A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the delay, I have started work and let's just say things aren't exactly going to plan but both myself and SSC have been crazily busy. And massive thanks to SSC for being a great beta and for all your suggestions. Not only is she doing 100 hours a week but she manages to tell me off for making her cry (although I think that's the next chapter). Sorry hun. So…on with the show…

Chapter 55

Grissom allowed himself to be guided back out onto the veranda. His eyes immediately fell upon the area where the captain and his new friends had been earlier. The captain was still there but now the only person with him was Sara. The colonel and Hank were not in the immediate vicinity, or at least he couldn't see them.

"There she is," Laura said with a smile before glancing up at him.

He tilted his head to look at her and offered a frail smile in return.

"I'll tell you what," she began, slipping her arm free from his. "You wait here and I will go and occupy my husband, that way, you can speak to Sara alone, as I am sure this is your desire to do so."

"Um…" Grissom cleared his throat, a slight cramping forming in his gut. Did Laura know more than she was letting on? "Alright," he eventually agreed.

Laura didn't dally, sweeping graciously from his side and through the now smaller crowd of people, only stopping when she reached her husband and daughter.

Grissom watched on eagerly as they began to chat and took drinks from a passing servant. The captain offered Sara a glass of champagne and she took it with haste, quickly sipping from the contents. Laura pointed across to a small group of guests before slipping her arm into her husband's. The captain nodded and Sara nodded at them before they walked away.

He didn't wait; he had to make his move now. If he lingered, Sara may well be apprehended by guests or friends. He swooped towards her. Despite his considerable anxiety, he couldn't help admiring the back of her supple body as she turned and leaned over the veranda rail.

His heart was pounding so rapidly that the dull throb of it rattled in his ears. His fingers twitched as he came to a stop directly behind her. He saw her body stiffen and he sucked in a nervous breath of air; she knew he was behind her.

Painstakingly slowly, she turned to face him and her fingers reached behind her, wrapping tightly around the rail.

Their eyes met and they both just stood, looking at each other. He wanted to say something but for some reason, he couldn't quite find the words he'd wanted to ask all day. The look of fear which dawned upon her face seemed to have pulled any rational thought from his brain. She looked terrified and it made him feel even more on edge.

She spoke first, "Not here, Grissom, please. I don't want to make a scene. Why can't you just do as I asked and keep away?" Her voice was a mere whisper and her eyes darted around, taking note of the crowd around her.

Taking a step closer, he noticed as she stiffened. It hurt. How could she react this way towards him? "I'm not here to make a scene, Sara; I just want…I just need to know why. Don't you think I have the right to know why?"

Briskly, she shook her head, biting down hard on her bottom lip. "I don't…can't…talk to you Grissom; please…just…go away."

"Just tell me, Sara," he begged.

"No…just leave me alone…please, just leave me alone."

He was becoming frustrated by her reluctance and took another step forward, but that's as far as he got before he heard his voice. He hated that voice.

"I believe the lady said no," came his firm statement and Grissom spun around to find himself face to face with Hank.

"You remember how "no" goes, don't you, Grissom? I remember you giving me a little lecture on it not so long ago." Hank's eyes passed over Sara before returning to the rancher. "From what I heard, Sara said she doesn't wish to speak to you. No, means no, so I suggest youstep away."

Fighting the flurry of anger burning deep within him, Grissom took a step towards his adversary. Fighting desperately for control, he pursed his lips. "This has nothing to do with you, Pedigrew, so I suggest you step away."

Hank's face darkened and he didn't back down. Oddly, he just gave a sinister smirk. "Oh, this has everything to do with me. Why are you even here anyway? Shouldn't you be out scooping up the horse crap or something, like the pitiful worker that you are?"

Grissom didn't see Sara hold her hand to her mouth in shock at Hank's comment; he was too occupied with the white band of fury that was suddenly blinding him. Without stopping to consider the crowd or the consequences of his actions, he lunged forward.

A fierce scramble then ensued with both men fighting for control. The guests surrounding them stepped back in horror. A shocked rumble of voices echoed around the veranda as the two men tussled with each other amid grunts and groans.

Within seconds, the captain and Mckeen appeared, pushing through the crowd. The captain grabbed his second firmly by the arm and pulled him away and McKeen took a hold of his nephew, tugging him back to a safe distance.

Sara just stood static, looking a little more than stunned as her mother rushed to her side.

"What on earth is going on here?" the captain demanded from his aid.

Grissom panted, attempting to catch his breath as his eyes bore through Hank's. If looks could kill, his surely would. Grissom refused to answer.

"Come with me," the captain commanded, yanking Grissom away. Forcing him down the veranda steps, he pushed him away and the rancher spun around quickly to face his boss.

