Title: For Honor and Glory
Chapter: 3/? Author: Brutal Howell E-Mail: brutal_howell@hotmail.com Category: Drama/Romance/Angst/General Pairing: Grissom/ Original Character Rating: R (for violence) Summary: Grissom comes to a decision while Moira puts Phase One in motion. The CSI's see things as they really are. Spoiler: Chapter 1 & 2 of this story. Feedback: Yes, please. Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 Author's Notes: I apologize for the delay folks. Finals went well, and while I know what I wanted to happen in this chapter - it took me four days to figure out how to start it. So if it's weak.I'm sorry. Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 2.all three of you. Must have at least 4 reviews if you folks are interested in Ch 4. Yes I know it's extortion, but I need some feedback to force myself to find time to sit at the comp and think of how to continue this story. Again, words that appear between sets of (**) are things that Grissom and Moira are signing to each other. I wanted something exclusive for the two of them. Second note (added May 19) In regards to Grissom's new disease - Otosclerosis. The disease calcifies the stapes bone in the ear, preventing it from vibrating and passing noises into the inner ear. Most cases, it is only partial hearing loss, and can be helped with hearing aids. In men, however, the hearing loss is more pronounced. But there is, in fact, a surgery to correct this problem. It is called a Stapedectomy. They surgically remove the stapes bone from the ear and replace it with a man-made one - usually made of Teflon, or platinum. Hearing restored is usually 80 - 90%. I wanted to put this out there because I was annoyed at the writers for not including this in the finale.trying to make fans feel sorry for Grissom all summer. Granted it is a problem, but not an untreatable one.as was implied.
For Honor and Glory
Chapter 3
By
Brutal Howell
CHOOSING FATE
Catherine was happy Moira was there. It hadn't escaped her how close her and Grissom had become over the last week. Despite her obvious abilities in protecting him, the bodyguard's presence seemed to have a soothing effect on her old friend. The Irish woman was becoming an ally in getting the CSI boss to do what's best for him. It was her influence that got him to take a step back, putting Catherine in as lead on the case. That the DA might consider everything contaminated since he had been the target of the gunmen. But nobody could get him to leave. Not until the three bodies had been processed and the report filed. Grissom considered it his penance for the life of the receptionist and Greg's gunshot wound. Jim's update on the lab tech's condition helped alleviate at least some of the tension. The bullet had passed clean through the shoulder. The kid would have a cast - and a nice scar - but he would be perfectly fine. By 7am, evidence was collected, reports had been given, and the CSI's were starting to let the weight of what happened, sink in. This affected nobody more than Gil Grissom. But only Catherine and Moira knew him well enough to see the cracks in his normally stony façade.
"Moira, can I have a word?" Catherine asked the taller woman. They noticed Gil's head shot up. "We're not leaving the room, Grissom." She clarified. The officer's had made that mistake earlier. They tried to isolate Moira from him to question her about the shooting. It took everything Catherine and Sara had to convince the detectives that isolating them could only lead to more trouble. Once they discovered Moira's relationship to Jim Brass, they were more than happy to compromise. They used Grissom's office to question her - leaving the door open
**It's OK, Gil.** She reaffirmed. He nodded. They stepped over to the doorway of the break room.
"He's exhausted." Catherine supplied. "He should have been out of here hours ago." Moira smiled at the small CSI. Jimmy had explained as much as he could about the dancer-turned-scientist - and she liked the overall picture. It was clear to her that Catherine Willows protected those she cared about with the fierceness of a momma bear protecting her cubs. And Gil Grissom's name was near the top of that list.
"You know as well as I do, that he won't leave until everything is done." She replied.
"Everything is done. I presented the report to DA Burke, 30 minutes ago. All we're doing now is waiting for the word to close the case." Moira looked over to see Grissom trying to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes. It was clear from the way he was favoring his side, that his injury was bothering him. She glanced at the couch in the corner of the break room.
"Get Warrick and Nick to move that small couch into Gil's office, and I'll get him to go in there and lay down. Deal?" Moira asked her. The other woman nodded and ran off to see that the things she asked got done. She also sent Sara out to get the blanket out of her truck. Grissom was so tired; he never even looked up when the young CSI's maneuvered the couch out of the break room. Moira took two pills from her pocket and filled a glass of water. She took one knee in front of him. "Gil?" She handed them to him and he took the pills without question.
**What did Catherine want?** he signed.
**She's worried about you. You've been here too long. You need sleep.** Moira replied. He raised his hands to sign something, but she continued before he could. **Relax; we both know you won't leave. We had Warrick and Nick move a couch in your office. You're going to take a nap in there.** She explained.
**I'll be fine right here.** Moira shook her head.
**No, you won't. In fifteen minutes, those pills are going to take effect.** She smiled. It was only then; Grissom realized what she had done. She switched his migraine pills with the Dilaudid the doctors had prescribed for the pain in his lung. He had to admit that he was only half -annoyed with her for the bait and switch. The exhaustion he was fighting had blurred his vision over two hours ago.
**You drugged me.** he signed
"Yes, I did. Come on, up we go." Moira helped him to his feet. When his knees almost gave out, she stood on his good side and held him up. "Lean on me, if you have to." They took a few steps together and his gait seemed to steady itself. "That's it, one foot in front of the other." As they got out into the hall, Grissom noticed Catherine coming out of his office. Warrick and Nick were standing by the open door.
"This is a conspiracy." He mumbled. He gave her a half smile to let her know he was kidding.
"Yes, it is. A conspiracy of people that care about you. Led by me, Jimmy and Catherine." She chuckled. She maneuvered him in through the office door and sat him gently on the couch. Warrick closed the office door to give them some privacy. She kneeled down and removed his shoes. Grissom found this to be an endearing gesture, for some reason. Maybe it was the drugs, he mused. When she smiled up at him, he couldn't help himself. He reverently cupped her face in his palm. She placed her hand over his and pressed his hand flat against her cheek. Neither of them moved for what seemed like hours. In reality, it was only a few seconds. Moira turned her face and placed a kiss in the palm of his hand. Even through the haze that was beginning to cloud his mind, he felt the electricity of her lip's touch shoot through his body. Moira - for her part - was no longer in control of her actions. She had no idea what possessed her to do that. She had not even looked at another man in twelve years. She felt it would be dishonoring Colm Kelly's memory. But Gil Grissom was unearthing feelings in her, she had long thought dead. She hooked her arm under his legs and turned him so he could lie down on the couch. The blanket Catherine had offered was sitting on his desk. She covered him and leaned down to plant a kiss on his forehead. Her face hovered a few inches above his. "Get some sleep, Gil." Grissom reached up and trailed his knuckles along her jaw.
"You really are beautiful." She gave him a sad smile. She desperately wished he had meant that. But she knew it was only the painkillers talking. Moira took both of his hands in hers and placed them on his chest.
"And you are high. Go to sleep, Gil." She pushed a stray curl off his forehead. "I'll be right outside the door of you need me." She reached down and removed his glasses. She put them in her pocket and quietly ducked out the door. The rest of his CSI crew was waiting for her when she came out.
"How is he?" asked Nick. Moira sighed and tried to rub some of the tiredness from her own eyes.
"He's exhausted. I gave him a painkiller, so he should be out for a few hours. Can one of you get his spare bag from my truck?" she asked. Warrick held his hands out for the keys. "Thanks, Warrick." He really wanted to get a look inside that souped-up Tahoe he saw outside the hospital. He had a feeling it would be as impressive as everything else they had seen from Moira Kelly, so far. As he got outside, he noticed Brass and O'Reilly coming up the walk. And not far behind them was Conrad Ecklie. Warrick decided that scopeing the car could wait. He had a feeling the clash of Moira and Ecklie would be too entertaining. He held up Brass and O'Reilly to allow the CSI day supervisor to pass.
"Sticking true to pattern, who do you think Ecklie is gonna blame for the shoot-out here?" he asked Brass.
"Grissom," O'Reilly answered. The animosity that Ecklie felt toward Gil Grissom was legendary. A Hurricane could wipe out the entire western seaboard, and Ecklie would find a way to blame Grissom. Warrick let exactly what he was thinking come to the surface.
