Reaching Out

Chapter 5

Sara had been on her way to the locker room when Megan called and now she was standing in front of her own locker. She put her cell phone away, mulling over the last thing her niece had said to her.

She removed her gun and placed it in her locker, then removed her ID from the white button down shirt she wore and put it next to her gun. She stretched the sore muscles in her shoulders. Though the shift she'd been working on had been very busy, it had been a rather productive one, for she'd been able to solve two B&Es.

Just as she'd been ready to head home, Grissom had asked her to stay for another shift. The case he'd been working on demanded an extra pair of hands. Sara, never one to turn down some extra work, had readily agreed to help him.

She started to unbutton her shirt while checking whether she'd still had her favorite formfitting black tee in her locker.

Finding said piece of clothing she smirked as she put it on. It had been her secret Santa gift last Christmas, and after grilling Greg long enough she'd found out Catherine had been her secret Santa, instantly changing her opinion. Instead of the shirt being just nice it now was graded with a beautiful, and had become her favorite piece of clothing.

Catherine sure has a sense of fashion, the brunette mused. She then thought back of Megan's call. Maybe she's found her own blonde crush... Sara had to smile as she thought of her niece. She'd never known about Megan until last November.

One day she'd received a letter from her brother dated fourteen years ago. Michael Sidle had been her older brother. When they'd been young they'd been very close, until their mother found out about Sara's sexual preferences and kicked her out of the house at the age of sixteen. Since then Sara'd never had contact with her family anymore.

The letter Michael had written her told her about his family -his wife and daughter of then five years old, and how he'd always wished Sara to be there as well, how he wished he'd handled things differently, but that his own chance of changing this had passed. He had been battling leukemia for half a year and realized he had lost.

The letter told Sara about Megan and how he hoped Sara would meet her; to take her under her wing, becoming her role model. Because, though Sara hadn't stayed in touch with her family, Michael had followed his sister's career from a distance and knew that, even though Megan had been only five at the time, she was very much alike his kid sister, therefore she should play a role in Megan's life.

Sara had been touched by her brother's words. She'd known about her brother's death before she'd gotten the letter, accidentally stumbling across his name on the obituary page of the newspaper. She'd always been very angry at Michael; thought her brother never really cared about what had happened. But now, after all these years she'd been able to read his words of apology and felt she was finally able to put it at rest.

And so, just like Michael had asked her in the letter, she called her niece, Megan Sidle, the next day. They'd hit it off right from that very first phone call and Sara then even promised to go back to San Francisco during Christmas break.

During that week spent together, Sara had found out a lot about Megan and vice versa. And they both agreed that, just like Michael had written in the letters, that they were very much alike, and both were happy that he had given them the opportunity to get to know each other.

It had been his way of making up for the past, and Sara was glad to finally realize she still had family left who cared about her.

The sound of the locker room door opening pulled her out of her reverie. She looked up and saw Catherine walking. She looks tired, Sara thought. Probably had a tough shift…

"Hi," she greeted as she caught Catherine's eyes.

The strawberry blonde merely nodded as she stopped in front of her locker and opened it.

Sara immediately noticed that something was wrong, her entire demeanor was a complete 180 from her normal behavior. "How's Lindsey?" Sara asked, trying to get the older woman to talk to her.

"Fine," Catherine snapped.

"Woah," the brunette replied, raising her hands in defeat. "Just making small talk here."

Catherine sighed as she sat down on the bench in the middle of the room. She rubbed her fingers across her forehead before speaking up, "I'm sorry. It's just that she…"

"Did you two have a fight?" Sara asked as she walked over to where the strawberry blonde was seated. Catherine looked up at Sara, glaring at her angrily until she saw in Sara's eyes the sincerity behind her question.

"She left Vegas."

"What? I thought she was going to start law school this Monday?"

"She changed her mind. She actually wanted to leave without me knowing, but I found her backpack fully packed, along with a bus ticket."

"Well," Sara started as she regarded the older woman. "At least you know where she's going."

"That's true," Catherine said as she looked up, her tear-filled eyes meeting Sara's dark ones. Those hazel eyes staring at her and it seemed as if they were trying to tell her something, but she could not understand what they were saying. Though, somehow it seemed familiar, and it stirred something inside her.

Catherine wiped at the tears that rolled across her cheeks. She opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind and quickly looked away. She got up from the bench, grabbed her purse out of her locker and started off.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she quipped over her shoulder as she walked out the room.

Sara was a bit befuddled by the strawberry blonde's quick exit. Though she felt the need to go after the older woman, Sara wasn't sure whether Catherine would appreciate that.

