Chapter 10

Catherine looked at Mrs. Buckley and Dr. Sapien as they sat across from her. As a mom she could understand the certain actions of parents especially in desperate situations. What happened to Dylan Buckley, she wasn't sure what to think especially when they found fibers inside and outside the victim's body and they matched the angora blanket.

It was unconventional but she was glad that she had Sage watching through the mirror. She had given the facts of the case to the CSI and watched the nearly dark look that flashed over the younger woman's face. She was surprised and it had her wondering if she made a mistake in borrowing her from Grissom but the look had passed and Sage said that she could listen in and confirm or deny anything technical from the shrink.

Catherine knew that Sage was watching through the window and could see who was in there. It perhaps was mean to do but Catherine didn't mention it to Nick. She went along with the idea that Sage had brought her formal report on what she had asked and didn't say a word about the CSI listening and watching as an observer.

As she looked at the two women, Catherine paused before she began, "Mrs. Buckley, we know that your son didn't have a seizure. We also know that you were at Dr. Sapien's house with Dylan the night that he died."

Nick shuffled in his seat and leaned forward to add, "He was in his underwear wrapped in a blanket fighting for every breath."

Mrs. Buckley looked homely as ever and her eyes were puffy. She gave a side glance at Nick, "I loved my son."

"That's what every parent says," Nick replied. He could feel that tension in his stomach rise as he looked at the mother and the shrink. He could feel his temper rise a little too and it seemed that whatever he and Sage had discussed, it was going to be thrown out the window.

"This… This was therapy. I had tried everything else." Mrs. Buckley shook her head slightly to emphasize her point. "Taken him to so many specialists. But I couldn't reach him. So we… We tried the… We…" Mrs. Buckley looked at the table and then at Dr. Sapien. "I have to tell them."

"It's called rebirthing," Dr. Sapien revealed.

Nick frowned at that, "Rebirthing?"

"It's a technique used to treat extreme behavioral disorders," Dr. Sapien explained, "The idea is to turn back the clock. Wipe the slate clean. Allow the child to re-bond with his mother."

This was bringing the weird into reality as Catherine looked at the shrink. "What is the blanket for?"

"It represents the birth canal," Dr. Sapien replied.

Both Nick and Catherine took a moment to think about it and process it. Both were unaware that the same thing was going on behind the mirror. Sage was staring at the good doctor. Her brow had raised so high, it was possible that they would pop off. She wasn't sure what to think about this but she made her notes on her notepad.

Catherine tried to verbally make sense of this, "So you wrapped Dylan up, beat the hell out of him and hocus pocus he's supposed to love you again?"

Sapien defended herself, "Rebirthing may not be a recognized therapeutic procedure but it's not illegal."

"Last time I checked, murder is," Sage said as the same time as O' Reilly as she watched. She made a mental note to go through her journals at home and look up anything available. There was some theory about birthing how it was when they child showed the extent of the bond between mother and child or something like that. She thought it was a weird form of Oedipus Rex Complex but not quite. She missed what Mrs. Buckley had said but she noted the tears that were threatening; definitely guilt.

"All other methods of therapy had failed. Dylan was becoming more belligerent, withdrawn, even dangerous," Dr. Sapien explained, trying to make them see how desperate the situation was.

"I just wanted my son to love me. That's all."

"Dylan was a willing participant." Dr. Sapien looked at Catherine. She had that look on her face that was silently asking them to see what they were trying to get at.

Sage listened as Dr. Sapien gave a rundown of what happened. It turned out that she had instructed Dylan to lie down on the ground in the fetal position and emphasized that she had asked Dylan if he wanted to be reborn. She could visualize what happened with Dylan and how he had died. He didn't need to have died this way and Sage could see why this method wasn't recognized and probably not fully documented. She certainly wouldn't suggest it.

Sage also took a moment to study Nick. She noticed that he assumed that firm position he got when he interviewed suspects but she noted that he seemed to be struggling with his emotions. Whatever it was that had him riled up before was back in full force. She studied him and said softly to no one, "Stokes, don't let rule you. You control it and work it through."

"I thought it was part of the process," Mrs. Buckley offered. She sniffled a little while Dr. Sapien assured her that it was. "She told me that's what he was supposed to say. That babies don't want to come out. That's why it's such an ordeal for the woman."

"So you pushed on him like a mother in labor?" Catherine looked at the two women.

Sage felt her throat convulse. She watched the look on Nick's face. She didn't understand why a parent would agree to try that but she was familiar with desperation. Dylan trusted his mother knew what was best and they did take into consideration what he wanted but that didn't excuse the fact that the kid was dead and their 'therapy' caused it.