"Brass, honest opinion. What do you think your cousin is going to do when he tries to push past her into Gris' office?" Jim's eyes got wide. He hurried up the walk into the building. As soon as he opened the door, he heard Ecklie yelling.
"What is going on here! Can't Grissom ever control you band of misfits?!" He singled Moira out as the new face. "Who is this? Another one of Grissom's charity cases?" 'Some CSI,' she mused. 'He doesn't recognize a $5000 watch, or some of the more expensive top-of-the-line weapons that were still in plain view.' His guys had briefed O'Reilly on what Moira Kelly had done in order to protect the CSI supervisor. Truth is, he was glad Gil Grissom had someone like her on his side. He had always liked Grissom. Now Ecklie was a completely different story. "I've got a few things to take up with him!" He tried to walk into Grissom's office, but was stopped by Moira's hand in the middle of his chest. She just shook her head. Sara didn't know how the bodyguard could be staying so calm. Conrad Ecklie had been a long-standing "Thorn" in everyone's side. She gave Nick one of her widest grins. It looked like he was finally going to get his just deserts.
"$50 says she breaks his arm." She whispered to him. Nick shook his head. It was a sucker bet. Not a chance he would take her up on it. He was just going to stand back and watch the show.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Ecklie continued his rant. Moira still stayed quiet. "Oh, I get it. You have the stripper, the gambler, the girlfriend, the want-to-be, and now we have the muscle? You better put on some more muscle if you hope to scare me." He completed his sentence by jabbing his finger three times into Moira's chest. The CSI graveyard shift was all smiles. He had just insulted all of them.and he was about to get what was coming to him. "Get out of my way!" Ecklie tried to push Moira back away from Grissom's door. Jim winced in sympathy, that mistake was going to cost him dearly. The last thing he remembered was grabbing the lapel of the brunette's jacket before he felt the floor come up and smack him in the face. Nick was stunned as he saw the 5'10 bodyguard grab Ecklie's arm and twist it around until he heard the telltale snap. Sara guessed it was the ulna that gave under the pressure. Moira finished off the move by sweeping the taller man's legs out from under him - making sure he felt the complete impact of the floor hitting him in the face. She rested her knee on the back of his neck to hold him in place. Jim decided to make the introductions.
"Ecklie, meet my cousin, Moira Kelly. She's not a CSI; she's a mercenary. and Gil Grissom's new bodyguard for the immediate future. Whatever grudge you have against him, I suggest you resolve it within yourself. Cause I can guarantee Moira will not show as much restraint with you, next time. When she says you can't see him.you can't see him. If you have a problem with all this - put it in a memo. Do I make myself clear?" He smiled when Moira pushed more pressure down on Ecklie's neck.
"Blink once for yes, twice for no." she supplied. One Blink.
"That would be a yes." Brass told her. "Come on, M. Let him up." O'Reilly called a patrolmen over as Moira pulled Ecklie to his feet. The taller man did not bother to mask his newfound fear of the dangerous brunette. Jim just laughed. "Yeah, she has that effect on everyone once they get to know her."
"Take Mr. Ecklie to the ER to get that armed looked at." O'Reilly ordered to the rookie patrolman. He would ask the young man to drive him down there. But he couldn't, in good conscious, make him to wait. As Ecklie was still in shock over what had just happened to him, it was easy for the patrolman to steer him out the door. As soon as the door closed, the CSI's all began to laugh.
"Man! Grissom's gonna be sorry he missed this!" Nick said. Catherine reached out and shook Moira's hand.
"Thank you, you have no idea how long I've waited for someone to do that."
"Did you have to break his arm, M?" Jim asked, trying to stifle his own laughter.
"I did. That man is an impudent little turd. He's a bully that needed to be taught a lesson. Now that he will have plenty of time to think, maybe he'll stop blaming the world's misery on Gil and his crew." Moira hated bullies. Besides, she only whacked this one; she didn't squash him like she usually does. The CSI's all concurred on that point.
"Where is Grissom, anyways?" O'Reilly asked.
"He's sleeping. And no one is disturbing him for at least 5 hours." She informed him. After what he just witnessed, O'Reilly held his hands up in mock surrender.
"OK, we just came to deliver this from DA Burke." He held out a file to Catherine. She snatched it and read the decision 'from on high.'
"Case closed. It was a clean shooting." She informed everyone. "Looks like we can all go home." Warrick ran back out to Moira's truck and retrieved Grissom's bag. Initially, Sara hadn't been too thrilled with the idea of another person "intruding" on their family. Even the fact that she was Brass' cousin didn't help. But seeing her in action - seeing the way she cared about Grissom, and the lengths she was willing to go to protect him - Sara realized that she was wrong. Nick playfully elbowed her in the ribs as they were walking down the hall.
"The girlfriend?" He teased. "Ecklie thinks you're Grissom's girlfriend." He couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. Sara and Catherine both looked back to see Moira talking to Brass and O'Reilly. Neither of the women could help but think that that position was about to be filled. And they couldn't have been happier for Grissom.
"M, why don't you go in there and get some sleep, too?" Brass knew she hadn't been to sleep in at least 2 days.. He opened Grissom's office and nudged her through. "Come on, O'Reilly and I can stand watch. Just for a couple hours."
"Do you trust, O'Reilly?" she asked softly. Jim nodded.
"All right." She pulled her cell from her pocket and punched in a number. "Sean, begin implementing C-Omega. I'm going to be down for a few hours. If you need something, call Jimmy." She ordered. She dialed up Paddy's number in Ireland and issued similar orders.
"You have something you want to share with me?" Brass asked.
"Jimmy, there are too many players on this field for my liking. I'm taking out Michael Lee and his guard dog, tonight." She explained. When she gave a concerned glance over at Grissom's sleeping form, Jim turned around and closed the office door.
"Give us a minute, will you, O'Reilly?" Moira saw the big man nod and take up position outside the door. "Tell me what you have in mind." He said to his cousin. She started to shake her head, but reached out and grabbed her arm. "Moira, tell me. I'm in this whether you like it or not. I can guarantee for whatever you have planned, Sean isn't going to be enough back- up." She smiled at her cousin. He was smarter than people gave him credit for. She nodded. She tried to mask the look over to Grissom again. Jim noticed.
"I failed, Colm. I won't fail Grissom. I can't.he can't die." She began. Brass didn't fail to notice the emotion that thickened her voice. "Paddy called me three days ago. Tamatsura will be here in 4 weeks. Which means Lee and Johnny Lo have to be gone by then. It's the only chance he has." She sighed. "And with the shoot out here, last night. He says he wants to be there when it happens." Jim cursed the whole situation. This job was tougher for Moira than any of the others.that much was clear. Brass knew of the similarities between Grissom and his cousin's husband when he called. There were a lot; and the fact that Colm Kelly would be the same age his friend is now, didn't help matters at all. Moira glanced up at her cousin. "I know what you're thinking, Jimmy. I know Gil isn't Colm. But he is still innocent in all this." There was something more - Brass could tell.
"You care about him." He stated plainly. He saw the flicker of fear in her eyes, before she tamped it down.
"I care about all my clients."
"Don't bullshit me, Moira. You forget who you're talking to? It's OK, if you do. He's one of the few people I know, who's good enough for you." He saw she was still hesitant to say it. "Colm would have wanted you to be happy, you know." He felt the silent tear hit his neck when he hugged her. Brass knew how blessed he was. His cousin was one of the most feared people in the business - and she always felt comfortable to let her guard down around him. She needed a safety zone, and he was glad he could provide that for her.
"It's been twelve years, Jimmy. Being here with Gil, just reminds me what I lost." She smiled over at Grissom. "What I might be able to have again, if I wasn't such a coward."
"I can't imagine anyone referring to you as a coward," Jim chuckled.
"You've known him for a lot of years. Do you think Gil could care about someone like me?" She needed to know. She wouldn't be willing to put her feelings out there, if there wasn't a chance. Brass looked at his friend.
"Honestly, I don't know, M. Both of you are complex. He's been on two dates that I know of, in the last three years - but everything always clashed with work." Moira gave him a sad smile.
