Nick Stokes was not one to flinch at his supervisor's steely voice, but when he heard Grissom calling for him, he couldn't help but cringe. He knew. He knew and he was going to ask Nick the one question he could never answer. He braced himself for the terse interrogation he knew followed.
"Oh Sara," he thought, "what have we done?"
As Grissom entered the staff room he could see that Nick was uncomfortable, nervous even, under his scrutiny. He walked over to the chair across the table from him and sat with an air of necessity.
"Nick, we need to talk. About Sara."
"I know, Gris, but what you need to know, I can't tell you. Not right now…maybe not ever. "
"At least let me ask you this: Did you have anything at all to do with Sara's murder?"
"No! Of course not, how could you ask me that, she's my sister!"
Grissom mentally went over the adoption papers he had stumbled across in a case a few months ago that placed Sara Sidle solely in the care of the Stokes family. He was naturally shocked, yet he felt anxious about confronting either of them with the news. It was really none of his business; he had merely come upon the information by coincidence.
"Do you know who did this to her?" He asked with a piercing stare in Nick's direction.
"Grissom..."
Nick sighed and ran a shaking hand across his head, feeling the slight bristle of his fresh buzz cut. He knew what he had to say. He knew that if he didn't tell his boss he'd be off the force, and maybe under criminal investigation. He knew all of that, but he couldn't help but hesitate.
'Sara made me promise.' he thought to himself. 'What do I do?'
Nick could remember the way her eyes shone when Sara had told him. He remembered the smell of her shampoo in the air and the way her tears fell onto the slightly wrinkled paper in her hands.
"Nick, I didn't know who else to come to. I'm sorry for bothering you with this."
"It's fine Sara. You know I'm always here for you; so what is it?"
Her hands shook as she handed him the paper. Nick gave her a quizzical look filled with questions and worry. He glanced at the paper, started, and then read it intently several times, his eyes growing more and more grim by the second.
"Where did you get this information?" He asked briskly.
"Does it matter? All that matters is that he's alive...he's alive and he'll come for me. I know he will." Sara's voice shook with adrenaline and fear.
"You don't know that for sure. You can't. Why would he come for you Sara?"
"Because he knows that I saw him!" She stood quickly, her voice raised and hoarse, "He knows I'll turn him in for what he did to my mother, and he'll kill me before that happens."
"I just don't understand..." Nick shook his head and looked up at her "How can he be alive, you saw him kill himself...didn't you?"
"Actually..." Sara slumped onto the couch of the break room at the lab, her tears spent, she was exhausted. "I didn't exactly see him...kill himself. He ran out of the house...I heard a shot...I don't know, I just assumed I guess."
"You haven't let this go have you?" Nick asked gently "You never let it rest...you've been searching all this time?"
"Yes." Sara sighed. "I'm sorry I never told you. But I had to know. I had to find him, and now I have. It's only a matter of time before he returns the favor."
Nick knew she was right, yet he refused to admit it to her. For years he had tried to protect her, even agreed to hide their relation from everyone so she could have a fair chance at the lab. He'd helped her to regain everything, and loved her as his own sister. But this...he wasn't sure he could protect her from an evil that no one even knew existed.
"Promise me you'll keep this to yourself." Sara whispered fervently. "Promise not to investigate, don't go probing...It'll only lead to trouble. Just drop this, and let me handle it."
"You're not going to do anything stupid are you?" He asked quietly...earnestly.
Sara looked at him lovingly, "No, Nick...I won't."
"Then I promise."
Nick sighed. He had to tell Grissom. But breaking a promise to Sara, especially now, was going to be hard.
"Okay, Gris, I'll tell you it all...from the beginning."
From outside the break room Catherine saw the two of them talking. Nick's face hardened and etched with sadness; a stark contrast with Grissom's calm and stoic facade. She knew that whatever they were discussing was serious, and she had a feeling it would turn everything upside down.
A few hours later she sat at her desk, her mind racing as she looked over the crime scene photos again and again. Maybe something would jump out at her, she thought, so she reviewed them endlessly.
A knock on the open door made her look up. In the doorway stood Grissom, tired, haggard and silent. Only his eyes spoke to her...told her of his need and of his pain. Immediately she stood and quickly grabbed her purse and jacket from the table. She took Grissom's hand in her own, and steered him toward the parking lot and into her car. Tonight, what Gil needed more than anything was companionship, physical contact, and love, and Catherine was more than willing to provide all three.