Fic : Demons Part 14
Title: When Demons Come a Calling - Part 14
Author: Kimmi
Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Sara/Catherine
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I only wished I owned Sara and Catherine. Unfortunately CBS does, I’m just borrowing them.
Summary: When Sara’s past comes back to haunt her it arrives with a vengeance.
Spoilers: Up to Nesting Dolls, after that it takes a sharp left turn.
Authors Notes: This is dark, full of angst and deals with themes of rape and torture, although I don’t think I got too graphic. I also do not have a beta so there will be errors.
Chapters | 1 | 2-3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7-8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Part 14
The small room exploded with and Sara’s body was violently thrown forward into Catherine. The blonde barely realized what was happening before she hit the hard concrete floor and the breath was crushed from her lungs by the brunette’s weight. Her body’s panicked screams for air were all she could concentrate on until the shocked organs finally loosened enough to draw in some much needed oxygen.
After a few deep breaths Catherine’s surroundings and circumstances came rushing back to her. She could feel something warm and wet dripping down her arm and for a second thought she had been shot but quickly realized she’d be in a lot more pain if that were the case. And there could only be one reason why she hadn’t been. Sara had put herself between Cath and a madman and taken the bullet meant for her.
She felt Sara’s grip on her tighten as the younger woman rolled, covering even more of Catherine’s body with her own. Thomas was raging over them, yelling obscenities and threats and the younger woman was still trying to protect her.
“Look what you made me do you stupid bitch! You worthless piece of shit! You should have killed me when you had the chance. You’re still going to watch her die, only now it won’t be the quick way.” Michael was in incredible pain, the kind he hadn’t felt since he was a child. He hadn’t bothered to pull the knife out, the pain was good. It kept him focused. Taking several deep breaths he willed the agony in his shoulder to a tolerable level.
He felt a new sense of calm stealing over him. All the tortures he had heaped upon Sara had failed but now he knew where he had gone wrong. He had been too impatient to have her by his side, he had rushed her. He had underestimated her sense of morality and her feelings for the blonde. Catherine had seemed like she was the perfect choice for his dark angel’s first kill, now he knew better. Once he had dealt with Willows he would start over with Sara. This time he would be sure to go slowly, break her a little at a time until he had completely eradicated any part of her that was weak, human, so that he could rebuild her from the ground up.
Kneeling next to the two women he got as close as he dared. Michael wanted to make sure they heard him clearly. “I want you to remember that I was willing to kill her fast and relatively painlessly. It’s your fault Sara that she will now know suffering the likes of which even you and I can’t imagine. The agony you’ve felt the last three days will pale in comparison to what I am going to do to her, all while you watch, helpless.”
Sara’s eyes burned with the need to cry, but she didn’t have any tears left. Her heart clenched in her chest at the thought of the horrors Catherine was going to go through all because of her. Thomas was right, she should have killed him when she had the chance. Sure it would have damned her forever, but at least it would have saved the blonde.
Catherine couldn’t believe this was happening. They had been so close. She was torn between anger that Sara hadn’t ended it when she could have and pride that the lanky brunette hadn’t allowed Thomas to turn her into something she loathed. If what he had said about her childhood was true, Catherine knew that killing the bastard would absolutely destroy Sara. On the other hand not killing him was going to bring the both of them more pain and most likely death.
Catherine felt Sara’s breath flutter over her ear and her heart broke inside her chest as she realized that the woman was hoarsely repeating ‘I’m sorry Cat’ over and over again. There was no way she couldn’t hold on to her anger at the strangled apology. All she could do now was pray she had the strength to endure whatever the man might throw at her and hope that a rescue would come soon.
***
Jim Brass looked hopefully at the non-descript metal building that he prayed held his friends. Glancing to his right he could just see the front bumper of Sara’s car peaking out from the side of the abandoned factory. When this was all over he was going to buy the highway patrol officer that had spotted it a round, or six, of drinks. If the man had been distracted or a little less observant they would have still been completely clueless. Of course there was no guaranty that the two women were even in there, the guy could have dumped the car here and taken them somewhere else.
He hoped to god that she, that they, were in there. Of course he was just as scared for Catherine’s safety and wanted her back just as much as Sara, but it seemed to him that the younger woman had a way of falling through the cracks. Willows had a way of rallying others to her, garnering support from all directions. Sidle on the other hand kept to herself, fading into the background until something happened to remind you she was there.
