Chapter 9

Grissom opened his eyes just as the morning sun peeked through the trees above. He covered them with a groan, wincing upon feeling the pain in his shoulder. Suddenly, he jumped when he felt soft warmth upon his hand as it was removed from his face.

Now his eyes met those of his adoring wife as she gazed at him, blocking out the sun, concern illuminating her face as she held him in her arms.

"Hi," she said softly, attempting to hide her worry. "How are you feeling?"

He attempted a smile. "Like, I have the worse hangover ever."

She grinned. "Sore?"

Grissom nodded.

Quickly, Sara reached for the bag and took out two more aspirin from their supply.

"Open," she requested holding up the pills and Grissom complied quickly, opening his mouth.

She popped the pills in and held the water bottle to his lips. He drank quickly and swallowed the medicine.

"Thanks."

She smiled before shifting, pushing him up to rest his back against the tree behind them. "I'm going to take a look at your shoulder okay?"

"Okay," he agreed.

Softly, Sara parted his open shirt and with great care pushed it past his shoulder. Tenderly, she removed the dressing and eyed the wound.

"Well," she lightly pressed the skin surrounding the wound, "It's not as bad as I expected, some bruising but thankfully no infection, at least not yet and you have some color back in your cheeks, which is always a good sign."

Looking down, Grissom looked at the hole in his shoulder as Sara gently poured a little water over the sore flesh, cleaning away the blood which had clotted to his skin.

"The bleeding has stopped," she pulled a fresh dressing from the bag, "let's just hope it doesn't start again."

He nodded and watched as she cared for him, quickly adding a fresh dressing to his shoulder and taping it securely.

That is when he noticed the bandage on her hand.

He frowned but waited for her to finish the first aid. Once she had, he took her hand in his, turned it palm up and looked into her eyes.

"What did you do?" He couldn't remember her injuring herself, so he found confusion milling in his mind.

She smiled. "I did what I had too, to buy us some time."

Grissom's frown deepened.

"I'll be fine," she clenched her hand, entwining her fingers with his. "We should get moving," she smiled weakly, now playing with his fingers, "with the sun up, we are no longer safe, he will be looking for us again."

Swallowing hard Grissom only hoped he could keep up the pace now.

"Shall we get you on your feet?" She asked, standing, ready to help pull him up.

"Yeah," Grissom sighed softly and as he was about to stand, he suddenly stopped.

"What?" Sara said quickly, assuming something was wrong.

"Um, it appears our friend has gone." Grissom looked to the spot where the jaguar had been watching them.

"I'm just glad we didn't turn out to be breakfast. Come on…" She bent a little and placed her hands around her husband's waist. Holding on tightly she pulled as he pushed with his legs and with only a light groan he was on his feet.

She looked at his face for any sign of distress. "Okay?" She asked.

He nodded but winced as he attempted to move his left arm.

"Just take it easy, baby," she commanded, slowly removing her hands form his waist. "It's going to hurt, so try not to move it, alright?"

An irritated sigh passed through Grissom's lips. He didn't like having a handicap, especially not in this situation.

Noting his annoyance, Sara softly cupped his face in her hands. "We will get through this. Just take it easy for a while or you will do more harm to yourself than good."

Kissing him softly on the lips, she laid her forehead against his. "Okay?"

A tiny smile now formed on the ex CSI's lips. "Okay."

Sara copied his smile. "Let's go find our boy…"

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Rico maneuvered through the jungle well. Even in the dark but with the use of a flashlight he had been able to double back and retrace the steps they had taken in their bogus pursuit. Barely had the sun risen when he found a single set of footprints in the ground and followed them.

With haste he found the spot where Grissom and Sara had slept. Kneeling on the ground he picked up the used, discarded bandages and grinned.

"Feel the pain," he mumbled before dropping the dressing back onto the jungle floor. He stood quickly and carefully scanned the area. In a flash he found a second trail, this one bearing two sets of footprints and they looked fresh. He knew his prey had not been gone long.

He pulled his radio from his pocket and placed it to his lips.

"McKeen…"

After a slight crackle of static McKeen's voice rose through the radio.

"Yes…" He replied

"I found their tracks."

"Excellent," McKeen responded, no doubt with a smile on his face. "Where are you?"

"About six miles West of where I left you. I'll find them and make sure they are ready for you when you get here."

Rico listened as his boss chuckled to himself for a moment but then he suddenly silenced. "Do not let me down, Rico, find them, we're coming."

McKeen cut off the transmission.

