A/N: Ok, so SSC and I have been in cahoots a little and we decided to bombard you with a serious hit of angst at the same time. Kinda works quite well when you're aiding the evil on each other's stories, hehehehe. We have both agreed this may be the worst day for GSR since Leave out all the rest. We really are sorry…things have to get better, right? RIGHT? Thank you so much hun, for all your help. It means more to me than you know. And I look forward to future cahoots :) And possible co-writing! Yeah!
As always, my gracious thanks to mingsmommy, for keeping me in line and kickin me up the butt when I get it wrong. (The ending to this chapter was very, very different until I was beaten up by my two lovely ladies!)
SSC just asked me who is wearing the evil hat right now and I have to say I'm not sure – I wanted to be more evil but I wasn't allowed, *pouts*. Don't forget to check out Beyond Ordinary secrets if you want more evil! Lol.
Chapter 52
Sara sat on the edge of her bed, dressed in her pink silk robe. She took a fourth bite into her apple. She had managed a little cheese and bread while she waited for her bath to be filled but she had only just decided on attempting the fruit. The bread and cheese hadn't sat so well in her stomach.
Her bath was now ready and she had locked the door after Rana helped her undress. Conceding that the apple had defeated her, she pushed herself up and walked to the desk. Dropping the half finished green fruit back onto the tray she swallowed what she was chewing and wiped her mouth on a napkin. Hopefully, her stomach would be kind and not reject the nourishment.
As she walked towards the bath she untied the belt on her robe and pushed the garment from her shoulders. A sudden chill caught her naked body as she placed her fingers around the rim of the tub and she shuddered. If she had thought about it earlier, she could have lit a fire, but now, she simply didn't have the energy.
Lifting her leg, she climbed into the bath and slipped in with a pleasurable sigh. The water felt so good and a soft groan fell from her lips as a little of the tension evaporated from her tired muscles.
She tried to relax, just clear her mind for a few short minutes, blank out everything but the feel of the water enveloping her...soothing her. She was allowed to do that, wasn't she…?
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Sara's eyes fluttered open and she stared blankly at the ceiling above. A sudden, unpleasant chill ran over her body and with haste, she sat up in the tub upon realization that the water was now very cold. Lifting her head she looked up at the clock on the mantel and blinked in surprise when she saw the time. It was almost midnight and she knew she must have fallen asleep. She lifted her hands from the water and inspected them; they were all white and wrinkly and her nose curled at the unpleasant sight.
With a roll of her eyes and a dissatisfied groan, she pulled herself from the bath and hurried to grab the towel she had laid out at the foot of the bed. As her chin quivered she wrapped the cotton material around her body and slumped down on the bed. She rubbed her eyes. How could she have fallen asleep in the bath? Such a stupid thing to do.
Suddenly her thoughts turned to Grissom, he would probably be waiting for her, as he always did but then an image of Hank flashed before her eyes and his proposal became her primary thought.
All in all, Hank wasn't really a bad man, was he? Sara really tried to convince herself that he wasn't but what about everything that had happened of late and the suspicion surrounding McKeen's involvement? If the colonel was involved then surely his nephew was as well? But were they even involved at all? So many questions…
Still, what about Grissom? She loved him. Surely she could not agree to marry Hank. Could she? And lose Grissom? But what about her father, her home?
This was too much to handle, she was too tired but now oddly restless. She doubted she would be able to sleep again so soon.
She dried off quickly and slipped on her cotton nightgown before putting her robe back on. She was unable to shake Hank's offer out of her thoughts, no matter how hard she tried. But there had to be another way, there had to be. Didn't there?
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Walking down the stairs with candle in hand, Sara found that she did feel better after her bath. However, she still couldn't find sleep again. Her mind was currently a fog of choices and unanswered questions and she had no idea what to do, about anything.
Everyone must be sleeping now as the house was silent and in all honesty, she wasn't surprised. The day had been long and extremely stressful for all. She headed for the kitchen, suddenly craving a cup of tea but as she passed her father's study, she saw a little light coming from within, sneaking through the partially opened door.
