Thanks Kes
Thanks for the reviews
California
Harold did manage to get the trio to California safe and sound. He landed the plane on a small airstrip that was used by the Napa County Fire and Sheriff departments. As Harold pulled the plane to a stop, a sheriff's deputy slowly began to approach. Harold shut off the engine as Grissom and the FBI agents hopped out.
"Are you Deputy Coe?" Grissom asked, coming to a stop in front of the officer.
"Yes, sir. You must be Gil Grissom?" he said, reaching out to shake his hand.
"Yeah," Grissom replied. Indicating the agents he said, "Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully."
Deputy Coe nodded a greeting to the pair. "We managed to get you a Suburban to use, Mr. Grissom. Sheriff Anderson was really sorry he couldn't come out here to meet you himself. He got tied up with some other business. He did tell me you're an old friend of his and to give you anything you ask for."
Grissom looked at the young deputy for a second before responding, "Thank you, Deputy. And please send my thanks to Sheriff Anderson…tell him I owe him one. All I need from you now is directions to the lake."
Deputy Coe motioned for them to follow him to his patrol car. He reached in the glove compartment and pulled out a map. Laying the map out on the hood, he pointed to a spot. "We're right here. Now to get out of here you just follow the dirt driveway down to the main road. Once you get to the main road you make a right." He moved his finger along the path. "Stay on that road until you get to Turtle Rock, which is not much more than a small store. There you'll take a right turn and in about a mile or two you'll see the lake. That road will take you all the way around this side from the south end to the north end. It's a pretty good drive around and once you get to the north end, there isn't much out there except a few ranches." He pulled a pen out of his pocket and marked the route for them before handing Grissom the map.
Grissom shoved the map in his jacket pocket. "Thank you, Deputy."
"No problem, Mr. Grissom." Deputy Coe reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card and handed it to Grissom. "If you have any problems, the station number is on that card along with my cell and the Sheriff's cell. The keys are in the Suburban. There's also a first aid kit, and a survival kit in there. I have a few things I need to check on. Do you guys need anything else before I go?"
"Go ahead and go. We're all set. Thanks again, Deputy."
Deputy Coe got in his car and started the engine. He put the car in gear and looked up at the trio. "See ya around." He gave them a little wave a drove off.
Grissom turned to the FBI agents and asked, "Are you ready to get going?"
"I was born ready," Mulder replied.
Scully walked over to get the Suburban, which was parked about a hundred yards away, while Grissom and Mulder went back to the plane. Harold opened the cargo compartment and walked away from the plane. He stood 20 feet away with his back to them as Scully pulled up in the Suburban. Grissom and Mulder loaded the bodies in the back of the truck. Grissom grabbed a duffel bag out of the plane and threw it in the back seat. Grissom closed up the plane while Mulder covered the bodies and locked up the back of the truck.
Mulder and Scully got in the truck while Grissom walked over to Harold. "We're all set," he said. "Thank you so much for your help, Harold."
Harold reached out and shook Grissom's hand. "No need for thanks. A friend asks for help, you help them." He shrugged. "Besides I owed you, remember?"
"Well, Harold, now I owe you."
"No, you don't, but believe whatever you want." He gave Grissom a friendly wink. "Now get going. I have to get home to Fern before she thinks I've flown off on her."
"Thanks, Harold. I'll see you around." Grissom gave him a small smile before he joined the FBI agents in the Suburban.
Harold watched the truck make its way down the dusty, dirt road until it disappeared and all he could see was a small dust cloud. Good luck, Gil, he thought, as he began to check over his plane.
The ride around the lake was slow and quiet. It took longer to get around Lake Berryessa than Grissom had thought it would. It was a big lake and the two-lane road was narrow and very curvy. Maneuvering the big Chevy around the sharp turns took more skill and patience than Grissom had at this point. He had to pull over mid-journey to let Mulder take the wheel. Grissom relaxed a little after relinquishing the driver's seat. Soon they were at the row of mailboxes that Krycek had mentioned in his note. Mulder parked the truck next to the mailboxes and he and Grissom got out. They both looked around and couldn't find any residences that the boxes might belong to. Mulder reached under the last mailbox on the left and pulled back an envelope. He opened it up and quickly read the note before handing it to Grissom. The worry was evident on Grissom's face as he read the note.
