Part 11
Grissom, gun in hand, slowly made his way up the stairs to find the source of the crash he had just heard above him. When he got to the top of the stairs, all he saw was an empty hallway, with four closed doors. First door on the right, a bedroom, empty. He walked further down the hall. Second door on the right, bathroom, empty. He walked further down the hall. Door at the end of the hall, medieval decorations everywhere, but still no people. He turned and looked back at the one remaining door. Just as he was about to reach out and open it, the door burst open and a man came flying out at him. The man went for Grissom's gun, but he held on tight. The gun discharged into the ceiling, and a trapdoor came falling down, narrowly missing Grissom's head. In the shock of almost being squashed by a falling ladder, both men lost their grip on the gun and it fell through the railing of the stairs and down to the first floor. Before Grissom could react, the man pulled another gun out of his belt and pointed it at Grissom, he froze.
"I am really starting to lost patience with people who continue to bring firearms into my home. Don't you know that these things are dangerous? Someone is liable to get hurt."
"Alexander Holstein?"
"I see my fame precedes me. Yes, I am he, and he is I. But you may call me Alex. Now, that you know who I am, I would like to know who you are, and what you are doing in my home."
"My name is Gil Grissom. I work with the Las Vegas crime lab. I am here looking for an associate of mine, Sara Sidle. The police are already on their way, if you just give me the gun and show me where she is, this will all go a lot smoother."
"No, I don't think that will work Mr. Grissom. Now, since you were so kind as to open the attic for me, why don't we proceed upstairs?" Alex gestured to the ladder. Grissom looked up the ladder into the dark attic. Since he no longer had a gun, he decided her really didn't have a choice, and started to climb the ladder.
When he got to the top, he looked around the attic. The walls were stone, somewhat like a castle. There was a princess bed in the middle of the room, but the curtains were ripped off and draped out of one of the windows. Sara must have escaped! Thank God. Now if he could just get himself out of here.
"Hands behind your back, Mr. Grissom." Alex held the gun to Grissom's back with one hand while he used the other to wrap a long piece of leather around his hands, binding them tight together. Then Alex led him over to a thick wooden post, and tied him there. He set his gun on the table.
Alex began pacing the room, back and forth, back and forth. "How many intruders must I deal with tonight? The princess wasn't so bad, but disposing of a fellow knight is such a tedious task. I was going to save her you know, save her from you. I saw you watching her the day we met, I can read people. A man like you is not worthy of a princess, but she loved you anyway. Sometimes only in death can we escape our torture. I would have saved her."
Grissom felt a lump in his stomach. "Is she ok?"
Alex looked furious. "I have no idea, she climbed out the window, and you broke into my house. I've been a little too busy to worry about that!!"
Grissom sighed with relief. If she got out, he knew she would be alright. She could get to her truck and wait until the police arrived. He only wished that they would get there fast enough to save him, so he could see her again. It was just too unfair that so soon after he realized that he was in love with her he would die, without ever being able to tell her.
Alex picked up his sword and turned to Grissom. "Normally to kill an unarmed knight would be a disgrace, but since you are intruding into my castle, I will treat you as an invader. Goodbye, Mr. Grissom, it was a pleasure to meet you." Alex raised his sword, took aim at Grissom's heart, and moved to strike.
***Meanwhile, in the yard…***
Sara jogged around the side of the house and saw the window that Grissom had entered through. She lifted herself up and climbed into the house. She saw the hedge trimmers he had used laying on the floor and reached to pick them up; at least it was a weapon. It would have to do until she found her gun. She stood up and a wave of dizziness almost made her fall over. She wished the headache would just go away, it was making things difficult.
Just then she heard a crash upstairs, followed by a gunshot, and she saw a gun fall down the stairs to the floor. She stifled a scream, and tried to listen to see what was going on upstairs. She walked lightly to the bottom of the stairs and picked up the gun. She could hear Alex/Benny tell Grissom to go up into the attic; he must still be ok, at least for now. She waited until she was sure they were both in the attic, and then made her way up the stairs.
She paused as the bottom of the ladder. Should she climb up? What if he was waiting for her with the sledge hammer and knocked her out again? Then Grissom and she were both done for sure. She sighed and closed her eyes. The memory of her dream earlier in the evening came back to her, she saw Grissom on the white horse riding up to rescue her from the castle, and she smiled. 'Well,' thought Sara, 'I guess it is about time that the damsel rescues the knight.' And she started up the ladder; gun in hand, to go save Grissom.
When she peeked her head up into the attic, and saw Grissom tied to a post, and Alex about to skewer him with his sword. Acting on pure instinct, she raised her gun and fired. Almost in slow motion she saw the sword fall to the ground, heard the resonating clang of the metal hitting the floor. She froze, momentarily unable to comprehend that she had just shot someone. Then she made her way over, kicked the sword away from his hand, and checked for a pulse, nothing. He was defiantly dead.
She looked up at Grissom. He looked stunned beyond belief. Completely at a loss for words. Sara stood and walked over to him to untie him from the post. He stood, rubbing his wrists where the leather had pinched him, staring at Sara in utter shock. She had saved him.
Sara smiled and crossed her arms. "What's wrong, Griss? Did you really think Lady Heather was the only woman that knew how to get out of leather bindings and kick some guy's ass?" A Sly smirk appeared on her lips. While Grissom was busy trying to think of a reply, the flashing blue and red light of a fleet of cop cars made its way into the room from the street. "Do you have anything to say before we go downstairs?" she asked, looking at Grissom curiously.
"No." he said. But what he thought in his head was 'Yes, I love you, Sara Sidle.'
"Then let's go, I'm sure everyone is worried, we had better let them know we survived, and that I saved your butt." Sara voice trailed off and she closed her eyes and swayed a little on her feet.
"Sara? Are you ok?" Grissom asked, stepping closer to her and putting his hand on her arm. But Sara never heard him; she simply fainted into his arms.