Across town, the flickering yellow light from a lone street lamp lit the vacant parking lot of the old Laundromat. A tall young woman cursed quietly to herself as she searched through her purse for the key to lock up for the night. She finally fished them out triumphantly and fumbled with the lock for a few moments. At last, the tumblers struck home with a rusty clunk. The woman turned away wearily and began the short walk to her nearby apartment with a tired sigh.

Even from across the street, he could see how pretty she was. Her auburn hair gleamed in the moonlight, streaks of fiery red twinkling along with the stars. Through his high-powered binoculars he sized her up. Shapely calves and hips were evident even beneath the shapeless sack of a dress she was wearing. He hesitated before skimming over her body to her face. He was afraid of what he might see there. He knew she would not be good enough. None of them would ever be as faultless as Sara had been. This girl had a sweet, dimpled chin, full cheeks and lips…He groaned audibly when he reached her eyes.

"Damn…" he whispered. "Blue."

No, she wasn't perfect, not like the first one, but she would have to do.

He silently closed the blinds in the empty apartment across the street, padded across the matted shag carpet, and closed the door behind him with a gentle shove. It wasn't difficult for him to follow the girl. She was oblivious to the barely perceptible footfalls of her pursuer. She had no idea that she was not alone when she entered the dimly lit stairwell of her apartment building; Or that a silent presence observed her nightly rituals from her fire escape, his hands clenching repeatedly in anticipation of this long-awaited kill. His soft laughter stroked the night like velvet.

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The shrill ring of the telephone next to her bed awoke Catherine from her fitful slumber. The glowing face of her alarm clock read 2:45 AM. Catherine groaned and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she whispered huskily.

"Cath? It's Grissom." The voice of her friend came quickly on the other end.

She could hear the note of worry and concern in his voice even in so few words. She knew that she loved him, had always loved him, ever since he stood up for her with Eddie. Ever since he believed in her when no one else could.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her attention suddenly focused upon her supervisor's voice.

She heard him sigh, and then answer "There's been another murder, Catherine. It looks like the same guy who killed Sara. Same MO, same look…hell, the girl could be Sara's sister for God's sake."

Catherine inhaled sharply, "Where?" she asked abruptly.

"The Strip, I'll text the address to you once I get there."

"I'll be there as soon as I can get there Gil." She replied.

"Okay…" he answered, not wanting to hang up, knowing there was nothing left to say.

"Gil?" she asked quietly

"Yes Catherine?"

"Wait for me, okay?"

"I'll always wait for you" he answered.

As she hung up the phone, one thought plagued her thoughts:

Oh God…not again.

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Grissom sat in the driver's seat of his Denali after processing the scene with her, his head resting heavily against his arms crossed over the steering wheel. He looked up at the sound of Catherine stowing her kit in the car behind him. Thank God she's here, he thought to himself. He stepped out and shut the door quickly behind him as Catherine rushed up to him. One look at her and he knew what she was thinking. It amazed him how tuned to her he was, how well he could read her in one glance, or with one word. Her brows were knit in concern, her blue eyes sparkling with unshed tears. But whether they were tears of sorrow or of fear, he knew not.

"Grissom…" she whispered, her voice breaking with emotion.

"I know Cath, I know. You're scared, and tired of this nightmare. Trust me, I am too. But we have a job to do; we can talk about this later okay?"

He reached out to pat her on the shoulder, but instead wrapped her into a warm embrace, his hands smoothing her sleep-rumpled hair.

"Shh…Shh…" he whispered, soothingly. "It's okay."

"But it's not okay" Catherine sobbed, "It can never be okay as long as…" she stopped abruptly, tears falling silently down her pale cheeks.

"As long as what?" he asked hesitantly, not sure if he was ready for her answer; not sure if he could live without hearing it.

"As long as we're apart" she replied, looking up into eyes filled with matching tears of uncertainty, fear and a persistent sense of hope.