Slipping the radio back into his pocket, Rico was back on their tail in the blink of an eye. He had no intention of letting his boss or his brother down and their tracks were so easy to follow…

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Looking up to the sky, Grissom felt the sweat drip down his face as the sun beat down on them. He wiped his brow on what was left of his shirt sleeve and exhaled a heavy breath as his shoulder continued to throb.

Looking to her husband as they walked, Sara noted he looked flushed. "Are you alright?" She asked.

He smiled weakly, "I'm fine, just a little hot."

She didn't believe him and took his arm, pulling him to a stop. He looked at her as she reached into the bag and pulled out the water bottle.

"Here," she handed the bottle to him, now bearing her own feeble smile. "There isn't much left but drink."

"No," he refused to take the bottle, "you have it. I've already drunk more than my share."

"Take the bottle, Gil, we can find more."

He still refused, shaking his head.

Sara tried to be patient but she knew he needed the liquid a lot more than she did. "Please don't fight me on this, Gil. Take it…please…"

Hearing the pleading in his wife's voice caused Grissom to concede and he reluctantly took the bottle. Sara smiled, sat on a nearby boulder and sighed lightly.

"Make sure you finish it," she insisted as he sipped from the bottle, "we can find more."

Grissom didn't argue now and finished what was left in the bottle. It wasn't much but it quenched his thirst, for now anyway.

Smiling, Sara took his hand. "We'll rest for a few minutes and then continue, okay?"

Agreeing, Grissom handed her the now empty canister and she slipped it back into the bag.

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Rico continued to follow the tracks. He knew he was close and he was right, upon entering the next clearing he heard voices, he followed the sound, calmly but with speed. Then he saw them. He silently lowered his backpack to the ground and glared in their direction.

After checking the condition of her ankle, Sara looked up to her husband to see his face suddenly pale, changing from a glowing red to a deathly white.

She followed his glance and her eyes widened in horror seeing Rico right across from them, a sinister smile forming on his lips. She swallowed hard before slowly standing and immediately Grissom took her arm and pulled her behind him.

"Very clever with the fake trail, I commend you on that but your mine now." McKeen's goon sneered.

Looking from left to right, Grissom searched for some kind of escape route but he had the gut wrenching feeling that they would not be able to outrun Rico. He was one hundred percent fit, while they were both bruised and battered.

"What do we do?" Sara attempted to whisper.

"Give me the knife." He answered quickly holding out his right hand.

Although she wanted too, Sara didn't argue and quickly fished into the bag for the knife. It still had her blood on it but she placed it in his hand.

"Get as far away as you can," Grissom whispered.

She felt her pupils dilate. "What? No, no, Gil. No way am I leaving you. Not now."

Stepping out from behind him she looked into his eyes as he took his attention from Rico for a second.

"I am not leaving you," she said firmly now.

Feeling his eyes well with tears, Grissom swallowed hard but their little moment gave Rico the opportunity he was looking for and he bolted towards them.

Grissom's head snapped to his left in horror as he heard their hunter advancing on them. He quickly pushed Sara out of the way and it completely took her by surprise. She tripped and hit the ground with a thud, cracking her head on the boulder she had been sitting on just a few moments earlier. She blacked out for a moment.

Bracing himself as Rico screamed his anger; Grissom felt the air being knocked from his lungs as the younger man ploughed into him, rugby tackle style. The knife went flying and Grissom found it difficult to hold back the Costa Rican with just one arm and he quickly got the upper hand.

Both men tumbled to the ground and Grissom screamed in agony as Rico punched him hard in his injured shoulder.

"Not so fucking clever now are we?" Rico yelled before spitting in Grissom's face. The older man felt his head spin and nausea rise up his throat. He couldn't react in time when Rico grabbed his hair, yanked up his head and smashed it against a small rock just beside them.

Grissom's world went black in an instant and his body went limp.

Rico's head snapped around to see Sara just as she groaned and pulled herself from the warm dirt. Their eyes met and he grinned as she looked to her unconscious husband, her fearful eyes then met her attacker's once again and she took several uncertain steps backwards.

"Going somewhere?" Rico sneered as he pulled himself to his feet.

Sara held up a hand. "Stay away from me," she demanded. "Just keep the hell away!"

Sniggering, Rico stepped slowly forwards. "Now how are we supposed to get properly acquainted if I do that huh?"

Shaking her head, Sara felt her gut role as he got closer. She wanted to run, get as far away as she could but she just couldn't bring herself to leave her husband behind. Then her eyes caught the glint of the knife's blade, just a few feet in front of her embedded in the jungle ground.

Without even thinking twice she leapt forward and lunged for the knife. She was on her knees in an instant and before Rico could get to her, she had the knife. Jumping back to her feet quickly, she held it out threateningly and Rico skidded to a halt.