"There's the rub," she quoted Hamlet. "My work, his work.they could potentially conflict."
"If you kill Tamatsura, why couldn't you consider settling down? The threat to Danny and Gil would be gone. You could move here to Vegas and set up shop. I happen to know you have more than enough money.you would never have to work again. Hell, with your qualifications, you could easily get on the force here." He could see that his suggestion had stirred something in Moira. Neither wanted to address what would happen if Tamatsura killed her. "You, Ellie and Danny are the last family I have. I'd like to have you here too.for purely selfish reasons." He teased. "I think Gil Grissom already cares about you. I think you owe it to yourself - and him - to see if he could love you. I just want you to be happy, Moira. No matter what." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you, Jimmy."
"I will always have your back, remember that." He told her as he pressed his forehead to hers. She just smiled at him.she knew. "Now that that is settled, get some sleep." She took off her coat and sat down on the floor in front of the sleeping Grissom. She balled it up and shoved it behind her head to use as a pillow. Brass took off his jacket and draped it over her. "I'll wake you up in a few hours. Then you can tell me what you have in mind for Michael Lee." She smiled up at him. It seemed like a fair deal.
GRISSOM'S OFFICE - 5 HOURS LATER
Grissom opened his eyes to the sight of his dimly lit office and the smells of coffee. He took a few minutes to get his bearings and shake the cobwebs from his mind. He glanced over at the floor when he heard the steady, deep breathing. Grissom was surprised to see Moira on the floor, sleeping, soundly. Her face was peaceful in sleep.free of tension, anger and sadness he usually noticed there. She looked angelic. He was lost in her face when the memories of this morning slammed back into his mind with a force. 'Gil, you jackass, you touched her face,' he chided himself. He held up a hand to check for broken bones. Nope. He almost hyperventilated in fear when he realized that he had told her she was beautiful. She wasn't just beautiful in his eyes, she was stunning. But he had had two dates in the last three years.and both had been through work. He found the lab tech, Susan, to be somewhat dry. They had nothing to talk about except work - the date was a complete disaster. And Terri - he had really liked Terri. But their fears, and their jobs kept getting in the way. He had been disappointed when she walked out of the dinner while he was on the phone. And he hadn't felt comfortable even attempting since then. Jim had teased him the other day about being "Gun Shy" as he called it. Maybe he was. He snapped out of his trance when he heard Moira clear her throat.
"Hi." She smiled up at him. She knew full well that he had been lost in thought. She had come to enjoy watching his mind work.
"Sorry." He apologized for "zoning out" on her. She waved him off.
"How are you feeling?" she was wondering if he might be annoyed about her switching his pills. She breathed a sigh of relief when he flashed her a brilliant smile. Moira couldn't help her answering smile.
"Better. Rested, thanks to you." Grissom stood up to get his bearings. He extended his hand to Moira and she took it. She assumed that he was going to just help her to her feet. But every nerve in her body was electrified when he ran his thumb over the top of her hand. He pulled her to her feet suddenly. Moira was still stunned at her own reaction to his touch. And she stumbled when she got to her feet.right into Gil Grissom's arms.
The news about Ecklie came back two hours ago. Broken ulna and fractured radial bone in two places. The five cups of coffee Brass drank were catching up with him.
"O'Reilly, do me a favor. Wake up Moira and Grissom? I'll be right back." Jim took off around the corner. O'Reilly nodded and gently opened the door to Grissom's office. The sight that greeted him caused him to close it again - as he prayed that Moira Kelly didn't notice his intrusion. 'Probably not,' he thought. He sat back down in his chair. Brass returned a minute later. "O'Reilly? Are they up?" The big man just nodded.
"Jim, just how close is Grissom and your cousin?" he asked.
"Close enough, why?
"They must be a hell of a lot closer than that. They were in a pretty intense lip-lock when I opened that door." He explained. Brass felt like one of those cartoon characters - and if he didn't pick his chin up off the floor, someone was bound to trip over it.
"Are you serious?" O'Reilly nodded at him. Brass chuckled and took his seat in front of the door.
"You're not going to go in there?" O' Reilly asked.
"Why? You said they're awake. Let's give them a few minutes." Jim replied.
Grissom and Moira only broke the kiss when oxygen became a necessity. Gil Grissom had always prided himself on his mental acumen. But the power and emotion behind that kiss wiped the slate clean. He couldn't remember his name if somebody asked him.
"Wow!" His voice came out more haggard than he would have liked. Moira chuckled and placed her palm in the center of his chest. She rubbed small comforting circles; like she did the day she brought him home from the hospital.
"Flatterer," she whispered. Gil shook his head trying to clear it. All his thoughts and feelings seemed to be swimming. His eyes finally focused on her beautiful face. He gave her a mega-watt smile that turned her knees to jelly. He felt the tremble run through her when he began running his knuckles along her jaw.
"Have dinner with me?" he asked.
"I already have dinner with you."
"When this is all over, have dinner with me?" he corrected. Grissom was so nervous about taking this leap again; he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. If only he knew how terrified Moira truly was. She considered his request; and then thought about what Jimmy had said to her. She had loved Colm Kelly with every fiber of her being. He was a good, kind man who was executed to send a message to her. Jimmy had been wrong - she was a coward. No, when it came to facing monsters, she was as brave as they came. But when it came to living, or loving for that matter, she was terrified. He was right, maybe it was time for her to be happy. She wouldn't risk the same thing happening to Gil though. If they both survived this, she planned to retire. But in order to make a clean break, Tamatsura had to die - and it had to be big, and bloody. The message had to be sent to the rest of the monsters: attacks on people she cared about would not be tolerated.
"Are you asking me out on a date, Gil?" He was too nervous to get his voice to work, so he just nodded. "Yes," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward and kissed him. This kiss was interrupted by a knock at the office door. When they broke apart, Moira reached up and wiped the lipstick off Grissom's bottom lip. "It's not your color," she teased him. He gave her a quick smile before he opened the door, to find Brass and O'Reilly standing there - and Jim was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Come in," Grissom stepped aside to allow them to enter. Moira blushed when Jimmy winked at her. She playfully punched his shoulder to tell him to be quiet. She smiled wryly when she noticed it hurt a bit.
"So, M. You gonna tell us what's on the agenda for tonight?" Brass asked. Before she responded, she glanced at O'Reilly with a skeptical eye.
"Do, you know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. O'Reilly?" She asked him. The fact that Jimmy trusted him cleared him in her book. But she couldn't be responsible for his life too. Her plate was already full.
"Dangerous Asian Gangsters.chance of me getting hurt, or worse. I got it. I put in for my vacation time this morning. You got my help for the next 2 weeks. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself." She smiled at his candor. She could see why Jimmy liked him.
"You mind him helping out on this?" Moira asked Grissom. Gil scrutinized O'Reilly for a second. He and the large man had always gotten along. But he couldn't figure out why he would be willing to risk this for him.
"You sure about this, O'Reilly?" he asked. The big man nodded. "Ok, then."
"By the way, M, we got the word back on Ecklie. You snapped the Ulna and fractured his Radius in two places.other than that, he's fine." Grissom's head snapped around to Moira.
"You broke Ecklie's arm?!" Thinking he was mad, O'Reilly began to explain.
"Grissom, in her defense, he put his hands on her. And he was trying to get at you. Granted, all he would probably do is jaw at you." The CSI held up a hand to cut him off.
"I'm not mad, O'Reilly. Surprised, but not mad. Ecklie has been on a rampage against me and my crew since I started this job." He clarified. Jim threw his arm around Moira's waist.
"Well, not anymore. He came back to the lab about 30 minutes ago. He was shaking like a nervous Chihuahua when he looked at your office." Brass begin to laugh. Gil shook his head in amazement. This woman was not only fighting to make sure he had a life..she was fixing parts of it, in the meantime. "So, you gonna explain this C-Omega plan of yours?" he asked his cousin. She gathered everyone around Grissom's desk.
