Wow, I suppose I should continue since I got so many great reviews for this. Just remember, it's set back before Nevada was even a state so shit could hit the fan and nobody would care. And a special thanks to Just Thinking, whose life is complicated enough without me throwing dumb stories at her to beta.

The Other Side

Chapter 2

His eyes slowly peeled open. Gil knew by the smells that invaded his senses that he was in a strange place. After blinking the sleep away, he turned his head to the warm body pressed into his. Sara was still sleeping soundly. He was even amazed at how well he had slept.

Gil carefully climbed out of the bed, attempting not to disturb her. He noticed his clothes were neatly folded in a nearby chair. Quickly, he dressed and escaped the room of temptation, and made his way back to the front of the brothel.

"Leaving so soon?" A familiar voice chided him.

He stopped and looked at Heather and Jim. They were casually sharing breakfast together. "I've got business to attend to."

"Maybe there is something you can help me with?" Jim said as he wiped his mouth and stood from the table. "Come with me, I want to show you something."

Gil eyed Heather, well aware she was trying to read his emotions. He knew the instant Sara touched him that it couldn't be just sex with her. Her touch brought out what love he had within, and it scared him. Gil tore his eyes away from Heather's and followed Jim.

They made their way down the wooden walk; boots echoing and spurs clanging. "Look, Gil, I have a poster in my office I'd like you to take a look at."

He nodded. "Very well."

"So far, no one's been able to bring this bastard down. He'll rob a bank in one town, a stage coach on his way to the next, and then murder some innocent woman. He's a menace, and he needs to be stopped." They reached the small jail and entered. Jim scanned the cluttered desk for the one sheet of paper he was looking for. "Ah, here he is."

Gil took the faded paper from Jim's hand. "I've heard of him."

"They raised his bounty. I suspect in another week, the cavalry will be out here looking for him."

"Why me?" Gil asked confused.

Jim sighed. "Because, you're the best, or at least what's left of the best." Gil inclined his head at the new information. "I sent Jack after him weeks ago…"

"And…"

"Let's just say… he didn't come back in one piece." Jim cautiously revealed.

Gil studied the drawing. He drew in a deep breath, held it, and slowly released it. "I'll need more than just myself."

Jim smiled, thankful that Gil was taking the offer. "I have just the person."

The men stood silent for another moment, and then Gil folded the paper up and shoved it into his vest pocket. He gave Jim a nod and headed out the door. His steps were short and quick as he made his way back to the brothel.

Heather greeted him out front. "Here." She extended a small cloth. "Homemade biscuits."

"Thank you." He took her offering.

"Miguel has your horse saddled around back."

Gil pondered having Heather explain to Sara why he left her so suddenly, and then again, he wasn't sure himself. "I'll see you later." He moved around her and walked around the corner of the building.

"Here you are, Mister Grissom." Miguel handed over the reins to the stocky bay horse.

"Thank you." Gil tied on his gift, and stepped on his mount. He took about five strides away, then stopped. Something wasn't right. Gil spun around and saw Sara watching him from the back door. She looked even more beautiful to him that she had last night, clad in the same cream robe, her hair wild from their encounter. His heart lurched to go to her, give her one last goodbye kiss, but he knew if he did, leaving would be that much harder.

With a jerk of the reins and a spur to the belly, his horse spun and carried him off into the desert.

Sara watched until the dust was no longer visible. Her heart broke in two, and Gil carried half of it with him.

Several miles down the path, Gil stopped and approached a man who seemed to be waiting for him.

"Gil Grissom?" The man asked.

"Depends."

"Yeah, Jim said you were a hard ass. Nick Stokes." He extended a hand.

Gil eyed the man before shaking it. "You 'The Gun' Stokes?"

The younger man proudly smiled. "The one and only."

He then noticed the rifle Nick carried in his scabbard. "What kind of range can you get with that thing?"

"Are we shooting to kill?" Gil nodded. "Two hundred yards is a good range, I usually take a head shot."

"They'll need to be able to make an ID." He pointed out.

Nick smiled. "I know." He then pushed his horse forward.

Gil remained frozen for a moment before spurring his horse to catch up. "Look, I don't care if all we deliver is his head; it just needs to be identified."

