A/N: The action continues with some heartbreak, AND some hope…I so appreciate reader support and reviewers comments…you people are just terrific…more soon as possible…the heavy workweeks are just about finished…hope this pleases…-Kathy

--

She flinched at the sound of the door closing loudly behind her.

Jim Brass had finely honed his skills over his career, and knew exactly how to intimidate the person he would interrogate.

Sitting down impatiently opposite Lillian, he did not return her sheepish grin.

Leaning forward with eyes blazing, Brass intoned on an exhale, "Okay, Lil…let's go over your story again…"

At that, Lillian bristled. "My story? You think I would lie about talking to my son?" she huffed, irritated at the implication.

The detective leaned back, unfazed by her outburst.

"Why not? You lied to Logan about talking to him…" he smirked, laying all his cards on the table.

She refused to meet his gaze, focusing on her wringing hands.

"He…you don't understand…" was all she could get out before needing to suppress the sob that threatened to expose her fear of current situation.

"No, I don't understand!" Brass yelled heatedly, causing Lillian to jump to her feet as he slammed angry fists on the table.

She stood there, looking down at him as he sent daggers through his slanted eyes.

"He's sick, Lillian…he has kidnapped Sara and is doing god-knows-what with her right at this moment!

And you want me to understand? Understand what, exactly?

That we have been searching for Sara for close to a week now, and you have been chatting with him during that time and did nothing to help us find her?"

By now, Brass was on his feet moving towards her purposefully as he spat out his final words.

Just as he reached her side, thoughts of wringing her high-society neck surfacing in his emotional state, the door flung open and Logan walked through calmly.

He stood just inside the closed door, unwilling to stop the detective from getting the information they sorely needed, but instinctively needing to secure his wife's safety against Jim's waning control.

Ignoring the unethical interruption, Brass found himself face-to-face with a terrified Lillian.

In the quietest voice he had ever employed, all three felt as if the walls of the room leaned towards them as he succinctly commanded her to do the one thing that would halt the impending release of his anger:

"Tell me – now!"

--

His eyelids felt heavy, his body screaming in pain.

As Gil forced his eyes open, he used his great inner strength to focus them feebly on his surroundings, trying to remember what had just happened.

He saw the empty cabin in ominous silence, Nick's backpack slumped against the kitchen wall, partially obscuring his cell phone from sight.

Gil moved to sit up to continue his survey of his surroundings, fearing that the silence meant that Nick had carried out his implied threat against Sara.

Immediately he was pulled backwards onto the pillow, pain exuding down his arm as the restraining ropes yanked his injured shoulder.

He shook his head to clear it. Nick must have knocked me out with something. I can still taste the tinny feel of medication in my mouth…

In fact, not having much else at the cabin, Nick had found the bottled remnants of the date-rape drug he had used on Sara at the tea room. As Sara busied herself in the bathroom, Nick had poured the drug straight into Gil's mouth without washing it down with water.

The effects were immediate, sleep claiming Gil almost instantly. But for his body type, the two or three droplets left in that sample bottle were not enough to warrant a lengthy stretch of unconsciousness nor a prolonged period of amnesia.

Within moments, Gil had regained his awareness and recalled all but the shooting incident.

The throbbing in his shoulder made quick work of that omission.

Angrily, Gil surveyed the restraints that held him prisoner on the tousled sheets.

He realized that the major loss of blood had been cared for, and he wondered if Nick had made Sara watch as he performed the effective first aid, or worse – made Sara tend to his wounds herself.

That picture stuck in Gil's thoughts as he struggled in vain to free himself with his good arm.

Leaning back a bit breathless, tears began to form in frustration.

Where are they?

Where is Sara?

What has that maniac done with her?

Images of Sara being held prisoner on this bed flooded his mind, causing bile to rise in the back of this throat.

What if he did restrain her?

What if he harmed her?

What if…what if she called for me?

I wasn't here to protect her…

She must have been so afraid…

I saw the way he acted…

He did!

He hurt her!

He was pushing her down into this bed, and she was screaming…

No! I have to find her!

He'll hurt her again…

"NO!" he shouted aloud, his anger bringing his adrenaline level through the roof.

With one large movement, Gil rolled to his side forcefully, screaming as the pain shot through his good shoulder. But he did not give up his attempt at freedom.

And he was rewarded with success.

Nick's knots held, but the aged wooden headboard could not withstand the prolonged pressure against the wood-glued frame.

With a sickening crack, the entire side of the headboard gave way and landed across Grissom's lap as he fell back and gasped for air.

Pausing only briefly, Gil sat up a bit straighter and slid the spearlike wood out of the knotted rope, effectively freeing his hand.

Buoyed by his success, he tried in vain to undo the knot on his injured arm.

Not to be swayed from his task, he determinedly twisted his bottom until he was laying near the side of the bed with his feet facing the headboard.

Thankful he was still wearing his heavy soled work shoes, Gil scanned the old wood for the best area to pummel, and began his two-footed assault.

