Hi guys. Again, sorry this chapter took so long, but real life and all that kept interfering. This chapter was going to be longer, but I wanted to post before taking some time off for the holiday. I swear I'll try and have the final chapter up within a week. Thanks for the reviews. Hope you like it. Peace.

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Sara felt a hand by her throat. Benji hovered over the bed, but before she could scream, he clamped a hand over her mouth and tightened his grip. She struggled to breathe and free herself from his grasp.

Grissom awoke with a start as something hit his shoulder. Taking a moment to orient himself proved painful as his body took another blow. He pulled his arm from around Sara and rolled to his back. Without considering the consequences, he placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to rouse her from what appeared to be a nightmare. Her eyes remained shut as she swung a fist, socking Grissom solidly in the chest.

"Damn!" The yell was reflexive, but did serve to startle Sara awake.

Rubbing one eye, she scanned her surroundings slowly. Taking note of Grissom sitting on the other side of the bed, she cocked her head. "I must have fallen asleep."

"Uh, yeah, we both did."

She noticed the quilt covering their lower bodies and Grissom's slightly guarded posture.

"Griss?"

"I'm, sorry, Sara. I fell asleep. I, uh didn't mean to be on your…"

"It's okay. I swear. Only, why are you sitting all the…oh, shit, did I hit you?! I'm so sorry, Grissom."

"I'm fine, Sara. Please, I'm all right." He reached out a hand to stroke her cheek. "You were having a nightmare."

"I know, but it faded as soon as I woke up. I can never really remember. I'm sure it was about Benji." She shifted uncomfortably before meeting his eyes. "I had bad dreams after…you know, after everything."

Grissom leaned against the headboard and brought his hand to caress her hair. "I can imagine you would."

"I used to have this stuffed bear that sat on my bed. For the longest time after, uh, after what happened, I would wake up and find him leaking stuffing or half an arm or leg ripped off. Guess it was my subconscious dealing with things, huh?" She gave him a quick smile that was mostly nerves. Her eyes grew wet as she saw the understanding on his face.

He scooted closer and pulled her into his chest.

"Funny thing was, whenever I got back from school, my bear was always sewn back together. My mom couldn't stand messy things. I guess my nightmares fell into that category."

"You need to sleep, Sara. Just try your best to not rip my stuffing out."

She graced him with a genuine smile and nodded, closing her eyes. His fingers continued to soothe her. "I'm so tired, Griss."

He lifted her head gently and placed it on the pillow. His hand continued stroking her hair as her breathing became deep and even. Resisting the urge to put his arms around her, he pulled back and wrapped them instead around his pillow. It was a poor substitute, but he managed to fall into an exhausted slumber.

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Sara opened her eyes and took in the few rays of sunlight that seeped through the blinds. She felt tired, but knew she must have slept for over three hours. Glancing to her right, the clock told her it was 7:32 am. Grissom was still sleeping soundly.

Restlessness seemed to consume her the minute she'd extricated herself from the cover and swung her feet over the side of the bed. Sara's brain kicked in and she headed for the computer. The urge to find the details had been there since her mother had called, but she'd been consumed with memories. Leaning over her desk, she booted up the computer. Waiting in front of the screen was not an option. She slipped back into the bedroom and grabbed a pair of socks and her sneakers. Sara plopped down in her desk chair and was slipping on the socks as the computer screen came to life. Signing on, she slipped her feet into the sneakers, then clicked on the San Francisco Chronicle site.

Typing quickly, she soon had the article before her.

Benjamin C. Stillman was found dead in his cell at the San Francisco County jail. The suspect appears to have hanged himself. A guard reported no unusual activity prior to the incident. Stillman, 37, was charged with felony battery upon his girlfriend and was awaiting trial. He was also charged in an unrelated parole violation. California's three-strike law would have applied if Stillman were convicted. He had previously served terms for aggravated assault and spousal abuse, both felonies under California law. Additionally, Stillman served time as a juvenile with the California Youth Authority.

Sara reread the blurb and hit the print button. It all fit yet still seemed so unreal. She wanted to read it from the crisp white paper; seeing it in black ink would make it real. She grabbed the paper from the printer before it had finished, smudging the URL at the bottom.