"Gil, can we use your phone here?" When he said yes, Moira took out her own phone and punched in Paddy's number. "Paddy, take this number." She relayed the numbers Grissom told her. "I want you to secure this line. Really? Hang on, talk to Jimmy." She handed the phone to Brass. Moira took out one of her knifes and popped the back off the phone. She pulled out a small electronic bug and laid it on the desktop. "Gil, do you have a magnifying glass?" He dug in his desk and produced one, she jotted the numbers on a piece of paper with a note for Jimmy to go out into the hall and tell Paddy to trace the bug. She suddenly got an evil idea and smiled wryly at Grissom. She whispered her intentions in his ear. He laughed. When she disappeared out the door, O'Reilly's curiosity got the best of him.
"Where is she going?" he asked the CSI.
"She'll be right back, she found a better place for the listening device." He chuckled. A thought suddenly occurred to the big man.
"Ecklie?" he laughed when Grissom nodded. "Remind me not to mess with her." Within minutes both Brass and Moira had returned. Jim was absolutely pale.
"Jimmy, what is it?" Moira was a bit nervous over what he had found out. He took a steadying breath.
"Paddy says that serial number is listed as belonging to the Las Vegas Sheriff's Office." The bottom dropped out of Gil's world. She had to grab his arm to steady him. She steered him to his chair and sat him down. "Gris, I don't know why Brian is bugging your office, but we'll take care of it." Moira felt the shudder pass through him and took a knee in front of him. She gently touched his hand.
**Gil, do you trust me?** she asked.
**Of course** he signed back.
**We'll take care of Lee and Johnny Lo, tonight. I'll deal with the Sheriff before Tamatsura gets to Vegas. OK?** She promised him.
**I want to go with you when you talk to Brian** he signed. He noticed Moira's jaw clenching.
**Every one of these you insist on going on, you make it twice as hard for me to protect you** she tried to tell him.
**I know. I'm sorry. I'll be careful, I promise. But I have to hear it from Brian. Why he is bugging my office. And on who's authority** Moira sighed. She knew Gil Grissom was a man who needed answers. His very sanity depended on it.
**I'll get you your answers, but you have to do EVERYTHING I tell you to do, when the time comes. Deal?** He smiled and nodded. Brass knew Grissom had just used his influence to get what he wanted. He couldn't help his own smile. Moira couldn't say no to Colm Kelly either.
"All right, now that we don't have any eavesdroppers, we can get down to business." She cast a sideways glance at Grissom knowing full well he had just gotten the better of her. "Michael Lee and Johnny Lo get taken out of the equation, TONIGHT. And we're going to use my jet to do it. When I called Sean." she checked her watch, "almost 6 hours ago, he began putting things in motion." She withdrew a small chart from her coat. "This jet has hollow compartments, here.and here." She pointed the out on the chart. "Sean is filling them with enough C-4 to reduce the Mirage to rubble." Brass was starting to catch on.
"That's why you chose an isolated airfield." She nodded.
"That's why I ALWAYS choose an isolated airfield. No innocents anywhere near. The bonus about Mathews Field is that there is a tower. I'm putting Sean up there with a Sniper Rifle.and you'll stay with him, Gil." She explained.
"Where will you be?" he asked.
"Somebody has to be the bait," she stated. Grissom damn near jumped out of his chair.
"No! Absolutely Not!" he told her. She sighed.
"We don't have a choice. We need bait, and the only thing that will draw them into the jet is you, or me. And I'm not about to let you go in there." Neither Brass nor Gil liked that idea. "Gil, will you relax. I told you.I had this jet specially designed. I had an escape hatch put in the cockpit. I can get out that way. Jimmy, you and O'Reilly will be laying down cover fire for me to get away from the jet. Maybe even take care of whoever doesn't get on the plane with Lee and Johnny Lo. Sean will give you the detonator when we get there. The RV will be parked about 50 yards away, as soon as I get behind it, blow it. OK?" She asked Brass.
"I don't like it," he clarified. "This is too risky." Moira pressed her forehead to her cousins.
"Jimmy, you know it has to be this way. We have to divide them. I can't handle them together. Besides, you know I've done tougher things than this." She winked at him. He sighed. She had pulled off tougher feats, and most likely would get out of this one. He still didn't like it. He nodded.
"So how do we lure them to the airfield?" he asked. Grissom was livid.
"Jim! You can't be serious!"
"Gil, I don't want her to get hurt anymore than you do. But if Lee, Tamatsura and Lo are able to get together, we all die. M is good, we have to have faith she'll get out of there before we blow the plane." Truth is, Brass was terrified. He adored his cousin, and losing her would be a blow to him - and to Danny. But the alternative was much, much worse. He had to smile to himself though. If Grissom was this scared for her, it was clear he cared.
"Jim!" Moira turned to him and begin signing.
**I'll be careful, I promise** she told him. **Besides, you and I have a date when this is all over** she smiled at him. He didn't like it, but he had to have faith in her. He believed they were going to live through all this when he asked her.it's just the fear and the danger was very real - and now it was to someone he had grown to care about. Maybe it was the idea that he would be safe while Moira's neck was on the chopping block. Whatever it was, he had to control it. He couldn't allow her to go into that situation, worried about him. She needed to be focused on getting herself out of that plane before they blew it up.
**You're right, we do** he smiled at her. **I'm alright. Is it OK if I still be a little nervous for you, while you're in there?** He gave her the mega-watt smile to try and let her know he trusted her.
**Thank you** she signed to him before turned to resume her briefing with Jimmy and O'Reilly. "Everybody know what their assignments are?" she asked. The two cops gave a nod to indicate they were set. Moira glanced back at Gil. Technically, since he didn't carry a weapon, his assignment would be to stick close to Sean in the tower. He acknowledged her with a nod of his own.
"M, how are we gonna get Lee to come to the airfield?" Jim asked.
"Remember Kevin?"
"The punk from the warehouse?" This got Grissom's attention. This Kevin must be the man who attacked him.
"Despite the fact I told him to leave town, he's still here. And he's going to have to make it up to me." She smiled wryly. She hadn't planned on the young mercenary disobeying her order.and was quite angry he did. So she didn't feel guilty, one bit, using the foolish man to accomplish her goal.
"You want O'Reilly and I to pick him up?" Brass asked. He knew she had something special in mind for the Kevin Charger. Moira shook her head.
"No, a phone call shall suffice," She dialed Paddy's number and ordered him to patch Grissom's phone through to Kevin Charger's cell. She left the speakerphone on.
"Charger" The young man answered after 3 rings.
"I thought I told you to leave Vegas, Kevin?" Moira kept her voice firm and angry. From the way his breathing picked up, Grissom guessed the man had figured out who was calling. He began stammering immediately.
"I-I-I-I-Irish!" the man's voice had gone up an octave within seconds. Moira grinned over at Brass. "I-I-I know you told me to leave.B-B- But I had to finish." She cut him off.
"Say hello to Mr. Grissom, Kevin. And be nice, I'm already angry with you." She winked at Gil. Kevin Charger sounded like he was hyperventilating.
"M-M-M-Mr. Grissom, sir. I'm S-Sorry I hurt you." the terrified mercenary's voice cracked and he began to cry. "I swear if I'd have known you were Irish's friend.I would have never touched you." Only he was so scared, the sentence came out as one long word. "I'M SORRY!" Brass started to laugh, he had seen tougher men than Kevin Charger fall to pieces under his cousin's scrutiny. He always found that hilarious because Moira Kelly looked like a fashion model. She didn't look half as dangerous as she truly was. Grissom just shook his head. The sobbing mess on the other end of this phone had tried to kill him.and for some reason he couldn't bring himself to hold a grudge.
"KEVIN!" Moira said loud and sharp to get his attention. "Kevin, since you chose to disregard my order, you are going to make it up to me." The young man's breathing hitched at the string of hope Moira was offering him.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked, knowing full well she wouldn't tolerate his behavior a second time.
"Good boy. Take this phone number down," she read him the bogus number Paddy had given her. "Take that number to Michael Lee and tell him it's your contact at the FAA. You were tipped off to the flight plan of Jet CK-471, passengers listed: M. Kelly, G. Grissom and J. Brass bound for Boston, then onto Dublin. Flight is leaving Mathews Airfield in 2 hours. The person on the other end of that phone number will confirm that exact flight plan. You get Lee and Johnny Lo to Mathews Airfield, and I'll forget your previous indiscretions." She explained.
