A/N set after Leaving Las Vegas but using my creative licence.
Summery: Grissom comes back form sabbatical to find everyone at war and because of it the one thing he came back for is missing.
Sara Sidle was a ghost; she certainly looked it pale skinned drifting around as if nothing was real. She'd been like that for four weeks now, for trained observers no one had noticed she'd gradually faded into the shadow she was now since Gil Grissom left. Everyone was to busy arguing to care about Sara. Hodges had noticed, that was how bad it had got. Usually entertained by the arguments currently ripping through the night shift he was fed up of them. He had noticed Sara spending more time alone usually in the lab avoiding everyone, she couldn't do that now she had been assigned a DB with Cath and Nick the two people causing the most friction.
There was one other thing that had faded into the background a package for Grissom that was gathering dust in his office. Sara had noticed it when she checked on his cockroaches but it was nothing special just a box, she didn't look long enough to recognise the stamp, the signature that was the miniature killer. If she had she would have opened it but it had faded just like Sara it was slowly disappearing amongst all the other items.
It was one of those days when you wished you hadn't got up. Normally processing a scene this big would be a task but add the fact Nick and Catherine were at war and it made you wish you were still in bed. They had been processing the house so long the sun had come up. Sara was currently outside avoiding the tension inside, she'd already played referee in the car when Nick and Cath started arguing she didn't plan on doing it again. The sun was warming the already hot air making crawling along under the decking searching for a bullet a hard task.
"Find anything?" asked Catherine sharply coming outside
"Does it look like it?" asked Sara shuffling out from under the decking hot and miserable.
"Well bullets don't just disappear"
"Maybe it disintegrated, maybe they took it?" suggested Sara brushing herself down
"Maybe someone took it for their own crime scene" said Nick coming outside
'Great round two' thought Sara picking her kit up forcefully
"I'm going to get a drink from the coffee shop down the road, want anything?" asked Sara wanting to get away before they started shouting again. She didn't get a reply so she grabbed her kit and walked off round the front and almost straight into Sofia "I wouldn't bother round twos about to start" said Sara as Sofia looked slightly confused.
"Where are you going?" asked Sofia as Sara shoved her kit in the back
"Away form here" replied Sara sharply then realised it wasn't Sofia's fault so continued "get a drink, I need coffee" said Sara
"Well I'll go adjudicate, oh I've got something for you came to the lab not to pry but I read the post mark isn't that where Grissom is?"
Sara gave Sofia her best poker face but broke into a lopsided smile as she took the envelope. Sofia had long suspected the relationship between Sara and Grissom may have moved up a level she was surprised no one else did but it seemed you had to be outside the group to notice "you know he didn't send anyone else a postcard" smiled Sofia as Sara took in her look trying not to grin to much at the letter burning a hole in her hand "tell him I want a postcard and a fridge magnet" smiled Sofia leaving Sara slightly confused as to if Sofia knew she suspected she did but Sofia was to coy to come out with it. Instead Sara set of at a fast walk ripping the letter open as she did.
Dear SaraAs you know I'm not one for showing my emotions. I hope my present reached you in one piece I believe it is the cocoon of an emporia butterfly. I'd forgotten how hard teaching could be not all students are as attentive as you. My pig with the maggots and blanket experiment went down well; I may even have created a couple of vegetarians. I have the picture of you up in my office my students seem to think it's amazing someone as good looking as you would go out with me, I know I'm amazed. My attempt to tell them you were a co worker went down like the Titanic apparently no one has a picture of there co worker up only their girlfriend or wife, I'm surprised no one has noticed the one over there. I guess no one's going in there at the minute. I hope everyone's ok and everything is alright. I miss you
Love Grissom
PS my estate agent called someone wants to vie the town house on Thursday just to let you know so you don't shot them thinking there burglars if you go at all.
Sara didn't realise she was at the coffee she shop she also didn't realise that one tear had escaped. She was so engrossed she didn't notice the tall figure following her down the street and now hunched in the corner of the shop.
Sara lent up against the counter while her coffee was made she was re-reading her letter once again so engrossed she didn't notice the man lean up against the counter next to her, not which it was noticeable but if she had seen his face she would have known. With one quick movement the man dripped something into the coffee just put on the side before the server placed a plastic lid on. He picked up a packet of sugar and his coffee and left quickly.
"Your coffee" the servers voice drifted through to Sara and she grabbed her coffee from the side and shoved her letter in her pocket heading back to see if Sofia had to restrain anyone.
He waited outside watching her take the coffee and walk off down the street. He smiled to himself fiddling with the small bottle in his hand, now all he had to do was be patient he'd been patent watched for so long it wasn't going to be long now. He'd watched the mistakes others made grabbing and killing on the spur leaving evidence everywhere he was smarter than that he knew it couldn't happen immediately that was arouse suspicion this way no one would know that he had control.
TBC ……………………….. if anyone would like to beta this I would be grateful because I'm sure it needs it! Also reviews will be happily received and danced around the room to…..