Well he was going to make damn sure that from now on she knew how cherished she was. He had failed his own daughter over and over until Ellie wouldn’t even talk to him. Hopefully it wasn’t too late for him to fix his mistakes with Sara. He had let his pseudo-daughter down by letting that monster take her and if she could find it in her heart to forgive him then he would do his best to make sure nothing bad ever came close to touching her again.
Nick was itching to get inside. He had started edging closer to the door as the cops gathered around it. He didn’t care what Brass said, there was no way he was going to sit around outside and just wait. He looked back and saw that the others were right there with him. It seemed as if they all made the decision at the same time. They moved as one the second the Swat Team pried the heavy steel door open and surged through.
Warrick was neck and neck with Stokes as they rushed inside and had to turn sideways to keep from getting jammed in the doorway. It was almost over, he could feel it. Catherine and Sara were somewhere in this building and they were alive. He knew it in his heart. He also knew that while this part of their ordeal was almost over the two woman would be dealing with whatever they had been subjected to these last three days for a long time to come.
Greg was scared. He was about to rush into the lion’s den without a weapon and without a bullet-proof vest, all on the prayer that his friends were in there. He’d never been in a situation like this. Never purposely put himself in the line of fire. But there was no way he was going to wait outside while there was a chance that Catherine and Sara could be dying in there.
Grissom had been a little surprised that Ecklie hadn’t objected to them being there but decided not to give it much thought. He had other things to worry about, such as getting to the man that had taken the two most important people in his life. Half of him hoped that he would be the one to get to Michael Thomas first so that he could exact his revenge, the other half, the scientist and the peaceful man he was, knew it was best if he didn’t. Because there was no doubt in his mind that if he got to that monster before one of the officers that he would be brought up on charges although whether it would be murder or assault he wasn’t yet sure. All he was truly sure of was that he had never before wanted to hurt someone so much in his entire life.
The main floor of the factory was littered with decaying equipment and rusting conveyer belts. Brass moved past it all without really looking at it. He knew Thomas would be keeping the two women in either one of the old offices or storerooms, not out here in the open. Halfway across the cavernous room the unmistakable sound of a gunshot reached his ears and brought Jim to a stumbling halt. One quick glance around showed him that everyone had come to stunned stop as well.
The firing of a weapon could mean one of two things, either Catherine or Sara could be dead or dying, or their kidnapper was. All pretense of stealth was forgotten as every man in the building took off in the direction the shot seemed to come from. As they entered the maze of service halls the sheer number of doors was intimidating. They had a daunting task ahead of them and they might already be out of time.
***
Despair hung like an executioner’s noose around her neck. The coppery smell of Sara’s blood was heavy in her nostrils and it coated Catherine’s upper body like a slimy second skin. She couldn’t help but think that Thomas wasn’t going to get the chance to make the younger woman witness anything because she was going to bleed out.
Sara’s litany of ‘I’m sorry’s’ was still echoing in her ears but it was becoming fainter. If she was going to do something to save them it had to be now. She could hear Thomas muttering to himself and pacing the room like a caged animal but she couldn’t see him from her position under the younger woman. As slowly as she could Catherine began to slide her body out of the brunette’s protective grasp.
Pulling her head up Cath could see that his attention wasn’t on them. He had tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants and was fingering the knife in his shoulder. It seemed like he was debating with himself about whether or not he should pull it out. She was almost completely out from under Sara when the injured woman tightened her hold on her and she looked up into brown eyes glazed over with pain.
Catherine tried to smile, tried to reassure and communicate with Sara what she was about to do and why. At first she didn’t think the brunette even saw her until her hand released its death-grip. It returned a second later to cup her cheek. Their eyes locked and what Cath saw in those fathomless mahogany depths she didn’t think she would ever be able to define. The next second she was being forced back down onto the floor and all hell broke loose.
Sara had felt herself slipping away and she knew her body was going into shock. And she would have welcomed oblivion if it hadn’t been for Catherine. She had failed her so many times. First it was with Eddie’s case. Then losing her temper with her in the corridor of the lab instead of in private where they usually had their blowups. She hadn’t done enough to keep her safe from Michael Thomas, she had let her get kidnapped. Lastly, she hadn’t killed him and secured the blonde’s safety. Even one of those instances was too many, but she wasn’t going to fail her again.
