a/n- Hello my pretties!! So yes, I've not updated for a while and I am sorry to anyone who's been waiting and I humbly beg your apologies. But I have good excuses...I just arrived home after five months in europe and getting internet connections wasn't always easy...I also have some hardwon advice to impart with you: if and when you go traveling for an extended amount of time, make sure you have similar interests with those you're traveling with. It will make a difference, and it is sometimes better to travel alone than with people who's interests are different than yours. I'm done ranting now. Here is the next chapter and I swear the next won't take as long. Thanks so much for reading, and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated : )

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Sara breathed in deeply, blinked slowly then looked again. Disbelieving, she turned to Catherine who was kneeled and swabbing a kitchen tile.

"Cath? Who's that?"

Catherine glanced up at Sara. "Huh?"

"That woman talking to Grissom." Sara motioned, pointing through the window.

Catherine capped her swab and stood, groaning as her back protested from being crouched for so long. "Who?" She looked through the window. "Oh, that's Sandra. Detective Sandra Moore. We had to bring a new Detective in." Catherine paused, thinking. Then she said aloud, "Grissom actually recommended Detective Moore." She shrugged returning to her work.

Sara turned away from the window, feigning sudden interest in her CSI kit.

Sandra Moore. So the red head did have a name.

Through the next five hours Sara put her entire concentration on collecting evidence. She adamantly refused to even muse over the red headed Detective or her relationship to one certain entomologist. So immersed in her work she failed to notice someone calling her name until a hand was placed on her shoulder. Jumping in shock, Sara banged her head on the underside of the table she was beneath. Swearing she looked up, giving her assailant a hairy eye.

"Oy, sorry Sara." Catherine said in a voice that Sara decided didn't sound very sorry.

"Next time, you get to do under table evidence gathering."

"Hey, I'd happily let you do prints but I'm not the one who decided to go and get all pregnant."

Sara glanced around quickly, seeing no one within listening range she glared at Catherine, who only shrugged her shoulders.

"We're going to go get something to eat," she waved a disciplinary finger when Sara opened her mouth to protest, "and I won't take 'no' for an answer, missy. I'm hungry so we're going to go eat. Now."

Sara took in Catherine's stubborn expression and sighed. She knew when she was beaten.

Following Catherine outside, Sara stared at the setting sun slightly surprised at how much time had actually passed. Being led by Catherine, Sara didn't realize where they were headed until she heard his voice.

"Cath?" His voice was strained and a bit sharp.

Ignoring Grissom, Catherine nodded her headed at the red head next to him. "Good evening Detective Moore." Then she turned her attention to Grissom. "Sara," she began motioning to the brunette behind her, "and I are going to go eat and rest up."

Grissom's eyes flicked to Sara briefly. "Good idea."

Sara didn't know why she did it. But she brushed past Catherine and placed herself in front of Detective Sandra Moore, her right arm twinged as she extended her hand. "Hello, Detective. I'm Sara Sidle with CSI. It's a pleasure to meet you." Even though her stomach was in knots Sara felt proud of how calm she sounded.

Sara saw the Detective hesitate, and she could have sworn Sandra looked to Grissom before placing her hand in Sara's and shaking it. "CSI Sidle. Yes, I've heard of you. I look forward to working with you." She was so sincere, so bloody sincere. Sara was taking her hand back when the Detective gripped it tighter. Perplexed Sara looked at the red head, a question in her eyes. Detective Moore peered at Sara as though looking at her for the first time. Noticing she still held Sara's hand she let it drop with an apology. "I'm sorry, but I could have sworn…" she pursed her lips, "have we met before?"

"No, we haven't." Sara said, taking a step away from the Detective.

Catherine gave Sara an odd look, but Sara didn't notice. She felt foolish. Sara looked at Grissom quickly who was looking at her with such intensity she stepped back behind Catherine.

After saying a quick goodbye Sara followed Catherine to her vehicle. Sara leaned back in her seat, turned away from Catherine and stared out the passenger window. The ride was silent except for the top 40.

--

Sara stabbed at her scrambled eggs with a fork, pausing halfway to her lips when she caught Lindsey staring at her.

"What?"

"Do vegetarians usually eat eggs?"

"I'm a liberal vegetarian…and I think your thinking about vegans."

Lindsey raised an eyebrow then continued to munch through a piece of toast slathered in jam.