Stay on this road for about twenty more miles. You'll see a driveway on the right side of the road with a wooden gate and a sign that says Diamond J Ranch. Follow that driveway until you come to a small cabin. I'll be waiting there. Hopefully you have what I want and I can return Sidle to you.
Grissom crumbled up the note in his fist and threw it on the ground. Mulder quickly picked it up and put it in his pocket. "If one hair is out of place on Sara's head, I will kill this guy," Grissom growled.
"And I'd be glad to give you a hand. This guy has been a pain in my ass for years."
"Let's just hurry up and get up there," Grissom said as he climbed back in the truck. Mulder gave a sad grin and hopped back behind the wheel.
If they thought the road around the lake was bad, then the road they were now traveling on was beyond horrible. It was a winding, one lane, un-maintained, abandoned stretch of asphalt and potholes. The first few miles were flat, but soon they were winding their way through and around the mountains.
Under any other circumstances this drive might have been enjoyable. The scenery was beautiful. The road winded along a small creek, which at times crossed over the road to run along the other side for a while. There were signs at the spots where the road and the creek met that said they were low water bridges, but there wasn't much bridge about them. They were basically just big blocks of concrete expanding the width of the water. The asphalt stopped giving way to the concrete for about thirty feet and then picked back up again. You had to be careful when driving over the low water bridges, there was at least four inches of water constantly running over them.
Any other time it would have been nice to see Mother Nature up close. Grissom couldn't remember the last time he had seen so many deer. Jackrabbits quickly hopped off the road in front of them. Squirrels scurried up trees. Every now and then there would be a snake inching across the road. He saw several coyotes running through a meadow. A few miles back he had seen a red fox sitting in the shade under an old oak tree. There were cows scattered here and there, lazily grazing in fields along the side of the road. Hawks and buzzards were soaring through the sky. Fish, frogs and turtles were swimming through the creek. It all added together to create quite a tranquil scene. If only he could feel that tranquility, things would be a lot better. But he couldn't enjoy anything until he had Sara back safe and sound.
Grissom was deep in thought when he felt the truck slow down. He came back to reality in time to notice a driveway up ahead on the right side of the road. Mulder stopped the truck in front of the driveway and Grissom looked that direction. "There's a wooden gate and a sign that says Diamond J Ranch," Grissom said.
"I guess this is it," Mulder said. "You guys ready for this?" He pulled out his gun and checked the magazine before putting it back in its holster.
"I'm more than ready," Grissom replied, while checking his weapon also.
Scully, too, checked her weapon and said, "Let's go."
Mulder pulled the truck up to the gate and Grissom got out and opened it. Mulder pulled through and Grissom hopped back in without closing the gate. Mulder drove slowly down the rough, dirt road, while carefully looking around. Scully and Grissom were doing their own searches of the hills surrounding the small valley they were now in. It seemed to Grissom like a dangerous place. They were like sitting ducks in this little valley. Anyone could be up in one of those hills hiding and just waiting for the right opportunity to strike. He quickly rid his mind of those thoughts and turned them to Sara. I'm almost there, Sara. I hope you're okay. Please be okay.
The dirt road took a turn and wound up around a hill. When they reached the top of the hill they saw the small cabin sitting in the middle of an even smaller valley than the one they were just in. The valley was just big enough for the cabin, what looked like a small tool shed and a good-sized pond. Mulder navigated the truck down the small slope of the hill and stopped about fifty yards before the cabin. He turned off the engine and glanced back at Scully before looking over to Grissom. Grissom looked like he was about to explode. He glanced at Mulder and hurriedly jumped out of the truck. Mulder and Scully joined him quickly. They cautiously started to walk towards the cabin, but stopped in their tracks when they saw someone appear from the back of the cabin.
