The smell of coffee stirred in Grissoms nose as he began to wake. Sara was not in bed and he knew that she was up and fixing them something to eat. He tried to sit up but the pain in his left shoulder prevented it. Grissom tried several times to sit up and finally accomplished to get his legs swung over the edge of the bed and sit up holding his left arm tightly to his chest. The strong urge to use the bathroom pushed him through the pain as he stood and walked to the toilet. He stood at the sink and removed the bandage covering the wound. Looking in the mirror he studied the stitching.

Sara walked up behind him and offered him some coffee.

"Here."

"Thanks."

"Do you want to take a shower. It will help with the ache."

They climbed in to the shower, and she lathered his body with the body wash that she brought from her apartment. The sweet smell of vanilla steam filled the bathroom as she toweled him off. Sara helped him get dressed, and get his arm in the sling.

He walked into the kitchen and straight to the front door. Pausing to look at Sara he opened the door enough to see a man in a suit sitting in the chair right outside the door.

"Sara, I'm going to go into the lab tonight."

"No your not Grissom. Just wait until Brass gets all of this figured out."

"It's not a request, I'm telling you that I am going into the lab."

"I don't suppose I could talk you out of it hun?"

He just smiled and sat down on the couch and continued the previous days crossword.

With the extra protection assigned to him by the sheriff, it took them an extra thirty minutes to get to the lab. And when he walked through the halls to his office people were staring at him. Not because Sara was walking so close beside him, but the man not two steps behind them. Grissom and Sara entered his office and the man stopped and stood outside the door. Curious, Catherine went to enter but the man stopped her and said nothing. She pursed her lips and before she walked away Sara came out.

"Hey, Grissom wants to talk with every one in the break room in a few minutes. Want to help me gather everyone?"

"Sure." Catherine was still not sure what was going on but obviously Sara had an idea.

The speculations were flying in the break room. Hodges and Archie were placing a small wager on what the news was going to be. Warrick and Nick thought that Grissom was going to announce that he was going to take a vacation, while Sara and Catherine knew what had caused this unusual gathering.

They all stopped their chatter when they heard Grissom clear his voice as he entered with the suited man close behind him.

"First of all I don't want to alarm any of you thinking that something is seriously wrong because I called this meeting."

Greg raised his hand like a student wanting to ask a question without blurting it out.

"Greg."

"Who's that?" he said pointing at the man standing behind Grissom.

"I'll get to him in a little bit." He turned towards the door and watched Brass enter, and as he sat down he slid a file towards Grissom. "Thanks. Now as you all know a few days ago a man in witness protection murdered his wife. Now according to the U.S. Marshals service, he is their only witness to a major crime organization back east. So they are going to let him get away with killing his wife."

Everyone sat silent to let him finish. But their facial expressions said what they wanted to verbally.

"Well Jim thinks that because I told this man that I was going to put him away anyway, he has reached out to his connections and wants me dead for threatening him. According to this file it's true."

They all sat in shock.

"The FBI confirmed that the Lucarelli family has put out a contract on me. Now the information says they have hired a hitman to kill me. I know you are all thinking that I should lay low, leave, or do whatever I need to, to hide. Well other than Matt here, nothing is going to change. I'm going to come into work, however you won't see me in the field until this is taken care of. Don't try to convince me otherwise, cause I'm not going to listen. You all will go about business as usual, and I am going to try to take care of this little problem. Any questions?"

No one moved. They were so shocked. Grissoms life was in jeopardy and he was standing before them cool as a cucumber as if nothing was wrong. Brass stood and left without a word. Grissom watched him walk out of sight before following him.

"Jim. Jim wait."

Brass didn't stop until he reached his office.

"Jim would you listen to me for a second."

"What's there to hear Gil? It sounds like you have made up your mind and decided to just keep on going until this lunatic kills you."

"That's not what I am doing."

"Oh yeah. Sounds like it to me. I'm your friend, let me help you. And those people in that room are your friends too. Let them help you."

"Jim."

"Stop Gil. Just stop. Think about everyone else for a moment and stop being so damned stubborn."

They both sat down and no words were said for several minutes. Grissom rose and walked to the door.

"I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask."

He walked back towards his office. His mind going a thousand different directions as he thought about what he should do. When he saw her in his office with her head in her hands sobbing, he knew that he had to take evasive action.

"Sara?"

She looked up the tears evident in her eyes. He sat beside her and took her hand.

"Honey, would you feel better if I ran and hide, or stand and fight?"

"If you hid at least you would live. I don't know if I could live if you were killed. Then again I don't want to see you leave either. But I prefer you alive." Her tears began to fall again, and he held her in his arms until she calmed.

"Ok. I'll talk to the sheriff and arrange something."