Sara only had taken two steps toward Dianne when she was jerked to an abrupt stop by Catherine, who seized her elbow.
"You're not going anywhere," she said.
It was an instruction not to be disobeyed, and it was given with a venomous look toward Dianne – one of utter distrust. But Brass, ever affectionate toward Catherine, put up a placating hand before stepping forward, calming her down.
"It's okay."
"We're not going to harm her, Catherine," Dianne assured, looking unbothered. "We just need a word."
But Grissom was apparently on the same page as Catherine, and before Sara could step forward and deal with it herself he had headed her off, looking every bit the former team leader he had been.
"You can talk to all of us, or you can talk to none of us," he said, with cool authority. "You're not splitting us up."
"You can all come in if you want," DB Russell said, unfazed. "But it's up to Sara. We just think it might be more tactful if we speak with her alone."
Immediately suspicious, Sara looked toward the others, but Catherine was not to be shaken, and they soon escorted her in.
"Sorry Jim, we come as a set," Nick explained, taking a seat.
Sofia sat down next to him with a hard look on her face, and Sara knew that if they attempted any crap on her, she would shoot them down in two seconds flat.
"You can cut to the chase," Catherine said, done with diplomacy. "We're not in the mood for speeches. It's been a long day."
"I understand," DB Russell said. "You want the short and sweet version?"
"Just give us the punch line," Nick said.
"Well the short version is we've processed your clothes," Finlay said. "And as a courtesy we wanted to let you know what we found."
It was faked kindness, but Sara took with interest the photo that was passed to her, a full page picture of Sofia's LVPD jacket – the one with the stained neck.
"We found your blood on the collar," DB Russell said to Sofia. "Quite a large stain."
"She had a head injury," Nick said. "We already told you about that, you heard about it last night."
"It's from her head wound," Catherine said, dismissive. "I bandaged it myself."
"We know," Brass said, and he reached across to pat her knee, soothing her, lest she should fly off the handle again. "We just thought you should know. I don't want to keep any secrets."
"What else did you find?" Sara asked, knowing that could not possibly be all.
Finlay then produced a second photo, and awkwardly slid it across the coffee table to Sara, along with a look of heartfelt sympathy.
"We found two blood drops on your underwear," she said. "One on your bra, the other on the elastic of your panties. It came back to an unidentified male."
Sara's breath hitched in her throat. Suddenly she knew why Dianne had wanted to see her alone, what they had inferred from this tiny detail. If she had been in their position herself, she would have immediately suspected a struggle, and possibly rape, based on the fact that the blood spatter alone meant she had been in her underwear at the time, and it meant there had been a fight.
She sensed Brass' hand distantly land on her back somewhere, felt all eyes in the room upon her.
"You don't have to say anything," Sofia said.
"But it could be helpful if you do," DB Russell countered. "If a man hurt you, if he attacked you, and he's still out there, we need to do everything we can to bring him in."
Sara said nothing, aware that he was already dead, and also aware that she couldn't admit to that fact – not without opening a can of worms for Grissom.
"I have nothing to say," she said.
"Did he molest you?" DB Russell asked. "I know you said at the hospital last night that no one was raped, but the position of the blood drops indicate you were in close contact when it happened."
"It's none of your business," Sara said. "Even if something did happen, and I'm not saying it did, I'm not laying charges."
"Why's that?" Finlay asked, curious. "Has he threatened you? Threatened retribution?"
"She's not answering questions," Grissom said. "Leave it."
Grateful for his intervention Sara sighed, and wished suddenly that she hadn't come in the room at all.
"You okay?" DB Russell asked.
"I would be if you hadn't have come here," Sara said, and with that she rose, and departed the room.
She left the others to explain as she retreated back down the hallway, ignoring Lindsey's questioning look, and then shut herself in the large pristine bathroom. Gripping the edges of the sink she leaned over, and took long, steadying breaths.
She had barely taken three before she heard a knock at the door, and then Grissom's voice.
"Open up."
She reached out a hand to twist the lock, setting it loose, and a second later he appeared, his face crinkled with sympathy.
His arm slid straight around her shoulders, holding her close.
