A/N Once more many many thanks for the reviews. I'm glad that so many of you enjoyed the last chapter. Also many thanks to piccolina789 for the beta and encouragement. I'd like to I hope you enjoy this chapter...but I'm leaving that up to you :)
Three of the neighbourhood dogs barked as the heat of the desert sun bore down on the baked, dusty ground. Garrett stared out of the window to the house across the dusty road, where the dog's barks had turned to vicious snarls as the heat started to get to them.
Frustration, along with the heat, was starting to wear on Garrett's own nerves, as he impatiently waited for the coolness of night to come and the chance to move around a little more freely. He stared down at the cell phone with a frown. The waiting was making him nervous. It had been several days since he'd escaped from the crashed prison bus on Mount Charleston.
The men hadn't removed their balaclavas and remained unknown to him. He only knew that they had been sent by the cop that was just as determined to see Grissom brought down as much as he was.
Once leaving the bus, they'd travelled to Sandy Valley. Once there, he'd been provided with another off road bike, a backpack containing clothes and instructions on how to find a hidden cell phone. Then, with full throttle and a cloud of dust, the two had sped away.
Once he'd found the phone, although he would never admit it to anyone, he'd felt a little relieved to hear the familiar voice of the mystery cop at the other end. He'd started to regret making the deal when several weeks in prison had passed by without any sign of his opportunity in sight. Then an unexpected visit from a man claiming to be his lawyer had provided the details of how his unexpected release would happen.
The cell phone rang, bringing him out of his thoughts, and he grinned. Finally, some action! This waiting game was worse than being in prison.
"How much longer do you plan on keeping me dangling?" Garrett asked as soon as he picked up the phone. "If this were up to me, Grissom would have been dealt with by now."
"And you would have been straight back to High Desert Prison, quicker than it took to get you out in the first place. You have to trust that I'm doing everything I can to help you."
"I don't trust anyone, much less cops. Like you said, this is business. I want Grissom."
"And you will," the voice promised. "Haven't I proven my word to you? You're out of prison because of me. The manhunt in Blue Diamond was a complete fiasco…"
Garrett snickered, despite himself.
"They couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery," he agreed.
"See, I told you I would look out for you. It's amazing what a little misinformation can do. There was a reason I told you to keep a low profile and to keep moving around. It's time to leave Cold Creek and head to Henderson. There's a safe house on Value Ridge Drive that you can use. Wait for my call."
After giving Garrett the address, the caller hung up.
Grissom was just coming from his office when he spotted Catherine talking to Officer Akers. Catherine spotted him too and ended her conversation before heading towards him.
"It's good to see you back!" Catherine greeted him, hoping that she had managed to keep the anxiety out of her voice. "Sara left a message saying you were back and not to expect her for breakfast."
Grissom nodded.
"I can't express how much I appreciate how you all supported her while I was away," Grissom acknowledged. He looked at Catherine with a rueful look. "And how much her unexpected visit meant to me."
"Ahh, it was nothin' really. The look on her face when I gave her the tickets was worth it."
It was then that Catherine spotted the gold circle placed on a very important finger on Grissom's left hand, and her mouth dropped open.
"Sara didn't mention this!" Catherine gasped in surprised delight as she grabbed his hand. "When did you get married?"
Grissom grinned as he glanced at the yellow-gold wedding ring, still not quite believing it himself.
"Earlier this morning," Grissom chuckled at Catherine's shocked look. "We didn't see much point in waiting."
"Please don't tell me Elvis married you!"
"No. We got married at The Chapel of the Flowers on South Las Vegas Boulevard. Then we had a little celebratory lunch with my mother."
Catherine smiled up at him, almost proudly, as she hugged him.
"Congratulations, Gil," she said sincerely. "I can't think of two people who deserve each other as much as you and Sara."
Swallowing a sudden lump in his throat, Grissom could only nod. The happiness glinting in his eyes was answer enough.
They headed towards the break room together, where everyone was casually gathered around the table chatting. Sara happened to see Grissom walk in and smiled at her new husband.
"Hey Gris! Welcome back!" Warrick greeted.
"He's not just back he's married!," Catherine jumped in. "They went and got married today!"
"Seriously?" Nick exclaimed with a grin. He looked at both Grissom and Sara before jumping to his feet. He hugged Sara first and then walked over to Grissom, giving him a congratulatory handshake. "Congratulations!"
Sara moved to stand beside Grissom as everyone congratulated them.
"See, Mrs. Grissom, not all traditions are bad!" Greg said as he pulled Sara into a hug, grinning.
"Actually it's still Sidle, at least professionally," she said as Greg released her. "Outside the lab, its Mrs. Grissom."