She was going to die, that was perfectly clear to her, but she was personally going to escort this demon to hell on her way out. She wondered if an act of redemption cancelled out a murder if they were committed at the same time. Gathering the last shreds of her strength Sara pushed Catherine back to the floor and leapt to her feet.
The pain of her body meant nothing now, it was not connected to her, it was its own entity driving her forward. Sara slammed into Thomas just as he turned toward her. Her momentum drove him backward and the cry of pain he let out as her body forced the knife deeper into his shoulder gave her a sickening sense of satisfaction.
Catherine was momentarily too stunned to move. She had thought Sara was too hurt to even sit up but there she was tackling a man that out weighed her by seventy-five pounds, if not more. Where ever the brunette had dredged up this last surge of strength was quickly failing as they grappled with each other. Sidle had obviously meant for her to make her escape while she fought with Thomas but Catherine just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t let younger woman sacrifice herself, not after all Sara had endured.
As the two brunettes wrestled for the gun Catherine got to her feet and ran behind Thomas. Throwing her arms around his neck she leapt onto his back. He spun around trying to dislodge her but the blonde just tightened her grip on his throat and squeezed for all she was worth.
Sara stumbled backward as a flailing limb struck her head. She shook off a wave of dizziness only to have her knees gave out at the scene in front of her. Catherine was supposed to run damn it! She was supposed to save herself not to try to help.
The brunette could only watch in horror as Thomas halted his wild spin and threw himself backward, slamming the petite blonde into the wall. Sara moaned in despair as Catherine’s limbs went slack and she slid in a boneless heap to the rough concrete floor. The tall man pulled himself together quickly and Sidle found herself staring down the barrel of the gun she had failed to get away from him.
Michael had had enough. His dreams were crumbling around him and everything was flying apart at the seams. Sara had betrayed him for the last time. His father had been right, you couldn’t trust a woman. They would rip your heart out and chew it up. They lied, they cheated, they where whores that were good for nothing but giving a man a son to carry on his legacy. She had fooled him into thinking that she was different but now he could see through her pretty deceptions, he could see that she was just another bitch that thought she was better than him.
The cold fury on his face was all Sara needed to see to know that this time the hole wouldn’t be in her shoulder, it would be in her head. She closed her eyes, whispered a final apology to Catherine and waited for death.
The first shot made her entire body jerk convulsively. The second forced her eyes open in confusion. Thomas’ body staggered back with each thundering blast until he hit the wall, deadly red flowers blooming across his chest. Streaks of crimson marked his passage on the dull gray cinder blocks as he fell, slumping in a heap on the floor.
Deep brown eyes, so much like her own, seized her and Sara couldn’t look away from the accusation and disappointment she saw. The fading light in his eyes was drawing her down into the darkness with them and she didn’t try to fight it. What did she have left anyway? Once everyone found out what she had done she wouldn’t have any friends, wouldn’t have a job, hell she’d be lucky to have her freedom. You couldn’t sexually assault someone, especially a female co-worker and expect there to be no consequences.
Brass lowered his weapon. He had been alone in the corridor, the others having scattered to try to cover as much ground as they could as quickly as possible, when he had heard a muffled thud from a few yards down the hall. He had raced to the open doorway in time to see Michael Thomas aiming a gun at Sara.
Instinct and training merged with burning rage and Jim emptied all ten rounds from his clip. He didn’t even have to think about it, he wanted this psycho dead so that he could never hurt Sara again and he made that happen. He didn’t care about the consequences to himself, he only wanted her safe.
Brass rushed to the downed man and kicked his gun away before checking for a pulse. Satisfied that the man’s twisted little black heart was no longer beating he turned his attention to the blonde beside him. Catherine was slumped over but seemed to be coming around. He could see blood covering her body but after a quick inspection could find no wounds so he moved on to Sara.
The brunette was still on her knees but looked as if she was going to fall over any second. He was by her side just as she began to collapse. Taking her gently in his arms he eased her down, cradling her head in his lap. In all his years on the force he had never seen someone as bruised and battered as her thin body was, he was amazed that she was even conscious. “Hey there kiddo it’s ok now, I gotcha.”