There was a reason why it was called a practice. For as much as certain things were an absolute science in their line of work, nothing is absolute and mostly when it came to things like psychotherapy. The human brain in her view was one of the few frontiers in the realm of human understanding. There was a lot they knew, more than what had been known previously, but there was still a lot to be discovered. Yet in this case… Sage wasn't sure what to think.

She felt ashamed that she was a part of that world but she also felt the need to use it to speak for the ones that couldn't. This was just… She wasn't sure what to think and she needed to get out and think a little. Maybe Grissom would have mercy and let her have the night off. She left her side, unaware that Nick had decided to excuse himself at the same time.

Nick left interrogation to think and just mull over things. It hadn't been as he had initially thought but it was just as bad. A kid was dead and because a mom was desperate enough to try anything to get him to love her again. It was still a trust issue since Dylan trusted that his mom and shrink were doing what was best for him and hell that was what a parent was supposed to do when it came to their kids. He felt disgusted with the whole thing and that sick feeling just churned his stomach as he stepped out.

He happened to turn and noticed Sage as she stood just outside the door to the observation room and she was massaging her head and staring almost blankly at the ground. She had her stuff tucked under arm. Noticing her posture, Nick concluded that she had just received some bad news or she had just listened to the entire thing that just occurred. He looked at her and ventured, "Parker."

Sage looked in the direction of the voice. She almost panicked but maintained her composure. "Hey," she offered.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just an epiphany." Sage cleared her throat. "Excuse me." She turned and walked out of homicide, leaving Nick there wondering what was going on.

It was later that he found her reading a journal in the break room. It was lying in a position so that she had her arms folded on the table and the edge of the journal and bending over it. To her left she had her notepad and occasionally she would move her left and write something down on it. She paused only once to rub the bridge of her nose and ease the pinching that her glasses were giving. He tapped on the door frame, "Hey, you find what you're looking for?"

"Maybe. I'm about ready to throw this against the wall," Sage replied as she finished rubbing her eyes. She checked her watch and noted the time. "And about time since I'm off. Grissom said I had the night off."

"Running on empty?"

"Not even fumes." Sage put her pen in the binding of her journal and stacked things. She had a moment to think about what had happened and what she had observed. Standing up she made ready to leave. "Well time to go. You doing okay? Case worked itself out?"

"I'm fine," Nick replied. "The revelation was somewhat… not what I expected."

"But it still felt the same right?" Sage had time to think about it. She could recall a couple of instances that the interview had her wandering down memory lane and it wasn't pretty. "That's always a bummer."

"How do you feel about it?"

"What?"

"Parker."

Sage wasn't going to hide it and the jig was up anyway. It occurred to her that Nick realized she had overheard nearly the entire interview. "That it sucks. It wasn't technically the worst case scenario but the kid is still dead. So it sucks."

"And what do you think about the therapy?"

Sage motioned to her work. She knew Nick could see it. He wasn't a blind idiot; he was a CSI and trained to observe. "I've been reading."

"What do you think?" Nick knew she wasn't playing but she wasn't making it easy either. She wasn't trying to be a pain in the ass on purpose; it was clear that the whole thing bothered her. He had little idea that before she got back, she had an interesting conversation with the sheriff about the work she did with Grissom on their electrocution case and it left her in a worse mood and she was just through the half-life of it.

Sage looked at Nick instantly apologetic. Her mind was still on the fact that Mobley had tracked her down after Ian Wolf had been arrested and taking down to booking and the conversation that followed. While she didn't have to issue an apology, Mobley implied that her actions would be overlooked but she would have to play nice if she wanted to stay. At least that was what it sounded like to her and she was already frazzled from what she heard and it didn't help that she was bone tired.

She had been blunt with her responses initially. Now it felt like she was deflated as she replied, "A good reason that it is not recognized and it is along the lines of fairy tales and hokum. Whatever happened to the unconditional natural love between mother and child? I thought that was obvious."

Nick glanced around. It was a good thing that no one else was around. "So you don't agree with it?"

"As someone who is investigating a crime, if it were my case, unbelievable… as a fully licensed shrink, it is hokum. Satisfy you?"

"You are actually a shrink?" Nick happened to latch onto that. He had always thought it to be a joke. It was one thing to have a degree in behavioral analysis but a different thing that it can be used to treat people. He looked at Sage who had collected her things, "I always thought that it was like a joke or something."

