Chapter 43
Sara felt warm and a smile formed as she dreamed. She had been dreaming about Grissom. They were lying in their bed at home and talking about nothing. Idle talk as she enjoyed the feel of his fingers tracing her face. She felt like she wasn't dreaming, but the sensations felt so real.
As she began to wake from her blissful dream, she noticed that she was lying on something and there was a dip that she was leaning away to stop her from falling and her face felt rough. Slowly the dream began to fade and reality blended back. The first thing she saw was Jake and her eyes were wide awake as she pulled away from his hand that was on her face and scrabbled off the bed he had obviously place her on and stood against the wall.
"What the hell are you doing?" She whispered.
Jake shrugged and turned to lay on the bed with his arms folded behind his head. "I was just thinking."
Rubbing her face as though trying to rid her of his hands, "Don't, ever, touch me!" She seethed.
"Don't be like that honey." He soothed, watching her carefully.
She shook her head and glared at him. "Don't. Jake, you are not going to get us back. You are not in control here."
Sensing a challenge in her tone, he chuckled. "Oh, baby, that's so not true and you know it. You can't leave and I'm the one with the gun."
"Perhaps, but you won't get any co-operation from either of us and no matter what happens, you're dead to us." She finished with determination as she walked towards Kate, who was sleeping in the single bed on the far side of the room. Jake had obviously moved her from the floor to the bed. It made her sick that he touched her.
Jake sat up and swung his legs over the edge to watch her sit on the floor by Kate's bed. "I will have you change your mind Sara and you and I both know you can't forget me. We were meant to be together."
Sara turned her head to him and shook it. "Listen to your own words Jake. 'Were' and you're wrong. I can forget and I may remember, but it's not something that controls my life any longer. I've grown strong and I've have so much to thank Gil for."
Standing abruptly, he stormed towards her. "DON'T! Mention his name!" He growled. "He's never going to see you again and you'll never see him."
Sara's eyes relaxed and the CSI in her instantly picked up on his words. 'He's never going to see you again' 'you'll never see him' He was alive? Grissom's not dead? She turned on the realisation that she didn't want Jake to know what she might be thinking.
"Once Gavin comes back with a car, we'll be heading home." He said more calmly.
"Home?" She asked, not looking at him.
Jake wondered towards the bag by the bed and search through it for a drink. "Not Vegas, that's not home anymore. We're going to California. That's our new home now."
"What!?" Sara exclaimed as she whipped her head round to see him downing a can of larger.
"California, Sara. It's home now and no one will be looking for us there."
~*^*^*~
Grissom felt his panic rising when he waited for Catherine and Nick to bring him up to date. Catherine had offered her help and Nick was glad for it. More experienced hands were what they need as all the evidence was processed. Garrett and Robin were now retrieving the trace results from the lab and Tom was keeping up to date with the police patrols.
Sitting in Sam Grant's office wasn't doing any good for Grissom's nerves, let alone his aching body. He popped his pill bottle and tossed two painkillers into his mouth as he picked up a glass of water to wash the medication down. He turned his head again and watched Nick speaking to Catherine and Sam.
It was taking too long. Jake would have taken them past the border by now and could be anywhere. "Come on." He groaned and he watched Sam walk away from the two, leaving them to head towards him with short strides. They had to know something more.
"So?" Grissom asked as he pushed himself up to standing, grimacing in pain.
Catherine steadied him and knew better than to talk him into resting, it would only make him more agitated. "We have some leads, but you're going to be in the car the hole time if you are coming." She made sure he knew she was serious and not to question her.
"Ok, ok, what have you got?" He asked as they slowly made their way towards the front of the police department.
Nick started in high spirits that they had found traces of sand and mud in the vans tires and that the plates are not Vegas. "They're Californian plates." He grinned.
Grissom looked off in thought as Nick continued.
"Gavin has no priors and is probably being forced into doing this by Jake. You said he was trying to keep Jake from lashing out." Nick made sure Grissom's information was correct. When he nodded, he turned to Catherine for her to continue.
"So far, the gas station has seen a few squatters over the years and a few this month. We found two males that were paid to leave the station. They recognised Jake's picture but not Gavin's."
It was then that Grissom put in his two cent. "Gavin's the key here. He was never the violent type. Never arrested, but he knows his brother's temper and knows what he did to Sara. He liked Sara and from what I saw, he was trying to protect Kate and Sara."
"You think Jake's gonna hurt Sara?" Nick asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
Grissom seemed to think about it, although he knew the answer. Jake was capable of anything if he was in a bad mood. "Let's just hope he's not in the drinking mood, Nicky. I'll kill him if he touches her and Kate."
