Three days later, Catherine and Sara walked down the hallway of the police station. Sara groaned inwardly when she saw Hank waiting for her.
"I'll meet you at the car," Catherine murmured as she left.
The day after Sara and Hank's date, there was an incident involving a woman who turned out to be Hank's long-term girlfriend. Sara found out when she went to the woman's house to question her and saw a picture of the two of them.
"I called the lab... they, uh, said you were here." Hank said hesitantly. After a moment, he added, "I heard you met Elaine."
Keeping her eyes down, Sara replied, "Yeah... she's really something."
Hank stared at her. She glanced up to meet his concerned gaze. "I didn't tell her about us, if that's what you're wondering," she said icily, not moving. Hank cringed slightly, feeling the venom in her words.
Then he looked relieved. After a moment, he said "I'm really sorry, Sara."
She gave a sad smile. "Yeah, me too."
They stood in awkward silence for a few seconds. "I don't know what else to say." Hank said finally.
Sara narrowed her eyes. 'I'll see you around," she said coldly, and brushed past him.
She slowly left the building, and her hands despondently sank into the pockets of her trench coat.
She reached the car, and got in the passenger side without saying a word.
It was painfully silent. Then Catherine asked gently, "You got plans?"
"Nope."
"You wanna get a beer?"
Sara remained still for a few seconds. The she turned to Catherine, who offered a sympathetic smile.
Sara grinned and turned her head back to face the road. "Drive."
Catherine beamed. That there was the Sara she knew. She started the engine and eased the car out of the parking lot.
As she drove, she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Grissom, Nick, Greg, and Warrick- "get to the bar asap. hank cheated on sara. she needs to get drunk."
Sara groaned with relief as the car pulled into the bar.
Catherine grinned. "Beer does wonders to your soul."
They got out of the car and began to make their way to the main entrance.
"Hey, Sara?" Catherine called to the CSI in front of her.
"Yeah?" Sara turned and waited for her to catch up.
Catherine gave her a hug. "Don't worry about Hank, sweetie. He can go to hell, as far as I care."
Sara smiled broadly. "Aw, thanks." She returned the hug, and the two walked in together.
Almost as soon as she walked in, she spotted Warrick, Grissom, Nick, and Greg sitting by a round table. She turned to Catherine, bewildered.
Catherine winked at her. "I got you covered."
The two women shared a laugh, then walked over to where the boys were sitting. They had saved a seat between Warrick and Grissom for Catherine, and for Sara, there was an empty stool between Grissom and Nick.
Almost as soon as the ladies reached the table, Grissom stood up to give Sara a hug. Sara smiled, appreciating the show of support. Whatever conflict that had existed between them had instantly dissolved. Then, Warrick, Greg, and finally Nick followed suit, each enveloping her in those special bear hugs only guys can give. Catherine watched, beaming.
By the time Sara was done with all the hugs, her dark eyes were glossy, on the verge of tears. "Thanks, guys."
Nick grinned. "Just be happy, doll. Let's drink!" He cried. Everyone else cheered as he left to go order some beers.
Everyone sat down except Warrick, who walked around the table to Sara's chair, put his arm around her, and casually asked, "So, where does this Hank fellow live? No one hurts my Sara and gets away with it."
Sara giggled. Warrick was like a brother to her; he could always cheer her up. "Easy, there. Wouldn't look too good if we went and beat up one of our witnesses."
Warrick tensed. "True," he said after a moment. He then looked around the table. "Any of you got the number of a reliable hit man?"
The table erupted into wild guffaws. After it calmed down, Warrick added "Naw, seriously!" which got the table laughing all over again.
Nick soon came back with the drinks, and everyone raised a glass, as Greg cried, "All in favor of Hank going to hell, say 'I'!"
"I!" All six voices entwined to make one as the glasses clinked, and the drinking began.
Sara smiled. She loved the sense of community she felt whenever she was with the team. She downed the glass in a few gulps. She reminded herself to be careful to not drink too much.
She noticed Grissom had said nothing so far. She was about to say something, when suddenly her phone beeped.
She frowned, and the entire team watched her carefully as she took out the phone and checked the caller ID. "It's Hank." She said after a moment.
"Don't pick it up!" Catherine responded immediately.
Sara sighed. "What if it's about the case?"
Cath frowned. "...Fine." she said sulkily.
She excused herself and went to the hallway where the bathrooms were so she could talk in silence.
She took a deep breath, then answered the phone. "Sidle." Her voice rang with extra authority.
"Uh, Sara? It's Hank."
"No shit, dumbass," she replied curtly. "It's a thing called caller ID."
"Oh..." Hank seemed rather taken aback. "Uh... I was thinking about this whole thing... and I realized, still like you. A lot. More than I like Elaine.."
Sara said nothing. She was frozen in a mixture of shock, disbelief, and disgust.
"If you'll take me back," he continued, "I'll break up with Elaine. I just don't want to lose what we had."
