Second ridiculously long chapter in a row, but I couldn't decide where to cut it off :) Hope you enjoy!

x x x x

Sara nudged the door open tentatively, listening carefully for any sign of movement in the flat.

She'd driven around for what felt like hours before coming to the conclusion that she had nowhere else to go and reluctantly returned to her grim, grey apartment building.

Kirsty's car was still in the parking lot, but that didn't necessarily mean she was still in the apartment. She could have gone for a walk.

And for one blissful second Sara thought that someone had heard her hopeful prayer; for the flat appeared, at first glance, to be empty.

Trashed, but empty.

She stepped carefully over the broken glass littering her doorway, automatically going to put her bag on the counter before her eye caught the remnants of her dinner splattered across the surface. She paused, instead placing it on the floor.

It was only then that she noticed the dark-skinned woman was still in the room, sat perfectly still on the couch and staring straight ahead as if Sara wasn't even there.

She froze, her blood running cold at the sight.

Slowly scanning what used to be her apartment, her sad gaze settled at last on the smashed guitar.

"What the hell?"

The words slipped out beyond her control as she hurriedly cleared the room and dropped to her knees.

"Hurts doesn't it?" Kirsty stated bluntly, pushing herself off the couch. "To lose something you love."

Tears were already beginning to creep down Sara's face as she hesitantly reached out to touch the shattered ruins of her treasured instrument.

"Why … why would you do this? How could you?" There was anger hiding somewhere inside her at the shocking actions, but the only emotion that infiltrated her voice was desperation.

Kirsty walked slowly towards her, her boots crunching over the broken items on the floor, and crouched down beside her girlfriend. She licked her lips and leant closer, until they were inches from Sara's ear, the feel of her breath sending shivers up the younger woman's spine.

"Well let's see …" she began in a low, husky voice. "I picked it up, I swung it in the air and I slammed it against the floor."

Sara winced with every word, clutching the splintered pieces of wood tighter, as if she could still protect it somehow.

"And you know what, it felt good." She continued coldly. "Almost as good as Catherine makes you feel!"

She stood up so suddenly that Sara barely caught a glimpse of the item in her hand before it was launched at her from above. Kirsty felt a small amount of satisfaction as it grazed her face before landing in her lap.

Sara looked down in stunned silence for a long, horrified moment at the phone. It had been her lifeline, her one safety net when she was struggling to stay on her tightrope.

And now it was gone; lost to the shark that had been swimming circles around her for six months.

X x x

Catherine knew she was taking a huge risk by going to Sara's flat, since Kirsty would more than likely be there.

But right now it was a risk she was willing to take.

She hadn't realised just how low Sara had sunk, but having seen her today there was no question that she had hit rock bottom.

Heaven knows what could have happened if Cath hadn't walked in when she did.

She knew the way to Sara's flat off by heart now – she'd memorised it as soon as she found out what Kirsty had been doing, in case she ever needed to get there in a hurry. Sara probably didn't know this, but Cath could be at her flat in under ten minutes if the situation called for it.

Give or take a few stop signs, of course.

From the parking lot, she could see the light on in Sara's apartment, but it was impossible to tell whether she was alone or not. Sara's car was here, but off the top of her head she couldn't remember what Kirsty drove.

Something bulky and threatening she'd guess.

Hoping for the best, Catherine gathered her bag from the front seat and made her way slowly up the stairs. On the drive over she'd conjured a few excuses to explain her presence here, but she wasn't sure which one would be the most plausible.

Not that it mattered, because every single one of them left her mind when she reached the door … half-open, for the whole world to enter.

And that frightening sight was only a prelude to what she saw when she peered inside.

Broken glass, smashed plates, mysterious stains, an overturned coffee table…

Catherine Willows did not need fifteen years of experience to recognise a crime scene when she saw one.

Unholstering her weapon, she stepped quickly but carefully over the broken items, trying not to disturb anything.

After a brief glance into the bathroom, her gaze danced over the rest of the small apartment.

She spotted Sara instantly, sat motionless on the floor with her back to the woman.

"Sara?" Cath called out tentatively, taking a small step closer.

The brunette lifted her head but didn't turn around.

"You can put that away." She stated knowingly. "She won't be coming back tonight."

Relaxing just a little at the assurance, Catherine returned her weapon to its home and delicately picked her way towards her colleague.

As she got nearer it became apparent why Sara was on the floor. Cradled pathetically in her arms was what used to be an acoustic guitar.

"Oh, no." Cat breathed, crouching down behind her friend. She automatically placed a hand on her shoulder, but quickly retracted it when Sara flinched at the action.