"Well, well. You're here a lot sooner than I expected. I guess Sidle is important to you," Krycek said. He walked towards them and stopped a safe distance from them.
Grissom's anger was evident from the look on his face. "Where is she?"
"Don't worry. She's fine. I just needed something, or someone I should say, to bargain with. I assume you have what I want."
"Yeah, it's in the truck," Mulder said.
"Good. We'll just put those bodies in my van and then you can have Sidle back."
"No," Grissom said. "I want to see her right now. They can show you the bodies, but I'm going to Sara now. Where is she?"
"Look--"
"No, you look!" Grissom pulled out his gun and pointed it at Krycek. "I want to see her. Now, where is she?"
Krycek swallowed hard. "Fine, Mr. Grissom. Go to her. She's in the cabin and like I told you she's fine. Just a little pissed off."
Grissom put his gun away and walked past Krycek and towards the cabin. Krycek turned slightly and kept one eye on Grissom and the other on the FBI agents. When it seemed safe that Grissom wasn't going to kill him at the moment, he turned his full attention to Mulder and Scully. "Let's get those bodies moved. And before you try anything, let me just inform you that I'm not alone. There are people watching us. You make one wrong move and you're both dead."
"You got me shaking in my boots, Krycek," Mulder replied.
Grissom entered the dark cabin and stood still for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The only light in the room was the fading sunlight filtering in through the small, dirty windows. He could make out the outlines of the furniture, but there didn't seem to be anybody in the room. "Sara, are you in here," he called out. He didn't hear a reply. He walked deeper into the room and noticed there were three doors and the far wall. He approached the first door on the left and called out again. "Sara!" He heard a muffled sound and quickly opened the door and rushed in.
There were more windows in this room--which was a small bedroom—so he could see a little better. He quickly scanned the room and saw her. She was gagged and tied to a chair in the corner. He rushed to her and dropped down to his knees in front of her. In the dim light he saw the fear and desperation in her eyes and he quickly untied the gag. "What the hell took you so long?" she asked, the corners of her mouth threatening a smile. That's a good sign, he thought.
"I'm so sorry, Sara. I got here as soon as I could, believe me." He pulled out a pocketknife and cut the ropes that bound her arms. She rubbed her wrists while he cut the ties on her legs. He threw the ropes off to the side and she felt relief wash over her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, while taking her hands in his. "If that guy laid one finger on you, I'll kill him with my bare hands."
"I'm fine. For a psycho, he actually treated me pretty good."
"I'd still like to kill him, or at least hurt him real bad." He gently rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands.
"Can you stand up?"
"I've been sitting in this chair all day. I can stand. In fact, I don't think I'll want to sit down for a very long time."
He gave her a small grin and stood, pulling her up with him. He held onto her hands to make sure she was steady on her feet. She squeezed his hands and said, "Thank you."
He gave her a confused look. "For what?"
"Coming to my rescue…again."
He let go of her hands and pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his tighter around her waist. He moved his lips to her ear and whispered, "That guy had you, Sara. I had no choice but to rescue you. I was so afraid that I had lost you before I even had the chance to have you."
He couldn't see it, but Sara smiled a real big smile. "You have me, Grissom."
He pulled back so he could look in her eyes. "There's so much I need to tell you. So many things that I…"
She silenced him by placing a finger on his lips. "We'll have plenty of time to talk later. Right now, I just want to…kiss you and go home."
He reached up and pulled her finger away from his lips. He placed a soft, gentle kiss on her forehead, her right cheek and then her left. His mouth hovered over hers for a moment before he closed the distance. It was a sweet, chaste kiss, but it held so much meaning. It was a promise of things to come. When they pulled back to look into each other's eyes, they were both a little stunned at what they saw. The usual pain, fear, sadness and uncertainty were replaced by hope, desire and love.
Sara smiled. "That's just what I needed. Now, let's get the fuck outta here."
