I hope everyone is enjoying my story; any more reviews will be welcome. This could be the last part I post for a week or two because on Sunday I head off to Spain for a week. I aimed to get a couple more chapters written and posted this week but unfortunately on Thursday I got caught up in the London bombings which rather complicated matters.

This week I have been carrying out work experience in London and on Thursday morning I nearly got onto the tube to Aldgate because it was raining but changed my mind and walked because I needed the exercise. I am now thanking my lucky stars for that decision. I approached Aldgate tube station on foot instead and witnessed the fire trucks, ambulances and police cars and heard the sirens. Unaware what was happening, and amid murmurs of explosions, I managed to squeeze my way around the back of the station, pushing through the police as the cordons went up, and got into the office.

For about an hour we believed it was only a power surge on the tube lines and watched events unfolding out of the window, but once the reports came through of the explosion on the bus we realised it was more serious. We were told it was unsafe to leave the office and to pull the blinds down and stay away from windows in case of another blast. We were stuck in the office for hours, preparing for evacuation if necessary, and had to rely on web updates to find out what was going on; our access to information was limited. At last we were able to leave and head home amidst a shocked London, a harsh contrast to the Olympic celebrations of the day before. It took a while to get home because of limited train services and closed streets in the area I was working but I was extremely fortunate because neither myself nor my family was injured. Others weren't so lucky: we know several people who were involved more than ourselves, and even were injured. My heart goes out to those who were seriously affected. The day certainly shook me up badly and put everything else into perspective. I never expected to be caught up in such a tragedy.

Anyway, I just felt a need to tell my story – after hundreds of phonecalls from friends and family reassuring them I'm ok, it feels better to actually write down what happened. Sorry that this is totally irrelevant, and once again I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Crammed into one car, the journey to the holiday home was not a comfortable one for Grissom, Catherine, Nick, Greg and Warrick. Had the situation not been so grave, it would almost have been humorous. All five of them squeezed in together. But it wasn't like a holiday. There was no joking or even chatting. Just deadly silence. They could not read each other's thoughts but they did not need to, for they were all thinking of only one thing. Sara.

It was so difficult for them to know what to think. They were all trying in vain not to get their hopes up. They could not allow it. If Sara wasn't in the house then what would they do? Back to stage one. It didn't bear thinking about. But if Sara was in the house, the possibilities were even worse. Better to be sent back to the beginning of the hunt than to reach the end only to find the one thing they could not cope with. It was a lose/lose situation. No matter where their minds strayed, nothing could make them see a bright future. They would arrive in only a few minutes and they were all too well aware that the likelihood of them finding Sara totally unharmed, sitting enjoying a cup of tea in the evening sunlight, was zero.

And another person who was far too well aware of that fact was Sara herself. How many hours now had she lain here? Death was approaching, but it was not going to come unaided. Her injuries were causing her unbearable pain but they weren't going to prove fatal. But one more beating would do so. And so it was just a matter of time. Eventually she would hear those footsteps once again; smell that aftershave; hear that voice. And it would be the last thing she ever heard. Not exactly the death she had envisaged for herself. But beggars can't be choosers. All she longed for now was for it to be quick.

I'm sitting here, outside your door. I'm trying to breathe in and out slowly; to calm my nerves. This is our moment, and I'm not going to let my cowardice ruin it. Only a few minutes and I'll be ready. We'll be ready.

Don't worry, my sweetheart, you won't feel a thing. All it will take is one little prick, and you won't even feel that. And then we can share our last few minutes together. It's the ultimate closeness, dying together. Sharing the final moments of life as one.

When they find us, they'll realise. They'll know that there was no way anyone could split us up. They will see that we made the ultimate sacrifice to be together.

It's going to be just like you: perfect.

At last their car pulled up in the driveway. Already parked there was another car: Philip Bowran's.

A mixture of relief and foreboding filled the CSIs. Catherine had done it. She'd found the lead they'd needed. And now they were here. They were about to confront their greatest fears. And there was no time to waste.

This was it.

Sara was determined not to show her fear, but as Philip Bowran approached her, her body had other ideas. She began to shake, and floods of tears ran down her cheeks.

And then, once again, the beating never came. She felt instead a handkerchief touch her face and gently wipe away her tears. And then, all of a sudden the moist hankie was clamped over her nose and mouth. As sobs wracked her aching body, Sara drew a deep breath and immediately knew the purpose of the handkerchief. Chloroform.

And then the world closed in around her, blackness enveloping her frail form.

This was it.

This time there was no need to kick the door down. It was slightly ajar and it took only a little push from Greg for it to creak open. Already the sound of sirens could be heard, as backup approached, but inside the house it was deadly silent. The team rushed in, running from one room to another frantically.

It was Grissom who found them. He stopped dead in his tracks. His blood ran cold. Could it be his worst nightmare had just been realised? Philip Bowran was sitting up against the bed. Sara's head was rested in his lap, her body sprawled across the floor. Her face was palid. He could see bruising all over her frail body. There was a cut in her forehead and her hair was matted; knots mingling with blood. But then he saw her chest rise and fall. The movement was tiny and weak, but it meant she was alive.

"Guys," he called out calmly. His eyes never left the gaze of Philip Bowran, who was staring back at him. "I think you better get in here. Now."

It took only a few seconds for them all to assemble in the doorway.

"What the hell have you done to her!" Nick cried. He tried to rush forward but was held back by Grissom.

"Don't you come near us!" Bowran shouted. But his cry was weak. He was fading fast. His breathing was shallow and laboured. His face was pale. By Grissom's calculations he didn't have long left. But that meant neither did Sara.

Grissom's eyes were drawn to the syringes sitting next to Bowran.

"What have you given her?"

Silence.

"You have to tell us."

Grissom realised that Bowran had begun to cry. Tears flowed down his pale cheeks.

"I didn't want to hurt her. But this is the only way we could be together. She's gone. It's too late. Just let me go with her. Please."

Grissom took a fleeting look at Sara. Her chest no longer appeared to be moving at all.

All of a sudden, paramedics appeared in the doorway. They glanced at Grissom for confirmation. He nodded. And they rushed forward.

Bowran cried out, but had no strength to fight back.

The team were hurried out of the room by the paramedics. Shocked and silent they stood outside the house. Warrick held Catherine in his arms; they attempted to support each other. Greg just stood, his eyes focused on the front door, waiting for somebody to emerge. Nick sat on the ground, his head in his hands.

And Grissom cried. He didn't care that people could see.

He felt useless. What good had he done? Catherine had found the house. He had found Sara, but then what? He had held Nick off because he wanted to speak to her attacker. He wanted to gain some understanding of him. And in that time Sara had stopped breathing. Even in her greatest hour of need, Grissom had failed Sara.

But he would not do so again. If he was lucky enough to be given the chance, he would look after Sara for the rest of his days. If she would let him. If she hadn't hated him before all this (which she probably had), she definitely would now. But he was going to try, all the same.

All of a sudden, the paramedics rushed out, with Sara lying on a stretcher. Grissom jumped into the ambulance right behind her.

This was his chance.