Sara looked up at the man holding her. She was finding it hard to focus her eyes and the room was a lot dimmer than had been a few minutes ago but she knew who it was. He had always been so quietly supportive of her. There was so much she wanted to say to him but even the massive amounts of adrenalin still racing through her veins couldn’t keep up with the amount of blood she’d lost and the abuse she’d suffered. She hoped he knew. As her eyes slipped closed she could hear him yelling for someone to get the medics. She wanted to tell him it was alright, that the pain was gone now but the darkness was swallowing her.
A bee hive of activity greeted Catherine as she fought her way back to consciousness. People were streaming into the room, yelling, guns drawn. It took her a moment to figure out what was going on as her gaze swept over the chaos. The second it landed on Sara and Brass everything else faded into background noise and she crawled over to them as fast as her rubbery limbs would allow. The brunette’s blood was seeping through the homicide captain’s fingers where he was trying to apply pressure to the wound.
“Sara, open your eyes sweetie. Come on you can’t sleep now, we’ve got places to go and people to see.” Catherine’s voice was imploring as she took the younger woman’s hand in her own, the fact that it was already cold scared her. They needed to get her to a hospital immediately or they were going to lose her. She didn’t know if she could handle that after everything they had been through.
The next couple of minutes were a blur of activity as the paramedics rushed in and went to work. Catherine reluctantly let go of Sara’s hand to let them get to her but she didn’t go far. She lightly grasped one of the brunette’s bare feet, just to have some sort of contact with her. She was vaguely aware that someone was shining a light in her eyes, asking her how many fingers did she see, but she ignored them as she watched the medics carefully lift the younger woman onto a stretcher. Her own minor injuries weren’t a concern at the moment, what was a bump on the head compared to what Sara had suffered?
As they exited the room that had almost become their abattoir she could see their friends waiting just outside. Under different circumstances she would have stopped to hug each and every one of them but at that moment all she could think about was Sara. The lanky brunette had been willing to die just to give Cath a few precious seconds to get away. It was the most astounding thing anyone had ever done for her and she wasn’t leaving the woman’s side.
Grissom felt faint at his first sight of Sara and Catherine. They were both covered in blood but the younger woman was black and blue from the neck down. Her face, although unmarked, was deathly pale. The contrast between it and the dark bruises covering the rest of her body was sickening. All the scenarios his mind had come up with, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them, hadn’t prepared him for this. The gasps he heard from the others told him that they were feeling the same.
He was torn. Gil wanted to follow the girls but he also wanted to go in that room and tear Michael Thomas’ body limb from limb. They had all heard the cops relaying the fact that the suspect was dead but it didn’t bank the fire of his anger. He had been denied the chance to make the man pay what he had done but at least the animal wouldn’t ever be able to hurt anyone ever again.
The others didn’t have the same dilemma as Grissom. Thomas was dead and therefore of little concern to them. Sara and Catherine were still alive and they needed their love and support right now. The guys hurried after the stretcher leaving the entomologist alone in the hallway.
Watching the others run out Gil shook his head. He wanted to go with them but there was something he had to do first. Making his way to the door he stepped just inside it, close enough to get a good look at the man that had nearly taken away everything good in his life but far enough away so as to not contaminate the scene. He was a little disappointed that the man’s outward appearance didn’t match the depravity that lurked under the surface. How much easier life would be if what we were on the inside was reflected in our outward appearance, if rapists, murders and child molesters all looked like their diseased souls.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts Grissom took one last look at Thomas before turning on his heel and rushing after the others. He made it outside just in time to watch Catherine being helped into the back of the ambulance and taking a seat near Sara’s head. As the doors closed he could see her reach out to tenderly brush dark locks off the younger woman’s pale forehead. The tiny stab of jealousy he felt at the gesture surprised him. Yes he wished he was in there with Sara, that he was the one touching her so delicately but Cath had just been through an incredible ordeal with her and she herself was in need of medical attention, he really had no reason to be jealous. He pushed the unwelcome emotion away and went to catch a ride to the hospital with the others. He mollified himself with the thought that once the brunette was on the road to recovery then he would have his chance to make things right between them.
