AN: Thanks everyone for your continued support of this story. Didn't want to leave you with last chapter's cliffhanger for too long, so tried to get this chapter posted as soon as I could :)

Take care and enjoy.

CHAPTER 34

CATHERINE POV

"I'm sorry?"

The voice repeats the statement, crackled slightly due to the poor reception. The words are exactly the same.

They're just as hard to take in this second time around.

"Where is she?"

Hearing the response, my fingers tense around my cell phone, probably pretty damn close to breaking it.

"Keep her there, I'm on my way."

Hanging up, Kelly's eyes are anxiously on mine, her hand frozen on the tv remote which she's used to pause our movie.

"I, uh…" I trail off, running a hand through my hair. "I need to run out for a second."

Lindsey looks up, her eyes starting to narrow with worry as I can't quite mask my expression under my current state.

Noticing, Kelly immediately unpauses the movie, my daughter's attention quickly diverting back to the screen with her favorite characters.

Getting up, Kelly wordlessly takes me by the arm, directing us into the privacy of the kitchen.

"Catherine, what's going on?"

"I…" taking a deep breath, I swallow tightly. "That was Captain Brass from work. He…"

Finally meeting Kelly's gaze, I feel my stomach clenching tightly.

"There was an incident. At work. With Sara."

"What…" Kelly trails off. "What kind of incident? And isn't she off shift like you?"

She's supposed to be, I think to myself. But, she's Sara Sidle. I have no doubt that Sara probably went home briefly after our exchange at the bar, only to head back into the lab a few hours later. Sara was clearly thrown by what I confessed to her in that alley, and one thing Sara likes to do when she feels out of sorts is to drown and distract herself in her work.

"They apparently brought in a suspect in one of our cases…the one from the shootings. They were trying to make him nervous by bringing him in for a formal interrogation at the station, make him flustered enough to hopefully screw up."

I shake my head, not knowing whether the anger, the fear, the anxiety, or some other emotion I can't name is currently taking the top rank.

"What happened?" Kelly's own voice is definitely being led by fear.

Things between her and Sara have been strained, to say the least. Both pretty much having been avoiding each other ever since their decision to part ways. Or, more Kelly's decision.

But, I know Kelly still cares for the brunette, it's easy enough to read in her eyes, in the fear right now saturating her voice. They may not be on great terms, but Kelly will always care for the person she fell so deeply, so quickly for.

"Catherine?"

Brought back to the moment, I shake my head. "He was vague about details. Something about the suspect making threats, Sara reacting violently. Him responding in turn."

"She went after him?" Kelly says with wide eyes.

Yes, Sara has a temper, anyone who knows her likely has picked up on that. But, Sara's always lashed out at herself – hitting walls, lockers, the side of her car.

Never at someone else.

But, something tells me Sara isn't exactly in the best place right now. Hasn't been for a while, really. And, it hasn't even been a full 8 hours since our conversation in the alley, since the latest revelation to crash into her world.

Something tells me right now the brunette is under a lot of strain, a lot of emotions and things going on in her life that are putting her more than a little on edge. She's gasoline right now, and all she needed was a spark.

"Is she alright?" Kelly asks, getting to the true question we're both clearly worried about.

"Brass said she's okay, but refuses care to confirm."

"Fucking idiot," Kelly gets out, shaking her head at the stubborn behavior that is characteristically Sara.

Looking up, she shakes her head, "Why did he call you then?"

I sigh, "He needs to release her to a supervisor. Either me or Gil. Since it's involving my case…"

"He chose you."

I nod, and I'm glad he did. If Gil was the one getting this call…

Grabbing my keys from the counter, I pull on my coat.

"I'm so sorry, Kelly," I state sincerely. "I owe you so much."

"No worries," she reassures me. "Just be safe. And try to force some sense into Sara."

I laugh lightly, "Yeah, right."

"Take me to her. Now."

Brass gestures down the hall, to the middle interrogation room.

There's so much that needs to be said, be addressed. But, right now, I need to see her.

Making my way down the hall, I stop short when I see the streaks of crimson along the linoleum.

"Already been processed," Brass tells me, staying steps behind to give me some privacy. "It's all clear."

No longer worried about disturbing what is now essentially a crime scene, I complete my path to the doorway. Peering through the glass, I take a deep breath before entering.

When I see her, I have to close my eyes to steady myself.

She's here, she's alive, she's not lying in some pool of blood.

But, she does have blood on her, splashes on her shirt, her arms.

"Sara."

Her head is lowered, her gaze on the flooring.

"Sara," I call again, moving to her side of the room. "Look at me."

She hesitates, finally looking up when the silence stretches to almost painful lengths.

Her eyes are dark, guarded. There's an anger lying there, along with a small hint of guilt.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, needing to address the question that is my top priority at the moment.