"I just don't like to remember it," she said.
"I know," he replied. "That's why we didn't let you walk in there alone."
"Thanks for that."
But she closed her eyes again, needing a second to steady herself, and she felt him then slip a hand to her diaphragm, employing Catherine's technique of monitoring her breathing.
"Slow and steady," he said.
It had only been yesterday afternoon that she had nearly died, and been brought back to life by CPR, hearing those same words. It already felt so long ago, yet still so painfully fresh.
"I got it," she replied.
She spent a few more seconds in tranquil silence before she heard more footsteps, and then Catherine arrived, appearing in the open doorway.
"She okay?" she asked.
"Just shaken," Grissom replied, still keeping a firm hold of her.
Catherine made her way to Sara's other side, and joined in the comfort, laying a familiar hand to her back. She sighed, a regretful one, and Sara felt a pressure to break the awkwardness.
"I'm okay," she said. "It just sucks."
"It does," Grissom said. "You feel like you just got over it, left it behind you, and then it gets stirred up by PD."
"I was expecting something like this," Catherine said. "After our behaviour at the hospital yesterday, I could see them thinking it."
"I'd be thinking it myself if I was in their shoes," Sara said, remembering her freak out at the time of examination by Finlay. "It was so obvious, even without the clothes; they have to sense what happened."
"I think they do," Grissom said.
"The spatter alone indicates a struggle," Catherine said. "The fact that we don't want to press charges is suggestive. They're probably wondering if he was killed."
"And if it was an ordinary crime, if he was alive, we wouldn't be hesitating to give them his name – or even a description. We've been in PD too long."
Catherine nodded, conceding this, and Sara felt suddenly sick.
"What the hell are we going to tell them?" she asked.
"Sofia's handling it," Catherine said, with a little rub of her back to say it would be okay. "She's taken her mom aside; I expect she'll tell her the truth."
"There's not much choice," Grissom said.
Sara hoped that Sofia had nerves of steel, but could see they had no other option. Dianne had only taken them in on a condition of honesty, and they had already breached that. And undoubtedly, once Dianne heard their account, she would not want to put Sofia in any more trouble. The fact that she was Sofia's mother was the greatest thing they had on their side. If anyone could prevent more unwanted questions, it was Captain Dianne Curtis.
"We just have to trust her," Grissom said.
"Like we said, they already know," Catherine said. "Sofia's just minimising the damage."
It turned out that that was the case, and luckily for all of them Sofia had not lost her skills of political diplomacy, despite her nine months away. It turned out that she had taken her mom for an honest talk on the terrace, and though she still did not confess the entirety of their story, or the fact that it had happened in an alternate universe, she did confess in confidence that Sara had been molested – and that the group had come to her defence.
Dianne had seemed relieved more than anything that the rape had not been successfully carried through, and apparently she had indeed been sensing this yesterday, ever since she had arrived at the desert to find Sara so terrified of men. It was half an hour later in the privacy of Dianne's bedroom that Sara came clean on some of the details, and had a heart to heart with her new pseudo foster mother. Dianne had hugged her, and apart from expressing disappointment that Sara had not confessed it in the first place – so that she could have deflected questions in advance from PD – it turned out well. Sara emerged from the bedroom feeling a new close connection with Dianne, and Dianne went on to deal with CSI on their behalf, and the questions from PD which followed.
Sara grew in time to develop a sense of what it must have cost Dianne to defend them that night, when she had been forced to make a blatant choice between Sofia or her career at PD – and she had chosen Sofia. Though Dianne did not talk about it with them, and shielded them from all discussions which must have occurred, Sara noticed at the time that thereafter PD were conspicuous only by their absence. There were no more obvious visits, no more requests for statements. Sara knew too that Brass had shared equally in the fallout, as to refuse to assist PD was politically dangerous, but if they had any rough discussions on it with the Sheriff, neither admitted to such.
All in all this was a blessing for the group, and any doubts they'd had about whose side Dianne and Brass were on quickly disappeared. With their new comfortable relationship Sara also found herself confessing to other small details over the following days – flecks of the truth – and gradually the family was able to build up a hazy picture of what had occurred, even if they were still in the dark over where and how it had been.
