A/N: Okay, I just realised that almost this whole chapter was in italic. Sorry! I fixed it. Enjoy!
As the man dragged Sara towards her bedroom, she couldn't think of anything. Not how to get away, how to survive. She could barely remember to breathe.
"So, how have you been?" The man asked.
The man pushed Sara away so he could see her.
"Obviously, you've been well," His smile made Sara want to vomit.
"Why are you here? I never told anyone what you did! Just leave me alone!" She said with tears threatening to spill over at any moment.
He grabbed Sara as hard as he could on her left arm; She let out a yelp as his nails broke her skin.
"Well, I just wanted to check up on you. You know, make sure you were okay."
Sara tried to twist out of his grasp, but as she twisted his nails dug deeper into her arm.
"Please, just let me go," Sara pleaded through gasps.
The man tightened his grip, causing Sara to fall to her knees in pain. When he finally let go of her arm, she saw the wounds he had inflicted and she knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant night.
Grissom's Office
Grissom reclined in his chair, deeply engrossed in one of his entomology books.
"Aphantopus hyperantus," He smiled. "The only one missing from my collection. Interesting, isn't it Harry?"
He turned to his spider only to see it hiding under a rock.
A quiet knock came from the door, jolting Gil from his little talk.
"Come in!"
He seemed surprised to see Catherine enter.
"Hey, Grissom. Whatcha doing?"
"Nothing. You?" He answered cautiously.
"Oh, just checking in on everyone. How's Sara?"
Gil opened the only folder on his desk and pretended to be busy.
"I wouldn't know," He coldly replied.
"What!" Catherine asked, very clearly outraged. "But, didn't you go on another date?"
Gil sighed.
"Yes. But I was a jerk and I ruined it," He hung his head.
Catherine sat down in the chair in front of Grissom's desk.
"Call her. Go over. Something! I can't stand to see you unhappy!"
Gil sighed again.
"Alright. But I really do not think she'll answer when she sees my name on the called I.D.."
Catherine instantly pulled her cell phone of out the pocket of her jeans.
"Use mine. It'll give me an excuse to sit here and listen," She said with a sly smile.
Gil dialed the number and prayed Sara would answer.
Sara's Apartment
As Sara sat on the floor trying to stay calm, a distant sound caused her to look up at her attacker.
"What is that?" He asked impatiently.
"Um, it's my work cell phone. The lab probably needs me," She responded, hoping he would let her answer it.
The man shook his head.
"No. You're not going to answer it. Let them think you're not home."
Sara felt defeated but smirked when the phone started ringing again.
"Bitch, you can forget about answering it, do you hear me!"
He slapped Sara with all his might; She was now lying on her side on the floor.
The metallic taste of blood made Sara gag.
"What do you want?" She asked, a sudden wave of strength coming over her.
"Nothing, I already told you that. Maybe to smack you around a little. How's that?"
The man kicked her in the ribs and Sara knew right away she had at least one broken rib.
Little did she know that the rib was the least of her worries.
Grissom's Office
"She's not answering," Gil sighed.
"Maybe she's sick. Let's go over and check on her," Catherine suggested.
Gil looked out of the empty halls of the CSI building.
"No. I don't want her to be any angrier than I have already made her."
Catherine sank down in her seat.
She wanted Gil to be happy. She loved the way he acted when he was around Sara; He was in love and he couldn't hide it. She hadn't met a man who could.
Gil dialed again and this time, he left a message.
"Sara, it's Grissom. I just wanted to see how you are. Please call me when you get this. Bye."
Grissom removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
He so badly wanted to apologize to Sara; But he couldn't if she wouldn't even take his calls.
Thoughts tumbled throughout his mind as he tried to figure out a way to make her see he loved her.
"Gil? You okay?" Catherine asked.
He nodded.
"Yeah," He sighed. "Let's go."
Sara's Apartment
Sara groaned as her breathing became labored. She was taking short trembling breaths; Mostly because she was terrified of what the man was going to do next.
"You have a boyfriend?"
Sara looked at the floor.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him pull a gun out of his pants.
"I said, do you have a boyfriend?" He was becoming more and more agitated and Sara had to do her best to keep him calm.
"Um, no. I don't."
He sat down on Sara's bed.
"Really? I always thought you would have one. Hmm, did I mess you up that bad?" He laughed while Sara fought to control her anger.
He stood up and began pacing the room.
Sara glanced around, trying to remember what possible weapons she could use.
"Sara, did you enjoy yourself that night? I sure did. And my friends did too," Almost evil laughter seemed to come from the man.
She couldn't help it any longer.
"Just shut up! Shut up! You think raping a defenseless woman is funny! You are one sick bastard!"
The man didn't move right away. But after a few moments, he struck.
He punched Sara a few times in the face, then tried to kiss her.
Sara felt disoriented; She tried to push him off but their lips connected and Sara felt like it was five years earlier.
"No!" She screamed at the top of her lungs once the man pulled back.
"No?" He asked, clearly enjoying every minute. "Hmm, I see. Well you pick; I beat you up or we do something a little more intimate."
"Please, no," Sara whimpered. She silently prayed that Gil would show up and save her.