"Yes."

"Sara."

"I'm fine."

"Fucking hell, Sidle," I call her out, moving closer. "I didn't get a call in the middle of the evening from Brass because you're fine. This isn't fine."

Seeing my gesturing to her clothing, she turns away.

"Most of it's his."

Breathing out, I shake my head. "Which of it isn't."

It's not a question. It's a demand.

Swallowing, Sara shakes her head again, taking a step back as I take one forward.

"It's me or the hospital."

Knowing I'm not messing around, that we're at work and this isn't something she can avoid dealing with her supervisor about, she eventually lets out a tight breath.

"He just…he caught me on the arm when I blocked him. There were already some cuts there…"

"From the desert."

Sara nods, eyes still on the flooring.

Looking her over, I note the area she's referring to, the slow trails of blood still moving down from the scrapes on her arm.

It's hard to tell what's old and what's new. Just like I do, Sara still has a number of gashes from the desert shooting.

"Where else?"

Sara doesn't answer, her head shaking slowly.

Narrowing my eyes, I reach out, pulling her chin upwards.

Flinching away from me, she backs up.

"Sorry," I offer, knowing better than to have tried to approach her so suddenly.

Waiting until her breathing slows, I let her see my intentions.

"Look at me," I order as I, this time slowly, gently tilt her chin up.

"Did he…?" I trail off, trying to see if I'm seeing what I think I might be, the lighting in the room shoddy at best. "Did you hit your head?"

Sara's eyes leave mine, and she swallows tightly.

"He had me against the wall."

"And…"

Sara sighs, "And he hit my head back into the glass. A…few times…"

Swallowing the bile in my throat, I shake my head.

"And you're refusing care, why?" I get out.

"I'm okay," she tells me, her own voice quiet, reserved.

Looking up, she finally meets my gaze voluntarily. "Catherine, I promise. I'm fine."

I breathe out, exhaustion and fear making a curious mix throughout my body.

"What the hell happened, Sara?" I lean against the edge of the table, trying to support my trembling body, adrenaline still rushing through me. "This isn't like you. Losing it in front of a suspect?"

Sara's jaw clenches, her body language telling me she isn't planning on expanding on tonight's events, nor what led to them.

Seeing the red lights in the corner of the room blissfully shining on, I know there' s more than ample video surveillance in this room to give me the answers I seek.

"Who struck first?" I ask the one question that I really need to know right now.

If it was Sara, there's not much that I can do no matter what Marcus Kline did or said. That's assault, and that's also immediate dismissal of our case. That's also immediate dismissal of Sidle as CSI.

Please, I beg the universe, don't let it all end this way. Everything between Sara and I, everything with this case. Just for Sara to end up kicked out of CSI and our suspect free to go.

"He…" Sara clears her throat. "He had a concealed knife on him…somehow…he…"

"Who struck first?"

I push, the question direct and clear. She knows what I'm asking, but she's hesitating to answer.

God, no...

Please no...

"He did," a voice unexpectedly cuts in from the doorway.

Seeing Brass joining us, he steps up alongside the table, his eyes on Sara's though he's addressing me.

Now, Sara refuses to look anywhere but the wall, all gazes in the room directed at her while she meets none.

"Sounded like on the phone it wasn't so straightforward…" I lead, knowing Brass understands damn well what I'm saying. On the phone it sounded like Sara may have been the first to go after our guy. While I want to protect Sara as much as anyone, we can't sweep this under the rug if she struck first.

"He…," Brass straightens up, for the first time the rage in his own expression coming through. Sara wasn't the only one in this interrogation room tonight. "He spit at her. And, before I could move, he had a knife pressed to her thigh under the table."

If the bile wasn't already in my throat before, it certainly would be now.

"You'll see the rest in the video," he states tightly, not having the stomach to describe anything further. And, for that I'm thankful.

I understand the idea behind Brass and Sara's approach tonight - when evidence is limited and a case is going nowhere, sometimes you have to try to shake some trees, wiggle the branches until something slips out. Until someone slips up.

Their last interaction with Marcus Kline was in the streets of Vegas, in his territory. They wanted to show him who has control, rile him out of his sense of security, force his hand or force a mistake.

But, I can't help but curse inwardly at the risk they took. The collateral damage that their approach almost cost them - namely their safety.

"He getting booked?" I ask.

Brass nods, "But with his connections, he'll be out within a week."

"Then we have a week to get the real case against him closed," I state, turning to Sara. "You and I, Sidle. We have one week to get this bastard and make sure he stays in his new iron barred house for the rest of his sorry life."

Eyes moving up to mine, Sara takes a deep breath as she finally meets my gaze. The dark motivation harbored there gives me all the agreement I need.