TBC
Author: Kimmi
Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Sara/Catherine
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I only wished I owned Sara and Catherine. Unfortunately CBS does, I’m just borrowing them.
Summary: When Sara’s past comes back to haunt her it arrives with a vengeance.
Spoilers: Up to Nesting Dolls, after that it takes a sharp left turn.
Authors Notes: This is dark, full of angst and deals with themes of rape and torture, although I don’t think I got too graphic. I also do not have a beta so there will be errors.
Chapters | 1 | 2-3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7-8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Part 14
The small room exploded with and Sara’s body was violently thrown forward into Catherine. The blonde barely realized what was happening before she hit the hard concrete floor and the breath was crushed from her lungs by the brunette’s weight. Her body’s panicked screams for air were all she could concentrate on until the shocked organs finally loosened enough to draw in some much needed oxygen.
After a few deep breaths Catherine’s surroundings and circumstances came rushing back to her. She could feel something warm and wet dripping down her arm and for a second thought she had been shot but quickly realized she’d be in a lot more pain if that were the case. And there could only be one reason why she hadn’t been. Sara had put herself between Cath and a madman and taken the bullet meant for her.
She felt Sara’s grip on her tighten as the younger woman rolled, covering even more of Catherine’s body with her own. Thomas was raging over them, yelling obscenities and threats and the younger woman was still trying to protect her.
“Look what you made me do you stupid bitch! You worthless piece of shit! You should have killed me when you had the chance. You’re still going to watch her die, only now it won’t be the quick way.” Michael was in incredible pain, the kind he hadn’t felt since he was a child. He hadn’t bothered to pull the knife out, the pain was good. It kept him focused. Taking several deep breaths he willed the agony in his shoulder to a tolerable level.
He felt a new sense of calm stealing over him. All the tortures he had heaped upon Sara had failed but now he knew where he had gone wrong. He had been too impatient to have her by his side, he had rushed her. He had underestimated her sense of morality and her feelings for the blonde. Catherine had seemed like she was the perfect choice for his dark angel’s first kill, now he knew better. Once he had dealt with Willows he would start over with Sara. This time he would be sure to go slowly, break her a little at a time until he had completely eradicated any part of her that was weak, human, so that he could rebuild her from the ground up.
Kneeling next to the two women he got as close as he dared. Michael wanted to make sure they heard him clearly. “I want you to remember that I was willing to kill her fast and relatively painlessly. It’s your fault Sara that she will now know suffering the likes of which even you and I can’t imagine. The agony you’ve felt the last three days will pale in comparison to what I am going to do to her, all while you watch, helpless.”
Sara’s eyes burned with the need to cry, but she didn’t have any tears left. Her heart clenched in her chest at the thought of the horrors Catherine was going to go through all because of her. Thomas was right, she should have killed him when she had the chance. Sure it would have damned her forever, but at least it would have saved the blonde.
Catherine couldn’t believe this was happening. They had been so close. She was torn between anger that Sara hadn’t ended it when she could have and pride that the lanky brunette hadn’t allowed Thomas to turn her into something she loathed. If what he had said about her childhood was true, Catherine knew that killing the bastard would absolutely destroy Sara. On the other hand not killing him was going to bring the both of them more pain and most likely death.
Catherine felt Sara’s breath flutter over her ear and her heart broke inside her chest as she realized that the woman was hoarsely repeating ‘I’m sorry Cat’ over and over again. There was no way she couldn’t hold on to her anger at the strangled apology. All she could do now was pray she had the strength to endure whatever the man might throw at her and hope that a rescue would come soon.
***
Jim Brass looked hopefully at the non-descript metal building that he prayed held his friends. Glancing to his right he could just see the front bumper of Sara’s car peaking out from the side of the abandoned factory. When this was all over he was going to buy the highway patrol officer that had spotted it a round, or six, of drinks. If the man had been distracted or a little less observant they would have still been completely clueless. Of course there was no guaranty that the two women were even in there, the guy could have dumped the car here and taken them somewhere else.
He hoped to god that she, that they, were in there. Of course he was just as scared for Catherine’s safety and wanted her back just as much as Sara, but it seemed to him that the younger woman had a way of falling through the cracks. Willows had a way of rallying others to her, garnering support from all directions. Sidle on the other hand kept to herself, fading into the background until something happened to remind you she was there.