They headed east through Searchlight, and it was there they picked up the trail of destruction. The local law enforcement also informed them that a stage coach was scheduled to leave Bullhead City in two days carrying the cavalry payroll and was heading for Yucca. It was a hard day's ride to get to Bullhead City from where they were, and this guy had a head start.

Gil and Nick made it to the city before the stage coach's departure. They took a well needed rest before heading towards Yucca to get ahead of the stage.

"So, if you were going to hit this thing, where would you do it from?" Gil asked the younger man as they rode.

Nick looked around at their surroundings. "Another mile up." He pointed and Gil's eyes followed. "The road narrows as it goes through that canyon."

He smiled. "Then let's get there."

Both men dug in their spurs and headed for the canyon. As they neared, something caught Gil's eye and he pulled his horse to a stop. "Hold on." His eyes carefully scanned the area.

Nick looked around. "What?"

"There." He pointed into a small box canyon. Nick squinted and looked. "See?"

"Yeah, I see it."

Gil pursed his lips. "Keep an eye out."

They pushed forward and approached the horse standing alone in the shade. There were the remnants of a smoldering fire and an unmade bed roll. The horse was bridled, but not saddled.

"Can I help you gents?"

Gil and Nick both turned, and looked down the barrel of a gun. "Just noticed your horse." Nick made an attempt to calm the man.

"Yeah, well, now you've seen him." The man's voice was stern and edgy.

"Calm down, we're just passing through and thought that someone might need some assistance." Gil added, lying all the way.

The man lowered his gun, but never took his eyes off of the intruders.

Gil slowly stepped off. The minute his eyes landed on the man, he knew this was the person they were looking for. "Mind if we join you for a while? This canyon makes for a good resting area."

Nick remained calm on top of his horse, but his hand was poised to draw the colt from its holster.

"Why don't you find your own canyon? This one's taken."

Gil moved around his horse and squared his body to the man. "Because, I'm looking for you."

The hesitation between the three men drew out longer than Gil had anticipated, and as expected, the man drew. Gil went for his gun, and Nick went for his. Several shots rang out in the canyon and echoed between the walls. Gil's horse jumped back, and Nick kept a hold of his as he fired several rounds into the man standing on the ground.

The horses stirred up enough dust to temporarily reduce the vision in the small area. "Gil?" Nick jumped off his horse and checked the man lying face up in the dirt; he was dead. "Hey, Gil." Nick walked back towards where he knew Gil was standing before everyone went for their hardware. Through the settling dust, he saw him on the ground. "Gil!"

Nick was at his side in two big strides. Gil coughed and looked at the man over him. "I'm fine."

"Oh, man…oh, no." Nick found the cause of his being on the ground. "You're hit."

The wetness on the left side of his torso was slowly growing. Nick instinctively put pressure on the wound. Gil sucked in a pained breath as the pressure was being applied. "Is he dead?"

"Yeah, just hold on." Nick moved over and snatched the man's bedroll. He tore it lengthwise. "Come on, sit up." He pulled Gil into a sitting position and wrapped the cloth around his middle. "Ready?" Gil gave a nod and released the air from his lungs. Nick pulled the knot tight, and Gil let out a cry of agony. "Come on, we gotta get out of here."

Nick pulled Gil to his feet and helped him onto his horse. He then mounted up and they headed back to Bullhead City.

The trip back had nearly killed him. On the edge of town, Gil's body had finally had enough, and he fell from his horse. Nick rushed into town and got help. After the bullet was removed, it was another two weeks before Gil had enough strength to get out of bed and walk around.

Nick had gone back and retrieved the body. He remained with Gil until he felt well enough to head back to Sunset. They made the long ride together, stopping at every town they encountered so Gil could eat a proper meal and rest. They each made eight hundred dollars on the man they had killed, but it almost cost Gil more than what he had received.

Gil led Nick through Dr. Robbins south pasture, and to the small cabin he called home. Sunset was only a mile away, but Gil couldn't make it a hundred yards if he tired. "I think I need to retire." He said simply as he dismounted.

Nick unsaddled his horse. "Then what would you do?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I could work for Al. Push cattle all day."

