Title: Choices
Author: nighttimeowlreader
Author’s Email: anamcara42@hotmail.com
Rating: PG13
Pairing: Sara/Sofia
Summary: different ending to the whole Miniatures Killer story arc.
Spoilers (if any): Seasons 7 & 8

Disclaimer: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigators," the characters, and situations depicted are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Alliance Atlantis, and CBS Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "CSI: Crime Scene Investigators," CBS, or any representatives of Jorja Fox or Marg Helgenberger.

Author's Notes: Some GSR present throughout. Timeline: after "Living Doll" part 1


Brass quickly made all the necessary calls and then headed to the lab to inform Grissom and the team that they knew where Sara was. His first stop was to Grissom's office. He was still seated in front of the miniature with Hodges. Grissom had removed the car from on top of the plastic Sara figure and was staring at something trapped between his tweezers.

"Gil-"

"Not now Brass, I've found something." Gil and Hodges continued to examine whatever was trapped between the tweezers.

"We know where Sara is Gil."

Grissom put down the tweezers and gave his full attention to Brass.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sofia convinced Natalie to tell her."

Grissom looked truly puzzled. "I spent two hours in there with her and she said nothing of value."

"Gil, we've got a location and Sofia is en route with a medivac and equipment. We're going to need you guys as well to get the car off of Sara. We don't have much time. Sofia has been poisoned and we need to act quickly or we'll lose them both."

Gil regarded Brass as if a light had suddenly gone off in his head. "Maybe that explains what this syringe is doing in the glove box of the car." He held up the tweezers to the light.

Brass sighed in relief. Maybe Natalie wasn't lying after all and there was a chance that Sofia would be alright.

Desert Location

Sara tried to stay calm as more water entered her mouth and she fought to spit it out. The water was almost past her nose at this point and she was finding it more and more difficult to stay conscious. She couldn't move her right leg at all. It appeared to be pinned under some part of her metal prison and her head was pounding incessantly. She felt rain hitting her hand from outside her escape route and the frustration of being stuck was enough to drive her mad. She felt cold and tired and her body hurt like hell.

For a moment she could swear she could hear someone calling her name.

Sofia plunged down on a cable connected to the chopper into the wet, freezing air. The pilot had wanted to turn around because of the storm but Sofia wasn't having any of it. The chopper ride had bought her some time. They had made it to the site in half an hour and she was hoping to get both herself and Sara to safety.

She had not anticipated the storm and the water made her worry for Sara's safety. She had convinced the chopper pilots to allow her to go down to the site after their spotlight had illuminated the rims of the car shining back to them. The rain was a welcome reprieve for Sofia. Her body felt like it was on fire and she was sweating all over.

She landed with a splash into the puddle that was forming around the car and she snapped on her flashlight to the opening under the car. She could see Sara's hand sticking out just like the miniature. It reminded Sofia of a twisted version of the Wizard of Oz.

She dashed over to it and grasped the cold hand in hers. "Sara Are you alright? We're going to get you out "

Sara's hand had not reacted to her touch. Sofia frantically sprawled onto her stomach to peek into the car. The water was seeping into her clothing but she paid no attention and struggled to see under the car. She shined the flashlight inside and saw Sara's face almost covered by the water. She was bleeding from a wound in her head and Sofia was afraid she was too late.

"Sara please don't do this "

Sofia crawled under the car, feeling a sharp pain in her shoulder as she crawled underneath. She was only able to get half of her body thru the opening. She reached the upper half of Sara's body and she propped Sara's head onto her shoulder to keep it from staying under water. Sofia was relieved to still feel a pulse in Sara's neck.

Sofia experimentally tried pulling Sara towards the opening but Sara wasn't budging and she didn't want to risk injuring her further. Here eyes were drawn to the glove box and she tried to reach for it only to find that she couldn't.

It was only then that she realized that Natalie had meant something different when she had told Sofia she would have to make a choice. If Sofia reached for the antidote, she would have to let go of Sara's head and Sara would drown. If she didn't get the antidote, she would die. Sofia stared at the glove box and exhaled. She shifted Sara's head more securely against her shoulder and listened to her breathe.

Sofia knew that the others would be arriving to get the car off of Sara but she was running out of time.