Well he was going to make damn sure that from now on she knew how cherished she was. He had failed his own daughter over and over until Ellie wouldn’t even talk to him. Hopefully it wasn’t too late for him to fix his mistakes with Sara. He had let his pseudo-daughter down by letting that monster take her and if she could find it in her heart to forgive him then he would do his best to make sure nothing bad ever came close to touching her again.
Nick was itching to get inside. He had started edging closer to the door as the cops gathered around it. He didn’t care what Brass said, there was no way he was going to sit around outside and just wait. He looked back and saw that the others were right there with him. It seemed as if they all made the decision at the same time. They moved as one the second the Swat Team pried the heavy steel door open and surged through.
Warrick was neck and neck with Stokes as they rushed inside and had to turn sideways to keep from getting jammed in the doorway. It was almost over, he could feel it. Catherine and Sara were somewhere in this building and they were alive. He knew it in his heart. He also knew that while this part of their ordeal was almost over the two woman would be dealing with whatever they had been subjected to these last three days for a long time to come.
Greg was scared. He was about to rush into the lion’s den without a weapon and without a bullet-proof vest, all on the prayer that his friends were in there. He’d never been in a situation like this. Never purposely put himself in the line of fire. But there was no way he was going to wait outside while there was a chance that Catherine and Sara could be dying in there.
Grissom had been a little surprised that Ecklie hadn’t objected to them being there but decided not to give it much thought. He had other things to worry about, such as getting to the man that had taken the two most important people in his life. Half of him hoped that he would be the one to get to Michael Thomas first so that he could exact his revenge, the other half, the scientist and the peaceful man he was, knew it was best if he didn’t. Because there was no doubt in his mind that if he got to that monster before one of the officers that he would be brought up on charges although whether it would be murder or assault he wasn’t yet sure. All he was truly sure of was that he had never before wanted to hurt someone so much in his entire life.
The main floor of the factory was littered with decaying equipment and rusting conveyer belts. Brass moved past it all without really looking at it. He knew Thomas would be keeping the two women in either one of the old offices or storerooms, not out here in the open. Halfway across the cavernous room the unmistakable sound of a gunshot reached his ears and brought Jim to a stumbling halt. One quick glance around showed him that everyone had come to stunned stop as well.
The firing of a weapon could mean one of two things, either Catherine or Sara could be dead or dying, or their kidnapper was. All pretense of stealth was forgotten as every man in the building took off in the direction the shot seemed to come from. As they entered the maze of service halls the sheer number of doors was intimidating. They had a daunting task ahead of them and they might already be out of time.
***
Despair hung like an executioner’s noose around her neck. The coppery smell of Sara’s blood was heavy in her nostrils and it coated Catherine’s upper body like a slimy second skin. She couldn’t help but think that Thomas wasn’t going to get the chance to make the younger woman witness anything because she was going to bleed out.
Sara’s litany of ‘I’m sorry’s’ was still echoing in her ears but it was becoming fainter. If she was going to do something to save them it had to be now. She could hear Thomas muttering to himself and pacing the room like a caged animal but she couldn’t see him from her position under the younger woman. As slowly as she could Catherine began to slide her body out of the brunette’s protective grasp.
Pulling her head up Cath could see that his attention wasn’t on them. He had tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants and was fingering the knife in his shoulder. It seemed like he was debating with himself about whether or not he should pull it out. She was almost completely out from under Sara when the injured woman tightened her hold on her and she looked up into brown eyes glazed over with pain.
Catherine tried to smile, tried to reassure and communicate with Sara what she was about to do and why. At first she didn’t think the brunette even saw her until her hand released its death-grip. It returned a second later to cup her cheek. Their eyes locked and what Cath saw in those fathomless mahogany depths she didn’t think she would ever be able to define. The next second she was being forced back down onto the floor and all hell broke loose.
Sara had felt herself slipping away and she knew her body was going into shock. And she would have welcomed oblivion if it hadn’t been for Catherine. She had failed her so many times. First it was with Eddie’s case. Then losing her temper with her in the corridor of the lab instead of in private where they usually had their blowups. She hadn’t done enough to keep her safe from Michael Thomas, she had let her get kidnapped. Lastly, she hadn’t killed him and secured the blonde’s safety. Even one of those instances was too many, but she wasn’t going to fail her again.