Grissom's Car
"So, did you have fun on the date until you became a jerk?" Catherine teasingly asked.
Gil shot a sideways warning glance at her.
"Okay, sorry. May I have my cell phone back?"
He hung a sharp right, causing Catherine to grab onto the emergency handle.
"Shit! Where the hell did you learn how to drive!"
Gil briefly smiled at her. He loved that they where old friends and weren't afraid to say what was on their minds.
"Cath?"
"Yes, Gilbert?" Catherine asked, mocking an annoyed mom tone.
"I really love her."
Catherine smiled.
"I know. I know. Can we get something to eat?"
Gil burst out laughing, not aware of the nightmare that awaited him.
Sara's Apartment
Sara sobbed uncontrollably as the man ripped her shirt.
"Please, no. Not again," She cried.
The man laughed as he mocked her. "'Please no. Not again'. Eh, shut up."
Sara frantically looked around her room. She couldn't see much since it had grown dark, but her alarm clock flashed 8:55; Almost time for her shift to start.
The blood on her face had dried, but it felt like her skin was ripping off every time she moved her face.
"Please, just let me go. I won't tell anyone. Please," She pleaded once again.
The man got to his feet and sat on her bed again.
"You're different. I don't remember you crying this much the first time. Why'd you change?"
Sara let out an angry sigh.
"Because you raped me!"
He laughed again; Every time he laughed it was like glass shards cutting into Sara.
"I think we would work well together. You know, boyfriend me. Girlfriend… You."
Sara's bottom lip trembled as he slid off the bed and slowly neared her.
"No? I think it's a good idea."
His smirk was forever etched into Sara's mind; She trembled as he traced his finger down her blood-caked arm.
She winced when he stopped and dug his nails into her arm.
"Please!" She whispered.
He continued tracing down her body with his finger; Sara hated it that she couldn't fight back.
She cringed every time his finger stopped. And every time he started moving again, she prayed that help was on the way.
Apartment Parking Lot
Grissom and Catherine quickly exited the vehicle.
"No light on. She's not home," He sighed.
Catherine started for the building.
"Let's go. Maybe she's just saving energy."
Gil smiled at her optimism.
The two sprinted up the stairs, Catherine following Grissom.
When they reached the floor Sara's apartment was on, the continued to sprint until they reached her door.
And when they did, Grissom's heart skipped a beat.
He could hear someone's muffled screaming coming from inside.
"Gil? No, don't even think about it! Call for backup!"
He didn't listen; He quietly turned the door knob and was shocked to find it unlocked.
Even though the screaming was muffled, Grissom could tell it was a woman.
It wasn't until then that he realized who it was.
"Sara?" He called.
He could hear Catherine on the phone.
"Dispatch this is CSI Willows requesting backup…"
Gil slowed pulled his gun out of its holster and made his way slowly for the back bedroom.
When he heard a blood curdling scream, he ran for the bedroom.
And what he saw nearly made him sick.
The man had his arm around Sara's neck and a gun to her head.
Sara tried to speak when she saw Grissom but nothing came out.
"Sara, don't talk. Backup is on the way so just stay calm. Catherine, call the paramedics!"
Catherine walked up behind Gil and gasped.
She also pulled her gun as she called the ambulance.
"Sir, why don't you just let her go and we can talk."
"No!" The man yelled. "I'm not letting her go!
"Please," Sara whispered. "I just want to lay down."
Gil took a few steps into the room, followed by Catherine.
"Sara? Sweetie, you have to stay awake. Just keep your eyes open," Gil soothed.
Sara nodded.
As the man heard sirens, he pushed the gun deeper into Sara's temple; Causing her to cry out in pain and Grissom to take a few more steps towards them.
"Please let her go. She never hurt you. Please, sir," Grissom pleaded.
Catherine kept her eyes on the man, making sure he didn't hurt Gil's one chance at happiness any more than he already had.
Sara winced as the man shifted his grip.
"Oh, shut up!" He said to her.
Suddenly, Jim Brass and three other men entered the room.
"Alright!" He said loud and clear. "Let her go! You really want to go against five cops with guns? Let her go!"
The man took one last look at Sara before letting her go.
She fell to the ground and Gil was instantly at her side.
"Hey sweetie. Sara, it's okay. You're safe. He's not going to hurt you," Tears ran down Gil's face.
"Griss?" Sara asked, hoarse from the beating.
"Yeah baby?"
"I'm sorry."
Gil gently stroked her uninjured arm.
"Shh, no. It's okay. You have nothing to be sorry about. Shh. It's okay."
Catherine joined them on the floor.
"Sara? It'll be okay."
The strawberry blond nodded as she fought to kept her tears back; After a moment they fell anyhow.
"Griss, I love you. I'm sorry."
He shook his head.
"Nothing to be sorry about sweetie. I love you to," Gil soothed as the paramedics loaded Sara onto a stretcher.
"May I ride with her?" He asked.
The paramedics nodded as they ran down the stairs, taking Sara's stats.
Sara stuck her hand out from under the blanket she was covered up with.
Gil grabbed it and held on as he ran alongside her once they were outside.
As Gil climbed into the ambulance with her, his tears continued to glide down his cheeks.
"It's okay, Sara. I'm here."