"Everything?" he wanted to make sure.
"Yes, everything. But Kevin.you cross me and I promise you a very slow and painful death. Am I clear?" The young man had been a dependable messenger boy before, but she wasn't about to take any chances. "There won't be a place in the world you can hide from me.Saturn Arms, Apartment 4." She read off his current location to prove to him that she knew EXACTLY where he was, and could find him easily should he choose to try and run. Kevin dropped the phone in shock. His breathing was shaky again.
"I won't let you down" O'Reilly thought he sounded like a condemned man.
"Leave, now." She ordered and smiled when she heard the click of the young man hanging up. "Paddy?" she asked. Grissom had forgotten that this had not been a direct call. "Is everything in place?"
"Yes, M. Ready and waiting. Sean is standing by at the airfield." The young Irishman answered.
"Good. If this goes down the way I want it to, wire $75,000 to Kevin Charger's Swiss Account. Jimmy will call you when it's over." She ordered.
"Understood," Paddy replied and hung up.
"Well, gentleman, let's go level the playing field." Moira led the men out of the office.
MATHEWS AIRFIELD - 2 HOURS LATER
Grissom was shocked when he met Moira's pilot, Sean Kennedy. The young man was at least 6'7" tall and close too 300 pounds of solid muscle. He had been polite and soft-spoken, but also direct and to the point. Grissom sensed Moira's influence there. He pointed out possible cover and things that might impede their success.clearly; Sean was good at his job. Now everyone was in position, Sean and Grissom on the tower, Brass and O'Reilly on the ground and Moira in the plane. The big Irishman noticed the concern in Gil Grissom's features when Moira checked in on the radio.
"Ah, don't worry about her, Mr. Grissom." His brogue was significantly thicker than Moira's. Probably the time she spent living in the U.S., the CSI imagined. "She's the best, she'll get out of there."
"I hope so, Sean." He replied just as they heard three cars turn onto the road to the airfield.
"Show time, boys. M, they're here, be careful." Sean said into the radio. He took the scope off the sniper rifle and aimed it at the cars. "Well, I'll be damned." He got back on the radio, "M, we got 3 cars, looks like 4-6 in each one. Targets are in the second car.repeat, the second car." Everyone could feel their hearts begin to beat faster. Brass and O'Reilly both ducked behind their cover, gripping their weapons tighter. Moira had replaced the clips in her weapons with armor piercing rounds. She had an extra case of knives and throwing stars along. And her favorite and most prized weapon - her katana - was stashed behind the pilot's seat. The size of the jet would give her the advantage once the door was secured. She adjusted the throttle on the running engines - keeping the brakes firmly in place. If Lee thought they were ready to take off, he would rush things and make a mistake. She gripped her Sig tightly in one hand and ducked farther into the small cockpit. She made sure the escape hatch was wide open, to facilitate her quick escape. Sean secured the scope back on the rifle. "M, they're 15 meters from the plane." He informed her. Grissom had never been so terrified in his entire life. The large man next to him was coiled tighter than a drum; he could only imagine what was going through O'Reilly and Brass' minds being down on the ground. He began to breathe a bit harshly himself. Sean spared him a glance out of the corner of his eye. "It's OK to be scared Mr. Grissom. The danger is very real." He curled his finger around the trigger and focused through the scope.
"How do you do this? And why?" he asked the big man. Sean gave a half smile without taking his eye off the twelve people that exited the three cars.
"We have 12, that's 12 targets." Sean reported over the radio and heard three voices confirm. "I do this because I love that woman in there. She cared for my family and me when no one else did. And I'll do what I have to to repay the loyalty she has shown me." He turned his head enough for Grissom to catch his eye. "Even die." He immediately went back to the task at hand. Gil watched Michael Lee order 5 men to stay outside the plane while the other 7 went inside. He didn't like those odds for Moira. "As soon as M, closes the door, take the 5 out." He ordered over the radio.
Moira knew 5 out meant 7 inside with her. She cursed silently when she heard Lo order two of the men to stand on the stairs. She needed them off if that hatch was going to close. Her only option was to draw them in with her. And if she did get out of this alive, she knew Gil and Jimmy would be pissed about what she was about to do. She kept her Sig in one hand and drew the 10-inch knife out of her leg holster. She took a few steadying breaths to gather her nerve. '1-2.' On 3 she charged out into the cabin. She fired one shot into the forehead of the closest man and used the Sig to deflect the attack of one of the two incoming knives. She plunged her knife into the abdomen of the next man and pulled up on the blade. He fell to the floor, dead. She grunted in pain as the third man plunged his knife straight into her forearm. She spun to pull the knife out of his reach and fired 3 shots, point blank into his abdomen. Having killed three of the seven, the two on the stairs were forced to come into the plane to protect their bosses.
Gil didn't like this, something was wrong. He saw the two men on the stairs run into the jet and knew what she was doing.
"Moira, no!" he said quietly. Inside the plane, Moira had already taken two additional stab wounds. She turned and ran toward the cockpit. She knew it was foolish to expose her back to this group, but she had to get the door closed. She grunted as she felt the bullet tear through her left side. 'Damnit! They brought the armor piercing rounds too!' Apparently Lo had heard about the shootout at the lab. She almost stumbled as another bullet sunk into the back of her right thigh. She noted that the bullet didn't come out. Not all of their guns had armor piercing capabilities. Moira stumbled through the door of the cockpit and slammed a bloody hand onto the panel. The outside door slammed shut and latched. Moira grabbed her katana and dropped down the open hatch - but not before taking another round through the trapezius muscle. She hit the ground with a thud and scrambled to her feet to secure the escape hatch. She managed to duck behind a wheel before Lee's five other men noticed her. She smiled to herself when she heard two more bodies hit the ground and knew Sean had made it a bit safer for her to make a run for it. She looked at the blood all over her clothes - most of it was hers. No, they weren't going to like this one bit. She struggled to her feet and took off on a run toward her parked SUV. The bullet in her thigh was slowing her up considerably.
Brass almost had a heart attack when he saw the blood that coated Moira's clothes. He could tell from the way she was moving that she was hurt badly. He fired his weapon at the two men who were rushing to intercept her. He hit one, but not seriously. Both men retreated behind the cars, with their backs toward the plane. The third man was checking the jet door to try and free his trapped bosses. Jimmy heard the hiss of the bullet come through the air and heard the thump of it hitting the guard's body. The third man dropped to the ground. He knew Sean couldn't get to the last two from his position.
"O'Reilly, M needs help. Give me some cover fire." He called into the radio. He saw O'Reilly shake his head from his position.
"No, you have the detonator. I'll go." The big man shouldered his weapon and moved around the plane to get to Moira. It took less than 2 minutes to get there. "Need a lift?" he smiled down at the injured woman. She nodded and he immediately scooped her up into a fireman's carry. The second O'Reilly passed Moira's armor-plated SUV, Brass set off the detonator. The explosion literally ripped the jet to pieces. The force of the blast threw O'Reilly and Moira to the ground. Sean jumped to his feet and ran toward the door.
"Come on," he told Grissom. Both men took the stairs 3 at a time and reached the bottom in seconds. Gil immediately took off toward Moira and Sean went to make sure there were no more threats.at least not from this party. The CSI nearly stumbled when he saw Moira lying on her back covered in blood. She had blood pouring from her thigh, her left side and her shoulder. He shuddered when he got closer and saw the 8-inch blade sticking out of her forearm. O'Reilly took of his belt and made a tourniquet for her thigh. Brass pulled off his coat and pressed it to her side. She held up her arm with the knife in it.
"Get this out," She looked right into Gil's eyes. "I told you I'd make it." She chuckled and realized that hurt her side. Grissom kneeled down next to her. "Get this out," she repeated to him. "Please." He was about to explain that it was probably better to leave it in.but she wrapped her other hand around the handle of the knife. His hands shot out to stop her.