Leaning back in the chair, she studied the story and nodded her head. Yeah, Sara thought, that was Benji. He was the boy that I enticed. I did, didn't I? God, I don't know. I know he hurt Keith. Benji killed Keith. Keith still breathed, but Ben killed him. The images swirled in her head and she stood, needing to be anywhere other than where she was. She grabbed her keys and was out the door in seconds.

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Grissom turned in his sleep and grabbed a fistful of air. His hand settled on the empty space beside him. Opening both eyes groggily, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Sara?" He called into the hallway. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he stood and walked into the living room. Noting her keys were gone, he glanced at the clock. 9:15. Grissom tried to reassure himself that she'd just run out to pick up breakfast. There sure as hell isn't any food here, he thought. Fighting the unnamed fear that seemed to settle in his chest, he set about making a pot of coffee.

Palming a steaming mug of strong coffee, Grissom considered the facts. Sara hadn't taken her cell phone. She'd been gone anywhere between ten minutes and three hours. He castigated himself for assuming that she'd driven, simply because her keys were missing. Realizing the stupid mistake of his sleep addled brain he looked out the front window and saw her car, parked where it was when he'd arrived last night. No sign of Sara on the stairs or in the parking lot. Okay, he would wait.

Swallowing his worry along with a gulp of coffee, he noticed the computer was on. Wasting no time, he scanned the desk and grabbed the sheet of paper sitting partially atop the keyboard. Not surprisingly, Grissom tried to maintain professional detachment while reading the short article on Benjamin Stillman. Returning the paper to her desk, he again fought the emotions boiling inside. Sara wasn't here. She'd left. Damn. She was exhausted. She'd been reliving this nightmare for the past two days and was in no condition to be out wandering around somewhere. Grissom could feel the anger and fear rising in his chest. Placing his mug shakily on the counter, he tried to take a deep breath. Okay, he reasoned, I'll go look for her. He grabbed his phone and car keys just as he heard a key in the lock.

Grissom froze as he watched the door open and a rather breathless and red-faced Sara enter the apartment.

"Damnit, Sara, where have you been?"

She started to respond in a sarcastic manner until she looked into his eyes and saw genuine fear. "I uh, needed to get out for awhile and…"

"Would leaving me a note have been that difficult?" His face was now flushed with anger.

"I'm sorry, Griss. I didn't think you'd be…"

"What? You didn't think I'd be what? Didn't think I'd be worried about where the hell you were? Jesus, Sara!"

"You're overreacting, Grissom," her voice rising in annoyance.

"Oh, really," he began to pace. "Let's see, you've spent the past two days trying to deal with unimaginable pain, you haven't slept more than a few hours, you punched your stereo…"

"I'm sorry, okay! But how is yelling at me accomplishing anything!?" She grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her.

Sara's eyes were red-rimmed and the bruise on her forehead stood in stark contrast to her pale skin. Without hesitating, Grissom pulled a startled Sara into a tight embrace. "It's not accomplishing anything, honey," he whispered against her ear. "I'm sorry. I was scared."

She wrapped her arms across his back and rested her head against his shoulder.

"I know, Griss. I didn't mean to make you worry."

They held one another for a couple of minutes before Sara pulled back and kissed Grissom on the forehead. "You forgive me?"

"Nothing to forgive. I love you." The words had come from his mouth before he'd had a chance to think. Grissom's breathing seemed to come to a standstill as he braced for her reaction.

"I love you too," she said quite smoothly before giving him a quick kiss. "But, I've got to get some water or I'm gonna pass out."

He resumed breathing and clasped her hand, leading the way into the kitchen. "Not too smart, Sidle. Going walking in Vegas without a bottle of water."

"Tell me about it," she sighed and grabbed a cold bottle from the fridge. "Especially not smart when I jogged a half mile back."

Grissom frowned but chose not to comment upon that little piece of information. Sitting on a barstool beside the island, he let her finish the water before changing the subject. "Sara, I read the article on Stillman."

"Yeah, I kind of left it in plain sight."

"I just didn't want you to think I was being…"

"What, that you were being CSI Grissom?"

"Something like that," he frowned.

"Don't worry," she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Do you, uh, want to talk more? I mean, I don't want to pressure you."

"You're not, Griss. And I do want to talk. But I don't think either of us could stand me if I don't take a shower first."

She removed her hand from his and they shared a brief smile.

TBC