," he said without humor. "Well, if this is homework, you won't mind if I look at the sheet that came out the printer," he said. He made sure this was more of a statement than a question, and stepped forward, reaching out for the paper
"Actually, we do mind, you see…" Lindsey yanked the paper from the printer, just a moment before Grissom.
Lindsey looked down at the sheet, skimming through the top paragraph and found the information needed at the bottom. She paused, and looked at Carla, unblinking. Her mouth gaped open, and the paper was held loosely in her hand. Lindsey now knew the answer. Lindsey knew if Carla belonged to Sara.
"Lindsey," the tone in her voice made her name seem like the question Carla was desperate to know.
Grissom looked at both of them in total confusion.
Grissom saw his chance, and grabbed the piece of paper out of Lindsey's hand. Aloud, and guilty sigh came out from both the teenagers mouths as they looked at his face for answers.
Sidle. S. DNA SAMPLE ONE
13 alleles in common with
Sidle. C.A DNA SAMPLE TWO
Parent/offspring relationship.
Grissom looked at Carla's face and after a moment handed her the paper. His mouth gaped open like Lindsey's as they both shared the same shocking secret.
His tone changed from when he had first caught them in the DNA lab. "I'm only giving you this, because obviously you had your suspicions and Lindsey knows," he said gently.
They both looked at Carla's face as she read the results. Her reaction was impassive. They waited patiently for her to speak;
"Looks like you were right Lindsey, Sara is my mother," she said softly as a single tear fell.
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A/N Thanks for reading! I would love to here from what you think of it! Please Review!!