Part 4

"So how's mom?"

"Still missing her cowboy" Jess laughed as she sat in the passenger seat of her brothers Denali, "she told me 'tell him to call, of he's been written out of the will'"

"That's mom for you…" Nick laughed, "I guess it had been a while since I called"

"Or visited, or hell…even sent a letter."

"Okay…so…I've been a little busy" He defended.

"Yeah…tell me about it…too busy to pick your little sis up from the air port" Jess shot. Reaching forward and taking hold of one of his home made CDs. She frowned a little – but ignored it.

"Hey, I'm sorry… I had a huge case that I couldn't leave. I didn't think I'd be given lead" He explained, "plus I sent Sara, she took care of you, got you coffee and even let you meet the gang. You were in good hands"

"Yeah I was" Jess agreed, "She's able to handle you so… she gets points"

"Yeah" Nick laughed. "Well, I'll make it up to you. I'll buy you dinner…"

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, before I head into work" He explained.

"Deal"

"So how are things with you anyway?" He asked. "What's new?"

"Not much… except I've moved out here and left everything I had back in Texas for this new job" She explained sarcastically with a smirk.

"It'll be worth it"

"I hope so" she nodded.

"Hey, sure it will, you get to stay with your favorite brother" He winked.

Nick was happy that he had family in Vegas, he was happy that he was getting to see his little sister. Even though she was 24 he still saw her as a baby. The youngest of the family – he was the protective brother that you'd expect. "Well, I hear that you and Darren are…"

"None of your business…and who told you?" Jess growled.

"Our older brother let it slip" Nick explained,

"Of course he did" She growled, leaning against the window.

"Come on… you know it not been my business has never stopped me before. So…what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about this…." She explained.

"Fine…we won't…but he obviously fucked up big time so…next time I see him…"

Nick left the threat unfinished but Jess didn't doubt that if Nick did see him he'd do something. She rolled her eyes. Having brothers like hers was hard enough on her, but the boyfriends very often found it hard to get off without been interrogated or even, threatened. "And you will tell me what happened eventually" Nick continued.

"Change the subject… why didn't you show up for the wedding?" Jess was referring to a wedding not long back of their second cousin.

Nick looked to Jess for a second before looking back to the road, "I didn't go because…we had a serial killer running around the country…I got sent to New York – that's where he moved onto from here. I couldn't just up and leave…Hey, it's Rob, he'll get married again – I mean this is the third time."

"Yeah well we were looking forward to seeing you" Jess shot.

"I tell you what, how about I go back for mom and Dad's anniversary…will that make you happy?" He asked. He'd already thought about doing that anyway.

"Ecstatic." Jess nodded. "You know, Laura's got so big now?"

"Really… you brought Photo's right?" Nick asked. Laura was their Nice, from their older sister.

"yeah I did…"

"Jesus, how old is she now…"

"Five…heading off to school and everything…" Jess explained.

"Oh man… I miss Texas" Nick sighed as he turned the car off the road and into his drive way.

"Yeah…I bet you do. It's been nearly a year and a half since you came back" She smiled.

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She pushed shut her door and then took off towards her living room with files in hand. She was planning on running through the files and getting at least a few hours sleep – she never usually got more that two or three anyway. She through the files down on the coffee table put the CD player on so that a heavy beat thumped through the walls. Then, she walked into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of beer and a piece of liquorish. She was addicted to that stuff; she tried to use it as a replacement for smoking – wasn't too successful though.

Sara was ready to begin looking over these files; they were various documents from the victims home and insurance. Nick had been certain that the wife had some sort of input into his death, yet they had still been unable to prove this. What was she expecting to find?

A piece of paper saying -"I KILLED HIM?"

Sara sighed, this was a long shot, and she and Nick knew it. But, this was all that they had until the case ran cold. If they couldn't pull anything up from this the case was going to be boxed up and classed as COLD. Sara never liked to do that, give up and box it away.

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She walked through the lab, with the file in her hand she headed towards the room she was hoping to find the Texan in. She'd checked the break room and most the labs so now the last place she could think off was the locker room. She hadn't seen any of the night shift come to think of it – that was when I turned into the room and wished that I had decided to give up my search ten minuets back when the coffee in the break room looked inviting.

Sara stepped into the room, into a situation that she'd been avoiding for a while now. Catherine Willows was stood opposite her – both of them locked eyes, neither knowing what to say. Sara contemplated just turning around, she wanted nothing more than to do that but she knew she couldn't – they were adults not teenagers. "Hi…" Sara stuttered.

"Hey…" Catherine managed, "You … okay?"

"I…err…" Sara's whole mind was spinning, why didn't she just have coffee. "Nick… I was looking for him"

"Grissom's put his case on hold, there all out on a triple murder…some casino of strip."

Sara just nodded, "Thanks" With that she moved to her locker. She hated how awkward it had become been near Catherine. There was a time that the two of them would kill to grab a moment alone in the locker room, there were times the two had done just that and Sara had vivid memories of been pinned against the lockers by the blond. As she threw the files in the locker she closed her eyes – taking a deep breath to compose herself. Then took from it her flack vest, throwing it on over her white vest top and pulling out her gun clipping it to her belt.

"Sara…" Catherine's voice cut threw the awkward silence.

The brunette was unsure how to react, so she just continued messing in her locker and acknowledged the other woman. "Yeah?"

"About, yesterday… in the break room… I'm sor…"

Before she could finish Sara cut her off, "Don't be, nothing to be sorry about." She spoke with little if no emotion. She slammed her locker shut, and pushed her sunglasses over her eyes, thankful of something to hide the raw emotion "I have a case… I have to go." And with that, she left, thankful to be out of that situation. She managed to stay strong and composed all the way threw the lab offering smiles to those lab workers that she knew.

As she made it to her Denali and slipped into the drivers seat that's when she broke down, punching her fist into the steering wheel in an unexplainable anger as she felt the already broken shards of her heard be ground further into a fine dust of despair. "FUCK" she growled, "FUCK YOU!" how much her body still ached to be held by the woman who was causing this pain. Without another thought she started the truck and put her foot down tearing out of the lab car lot.