"Doesn't sound like any fun to me." Nick led their horses to the small coral and turned them loose. "Hey, how about tomorrow night, you and me go to the brothel?"

The brothel, Gil had tried to forget all about her.

While he was lying in bed, fighting for his life, it was the images of Sara underneath him as he made love to her that kept him alive. He longed to see her, to smell her, to taste her. Never before had he thought he needed a woman in his life, and now he couldn't rid himself of this one.

"Hey, you alright, man?" Nick's voice echoed, breaking through his flashbacks.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Gil gave his head a slight shake. "Sounds good."

That next night, Gil found himself standing outside of the swinging doors. He questioned Sara's reaction to his arrival, and then he thought of how many men she might have possibly been with since he left her. Nick waited patiently behind him. With a heavy breath, Gil pushed the doors opened and entered.

The place was its usual hoppin' self. Nick stood next to him in front of the doors as they scanned the crowd. Catherine was still up to her old tricks, two new girls were also working the floor, but Gil couldn't find Sara.

"Oh, my God!" Their heads turned towards the voice. Heather rushed up to Gil and she quickly embraced him. "We heard you were shot!"

Gil gave her a light hug back. "I was."

She released him and held him at arm's length so she could look over him. "You look like hell."

His face was very tired looking, and more gray was coming through his beard. "Thanks."

She smiled. "No problem."

Gil let himself be led to the table in the corner by Heather, Nick followed. They all sat down as Heather called for a round of whiskey to be delivered.

"Who's the brunette?" Nick asked Heather. Gil's eyes began scanning the crowd, hopeful that it might be Sara.

"Oh, that's Mandy. She moved from St. Louis. She's very talented." Heather was quick to promote one of her girls. "Mandy."She called out. The brunette hopped off of the piano and joined the trio. "Why don't you take this good man upstairs and help him relax a little?"

"It'll be my pleasure." She took Nick's hand and led him away.

"Better get you one, Gil." Nick called out as he ascended the stairs.

Gil smiled but didn't respond. Heather knew who he was thinking about. "She's still here, you know." His eyes lit up and began to scan the crowd once again. "No, not there…" Heather turned his head to look behind the bar. "…there."

Sara had been watching him since the moment he had walked in. She smiled and continued to pour drinks. Gil was speechless, he was sure that after their encounter, Sara would be working the floor with the other girls.

"You want to know why she's not out there?" Heather asked him. Gil could only nod. "Gil, you know I strive to keep my girls safe, and I just haven't felt she was ready. I talked to her about her night with you." He felt his face flush. "It wasn't just about sex, was it?"

He gave his head a light shake. "No, it wasn't."

"I was afraid of that." Heather paused and tried to think of the right words she wanted to say. "Gil, I want you to take her tonight." His eyes shot back to Heather. "I want you to be rough with her, show her what it's really about, what these men possess."

"I don't think I can do that."

"I'll pay you. By having her behind the bar and not out there, she's of no use to me. Every man in here wants a piece of her, but she's still not ready." She stopped and knew what she was about to do would do more harm than good. "Look, if you don't, then I'll just let one of these fine men do it for me."

Gil looked at her coldly. "You wouldn't."

Heather nodded. "I would." She turned back to the bar. "Sara, would you join us please?" Sara sat down next to Heather. "Sara, are you ready to take the next step, and get paid to pleasure a man?"

Gil swallowed the lump in his throat as Sara's eyes met with hers. He knew she was thinking that it would be with him. "Yes."

"Good." Heather eyes moved to connect with Gil's. "Because unfortunately, Gil does not pay for sex, but the other men do." She stood and announced to the crowd. "Excuse me gentleman…" The piano died and all eyes fell on her. "I'm proud to announce that Sara's asking price is five dollars"

The group of men hooted and hollered, but it was Mr. Braun's trail boss that was the first to come over with the money. "A little spendy, but I bet she's worth it."

Heather took the money, and watched as he grabbed Sara's arm roughly and proceeded to drag her off towards the stairs.

Sara's eyes expressed her fear as they locked with Gil's. He swallowed hard once again, but did nothing to stop it. After she disappeared he turned back to Heather. "I can't believe you just did that."

