AN: So sorry for the long delay in updates. Life got in the way. But even more so did the fact that my computer decided to unexpectedly leave this earthly existence. Completely dead. Thank goodness still under warranty - finally exchanged with a new one last night. Lack of computer has significantly delayed the updates (and significantly increased my mental discombobulation), so I apologize. Hopefully this weekend I will have some more time to catch up and get back on track. Thank you as always to those who have been so supportive of this story - and everyone who has taken the time to read and review. Hope everyone is doing well.

Take care and enjoy.

CHAPTER 24

KELLY POV

"You came."

"You invited me."

I smile slightly, watching Sara as she takes in the images displayed along the walls in front of us. Her eyes fixing on a particularly complicated work, her brows furrow slightly.

"I didn't think you'd come, to be honest."

Finally, after a few more moments of silent contemplation, Sara turns to face me.

"I didn't think I would either," she admits quietly, eyes slightly apologetic.

I appreciate her honesty, knowing there are a lot of complications and unspoken subtleties to this situation.

"I thought perhaps we could use the time to talk. I think…" I trail off before finding my intended words. "I think we could both benefit from an open discussion."

The brunette nods slightly, eyes returning to the pieces of art closest to us. While she and I need to discuss the issues at hand, I know Sara's personality well enough to know that she, and I, could both benefit from having this particular conversation somewhere that we aren't forced to stare at each other awkwardly. One where we can be open, and perhaps more open, because we're given the comfort of a certain physical distance and distraction.

"I spoke with Catherine," I tell Sara, perhaps as a way of starting the conversation more than anything else.

Sara nods as we slowly move through the mostly deserted halls of the art gallery, remaining silent but tensing slightly.

"She seemed surprised," I continue. "But supportive."

Sara doesn't immediately respond, her expression hard to read as she glances over the painting nearest her.

"Supportive of what, exactly?" she eventually questions.

"Supportive of whatever we want this to be."

And, there's the part of this conversation that holds the largest point of contention for me. For both of us.

"I…"

Sara shakes her head, hands pushing deep into the pockets of her jeans.

"I don't know what I want this to be, Kelly."

Expression darkening, she glances over at me.

"I'm not sure I will figure it out quickly, either. And that's not fair to you. You deserve someone who knows what they want, not someone who's torn about almost every aspect of her life right now."

"Hey," I call, stepping slightly closer to the tall woman who looks like she's all but drowning in her own feelings of guilt. "Stop."

Shaking my head, I keep her gaze on mine. "I'm a participant in this, too, Sara. You weren't the only one in that bathroom that night. And, you certainly aren't the only one who's conflicted."

I feel my cheeks reddening slightly as I try to keep my voice firm.

"You're the first person…female…the first female person I've ever…done that with."

Okay, so the delivery could definitely have been a lot smoother, but Sara clearly gets my point as a slight look of surprise crosses her otherwise guarded features.

"What?"

"Need I repeat myself?" I mutter. "Please don't make me admit that out loud again."

"No," she forces herself to focus back to the conversation. "Sorry, I guess I'm just surprised."

"Why?" I raise a brow.

"I just, I don't get…" she trails off, searching for the words. "Why me?"

I laugh, glad for a small break in the tension.

"Have you looked in a mirror?" I smile.

If anything, Sara appears even more confused.

"I don't know what it is about you, Sara," I answer seriously. "You're gorgeous, of course. But there's more to it than that. I can't explain it, I just feel like there's this connection I have with you. This feeling of safety I get when I'm around you. Trust."

I try to voice my thoughts. "There's a lot about you that just feels right to me. Feels like…"

I trail off, not knowing quite the word I'm looking for.

But, perhaps I don't need to find it as Sara nods softly, eyes leaving mine as she looks somewhere behind me.

"I know," she says quietly.

It's a relief, knowing I'm not the only one here who is thinking those things. Not the only one being drawn into something that I don't fully understand or comprehend. Someone being pulled in by their feelings when rational thought keeps trying to hold me back.

"I just…" Sara breaks into my thoughts, her dark eyes shifting slowly back to mine. "I just worry."

"About?" I ask, eager for Sara to open up about her particular feelings on the matter. The private brunette doesn't give much away about anything, and this particular situation so far has been no different. She's hard to read, and without her voicing her thoughts there's no way I could ever start to guess them.

"I worry about the fact that you don't know me," she says honestly, voice low as we watch a couple of older women move past us to the next exhibit. "I worry that if you did…"

I study her, watching the emotions that cross through her gaze.

"You worry that if I knew you better, I wouldn't feel the same about you as I do now."

Sara nods, affirming my statement.

"What is it that you're scared of me finding out?" I question sincerely, noting that this is not the first time she's alluded to this concern. "What is it that you think is going to suddenly change my feelings for you?"

Sara's expression darkens, her jaw tightening as she shifts slightly. "There's a lot of things…I've done. Things about me. I…"

Sara's voice tightens, the words sounding like they are being dragged from her throat.

"Hey," I call. Reaching out, I take her jaw gently, turning her gaze back to mine. "Talk to me, Sara."

Shaking her head, Sara pulls out of my grasp, placing two large steps of distance between us as she moves back.

"This…this is all a mistake. You don't know what you're getting into. You don't deserve someone like me, Kelly, you deserve so much better…"

Stepping forward, I quickly match the distance she's placed between us. Without another word, I grasp the front of her shirt, keeping her in place as I lean up, meeting my lips with hers.

The kiss is gentle, but firm, her words immediately silenced as her body goes completely still. Deepening the contact, my free hand finds its way to her neck, placing itself in her soft hair.