The night after that talk turned out to be quite peaceful, and nothing more of note happened until the following morning, when Sara had an unexpected talk with Catherine.
Sara had observed over breakfast that something did not seem quite right, and that Catherine was avoiding Warrick's eyes. She had to be drawn into conversation, hesitated to answer, and was unusually distant even with Lindsey. Before Sara could corner her on it however Catherine beat her to it, whispering a request after breakfast to speak to her alone in the bedroom, which Sara happily heeded.
She escorted her down into the bedroom and shut the door, leading her over onto the bed.
"What's up?"
"I've done something stupid," Catherine said, all a jittery mess. "Really dumb."
"What is it?" Sara asked.
"Warrick," Catherine said, cringing slightly with regret. "Bareback in the bathroom this morning."
Stunned, Sara stared at her a moment, before then supressing a smile. She was not really surprised; she knew full well that of all of them, Catherine had the highest sex drive, and was by far the most adventurous in bed, judging from the tales she often shared with Sara and Sofia. If it had been going to happen to anyone, she would have banked on it happening to Catherine, but the fact that it had said a lot about her state – which was not good.
She immediately slipped an arm around her shoulders.
"You had unprotected sex?"
"No condom," Catherine confirmed. "I don't even know what I was thinking, it just happened. We started kissing and … you know the rest."
Sara nodded; she could imagine. But that was not the problem.
"You're worried about falling pregnant?" she guessed.
"Yeah," Catherine admitted, and her face fell. "I just don't need that right now. I mean, a baby, a pregnancy … can you imagine?"
Sara nodded; she could – and all too well. Momentarily stifling the pain, she sighed, and wrenched her mind back on track, clinging to logic.
"Is there any chance of it happening?" she asked. "Are you ovulating?"
"The timing's perfect," Catherine confessed, with frank honesty. "And I've never had a problem with fertility. I mean, I know I'm older now, but I fell pregnant first time with Lindsey. Eddie and I had no problem on that front."
Sara nodded. She had heard that story before, but still the problem remained of what to do.
"Well I wouldn't panic," Sara said, mustering her thoughts. "We're out of the desert now, and this is the modern world. We just need to get you a morning after pill from the pharmacy; it'll be fine."
She gave her a bracing squeeze, but Catherine scoffed, giving her a look.
"How?" she challenged. "We have the most recognisable faces in the country. You heard Brass, and the media reports … we can't just go strolling down the street. And all our money and assets are tied up with the courts. We don't even have them back yet."
But Sara was a step ahead, and had thought of this too. She already knew the answer.
"We're going to have to tell someone," she said. "Get some help. There are plenty of adults here who can help."
"Who are you suggesting? My mother? That'll lead to one hell of a lecture."
Stifling a smile, Sara shook her head.
"No, not your mom. And not Lindsey either. But we can tell Jim or Dianne. They've been cops for such a long time, nothing will surprise them."
Catherine looked deeply sceptical at this idea, and said flatly, "I can't tell Dianne. I can't insult her hospitality by telling her I had a quickie in her bathroom. That'd be pushing our luck after all she's done for us."
Acknowledging this point, Sara still did not budge.
"Brass, then," she said. "He's your friend, and he's no virgin. He's so worried about you right now, this won't faze him. He'll be glad to help."
In the end Catherine agreed to this, helped along by a suggestion from Sara that they could always call Greg – who would be glad to help. Catherine shot her a glare at this, stating flatly that she was not telling the boy CSI that she had had a romp with one of his colleagues, and especially in a bathroom – Greg would find that too amusing. So it was with reluctance that she agreed to tell Jim, marginally preferring this embarrassment over the prospect of a pregnancy, knowing firsthand from Sara's ordeal what that meant.
Sara did, however, spare her the pain of admitting to it, and offered to speak to Brass herself – a conversation which took place a short time later out on the terrace – by the outdoor setting which overlooked the sunburnt valley.
"You're kidding?" he said, emitting a small sigh, when Sara told him.