"It was a joke," Sage replied as she started to leave. "A joke and a dare and now it's a curse. Oh don't worry about bowling night. Rain check."

Nick watched as she left the break room. He shook his head and had a thought. He chased after her, "Wait up Parker."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Nick looked at Sage as she looked at him with a raised brow. He was probably going to regret this but if there was one thing that was certain, that was he was a man of his word when he took a challenge from Sage Parker and had to pay the forfeit. "Yeah. I agreed and I think we both can agree that we need something to get our minds off of things."

Sage studied Nick and noted the expression on his face. He had chased her to the locker room and came up with the idea to do their bowling 'night' sort of right then and there. She was ready to call it a night and just vegetate but Nick persuaded her by mostly commenting that she was just going to curl up on her couch and eat apples and peanut butter. She agreed and then admitted that it was actually peanut butter cup ice cream and he ended up laughing at that.

So now they were at the bowling alley and he was going to find out what he had gotten himself into. She knew that Mandy had figured it out since that girl gave her a wink and Greg merely smirked. If he figured it out, she wasn't sure but the point was that no one knew exactly or if they did, it was a vow of silence. She replied, "I'll agree to that but you do know that I have a twist to that."

"Don't expect anything less from you, Parker."

Sage gave a slight sigh, "Okay but don't say I didn't warn ya. Besides the people we are bowling with were very excited to have a game tonight and generous with their time. Very generous."

"Okay," Nick replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He had seen a few teams and couple of kid teams there and figured that they were going to play against one of them. "So are they in training or something?"

"You could say that," Sage replied with a slight movement of her head. "They do take their bowling seriously though. They have competed in a few tournaments and well…"

"Sort of like football fans."

"Any kind sport Stokes though I think the seriousness is the equivalent of football. I know I do." Sage pointed at herself to emphasize her point. She then noticed their group coming in. "Ole Miss fan through and through."

"Couldn't beat the Aggies," Nick said with a slight look in his eye.

"If they were in the same division, they would wipe your Aggies' asses," Sage countered. "But I guess we'll never know unless you want to do a challenge on the gridiron?"

"You play?"

"I'm a mean tight end… first string." Sage smiled sweetly as she said that. She put her hands behind her back as she watched their group check in and get their gear.

Nick looked at her. She had to be kidding. "Nah," he said. "Unless you're referring to the peewee league or something." When she refused to answer he studied her. "You're serious?"

"Think what you want Stokes," Sage replied as she released her hands. "I could even be referring to two hand touch." She went to go retrieve their party.

Nick followed her as she walked over to a group of people. At first he thought it was a joke but when she brought them over, he knew that it wasn't a joke. This was the real deal. No wonder she kept a tight lip and Greg was peeling over in laughter when they left the lab. He looked at the group and then Sage and asked, "So this is who we're playing against?"

"Not exactly," Sage said. "This is Sister Margaret and we'll be on her team. Her two regulars are on duty as well as the substitutes." She motioned to the nuns standing behind Sister Margaret."

Sister Margaret took Nick's proffered hand and gave a good shake, "I'm glad that you were able to come tonight. In fact we weren't quite expecting it until later this week. I hope you know the basics at least."

"He'd better otherwise we will end up blowing it big time," an older and slightly grouchy looking nun piped up.

"And you are?" Nick looked at the nun.

"Sister Bernice, young man and you better bring your A-game to this. We train hard and we would like to beat St. Michael's this year," Sister Bernice said in crisp tones. "I was surprised that this young lady was able to volunteer even though she isn't Catholic."

Sage made a slight face and replied, "But I still am a child of God who just wants to serve in every way possible." She smiled sweetly at the sister.

The other nuns were convulsing with laughter. Nick had to admit that seeing Sage being cute with a grouchy nun was rather funny. He knew she could be fearless when the occasion called for it. He himself wouldn't have risked the wrath of the sister but it seemed to be great fun for her. Sister Bernice looked grouchy at first but gave a smile, "And I pray that you'll lose that cheeky tongue of yours."

"One can only pray sister," Sage replied with a smile of her own. "Well shall we play?"

The sisters were quick as they went to their respect sides on the lanes. Sage programmed theirs while a sister did Bernice's console. Nick watched her and asked in a side whisper, "You've played before haven't ya?"

"Fairly obvious Stokes," Sage replied as she finished. She sat in her seat and redid the laces on her bowling shoes. She gave a slight shudder at the color choice and put her foot down. "It was one of the fun things to do I think it was at a base in Texas and they take their bowling as seriously as they do football."

Nick adjusted the shoes he had been given. "You any good?"