When I pull back, Sara's eyes are closed, the brunette not moving at all, her slow breaths in and out the only sign of life.

Blinking her eyes open, her gaze is slightly surprised, clearly not having predicted that particular action on my part.

"I don't know a lot about you," I agree with her earlier words, quietly sharing my thoughts in the slight space between our bodies. "All I know is that you're the only person who's ever made me feel…that…from just a kiss."

I place my hand against her chest, holding her steady.

"I don't know what you're afraid of me finding out," I say. "But I think you underestimate the level of revelation it would take to change my feelings."

Sara's eyes lower, her heart rate picking up, the heavy beats thudding against hand.

"And I think you underestimate the level of revelation that's inside of me, Kelly."

Sara's eyes are heavy, her expression dark, her mouth tightening as she swallows, my own lips still tingling from our kiss.

"Do you feel anything for me?" I ask.

When her gaze shifts to mine, I continue.

"Do you feel anything when we kiss?" I ask directly. "Because if you don't, then I want you to be honest with me and stop this before it goes any further. But, if you do feel something, Sara, and you're just too scared to explore it, then I'm not okay with that."

"I…" Sara swallows again, her eyes leaving mine as she struggles to keep herself from pulling out of my grip.

"I feel something," she gets out in barely a whisper, the tightness in her tone suggesting that the words are spoken despite her preference to keep them silenced, to keep her feelings smothered.

"Sara," I breathe out, shaking my head at the woman so beautiful and yet so tortured that's held in my grasp. "You need to talk to me and let me decide for myself what I am or am not willing to pursue with you."

CATHERINE POV

"You okay?"

Glancing up, Sara seems surprised to find me standing next to her, as if she never even heard my entrance. Which says a lot as the brunette is usually hyperaware of her surroundings. Especially when it comes to me and my proximity to her.

"I'm fine," she says evenly, straightening up as she switches out one slide for another under the microscope.

"Right," I raise a disbelieving brow.

"The transfer from both our vics' clothing is an identical match. Places them both in proximity prior to their death."

Sighing at Sara's clear change of topic, I move closer to peer down the eyepiece of the microscope. Apparently this morning we're strictly business.

"So we have our vics in physical contact before they were killed." I straighten back up. "But, they were at a rave, I would bet a lot of people there have similar transfer. Not exactly the best place for personal space."

Sara nods, "But it at least provides a timeline. Transfer has the same level of recrystallization in the mineral composition from the decomp of the bodies. Which places its exposure time as identical for both victims."

"Meaning?" I raise my brows.

"Meaning they were together not just that evening, but that they were together when they died as they have the same time of death."

Following her logic, I slowly nod. Two people killed in exactly the same place at exactly the same time. Clearly related to the same motive, and of course presumably the same killer.

"We need to find who was at that party. Someone had to see two people murdered right in front of them. We probably have over a dozen witnesses."

"But no one wants to admit they were at an illegal rave in the desert, doing God knows what types of illegal activities."

"Then we don't wait for them to come to us. We find them."

"Ideas?" Sara questions.

"A few."

"You have a way with tracking people down," Sara raises a slightly dark humored brow, a small smile playing against her lips.

"Had some quality practice via a particularly elusive brunette CSI," I smile back.

"How did you even know there would be cameras here?"

I shrug, "Nowadays there's practically cameras everywhere."

I meet her eyes before returning them to the computer screens in front of us. "Besides, that portion of the desert used to border an old mining plot, most mines having at least some level of video surveillance for land surveying if nothing else."

Clicking on a few screens, I watch the fuzzy feeds.

"Just a matter of narrowing it down to the closest one to where our partiers would have approached or exited the rave."

Moving from one camera feed to the next, I watch the locations of each as they light up on the GPS map Sara brought up on the large screen in front of us.

"Have you spoken with Kelly?"

Sara's eyes dart to mine, the brunette clearly caught off guard. Then, censoring her emotions as usual, her stoic mask falls back into place.

"Look, Sara," I state, putting down my pen as I finally identify and mark the camera closest to the rave and turn to face her. "I'm not trying to pry. I…"

Shaking my head, I don't know whether this is a mistake, but needing to be honest.

"I just want you guys to be happy," I tell her sincerely. "And, I don't mean just Kelly."

I reach over, taking Sara's hand in mine.

Studying Sara's eyes, I run my fingers across her knuckles, feeling her cold skin against my own.

"You know that, right?" I breathe out. "I hope you can trust that I just want you both to be happy. Whatever you decide."

Squeezing her hand gently, I watch as her eyes study our joined appendages, her expression hard to read.

"You deserve to be happy, Sara."

Giving her back her hand, I breathe out.

"More than almost anyone I know."

Our gazes meet, her hazel eyes on mine before she looks away.

Leaning in, I give her shoulder a brief squeeze before I step away, moving to exit the room, exit her presence, before I take my honesty one step further and reveal something that I'll regret.

KELLY POV

Heading out from the office, I shuffle my notebooks to under my arm as my phone starts to vibrate. Glancing at the caller ID, I do a double take.

"Sara?"

Hearing silence on the other line, I start to wonder if she accidentally dialed me without knowing.

Then, I hear the phone being shifted slightly, the line still open.

"You wanted to talk," Sara states into the silence.

There's a pause.

"Let's talk."

I stop walking, grip tightening on my phone at her words.

"Where are you, Sara?"

Another pause. Then, the silence is again broken by her voice.

"My apartment."

I shuffle my keys from my pocket.

"I'm on my way."

AN: Thanks for reading.