Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or its characters.

Rating: T

A/N: Finally, a new chapter! Things have been pretty hectic over here. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint everyone. Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them all. All errors are mine…I'm beta-less. Sorry if my fight scene isn't exactly written too fluidly. I tried!

Chapter 5

A wave of emotion rushed over Sara as her mind struggled to comprehend the scene that was suddenly before her.

A man.

My apartment.

With a Gun.

He wants Grissom.

Grissom?

But before she could make sense of those emotions, the man clicked the safety off and repeated his last words.

"Where's Grissom?" His voice was a deep and brutish growl.

Slowly she found her voice "I don't know."

God, she wished her voice wasn't shaking. If she hadn't had so much to drink, if she hadn't had so much on her mind, Sara would have done the smart, professional thing and gotten her gun right away. It was right there on the table, four feet away, where she had thrown it upon entry to her apartment. But now, four feet seemed like four miles, and she was paralyzed with fear and confusion.

The man could see it in her eyes. He smiled slyly at the thought of the fear he instilled in the CSI. "Well why don't you let me in and we'll figure this out together."

Sara didn't budge. She was sure the scar-faced stranger could hear her heart pounding within her chest.

"Open the door, bitch!" The man roared as he kicked in the door, knocking Sara to the floor in one swift motion. Sara scrambled away from the door on all fours fighting unsuccessfully to get to her feet. Frantically, she reached for a weapon.

A beer bottle!

She turned to hit her assailant. The man was one step ahead of her. He sprang forward and pinned her to the ground.

As hard as she tried, Sara could not scream with her face held against the floor.

"Well," he smirked, "maybe you don't get why I'm here."

Sara grunted into the floor.

"Ya see, your people want to put me in jail. I don't do jail. I belong out on the field with my boys. So what, I killed those two." Sara squirmed under his grip. "I'm just makin' sure my boys get what they deserve."

Coach Muller…from the baseball case. Sara felt her muscles tighten. It made more sense now.

Muller continued, eying a framed photograph of Sara and Grissom from quite a few years back. "And that's why I need your beau Grissom here to help me get rid of all this damned evidence." He cleared his throat. "I see him on TV all the time…Quite the celebrity. They say he's one of the best."

He pushed the barrel of the gun into the side of her face. "I know," he whispered, "that you know where he is. If you don't tell me…well, I'll just have to practice my evidence-hiding techniques with your dead body."

"We have all the evidence we need. Grissom can't help you. It's already over."

"Watch it, bitch!" He pulled her face off the ground by her hair. "I'm gonna kill Grissom, too!"

In that instant, Sara felt her heart stop. She did love him. And even if he didn't return the favor, there was no way she would put him in danger.

"For the last time, where…is…"

The phone rang.

Sara welcomed the sound for the first time that night.

It rang again.

"I wonder who that could be," said Muller. "You stay here while I have a little chat with your old man." He got slowly, making sure she stayed on the ground, and walked over to the phone. Muller turned and reached for the receiver…

"Don't you ever call him that." Sara kicked him in the gut will all her might and sent the gun to the floor.

The answering machine picked up.

Hi, I'm not here right now. Leave a message and I'll get back to you…

"Why you little…"

Taking advantage of his recovering position, she kicked him in the groin and reached for the gun…

Sara, it's me. Please pick up. I know you're there.

But before she could, Muller grabbed her by the arm. He pulled her around and punched her in the face. Blood. Good, She thought. They'll know there was a struggle.

Look, I…I know you're mad at me…and rightfully so.

She frantically fought against the man's grip.

But I think I finally figured it all out. I know what I want now. I'm sure of it this time.

Sara blocked a second blow to her face and used Muller's own momentum to throw him to the ground. She was finally free and darted across the room for her gun.

Muller hadn't been on the ground as long as she thought. Within a second, he was right behind her. Before she could turn to fire the weapon, he threw her down at the coffee table. Sara's head hit the edge, and she was knocked unconscious.

Sara…I love you.

There was silence for a while on Grissom's end.

I'm coming over. And he hung up.

Muller picked up the CSI and threw her over his shoulder. "Good. I'll get to see this guy in action."

As Grissom rushed up the stairs to Sara's apartment, hundreds of thoughts rushed through his brain. Does she love me, too? Is she even home?

Upon reaching her apartment, he knocked.

No answer.

Again, he knocked, much louder this time.

Still, no answer.

Finally, Grissom pounded on the door and called out her name. Much to his surprise, the door creaked open, revealing the broken chain.

"Sara?"

Silence.

Immediately, the investigator in him went to work. Something was not right about the scene before him. The blood on the floor and the coffee table confirmed his thoughts

Grissom dropped to his knees in disbelief.

To be continued…