A/N: Well, the last chapter seemed to strike a few chords, some good, some bad. I would like to thank JellyBeanChiChi, who cracked me the hell up. I love you! And your encouragement is worth so much to me! You are a God in the fandom and I feel blessed for your messages.

I won't ramble on, I know most are keen to see what happens next. You may find the next chapter a little more satisfying, well…. For the most part anyway. This is me….don't forget that!

I bow to the great Calim for yet another awesome beta. You are amazing and you make this story so much better which each and every piece of advice. It truly is a pleasure working with you.

Hats on…. And were…off! :D

Chapter 36

It was an eerie feeling, as if Sara's entire soul had just been drained from her body. Basderic was going to spike her husband's feet now? That simply couldn't happen.

"You can't do that!" she growled as Basderic grew closer. She sucked in her chest, finding any and all courage she still had left and blocked her husband from him. "He can't take it. You'll kill him if you do that! And I won't let you…"

"Move, Sara," he demanded, stopping a few paces away, glaring her down, his fingers eagerly squeezing the mallet.

Shaking her head, Sara took another step backwards, still obstructing his access to the man she loved. "No…"

She well and truly knew if Basderic hammered the spikes through Grissom's feet that would be it. Anymore shock or blood loss and it would surely take him from her. His system simply would not be able to cope with it.

"I won't let you hurt him anymore…" she spat at him, finding the courage she'd been seeking. He seemed to have forgotten she was still holding the stun gun and sneakily, she held it behind her back as he advanced, her fingers twitching nervously. She needed a very precise opportunity… There would be no room for error.

"You won't let me hurt him anymore?" he laughed. But soon his laughter faded as his pupils dilated not liking her comment. Not at all. Continuing forwards, he reached out intending to push her out of the way.

But that's all Sara needed and in a flash, she drew her hand from behind her and stabbed him in the arm with the stun gun, firing it as hard and as fast as she could. His eyes grew wide as he shook, electricity pounding through his body. She only got him for a few seconds before he dropped the weapons, stumbled to the right and crashed to the floor.

Immediately turning to her husband, she grasped his cheek gently in her free hand but his head just flopped limply from her hold as she tried to hold him up.

"Jesus, Gil! Baby, can you hear me? Oh, God, please hear me…I'm so sorry…" No reply came from Grissom at all. He was well and truly out of it.

She leaned forward, feeling the faintest breath upon her face, thankfully he was still alive. Her own breathing was shallow as her fingers flexed over the stun gun still tightly clasped in her hand and she looked around, trying to think of a way to set him free. As Basderic's thrashing settled, she knew she didn't have the means or the time to get him out of the chair.

"You stay with me," she begged her husband, running her thumb tenderly over the broken skin on his face. "Do you hear me?" she pleaded.

He didn't respond and her attention shot back to Basderic who groaned and began to right himself from the curled up ball on the floor to a more horizontal position. She knew it wouldn't be too long before he got up. After all, she'd only given him one quick jolt. He deserved so much more. And she more than happy to give it to him.

She spotted her gun just a few feet in front of him. The shock no doubt forced him to drop it. Stepping back from her husband she was just about to move towards her nemesis when he rolled onto his back. He reached into his belt for his own weapon and raised his arm on an angry growl.

"Shit!" she gasped, her eyes widening as he aimed the gun at her. She bolted from the spot just as he fired, stumbled over a chair and ended up on the floor. The stun gun flew out of her hand and she wasn't paying enough attention to see where it went. But luckily, he missed.

Looking over her shoulder she saw him trying to get to his feet.

"You better run, Sara!" he shouted on a grunt. "Because I'm through playing!"

Scrambling to her feet, adrenaline pulsed through her body. She knew the jolt she'd given him was by no means long enough and had been very lacking in the effect she'd desired. Although she hated to do it, she knew she had to.

Run.

She had to run and she had to get help. At least she would be taking him away from her husband.

Dashing for the door, she reached it just as Basderic fired again. This time his aim was better and she literally fell through the entrance into the recording room as the bullet caught her leg.