"All right, Moira. I'll take it out." He took off his own coat and laid it on the ground. He grabbed one of the knives from her shoulder holsters and cut three big strips out of the coat. He wrapped one hand around her forearm and the other around the handle of the knife. "On the count of three. One, two, three!" On three he pulled the knife free. He had to give Moira credit. The only indication she gave that it had hurt was the continual blinking and swallowing. Gris quickly grabbed the strips and tied off the holes. Sean opened the back doors of the SUV and Grissom scooped Moira up in his arms. "We have to get you to a hospital." He stated.
"No! No hospital!" She was adamant. Hospitals asked too many questions. She thought for a few seconds. It was still the night shift at the CSI lab, and Robbins, the Coroner was technically an MD. "The lab. We go to the lab. You're coroner can patch these holes." She noticed the skeptical look on his face. "Gil, I CAN'T go to a hospital. Robbins is an MD, and I know you trust him." The blood from her wounds was starting to seep into his shirt, so he gave in. Time was of the essence here. He nodded and climbed into the back seat still holding Moira across his lap. She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. Grissom panicked when she closed her eyes. She was losing blood fast, and he couldn't allow her to go to sleep.
"Moira, you have to stay awake," he gently kissed her sweaty forehead. She was going into hypovolemic shock. She was going to need blood and fast. "O'Reilly, can you dial the lab for me?" the big man nodded and pulled out his phone. He handed it over when it began ringing. "Sara, are you guys busy?" he asked. "Good. I want the crew to go see Robbins in two's. Give him a pint of blood and tell him to prepare for a live one. Sara? Don't tell anyone but Robbins we're coming." He snapped the phone shut and handed it back to O'Reilly. "Moira, what's your blood type?" She gave him a weak glassy smile before she tried to give him the answer he requested. When he asked again, Brass told him, she was type O. He did a quick tally of those he knew to be type O: him, Catherine, Warrick, and Nick. He wasn't sure about Sara.he hadn't forced her into the "mandatory donation" initiation when she joined their team.
"Mine is Type O," O'Reilly offered. Grissom tallied three pints waiting at the lab; two coming with the patient.should be enough. He reached down and pushed the hair away from her face.
"Don't you leave me, Moira Kelly." He whispered to her. Brass took a lot of comfort in the whispered conversation he heard coming from the back seat. He knew his cousin was hurt. And talking meant she was alive. This was only half of their battle. And Jim wondered if Moira's life would be the cost this time. He hoped not. As much as he wanted to turn around and beg Moira to fight, he wanted to give Grissom his chance. So he just ground his molars and forced himself to stare at the road.
"She'll make it, Mr. Brass. She's tough." Sean told him. He appreciated the strength of conviction in the young man's voice. There wasn't a doubt in Sean's mind that she would beat this, like she beat everything else.
AUTOPSY BAY - CSI LAB
Robbins was a bit nervous. It seemed like forever since he treated a patient that was living. Not since he had to close his practice years ago. Sara Sidle had explained that there was an emergency that he was needed. But offered no other details. It wasn't until Brass called 10 minutes afterward and explained the situation. He had the 4 units of blood standing by and tubing to directly transfuse two more. Sara and Nick help him check and recheck his equipment. The three of them jumped when the door to the autopsy bay slammed open. Grissom was carrying Moira - and she was covered head to toe in blood.
"Jesus Christ, what happened to her?!" Nick asked in amazement.
"Relax, Nick. It looks worse than it is," Moira ground out and threw the young CSI a smile filled with pain. Rollins began cutting away the bloody clothes. Grissom undid the straps of her vest and sat her up to slide it off. Now that he could see the wounds in her shoulder and side.he forced himself to calm a bit. The shoulder shot was clean through the trapezius muscle. Not life threatening at all. The side shot was still pouring blood. But didn't look as serious as he's feared. He watched Robbins cut her jeans off and check the pulses in her leg to make sure the bullet didn't hit anything vital. His heart jumped when the Coroner frowned. When he wiped the blood off her leg, Grissom noticed her leg had a slightly blue tint to it.
"Oh shite!" Moira stated. She knew the bullet was impeding her circulation. That bullet had to come out first. "Doc, grab your scalpel.and get this one out." She shook her head when Robbins picked up a syringe. "No time for that. If we wait for the anesthetic to kick in.that's ten more minutes my leg goes without circulation. Just do it." The Coroner looked to Grissom and Brass for approval.
"Just do it." They both echoed.
"Gil, give me your belt, please." He took it off and handed it to her. She folded it three times. "I'll buy you another one." She told him before biting down hard on the folded leather. Sara and Nick were stunned.
"Grissom! You can't let her do this!" Sara pleaded.
"This is nuts!" Nick added.
"If you two can't do anything productive, then get out!" Brass yelled.
"Sara, you can assist me removing this bullet and stitching these holes. Nick, help them hold her down." Robbins ordered. Grissom and Brass held her arms. Nick got up on the table. He put his weight on her good leg and helped O'Reilly hold down the one Robbins would be cutting into. As the Coroner got closer to her leg with the scalpel, Moira began to breathe faster - preparing for the initial cut. She moaned and strained against Grissom and Brass when she felt the scalpel sink in. She managed to move both men half an inch before she relaxed. She had to force herself to keep her leg still.
"Moira, look at me. Moira.come on, look at me." She was groggy from the pain and the blood loss, but she managed to turn her head in his direction. He pressed his forehead to her sweaty one. "Don't you leave me. I still need you." Everyone's head snapped in Grissom's direction at the confession. But he was too focused on the woman before him, to notice. He smiled when she relaxed and nodded. His heart jumped when she closed her eyes. He reached down and felt for a carotid pulse. He let out a breath when he felt it bounding beneath his fingers. "Al, she passed out." He informed the Coroner.
"Almost there." he had grabbed the bullet and was grunting with the effort to pull it out. Nick repositioned himself and offered his help. Robbins passed the handle over to him without letting go of the bullet. With a slight twist and a pull..it came out with a loud sucking noise. Robbins immediately grabbed the cauterizer and added a few stitches. Within minutes he had both the entrance and exit wounds on her leg closed. He immediately set to work on her side. He was relieved to see that the bullet had just broken the bottom two ribs and passed through what little adipose tissue that there was. "Grissom, can you start that line for me? I want to get some blood back into her." Gil nodded, happy to finally be able to do something productive. He cleaned her arm and grabbed the needle to start a line. As he got close, his hands were beginning to shake. He stopped and opened and closed his hands, trying to get the shaking to stop. When he tried again, the shaking started again. Nick gently took the needle from him.
"Here, Gris.let me." Gil took a step back as he watched Nick quickly find the vein and started the line. He hung the first bag of blood and stepped back. "There." He smiled at his boss and friend, and then he backed away from the table to allow Grissom to resume his place at her side. Nick noticed clear slices into her smooth skin and flinched in sympathy. He stepped out into the hall and found a large man waiting there. "Hi." He said to the tall man.
"Hello, Mr. Stokes." Sean smiled, as Nick's eyes got wide in surprise. "I work for Moira, of course I know who you are." He explained. "How is she?" Nick scrutinized the man before him. He was muscle upon muscle..but a gentleness and worry crept into his face when he asked about Moira.
"She's hurt pretty bad. Doc had to remove a bullet from her leg without anesthetic." Nick shook his head. "She's a tough lady." He said in admiration. "If you don't mind me asking, what the hell happened to her out there?" Sean considered Nick's question. Moira had informed him that Gil Grissom's crew was completely devoted to him. Sean surmised that the same devotion just might extend to Moira herself now.
"Your boss had two very powerful men that initiated the contract on his life. Now there is only one." He informed the CSI. Nick swallowed nervously.
"That guy did that to her?!" he asked in amazement. Sean smiled at him.
"Him and six of his bodyguards." Even with the shootout they had here last night, Nick hadn't been aware that Grissom was truly in this much danger. Now, he was terrified for his friend. Especially since his main source of protection was now hurt. Sean seemed to read his thoughts. "Don't worry about Mr. Grissom, Mr. Stokes. I'll watch over him until Moira is awake." Sean pulled himself up to his full height. Nick glanced back into the autopsy bay and saw Grissom sitting next to the table, holding Moira's hand. She hadn't regained consciousness, yet. But that didn't seem to stop Grissom from talking to her. Brass pushed the hair off her pale face. Sara was busy passing sutures to Robbins as he patched holes and slices. O'Reilly was picking up Moira's ruined clothes and placing them in the biohazard bag. He asked Brass a question and nodded when he got a response. O'Reilly sat the bag down and poked his head out in the hall.