He cried out in pain as his feet hit the wood the first time, the jarring on his shoulder making stars appear before him.

Not to be deterred, he needed to batter the wooden edge only twice more before it cracked and another time before it, too, splintered off and onto his lap.

He lay a moment to catch his breath, then repeated his motions to finally free himself from his bonds.

The knots were cumbersome, but not detrimental to activity, and Gil stood shakily.

After gaining his balance, he moved cautiously towards the table, holding on to it as he bent over to retrieve the forgotten cell phone.

From his activity, his shoulder began bleeding again, heavier this time, and Gil found himself with an odd wave of lightheadedness overcoming him.

Sliding along the wall, he prayed for the second time during this ordeal hoping this request would also be answered.

He smiled weakly as he flipped open the phone to find full bars for service in this area.

He punched in the number, angrily shutting it off to retype the area code first.

When the voice mailbox message began, Gil cursed and slammed the END button before redialing a different number, remembering to add the area code this time.

The phone clicked open the first time, the manner of "Hello?" disclosing the caller's wariness.

"Archie-" was all Gil could speak before he felt a wave of nausea and dizziness overcome him…

Sara had been silent since they left the cabin.

He knew she was marrying him to protect Grissom, but he didn't care.

She loved him, he knew that…and when they were on their honeymoon, she'd remember and love him again…

Still, she seemed – different, lost in thought.

He wanted this to be a happy day for them both.

He wanted her to remember how happy they used to be.

Impulsively, he drew her limp hand to his and said cryptically, "You'll remember, Sara."

Without turning her gaze to him, she smirked sarcastically as she shook her head and quietly said, "Don't trust me to remember anything…"

She turned her head so he could not see the tear fall down her cheek…

Nick pushed open the door to office of the county's only Justice of the Peace.

The tidy waiting area was neatly decorated, inviting in its simple charm.

Nick proudly ushered Sara to a seat, she had insisted on walking – albeit barefoot – on her own.

He was almost giddy as he refused to release her hand.

His infectious smile was returned by the older woman who came to attend to them.

"We'd like to be married, today, as soon as possible," beamed an ecstatic groom, causing the woman to chuckle lightly as she answered, "Well, you've come to the right place."

Her smile faltered only slightly as she turned towards Sara.

Taking in her appearance, all the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

Mary Grace Sonner had been a justice's wife for over forty years.

She had seen all manner of young people coming at all hours asking to be married.

But this young woman, so pretty, yet so injured

Glancing back at Nick for a second, she wondered if this marriage was really desired by both parties.

As Sara had refused to look directly at the woman, Mary Grace decided some investigating was necessary before this marriage would take place.

In her practiced style she had perfected to stall an underage couple while their parents could be located and sent to retrieve them, she smiled sweetly and said to Nick, "Let's get started, shall we?"

She motioned for Nick to join her at her spacious desk, pulling out the high-backed chair for him to settle into.

She pulled out the license paperwork, adding the lengthy instruction booklet for this state form.

"Read the instructions first. This is very important. Failure to properly fill out the application for a marriage license makes the union null and void."

Nick nodded and before pouring himself into the documents, he flashed a handsome grin over to Sara.

"And you, my dear, can come with me into the back room. We'll get you all fixed up for your big day. Did you bring any flowers with you?" she asked in a motherly tone as she moved towards Sara, whose eyes locked on Nick's as she noticeably retreated from those outstretched hands.

At this, Nick frowned.

Don't do anything to stop this wedding Sara. Or else.

Mary Grace missed the interaction as Sara was still gazing at Nick – who was making pretend gun motions with his hand as little children do.

She shivered when his thumb went downwards, mimicking a shot being fired.

Sara hobbled behind Mary Grace without another glance at Nick.

Alone with the older woman, she set herself on a stool in front of a mirror.

Mary Grace sat beside her, wondering how to begin this delicate conversation.

Deciding that anyone who had sustained obvious injuries such as Sara exhibited did not need handling with kid gloves, the woman moved to look directly into her eyes as she spoke.

"Are you in trouble, dear?"

Sara inwardly cringed.

In trouble?

Yes, I'm in trouble!

I ran away from him, but he found me.

I left my husband, my true love, to meet him!

He said he wouldn't hurt me.

I was so stupid!

And now…I've lost it all…

Gil…he'll never want me when he knows…

I have to marry Nick, or he'll go after Gil…

Nick always gets what he wants…

No one is going to die because of me…not again…not ever!

After a moment, Sara mustered all the courage she possessed to sit up straighter and smile at the older woman.

"I'm fine," she said in that rehearsed manner that had haunted Gil's nightmares throughout the years.

Knowing she needed to say something about her physical condition, Sara continued, "After the car accident, we decided that every day counts. So…here we are."

Hoping she had been convincing, Sara turned towards the mirror pretending to fix her hair.

When she looked into the mirror in the direction of the older woman, she saw tears in her eyes as she clutched her hands together towards her heart.

"That…that was so romantic!" Mary Grace said, as she placed both hands lightly on Sara's shoulders. "Let's get you married, okay?"

