Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or any of its characters. All other characters, and the story, are mine.

A/n: Work has been terrible, this update came by the skin of my teeth. Masquerade will be updated on Monday. Thanks for your patience.

Chapter 14

Harsh breathing sounded in Sara's ears, her heart pounded as she tread water. She looked around, seeing nothing but fog floating eerily on top of the water surrounding her. She wanted to move, but she was frozen, only able to tread where she was. A splash to her right had her jerking around. Ripples in the water rolled towards her and she felt a disturbance in the water around her legs, like something had passed closely by her. She knew she couldn't stay where she was, but she was scared to strike out, scared to move her legs, to wave them around more than they were.

She heard a splash behind her and this time it spurred her on, and she began swimming in the opposite direction. With each scissor of her legs behind her she could almost feel them dangling in the jaws of some giant fish. She swam harder, faster. She couldn't tell how far she had gone, nothing around her had changed and she feared that she hadn't moved at all. Her arms ached, her body was numb from the cold water, and she didn't know how much longer she could swim. The thought of those jaws closing around her vulnerable feet was all that kept her going. Every once in a while she heard a splash behind her and her heart would leap.

Finally she saw a light ahead and it spurred her on faster. Her whole being was concentrated on reaching that light, sure it meant rescue. She moved her legs faster and reached as far as she could with each stroke of her arms, and then she was falling…

Sara jerked up from where she was lying on the floor and looked around. She'd fallen out of bed and her knee had banged into the floor. She sat up, gingerly, and looked around. Her bed was bare but for the sheets that she had twisted around, and the air coming from the open window chilled her.

She used the edge of the bed to pull herself up and onto the mattress. She inspected her knee, but it seemed fine aside from a little throbbing. She looked around for her pillow and comforter and found them on the other side of the bed. She pulled them back up and settled her self onto the bed, pulling the comforter around her.

She didn't have to question what the dream had been about. That was patently obvious. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was only fifteen after four in the morning. She turned over, trying to go back to sleep, but the feeling of dread that the dream had evoked lay around her like an extra blanket.

Rona had moved the Whites to another room, one with some of the Inn's specialties installed, for no charge, so Sara couldn't blame them for her sleepless night. She'd lain awake for hours before drifting off and into that dream.

Biting her lip, she made a decision. She picked up her phone and dialed.

Grissom picked up on the second ring. "Hey, what's got you up this early?"

"Couldn't sleep, too much on my mind," Sara said, sitting up and propping herself against the headboard.

"You want to tell me about it?" Grissom urged.

"Well, you know most of it. I did find out where my mother is, or will be," She told him about the Google search. "Then I found out that she and her husband are on vacation in Europe and won't be back for several weeks. Do you think I should come home until they get back, or stay here?"

Grissom was silent a moment, finally he said, "Dear, you have to do what you feel you need to. My visceral reaction is that I want you back here. I've been working doubles everyday, not necessarily because I have to, but because the house seems so empty without you there. Hank misses you too."

Sara smiled. "I miss you, and him, too. It seems so odd to wake up and know you're not there beside me, or just down the hall, or hell, even at work, but I'll see you later. I miss your smell. I miss your arms around me, and I miss your mouth on my skin."

Grissom cleared his throat. "I miss those things about you too. But, the logical part of me says that you should stay where you are. Things here are still up in the air. The guys are asking about you though, I haven't said much, but they're getting persistent. Greg especially, he actually seems kind of mad about something. What should I tell them? Catherine is the only one who knows where you are."

Sara sighed. She didn't want them to worry about her. "Just tell them I'm visiting my mother. No one else knows about her, or how she is, so they should buy that." She ran her fingers over the comforter. "So, how's the case going?"

Grissom sighed. "Slow. Greg's working a copycat case, which is all we need, but nothing new on our serial yet. It's frustrating."

Sara slid back down, getting comfortable. "Why don't you tell me about everything that's happening?"

Grissom cleared his throat. "Well, you know just about everything about the case. Why don't I tell you about the dreams I've been having instead?"

Sara smiled. "Whatever you want to talk about, your voice is so soothing."

"Well, the latest one was a doozy. We were in high school together, and we were making out in the back seat of a car, I guess we were at some make out spot, wherever it was, it was dark, and very quiet…"

Sara listened as he talked, and as his voice washed over her, her eyes began to close. As she drifted to sleep the last words she heard were, "…when I woke up, Hank was licking my chin."

When she woke up again the sun was shining through the window. She stretched and felt her phone fall into the sheets. She fished around for it, her mind racing. She couldn't believe she'd fallen asleep while talking to Grissom. She finally found the phone and when she checked, she had one message. She pressed the buttons to hear it.