"This is a business, Gil. I offered you the opportunity to train her, but instead you fell for her." Heather stood and went to mingle with her patrons.

Gil took his shot and downed it. The picture that was being painted in his head at the moment was not the one he was hoping would be Sara's real life experience.

Sara was practically thrown onto the bed. Roger landed on her roughly. "Get off of me." She struggled against him.

"Oooh, you're a rough filly aren't you?" He continued to hold her down, and ran his tongue up her cheek.

"No!" Sara gritted her teeth and tried pushing against him.

He maneuvered her hands above her head, and held them under one of his larger ones. His free hand came down and ripped open her shirt.

Sara bucked with her entire body in an attempt to free herself. She used her legs and tried to knee him in the groin, but all of the efforts were futile.

Roger managed to get what was necessary off of her. "Hold the fuck still, will ya?"

But she was about to do nothing he asked. Sara struggled enough and was able to free her hand. She brought it up to his neck and scratched him.

"You bitch." He drew back and hit her square across the face with an open hand.

Sara thought her eye had exploded and she cried out from the pain. When she screamed, Roger placed his hand over her mouth to muffle her screams. She took advantage of the situation and was able to bite his hand.

"Ahhhh!" He screamed out. Sara didn't release her bite on him, only dug her teeth in further. "Whore!" Roger yelled as he grabbed her hair with his free hand, stood up taking her with him, and slammed her into the wall.

Her head hit hard, and Sara had no choice but to let go. He let her fall to the ground as he looked over his injury. She was teetering on the edge of consciousness, but still tried to get away from him.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" In a step he was next to her. Roger drew his leg back and brought it forward to kick her in the torso.

Sara rolled over onto her back and tried to catch her breath. The blow had knocked the wind out of her, and it was agony as she willed her lungs to inflate.

Roger clutched his hand and walked out of the room.

Gil never took his eyes off of the wooden stair case as he continued to sip his whiskey. He had already gone through several shots, and was debating on going up the stairs to pry that piece of slime off of Sara. Then he saw Roger make his way down. Gil could hear him mumbling something as he clutched his hand. When he passed, it was then he noticed the scratches to the man's neck.

After he left, Gil jumped up and scaled the stairs. He went to the room with the half open door. "Oh, God, Sara." Gil kneeled next to her.

She was still awake and aware of her injuries. "Gil?"

"Shhh, it's okay, Sweetheart, I'm here." He helped her sit up and when she struggled to take a breath, his anger grew. "Just calm down and take slow, shallow breaths." He breathed in that manner and tried to get her to mimic him.

Sara was able to take a couple of shallow breaths, and with Gil's help, she got up. He helped her to the bed and gently laid her down.

"Just lay here and catch your breath, I'll be right back." Gil stormed out of the room, down the stairs, and out into the dark street. He caught the sight of Roger tightening the cinch on his horse.

Gil let his anger spill over and crossed the street, his feet picking up speed as he neared the focus of his rage. Just as Roger was getting on his horse, Gil grabbed him and threw him back on the ground. "Come on, asshole!" He stood over the half drunken man. "Think you're tough, beating up on a woman?"

Roger looked up. "She's a fucking whore."

His eyes narrowed and Gil quickly descended on Roger. Both men fought and struggled in the dirt. Roger broke away and managed to stand, Gil followed. It evolved from rolling on the ground, into a fist fight and then Roger leaned over and charged. He drove his shoulder into Gil's middle, pushing him back. They both fell to the ground, fists never giving up.

Suddenly, Jim and several other men intervened. "Break it up!" They pulled the two men apart. "I don't know what the hell got into you guys. Maybe a night in jail will sober you two up?"

Gil and Roger were hauled off, stripped of their guns, and thrown behind bars. The alcohol soon pulled Roger to sleep, but Gil continued to sit up and stare into the darkness. His thoughts were with Sara. He knew Heather would be coming down on her for the way she reacted, but he could only hope that after seeing her injuries, she would be more forgiving.

Well, here's another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it as much as the first, which I doubt is possible since there's no smut in this one.

TBC

TDCSI