"Aghh…" she cried as she fell to her knees. Clasping the back of her thigh at the intense stinging, she didn't have to look at her hand to know it was covered in blood.

Sucking it up, she hauled herself to her feet. No matter the pain, she couldn't stop and dragged herself from the room and into the corridor. Taking only a few seconds to gather some breath, she limped on back the way she had come in. She could have gone the opposite way but she had no idea where the corridor to her right went. Gritting her teeth, praying there would be some way to open the hatch when she reached it, she trudged on.

Basderic got to his feet and gave chase, even if a little bit wobbly, making a point of discarding his gloves before he left the room. "I'm going to make you suffer!" he shouted as he entered the corridor. He could just make out Sara in front of him but she had a good head start.

Sara looked over her shoulder upon hearing his threat but didn't dawdle. If anything her pace increased even though painfully but she knew he'd be faster at running than she was. Especially now.

Hobbling to the stairs she spotted a red button right at the bottom she hadn't previously seen. Hoping it was to open the door she slammed her palm into it and the grinding of mechanics above began. Grabbing the stair rail, she hauled herself up the staircase and sighed with relief when light hit her. She then knew the hatch had opened but she also knew he was getting closer because she could hear his footsteps behind her now.

"Come on…" she growled, willing herself to move quicker.

It seemed to take forever to reach the top but eventually she made it and sweat dripped from her forehead as she staggered into the barn, almost tripping over a hay bale in her immediate path.

Constantly looking over her shoulder, she ran back towards the barn door, spotting him just as she reached it. He fired again as she scrambled through the doorway but was lucky as the bullet struck the door just as it was opening. Almost losing her balance, she nearly fell into the outside world. Gathering herself quickly, she spotted his car and hurried towards it. Looking through the driver's window, she hoped he'd left the keys inside. Alas, he had not.

Panic flooded her as she looked around, ragged breaths gushing from her exhausted body. Where the hell was she going to go? Her head was spinning, everything whooshing around her as if she were stuck in a vortex. It was far to the house and the land around her was just way too open. He'd easily be able to pick her off with a decent shot. But there was no choice. She just had to run somewhere and the house seemed like the best option. There could be a phone. There could be places to hide.

Pushing from the car, she hobbled as fast as she could, looking up to the bright sun as it beamed down upon her. It reminded her of when she was trapped in the dessert. Another day she would rather forget. A sob escaped her when she heard his car start. He was going to catch her, she knew she couldn't outrun a vehicle and get to the house before he caught up to her.

But, she gathered all the energy she could find and carried on, as fast as her painful legs would allow. Looking over her shoulder again, she saw him gaining on her. She was almost at the storage building. That was an option going in there but what would be the point? There wasn't anywhere to hide in there.

She really thought she was done for. He was going to catch up with her.

But then, just as she was within a few meters of the storage building, Joan suddenly appeared from the side, a shotgun under her arm.

Coming to a skidding halt, Sara gasped for breath, looking Joan in the eye. "Joan…" she wheezed, hobbling towards the younger woman. "Please help me…"

Joan frowned at her and shook her head. "What….happened to your leg?"

Sara turned and pointed to Basderic's car as it came to a halt about ten feet away. He remained in the car and stared at the two women.

"He…he…" Sara sucked in more air, doubling over. She could barely breathe. "…he kidnapped my husband. He has him under the barn." She straightened up wincing. "He's the one who killed Tom, Joan…"

Basderic opened the car door and stepped from the vehicle. Sara tensed, taking a few more steps backwards. But Joan didn't retreat, she raised the gun, pointing it right at him and finally Sara thought she'd found help.

Keeping a straight face and his gun lowered as he approached them, Basderic stopped just shy of arm's length to Joan. He glared at Sara then turned his attention to his sister's helper.

Sara noticed Joan had the perfect shot should she choose to shoot. He had no chance of getting out of this one.

"Is that true?" Joan asked, her voice lacking fear. "Did you kill Tom?"