Catherine opened the door to the outside and placed her hand on his back. "You ok?" She asked when he sucked in a breath at the contact.
He nodded and winced. "Bruised."
She smiled sympathetically and gently took his hand to steady him some more and led the way to the car. Nick climbed into the driver's side while Catherine helped Grissom into the passenger seat. She then got in the back and started going over what the others had found.
~*^*^*~
Kate woke up gradually and found Jake hovering over her. "Hey." He smiled.
"Hi." She said uncertainly. "Where's my mom?"
Jake chuckled and looked down beside the bed. "She's here." He pointed to Sara who was past out from Jake's little chloroform trick. He had held the gun to her head and as she struggled, he clamped a rag over her mouth. "She's sleeping, don't worry. I thought we could talk." He suggested, stepping back to let her sit up.
She pulled the blankets up to her chin and stared at him as he sat on the end of the bed. "What about?"
He smiled and shrugged. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby. It's been a long time." Kate nodded, not knowing what he wanted. "Tell me about yourself."
"Like what?" She asked, confused that he was trying to get to know her.
"What do you like? Do you have a job, go to school or have any friends? That sort of thing."
Kate nodded slightly to show she understood and was thinking about her answers. "I go to school."
Jake smiled. "Good, what's you're favourite subject?"
"I have two. I like Science and English." She watched as he shifted closer, but still at the bottom of the bed. She looked towards her mother with worried eyes, but she was still sleeping.
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" He asked as he fingered the blanket.
Thinking for a minute, she shrugged. "Don't know."
Chuckling lightly, he moved to sit against the wall. "There has to be something you're interested in. You're mom's a CSI, you want to be one?"
Kate nodded. "Maybe, but I like to teach. I love to help people like my dad. Mum says I can do anything I want a long as I finish school."
Jake's eyes had flared with anger at the mention of 'dad'. He looked at her with his anger lowering. "You're mom's right. Gotta finish school. What about hobbies?"
"Computers and bugs. Dad got me an ant farm when I was little and I got Darwin for my birthday a few years back. Dad and mum enrolled me in an after school computer class so I could learn about the ins and outs. It's cool."
His temper was going to burn a hole in his gut if he couldn't calm down. She didn't know, she didn't understand. She'll have to learn that he was her dad, not Grissom.
Sara felt warm and a smile formed as she dreamed. She had been dreaming about Grissom. They were lying in their bed at home and talking about nothing. Idle talk as she enjoyed the feel of his fingers tracing her face. She felt like she wasn't dreaming, but the sensations felt so real.
As she began to wake from her blissful dream, she noticed that she was lying on something and there was a dip that she was leaning away to stop her from falling and her face felt rough. Slowly the dream began to fade and reality blended back. The first thing she saw was Jake and her eyes were wide awake as she pulled away from his hand that was on her face and scrabbled off the bed he had obviously place her on and stood against the wall.
"What the hell are you doing?" She whispered.
Jake shrugged and turned to lay on the bed with his arms folded behind his head. "I was just thinking."
Rubbing her face as though trying to rid her of his hands, "Don't, ever, touch me!" She seethed.
"Don't be like that honey." He soothed, watching her carefully.
She shook her head and glared at him. "Don't. Jake, you are not going to get us back. You are not in control here."
Sensing a challenge in her tone, he chuckled. "Oh, baby, that's so not true and you know it. You can't leave and I'm the one with the gun."
"Perhaps, but you won't get any co-operation from either of us and no matter what happens, you're dead to us." She finished with determination as she walked towards Kate, who was sleeping in the single bed on the far side of the room. Jake had obviously moved her from the floor to the bed. It made her sick that he touched her.
Jake sat up and swung his legs over the edge to watch her sit on the floor by Kate's bed. "I will have you change your mind Sara and you and I both know you can't forget me. We were meant to be together."
Sara turned her head to him and shook it. "Listen to your own words Jake. 'Were' and you're wrong. I can forget and I may remember, but it's not something that controls my life any longer. I've grown strong and I've have so much to thank Gil for."
Standing abruptly, he stormed towards her. "DON'T! Mention his name!" He growled. "He's never going to see you again and you'll never see him."
Sara's eyes relaxed and the CSI in her instantly picked up on his words. 'He's never going to see you again' 'you'll never see him' He was alive? Grissom's not dead? She turned on the realisation that she didn't want Jake to know what she might be thinking.
"Once Gavin comes back with a car, we'll be heading home." He said more calmly.
"Home?" She asked, not looking at him.