Sara sighed lightly, happy the charade had worked.

As the rejoined Nick, Mary Grace pulled the paperwork from him immediately.

Nick swung a heated glance at Sara, who simply smiled at him.

Play along, Nick. Don't lose your cool now!

"Sara-" Nick started, his anger fueling his actions as he moved swiftly towards them.

Just as he reached her, Mary Grace was turning a curious glance towards them.

Sara had no choice.

Before Nick could speak again, she reached up and kissed him – hard.

Stunned by her actions, Nick finally pulled away as Sara glanced towards Mary Grace who was wiping her eyes before sitting down to fill out the application.

As Sara did not have identification on her, Nick had presented the woman with a copy of their dated Texas marriage license.

Mary Grace agreed to accept the document that Sara had signed after the rehearsal that afternoon at the ranch.

Nick signed the new agreement and handed the pen over to Sara.

As she scratched the pen across the paper, her mind went back to the judge's words to Gil that night at the Bellagio: "Just sign here, in three places, and we'll have you two legally married…"

Sara's eyes widened as she stood looking unseeing at the document before her.

"…legally married…"

As Nick finished with the business end of the meeting, a flush of adrenaline coursed through her veins.

We were interrupted.


Daniel had arrived with Cynthia.

Had I ever actually signed our marriage license?

Am I really, legally, married to Gil?

Is it possible…will this marriage actually be the legal one?

--

Brass had the helicopter's headset pressed tightly to his ear, as he bellowed for Archie to repeat his transmission.

Nodding forcefully, he motioned to the pilot to end the urgent call from the FLVP flight tower.

Having gotten the information about the grandparent's land that Nick had inherited, Logan, Brass, and Lillian had boarded a police helicopter and were heading towards that destination.

About a half hour out, Archie had frantically phoned the desk sergeant who informed him of Brass' request for a helicopter with a lead on a kidnapping case.

Racing to the flight tower, he finally convinced the guards to allow him access to the director of air controllers.

Explaining his urgency, the director placed the call and shook his head as he listened to Archie relate the most recent communication from Grissom.

Archie had been yelling Gil's name over and over, refusing to end the call until he got a response.

Fortunately, the tactic worked and Gil found the strength to explain his predicament and that Nick had Sara.

Archie had hung up, called the sheriff's office for the Lake Mead area and had to rely on the proficiency of those personnel to find Nick's cabin and bring emergency services to Gil.

Agreeing to stay at the tower until they landed, Archie leaned back in his seat as he ended the call.

It was out of his hands now. He only hoped Grissom could hang on until help arrived.

Meanwhile, Brass was discussing the coordinates with the pilot, who nodded and gave his opinion that they were about ten minutes out from their destination.

Patching him through to command, Brass also contacted the Lake Mead sheriff's office, who agreed to send a car to the airstrip.

Turning to a puzzling Logan, who was unsuccessfully trying to put all the snippets of information together, Brass merely smiled and with raised eyebrows shouted, "We're landing at Lake Mead."

Lillian and Logan locked glances. He send an unreadable expression her way.

Had she misunderstood what Nick had told her?

Or…had she lied to him…again?

"Logan," his wife began, unable to stand the suspense, "What have you found out?"

Cryptically, he simply responded, "Remains to be seen, Lil…remains to be seen…"

--

She felt Nick's arm claim her waist as she moved, shell-shocked, into the judge's chambers.

Sara accepted a single rose from Mary Grace, who was trying to make this a memorable day for this happy couple.

Sara was already quite sure she would never be able to forget what was happening here.

So, as the judge made quick work of the perfunctory words and actions, Nick already vowing to remain faithful to her in sickness and health, Sara wincing at the words "until death to us part", finding some irony in them considering their situation.

Now, it was Sara's turn and she felt the slight increase of pressure from Nick's hand as the judge spoke the words she would repeat.

She closed her eyes, willing the tears from falling, as she thought about Gil laying in that bed, bleeding and alone.

"I do," she said flatly, refusing to lift her head despite Nick's tugging on her hands.

"I now pronounce you man and wife, sealed forever-"

"NO!" Sara broke her hands away from Nick's and glared defiantly at the judge.

"NOT "forever"…remove those words…remove them NOW!"

The judge blinked and looked helplessly towards his own wife.

Sara was becoming unglued, taking a painful step backwards.

Think of Gil…he needs you…you can do this…you can save him…if you love him, you can do this…her mind raced as her eyes closed, willing her heart to calm down.

Taking a deep breath, she looked imploringly at the older judge and almost whispered, "Please…just…just remove the phrase…"

Again he glanced at his wife, surprised to find a tear running down her cheek as her hands urged him to continue.

Women…the judge thought, shaking his head in confusion, picking up his book and finishing the ceremony.

"…you may now kiss the bride."

With that, Nick attacked Sara's lips so forcefully she contemplated slapping him for his insensitivity.

However, she was his wife now.

His wife.

Oh, please…just let me die… right here, right now…

Oh, Gil…