"Hey, Sweetheart, I know you need your sleep, so I'm not going to feel insulted because you fell asleep on me. In fact, I find it comforting to hear your soft breathing again, I miss that. I'll talk to you later. Stay strong, I love you. Bye."

She closed her phone and smiled. She looked at the time and was surprised to find it after eleven. For the first time in days she felt truly rested. Getting out of bed, she headed for the shower.

Well, hello sleepy head." Rona greeted as Sara skipped down the stairs.

Sara smiled. "Yes, and believe me, I'm not sorry. Just hungry," she laughed.

"Well, if you don't tell anyone you can share my lunch. I can't have it getting around that I serve lunch, breakfast is quite enough." Rona laughed.

"Ah, thanks for the offer, but I thought I'd head into town, maybe wander around the area. I'll pick something up somewhere." She smiled as she headed for the door. "See you later."

The wind whipped Sara's hair around as she drove. The day was mild, and she had the top of her rented car down. The briny smell of the water drifted on the air and it brought back memories. Her father had loved the beach, and any activity that had to do with the water. She had some happy memories of them at the beach, but for some reason it was another memory that came to mind now, a not so happy memory, about her father, and the city she'd one day call home.
Five year old Sara was playing in the garden, digging in the dirt when her father walked up to her. He picked her up and gave her a hug and a kiss.

"Ah, Sara Bella, you look so happy here, playing in the dirt. Is that what you want to do when you grow up?" He held her tightly, looking into her laughing brown eyes.

"Yeah, Daddy, I want to be a arcologist!" She squealed.

Bill laughed. "You can be anything you want to be." His face turned somber. He made his way to the swing and sat down with Sara in his lap. "Okay, Honey, Daddy has something to tell you."

Sara stared at him earnestly and asked, "What?"

"Well, Daddy is going to go away for a little while, and I won't be able to see you. I'll be thinking of you everyday, and I'll see you again one day."

Sara looked worried. "Where are you going?"

"Just somewhere to do some…business. I'll try to call you, but it might take me a while before I can." He pulled her close and hugged her.

Sara hugged him back. "I love you, daddy," she whispered.

"I love you too, sweetie." He pulled back and kissed her nose. "But I'll always be there if you need me." He hugged her once again and put her down.

He began to walk away and Sara watched him take out his handkerchief and wipe his face. He sniffed and the last view she had of him was of his head down and his shoulders hunched in misery.

A week went by and she hadn't heard from him, and her mom was worse than ever, banging around the house and acting miserable.

Her brother, Brian, older than Sara by six years, spent most of his time barricaded up in his room, only coming out when he had to.

One night Sara couldn't sleep, so she crept downstairs to get some milk and overheard her mother on the phone. She sounded angry, but there was something else, something that little Sara didn't recognize.

"Bill, when are you coming home?" Laura asked.

Sara crept into the living room and hid behind her father's recliner.

"What do you mean, you don't know? We need you," she said, harshly. She listened a moment, then, "No, no, I promise. I won't do it again. I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to do it. Please, come back. I-I miss you. The kids miss you. Sara cries everyday and Brian is acting out."

Sara sat in confusion. She missed Daddy, yeah, but she wasn't crying everyday, and Brian was always sulky, and he had just been staying in his room, not acting out. She peaked around the chair and looked at her mother. She had sounded like she'd been crying, but when Sara saw her mother sitting on the couch, but she wasn't crying. Her cheeks were dry and she looked grumpy. Sara drew back behind the chair. When her mom spoke again she still sounded like she'd been crying.

"Please, Bill. Just think about it. I promise, it won't happen again, just come home."

A few seconds later she hung up the phone and Sara scooched back so that she wouldn't be noticed.

Laura huffed and got up, muttering. "How dare he leave me here alone to take care of these kids. His place is here; helping me, not out in that sin city, doing God knows what. His ass better get back here or he won't like the consequences."

Sara sat where she was long after her mother had gone to bed. She had a feeling her daddy should stay where he was. She just wished she could be with him. Sara pulled into a parking lot, let the top up, and got out of the car. Clouds were coming in from the ocean, and she could smell the rain on the wind.

Her father had come home two days after that phone call, he had brought souvenirs from his trip to them, and he'd given Sara a little dice key chain she could use to play house with.

For a few weeks things were okay. Her mom seemed to be in a good mood, and even Brian spent more time out of his room, but it hadn't taken long for her mother to snap.

Yes, if her father had stayed in Las Vegas he might have lived. But what would her life have been like?

The rain started to fall, and Sara ducked back into the car. She might never know the answer to that; she just hoped one thing- that she wasn't making the same mistake.

TBC…