Grissom returned the smile and nodded. He released his hold on her waist and grabbed her hand. He led her through the cabin and outside. Once they were outside on the porch, in the light, Grissom stopped and turned to get a good look at Sara. He was relieved that she looked fine. She could probably use a change of clothes and maybe a shower, but she seemed all right. He knew she was a tough, strong woman, but the last few days had proved that she was also extremely resilient. That was something about her that he had never really thought too much about—no matter what she would always make it through, bounce back and wind up twice as strong and determined.
"What are you thinking, Grissom?"
"I don't think I'm ever going to be able to let you out of my sight again," he replied, gently squeezing her hand.
"Well, that could be a good thing," she said with a smirk.
He tugged on her hand and they started walking towards the agents and Krycek. "You're an amazing woman, Sara Sidle."
"You're just now figuring that out?" she teased.
"I've always known you were amazing. I'm just realizing how amazing you are."
"You're not so bad yourself…most of the time."
He released her hand as they came to a stop in front of Mulder, Scully and Krycek. Grissom stood extremely close to Sara, and they were both giving Krycek an evil glare. "Did you give him what he wanted? Can we get the hell out of here now?" Grissom asked.
"Not yet," Krycek replied. "There's something I want to show you."
"You wanted those bodies in exchange for Sara. That settles it. The deal's done. We're leaving now," Grissom said angrily.
"Not so fast, Mr. Grissom. This is something the four of you have to see."
Annoyed, Mulder said, "Why don't you just tell us what it is, Krycek?"
"It's the proof you want, Mulder. And I'd rather show you. It won't take long…I promise."
"Where is it?" Scully asked.
Krycek eyed the four of them. "It's just over that hill," he said, pointing over his shoulder to the east. "Just a quick little hike."
The four of them looked over Krycek and at the hill. It wasn't too big of a hill and didn't seem like it would take much effort to walk up it. It was mostly covered in grass except for near the top where there was a thick grouping of trees and rocks.
Mulder looked at his companions before responding. "Fine. I'll go with you." He looked over at Scully who reluctantly said, "Me too."
Grissom was clearly aggravated by the whole thing. He looked like he was about to explode into a fit of rage. Sara looked at him worriedly and said, "Grissom, let's just go with him. The sooner he shows us whatever the hell he wants to show us, the sooner we can leave."
Grissom looked at her, his demeanor softening. "Are you sure you're up for it?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. Anyway, I could use a little exercise," she replied, trying to lighten up his mood.
"Okay."
"I could use some water before we go, though."
"Come on," Grissom said. He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her over to the Suburban. He pulled the duffle bag out of the backseat and dropped it to the ground. He kneeled down and opened it up and searched through it for a minute before finally pulling out a bottle of water. He stood and handed the bottle to Sara. She flashed him a smile and took a nice long drink. He watched her and noticed the slightest hint of amusement in her eyes. She took another sip and put the cap back on the bottle and smirked at him.
"What?" he asked.
"What else you got in that bag, Mary Poppins?"
"You're awfully curious about what I keep in my bags."
"You're awfully secretive about what you keep in your bags."
"If you two are done flirting, can we get started?" Krycek asked approaching the pair.
Sara gave him another evil glare and nodded. "Let's go."
Krycek turned and walked back over to Mulder and Scully with Sara and Grissom closely behind. "Is it wrong that I want nothing more than to kill that guy at this point?" Grissom whispered to Sara as they walked.
"Considering the circumstances…I don't think it's all that wrong. I'd gladly hold him for you while you beat him up."
"You may get the opportunity."
They started their hike up the hill. Mulder and Scully led the way, followed closely by Grissom and Sara. Krycek wisely not trusting any of them, followed behind. They stopped midway up the hill to catch their breath and rest for a minute before resuming their ascent. Mulder weaved the group through the small bunch of trees at the top of the hill and came to a dead stop when he came to a clearing. His jaw dropped open as he saw what was before him. What appeared to be a crashed UFO was sitting in the valley below them. Scully, Grissom and Sara came up to stand beside him and the same shocked, unbelieving expressions appeared on their faces. Krycek walked around the group and said, "Glad you came along now?"
