Thanks again for the reviews I've received on this, it really helps writing the next parts, so feel free to review again.
So, finally I was able to get a new case into this and I hope I do it all justice, just remember I'm Danish, so I get my knowledge about the American way of doing this from TV and English still isn't my first language.
Jess, thank you. I'm running out of ways to express my gratitude, so I'll go with the simple thank you again this time.
Oh and the anniversary went very well and is finally over – that was one hard week to get through.
Chapter Six
The Amber Alert
Lindsey knocked on the door at two o'clock as she had promised. When she didn't get a reaction she knocked harder. "Mom?" She shouted through the door. "Are you awake?"
"Mmmm." Catherine mumbled into Sara's side, making the brunette chuckle. Catherine was just too adorable waking up.
"We're awake, Lindsey." She shouted back.
"Ok." Lindsey stayed behind the door. "Do you want coffee?" She asked.
"Catherine, do you want coffee?" Sara nudged the blonde.
"Mhmm." Catherine turned over on her back nodding.
"Yes please." Sara informed Lindsey on the other side of the door. "We'll be out soon." She turned and faced Catherine. "You know, it's not nice making me deal with Lindsey when I just woke up."
Catherine brought her arm up covering her eyes, yawning deeply. She peeked out under her arm as a smile formed on her lips.
"Serves you right for running yesterday." She said between yawns. "Besides," She said, rolling over on her side again, "we're fighting, so she's not talking to me right now."
"Ok." Sara brought her hand up to caress her cheek. "Good thing I'm a better morning person than you then."
"Mhm." Catherine nodded, shimmying closer. "Morning." She said, kissing Sara lightly on the lips.
"Morning." Sara stretched and proceeded to get out of bed. "Better go get the coffee while it's hot." She said to Catherine with a wink. She put her clothes on quickly and left the bedroom.
Catherine rolled over with a sigh when the brunette had left the room. Was she just supposed to forgive everything because Sara had apologized to her? Sure, she had talked to Lindsey, but she had hurt the girl first. This was definitely not over, they would still have a lot to talk about before everything would be alright. She wasn't sure that she could keep dealing with Sara being so closed off, especially since the relationship seemed to be developing faster than any previous relationships she'd been in.
Getting up, she put on her robe before joining her daughter and lover in the kitchen. They were both sitting at the table watching the TV intently.
"Morning Linds." She said, going straight to the coffeepot.
"Morning Mom." Lindsey didn't look up from the TV screen.
"When did your grandmother leave?" Catherine ignored the news reporter on the screen and focused on her daughter.
"A couple of hours ago." Lindsey looked up at her shortly. "Can I watch this, mom?"
"Catherine, I think I need to go in early." Sara looked up at her too.
"What?" The blonde looked over at her incredulously. "But…"
"There's a little girl missing." Lindsey interrupted her, pointing at the TV.
"How long?" Catherine started focussing on the screen. There was a picture of a pretty little blonde girl, no more than 6 years old.
Just as Sara was about to answer her question the reporter started speaking again.
"Ashleigh Adams is six years old and has been missing since around 11.30 this morning. Her parents had taken her to the park, where she disappeared, and so far there has been no trace of her. Ashleigh was wearing a pair of jeans and a pink sweater with a white t-shirt underneath. The police ask that anyone has seen the girl immediately contact the nearest police station. The picture on your screen was taken 3 months ago, so if you have seen this little girl in the last two and a half hours please call the police. Any small piece of information can help the investigation."
"Hey, that's Grissom." Lindsey pointed at the screen when it showed the crime scene. "And uncle Warrick, Nick and Greg.
"Why are they processing the scene? They're not on yet." Catherine asked no one in particular, watching Grissom putting his phone to his ear on the screen. Seconds later Sara's cell started ringing.
"Grissom?" Sara was sure it was him calling.
"Sara." Grissom scratched his head on the screen. "We have an Amber alert and we could use you here."
"I'm watching right now. Where do you need me?"
"At the park, we have a lot of ground to cover. I'll call Catherine as well."
"You can talk to her now, she's standing next to me." She handed the phone to the blonde.
"Grissom?" Catherine looked over at her daughter.
"I know it's your day off, but we need all hands on deck here, Catherine." Grissom almost sounded sorry.
"Yeah," Catherine sighed, "I need to make arrangements for Lindsey and then I'll be there." She sent an apologetic look to her daughter. "At the park?"
"No." Grissom paused. "I want you to handle the parents."