"Now, we know that you don't really like the fuss, but now that you're married, that means we'll have to have that baby shower!" Catherine insisted. "This time there's no backing out, unless you'd rather have a wedding party."
After all the support the team had given them from the suspension to the unexpected trip to L.A, there was only one way this could go.
Sara sighed, having already discussed it with Grissom.
"We choose the baby shower," smiled Sara. "And thank you."
The congratulations continued until Brass and Ecklie entered the break room, followed closely by the sheriff.
"Gil, when did you get back?" Ecklie asked in surprise, glancing worriedly in Catherine and Brass' direction. "I thought you were staying in L.A?"
"I flew back this morning. We managed to wrap things up early, so I got the first flight back," Grissom explained.
"Much to the delight of Miss Sidle, I'm sure," stated the sheriff. "Who is looking very much refreshed from her unexpected weekend away."
Sara felt Grissom bristle next to her, and she stepped a little closer to her husband, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. She didn't want what remained of their wedding day spoiled by bitter arguing. It was no secret that despite how professional they had remained, the sheriff still didn't approve of their relationship.
Smiling sweetly, she took great pleasure in the look on his face as she announced, "Actually it was a great weekend, and we can't thank our friends enough for their kind generosity in surprising me with the tickets."
She squeezed Gil's hand tighter as her smile grew brighter.
"And as of this morning, it's now Mrs. Grissom," she finished.
Sara enjoyed the shocked look on the sheriff's face more than she expected she would, and Grissom squeezed her hand firmly in approval. With a huff, the sheriff left the break room.
Ecklie and Brass shared a quick glance before Ecklie stepped forward, hand outstretched, with a genuine, but uneasy smile on his face.
"I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, Gil, but I'm really happy for you both. Congratulations!" he said as he shook hands with them both.
"Thanks, Conrad," Grissom beamed.
Ecklie's expression turned serious and he swallowed nervously before he spoke.
"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news and spoil the party, but now that you're back, it has to be said. Mike Garrett has escaped from prison."
Grissom's happy smile faded at the news.
"When did this happen?" he demanded.
Ecklie hesitated briefly.
"Five days ago," he finally answered. "He was part of a work release on Mount Charleston."
Grissom's eyes blazed furiously, his anger increasing.
"You knew about this five days ago, and you didn't think to tell us, Conrad?" he said. "You know about the threats he's made… he's already physically attacked me once! What if he'd gone after Sara?"
"What would you have done if I had told you five days ago?" Conrad argued, his own anger rising.
"I would have caught the first flight back!"
Conrad glanced at Brass.
"Then I'll tell you exactly what I told Jim. The only reason I didn't tell you was because I thought it was the best way to handle it and protect you both. You were supposed to be in L.A. for another week, far away from Garrett, and we kept Sara in the lab for her own safety. Then when Catherine came to me with the vacation form to sign, I saw it as an opportunity. I hoped that by the time Sara was back, Garrett would be back behind bars."
"Well, look how that turned out," Grissom fumed. "You had no right to keep this from us!"
"We thought we had him in Blue Diamond, but it proved to be a false lead. I'm just as unhappy about this as you are, Gil. Jim has officers assigned to Sara for protection."
"We don't mind doing our share," Nick chimed in, the rest of the team agreeing.
"That will only make you targets too," said Grissom, shaking his head. "I appreciate it, but I can't let that happen."
He turned to Ecklie.
"I want to review the evidence and see if I can find something to help catch this son of a bitch."
"You know I can't do that, Gil. It's a conflict of interest. Neither of you can be anywhere near this."
Again, Grissom shook his head in frustration and disgust, knowing that Ecklie was right.
"You should have told us," Grissom repeated.
He turned and left the break room, heading for his office. Brass caught up to him just as Grissom was pulling the department-issued Glock from the top drawer of his desk. Grissom checked the safety before checking the chamber.
"It's good to see that you're taking this seriously," replied Brass. "You have every right to be pissed at Ecklie, but try to understand. Ecklie didn't tell Sara about Garrett because he thought it might cause her extra stress. You were out of town and if anything had happened to her, you would have never forgiven yourself for not being here. Ecklie can be an ass at times, but he made the right call, Gil. He was just watching out for her, just like he's watching out for you now."
Grissom nodded with a sigh, realising that Jim had a point.
"Point taken. And you're driving," said Grissom as he clipped the Glock to his belt.
"Where are we headed?" Jim asked as he fell into step with Grissom, both of them heading to the parking lot.
"Shooting range. It's been a while since I've used this and I might be a little rusty."