"Who knows about this?" Mulder asked.
"Not too many people, but the ones who know are already working on covering it up. I was sent out here to assess the situation, take care of any witnesses and properly dispose of the evidence."
"Why did you bring us here, Krycek? What is your agenda?"
"Like I told Scully, I want to see that son of a bitch broken before I kill him. If this were to get out, then all his efforts would have been in vain. You can only hide the truth from people for so long before they realize you're hiding something. I think it's time the world knew the truth and who's responsible for keeping it from them."
"What do you get out of all of this?" Scully asked. "There has to be some incentive for you."
"Revenge."
"Is that a real alien craft or is it just a secret government project?" Mulder asked.
"Oh, it's real. Go have a look for yourself."
Mulder eyed Krycek and the wreckage warily. He thought for a moment and then started down the hill with Krycek following him. Scully let out a frustrated sigh and looked at Grissom and Sara, then at Mulder before making her way down the hill.
Grissom and Sara stayed at the top and watched them walk down. They watched them until they reached the craft. When the agents began to inspect the craft, Grissom looked around and found a big log to sit on. He sat on the log, straddling it, and motioned for Sara to join him. She, too, straddled the log and sat facing him. He reached out and grabbed both of her hands holding them gently in his. He looked down at their hands as he tenderly rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands.
Sara had never seen Grissom like this. He was being so protective, tender and caring. And he seemed to be content just sitting there holding her hands. She squeezed his hand and softly asked, "Hey, what's going in that head of yours?"
He looked up and met her gaze. "I was just thinking about how I could have lost you without you ever knowing that I--"
The words died in his throat when he heard gunshots. He quickly pulled Sara down to the ground and half covered her body with his own. They heard several more shots and what sounded like the agents and Krycek running up the hill. Grissom pulled out his gun and flipped the safety off. They heard two more shots that were closer and were startled when Mulder and Scully dropped down the ground beside them.
"Are you two okay?" Mulder asked, while trying to catch his breath.
"We're fine. Are you?" Grissom replied. He moved from on top of Sara, but stayed extremely close to her.
"Yeah, we're okay."
"What the fuck is going on?" Sara asked. She was really pissed now. First this lunatic kidnaps her and now Grissom's just about to say something meaningful to her and gets interrupted by gunfire. Couldn't they hold off shooting for like thirty seconds and let the man finish what he was gonna say, she thought.
"I don't know what's going on. We heard the shots and thought something was happening to you two. I guess someone found out about all this," Mulder said.
Three more shots echoed through the hills. A minute later they heard a truck start and take off in a hurry. Soon after that they heard another engine start and the sound of tires peeling through the gravel. The sounds of the vehicle quickly disappeared and gave way to the returning sounds of nature. The four of them stayed on the ground for another twenty minutes listening for any kind of sound, but they heard nothing other than the sounds of the natural world. Feeling that it was safe, Mulder stood and dusted himself off and reached down to help Scully up. She quickly dusted herself off while Mulder helped Grissom and Sara get to their feet. Mulder looked around the area. "Where the hell is Krycek?"
"My guess…he was in one of those vehicles that were in such a hurry to get out of here," Scully said.
"Do you think it's safe to head back down to the cabin?" Sara asked.
"I'd rather take my chances going back down there than staying up here all night," Mulder replied.
All four looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They zig-zagged back through the trees and made their way back down the hill. The group was filled with a sense of unease as they reached the bottom of the hill and discovered that someone had taken the Suburban. Krycek's van, which had the bodies in it, was also gone and Alex Krycek was nowhere in sight.
Grissom walked over to grab his bag, which wasn't the only thing that had been left behind, he noticed. There were two bodies on the side of the road, about twenty feet in front of him. He set the bag back down and reached for his gun. "I got two bodies over here," he informed his companions.
Mulder rushed over to him. "Are they dead?"