"Aren't they at the park?"
"No, we sent them home in case someone should contact them with a ransom." He gave her the address.
"Who's with them?" Catherine needed all the information she could get.
"Sofia and Shaw." Grissom sounded distracted. "I might have something here, let me know when you get to the parents." With that he hung up.
"Lindsey, I'm sorry…" Catherine turned towards her daughter. "I have to…"
"It's ok, Mom." Lindsey stopped her.
"I'll see you later." Sara finished her coffee and gave Catherine a quick peck on the cheek, while pulling her hair into a ponytail.
"Yeah." Catherine said distractedly still looking at her daughter.
"Bye Lindsey." Sara left.
"Bye Sara." Lindsey looked after the brunette as she left. Looking back at her mother she opened her mouth to say something, but shut it again before doing so.
"Lindsey, I'm so sorry. I know I promised that…"
"No, mom. It's ok. Really. It's just…" She paused again.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry." Lindsey looked up at her. "I'm sorry about yelling at you yesterday and stuff."
"I want us to talk about all this, Lindsey. Maybe with Sara here as well, if…" She stopped, but then decided to continue. "If I can get her to be there. But I do want us to talk this through. I don't want you to think of me like that."
"I think you can get Sara to be there." Lindsey offered for the time being, dismissing the rest of what her mother had said.
"Maybe." Catherine sighed. "I better call your aunt." She picked up her phone, while putting her free arm around Lindsey and pulling the girl into her in a hug.
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When Catherine pulled up to the Adams family's house she instantly knew that they would not be receiving a ransom call or note. The house was a normal middleclass suburban house, not a place where people who could afford a big ransom would live. So either the child was taken by a very unprofessional kidnapper or she was taken by a pedophile. Catherine had her money on the last suggestion. With a sigh she got out of the car, putting on her professional face and walking towards the house with her kit in hand.
Kimberly Shaw greeted her just outside the house, wanting to fill her in before she entered.
"I thought you were on leave." Catherine greeted the detective.
"I was supposed to come back Monday." Kimberly told her.
"Hell of a case to come back to." Catherine looked up and down the street.
"Yeah." Kimberly nodded. "The parents are inside, they're very shaken up. I think they're on the same page as us, but they're still hoping that this will be 'just' a kidnapping."
"No indication that they did something to the girl?" Catherine hated having to ask that question.
"No." Kimberly shook her head. "We haven't seen anything in their behavior that would suggest that." The detective looked up at the clear sky. "God, in cases like this I just want to get my kid, hold her close and never let go."
"I know how you feel." Catherine put a hand on her arm and squeezed lightly in support. "Let's get inside." She nodded towards the door and they went in.
Shaw guided her to the living room where the parents of the little girl were sitting on the couch looking at the phone lying on the table in front of them. Sofia was sitting in a chair opposite them, she looked up when they entered the room.
"Hey." She got up offering the chair to Catherine, who sat down whilst nodding to the detective.
"Mr. and Mrs. Adams, I'm Catherine Willows from the crime lab. I'm sorry about your daughter, but I assure you that we are all doing everything we can to find her again."
"Thank you." Mrs. Adams looked up with tears in her eyes.
"The thing is…" Catherine paused shortly making sure that she had their attention. "We have to cover all bases, especially in a case with a lost child, so I am here to process your house. And I'll need your permission to do so." She looked at both of them.
"You think…" Mr. Adams got up from the couch. "You think that we did something to Ash?" He asked the three of them. "We would never hurt our little girl. She's…" He stopped, turning away from them. "She's our princess." He started sobbing quietly. Mrs. Adams just stared at them blankly.
Catherine looked up at the two detectives before talking again.
"We don't think you've done anything to Ashleigh, but we have to make sure." When she didn't get any response from either of them parents she continued. "There are probably fifty people working the scene at the park and we're only three people here."
Mr. Adams turned around and looked at her again, seemingly having gotten his emotions under control again.
"Look anywhere you want. Do I have to sign anything?" He asked, sitting back down next to his wife.
"Yes." Catherine nodded and pulled out a form from her kit. "If you could sign right there." She handed him the piece of paper. "And we are going to need something of Ashleigh's, something she wore recently. They're going to use dogs to pick up her trail and…"
"We already sent a patrol with a jacket." Sofia stopped her.
"Right." Catherine got up when and took the paper Mr. Adams handed her. She looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Thanks." He looked down his shoulder slumped.