"I'm sorry Brass called you," Sara says quietly, her head resting back against my passenger seat. "I know you have Lindsey. I asked him not to."

"I'm your supervisor," I tell her. "He had no choice."

Sara doesn't comment, and she knows that information just as well as I do.

"Plus," I say, voice lightening slightly. "I probably would've had some questions regarding why our suspect was now in booking when I showed up to work in the morning anyway."

Sara lets out a slight laugh, barely audible but just enough for me to hear.

"He…"

I trail off, trying to get my mind to form the words I want.

"He was threatening me."

Sara looks away, gaze focused out the window into the dark Vegas night. She already knows this information, too.

"In that video," I continue. "When things started going poorly. It's because he was threatening me. He even knew about Lindsey. Kelly."

I try to keep my fingers from clenching against the steering wheel, but it's impossible. My blood feeling like it's all but boiling in my body.

"He looked up who you and I were after the desert. My worst fears were right, he wanted to finish the job. It was like a game to him."

I shake my head, swallowing the sickening feeling oozing up my throat.

"He was going to go after us, but not before also going after the people we love."

Sara doesn't comment, but I note her own hands clenching tightly to her jeans.

"When he said what he did about Kelly...and about my little girl..."

I trail off, needing to take a few deep breaths.

"Thank you for not letting him get away with what he said."

Looking over at me in surprise, Sara's eyes are hard to read, her brows furrowed.

"I'm not condoning what happened," I quickly state, needing to make that clear. Both as her supervisor as well as her superior on this case. "But, if it had been me…"

I'd have reacted the exact same way Sara did. Probably even worse if I'm completely honest with myself.

While the video confirmed our suspect made the first move, Sara definitely said and did exactly what she needed to goad him into lashing out. She kept her composure enough to handle this legally, riling him just enough to make him snap so that she could finally respond to his vile words, his sickening threats.

And, respond she did.

Sara may be half the guy's size, but the girl can hold her own in a fight.

But, while she can hold her own, she's damn lucky she didn't get seriously injured. Marcus Kline isn't someone to mess with, ever.

She's lucky she was able to walk out of that room tonight.

"You need to stop making me see you like this."

Sara's brows furrow again.

"I've seen more of your blood on the outside of your body then I ever care to have seen," I state. "You need to stop this reckless vigilante bullshit you have going on right now."

Looking over, I watch her as we come to a stop outside her apartment building, my eyes burning with the fire behind my words.

"I know Gabe's case was devastating for you. I know there's been so much going on in your life this past year and a half. But, Sara, you can't keep this up. One of these times, your luck is going to run out."

I reach over, taking her arm gently in my hand, fingers running over the makeshift bandage we fashioned at the lab.

"You need to stop dealing with your issues this way. It's going to get you killed."

Sara's jaw is tight, her body rigid under my fingers.

When she doesn't reply, I finally pull away in defeat.

Kelly has been all but doting over me ever since the shooting in the desert. Every time we get together she's sure to check on the status of my injuries, looking over each cut along my skin to be sure it's healing properly and that I'm not in pain. I appreciate her concern, the warmth it gives me to know that someone cares that much for me. But, Sara right now looks exactly the opposite - like she wants nothing more than to bolt out of this car and get out from under my concerned gaze.

I was serious before, the brunette can't keep carrying on like this, carrying out this reckless abandon approach to life she has going on. Or, the next call I get from Brass isn't going to be informing me that she's okay.

Sara's clearly dealing with a lot right now, and she's even more clearly not dealing with it healthily. She's taking chances, taking risks, and honestly has been for a while. It's apparent that our own recent personal issues have spurred this latest reckless move, the brunette seemingly no longer giving a shit at all about personal safety.

While I want to broach the subject with her, get her to talk with me about all the things that are rushing through her head after our conversation, I promised myself I'd give her space. She deserves that much from me after the bomb of a revelation I dropped on her. I have no right to force her to talk about any of it, not until she's ready.

"I'll see you in the morning for shift," I offer her instead, giving her the escape she clearly wants as much as it pains me to do it.

Hand on the door handle, Sara pauses at the last minute, her eyes again focused into the night.

"Why?"

Confused at the question spoken by the otherwise silent brunette, I tilt my head. "Why what?"

"Why do you…" Sara trails off.

She turns slightly, her head angled towards me, but her eyes still on the darkness.

"Why do you think you have feelings for me?"

Holy hell.

I never in a million years thought she'd ask the question she just did, not yet. While I knew I had to wait for Sara to broach the topic herself, wait until she was ready, a part of me honestly wondered if she would ever be ready, or willing, to address the difficult issue currently hanging between us.

Sara can avoid topics and people better than anyone I've ever met. And, with the severity of the revelation I left her with, I honestly thought I'd be added to that avoided list for quite some time.

