Disclaimer: These characters are the property of CBS, Inc.

Spoiler: Unbearable

I am so tired. I hope this is coherent. It is not all resolved. Are you groaning or hanging in there with interest? Grissom and Sara are still not on the same page. Danny isn't disappearing. We haven't seen the last of Hatfield either. This should finish in 16-20 chapters. Your reviews are sweet and meaningful. A shout out to Taletha who always takes time to comment specifically. You are all so great. Thanks!

Sheila

Chapter 12

Afraid of the Light

As the squad neared the meadow, Jack had a hard time finding any trace of what he had glimpsed. Every ounce of his exhaustion told him that he had hallucinated, but his gut told him different. He told the driver to park on the road and wait for him. He climbed out and began walking carefully through the meadow. This was a rocky soil, and Jack found himself wishing he was wearing appropriate footwear. He saw no movement around the oak initially. Then a fluttering of white fabric appeared. His heart skipped a beat. He walked faster and then began trotting. The white fabric came into view as he came closer to the oak. Then he saw a leg outstretched and an arm. He rounded the oak, and he found a woman sitting on the ground against the tree. At first glance, it looked idyllic as if she in her nightgown was posing. A second glance told a much different story. Bruises, scratches, and cuts were visible on her arms and legs. She looked up at him with one side of her face fading purple into yellow. Stringy hair fell into her face. She wore layers upon layers of tube socks on her feet, but they were torn and caked with blood from her escape.

A low voice sounded. "I'm too tired to run, but don't think I won't fight." Despite her bravado, he could see her hands shaking.

"You are safe, Sara."

She locked a glare on him.

"I am Agent Jack Malone, FBI." She didn't waver. "I work with Danny. I am friends with your boss, Gil, and Jim Brass."

Her shaking increased. Jack knew that sometimes being found was as traumatic as being taken. The emotional energy it took to reunite, the effort to stay calm for loved ones, and then realizing that despite the rescue, the terror wasn't leaving anytime soon. She had been through a great deal, and he saw how important it was to ease her into this transition.

"I'm Sara Sidle, Las Vegas Crime Lab." Her voice cracked.

"You look tired, hungry. Can I do something for you?"

She picked up the empty jar of peanut butter for him to see. "I'm cold."

Jack stepped away from the tree and signaled to the driver leaning against the car. The deputy came jogging over. Jack barked, "I need blankets…and water…ah, and contact Captain Brass" He noticed that she stiffened. "Tell him that…we are searching the quadrant north of the ranch…and nothing more. Understood?" The deputy nodded and ran for the squad. In a minute, he came back at a full run with a wool blanket, a cotton one, and a bottle of water. Jack took them, nodded at the deputy, and then gestured for him to return to the car.

He turned to Sara who had pulled her knees up to her chest. He took the cotton one, and carefully draped it over her shoulders, helping her cover the rest of her body. Then he used the wool blanket as a second coat. He held the water to her, and she drank greedily. She took the water from him and clasped it to herself inside the blankets. She looked up at him. "I'm still cold."

He nodded. "It's going to take some time, Sara. You probably have some hypothermia. We should really get you to a hospital."

She looked away.

Jack changed tactics. "Can I sit down?"

She nodded. He settled in against the tree next to her close enough to abut her blankets so as to add his body heat.

"It's going to be nice to sleep without fear, don't you think, Sara?"

She snorted. "You don't know how I slept before this happened."

Jack began to understand the connection Danny felt with her. "A lot of people will be sleeping hard tonight just knowing that you're still alive." He could see that this soothed her a little. "It's been nice to meet your colleagues. You work with some damned good people." He detected something of a relaxing in her face.

"It's been hard on them?"

"Hell, yes."

"I'm sorry."

He scrunched up his face. "I think we'll go to Hatfield for any apologies we need."

"The other one is still looking for me."

He caught her eye. "No, he's not. Danny shot him last night. He's dead." He would leave Danny's condition for later.

Her eyes widened. For a moment all she did was stare at him. "This will be no more chasing and fighting for airtight cases, and useless interrogations."

Jack smiled a little. "Sanchez is dead. Hatfield confessed. They are gone from your life forever."

"His name was Sanchez?"

"Just remember that he's gone."

She turned away from him, blinking hard. The sobbing would come later. She was still too tightly wound to let go.

"Is Grissom here?"

Jack chuckled. "What do you think?"

"Is he okay?"

He shrugged. "He's exhausted and scared. But my guess is that he's going to take a turn for the better in the next hour or so."

"I don't really know how it happened."

He reached over and patted her knee. "Don't worry about it, Sara. There's plenty of time for all that."