"I was just about to check. Cover me." Cover me? Now I sound like Brass. Next thing you know I'll be saying 'just the facts ma'am'.
Grissom cautiously approached the two bodies and knelt down. He checked each body for a pulse and didn't find one. He stood and turned to Mulder. "He's dead, Jim."
"Well, beam me up, Scotty. A little Star Trek humor can always lighten the mood, don't you think?"
Grissom let a little smile appear on his face. Grissom walked back over to Mulder and both men put their guns away. Sara and Scully walked over to join them. "We got a dead guy over by the tool shed," Sara informed.
"We got two dead guys over there," Grissom said, pointing towards the bodies.
"I wonder how many more dead bodies there are around here," Scully said.
"I'm more concerned with how we're going to get out of here," Mulder stated. "It's gonna be completely dark in an hour and I'm not particularly fond of the idea of walking out of here at night."
"Afraid of the dark?" Sara teased.
"I'll have you know, I fear nothing," Mulder replied, pretending to be appalled.
"Well, we may not have to walk out of here," Sara said. "Scully and I noticed an old Chevy pickup parked behind the cabin. Hopefully we can get it running and drive it out of here."
"That's very optimistic of you, Sidle. But what if we can't get it started?" Mulder questioned.
"Then we'll just have to work on it," she responded, flashing him a smile.
"We? I don't know anything about cars and I'm pretty sure Scully doesn't either."
"Well, then you can hand me tools."
The more time he was around Sara the more Mulder liked her. She was a very unique person and easy to like. It kind of saddened him that once this ordeal was over he'd go back to D.C. and probably never see her again. He quickly forced his mind back to the situation at hand.
"Okay, we got two options here," Mulder stated. "One: we try to get that truck running right now and get the hell out of here. Two: we make ourselves at home in that cabin, get some much-needed rest and get at it first thing in the morning. It's decision time, people. We're putting it to a vote. Majority wins. I vote for option number two."
"I'm for option number two. I haven't slept since we left Rachel," Sara replied.
"I don't think any of us have slept since Rachel," Scully said. "I'm with you two."
"Not that my vote counts, since majority wins, but I could sure use some rest." Grissom let out a sigh and glanced over at Sara.
"Okay, let's go check the cabin out," Mulder said, as he walked off towards the building.
Scully caught up with him and said, "God, I hope there aren't any dead bodies in there."
"Buck up, Scully. We've been in worse situations."
"Mulder, have we ever been in a good situation?"
Mulder shook his head. "One of these days, Scully. Pow! Right in the kisser!"
Scully smiled and rolled her eyes.
Grissom watched the agents until they entered the cabin. Grissom turned to look at Sara and noticed that she was looking at the sky. She had a wistful look on her face and seemed to be fascinated by what she was seeing. "What are you looking at?" Grissom softly questioned.
She looked at him for a second before turning her attention back to the sky. "The sunset. Nothing compares to a California sunset. All those colors mixing together. When I was a kid, during the summer my parents would take me down to the beach every night to watch the sunset on the ocean. We'd get some ice cream and sit in the sand. No one said a word…we just watched the sun going down and listened to the waves crashing on the shore. That's what I miss most about California—the sunsets. It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is."
Sara glanced at Grissom and realized that he wasn't looking at the beautiful sight before them, but at her. She looked into his eyes smiled shyly at him. Unable to handle his intense gaze for very long, she turned her eyes back to the sunset. Grissom took a couple steps so that he was standing right beside Sara. He reached out and gently grabbed her hand and turned to watch the sun disappear behind the mountains. The last traces of oranges and yellows, quickly gave way to the purples and pinks, which soon gave way to the rapidly darkening blue shades of the fast approaching night.
"We should probably go inside," Sara said on a sigh.
"Yeah" Grissom let go of her hand and went to retrieve his bag. He slung it over his shoulder and held out his arm for Sara to grab. She linked her arm with his and they slowly strolled to the cabin.