"What the hell are you playing at, Gil?" Captain Sidle roared.

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"Sara, are you alright?" Laura asked as Sara floated her eyes to Hank. He was in deep conversation with his uncle and he looked very angry as he pointed fiercely in the direction Grissom had gone.

Sucking in a deep breath, Sara nodded. "I'm fine."

"What happened?" the lady of the house asked. "Why were Gil and Hank fighting?"

Sara turned her full attention to her mother. "Can we…go inside?" she asked with a shake in her voice, avoiding the question. "Just…to let things calm down and…I'm a little cold."

"Alright, alright…" Laura responded swiftly. "You can tell me inside." She slipped an arm around her daughter's waist and guided her inside.

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"I'm waiting, Gil," the captain growled. "What on earth possessed you to start brawling in my house?"

"Who said I started it?" the younger man shot back. "Well maybe I…but…he…he is so…so…he treats me like something he just stepped in, Captain. He has no right to speak to me the way he does and others as a matter of fact. Is it not right for me to stand up for myself?"

"There are times and places to stand up for yourself, Gil and appropriate ways of doing so. They, however, are not in front of my daughter or a dozen of my guests!" The captain roughly rubbed his right temple. "So what do you have to say for yourself and what has gotten into you lately?"

Grissom rolled his eyes. Why was he always the one in the wrong? "I'm following my instincts not that anybody wants to listen to me."

"You're instincts?"

"Yes."

"Right," the older man folded his arms. "And your instincts told you to start fighting did they?"

No matter how much he hated to admit it, Grissom knew the captain was right. He had failed to control his fury and engaging in a ruckus with Hank was totally inappropriate. "I'm sorry, Captain, my actions were wrong and I apologize but that will not change the way I feel about…" He pointed a stern finger towards the veranda, "…him. He is rude, arrogant and I do not like him."

"Well, I'm sorry, Gil, but you had better start trying to like him, or at least…" the captain hesitated, "…respect who he is."

A deep frown formed on Grissom's brow, his forehead crinkling in deep confusion. "Why?"

"Several reasons…" The ranch owner slipped his hands into his pockets and began pacing back and forth. "The main one, as far as you are concerned, is that Jeffery and I are now partners. So you will be seeing a lot more of him as well as Hank. And…"

Grissom couldn't quite seem to fathom what had just been said and he blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry…what?" he interrupted.

"You heard what I said, Gil. Jeffery has agreed to graciously help helping me, us, The Grove, financially, so we can get back on our feet. We have formed a unique partnership and will share profits once we are booming again." He stopped pacing and sighed, turning to face his friend. "I would appreciate your support with this."

"You have got to be kidding me," Grissom growled, his pulse rate increasing with every word. "How can you even consider this as an option? And why is the colonel helping, what does he get out of it?" Suddenly something clicked inside his brain, McKeen had to be getting something out of this and not just a share of the profits, there had to be more to it. The colonel didn't help anyone without an ulterior motive. He didn't exactly need the money.

"Look, Gil." The captain stepped closer and looked his second in the eye, his face firming. "The Grove has been in my family for six generations, I have my own family to look after, they depend on me and I have workers to pay, house and feed. Where will they go if we go under? It's hard out there, Gil, you know that. I cannot be a failure; I will not be a failure. You need to understand I am prepared to do whatever it takes to guarantee the Groves survival."

"Even, if it means selling you soul to the devil?"

"Don't say that Gil," the older man warned. "This matter is not up for discussion and you have no right to judge me."

As a hot, disgruntled breath of air snorted through his nose, Grissom shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know why I bother saying anything anymore. You don't listen, no one listens! So, tell me, what is the point of me being here right now?"

The captain's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?" he questioned, obviously irritated by the question.

"I'm talking about my instincts, my feelings and my opinions. The fact that an innocent man is sitting in a jail cell and no one even seems to care. And all this…" Grissom held his arms out, wide open, "…this..this…sudden helping hand from the colonel. I'm sorry, I don't buy it. It is all so…something just isn't right."

With a heavy sigh the captain shook his head. "You don't have to buy it, Gil." He stepped closer again. "There is no negotiation in regards to my choices, but I need to know you will continue to support me. You are good at your job. I know that. I know you have sacrificed a lot to come here, but I need your reassurance that you will carry on being the aid that I expect you to be and be loyal to me, no matter the circumstances. Can you give me that?"

"Captain, I came here to help you because you asked me to. I didn't come here to be a mere aid; I am already established in my own home as you know. But I stayed here because you needed me. And I need to know that my opinions will be respected as much as my ability to do my job."

"I do respect your opinions, Gil, but on this, it is my decision and no one else's. Now do I have your support or not?"