Her hand shook as she gripped the weapon tightly. "I said stay away from me!"

"Hmmm," Rico mewed, eyeing the knife, "you are hot when you're angry."

Sara felt sick as she saw the smirk form on his lips. Her eyes flicked to her husband in the vain hope he would get up, sadly, he did not and he was still unconscious to the world.

Taking her attention from Rico, even for a split second was a huge mistake and he pounced. Before she knew it, he was right in front of her. She attempted to swipe at him with the knife but he was too fast and grabbed her wrist in an instant. She yelped in pain as he roughly twisted her hand, before spinning her around so her back was to him.

"Drop it!" He growled, pushing down harder on her wrist.

Sara tried to fight and struggled in his grasp but as the tears of pain welled in her eyes she knew it was a losing battle.

"I said drop it!" He increased the pressure on her hand. "Or I will break your wrist."

"Aghhh…" Sara cried. The pain was now too much and she had to comply. The knife slipped from her fingers and fell back to the dirt but she wasn't done quite yet. As Rico seemed to ease up when she released the knife, she stomped down heavily onto his right foot and he cried out, releasing his hold on her but as she tried to run he reached out and grabbed her hair.

"Fuck!" He yelled, pulling her back to him. "You're going to pay for that."

Struggling as Rico now totally overpowered her, Sara did her upmost to fight but before she knew it, she was on the ground and he was on top of her. She managed to slip a hand to his face and sharply scratched at his skin, cutting the flesh. He groaned and Sara shuddered as his eyes turned a darker shade of black. She could do nothing as he raised his fist and punched her harshly on the right cheek.

Her head hit the dirt and she stilled dizzily.

"Such a lively little bitch," Rico growled as he leaned down and licked her face.

Even in her disoriented state, Sara cringed at his actions.

"I'm going to show you exactly what a real man can do," he spoke coarsely as his rough hands slithered their way down her body towards her pants. "And I'm gonna make you scream…"

"No…" Sara again struggled beneath him, "…please don't…"

He merely grinned as he roughly parted her legs with his, grabbed her wrists in one hand above her head and totally pinned her to the ground now.

After succeeding in getting her zipper down he went for his belt and quickly unbuckled it.

"Just enjoy it," he licked her face again. "I can guarantee I will not disappoint."

Now Sara sobbed as she heard the sound of his zipper falling but then the sound was drowned out by that of a growl. She managed to turn her head, just in time to see the jaguar as it pounced towards them.

Rico hadn't heard the cat's growl over his own. He was too occupied pushing his hand inside Sara's panties and between her legs.

The tears in her eyes blurred her vision but she didn't mistake the black form as it burst from the undergrowth and she felt the cat brush over her as it tackled Rico.

The henchman screamed in a mixture of pain and fear as both he and the jaguar tumbled across the ground with her landing on top.

As they came to a stop, Rico had just a moment to meet those brilliant jade eyes before she latched onto his throat. It was almost silent as Sara slowly managed to push herself up to sit. She was awestruck for a moment as she watched the man thrash beneath the powerful jaws of her protector. Then he stilled as his blood pooled from his neck and down his shirt.

As Sara crawled over to her husband, she cradled his head, looking back at the cat that was now licking her jaws. She slowly brought Grissom back to reality and he groaned as his eyes slowly fluttered open. He instantly remembered Rico and bolted upright only to be met with a swift and painful headache and shooting pains across his chest. He clutched his shoulder only to pull away his blood covered hand.

"Easy, honey," Sara soothed. "Easy."

She eased behind him and he leaned back into her embrace as he became orientated again. She quickly shifted her attention to his shoulder and applied fresh bandages which she held down despite his cries of pain, hoping to stop the new bleeding. After a few minutes she managed to control the bleeding again and pulled him to his feet.

He couldn't miss her open pants that had been pushed down passed her hips. She quickly pulled them back up, buttoning them securely but she couldn't stop the fresh tears that welled in her eyes as she remembered what Rico had tried to do and Grissom pulled her into a reassuring embrace, fighting his own tears.

He looked over at Rico's lifeless body and hatred burned in him but as his eyes met the calm ones of the jaguar a feeling of gratefulness welled in him.

"Thank you." He whispered to the cat before taking Sara's hand and leading her back into the jungle. He knew McKeen would not be far behind his goon and they had to move.

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When McKeen and Jose burst into the clearing just a few minutes later, all that was left of Rico, was a bloody mess. They looked to their right in time to see the jaguar disappear into the jungle.