Jake wondered towards the bag by the bed and search through it for a drink. "Not Vegas, that's not home anymore. We're going to California. That's our new home now."
"What!?" Sara exclaimed as she whipped her head round to see him downing a can of larger.
"California, Sara. It's home now and no one will be looking for us there."
~*^*^*~
Grissom felt his panic rising when he waited for Catherine and Nick to bring him up to date. Catherine had offered her help and Nick was glad for it. More experienced hands were what they need as all the evidence was processed. Garrett and Robin were now retrieving the trace results from the lab and Tom was keeping up to date with the police patrols.
Sitting in Sam Grant's office wasn't doing any good for Grissom's nerves, let alone his aching body. He popped his pill bottle and tossed two painkillers into his mouth as he picked up a glass of water to wash the medication down. He turned his head again and watched Nick speaking to Catherine and Sam.
It was taking too long. Jake would have taken them past the border by now and could be anywhere. "Come on." He groaned and he watched Sam walk away from the two, leaving them to head towards him with short strides. They had to know something more.
"So?" Grissom asked as he pushed himself up to standing, grimacing in pain.
Catherine steadied him and knew better than to talk him into resting, it would only make him more agitated. "We have some leads, but you're going to be in the car the hole time if you are coming." She made sure he knew she was serious and not to question her.
"Ok, ok, what have you got?" He asked as they slowly made their way towards the front of the police department.
Nick started in high spirits that they had found traces of sand and mud in the vans tires and that the plates are not Vegas. "They're Californian plates." He grinned.
Grissom looked off in thought as Nick continued.
"Gavin has no priors and is probably being forced into doing this by Jake. You said he was trying to keep Jake from lashing out." Nick made sure Grissom's information was correct. When he nodded, he turned to Catherine for her to continue.
"So far, the gas station has seen a few squatters over the years and a few this month. We found two males that were paid to leave the station. They recognised Jake's picture but not Gavin's."
It was then that Grissom put in his two cent. "Gavin's the key here. He was never the violent type. Never arrested, but he knows his brother's temper and knows what he did to Sara. He liked Sara and from what I saw, he was trying to protect Kate and Sara."
"You think Jake's gonna hurt Sara?" Nick asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
Grissom seemed to think about it, although he knew the answer. Jake was capable of anything if he was in a bad mood. "Let's just hope he's not in the drinking mood, Nicky. I'll kill him if he touches her and Kate."
Catherine opened the door to the outside and placed her hand on his back. "You ok?" She asked when he sucked in a breath at the contact.
He nodded and winced. "Bruised."
She smiled sympathetically and gently took his hand to steady him some more and led the way to the car. Nick climbed into the driver's side while Catherine helped Grissom into the passenger seat. She then got in the back and started going over what the others had found.
~*^*^*~
Kate woke up gradually and found Jake hovering over her. "Hey." He smiled.
"Hi." She said uncertainly. "Where's my mom?"
Jake chuckled and looked down beside the bed. "She's here." He pointed to Sara who was past out from Jake's little chloroform trick. He had held the gun to her head and as she struggled, he clamped a rag over her mouth. "She's sleeping, don't worry. I thought we could talk." He suggested, stepping back to let her sit up.
She pulled the blankets up to her chin and stared at him as he sat on the end of the bed. "What about?"
He smiled and shrugged. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby. It's been a long time." Kate nodded, not knowing what he wanted. "Tell me about yourself."
"Like what?" She asked, confused that he was trying to get to know her.
"What do you like? Do you have a job, go to school or have any friends? That sort of thing."
Kate nodded slightly to show she understood and was thinking about her answers. "I go to school."
Jake smiled. "Good, what's you're favourite subject?"
"I have two. I like Science and English." She watched as he shifted closer, but still at the bottom of the bed. She looked towards her mother with worried eyes, but she was still sleeping.
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" He asked as he fingered the blanket.
Thinking for a minute, she shrugged. "Don't know."
Chuckling lightly, he moved to sit against the wall. "There has to be something you're interested in. You're mom's a CSI, you want to be one?"
Kate nodded. "Maybe, but I like to teach. I love to help people like my dad. Mum says I can do anything I want a long as I finish school."
Jake's eyes had flared with anger at the mention of 'dad'. He looked at her with his anger lowering. "You're mom's right. Gotta finish school. What about hobbies?"
"Computers and bugs. Dad got me an ant farm when I was little and I got Darwin for my birthday a few years back. Dad and mum enrolled me in an after school computer class so I could learn about the ins and outs. It's cool."
His temper was going to burn a hole in his gut if he couldn't calm down. She didn't know, she didn't understand. She'll have to learn that he was her dad, not Grissom.