"Hank." Sara's voice trembled slightly from the effort it took to keep her rage in. "You are a dumbass. I will never, ever go back to a slimy douche like you. Don't even think of trying to contact me again. I'm a CSI. I have connections." She hung up without waiting for his reply.
She pressed her fingers to her throbbing temples. Too much booze, Sidle, she told herself. She could feel herself getting more and more fuzzy-headed by the minute.
"Excuse me," said a suave male voice behind her.
Sara spun around and came face-to-face with an obviously drunk, but good-looking man, with combed-back hair and penetrating hazel eyes.
"Can I help you?" She said after a moment.
"I noticed you were talking on the phone just now, I couldn't help but notice how hot you are when you're angry," he murmured, carefully and discreetly pinning her against the wall.
Sara glanced around nervously. "Um.. thanks?"
He stared into her eyes. "Sara, I've been dreaming of this moment. I want nothing more than to have passionate love."
Due to her intoxication, part of her wanted nothing more than a little fun, and the sober part of her wanted to pin him to the floor in a choke hold and call for backup. But she could only freeze, as his hands slowly slipped around her, and he leaned in closer. She closed her eyes. Their lips met.
Sara could taste the alcohol on his breath as he forced his tongue down her throat. One of his hands grabbed her butt, and the other held her to him, clenched between her shoulderblades. Sara remained as still as she could, her fists clenched by her side. He kissed her vigorously, his tongue flicking in and out.
When Sara didn't object, his lower hand slipped under her pants and began to rub the soft skin. Sara had the urge to pull away, but she was frozen in fear. Then, his other hand slipped away from her back and found its way up her shirt.
Suddenly the sober Sidle fury kicked in, and she began to struggle. He sensed this, and both hands tensed, clutching her tighter. The hand that was down her shirt returned to its original position on her back so he could hold her better. She moved her hands to his shoulders and chest in an attempt to push him away. He was stronger than she was, though, and she was trapped between him and the wall. She began twisting back and forth in an effort to break loose.
All of a sudden, he disappeared. She opened her eyes to see none other than Grissom, who had the man face-first against the wall, with one arm twisted behind him.
"You're lucky I'm not having you arrested for attempted rape," Grissom hissed. "When I release you, you are to leave this bar and not come back for the rest of the night. Understood?"
The man nodded emphatically. Grissom released him and pushed him in the direction of the door with a disgusted look on his face.
He then turned to Sara, who was still leaning against the wall, trembling severely. He quickly walked to her and put his arms around her.
"Honey, tell me what happened. From the beginning." he whispered as she shook in his arms.
"Hank. He... wanted to get back together with me," she choked out between chattering gasps. "I-I told him to go to hell and hung up. Then this guy, he comes and..." She trailed off. A sigh escaped her shivering lips. She couldn't stop
"Shh." Grissom hushed her as his grip around her tightened. One hand softly rubbed her back. "Sara, I need to know. What did he do to you?"
Sara took a deep breath and collected herself before continuing. "First... he was making out with me, and.. his hand was on my butt. Then..." she shuddered. "His hand went down my pants... and his hand went up my shirt."
Grissom tensed. His eyes narrowed. "That punk..." He unwrapped his arms from Sara and began to make his way to the door.
Sara grabbed his arm. "Grissom! I'm okay!" She stared into his eyes until the fury in them went away. "I'm fine, Grissom. I really am."
He stared back for a few seconds. He then asked, concerned, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm a bit shaken up, but I'm fine," she repeated.
He nodded slowly. "Okay. Then we'd best be getting back to the table. They sent me to see what was taking so long."
His arm slipped protectively around her, his hand rested above her hip. Together, they walked out of the hallway.
Catherine was the first to notice them- and Sara's shaken appearance. "Sara, honey! What happened?"
Warrick stood. "What did Hank say to you? I'll beat him to a pulp!"
"Now, now, guys," Grissom cautioned. "Let's just sit down."
Grissom kept his arm around Sara ass they all took their seats, but murmured a brief summary of the story to Catherine, who sat next to him. Her eyes widened, but she said nothing. The story was silently passed around the table, all the while taking occasional sips of beer.
"So, Sara," said Warrick finally. "You never did make it to Movie Night... you up for some Wayne's World?" He hoped the comedy title would entice her.
Sara glanced up. After a few seconds, she grinned. "Party on, Wayne."
The group erupted in laughter, happy to see that Sara had returned once again to her normal self.
"Party on, Garth!" Nick replied, high-fiving her.
Sara giggled along with them, but abruptly stopped when she realized something.
How did that guy know my name?
a/n: Okay, I know the stalker part was kinda awkward, give me credit here!
Oh, and for those of you who don't know, Garth and Wayne are the two main characters in Wayne's World. "Party On" is like their catchphrase.
I'm not sure I like where this story is going. I've started a new one, but I'm not sure if I'll keep working on this one. :/