The two of them lapsed into a companionable silence. A grin spread across Malone's face. Sara spied it and looked at him in confusion. He chuckled. "I was just thinking about something." He saw that her eyes didn't leave him. "I was just thinking that I never have time to watch T.V. I'm too busy. I like T.V. though. Sometimes, late at night when I get home and I need a distraction, I turn it on. I always head straight for the Travel Channel; the ultimate escape, you know?" He could see that he still had her attention so he continued. "There's these shows: ten best this and ten best that. Anyway, one night I'm watching and this show comes on showing the ten best something and they go to this hotel in Mexico; beautiful beaches, crystal clear water, someone around to serve your every need. And then there is the pool. Huge pool and in the middle of it sits a bar. And there are people wading up to this bar, and getting this ridiculous rum drinks. And then they wade away; bright smiles on everyone's face. And I can't get rid of that image. Sometimes, at night, I dream about that pool. I've convinced myself that two-three days at that pool and I would be a new man." He chuckled. "Of course, there is never any time to go. And then, there's the issue of taking someone to share it with."

Sara had relaxed considerably. He felt her leaning against him.

"I would go." She spoke in a husky voice. "I would go in a heartbeat."

He smiled. "Who else should we take?"

"Oh, I think a lot of people would need to go; Brass, for sure, and Danny. I would bring Catherine because I don't want her to be angry with me anymore. Greg, Nicky, and Warrick would come because they are fun, and they need the break."

"What about Grissom?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I don't know if it would be something he would like."

"Would you want him there?"

She closed her eyes. "Only if he wanted to be there."

"Can I bring my team with? They could really use the break."

She gave him her first smile. It turned to a wince as she found the stiffness in her bruised face. "I think we would all have a great time. We would be rowdy, and then the Mexican police would be called. And you and Danny and Brass would be waving your badges around like we're on a case, and then we would start the party all over again."

What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico. Right?"

She nodded. They drifted back into silence. Finally she spoke. "I feel like Hatfield has a better chance at that vacation than we do. You know?"

"Yeah."

He heard voices from the road. He swiveled around and looked. Cars were parking along the side. People were piling out. "Damn! I thought that kid understood that we were only telling Brass that we were searching."

"Jim heard it in his voice. He's like that."

"Are you ready?"

She shrugged, burrowing deeper inside the blankets. Jack scrambled to his feet, and trotted out to meet the group starting down the embankment into the meadow. He held up a hand stopping them in the yellow grass.

"What do you have?" Brass demanded.

Jack looked at the gathered; Brass, Grissom, Catherine, suits, and uniforms behind them. "She's here."

"And she's dead." Grissom spoke in a harsh whisper.

"No." Jack grinned. "She's very much alive. But she doesn't need a circus. This is going to overwhelm her."

"Does she need a hospital?" Catherine asked.

"Yes, hypothermia, cuts, malnutrition, dehydration."

Catherine nodded and ran back up to the cars.

"Please." Grissom said. Jack gestured at the oak tree with his head. He caught Brass' eye and saw that they were in tacit agreement. Grissom walked to the tree alone. He swallowed hard when he came into view and he saw her huddled against the tree in a sea of blankets. She lifted her head to look at him. A rush of emotions flooded him, and he found it impossible to speak. He knelt down before her and smiled. He didn't notice the moisture on his cheeks. He reached over with his good hand, and touched the bruised side of her face. She flinched a little, but held still as he felt her hairline for injuries.

"He didn't hurt me bad." Her eyes stayed dry and bright.

Grissom closed his eyes, biting his lip. With the same hand, he pulled the blankets open. He took a sharp breath when he saw her thin, bruised arms. He swept the blanket off her feet and saw the blood encrusted socks. At the bottom of her feet, the socks had worn through, and her feet were a collage of cuts and bruises, bits of cotton stuck to them. He wanted to touch them, massage the pain away, but he knew it would hurt her too much. He sat back on his heels, and rested his chin in his hand. A pale, thin arm reached over, and touched the tears on his cheeks. He put his hand over hers and pressed it into his face.

"Do you think we can be friends again?"

He nodded.

"Don't leave me."

He cleared his throat before he tried to speak. "I never wanted to, Sara."

She spied his splinted hand and reached out to touch it. "This happened when you hit the wall back at the lab. You were so angry and I didn't understand why."

"It seems like a long time ago. I can't think how many days it's been since I last saw you."

"Me neither."

"Losing you made me angry that day. Finding out you'd been taken was terrifying. I can't tell you what it means to be talking to you right now." His voice rose as he spoke.

There was a noise behind them, and Sara's eyes widened. Grissom turned to see paramedics and a gurney waiting for her. "They want to get you to the hospital."

"I'm ready."

"There are things I want to tell you."

She pulled her hand away from his face. "We have time, Griss. Let's take it slow. We'll learn to be friends again."

Grissom sat back and let them work on her. He felt every wince she registered on her face and the moans she made as they moved her. He kept a hand on her as they carried the stretcher out of the meadow. Without a word, he climbed into the ambulance with her, and without a word they let him. He leaned his head on a shelf for a moment, and didn't wake until the paramedic shook him at the hospital.

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TBC