They entered the cabin and found Mulder trying to start a fire in the wood stove, while Scully was going through every cabinet and drawer in the room. There were several lit candles on a table in the middle of the room, which made the place seem cozier. From what you could see in the dim light, there wasn't much in the room. In what appeared to be the living area, there was an old, worn out couch, a coffee table and a recliner. A kitchen table with four chairs was in the middle of the room and separated the living area from the kitchen area, which had nothing but a small counter, a sink, a few cabinets and the wood stove. Grissom set his bag down next to one of the chairs and took a seat. Sara took a seat next to him and tried to repress a giggle as she watched Mulder struggle with getting a fire started.
"Ah ha! I finally got it!" Mulder exclaimed. He stood and took a step back to admire his work. The small flame slowly got bigger as it ignited the kindling. "All right, I got the fire started. Now it's up to you ladies to fix us some supper."
Sara and Scully both raised an eyebrow at that comment. "Oh, really?" Scully huffed. "I'll tell you what, Mr. Macho Man, you go out and kill something and I'll cook it."
Sara couldn't hold repress it any longer and she started to giggle. "I don't picture Mulder as the hunter and gatherer type."
A scowl took over Mulder's face. "You two are real funny."
"Well, there is food in the cabinets, but who knows how long it's been there," Scully informed.
"Right now I could eat just about anything. What kind of food do we have?" Mulder walked over to the cabinets and began to look through them.
Scully took a seat at the table. "There's a lot of canned vegetables, cans of soup, chili and some canned fruits."
"We could survive on this stuff," Mulder said, while pulling out a few cans of soup. "But do we have pots and pans, dishes, utensils?"
"Dishes and pans in the cabinet over the sink and utensils in the second drawer on your left," Scully replied.
Mulder checked through the cabinets and turned to his companions. "Okay, what's it gonna be? Chili? Vegetable beef soup? Tomato soup? Spaghetti Os? Chunky Sirloin Burger?"
"Vegetable beef soup sounds good to me. How about you two?" Scully asked.
"That's fine with me, but Sara's a vegetarian," Grissom replied.
"I'll have the Spaghetti Os. I used to love those when I was a kid."
"Okay, you two relax. Mulder and I will prepare dinner," Scully said, as she went to assist Mulder.
Grissom and Sara watched the FBI agents bicker while they heated up the food. They were quite an amusing pair to watch at times. They had a special kind of understanding of the other, which Grissom figured not too many people would notice. He wished he could have spent time with them under less extreme circumstances, although, throughout this whole ordeal he had come to respect them and trust them. Mulder and Scully had promised to protect them and get him and Sara through this and that's exactly what they were doing. And now here they were fixing them dinner.
Heating up soup on a wood-burning stove took a lot longer than it did on a regular stove. Mulder had rummaged through the cabinets and found a twelve pack of Pepsi, so they had something to drink besides water. It was not a moment too soon, when Scully and Mulder brought the bowls over to the table. Grissom and Sara thanked them and the four of them quickly consumed their food. Mulder finished the last of his meal and sat back taking a long drink of the hot soda.
"You know, this candle lit dinner would be kind of romantic if Grissom wasn't here," Mulder said, winking at Sara and Scully.
"Who cares about romance? I want some electricity, a phone that gets a signal, a hot shower…I want to go back to the twenty first century," Scully said.
"You and me both," Sara agreed. She thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I'd settle for a cold shower, if I could have a change of clothes."
"Well, then, Miss Sidle, Mary Poppins has a surprise for you," Grissom said. He pointed to the bag, which was on the floor next to his chair.
"No way! You brought me clothes?"
"I'm always prepared."
"You didn't by any chance stuff a tooth brush in there, did you?"
"Yeah. I have a lot of stuff in there. Take a look."
Sara smiled at him. "You're finally gonna let me see your goods?" He nodded. She rifled through the bag for a minute and pulled out a flashlight. She turned on the light and knelt down to get a better look at what was inside. "Damn, Grissom, you do come prepared." She flashed him a huge smile, which caused the corners of his mouth to turn up into a small smile. She stood and grabbed the bag. "If you'll all excuse me, I'm going to get cleaned up and change."