Sara shook her head, but said earnestly, "She's really embarrassed. She doesn't want the others to know, least of all Dianne. I know it's a favour, but if you could help us get her the pill, that'd be great."
"We'll handle it," he assured, squeezing her shoulder. "It's okay."
"I just don't want her going through what I did," Sara confessed, knowing it was a time for honesty. "That's the last thing we need right now. We don't need a pregnancy and an abortion six weeks down the track, we're under enough stress already."
"I know," he repeated, and he stepped half in, giving her a one-armed hug. "I know. Don't worry, okay? I'll handle it. I'm not going to let her get into any trouble. Catherine and I go too far back."
Relieved, Sara accepted his embrace, and then the peck on the cheek which he gave her, as though he was aware that the event had spurned unwanted memories in Sara, which were still raw. Feeling better Sara then wandered back into the living room and threw Catherine a discrete wink, and Brass left five minutes later, promising to be back.
Over the next hour Sara watched as Catherine maintained a façade as hard as steel, deflecting the curious glances she received from Warrick and Grissom, who seemed to know something was up. But she did not remain stressed for long as Brass soon returned, and with a paper bag in hand, ushered them down to a spare bedroom, where he closed the door for privacy.
"I got what you wanted," he said, withdrawing a small box and handing it over. "Make sure you take it soon, okay? It'll minimise the risk."
"Thanks," Catherine said, and her eyes shone with gratitude. "You're a good friend."
"Hey, you're welcome," he said, touched as ever. "You just take care of yourself, okay? I don't want to hear any more of this. You're under enough stress already. Don't make things hard on yourself."
"I'm not saying it was a great decision," Catherine admitted. "But you know what it's like. Sometimes you just -"
"Get carried away," he finished. "I know."
His eyes shone briefly with his own memories, a sign of wilder times, and Catherine smiled back, knowing without being told what he was remembering. The two were on the same page.
"Hey, I'm no choir boy," he admitted, smiling. "I know where you're coming from. Just take care, okay?"
"Okay," Catherine said.
"And there's something else in there for you too. Share them around."
With a wink he left, and Catherine peered into the bag and pulled out three boxes of ordinary condoms – one for each of them.
"I guess that solves that problem," Catherine joked, raising an eyebrow.
Sara took a box and glanced at it before handing it back.
"Why are you handing it back?" Catherine asked. "You may need them."
"Not for another few weeks," Sara admitted, recalling that she had been forbidden from having sex by the doctors, at least until the effects of the miscarriage wore off. And unlike Catherine, she could not imagine doing it in Dianne's house, either.
"You never know," Catherine joked, giving her a conspiratorial look. "A time may present itself – there is a barn outside."
Sara grinned. "That joke just never gets old, does it?"
"Hey, I wasn't the one who did it on a haystack."
"You did it in the bathroom," Sara countered. "Not to mention all the times you did it in the open air."
She knew that Catherine and Warrick had been fond of doing it in the desert, on their favourite piece of grassland, and they had disappeared there frequently over the course of their stay.
"A lot more comfortable than a haystack," Catherine argued, playfully. "At least I didn't have hay in my fanny."
"I don't imagine there's a lot of room for it when Warrick's in there," Sara joked, having seen him naked.
Catherine grinned at her, slyly, and with an honesty that told her she was spot on, but before they could continue the banter there was a knock at the door, and Sofia entered, wondering at their extended absence.
Catherine did not bother to hide the condoms from her – they had no secrets from Sofia – and Sara merely handed over one of the boxes, together with a girl-talk smile.
"For you and Nick," she said. "In case you get tempted."
Sofia stared at the condoms, turning them over in her hand, before her eyes then went from one to the other, stunned.
"What have you been up to down here?"
"Just being prepared," Catherine said, with a believable smile. "It's a gift from Jim."
"You asked Brass to buy you these?"
She grinned, apparently amused, but Sara shook her head.
"It was his idea," she said. "I don't think he wants a repeat of what happened to me."
"He's being a gentleman," Catherine covered.
Sofia stared for a moment longer before she slipped them discretely into her pocket with a smile, pulling down her shirt to cover the protruding edge.
