I apologize for not updating when I said I would, I'm a liar. In my defense, I was busy graduating.

XXXX

Conrad Ecklie strode down the corridor of the lab when he was met with the sound of laughter. Glass walls revealed the culprits, the delectable Catherine Willows and, ah, of course, Sara Sidle.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Startled, both women turned as Ecklie burst into the room. "You two don't have enough to do, you have the time to stand around joking!?"

Sara's eyes flashed. "Oh f-"

"Conrad!" Catherine interjected before Sara could earn herself a suspension. "We're both coming off a triple and about to head home." She flashed him a smile. "Besides, last time I checked, laughing was allowed in the lab."

Sara was equal parts amazed and disgusted by the effect of Catherine's teasing.

Ecklie smiled sheepishly. "It's just that with all the pressure surrounding this case, especially with the FBI in the building, I just want everyone to act professional."

Catherine widened her smile, clearly sensing victory. "Sorry Conrad, I know you're under a lot of strain right now, believe me, we're feeling it too." She rose from her seat at the layout table and approached the balding man. "I was just telling Sara, I don't know how she does it, pulling triples on a regular basis, I'm completely spent."

Ecklie worked his jaws like a fish out of water. "Yes, well, we could all use some rest."

"Yes, we could, in fact, I was going to ask Gil, but you know, he'd never allow it, but I was going to ask Gil if Sara and I could take a shift off, we're neither of us doing our best work under these conditions."

"Further evidence that Grissom doesn't know how to manage his team. Of course you can take a shift off, Catherine."

"Sara too? She's my ride after all." At Ecklie's quizzical look, "One of the Tahoes is out of commission." She lied smoothly.

"Certainly, but I want both of you back here in 24 hours and I want this case closed!"

"Of course Conrad." Catherine smirked at Ecklie's retreat.

"I can't believe you just did that."

Catherine was exasperated, "Did what? We could use the break."

Sara's eyes flashed, "You flirted with Ecklie and you hung Grissom out to dry."

Catherine paused and visibly calmed herself before responding. "No, I just got us a chance to work that serial and I did not flirt with Ecklie, I just decided to be nice instead of telling him to, what was it you were about to say? 'Fuck off'?"

Sara's brow furrowed. "But you made it sound like Gil can't do his job!"

"Ecklie hates Gil, he hates it that Gil won't play politics, he hates it that Gil's a better investigator and Gil's strategy is always to reason with him, well Ecklie doesn't respond to reason, he responds to flattery, which by the way, you could do more often, always acting like a smartass doesn't win you any points Sara."

"I don't want to score points, I just want to do my job!"

Unable to control her rising ire, Catherine stepped aggressively into the angry brunette's space. "So do I! And you know what? I find it easier to do my job when the boss works with me instead of against me."

Sara flushed with anger, these battles with Catherine were intense, if somewhat predictable. They'd not fought this fiercely since…

Sara felt the anger fall away from her only to be replaced with hot licks of shame. They hadn't fought like this since Eddie's death, since she'd been unable to bring Catherine and Lindsey justice.

Catherine watched the fire go completely out of the brunette. Sara paled, crossed her arms over her stomach, her gaze dropped to the floor. Watching Sara's posture close down put Catherine's heart in her throat, the younger woman looked profoundly uncomfortable.

"Look, I already had to ask Nancy to keep Lindsey and I've got a theory about those lash marks." Sara seemed to perk up a bit.

XXXX

"Our killer is definitely using a single-tail." Catherine gestured to the photos strewn across Sara's coffee table.

"Single-tail?"

Catherine shuffled through photos, "Yeah, a whip, not a cat o'nine or a flogger, just one piece."

"Okay, is that any different than a bull whip? 'Cause that's what I had it narrowed down to."

Catherine smiled absently as she continued to sift through the pictures. "Well, a bull whip might be a little bit heavier than what's being used during the murders but it's the same idea." Finally, the elder CSI showed Sara the object of her search, two close-ups of each victim's wounds. "Ignore the lashes that broke the skin, what do you see."

Sara sighed, then examined both of the photos intently. "There are a lot of marks where he didn't break the skin. So, he got angrier or more excited, started drawing blood."

Catherine nodded slowly. "True, but it takes incredible skill to use a single-tail without drawing blood; the person we're looking for is probably known in the BDSM community."

"Okay, so where do we go now? Lady Heather is the only…" She trailed off uncertainly.

"Domme? Top?"

Sara shrugged roughly then jerked up from the couch toward the kitchen. "I don't know anyone else that kinky and fucked up."

Catherine laughed delightedly, the brunette returned with two beers. Sara opened her beer, tipped her head back, and took a few long, cold swallows. Catherine found herself frozen in the act of opening her beer, arrested by the smooth column of the younger woman's throat.

Sara lowered her drink, noticed Catherine's inaction, then casually stretched a long arm between them to twist the top off of the blonde's beer.

"Thanks"

Sara grunted and took another drink. Catherine took a cautious sip appreciating the cold brew. "Well, I'm sure it wouldn't do any harm to ask Lady Heather. What do we know about the victims?"

"Both women, one blonde from Vegas, 23, one from Jean, 28, Chinese descent." Sara shuffled the files again. "No readily apparent connection. Blonde worked for Sterling & Khune, brokerage firm downtown and….Natalie Cheng was finishing her residency, she was going to be a cardiologist. Both women were killed with a blow to the back of the head; Cheng's neck was broken and Craig suffered a severe cerebral hemorrhage."

Sara handed the files to Catherine. "Nick and I spoke with A.J. Craig's parents, the blonde, she wasn't dating anyone that they know of, no enemies, apparently successful at work. Nick interviewed the Chengs, pretty much the same story, successful young woman, single."

"I doubt we're gonna get the information we need from the parents. Roommates, friends, a credit card statement, we need to find out where these women were spending their free time."

Sara eyed Catherine. "You really think these women were into sadomasochism, that they went looking to get beaten?"

Catherine met her gaze stolidly. "Yeah, I do. So far it's the only link between the victims and it explains how the killer got them tied down – the victims don't show any defensive wounds, no broken fingernails, no skin or blood under the fingernails, their knuckles aren't scraped up. Look at the restraints the killer used, they must have been wide cuffs, stiff material, probably leather, lined. Even if my gut wasn't leading us here the evidence would be."

Sara frowned, finished her beer. "I'll call A.J. Craig's parents, see about getting one of A.J.'s credit card statements. You call the Chengs, Nick should still have their number."

"Sara."

"What?"

"It's three o'clock in the morning."

XXXX

Now that I'm working full time instead of going to school the updates should come on heck of a lot faster.