She shined the flashlight on the far wall where the three doors were. She knew the door on the left was a bedroom. She just hoped that one of the others was a bathroom. Opening the middle door, she let out a sigh of relief. Thank God we have a bathroom. Let's just hope there's water, she thought. She reached over and turned the faucet on the sink. Dirty water came out at first, but began to clear after a minute. She turned off the water and looked over at the bathtub. All right, we have water in the sink, how about the bathtub. She turned the knob on the tub and was relieved when the water came rushing out. The water's not even that cold. Bonus. She quickly cleaned up and changed clothes. She returned to the living room to find Grissom there alone, sitting on the couch.
"Where's Mulder and Scully?" she asked, while sitting down next to him.
"They went to bed."
"Oh. How come you didn't go to bed?"
"I was waiting for you. We have to share again…unless you'd rather I sleep on the couch."
"I'd never make you sleep on the couch, Grissom." She reached over and grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go to bed."
Sara led Grissom to the bedroom. She released his hand as they entered the room and walked over and flopped down on the bed. Grissom closed the door and took a seat on the edge of the bed. He watched her as she lay there shining the flashlight all around the room. She shined the light on him and noticed that he was watching her intently. She set the light on the nightstand next to the bed, the beam pointing at the white ceiling, casting a faint light in the room. She rolled onto her side, propping her head on her hand and looked at him. "You look beat, Grissom."
"I'm so far beyond exhaustion, I don't even know my own name. These last few days have been physically, mentally and emotionally draining," he admitted.
She reached her hand out to him. "Come here."
He took her hand and crawled onto the bed. He lay on his side facing her and brought her hand up to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles. He released her hand and reached out to touch her face. She closed her eyes as her gently rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he whispered to her.
She opened her eyes and met his gaze and flashed him a shy smile. She reached over and turned off the flashlight, casting the room in total darkness. "Let's get some rest. We can discuss beauty tomorrow."
"Okay." He reached for her and pulled her closer to him. He lightly kissed her forehead and held her tight.
She wrapped her arms around him and let out a contented sigh. "It's kinda peaceful here, isn't it? All you can hear are frogs and crickets. It's very relaxing."
"Yeah, it is," he agreed. Within minutes they were both asleep.
Crime LabIt was almost an hour past the start of shift. Warrick, Nick and Catherine were sitting in the break room wondering where Sara and, especially, Grissom were. Catherine and Warrick were both busy making phone calls trying to track them down. Catherine closed her phone and set it down on the table.
"I've called his house, his cell, pager. I've called Brass, and every other detective I can think of…no one knows where he is. He's not out on a case anywhere and no one in the lab has seen him since last night." Catherine let out a frustrated sigh and looked at Warrick.
"Same goes for Sara. I've called everywhere and can't find her."
"Maybe they partied too hard. Maybe they both have a bad hangover," Nick theorized.
"Grissom would have called. And I don't think a hangover would keep Sara away from work," Catherine stated.
"You don't think they're together and…" Warrick trailed off.
"God, Warrick, don't put those kinds of images in my head," Catherine said. "I really don't want to think about Grissom and Sara being together."
"Why would Grissom and Sara be together?" Nick asked. "I thought they couldn't stand each other these days."
"Oh, Nicky, you have a lot to learn."
"Wait…you're saying that they're together? Like together?"
"Man, how did you ever get this job?" Warrick asked. "Your observation skills need some work."
"I don't even want to think about that. That's just gross!"
"To be honest with you guys, I'm a little worried. I mean, this is not like either of them," Catherine said. "And since we have no new cases tonight, I'm going to head over to Grissom's. Warrick, why don't you head over to Sara's? Nick, you stay here in case either of them calls or shows up."
"Sure thing, Cath," Nick replied.
"I'm out of here." Warrick grabbed his coat and headed off to Sara's.
Catherine gathered her things and left to go look for Grissom. Where the hell are you, Gil? You better not be playing hooky with Sara.