FIVE MINUTES LATER:

The cell rang, and Sonya picked up and slowly put it up to her ear.

"Connors," She stated. It was Gil again.

"Sonya, no matter what happens, we are going to try to get the injured hostage out of there. He's the first one out, you understand, right?"

"Yes, I will give the phone over," She said, answering his question distinctly. She handed the phone over to Jake, who took it with sweaty hands.

OUTSIDE:

Gil was sitting outside.

"What do you want?" Gil asked, the coldness apparent in his voice. Jake paused and said the first thing that came to his mind, "A helicopter. To take me to wherever I want."

Jake paused and put his head between his legs, realizing how stupid he was and full blown this was really getting. He was planning to just get some quick cash but he panicked. Way too much.

Sonya was noticing how the situation was snowballing and Jake was completely clueless. She scooted over to him and forced him to look her in the eyes. She hung up the phone and said, in a voice so low that not even the other hostages could hear her, "Jake, please, just give the hostages away."

Jake knew it was the right thing to do.

"I never wanted any of this to happen..." He said, trying hard not to cry. Sonya was still looking at him and whispered, "I know..."

Jake looked to all the hostages, "Go. Just leave."

Elizabeth and Robert helped Malone up and Jeff held the door open. They stumbled as they were walking and no one noticed Sonya's badge fall out onto the floor. Sonya stayed back until everyone was out. She turned to Jake and said, "Thank you."

He trusted her. He couldn't believe it. How can you trust someone you don't really know? He tore his eyes away from her gaze and looked on the floor and saw her badge.

Sonya followed his gaze to the badge. From where they were standing you could easily make out the name Sonya Connors on it.

He looked up at her and looked outside and saw all the cops and the SWAT team running up to take the hostages. That was when he realized it: giving the hostages up wasn't going to do anything. He was still going to jail, maybe even prison.

"They're not gonna let me go, are they?" He asked. Sonya stood there, stuck.

Grissom was outside. He could see Sonya, standing in the way of gunshots.

"Come on, Sonya," He whispered to himself.

"No," Sonya said to Jake, "They're not."

"I can't go back to jail, Sonya," He said. "I can't." So he drew his gun and put it to his head. Sonya stood there, and stared at him in such an intense way he just stood there stupidly.

"Jake, don't pull that trigger. That would be the most stupid thing you could ever do."

"You're not much of a negotiator," Jake whispered, buying time to think of what to do.

"No, I'm not, because I tell the truth," She looked deeper into his eyes as the situation teetered on an edge. "No regrets, right Jake? No regrets."

He nodded.

In that moment, the one moment in a trillion, that block in Las Vegas was frozen. A moment of complete silence.

Grissom held his breath.

Jake was torn. This woman in front of him, she was in complete control with his emotions.

"No control," He whispered as he lifted his gun and hit her in the back of her neck with the butt of his gun hard. She fell limp and he dragged her over to where they had been so short ago.

Everyone let out a huge breath in frustration as Grissom collapsed in grief.

"Gil Grissom?" An FBI agent crossed the crime scene tape and walked over to him and took his cell phone, "Do you know the hostage?"

Gil nodded, completely broken.

"You knowing this woman personally compromises your judgment. My name is Detective O'Brian. I am going to take over this situation now."

Gil nodded, to worn to argue. He seemed so tired and it hadn't even been and hour into the hostage situation. He could only imagine any more time. Catherine ran up to him and sat next to him, not saying anything.

Grissom didn't cry, he just sat there, alone with his dark thoughts.

All alone.

TWO HOURS LATER:

Sonya shook her head, just regaining consciousness. She saw Jake, staring at her badge and her picture on it. She silently scooted over to him. He never took his eyes off her picture as he said, "You know, I have never met anyone like you."

She remained silent, letting him talk. He had the cell phone on his right side on the floor, she was his left. In his right hand he held the gun loosely. In his left was her badge.

"It was like you can cast a spell and make anyone do what they want. You're probably not even aware of it."

Sonya was. She wasn't stupid. She had interacted with so many different people and seen how they acted around her.

"You have this aura of complete control and it seems like you don't care." He finally took his mask off and she could see that Jake was a young man. His face was bright pink from wearing the mask and his eyes were swollen from crying so much.

"I didn't mean to do this. I just needed money." He laughed half-heartedly, "I sure picked the wrong grocery store to rob, eh?"

Sonya didn't return his sad smile as she said, "Well, maybe you actually picked the right one."

He looked at her questioningly, not getting what she said, when the cell rang.

"Detective O'Brian?" Jake asked into the phone. They must have picked a new leader for this situation. Knowing it wasn't Grissom on the other end made Sonya uneasy.

"No, if you come in I kill the woman," He said savagely. Sonya looked away from him. "Get me my helicopter."

He hung it up and laid it back on the ground.

"This is hopeless." He muttered.

Sonya snorted quietly, "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"What do you mean?"

Sonya smiled, "Hope can really be a bad thing. It keeps you worrying, keeps you wishing, and keeps you from letting go."

He nodded at that, "You know, Sonya, you may have everybody else fooled, but I see it in your eyes."

Sonya swung her head around to look at him, "What are you talking about?"

"You talk about all this crap about letting go when you have some definite emotional baggage in your eyes."

"I don't know what-"

"They say the eyes are the window to the soul." He stood up and started searching around for something on the shelves. "And there is definitely something dark clouding yours."

That hit Sonya hard. He was right. Absolutely right.

"You are afraid of something. I don't know what, but I'm sure you do." He found some duct tape and unwrapped it from its package. Sonya was still thinking. Of Gil, of herself, and especially of Greg.

"Oh my God..." She whispered to herself as she realized it. She was afraid of love.

He taped her hands behind her back and taped her mouth shut.

She was completely calm, still staring at him.

"I'm sorry I'm not as strong as you are..." He whispered into her ears as he kissed her cheek. He hit her pounding head (she had never gotten the aspirin for her headache) and she dropped down again.

Jake looked at the cell phone and at her badge.

He picked up the gun and looked the last time at Sonya.

"No regrets..."

The gunshot rang out as everybody outside froze. Detective O' Brian gave the signal and the SWAT team ran inside and saw the pool of blood. The team leader held the walkie-talkie up to his mouth.

"It's over, Detective. It's all over."

Sonya opened her eyes as they were wheeling her out in a stretcher. In the distance she saw them. Greg and Gil stood next to each other, watching her.

The only two men she had actually ever loved.

She saw Gil run up to her as he held her hand, "Sonya?" She heard.

"I'm sorry..." She said.

Gil looked down in bewilderment, "For what?"

"For never calling you Dad..." She trailed off as she fell back to sleep.

Gil stood back as they slammed the ambulance doors and as they drove her away. She was right. It hurt him that she never called him Dad.

"Well," he said to himself, "I never really called you my daughter, either."

"All my life / I prayed for someone like you / and I thank God that I... / that I finally found you..."

-K Ci and JoJo