"Well I'm glad we've got our priorities straight," she said, though she was grinning and did not seem to mind in the least. "You may want to put those away though – if my mother sees them she'll think we're having an orgy."
"Been there, done that," Catherine joked, referring to their wild night months ago, after they were first trapped.
"We didn't have sex," Sofia corrected. "We just downed a case of grog."
"And played a great game of cards," Sara recalled.
"Only you did have sex," Catherine said, with a memory that was far too perfect considering how drunk she had been. "Upstairs, right?"
"Yeah," Sara said, and she grinned, not embarrassed. "We had to let off steam, somehow."
The jokes did not end there, but by the time they left five minutes later they were all feeling a lot better, and the good mood carried them far into the afternoon. Brass, it turned out, had not forgotten the mishap that morning, and Sara spotted him talking a walk around the grounds with Warrick, but trusting that this would be all right, they did not interfere, and left them to it. In any case it looked as though the two men were having a comfortable heart to heart, and seeing Warrick leaning casually on the fence that bordered the horse paddock, Sara could see that he was quite at ease, and apparently enjoying the man talk – and the escape from the endless small talk inside.
In any case when he returned he pecked Catherine straight on the lips, despite the fact that Lindsey was nearby, and in the end no more was said. The only thing that did come of it all was something that happened in the middle of the night later on, when Sara was lying awake, and heard a sudden shuffle of blankets up the far end of the room.
She opened her eyes in time to see Nick and Sofia shrugging on coats, feeling their way in the darkness, and as Sofia spotted Sara lying awake she tiptoed over, crouching beside her mattress.
"Where are you going?" Sara asked, curious.
"Just a moonlight walk," Sofia whispered. "Outside. We won't be far."
Sara knew full well that walking was probably only part of the menu, and that in all probability the two would have sex up against the barn somewhere, but she did not really care. The only thing that mattered was …
"You have a ..?"
"Yeah," Sofia said, and she patted her jeans pocket. "I'll see you later, okay?"
"Take care."
She pecked Sara on the lips, and then left hand in hand with Nick, the two tiptoeing out and giggling somewhere up the corridor. Sara could only hope that no one else in the house would wake, and luckily they didn't – except for Grissom, who stirred briefly.
"Where are they going?" he asked, still half asleep.
"Just to the barn," Sara answered.
She had not realised that Grissom was so intuitive until he was suddenly up on his elbow, scrutinising her. After their terrible ordeal with their baby he was apparently leaving nothing to chance with their friends.
"Do they have protection?" he whispered.
"She has a condom," Sara confirmed, disinterested. "Go back to sleep."
He did relax, though not a for minute or two, but curiously he seemed inspired, and moved to cuddle her for a while after that, slipping over to her side under the blankets. This was not unusual, as often Grissom liked to spoon her during the night, and cop a free feel in the process, and Sara did not mind. In their old lives this had often led to sex, but recently, like now, he just wanted to hold her, with no request for intercourse.
Sara closed her eyes, dozing in his embrace while his left hand wandered of its own accord under her shirt, spending a bit of time on her breasts, and though his touch was not demanding it was pleasant, and it felt good to regain that intimacy which they so lacked during the daytime. Sara knew that all of the couples had suffered in this regard, particularly Nick and Sofia, who had been so self-conscious with their families hanging around that they had barely touched each other in the two days since they had been back.
And Catherine and Warrick too were feeling the lack of alone time, if their behaviour that morning had been anything to go by, and it did not go unnoticed by Sara that as soon as the bedroom door was closed of a night, and their families were shut out, Catherine fell back into her old habit of peeling off her outer clothes, and sleeping in her lingerie. She knew this was primarily for comfort reasons, though Warrick did not seem to mind, and the two certainly cuddled close at night.
No, all in all, she knew the time was edging near when the six would stop sharing a room, and that the need for intimacy and privacy would far outweigh the need for the group to be together, with most of them now psychologically improved. And the good thing was, they were ready, and it appeared things were going to be all right.
Starting to get into the happy ending phase now. There aren't too many chapters to go. Please let me know if you're liking it - encouragement will help me make it to the end. :)