Mckeen raised his rifle and it sounded like thunder when he pulled the trigger. The bullet splintered a tree and narrowly missed the powerful animal.

Jose dropped to his knees next to his brother, dropping all his weapons on the ground and pulled his sibling into his arms. As reality settled in and he realized his brother was dead, his eyes painfully burned with tears but he held them in as his body shook with rage. He lifted his face to the sky and his pain filled scream echoed through the trees. As the final breath left his lungs he buried his face in his bloodied hands.

The former Under Sherriff looked on and the sight of the blood reminded him of the night he watched Warrick Brown bleed to death in Grissom's arms. When Jose lifted his face again it was covered with his brother's blood. He rose to his feet, picked up the stolen bow and his rifle and gritted his teeth. They would pay for killing his brother. They would die by his hands after he made Grissom watch as he brutalized his wife over and over.

As he stepped forwards, McKeen grabbed the man's rifle with both hands and stopped him. Jose struggled but McKeen held a firm grip on the weapon.

"I know you are upset…" McKeen began, "…but…"

"Get…the fuck…off me…" Jose growled, attempting to pull his rifle from his boss's grip.

"We didn't come this far to…"

Again, the Costa Rican cut him off. "My brother is dead! I want his fucking blood and I want it now!"

Thinking for a moment McKeen considered his options. He had a feeling he wouldn't be able to change Jose's mind in his pursuit of vengeance and after all, he had pretty much put Grissom though everything he had hoped.

"Okay," he agreed. "But," he released his hold on the rifle, "I want to see him die, you got that?"

A sinister smile now crossed the younger man's lips and he bolted from the spot without even answering.

McKeen struggled to keep up with the enraged man as he charged into the jungle after his prey.

It didn't take long for Jose to pick up their trail and moving twice as fast as they were he was upon them in no time.

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Their hearts raced at the same pace as they ran as fast as they could through the jungle. Grissom held a death grip on Sara's hand as he pulled her behind him.

"Come on, Sara, run!" He screamed in desperation as they both heard a bullet whiz passed their heads. They were so close now.

He pulled on her hand, hard, her weary legs now struggling to keep up the pace.

Grissom winced through his pain as did his wife, the burn of exhaustion quickly creeping up on both of them. But as they burst through the next set of trees into a small clearing the chase came to a skidding halt – there was no where left to run.

The couple stopped abruptly and looked dead ahead, disbelief highlighting both their faces. Slowly they crept forward until they reached the edge, both breathing heavily in urgent need of oxygen.

"What do we do now?" Sara gasped in anguish as she looked over the cliff, only the vicious roaring waterfall and a seventy foot drop before them.

Grissom looked back at the tree line, then down at the water before back up at Sara who now stood beside him.

"We have to jump." He said as he fought for the next breath.

"I don't know if I can." Sara shook her head.

"We have to," He cupped her face with his hands. "You can do this."

Sadly they had no more time to put their plan into action as the cock of a rifle caused them to spin around quickly.

"No where left to run my friends..."

Quickly, Grissom moved Sara behind him in an attempt to shield her, no matter how futile his action may be. But as footsteps approached in the distance Jose became distracted and Grissom saw his chance. Leaping forward he grabbed the rifle and a fierce struggle ensued. Blocking out the protests of pain from his shoulder Grissom fought with everything he had left.

Sara ran from the edge as the two men scrambled on the ground and the rifle went off.

"Gil!" She shouted, thinking the bullet had struck him but she sighed when he moved and the two men continued to roll around on the ground, closer and closer to the edge.

Grissom managed a firm hold on the rifle and it went flying but taking his attention from the fight was a mistake and a heavy fist connected with his jaw, then his nose. He was pulled from the ground, his head spinning.

"Gil, watch out!" Sara screamed as the cliff's edge was now upon them but then she jumped as firm hands grabbed her from behind. She struggled but couldn't break free.

"Just enjoy the show, my dear," McKeen's cold voice sneered.

"Get off me!" Sara screamed as she kicked against his strong grip but she stilled when the barrel of a gun came into connection with her temple.

"Struggle again and your fight is over," He informed her and she settled in his hold.

Grissom struggled to see straight, it was only when he saw the chilling grin on the face before him that he knew he was in trouble.

"This is for my brother you son of a bitch..."

He couldn't react in time when he was pushed and found the ground beneath him, disappear. He was sure his soul left his body and then there was nothing but air.

"NOOO! Gil!" Sara screamed as he vanished over the edge of the cliff.

A/N: Dun dun duuuuuun......Heheheheheh. Is it the end for Grissom, now what will happen to Sara? All alone with the two brutes, oh dear oh dear :) Hit the button!