Quietly walking to the door, she pushed it open and poked her head inside. Her father was seated within his rocking chair, swinging back and forth, his head tilted to the left. A half empty glass of brandy lay in his hand and his eyes seemed transfixed to the flames spiraling from the burning timber in the fireplace.
She quietly entered the room and closed the door before approaching him. Sara wondered what he was thinking, although she had a pretty good idea. He was so deep in thought, he didn't even hear her approach and he only acknowledged her presence when she placed a tender hand on his shoulder.
His head turned, painfully slow and Sara felt her heart catch in her throat when his bloodshot, distant eyes caught hers.
He cleared his throat, "Oh…Sara, I…didn't hear you."
A gentle smile swept over her lips and she placed her candle onto the coffee table before kneeling at his feet.
"You should be sleeping." The captain's voice was quiet and more encouraging than demanding.
Shrugging her shoulders, Sara sat back on her heels. "I did," she replied, "A little, enough for now." She looked deep into her father's eyes as all he offered was a short, dumb like nod is response.
"Father…" She hesitated before plucking up the courage to continue and fiddled with the belt of her robe "…will you tell me the truth if I ask you a question?"
"I would never lie to you, Sara," he began, reaching for her and cupping her cheek in his palm, tenderly rubbing his thumb over her skin. "But am I going to like the question and desire to answer it?"
Softly taking his hand from her face, she kissed the back of it and squeezed it tightly. She offered him a weak smile, "Probably not but…it's something I need to know."
He thought for a moment and then nodded. "Go ahead."
"I…" She swallowed, "…heard you talking to mother earlier when…" she hesitated again, "…when you were arguing…" She searched for some form of reaction in his eyes and half expected him to stop her but he didn't, so she continued. "Is it true, what you said about the estate? We have no money left and we have no options?"
The captain leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "You were not supposed to hear that, Sara," he responded, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"But I did."
Opening his eyes he rocked forward and looked at her again. "Yes, I guess you did."
"Is it true?" she repeated.
He slowly nodded and she felt her gut tighten. All in all, she actually knew the answer to her question but some little part of her just clung onto to a tiny bit of optimism that maybe there was some hope. Now, she knew there wasn't. "There is no way to recover?"
He shook his head. "I don't know what to do, Sara…" he whispered. "I don't know what to do…"
It was the first time in her life that Sara had ever heard her father admit any sort of defeat. The very thought broke her heart. Pushing herself up, she took both of his hands and pulled him forwards. "It will be alright," she soothed, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "I promise you…it will be alright…"
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After allowing her father a little time to gather some composure, Sara eventually managed to coax him into getting some sleep. She walked with him to his room and waited until he was inside before she left him and returned to her own bedroom.
Now, she looked out of her window and stared at the moon. A long sigh seeped from her lips and she felt like a dead weight. She had much to think about and such a huge decision to make. But could she make it? Yes, she could and she knew exactly what she had to do, no matter how much she may destroy herself doing it.
She had a simple choice really. She loved both men so very, very much but she had to choose one of them, Grissom or her father? Could she choose her happiness over the welfare of her family? Could she marry Grissom knowing that her parents would have nothing?
She had to save her family.
She had to save her home.
She had…to save her father.
This would be the first time, since they had met that she could not bring herself to go to him, she simply couldn't…
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Grissom sat on the porch rail and pulled out his pocket watch. He frowned when he saw it was almost 2am. She wasn't coming, he knew it. He was worried, so very worried, about her. Running a shaky hand through his hair he jumped down from the rail and had one last look around before entering the cabin. For now, he could do nothing else but try and sleep. Attempting to see Sara at the house tonight would be way too risky. He would find her in the morning…
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As soon as daylight hit, Grissom was up, dressed and on his way to the house. He couldn't shake Sara from his thoughts and the fact she hadn't come to him the previous night. He was eager to find her and ensure she was alright.
He walked quickly but when the house came into view, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the captain was already up. He was at the bottom of the main entrance's steps with the sheriff and his two deputies and they seemed deep in conversation.
Grissom frowned as he kicked his legs back into gear and approached them. Why was the sheriff here so early?
"Morning!" he announced when he got close enough and the group turned to look at him. "What's going on?"
"A development," the captain replied, stepping towards him.