It's clear that the information I gave her is bothering her, weighing on her mind, and I know she's perceptive enough to know that it's weighing on mine as well. How could it not be? To reveal your feelings to someone in such a way, and then to angst over what their reaction to it all is?

I'm so glad that she is willing to brave broaching the topic for the sake of both of us.

"Why does anyone have feelings for anyone?" I answer seriously. "You can rationally explain why you like someone that you do. You just do."

"But why me?"

I take a deep breath, knowing I can easily go down this road if that's what she wants. What, perhaps, she needs. Sara's likely feeling confused and out of control about a lot of things right now. If I can provide her some clarity at least about my own thoughts and feelings regarding this issue, I am more than glad to do so.

"When we first met I hated you," I say evenly. "I'll be completely honest. I thought you were arrogant, secretive, cold. I thought you didn't give a shit about anyone or anything."

I watch her even though she refuses to watch me.

"But, it didn't take me long to see how wrong about you I was. How almost every move in your life was indeed calculated, but calculated to protect someone else. Just like tonight. Just like with Eddie. Just like in the desert. I realized you weren't arrogant or selfish at all, that you were in truth the most selfless person I've met. And, you were also probably the first person I've ever felt safe around in a very long time."

I trail off, trying to get my own thoughts and emotions to focus themselves into something coherent.

"There's a strength about you, Sara, emotionally and physically, that draws me in. Makes me feel safe when I'm around you. Makes me want to be near you. You have such a unique way of looking at the world, at the people in it. It makes me want to know so much more about you, about this person with a hard and stoic outside that can't quite hide the true deepness, the true gentle soul inside.

"Then, of course, there's physical things, the fact that I find you stunningly beautiful," I offer, trying to hide the blush on my cheeks, but realizing it doesn't matter when she's refusing to look at me anyway. "And a lot of other physical things I won't go into lest it be construed as harassment in the workplace."

I smile slightly before focusing again.

"Bottom line is when Kelly told me she cared for you, that she was going to try to pursue something with you…" I shake my head. "I realized then how much I'd come to care about you. I was so…jealous…of my best friend. I realized that my feelings towards you went beyond what I thought they did."

I take a deep breath.

"I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable," I say sincerely. "I'm your superior at work, and it's not something that I should likely have even allowed myself to be thinking, let alone considering pursuing. But, I did. And you know the rest."

Sara's so quiet that I can hear the crickets chirping in the night around us.

"Have you told Kelly?"

Her question is quiet, but audible.

"No," I answer her honestly. "I didn't plan on telling her until I knew there was even something to tell. I didn't know if I would feel the same way about you after learning your past, so I didn't want to open up an issue with Kelly only to decide not to pursue something with you like she did. Also, even if I still felt the same way about you after I learned your past, I still didn't know whether you even had any similar feelings towards me. Didn't want to place my friendship with Kelly in jeopardy when both my feelings and yours were still unknown."

Sara's head lowers, the brunette moving her feet tightly against the carpeted flooring of my SUV.

"I…"

She trails off into a long, tense silence. A tense silence that seems to answer to my open ended statement all on it's own.

"It's okay," I offer when I can no longer take the crushing silence, trying to keep my voice neutral when I feel like the words are choking me. "Like I said the other day, I didn't tell you my feelings for you to feel obligated to reciprocate. You simply needed to know why I did what I did. You don't owe me anything, Sara, and it's okay that you don't feel the same way about me. I understand."

The night falls back to silence, the darkness around us feeling both protective and oppressive.

Sara finally pulls the door handle, stepping out of my car.

"Thanks for the ride," she barely gets the words out, her own voice sounding strangled.

Nodding, trying to keep the devastation slowly seeping through my heart under control, at least until I'm alone and can fall apart in private.

I gesture towards her building.

"Get some rest, I'll see you in the morning."

Sara nods, shutting her door and walking away.

If nothing else, it's closure. It's devastating, and it's heart wrenching, but it's finally clear. I took a chance on these feelings I had, and it didn't work out. It hurts, thinking of the hopes I'd had regarding possibly pursuing something with Sara gone before they even had a chance to go anywhere.

It's an utterly painful truth to learn.

I'm so lost in my thoughts that I don't notice Sara is still standing a few steps away, her back to me as she appears almost frozen in place.

Puzzled, I roll down the window on her side.

"Everything okay?"

She remains still, not moving. Then, finally, she angles her head over her shoulder towards me, eyes glinting off the pale light of the moon.

"What you assumed before when I didn't say anything…" she says quietly. "About me not feeling the same way."

Her eyes lift to pierce through mine, her gaze for the first time staying fixed with my own.

"You're wrong, Catherine. We have more in common regarding our feelings than you think."

With that, she turns away, disappearing into the night as she ascends the path to her building.

Holy shit.

AN: Thanks for reading.