Thanks for the replies! They make my day!

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Three weeks had gone by since returning from Pioche to Las Vegas. The time had flown by quickly as Sara had prepped endlessly making sure that Maggie would receive the best defense and the minimum punishment. She had also secured Morgan's temporary custody with her grandparents. They spoke frequently and Sara had made visiting the little girl a priority, taking her to the park or for an ice cream cone. It had been something that she had needed when she was younger and although she would never forget the social worker who was kind enough to hold her hand as long as she needed, the woman had never come back to see her in anything more than a professional manner. And that had always bothered Sara as a child. As an adult, she understood why it was so difficult -- so many kids in the system, so many kids assigned to one social worker, and only so many hours in the day, and days in the week.

So, she took it upon herself to be that person for Morgan. She'd helped Mary and Harold, Maggie's parents, find a vacation rental home so they could have a semblance of a life while they waited for Maggie's trial to begin. Because it had to take place in Nevada, given that it is where the crime occured, and Maggie was unable to leave the state, but her parents lived in Sioux Falls and had been granted temporary custody of her daughter, Sara had fought for the case to be fast-tracked. And she'd won.

Each of the three CSIs had their part in testifying. Warrick, although the lead on the case, and Nick had basically taken a backseat to the proceedings given how Sara had forged a bond with both Maggie and Morgan. Sara's testimony was solid as she explained to the court what the evidence meant, and how as CSIs, they'd interpreted it. Laura Kent, the officer who'd transported Maggie back to Las Vegas, had become a character witness and testified that she whole heartedly believe Maggie's confession about her husbands abuse.

Sara had sat between Nick and Warrick as the case was presented. The case was pretty much a slam dunk and everyone knew it, but she was still grateful when she felt Nick's hand grasp hers, as their fingers entwined themselves.

Silent tears rolled down Sara's face as the judge announced his decision. Even though Maggie had been abused, by her own admission at the time of the attack, her husband had not been presenting a physical threat to her. She had grabbed a knife on her own volition, and went to him. The judge was able to recognize the fact that he'd locked their daughter in a dark room with no way out, and that he decided she's been acting in the defense of her defenseless child. Her psychiatric evaluation had come back and while they felt that she needed therapy to help her cope with her actions, and the abuse that she'd dealt with for years, the doctors didn't feel it would be dangerous to allow Maggie access to her daughter. So, the two reunited. Though Maggie hadn't been granted bail, she was given one day pass a week and an officer to escort her and her daughter to a movie or the play ground. Her 'punishment' was court ordered therapy for the next year. During which time she needed to live with her parents, who readily complied. After that, she'd have two years probation. But she didn't receive jail time and the State of Nevada had transfered the status of her case to the department in Sioux Falls so that her parents could resume their lives, and perhaps she and Morgan could start over with a clean slate.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

"You guys comin'?" Warrick questioned as he slammed his locker door shut. Although they'd just left Maggie and her family at the court house, they still had to work Grave that night. At least the court house appearance had been overtime . . .

"Yeah, we'll be there in a minute," Nick nodded. Sara glanced at Nick curiously as she reattached her CSI badge to her belt.

"Don't make me send Greg in here after you two," Warrick teased, and broke out into a full smile when Sara had failed at containing the smile and blush that swept across her features.

Nick rolled his eyes and chuckled at just how obvious Warrick had become. He and Catherine both. Not that he minded his friends trying to get him and Sara to take the final plunge off the tight rope that they'd been walking for so long. Since they'd come back from Pioche, Warrick and Catherine had invited the two of them out several times after shift and even before. For breakfast or dinner. Drinks at a club on their night off, followed by dancing . . . it was obvious that it was about more than two involved co-workers asking their co-worker, and friends, out. If it had been that simple, Gris and Greg would've been asked along too. Even Sophia and Brass on occasion.

Nick waited until Warrick was out of the room, the door shut tightly behind him. "Are you OK?"

"Thank you," Sara spoke softly, as if she hadn't heard him ask how she was doing.

Nick's eyebrows creased together as he unconciously reached up and tucked a stray curl of hair behind her ear. "For what?"

She felt the warmth of the palm of his hand against her cheek. As he was dropping his hand down from his side, she grabbed it in her own hand. "For this. For everything. You've just been there for me. Understood what I needed to do and didn't question it."

"You don't need to thank me for that, Sara," he smiled softly. "I know you'd have done the same for me."

"You don't understand," she looked away from him, still speaking softly. She glanced up and saw him waiting for her to continue when she was ready. "Everytime I could feel myself slipping back into that night," she blinked away the tears, pictures of her own fathers bloodied body with her mother standing over him, invading her mind, "somehow, you were just there. And you kept me from loosing it. And I know that I never asked you to not say anything to anyone about it, but-"

"It's not up to me to tell them, Sar," he interrupted her, placing his index finger on her lips, sufficiently stopping her. "If you want to tell them, I'm sure they'd understand. But you told me. And I'm not going to make you regret that decision."

"Thank you." She was only intent on telling him that she was grateful that he'd kept her admission confidential, but apparently he knew her well enough to know that. On impulse, much like his tucking her hair behind her ear, she steadied herself on his shoulders before reaching up slightly and placing a soft, warm kiss on his cheek, at the edge of his mouth. She allowed her lips to linger for a few seconds longer than they needed to before she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his, in a hug. "I really don't know what I'd do without you."

Nick was now fighting back the tears as he pressed a kiss to her hair, not letting her out of their hug. He smiled into the emptied room. "I don't know what I'd do without you, either."