"Oh?" Grissom looked over his boss's shoulder. His eyes narrowed as he watched Brass point towards the back of the house and give instructions to his men. "What kind of development?" he asked returning his attention to his boss.
The captain was about to answer but Brass stepped forward and cut into the conversation. "We are going to make our move now, Captain. You should wait here just in case something happens; we don't know what to expect."
"Alright," the older man replied. "I'm still finding this hard to believe though."
Confusion milled through Grissom's mind. "What is hard to believe?" he asked, looking to each man in turn. "Will someone please tell me what is happening?"
Captain sidle and the sheriff exchanged a quick glance.
"We really need to move now, Captain," the sheriff spoke quickly. "Before he gets wind that we are after him."
"Alright, go," the ranch owner responded. "I'll update Gil. We'll wait here."
"Sure thing." The sheriff rushed away with speed, his deputies following behind.
"Captain?" Grissom asked as he watched the lawmen disappear around the back of the house.
Turning to face his second, the captain held his hand to his mouth and coughed before he started. "The sheriff was given information last night in regards to who may be responsible for our sabotage."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"From whom?" the younger man asked, feeling rather skeptical.
Hesitating before replying, the ranch owner scratched his head. "Jeffery," he eventually responded.
With eyes wide, Grissom took a step back. "McKeen?"
The captain nodded.
Grissom laughed mockingly. "And you believe this so called information?"
"You are too distrustful, Gil," the older man came back with quickly.
"And do you blame me?"
"No," the captain continued. "But from what the sheriff has told me, the information seems sound even if I don't want to believe one of my own workers is involved."
Grissom felt a nerve underneath his right eye twitching. Something just didn't seem right here and he did not trust Colonel McKeen. "So, exactly what kind of information did the colonel have?"
The derisive tone to Grissom's question had the captain raising an eyebrow. "He was approached late last night by a rancher from the outskirts of town. He offered Jeffery a large herd of cattle at a discounted rate. Jeffery was suspicious knowing about the theft of our cattle, so he turned the man away and informed the sheriff."
Rubbing his chin, Grissom thought for a moment. "Doesn't that seem a little convenient to you?"
"No," the ranch owner replied firmly. "Not knowing what I do. Brass followed up on Jeffery's tip last night and found several of our cows at this rancher's place along with numerous correspondences linking him to one of our men."
Shaking his head a little, Grissom found it hard to absorb this new information. It was too easy and coming from McKeen, he doubted if it was plausible. It sounded like a set up. "Who is this so called rancher?" he asked, in need of more information to aid his doubt.
As the captain opened his mouth to respond, he was cut short by the sounds of a struggle coming from behind the house. Both Grissom and ranch owner turned to see O'Reilly and Vartann dragging a figure away from the building with Brass walking behind, his revolver drawn.
Grissom stepped to the side and narrowed his eyes as they approached in order to get a look at their suspect. His heart dropped as they drew nearer and he saw who they had in their grasp. His eyes sprang back to the captain. "Michael?" He gasped his question in astonishment. Michael was one of the last people he ever expected to be involved.
The captain sighed as he stepped to his deputy's side and watched as the young worker was dragged towards them. He was obviously fighting the accusations.
"I didn't do anything!" Michael shouted as he attempted to pull from the grip of the lawmen but they held him strong.
"Get him into town and lock him up," Brass instructed his men and they moved into action, swiftly passing Grissom and the captain but as they did so, Michael fought again and lunged for Grissom. Luckily the two men holding him were quick to act and managed to pull him back.
"Grissom, please!" Michael begged. "I swear! I didn't do anything. Please, help me, I wouldn't do this!"
All Grissom could do was watch with mouth agape as Michael was yanked into an even fiercer hold and dragged away. "What the hell is going on, Jim?" the rancher growled, averting his attention to the lawman and stepping towards him.
Brass held up a pair of boots. "Evidence, Gil. Found them in his closet."
Both Grissom and the captain eyed the footwear.
"So what?" Grissom responded.
Smacking his lips together the sheriff cocked his head towards the boots. "See what is missing," he directed, pointing the barrel of his gun to a heel on one of the boots.
