Author's Note: Happy Friday everyone! We're almost at the end, can you believe it!? Thank you for sticking with me; you are all fantabulously awesome. Hugs to everyone who has read and reviewed so far, I really really appreciate it. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and I shall see you all Tuesday, for the final chapter.

Here's to chapter twelve! Hurrah!


Sara heard a faint knocking in the distance, but was she so tired that her foggy mind didn't think anything of it. She had a feeling he'd drugged the water she had drank a little while ago, but couldn't be sure. She thought she was fading in and out of consciousness, with the room spinning and the colors meshing madly in her brain. She had been here for hours, and had lost count of how long she had been missing, and how many times he had left and returned. Hearing the knocking again, her captor looked up and smiled. "They're here." Standing slowly, he made his way to the door, and quietly slipped out, locking it behind him. She leaned back on the bed, and curled her fingers around Grissom's letter, hoping that when she died, she would have something to remind her of the love that he had for her.

OoOoOoOoO

"Las Vegas Police!" Brass shouted again, knocking louder and harder. "Open this door right now!"

The team waited with bated breath as they heard footsteps shuffling from behind the door. It opened, revealing their earlier suspect. "Detective Brass," Max said, smiling. "Mr. Grissom. Wow! You brought everybody along. It's lovely to see you all again."

Grissom almost lunged at the man. How could this man, this monster, speak so casually when Grissom's own world was spinning out of control and his heart felt as though it was being squeezed tighter every minute he was farther away from the woman he loved? Catherine again laid her hand on Grissom's arm, and steered him towards the door. "Mr. Aldwell, may we come in?"

"Of course," he answered, stepping back to let them into the room. "Be my guest."

OoOoOoOoO

She could hear voices on the other side of the door, but she couldn't figure out whom they belonged to or if these people could help her. Upon hearing a familiar deep voice, Sara was sure that her heart nearly stopped. That voice, she knew it so well, she loved it. She had spent the past few years waiting for its owner to admit that he loved her, and the past hours believing that she would never hear the voice again, and now there it was.

The voice was that of her savior, her boss, her best friend, her only love. It was the voice of Gil Grissom.

OoOoOoOoO

They all stepped into the luxurious suite, taking in its full kitchen area, living room set up and the two doors on the opposite end of the space and what they could only assume were the bathroom and bedroom. Grissom stared at the two doors, a feeling of dread coming into his stomach. He couldn't shake the feeling that something sinister lay behind them, although too far away for him to reach.

"You said you knew where Sara Sidle was?" Sofia asked, taking the lead.

"I did."

"Then where is she?"

Max started to answer, but was stopped when a faint female yell cut him off.

"Grissom!"

"Excuse me," Max said, desperately trying to cover it up as he began heading towards one of the doors. Reaching for the gun that was stashed in the table beside the door, he quickly moved towards the door on the right.

Brass and Sofia beat him to it, with Brass forcefully pulling the gun from his grasp. Sofia nodded to the uniform to hold him, pausing to knock on the door.

"Hello?" Brass called tentatively.

"Jim?" came the weak response.

"Sara," Catherine breathed out. "It's Sara! Open the door!"

Brass tried it, but it was bolted shut. They needed a key. A muttered, "Fuck," was heard faintly in the room, and a louder, "It's locked," followed quickly after.

Grissom rounded on the suspect who was being held by the uniformed officer. Pulling him from the man's grip, Grissom slammed him against the wall, and said, "Give me the goddamned key."

"No."

He pulled back from him, allowing Aldwell relax and take a breath before slamming him even harder against the wall, placing his left forearm over the man's throat. "I'm going to give you one last chance, and I'll say it slow for you. Give. Me. The. Key. Now."

Aldwell had terror in his eyes; knowing that if he refused again, this man would easily kill him with absolutely no regrets. Reaching into his pocket, he extracted a small silver key and threw it to Catherine. "There you go, bitch. Save your friend. She's probably near death now anyway," he threatened. "Have fun watching her die." He took a sick pride in watching the terror etched on the faces of the team.

Grissom dropped the man with a final push to his windpipe and rushed to Catherine, pulling the key from her grasp. He jammed the key into the lock, and after what seemed like forever, finally broke the barrier that had stood between him and Sara.

OoOoOoOoO

She heard the yelling outside, and the slamming of a body into a wall. She had heard Grissom's voice again, thanking unknown deities that he was well enough to be talking at least. The lock clicked, and the door swung open, finally revealing her worried and shaken friends after such a long and painful ordeal.

"Sara!" they all chorused, immensely relieved to find her alive and looking relatively healthy.

Grissom rushed into the room, immediately wrapping his arms around her protectively, reveling in the fact that she was alive and back in his arms. "Sara!" he said breathlessly, pulling back and cupping her face in his hands. "Sara, sweetheart, are you alright?"

She shook her head slightly, and leaned back into him, finally letting her tears flow freely. He wrapped her in his arms again, and gently pulled her from the bed. Placing soft kisses in her hair, he led her from the room, past his stunned coworkers, out into the hall, down the elevator through the lobby, and out to the parking lot. Upon reaching his Denali, they knew that they were ready to begin the long journey of recovery that they both would have to contend with… but they were ready.


to be continued...