"Nick, Sara," Grissom's voice boomed as he entered the locker room. The door hit the wall with force, the noise causing them to jump apart quickly. The rest of the team filed in quickly and quietly behind him. Grissom looked at them pointedly then glanced up at the clock on the wall, giving them the 'you're late' look. "Brass and Sophia called. 419 in the park. We're all working it. Get your gear."

"All of us?" Sara asked Catherine quietly when the strawberry blond opened her locker which was located next to Sara's. A single 419 hardly needed 6 of the best CSIs on the case.

"It's the Mayors niece," Catherine informed her. Nick, who'd heard, let out a low whistle.

"Brass said that the Mayor demanded 'the best damn team the country had to offer,' and he gave us a high recommendation," Warrick said, joining in the conversation.

"Of course it doesn't hurt that we're local and the second best lab in the country, trailing the first lab by only a few additional solved cases a year," Greg piped up, throwing his jacket on.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara stood near the body and silently cursed the past couple of months. Her mother had died, she'd dealt with a case that hit too close to home, and she was already emotionally exhausted. And here she was, feeling a sick sense of deja vu. She raised her camera up and took some photos.

The lifeless brown eyes of a brown haired woman stared back at her. Her pale skin was glowing in the early November moonlight, her skin puckering at the coolness of the air.

Sara heard Catherine directing David over to the body and since he was now there, they could take a closer look at her before David took her to the coroners office.

Catherine sighed and looked up at Sara, who quickly adverted her eyes, knowing the words that were about to leave Catherine's lips. "She was raped, wasn't she?"

She nodded her head. "It appears so. Her underwear is missing."

"Brass and Sophia talked to the family," Nick sighed as he and Greg approached them at the body. He nodded over at the Mayor and his family. "Her name is Vanessa White. Nineteen years old, straight A student. She's been living here in Las Vegas with the her aunt and uncle since the new semester started. The house is just a couple of blocks over," Nick nodded to the north, in the direction of the house. "She's a science major at UNLV, and was minoring in Communications."

"So the question is," Catherine started, "why would a smart girl from a good family be cutting through the park after dark?"

"Movie ticket," David said, handing Greg the stub.

"Silver City," Greg commented, placing the stub into a bindle as evidence. "The theater is just a few blocks over there," he pointed to the south. "Logistically, getting home would've been faster if she cut through the park."

"Or, maybe she had a date?" Catherine said. "Perhaps they were walking to the house, and decided 'it's a nice night, lets go for a stroll through the park.' Could explain how she ended up here."

"Assuming she was as honest with her family as they said she was, she went on her own, needed some time to herself to clear her head," Greg offered up.

Sara glanced up at the street lamps that littered the sides of the walk way only twenty feet away from them. "She was drug over here." She shone her flash light on the drag marks in the dirt. It appeared that she was facing forward, her back to the attacker. "She was fighting her attacker. Looks like he was hiding in the bushes, waiting for her . . . for anyone," she shrugged, not entirely sure that it hadn't been random, though it couldn't be ruled out. She closed her eyes tightly. "Vanessa probably thought it was safe, even though it was dark. The security of the street lamps, combined with a mostly safe neighborhood . . . probably just a short cut from the theater back home."

"Who found her?" Grissom asked as he and Warrick joined them, Brass and Sofia not far behind. The four of them had finished interviewing the few people that they'd found in the park, and a few people who'd come out of curiosity to see what all the commotion was.

"Mrs. Fisher," Nick answered.

"The Mayor's wife?" Warrick asked, shocked.

"She was taking the family Doberman for a quick walk. Apparenly the dog didn't want to stay on the path. Must've picked up Vanessa's scent," Nick answered. He pointed to the foot and paw prints near the drag marks that Sara had pointed out. They were directly to the side of the marks, not in them. The evidence was preserved due to some random act of God, or a high power . . . "Mrs. Fisher said that when she saw her body, she pulled the dog back to her. She called 911, but she knew it was already too late, so that's why she didn't touch the body, or try to revive her."

"Liver temperature suggests she's been dead for approximately two hours," David jumped in. "Rigor hasn't set in yet." He started to pull out the contents of her jacket pocket as Catherine rifled through her purse.

"Wallet is here," she mumbled. "Cash inside. Rules out robbery."

David handed Grissom a chain and the older CSI examined it carefully under his flashlight. "Clasp isn't broken, so why wasn't she wearing it?" He raised an eyebrow at the rest of his team as the necklace dangled on his index finger.

"Sara?" Catherine asked, concerned. The blood had drained away from the normally pale womans face, making her seem ghostly.

Sara reached out to take the jewelry from Grissom, she shone her flash light on the item and gasped. Silver chain with a flat circular shape dangling down. The number 7 etched into the metal.

"What is it?" Warrick was the first to ask.

"This isn't the first victim," she whispered. "He's a serial."

"Those look like pretty ordinary items, Sara," Greg stated. "I can think of a number of girls that I've seen wearing those necklaces. And seven is considered a lucky number, so it's not completely random . . . We shouldn't be jumping to conclusions yet."

Nick gave him a sideways glare and pushed Greg to the side, taking his place. He was vaguely aware of David and his assistant gathering up Vanessa's body on the stretcher and taking her away. The CSIs could hear the faint sobbing of the Fisher family as they watched her body being wheeled to the coroners van.

"You sure?"

"I'm positive that the DNA we will recover from her body will match at least five other cases. Two from Boston, and three from San Francisco." She looked in Nick's eyes and he could see the fear in them. There was no doubt that she wasn't grasping at straws. And if it turned out that she was wrong, perhaps there was a copy cat on the loose . . .

TBC . . . .