Grissom's eyes scanned over the attire and then his stomach cramped when he saw the left boot had a spur missing. "This isn't right," he snarled. "Something's wrong here…it's just not…"
"This isn't the only evidence I have, Gil," the sheriff cut in. "So, this is right, we have the saboteur. You should be happy."
"No," Grissom disagreed, immediately shaking his head. "This is a set up, something just isn't right here, Jim. Can't you see that? The boots must…they must have been planted."
The three men's attention was suddenly drawn into the distance. Amid Michael's shouts of both protest and innocence, he still continued to fight for release.
"You are in denial, Gil. I'm sorry. I know this is hard to accept…" Brass slipped his weapon into his jacket and reached a comforting hand to his friend but Grissom jumped back.
"I don't think he did this!" Grissom shouted, becoming uncharacteristically confrontational now.
The captain leapt forward and grabbed his aids arm. "Enough, Gil!" the ranch owner demanded, pulling him away. "Go back to your cabin and stay there until you cool off."
"Michael didn't do this, Captain!" a very agitated Grissom repeated as he pulled himself free from the grasp of his boss.
"That's not what the evidence says, Gil!" the captain bellowed back. "And by God, we now have lots of it! Now…" The older man sucked in a deep breath, probably in an attempt to calm himself. He pointed over Grissom's shoulder, "…go and calm down. I don't want to see you again until you get a hold of yourself. You too may find yourself in a jail cell if you carry on like this."
Stepping to his side, Grissom watched as Vartann and O'Reilly pulled Michael from view. His eyes then fell upon Brass who was staring at him with a bewildered expression, his hands firmly locked on his hips.
"This is so, so wrong, Captain," Grissom growled through gritted teeth, shaking his head.
"Go…now, Gil….. before I lose my patience."
"Fine!" Grissom snapped, swiftly turning and punching his fists into the sides of his thighs. "But this isn't right!" he bellowed as he walked away.
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Sara watched the commotion through her bedroom window. No one saw her though as they were all too pre occupied with what was happening. She watched as Grissom walked away and fought away the tears that stung her eyes. It was time…
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After organizing with the sheriff to meet with him later, the captain skipped up the steps to the house.
Sara appeared in the doorway, blocking her father's way in.
"Oh," he said. "Good morning, Sara. You're up early."
"Morning, Father," she replied, looking over his shoulder, watching as the sheriff disappeared down the driveway. "What was that all about?"
Clearing his throat, the captain stroked his beard. "It seems the sheriff has found the culprits responsible for all our troubles.
"Really?" Sara's question came on a gasp as she felt a sudden uneasy feeling wash over her.
Captain Sidle nodded.
"Who?" she asked. "Who is responsible?"
"An out of towner called Daniel Pritchard but sadly, it also appears, one of our very own was involved as well."
"Michael?" she gasped. "Is that why they were taking him away?"
"Yes." The captain's response held a hint of sadness and he looked away from his daughter. "Hard to believe, I know. I'm very disappointed."
Placing a comforting hand on her father's arm, Sara thought for a moment before asking her next question. If this was all true, then the colonel and Hank had nothing to do with any of their misfortunes. So she could trust Hank, couldn't she? "Are you sure it was Michael and this other man you speak of? I'm shocked Michael could be involved in this. He has been with us many years. Why would he do this?"
The captain returned his attention to his daughter and offered a faint nod in confirmation. "There is a lot of evidence. I don't have all the facts yet and I don't know why but it seems pretty conclusive. We may have found out who is responsible but unfortunately, it won't help us by any financial means, so don't get your hopes up too much." The rancher owner sighed and his fists clenched tightly. Sara could sense her father's anger as his arm was trembling in her hold.
She slipped her hand free just in case he blew up. "Why?" she whispered. "Can we not seek what was taken from us or compensation for their actions?"
Now the ranch owner shook his head. "The sheriff said all the cattle were gone apart from two cows. Pritchard was nowhere to be found when they got to his house and the sheriff doubts he will be back. There was barely anything left at his place; he's gone, disappeared into thin air and taken anything of value with him. So…" he hesitated, "we… are still ruined and will remain so." A fake smile formed on his lips and he laughed sardonically. "But at least we know who ruined us right?"