"Nick, we have to dispose of Grissom and Moira's clothes. Brass says there is a bag in Grissom's office. Can you bring it down here?" he asked.
"Sure," he started off down the hall but stopped when a thought occurred to him. "I assume it's best if no one knows you guys are down here?" he asked.
"Definitely," O'Reilly replied and returned to the autopsy bay. Nick headed upstairs for the bag. As he got upstairs, Catherine managed to corner him in the hallway, before he got to Grissom's office.
"So, what happened?" she asked him. She didn't like all the hush- hush. Nick tried to wave her off.
"The less you know the better it is." He told her. She grabbed his arm and pushed him up against the wall. This was Grissom's life he was referring to, and Brass and his cousin. Nick knew she wasn't going to relent. So he gave her Sean's simplified explanation.
"Look, Moira's associate said two very bad guys put out that contract on Grissom," he whispered. "Now there's only one.and Moira got hurt taking him and his six bodyguards out." He was a bit shaken by all this himself. He had NEVER seen Grissom this emotional over ANYTHING. "Now let me go. I got to take them some fresh clothes." Catherine stood aside and allowed him to pass.
"What have we walked into?" she asked the air. If Moira died, Grissom would not only be emotionally vulnerable, as Nick said.there was still another man out there that wanted him dead. She decided to head for the autopsy bay to check out the damage for herself. She prayed, for all their sakes, that Moira Kelly was as tough as everyone said she was.
Chapter: 3/? Author: Brutal Howell E-Mail: brutal_howell@hotmail.com Category: Drama/Romance/Angst/General Pairing: Grissom/ Original Character Rating: R (for violence) Summary: Grissom comes to a decision while Moira puts Phase One in motion. The CSI's see things as they really are. Spoiler: Chapter 1 & 2 of this story. Feedback: Yes, please. Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 Author's Notes: I apologize for the delay folks. Finals went well, and while I know what I wanted to happen in this chapter - it took me four days to figure out how to start it. So if it's weak.I'm sorry. Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 2.all three of you. Must have at least 4 reviews if you folks are interested in Ch 4. Yes I know it's extortion, but I need some feedback to force myself to find time to sit at the comp and think of how to continue this story. Again, words that appear between sets of (**) are things that Grissom and Moira are signing to each other. I wanted something exclusive for the two of them. Second note (added May 19) In regards to Grissom's new disease - Otosclerosis. The disease calcifies the stapes bone in the ear, preventing it from vibrating and passing noises into the inner ear. Most cases, it is only partial hearing loss, and can be helped with hearing aids. In men, however, the hearing loss is more pronounced. But there is, in fact, a surgery to correct this problem. It is called a Stapedectomy. They surgically remove the stapes bone from the ear and replace it with a man-made one - usually made of Teflon, or platinum. Hearing restored is usually 80 - 90%. I wanted to put this out there because I was annoyed at the writers for not including this in the finale.trying to make fans feel sorry for Grissom all summer. Granted it is a problem, but not an untreatable one.as was implied.
For Honor and Glory
Chapter 3
By
Brutal Howell
CHOOSING FATE
Catherine was happy Moira was there. It hadn't escaped her how close her and Grissom had become over the last week. Despite her obvious abilities in protecting him, the bodyguard's presence seemed to have a soothing effect on her old friend. The Irish woman was becoming an ally in getting the CSI boss to do what's best for him. It was her influence that got him to take a step back, putting Catherine in as lead on the case. That the DA might consider everything contaminated since he had been the target of the gunmen. But nobody could get him to leave. Not until the three bodies had been processed and the report filed. Grissom considered it his penance for the life of the receptionist and Greg's gunshot wound. Jim's update on the lab tech's condition helped alleviate at least some of the tension. The bullet had passed clean through the shoulder. The kid would have a cast - and a nice scar - but he would be perfectly fine. By 7am, evidence was collected, reports had been given, and the CSI's were starting to let the weight of what happened, sink in. This affected nobody more than Gil Grissom. But only Catherine and Moira knew him well enough to see the cracks in his normally stony façade.
"Moira, can I have a word?" Catherine asked the taller woman. They noticed Gil's head shot up. "We're not leaving the room, Grissom." She clarified. The officer's had made that mistake earlier. They tried to isolate Moira from him to question her about the shooting. It took everything Catherine and Sara had to convince the detectives that isolating them could only lead to more trouble. Once they discovered Moira's relationship to Jim Brass, they were more than happy to compromise. They used Grissom's office to question her - leaving the door open
**It's OK, Gil.** She reaffirmed. He nodded. They stepped over to the doorway of the break room.
"He's exhausted." Catherine supplied. "He should have been out of here hours ago." Moira smiled at the small CSI. Jimmy had explained as much as he could about the dancer-turned-scientist - and she liked the overall picture. It was clear to her that Catherine Willows protected those she cared about with the fierceness of a momma bear protecting her cubs. And Gil Grissom's name was near the top of that list.
"You know as well as I do, that he won't leave until everything is done." She replied.
"Everything is done. I presented the report to DA Burke, 30 minutes ago. All we're doing now is waiting for the word to close the case." Moira looked over to see Grissom trying to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes. It was clear from the way he was favoring his side, that his injury was bothering him. She glanced at the couch in the corner of the break room.
"Get Warrick and Nick to move that small couch into Gil's office, and I'll get him to go in there and lay down. Deal?" Moira asked her. The other woman nodded and ran off to see that the things she asked got done. She also sent Sara out to get the blanket out of her truck. Grissom was so tired; he never even looked up when the young CSI's maneuvered the couch out of the break room. Moira took two pills from her pocket and filled a glass of water. She took one knee in front of him. "Gil?" She handed them to him and he took the pills without question.
**What did Catherine want?** he signed.
**She's worried about you. You've been here too long. You need sleep.** Moira replied. He raised his hands to sign something, but she continued before he could. **Relax; we both know you won't leave. We had Warrick and Nick move a couch in your office. You're going to take a nap in there.** She explained.
**I'll be fine right here.** Moira shook her head.
**No, you won't. In fifteen minutes, those pills are going to take effect.** She smiled. It was only then; Grissom realized what she had done. She switched his migraine pills with the Dilaudid the doctors had prescribed for the pain in his lung. He had to admit that he was only half -annoyed with her for the bait and switch. The exhaustion he was fighting had blurred his vision over two hours ago.
**You drugged me.** he signed
"Yes, I did. Come on, up we go." Moira helped him to his feet. When his knees almost gave out, she stood on his good side and held him up. "Lean on me, if you have to." They took a few steps together and his gait seemed to steady itself. "That's it, one foot in front of the other." As they got out into the hall, Grissom noticed Catherine coming out of his office. Warrick and Nick were standing by the open door.
"This is a conspiracy." He mumbled. He gave her a half smile to let her know he was kidding.
"Yes, it is. A conspiracy of people that care about you. Led by me, Jimmy and Catherine." She chuckled. She maneuvered him in through the office door and sat him gently on the couch. Warrick closed the office door to give them some privacy. She kneeled down and removed his shoes. Grissom found this to be an endearing gesture, for some reason. Maybe it was the drugs, he mused. When she smiled up at him, he couldn't help himself. He reverently cupped her face in his palm. She placed her hand over his and pressed his hand flat against her cheek. Neither of them moved for what seemed like hours. In reality, it was only a few seconds. Moira turned her face and placed a kiss in the palm of his hand. Even through the haze that was beginning to cloud his mind, he felt the electricity of her lip's touch shoot through his body. Moira - for her part - was no longer in control of her actions. She had no idea what possessed her to do that. She had not even looked at another man in twelve years. She felt it would be dishonoring Colm Kelly's memory. But Gil Grissom was unearthing feelings in her, she had long thought dead. She hooked her arm under his legs and turned him so he could lie down on the couch. The blanket Catherine had offered was sitting on his desk. She covered him and leaned down to plant a kiss on his forehead. Her face hovered a few inches above his. "Get some sleep, Gil." Grissom reached up and trailed his knuckles along her jaw.