Suddenly, Basderic smiled and it sent a chilling shiver down Sara's spine. "Of course I did," he replied. "Just like we discussed."

Joan licked her lips, smiling as she turned back to Sara, now pointing the gun at her and not Basderic.

Sara's jaw dropped. "Oh…no…" She held up a hand, taking another small step back. "You…"

Joan's smile broadened as Basderic joined her. "I always did want to be an actress," Joan bragged. "And I think I did a pretty good job."

Sara shook her head, not believing what she was seeing. Joan had played them. "You were in on this all along…" she gasped.

"That's right," Joan admitted. "And it wasn't Tom at the rental place, it was Ronald, just as you suspected. Pity for you that you believed me because that would have saved you all this mess….And you would have caught him."

"He's killed two people for this, Joan," Sara cried. "My husband is near death… Do you know what you've gotten yourself into? He killed your boyfriend!"

Joan rolled her eyes and she looked to Basderic with a grin. "Well…" She flicked her attention back to Sara, "…poor Tom was never going to achieve anything. Ronald pays very well."

"You mean his sister does," Sara spat, wincing as the pain in her leg intensified. "I doubt all this so called cash he has is of his own doing…"

"Enough," Basderic cut in. "Time we finish the game, I think…"

As he spoke, Sara heard something. Her eyes darted around and, just as Basderic seemed to be catching the sound also, a chopper whizzed over the storage building to fly right over them. Sara's heart raced when she looked skywards, spotting LVPD on the side and the chopper circled to come back towards them.

"Shit, it's the cops!" Joan shouted.

"This is the LVPD…" a voice came from above. "Drop your weapons and lie down on the ground…"

Basderic's eyes shot to Sara and she had never looked so relieved but that relief faded when her eyes caught her adversaries. She realized she was still defenseless and they had two loaded guns. But to her surprise, Basderic slipped his gun into his belt and backed away towards his car.

"Where are you going?" Joan questioned. "It's the cops! They know we have her now!" Basderic ignored her and turned. "Ronald!" she hollered. "I'm not going to jail!" She ran after him but when she reached him, he simply pushed her away.

"You better fight then, Joan," he warned her. "Because you will spend your life in prison when they find out you helped me. And they will because you just admitted it to her." He pointed a finger at Sara.

"Well then, I'll kill her," Joan replied.

Basderic opened his car door. "In front of the cops?" he shouted as the chopper got lower, the sound of the rotor blades now loud and intrusive. "Bit stupid don't you think? Shoot them, not her!"

He left her then and got back into the car. With speed, he pulled a cell phone from the glove box, brought up speed dial and hit the first option. Smiling, he leaned back in his seat and waited.

"We repeat, this is the LVPD, put down your weapons!"

Joan backed away from the car and Sara watched in disbelief as she pointed her weapon at the helicopter and fired. It was a shotgun, what kind of range did this woman think it actually had? It didn't matter though for a second after she fired a rain of bullets came from the chopper, two catching Joan square in the chest and she fell to ground.

Sara immediately dived to the dirt, holding her hands over her head, trembling. She had no idea if the guys in the chopper knew it was her and she wasn't about to risk getting shot by her own people. She wasn't on the ground longer than a few seconds before several vehicles shot around the building and lined up beside her. Raising her head to look at the first SVU, she saw Nick at the wheel, Russell by his side and Finn in the back.

All three jumped from the vehicle, Nick with his gun drawn and aimed at Basderic's car while Russell and Finn rushed towards Sara. Brass soon joined Nick along with five other officers, all with guns drawn and the chopper hovering above for extra support. Two men headed for Joan while three stayed with their Captain.

"Are you alright?" Russell asked, crouching besides Sara and taking her arm to haul her up.

Scrambling to her feet, she shook her head. "No," she admitted, wincing, but that's all that came out of her mouth and she rushed forwards.

"Hey!" Russell was fast, following, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. "Where are you going?" he asked, holding her firmly.

She struggled, trying to pull her arm free. "Gil!" she shouted. I found him! Basderic had him just like I said…We…need to go get him…He needs help!"