At the shooting range a few hours later, Grissom's expression was determined as he silently watched the paper target come towards him. A satisfied smirk lifted the corner of his mouth briefly. His eyes narrowed slightly, an uncharacteristic cold glint in his blue eyes, as the target showed that he was still a perfect shot.
He heard a tap on the window behind him and turned to see Brass waving him over. Grissom double-checked the safety on his gun, took off his ear protection and joined Brass in the hallway.
"Okay, Gunslinger, a 419 just came in. The address is in Henderson. I'm driving."
Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the address on Neyland Drive. The scene was a hive of activity. The coroner was already there and several officers were interviewing witnesses. Grissom began to process the scene while Brass gathered more information. Eventually, most of the officers and their vehicles left, leaving only a few officers with Brass as Grissom continued to work.
It didn't take long for Grissom to realise that he was going to be there most of the shift. He took out his cell phone and called Sara. After a few minutes of conversation, he ended the call and got to work.
"Sara, have you seen Gil?" Ecklie asked some four hours later.
Sara was in Grissom office feeding Stevie, Grissom's tarantula, some crickets.
"He's still in the field. He said he could be a while," Sara explained as she fastened the lid on the spider's cage.
Ecklie cursed quietly.
"Anything I can help you with?" Sara added.
Ecklie sighed and ran his hand through his remaining hair.
"A call just came in, in Henderson, and everyone else is out on cases. When I saw the light on in here, I though Gil was back."
"I'll do it," Sara replied, quickly walking around the desk to meet Conrad by the door.
Ecklie shook his head.
"Sorry Sara, but you're confined to the lab. With the way things stand with Garrett right now, I have to say no way. Gil's already got my ass in the fire."
"Conrad, I'll tell you exactly what I tell Gil, I'm pregnant – not ill. Until Garrett escaped, I worked in the field just fine. I can do this, and like you said, there's no one else available."
Ecklie sighed as he thought it over. Finally, he nodded.
"All right, but you take at least one officer with you. Call me when you get there, and then every hour after that. And understand that you're only going because there's no one else. This doesn't mean you're back in the field on a regular basis."
Sara smiled. "Understood, Conrad."
"The address is on Value Ridge Drive."
It was almost the end of shift and the sun was just starting to rise when Grissom finally finished processing his crime scene.
He gathered the last of the evidence he'd collected and as he was heading towards the Tahoe, he realised that he hadn't checked in with Sara for a while.
He pulled out his phone as Jim met him by the Tahoe. Just as Grissom dialed Sara's number, two cars with black out windows screeched around the corner. The loud pop of gunfire disturbed the early morning silence. Jim barely had time to pull Grissom out of the line of fire before a spray of bullets peppered the lawn where they'd stood only seconds before.
A series of metallic twangs rocked the Tahoe as a rain of bullets hit the truck. One of the bullets hit a tire and there was a hiss of escaping air.
Brass, still ducked down with his arm around Grissom's shoulders, frantically called it in as the two cars sped down the road and turned sharply around the corner.
"Are you hurt?" Brass asked Grissom once the shooting had stopped.
Grissom's face was pale with shock and fright as he shook his head.
"I need to get back to the lab and make sure Sara's okay."
"Officers Metcalf and Stone will take you," Brass said as he beckoned the two officers over. He turned to face them. "Get him to the lab as quickly as you can. Don't stop for anything."
He turned back to Gil.
"You stay at the lab. Neither you or Sara can leave until I get back."
Grissom was met by Ecklie the second he returned to the lab.
"Jim told me what happened, are you alright?" Ecklie asked.
Still shaken by what had happened, Grissom managed to nod.
"I need to speak to Sara. l tried to call her, but she's not answering."
Ecklie glanced at his watch, a look of alarm suddenly appearing on his face.
"What is it?" Grissom asked, a feeling of dread sweeping over him. "Where's Sara?"
"She's out in the field," Ecklie admitted reluctantly. "She was supposed to call me every hour. I haven't heard from her in at least an hour and a half."
Grissom's eyes flashed angrily.
"She's supposed to be in the lab, Conrad, until that son of a bitch is caught!" Grissom exploded. "You said it yourself!"
"Everyone was tied up with cases and Sara offered to go. She has several officers with her."
Grissom glared at Ecklie, swallowing apprehensively. He took out his phone and dialled Sara's number. It rang to voicemail.
"That really doesn't reassure me, Conrad," Grissom said, his voice shaking slightly.
He tried calling Sara's number once more.
"Come on Sara, pick up!" Grissom muttered, the feeling of dread mounting with each second as he willed her to answer the phone. He sighed anxiously as once more it rang to voicemail.
He dialled again.
"Pick up Sara, please pick up, honey. Please pick up..."