"Average," Sage offered with a shrug of her shoulders. She looked to see Sister Clarice on Bernice's team start. "My underhand throwing technique is sluggish on my best hand."

"Best hand?"

"I bowl right handed," Sage said as she looked at Nick. "I'm ambidextrous in most things and some I do better with one hand than the other."

"Quiet," Sister Bernice hissed as the sisters prayed for a good game.

Sage twisted her lips, trying not to laugh as she respectfully bowed her head while they finished their prayer. She leaned over and whispered, "See, I told you they were serious about their bowling and worse than Texas."

"About as serious as rescue from eternal damnation?" Nick meant it as a joke but he was curious about this bowling league the sisters were a part of.

"Don't disregard that young man," Sister Margaret said as she sat by them. "A saved soul means all the difference in where you spend eternity. Of course one needs to live as well." She gave a slight smile as she got up to do her turn.

Nick watched the nun take her position. He looked at Sage who was paying attention and said, "Is this a conversion effort?"

"No," Sage replied. "Sister Margaret needed a person as a substitute for practices. It so happened that on the regular training night, she needed a second person and I thought I'd volunteer you."

"Volunteer? You made it into a forfeit," Nick countered with a slight chuckle. "You could've asked."

"But it was much more fun to get you on a bet," Sage replied and she looked at him with a grin. "And I didn't even have to cheat."

"I would say that made up story was."

"I followed the rules," Sage reminded him. She checked and said, "You're next."

Nick took his turn and ended up getting eight the first time and actually picked up the spare. The sisters on his team cheered him on and commented that he was good. Of course Sister Bernice said that it was a good start but he better get better as the game wore on. The sisters laughed when she mentioned something about putting on the big boys' pants and he ended up blushing. He looked at Sage who was sympathetic. He said to her, "Laugh it up Parker. I know you just wanted to have fun."

"The fun was getting you here, Stokes. The rest is up to you," Sage countered.

"A buck between us on best score?"

"Mmm… okay but like I said, I'm an average player."

The sisters tittered at the bet especially when they sealed the deal. While gambling was not exactly looked well upon, they understood that there were some things that couldn't be left alone. An example was the tournament with St. Michael's. So they let the pair make their bet and settled to play the game.

Sage's turn came up after Bernice and she stood ready to bowl. She almost looked like a posed statue as she stared down her lane and her eyes narrowed in concentration. She started forward and with a firm, smooth motion she released the ball. She gave a small smile when she got a strike and pivoted on her heel to look at Nick with a raised brow as if asking him to reconsider.

Nick was going to do no such thing. He gave a look back saying that he was going to see this through. He certainly stepped up in his game and was able to get a couple of strikes the next few times that he was up. He started to throw harder and harder as if it were going to throw off Sage's game but she continued to bowl as if it were nothing and she merely smiled after each toss. It caused him to miss a strike and he couldn't get the full spare.

In the end it was just the two of them after they finished their game with the nuns and they were thanked for helping with the training. Bernice said that it was the best practice they had and suggested another round at a later date and it was agreed to more on Nick's end as he eyed Sage to indicate that he wasn't done with this game yet.

They played until it was the last licks. Nick got eight and picked up the spare. It was a split spare. He turned to look at Sage and gave a sort of smug smile. "Beat that Parker."

Sage looked at him with her polite smile and took a few steps forward. She picked up her ball and walked forward like she was a dainty princess. She cast a backwards glance at Nick and said, "You know we could end this and walk away both winners."

"I still got a chance. I look forward to relieving you of a buck unless you want to up the stakes. Two?"

"Buck fifty. Still need to pay bills ya know," Sage replied still holding her ball.

"Deal."

Sage grinned and turned back towards the lane. She started forward and released the ball. It was a clear strike. She was smiling as she turned to see Nick make a face. It was really close. If she needed to pick up a spare and she missed he would have won. "Dead close, Stokes. That's the kind of competition I like. It sort of puts things into perspective especially when the hard stuff needs to be thought out. Interesting how things end up working out even when there are things that get to us like a case."

Nick looked at Sage. He understood what she was saying. He gave a nod to indicate that he did but ended up saying, "Yeah but I still owe ya a buck fifty."

"Shoe money," Sage said as she traded her bowling shoes for her regular shoes. "I was eyeing a pair…" She stopped at the look Nick was giving her and started laughing. In the end they both started laughing as they left the bowling alley, each feeling better about what they had for a case.

A/N: Another day done and some fun tossed in for Sage and Nick after a hard day. Things get a little more interesting in their next case True Crime Kills...