From here, Cath could see that the apartment wasn't the only thing Kirsty had lashed out at tonight. The right side of Sara's face was bruised and scratched, and more mottled marks peeped out from beneath her t-shirt.

"Oh God." She sighed again, dropping her head.

"She found the phone." Sara murmured.

It took Catherine a few seconds for this to register, before her face paled.

"Oh." She stood up stiffly, walking to the couch and sinking heavily into the cushions. "And I'm guessing she didn't take it well."

"She deleted the photos in front of me." Sara sniffed, wiping at her eyes. "She took it with her when she left."

"It's okay, I've got a copy of everything." Catherine assured her softly, her gaze scouring the rest of the room. Whatever had happened, it had not been pretty.
When Sara didn't speak again, she leant forwards and rested her hands on her knees. "Sara, hon, what happened here today?"

Instead of answering, Sara carefully placed the broken guitar on the floor and stood up, sloping towards her; but she didn't join her on the couch. She dropped onto her chair and pulled her knees up to her chest. She could feel Catherine tracking her every movement, but it was more than she could bear to meet her eyes.

"Why did you come here?" She asked at last, her voice weak and thick with unshed tears. Cath had been expecting a question along these lines, but it still threw her for a moment.

"I was scared for you. When I saw you in the locker room today … you gave me a fright."

"Sorry." Sara shrugged, not quiet managing to sound apologetic. "I wasn't going to…" She let the sentence trail off, throwing a hand out to the side.

"The thought crossed your mind though, didn't it?"

She offered a tight smile in response to the gentle question. She could lie, but what would be the point.

"Sometimes I can see why people want to take the easy option." She nodded at last.

Feeling the need to have some physical contact with the girl despite her obvious aversion to it right now, Cath moved to perch on the edge of Sara's chair. The brunette, to her relief, did not make any effort to move away.

"Honey, everyone thinks that sometimes." She promised. "But that's not you. You're a fighter; and one way or another, we're going to get you through this."

Sara nodded slowly, casting her eyes back to the guitar.

"That was my grandfather's." She noted sadly. "My grandmother gave it to me after he died. She took the one thing I actually cared about in this place and she smashed it." She turned back to Catherine, tears flooding her pained hazel eyes. "Why would she do that?"

"Because she was trying to hurt you." Cath answered softly, reaching up to stroke her cheek. "And it's worked, see?" She caught a tear with her fingertip, watching with a broken heart as Sara scrunched her eyes tight closed in a failing attempt to staunch the rest of them. "Sara, this wasn't done in a fit of rage. This was calculated."

Sara opened her eyes again and they instantly sought out the wrecked guitar. The best carpenter in the world couldn't put it back together now.

"I hate her." She mumbled.

Catherine released a breath, moving the hand which still lay on Sara's cheek to submerge it in dark locks. As horrible as it may sound, she had been waiting to hear that for a long time.

"Come on, why don't you come to mine for tonight?" She suggested. "I've got a spare room, and you can't stay here with it like this." She gestured to the mess. It would need to be tidied up at some point, but right now she didn't think Sara could stand cleaning away the remains of her whole life.

Sara sucked in a shaky breath, standing up and moving towards the chest of drawers at the far side of the flat.

While she threw a few essentials carelessly into a bag, a silent acceptance of the offer, the supervisor took a few minutes to survey the rest of the apartment.

There were hardly any photos, she noticed. Only a couple of the whole team, and one of an older woman with auburn hair. Sara's mother, possibly. Or the aforementioned grandmother.

Other than that, there were very few sentimental items. A collection of vinyls that were clearly too old to have belonged to Sara were sat in a box alongside her extensive CD collection, but that was about it.

Clearly, that guitar had been her only valuable item in this tiny little home of hers.

Stepping carefully over the mess, she joined the young CSI sat on the bottom of the bed, staring forlornly at her broken instrument.

"Come on sweetheart." She whispered, taking the bag in one hand and linking their fingers together in the other. "Let's get out of this place."

X x x

"Lindsey won't be home from school for a few hours." Catherine stated after a long few minutes of silence, more to fill the void than anything. Sara's only reaction was a tiny nod, her gaze still affixed somewhere over Cath's shoulder as the older woman went about her task of tending to and photographing the fresh injuries.

"She has the phone. She deleted the photos." Sara repeated her earlier statement bluntly.

"Only off your phone." Cath pointed out. "I still have a copy of them."

"Yeah, but she knows that." Sara sighed, dragging a hand through her hair and wincing as her shoulder clicked painfully. "She'll already be forming a plausible explanation for the bruises."