She was going to die, that was perfectly clear to her, but she was personally going to escort this demon to hell on her way out. She wondered if an act of redemption cancelled out a murder if they were committed at the same time. Gathering the last shreds of her strength Sara pushed Catherine back to the floor and leapt to her feet.
The pain of her body meant nothing now, it was not connected to her, it was its own entity driving her forward. Sara slammed into Thomas just as he turned toward her. Her momentum drove him backward and the cry of pain he let out as her body forced the knife deeper into his shoulder gave her a sickening sense of satisfaction.
Catherine was momentarily too stunned to move. She had thought Sara was too hurt to even sit up but there she was tackling a man that out weighed her by seventy-five pounds, if not more. Where ever the brunette had dredged up this last surge of strength was quickly failing as they grappled with each other. Sidle had obviously meant for her to make her escape while she fought with Thomas but Catherine just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t let younger woman sacrifice herself, not after all Sara had endured.
As the two brunettes wrestled for the gun Catherine got to her feet and ran behind Thomas. Throwing her arms around his neck she leapt onto his back. He spun around trying to dislodge her but the blonde just tightened her grip on his throat and squeezed for all she was worth.
Sara stumbled backward as a flailing limb struck her head. She shook off a wave of dizziness only to have her knees gave out at the scene in front of her. Catherine was supposed to run damn it! She was supposed to save herself not to try to help.
The brunette could only watch in horror as Thomas halted his wild spin and threw himself backward, slamming the petite blonde into the wall. Sara moaned in despair as Catherine’s limbs went slack and she slid in a boneless heap to the rough concrete floor. The tall man pulled himself together quickly and Sidle found herself staring down the barrel of the gun she had failed to get away from him.
Michael had had enough. His dreams were crumbling around him and everything was flying apart at the seams. Sara had betrayed him for the last time. His father had been right, you couldn’t trust a woman. They would rip your heart out and chew it up. They lied, they cheated, they where whores that were good for nothing but giving a man a son to carry on his legacy. She had fooled him into thinking that she was different but now he could see through her pretty deceptions, he could see that she was just another bitch that thought she was better than him.
The cold fury on his face was all Sara needed to see to know that this time the hole wouldn’t be in her shoulder, it would be in her head. She closed her eyes, whispered a final apology to Catherine and waited for death.
The first shot made her entire body jerk convulsively. The second forced her eyes open in confusion. Thomas’ body staggered back with each thundering blast until he hit the wall, deadly red flowers blooming across his chest. Streaks of crimson marked his passage on the dull gray cinder blocks as he fell, slumping in a heap on the floor.
Deep brown eyes, so much like her own, seized her and Sara couldn’t look away from the accusation and disappointment she saw. The fading light in his eyes was drawing her down into the darkness with them and she didn’t try to fight it. What did she have left anyway? Once everyone found out what she had done she wouldn’t have any friends, wouldn’t have a job, hell she’d be lucky to have her freedom. You couldn’t sexually assault someone, especially a female co-worker and expect there to be no consequences.
Brass lowered his weapon. He had been alone in the corridor, the others having scattered to try to cover as much ground as they could as quickly as possible, when he had heard a muffled thud from a few yards down the hall. He had raced to the open doorway in time to see Michael Thomas aiming a gun at Sara.
Instinct and training merged with burning rage and Jim emptied all ten rounds from his clip. He didn’t even have to think about it, he wanted this psycho dead so that he could never hurt Sara again and he made that happen. He didn’t care about the consequences to himself, he only wanted her safe.
Brass rushed to the downed man and kicked his gun away before checking for a pulse. Satisfied that the man’s twisted little black heart was no longer beating he turned his attention to the blonde beside him. Catherine was slumped over but seemed to be coming around. He could see blood covering her body but after a quick inspection could find no wounds so he moved on to Sara.
The brunette was still on her knees but looked as if she was going to fall over any second. He was by her side just as she began to collapse. Taking her gently in his arms he eased her down, cradling her head in his lap. In all his years on the force he had never seen someone as bruised and battered as her thin body was, he was amazed that she was even conscious. “Hey there kiddo it’s ok now, I gotcha.”