Sara had moved back to her own apartment, but for some reason the silence she used to cherish had become slightly oppressive, especially in the morning when the world seemed to be at its quietest. Bringing her own groceries, she began coming to Catherine and Lindsey's house for breakfast, so it had seemed only logical for Catherine to have brought her there after leaving the scene.

Catherine entered the kitchen, drying her hair with a towel. Looking to Sara she said, "Showers' free if you want it."

"That sounds great, thanks."

After a fantastic, scorching, soul soothing shower, Sara returned to the kitchen in search of an orange she knew was in the fridge.

"We need to talk." Sara stopped mid step, eyeing Catherine's leaning against the counter.

"Okay." Sara said cautiously.

Despite initiating the conversation Catherine remained silent. She watched the brunette open the fridge and retrieved an orange. Her eyes followed Sara's every move as she began cutting the orange with a serrated knife.

"I know who the father is."

Sara glanced up at Catherine, a smile pulling at her lips. "Oh yeah? Who do you think it is this time? Josh? Tim from Trace? Or Paul…"

Catherine cut Sara off bluntly. "I know its Grissom."

Sara stopped cutting. Her grip on the knife tightened then slackened. She carefully set the knife down in the sink. Sara braced her hands on the counter taking a deep breath.

"What?"

"Look at me Sara." Her voice was angry.

Sara looked at Catherine who was studying her with narrowed eyes. Sara cleared her throat. "Why do you think that Grissom…" She trailed off.

"I know, Sara. It was so obvious today…don't bullshit me."

Sara stared at Catherine unable to speak, her orange forgotten.

"It's funny," Catherine began. "I never thought Grissom would act on his feelings for you." She grabbed a piece of cut orange. "I've known for a long time he's had pretty powerful feelings for you. While I doubted he'd ever express them to you, I'd always figured if he did he'd be a lot happier." Catherine bit into the orange. "He's not happy Sara. Your baby is evidence of him showing you his true feelings…so there is only really one way I can interpret this." She gave Sara's pale face a severe look. "While I really value our friendship Sara, if you've hurt Gil I can't…"

Sara cut her off, her voice forced and incredulous. "You think I…?"

"I know Gil wouldn't…"

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Sara's voice warned Catherine to back off, but Catherine's stubbornness and loyalty to Grissom wouldn't let her.

"I can't just stand by if you've broken the heart of one of my oldest friends…"

"Stop it." Sara barked, breathing heavily. "You know nothing. You think I broke his heart? Try the other way around. You say he wouldn't back out of a relationship with me? The morning after we…" Sara huffed in a breath. "He's the one who left. He's the one who ignored what happened. He's the one who broke my heart. He's the one who doesn't want this baby." Sara stopped, a sob threatening to escape.

"What? Grissom wouldn't…he knows?" Catherine looked thoroughly shaken.

Sara laughed sharply. "Yeah, after I was shot the doctor told him."

Catherine shook her head, her eyes crinkled in confusion. "I can't see Grissom doing this…it goes against everything I know about him." She ran a hand through her blonde hair. "Grissom knows it's his right?"

Sara looked away from Catherine. "He didn't want it. I know he didn't. It's best he doesn't know."

Sara looked to Catherine startled at the blondes hand suddenly clamped on her bicep. "Sara, you're a bright girl and I like you a lot," Catherine said carefully, anger a finger under her tone, "but you'd better be fucking kidding me here."

Sara wrenched her arm away. "This is none of your business! Just stay out of it."

"None of my business." Catherine's voice was full of disbelief. "I can't believe you could be so damned selfish."

"Me!"

"Sure, I'll grant you Grissom didn't handle your intimacy very well…but holding this from Grissom. Good God, no wonder he's been so short-tempered." Catherine pointed a threatening finger at the brunette. "I swear, Sara, if you don't tell him I will."

"This isn't your business." Sara hissed.

Catherine studied her friend for a moment, taking in Sara's anger and desperation she felt a surge of compassion for her. "You're my friend Sara, but Grissom is my friend too. Punishing him this way also punishes your child. I promise you: I will tell him if you don't." Catherine walked to the kitchen door, her back to Sara. "The spare room is free, you know where everything is."

Sara heard Catherine walk to her bedroom enter it and softly close the door.

It was a long time before Sara went to the spare bed room; and even longer until she fell asleep.

--

TBC