"And we'll deal with that when we get to it." Cath disregarded the concern with a wave of her hand. "Until then, at least you're safe here."

Sara nodded glumly, her gaze drifting across the room again.

Deciding that she had done all she could for the scrapes, Catherine sat forward on the coffee table and gripped Sara's hands tightly between her own.

The girl's forehead was creased in deep thought, a look that Cath found undeniably cute.

"What?" She pressed with a small smile. "You look concerned."

Sara nodded slowly in agreement, letting her eyes fall into her lap.

"Kirsty accused me of having an affair with … um, with you." She confessed quietly. "And you know, I kind of wished I was." She looked up, meeting Cat's gaze for the first time, tears still glistening in her eyes. "Is that wrong?"

Catherine smiled sadly at the innocent trepidation in her voice, squeezing her hands tighter.

"No sweetheart. It's not wrong."

Holding her arms out, she dragged Sara into a hug. The girl's skin was hot to the touch, as was the breath against her neck. She held her a little tighter, letting her troubled friend take what she needed from the embrace. It struck her how small Sara felt in her arms when she was scared, as if she was trying to hide inside Catherine's body to protect herself.

In truth, if it were possible Catherine would have happily let her stay there.

X x x

Sofia momentarily tore her attention from her computer to greet the man who had just graced her office.

"I thought you'd have been long gone by now." Jim commented, mildly surprised that the young blonde had out-worked him today.

She smiled, attempting to look nonchalant.

"Oh, I'm just working on something." She explained vaguely. "I won't be much longer."

"Yeah, how many times have I said that before." The aging captain winked at her playfully. "Just be sure to refill the coffee pot when you're done."

She smiled gratefully at the light-hearted interlude to her depressing work, reassuring the man that she would go home eventually.

With that promise in mind, he left her alone and she breathed a sigh of relief before going back to her research.

She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for, but she knew there had to be something.

Domestic abuse cases, police complaint records, previous employment references … there had to be some conclusive evidence that she could use against Kirsty – maybe she could even persuade Sara to leave her once and for all.

She just wished that she knew what Sara knew about the woman. She obviously had something on her; otherwise she wouldn't have told Catherine that she was going to leave her.

And what about the message to Catherine on the day of her accident? Something must have sparked that.

Dropping her head onto her folded arms, Sofia scrunched her eyes tight closed. She wished that she had known what was going on sooner, then maybe she could have actually been of some help. She had known that something was going on months ago; she should have pushed it further, but she just couldn't say no to those hazel eyes and that lopsided smile.

Of course.

She snapped her head up, her eyes widening in realisation.

Right after the smoke bomb had gone off, Sara had come to her in confidence, asking for the staff sign-in sheet for that day. At the time it had seemed an odd request but she'd just assumed that the brunette was following up a hunch.

Rummaging through the mass of paperwork on her desk, not caring that she was messing up her neat filing system, she eventually located the folder. When she'd photocopied it for Sara, she'd never gotten around to replacing it again.

At the time she hadn't known what Sara could be looking for, but now it all made sense.

And sure enough, Kirsty Soames signed out 'for lunch' an hour before the smoke bomb went off and didn't sign in again until a whole four hours later.

Which just left one question: if Sara knew this, why hadn't she said anything yet?

X x x

Catherine rolled onto her back, folding her arms beneath her head.

She couldn't sleep knowing that Sara was just down the hall.

In recent weeks she had seen almost every inch of her young colleague's body. She had touched her; held her; kissed her, even.

She had seen her vulnerable and frightened, in stark contrast to the bulletproof persona Sara tried to convey at work. More tellingly, she had earned the girl's trust. And that was something she was determined to hold on to.

In a twisted kind of way, she almost didn't want things to change in case she lost the strong connection she'd created with the brunette. If Sara were to leave Kirsty, would she still need Cath's support?

Sofia's words briefly flitted through her mind but she batted them away, not willing to admit that the detective was right; that maybe she had been using Sara's situation for her own personal gain.

Tossing the covers back, she rolled to her feet and snatched her gown off the back of the door.

She instinctively moved to check on Lindsey before remembering that the girl was still at school and instead continued down the hall to the guest room.

The light was out, but she could easily discern Sara's figure beneath the covers. She looked so small, curled into a defensive little ball in the centre of the bed.

With an affectionate smile, Cath tiptoed across the carpet and perched on the edge, careful not to wake her.

She reached out, brushing away dark curls tenderly. Sara frowned in her sleep, but she didn't stir.

"It's not wrong, baby." Catherine whispered sadly, stroking her friend's cheek with the back of her fingers as she rolled her eyes despondently towards the ceiling. "It's just really bad timing."