But much time to think about that she didn't get, because merely seconds after the door had closed her pager went. Checking the display she muttered, "Grissom."

She quickly grabbed her gun and ID and headed off to find her boss. This was the first time she hated the fact that she'd pull a double shift.

Chapter 6

Sara was half way through her second shift that day, and now she was waiting for some test results, sitting in her favorite lay-out room. The table in front of her was completely filled with crime scene pictures and evidence bags while she was writing something in a file.

Looking up from the papers she noticed the clock and realized she needed her caffeine fix. After locking away the evidence, she headed for the break room.

While waiting for the coffee maker to stop percolating, Sara's mind went back to Catherine and what she'd told about Lindsey's departure.

"I wonder where she's off to," the brunette muttered to herself as she filled her mug with steaming-hot liquid.

Though Catherine had said she'd seen Lindsey's bus ticket, she hadn't mentioned the younger Willows' destination. Suddenly she heard the voice of her niece in her mind again, "I now know what you meant when you were talking about those Willows women."

Her investigative mind soon found the link, all pieces of the puzzle falling together.

"No way," she said, a smirk on her face as she reached for her cell phone, quickly dailing Megan's number. Just as she was almost done typing in the last number, someone entered the room. Sara looked up and was met with the sight of a certain strawberry blonde.

The brunette quickly closed her cell and turned her focus to the other woman. "Catherine? What are you doing here?"

"The house was too quiet," she sighed as she walked over to the couch and sat down. "I thought I'd better come here...catch up with some of my paperwork."

"You're missing Lindsey, huh?" Sara said as she walked over, sitting next to the older woman.

Catherine nodded. "Silly, huh?" Sapphire eyes met Sara's dark brown ones.

"No, not at all," the brunette replied as she placed her hand on Catherine's shoulder, squeezing her tentatively. As Sara realized the strawberry blonde was nos looking at her hand that still rested on her shoulder, she quickly removed it.

"So," Sara started as she fidgeted with her watch, "where's she off to?"

"San Francisco."

Sara reached for her cell phone again, earning her a strange look from the older woman. "What are you doing? You don't need to check up on her," Catherine said, anger tangible in her voice.

"It's not Lindsey I'm checking up on," Sara replied calmly.

The phone rang only once before it was answered. "What took you so long? I thought you were one of the top puzzle-solvers of the country?"

The easy banter between her and Megan had been instant the moment they'd met and now she could picture the grin that would probably be on the girl's face. "And here I need to correct you, Miss Sidle. That's top case-solver F.Y.I."

As Sara mentioned the name, Catherine´s eyebrow raised in question. Miss Sidle?

"So, how's the trip back? Much more eventful, I bet," Sara quipped, ignoring the older woman's stare.

"Oh yes...yes it is," Megan replied, sounding very elated.

"That's probably because of the person sitting next to you," Sara stated rather than asked.

"Uh huh," Her niece's voice suddenly sounded very absent and Sara thought she could hear Lindsey in the background.

"See?" Sara said, a little louder, hoping to get Megan's full attention again.

"See what?"

"I feel the urge to tell you..." the brunette said, "I told you so."

"Yeah...yeah you did. And you were so right."

"Well, then I wish you good luck," Sara said sincerely, a smile curling her lips.

"I don't need luck," Megan replied. "I already found it..."

This time Sara clearly heard Lindsey's giggle, followed by an 'Oompff' from Megan.

"You, Auntie Sara, on the other hand..." Megan continued.

Sara rolled her eyes. She hated it when Megan called her that, and so they'd settled on just Sara. Though every once in a while her niece thought it necessary to use the 'A'-word.

"...and use that luck yourself."

Sara looked at Catherine, who was now completely ignoring her -or at least so it seemed. The brunette knew that the older woman was eavesdropping -trying to do so unnoticed.

"Thanks," Sara replied. Suddenly an idea popped into her mind. "Megan, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Could you hand over the phone?"

It was silent for a moment, then Megan spoke up hesitatingly, "...okay."

As she heard the ruffling sound of the phone being handed over, she held her own cell out to Catherine.

The strawberry blonde looked from the offered cell to Sara and back.

"Just take it and listen," Sara said calmly, a gentle smile on her lips.

For a few seconds longer, Catherine stared at the apparatus, then took it.

"Hello?" Lindsey's voice filled her ears. As she looked back at Sara, she was met by such a tender look that caused tears to well up in her eyes. How did she- Catherine thought, but was interrupted by her daughter's voice.

"Sara?"

"Lindsey," Catherine whispered, finally able to say something.

"Mom?"

Continued…

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