Russell gave her a knowing and apologetic look but shook his head. "You need to wait until Basderic is in custody and it's safe."

Sara didn't like that request. "They should shoot the son-of-a-bitch," Sara growled, slowly looking towards the standoff.

"Just wait here," he requested softly. "Then we'll go together."

Growling, Sara tugged again but the supervisor wasn't letting up.

"Get out of the car, Ronald!" Brass shouted, his gun squarely aimed at the suspects head through the windshield.

Basderic held up both his hands. "You going to arrest me for driving my own car on my own land?"

"Funny asshole!" Nick hollered. "Now I'd suggest you get out of the car before we shoot you down."

Sighing, Basderic reached for the door and pushed it open.

"Keep your hands where we can see them," Brass ordered, approaching the door, covered by two of his officers as Nick remained with his gun squarely aiming through the front glass.

Doing as told, Basderic kept his hands high in the air as he exited the car.

"On your knees and hands behind your head…" Brass continued with procedure, drawing in closer to him.

Slowly, Basderic got to his knees and the officers pounced, pushing him to the ground. One took the gun from his belt and held it up to the captain while another cuffed him.

Brass passed the weapon to Nick as the CSI closed in.

"I haven't done anything," Basderic argued calmly as he was cuffed.

"Sure you haven't," Brass replied, roughly taking Basderic's arm, ensuring the cuffs were on tight.

Basderic winced but continued. "She was trespassing. I was only protecting myself and my sister's land. It's not my fault Joan is crazy…"

"Save the fairytale," Brass barked yanking him to his feet. "You're under arrest."

The younger man smirked as Brass stared him in the eye. "For what?"

"Murder, kidnapping, you choose," Brass snarled pushing him forward.

"I'd like to see you prove it."

Sara pulled away from Russell now as his grip relented and she rushed for the group. Russell exchanged a confused glance with Finn and they both quickly followed her.

"Sara…" Russell warned.

Brass stopped when he saw Sara heading his way and frowned at the pace she was coming towards him.

Basderic just smiled as he watched her closing in.

Sara wasn't smiling though. Getting within a foot of him, she pulled back her arm and swung as hard as she could, catching the madman right between the eyes with the fiercest punch she had ever thrown. Brass stumbled backwards as the force of the blow literally knocked Basderic off his feet and he fell to the ground with a cringe worthy thud. With haste, Nick leapt forwards and grabbed Sara's upper arms.

"You bastard!" she shouted, attempting to fight her friend off to give Basderic a little more of her fury. "I'll kill you!"

Basderic just laughed as blood oozed from the bridge of his nose. Brass looked a little stunned but managed to right himself to hover over the kidnapper. He couldn't help a small grin and he was swift to haul Basderic back to his feet.

"What's so funny?" the lawman asked.

"All of you," Basderic replied.

Suddenly, the ground shook and Basderic's grin got just a little bit broader. A rumble followed the shake and everyone looked around.

"What the hell was that?" Nick asked.

Sara stopped fighting Nick but broke away wondering what had just happened.

An enormous boom made them all jump and everyone's line of sight fell to the barn in the distance. The structure suddenly seemed to wobble from side to side and then fell. Imploding on itself, they watched as a huge cloud of dust encased the space where the building had stood.

"Oh…God….!" Sara cried. She lunged for Basderic, grabbing his shirt. "What did you do?" she shouted. "WHAT DID YOU DO!"

Russell pulled her off the suspect, wrapping his arms around her from behind, holding her in a tight embrace.

Basderic laughed, spitting blood to the ground. "Hmmm…that came a bit quicker than I expected."

"Get him out of here," Brass shouted at his officers and they pulled Basderic away. He was still smiling though.

"Gil's in there!" Sara wailed. "He's under the barn!" She found an amazing inner strength and yanked herself free and before anyone could stop her, she was away towards the barn.

Everyone exchanged horrified glances and were quickly in pursuit…

A/N: I have to say it was very satisfying to have Sara smack him in the face. Ha! Sadly, he's still a step ahead… Thoughts please…