As her father's voice cracked in defeat, Sara felt her chin quiver. Even though they seemed to have found who had destroyed their home and lives, they would still be penniless. Such injustice didn't sit well with her.
She leaned forward and kissed her father lovingly on the cheek as he looked at her a little mystified. "What was that for?" he asked.
Taking his hand she squeezed it tightly. "Because I love you and you are an honorable, caring and remarkable man. We will be strong again, Father. I promise you."
With that said and with her father frowning at her, Sara smiled, released his hand, turned and walked down the steps. "I promise," she called as she walked away.
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When Grissom arrived back at his cabin, he was furious. He knew in his heart that Michael was innocent of the accusations. He had to be, didn't he? What would his motivation even be for being involved in all the destruction? What would he have to gain? And to be involved in Warrick's murder and even Robbins' come to think of it. He wouldn't…he just wouldn't, Grissom was sure of it.
He could feel his whole body tensing with frustration and he needed to release it. There was one sure way he knew how to do that. Walking around the side of the building, he picked up his axe that stood propped against the cabin.
Heading to the chopping stump, he released both Dante and Pandora's reins that were secured to the porch rail and urged them to wander but not go too far. They happily did so and trotted off.
When he reached the chopping area, he grabbed a large chunk of uncut wood and dropped it onto the tree stump. Raising the axe high above his head, he gritted his teeth as he put all his pent up anger into motion and buried the axe hard into the waiting wood.
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Grissom had been chopping furiously for nearly ten minutes when he heard someone approaching. He looked towards the pathway and wiped his sweating brow on his sleeve. The instant he saw Sara, he smiled, slamming his axe into the trunk. Being forced away from the house, he hadn't had chance to see her, so he was both glad and relieved she had come to him.
"Why didn't you come last night?" he inquired, slipping off his gloves and tucking them into his belt. He walked towards her but the smile upon his face soon faltered when he noticed the jaded look which highlighted her features.
"Are you alright?" he asked, holding out a hand to her.
However, she stopped before he reached her and tightly wrapped her arms around herself. Her eyes looked to the ground. She hadn't looked him in the eye at all since her arrival.
Grissom felt his gut tightening, something just wasn't right here. "Sara…."
Excruciatingly slowly, Sara's head lifted and her eyes finally met his. Those beautiful eyes which had shined so brightly since the day he had met her now seemed so lost and gloomy.
"We…" she stuttered, "…we can't…see each other anymore." Her statement was quiet, barely audible, but he heard it.
Suddenly he felt his heart catch in his throat; and he took a step back, his mouth dropping open. "W…what?" he asked, shocked and frightened.
"It's over," she said. "It should never have…You and I…can never happen."
"Sara, you're scaring me," he replied on a heavy swallow. "What's happened? Why are you saying this?"
He reached for her but she jumped back. "Don't…touch me, Grissom," she cried, holding out a defensive hand. "Just…don't."
"Then tell me what you are talking about," he begged, holding out his hands. "We were happy, we are happy. Together I mean. Why…why…I deserve an explanation, Sara. I can't believe you are saying this to me, not now, not after everything."
"Please Grissom…" she begged now. "Just stay away from me."
She turned to walk away. Without even thinking, Grissom leapt forward, grabbing her arm with a speed that shocked them both. Whipping her around to face him, he demanded, "Why are you doing this? Tell me, Sara! Why?"
Sara struggled in his hold. "Let me go, Grissom, please…" she whimpered. "Just, let me go…"
Feeling the burn of tears stinging his eyes, Grissom released her, slowly retracting his hand. "I can't believe you are doing this," he whispered.
She began to retreat, taking small steps backwards. "For both our sakes, please just…just…forget…us…I'm so sorry…" She turned again now but this time he didn't stop her. All he could do was watch as she hurried down the path and out of sight.
A/N: *Sniffs*. I actually feel a little bad. But will he allow her to walk away? What's next? Will Sara really marry Hank?
Thank you, so, so much for the reviews. I love them! All of them! Please keep them coming. They inspire me to write quicker and I love your guesses and suggestions, bring em on!