Grissom felt his entire body slump. How was he supposed to offer his support when he didn't believe in the offer? "I really don't know," he said sadly. "I don't know if I can…"

"You need to decide, Gil." The captain crooked his head towards the house and there was a long pause before he continued. "I need to get back inside," he mumbled and began to walk away before suddenly stopping. "Take some time, cool off, get yourself together and then…if you want to, come back in." The rancher turned back to look at his aid. "But, by the morning, I will need to know where we stand, Gil." With that said, and a very fake glint of a smile, he climbed the veranda steps and disappeared.

Grissom rubbed the back of his neck and chinked it until a dull crack caused him to groan. Stepping backwards in somewhat of a daze, he leaned against a tree behind him, tipped his head back, sighed and closed his eyes. Before he even had an opportunity to think, his muddled thoughts were interrupted.

"Are you alright?"

His eyes popped open at the question and he saw Laura standing in front of him.

He straightened himself out, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants before shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure how to answer that question."

She nodded as if she understood. "I tried to speak with Sara but she wouldn't tell me why you and Hank were fighting. I'm not really sure why…would you care to shed some light on the subject for me?"

Taking a step back, Grissom was a little stumped by her question. He failed to offer an answer and he remained silent. How could he tell her how he really felt, especially about her daughter?

"I can see something is bothering you, Gil, I can see it in your eyes, on your face, in your posture. The whole way you have acted this evening and even in the past few days. Would you like to tell me why you are so angry? Because I can see you are angry…lost too…"

"I just feel…I…it's like I'm not needed all of a sudden. I'm kept in the dark about things I should know from the get go and…and my opinion means nothing anymore. No one believes me. I just…I don't know why I bother."

"No one believes you about what?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me, Gil. Tell me."

"Did you hear my conversation with the captain?" Grissom asked, wondering exactly what Laura knew.

"I did," she confirmed, stepping closer. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes scanned the immediate area. "I didn't think you would be happy with Thomas' decision," she continued, returning her full attention to him. "A lot of people, I'm sure, will be shocked also but he is doing what he thinks is…" she hesitated.

Grissom's eyes narrowed at Laura's uncertainty. Stepping directly in front of her, he whispered his next question, unsure if he should be asking it at all. "Are you happy with his decision, Laura?"

Laura clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled. "It doesn't really matter whether I am happy with the decision or not, Gil. I have to support whatever choices my husband makes, you know that."

"So you believe that all of the colonel's sudden kindness is just that?" he questioned.

Smacking her lips together, her smile faltered. "I wouldn't say that but when you say no one listens to you, you would be surprised. But I am sure if there is foulness afoot, the sheriff will uncover it."

Grissom frowned and looked around, ensuring they were still alone. "You believe Michael is innocent too, don't you?"

Laura bowed her head for a second before returning her eyes to his. She didn't answer his question and they stood in silence for a moment but in his heart, Grissom already knew her answer. He could see it in her eyes.

She cleared her throat. "I need to get back inside, there are announcements to..." She stopped in mid sentence, picked up her dress and moved away but she too, just like the captain had, stopped and turned back to him. "Come back in if you feel you can and for what it may be worth, Gil, if anything at all…I'm sorry…" She offered him a weak smile before heading back to the house leaving Grissom feeling even more uncomfortable.

What was she sorry about? And more than one announcement?

That thought popped back into his mind again and his gut cramped.

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Even though he was reluctant to do so, Grissom rushed back inside. He already knew what the first announcement would undoubtedly be; however, he prayed that anything additional would not be what he feared.

As he walked back into the house, he took a drink from a passing servant. He really needed it and he consumed half the glass of bourbon quickly. He then stepped out into the hallway to where all the guests had gathered and to where the sound of the captain's voice was coming from.

He hovered at the back of the crowd and saw the captain on the stairs in the middle of Laura and McKeen. It looked like he'd missed the majority of his speech and just caught the tail end.

The captain and McKeen raised their glasses, "To new partnerships, friends and the prosperity of Providence Grove," the captain beamed.

A pert grin formed on the colonel's lips and he raised his glass. The guests followed suit, all apart from Grissom who just watched on as, "To Providence Grove," was resounded by all.

Grissom huffed a breath and ever so slightly shook his head before looking to the floor. The look of smugness on the colonel's face made his nose curl.

The Sidle's and the McKeen's united as one.

He would have laughed but he just couldn't find any humor in the situation.

But as Grissom wondered how he could possibly bring himself to be part of this new union, his head slowly rose as the captain hushed his guests, informing them he had one more announcement to make.

A/N: Ummmmmm, hmmmmm. Okay, hanky alert for next chapter and it's funny because I actually hated myself after I wrote it. Just remember, I am GSR through and through. Everything doesn't always work out as planned! Ooooh, cryptic. Review please :)