Sara looked up at the man holding her. She was finding it hard to focus her eyes and the room was a lot dimmer than had been a few minutes ago but she knew who it was. He had always been so quietly supportive of her. There was so much she wanted to say to him but even the massive amounts of adrenalin still racing through her veins couldn’t keep up with the amount of blood she’d lost and the abuse she’d suffered. She hoped he knew. As her eyes slipped closed she could hear him yelling for someone to get the medics. She wanted to tell him it was alright, that the pain was gone now but the darkness was swallowing her.
A bee hive of activity greeted Catherine as she fought her way back to consciousness. People were streaming into the room, yelling, guns drawn. It took her a moment to figure out what was going on as her gaze swept over the chaos. The second it landed on Sara and Brass everything else faded into background noise and she crawled over to them as fast as her rubbery limbs would allow. The brunette’s blood was seeping through the homicide captain’s fingers where he was trying to apply pressure to the wound.
“Sara, open your eyes sweetie. Come on you can’t sleep now, we’ve got places to go and people to see.” Catherine’s voice was imploring as she took the younger woman’s hand in her own, the fact that it was already cold scared her. They needed to get her to a hospital immediately or they were going to lose her. She didn’t know if she could handle that after everything they had been through.
The next couple of minutes were a blur of activity as the paramedics rushed in and went to work. Catherine reluctantly let go of Sara’s hand to let them get to her but she didn’t go far. She lightly grasped one of the brunette’s bare feet, just to have some sort of contact with her. She was vaguely aware that someone was shining a light in her eyes, asking her how many fingers did she see, but she ignored them as she watched the medics carefully lift the younger woman onto a stretcher. Her own minor injuries weren’t a concern at the moment, what was a bump on the head compared to what Sara had suffered?
As they exited the room that had almost become their abattoir she could see their friends waiting just outside. Under different circumstances she would have stopped to hug each and every one of them but at that moment all she could think about was Sara. The lanky brunette had been willing to die just to give Cath a few precious seconds to get away. It was the most astounding thing anyone had ever done for her and she wasn’t leaving the woman’s side.
Grissom felt faint at his first sight of Sara and Catherine. They were both covered in blood but the younger woman was black and blue from the neck down. Her face, although unmarked, was deathly pale. The contrast between it and the dark bruises covering the rest of her body was sickening. All the scenarios his mind had come up with, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them, hadn’t prepared him for this. The gasps he heard from the others told him that they were feeling the same.
He was torn. Gil wanted to follow the girls but he also wanted to go in that room and tear Michael Thomas’ body limb from limb. They had all heard the cops relaying the fact that the suspect was dead but it didn’t bank the fire of his anger. He had been denied the chance to make the man pay what he had done but at least the animal wouldn’t ever be able to hurt anyone ever again.
The others didn’t have the same dilemma as Grissom. Thomas was dead and therefore of little concern to them. Sara and Catherine were still alive and they needed their love and support right now. The guys hurried after the stretcher leaving the entomologist alone in the hallway.
Watching the others run out Gil shook his head. He wanted to go with them but there was something he had to do first. Making his way to the door he stepped just inside it, close enough to get a good look at the man that had nearly taken away everything good in his life but far enough away so as to not contaminate the scene. He was a little disappointed that the man’s outward appearance didn’t match the depravity that lurked under the surface. How much easier life would be if what we were on the inside was reflected in our outward appearance, if rapists, murders and child molesters all looked like their diseased souls.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts Grissom took one last look at Thomas before turning on his heel and rushing after the others. He made it outside just in time to watch Catherine being helped into the back of the ambulance and taking a seat near Sara’s head. As the doors closed he could see her reach out to tenderly brush dark locks off the younger woman’s pale forehead. The tiny stab of jealousy he felt at the gesture surprised him. Yes he wished he was in there with Sara, that he was the one touching her so delicately but Cath had just been through an incredible ordeal with her and she herself was in need of medical attention, he really had no reason to be jealous. He pushed the unwelcome emotion away and went to catch a ride to the hospital with the others. He mollified himself with the thought that once the brunette was on the road to recovery then he would have his chance to make things right between them.
TBC