She felt a calm suffuse thru her as she laid in the water propping Sara's wet face against her shoulder. She could feel Sara's shallow breath warming a spot on her cold shoulder and it was the only thing comforting her at the moment. The other was the rain seemed to have stopped and there was little chance of both of them drowning from more water entering underneath the vehicle.

In some dim part of her mind, Sofia realized that she was numb from her waist down. She didn't know if this was a product of the environment or the poison. Her vision was becoming blurred and it was difficult to stay awake.

"The irony isn't lost to me Sara that I've always wanted some time to get to know you and now that I have it, you're unconscious and we're both probably hanging by a thread. I know we didn't get off on the right foot since everyone thought I was Ecklie's right hand but I thought maybe after I was demoted you would realize it wasn't true."

Sofia realized she was rambling but was past caring. "Then when I came back from Boulder City, you seemed to thaw a little now that I was a detective but still......there's always this barrier between us."

"You seem to resent my interactions with Grissom and Greg almost like I'm taking them away from you. Don't you get it Sara? These people love you. Why do you think people are so fickle with how they feel about you?"

"Over here Get the equipment over here " Nick and Warrick lead the team over to the upturned car. They could see Sofia sticking halfway out from under it and they rushed over to her.

"Sofia? Are you alright? How is Sara?," Grissom called. He lead the paramedics to the overturned car.

Sofia weakly replied, "She's unconscious and we need to get her out. Her body temp is too low."

Sofia saw light being shined under the car as the team tried to figure out where to attach the thick chains to the car to lift it.

"I think Sara's leg is pinned under something because I couldn't move her."

"Sofia how are you feeling?," Catherine asked from next to her.

"I'm fine. Just get Sara out."

Sofia could hear creaking as the car was slowly being lifted from above her. When they had moved it a few feet off the ground they all gasped at the picture of the two bloodied women struggling to stay out of the water that surrounded them in a deep puddle.

The paramedics went to grab for Sara but Sofia wouldn't move.

"Sofia you can let go. The paramedics are right here.," Catherine said, soothingly.

"I can't move, Catherine. My arms won't move."

The paramedics looked at Catherine questioningly while Catherine looked to Grissom.

"She has an unknown poison in her system and we need to get to the glove box of the car to get the antidote."

Grissom went over to help support Sofia while the paramedics slid Sara out from the car. Catherine went to the other side to the glove box to retrieve the syringe.

"I don't like this, Grissom. What if this makes her worse?," Catherine eyed the syringe suspiciously.

"There's no more time. We have to act quickly."

Grissom looked to the paramedics to get confirmation that Sara was stable on the backboard. They had started an I.V. in her pale arm and were hurriedly trying to get her re-hydrated.

"Mr. Grissom, I can't ethically inject an unknown substance into a patient.," one of the paramedics said as he examined the syringe. Catherine saw Sofia's eyes close and hurried to check her pulse.

Before Grissom had time to blink, Catherine grabbed the syringe.

"Just give me the goddamn thing "

"Catherine..."

Catherine pulled an alcohol swab from the pack of one of the paramedics and swabbed Sofia's neck before carefully plunging the needle into her jugular vein and slowly pushing the contents of the syringe in.

Grissom looked at Catherine in stunned silence. Catherine placed the syringe in an evidence bag and waved the curious glances away.

"Don't just stand there gawking. Move "

This seemed to bring everyone back to life as the paramedics loaded Sara into the medivac chopper and then stabilized Sofia who had passed out in the interim.

Now that Sara was out of imminent danger, Grissom began looking at the scene with practiced eyes. He was pulled out of his mental inquiry by Catherine.

"Gil, get in the chopper with Sara and the rest of us will process the scene."

Catherine watched Grissom struggle with himself as he was faced with a situation that he knew he could handle and one that was more uncertain that he could handle.

"Gil, she needs you."

Grissom mutely nodded and then turned to get into the medivac. There was little room inside the tiny helicopter and he had to squish himself at the end of Sara's backboard. Sofia was laying on her side due to the tear in her shoulder that the paramedics were trying to keep pressure on. Even weak and in pain, Grissom watched Sofia trying to offer comfort to the woman next to her. Sofia had one hand resting on Sara's as if she needed the contact to make her realize that Sara was really there.


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