"You really are beautiful." She gave him a sad smile. She desperately wished he had meant that. But she knew it was only the painkillers talking. Moira took both of his hands in hers and placed them on his chest.
"And you are high. Go to sleep, Gil." She pushed a stray curl off his forehead. "I'll be right outside the door of you need me." She reached down and removed his glasses. She put them in her pocket and quietly ducked out the door. The rest of his CSI crew was waiting for her when she came out.
"How is he?" asked Nick. Moira sighed and tried to rub some of the tiredness from her own eyes.
"He's exhausted. I gave him a painkiller, so he should be out for a few hours. Can one of you get his spare bag from my truck?" she asked. Warrick held his hands out for the keys. "Thanks, Warrick." He really wanted to get a look inside that souped-up Tahoe he saw outside the hospital. He had a feeling it would be as impressive as everything else they had seen from Moira Kelly, so far. As he got outside, he noticed Brass and O'Reilly coming up the walk. And not far behind them was Conrad Ecklie. Warrick decided that scopeing the car could wait. He had a feeling the clash of Moira and Ecklie would be too entertaining. He held up Brass and O'Reilly to allow the CSI day supervisor to pass.
"Sticking true to pattern, who do you think Ecklie is gonna blame for the shoot-out here?" he asked Brass.
"Grissom," O'Reilly answered. The animosity that Ecklie felt toward Gil Grissom was legendary. A Hurricane could wipe out the entire western seaboard, and Ecklie would find a way to blame Grissom. Warrick let exactly what he was thinking come to the surface.
"Brass, honest opinion. What do you think your cousin is going to do when he tries to push past her into Gris' office?" Jim's eyes got wide. He hurried up the walk into the building. As soon as he opened the door, he heard Ecklie yelling.
"What is going on here! Can't Grissom ever control you band of misfits?!" He singled Moira out as the new face. "Who is this? Another one of Grissom's charity cases?" 'Some CSI,' she mused. 'He doesn't recognize a $5000 watch, or some of the more expensive top-of-the-line weapons that were still in plain view.' His guys had briefed O'Reilly on what Moira Kelly had done in order to protect the CSI supervisor. Truth is, he was glad Gil Grissom had someone like her on his side. He had always liked Grissom. Now Ecklie was a completely different story. "I've got a few things to take up with him!" He tried to walk into Grissom's office, but was stopped by Moira's hand in the middle of his chest. She just shook her head. Sara didn't know how the bodyguard could be staying so calm. Conrad Ecklie had been a long-standing "Thorn" in everyone's side. She gave Nick one of her widest grins. It looked like he was finally going to get his just deserts.
"$50 says she breaks his arm." She whispered to him. Nick shook his head. It was a sucker bet. Not a chance he would take her up on it. He was just going to stand back and watch the show.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Ecklie continued his rant. Moira still stayed quiet. "Oh, I get it. You have the stripper, the gambler, the girlfriend, the want-to-be, and now we have the muscle? You better put on some more muscle if you hope to scare me." He completed his sentence by jabbing his finger three times into Moira's chest. The CSI graveyard shift was all smiles. He had just insulted all of them.and he was about to get what was coming to him. "Get out of my way!" Ecklie tried to push Moira back away from Grissom's door. Jim winced in sympathy, that mistake was going to cost him dearly. The last thing he remembered was grabbing the lapel of the brunette's jacket before he felt the floor come up and smack him in the face. Nick was stunned as he saw the 5'10 bodyguard grab Ecklie's arm and twist it around until he heard the telltale snap. Sara guessed it was the ulna that gave under the pressure. Moira finished off the move by sweeping the taller man's legs out from under him - making sure he felt the complete impact of the floor hitting him in the face. She rested her knee on the back of his neck to hold him in place. Jim decided to make the introductions.
"Ecklie, meet my cousin, Moira Kelly. She's not a CSI; she's a mercenary. and Gil Grissom's new bodyguard for the immediate future. Whatever grudge you have against him, I suggest you resolve it within yourself. Cause I can guarantee Moira will not show as much restraint with you, next time. When she says you can't see him.you can't see him. If you have a problem with all this - put it in a memo. Do I make myself clear?" He smiled when Moira pushed more pressure down on Ecklie's neck.
"Blink once for yes, twice for no." she supplied. One Blink.
"That would be a yes." Brass told her. "Come on, M. Let him up." O'Reilly called a patrolmen over as Moira pulled Ecklie to his feet. The taller man did not bother to mask his newfound fear of the dangerous brunette. Jim just laughed. "Yeah, she has that effect on everyone once they get to know her."
"Take Mr. Ecklie to the ER to get that armed looked at." O'Reilly ordered to the rookie patrolman. He would ask the young man to drive him down there. But he couldn't, in good conscious, make him to wait. As Ecklie was still in shock over what had just happened to him, it was easy for the patrolman to steer him out the door. As soon as the door closed, the CSI's all began to laugh.
"Man! Grissom's gonna be sorry he missed this!" Nick said. Catherine reached out and shook Moira's hand.
"Thank you, you have no idea how long I've waited for someone to do that."
"Did you have to break his arm, M?" Jim asked, trying to stifle his own laughter.
"I did. That man is an impudent little turd. He's a bully that needed to be taught a lesson. Now that he will have plenty of time to think, maybe he'll stop blaming the world's misery on Gil and his crew." Moira hated bullies. Besides, she only whacked this one; she didn't squash him like she usually does. The CSI's all concurred on that point.
"Where is Grissom, anyways?" O'Reilly asked.
"He's sleeping. And no one is disturbing him for at least 5 hours." She informed him. After what he just witnessed, O'Reilly held his hands up in mock surrender.
"OK, we just came to deliver this from DA Burke." He held out a file to Catherine. She snatched it and read the decision 'from on high.'
"Case closed. It was a clean shooting." She informed everyone. "Looks like we can all go home." Warrick ran back out to Moira's truck and retrieved Grissom's bag. Initially, Sara hadn't been too thrilled with the idea of another person "intruding" on their family. Even the fact that she was Brass' cousin didn't help. But seeing her in action - seeing the way she cared about Grissom, and the lengths she was willing to go to protect him - Sara realized that she was wrong. Nick playfully elbowed her in the ribs as they were walking down the hall.
"The girlfriend?" He teased. "Ecklie thinks you're Grissom's girlfriend." He couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. Sara and Catherine both looked back to see Moira talking to Brass and O'Reilly. Neither of the women could help but think that that position was about to be filled. And they couldn't have been happier for Grissom.
"M, why don't you go in there and get some sleep, too?" Brass knew she hadn't been to sleep in at least 2 days.. He opened Grissom's office and nudged her through. "Come on, O'Reilly and I can stand watch. Just for a couple hours."
"Do you trust, O'Reilly?" she asked softly. Jim nodded.
"All right." She pulled her cell from her pocket and punched in a number. "Sean, begin implementing C-Omega. I'm going to be down for a few hours. If you need something, call Jimmy." She ordered. She dialed up Paddy's number in Ireland and issued similar orders.
"You have something you want to share with me?" Brass asked.
"Jimmy, there are too many players on this field for my liking. I'm taking out Michael Lee and his guard dog, tonight." She explained. When she gave a concerned glance over at Grissom's sleeping form, Jim turned around and closed the office door.
"Give us a minute, will you, O'Reilly?" Moira saw the big man nod and take up position outside the door. "Tell me what you have in mind." He said to his cousin. She started to shake her head, but reached out and grabbed her arm. "Moira, tell me. I'm in this whether you like it or not. I can guarantee for whatever you have planned, Sean isn't going to be enough back- up." She smiled at her cousin. He was smarter than people gave him credit for. She nodded. She tried to mask the look over to Grissom again. Jim noticed.
"I failed, Colm. I won't fail Grissom. I can't.he can't die." She began. Brass didn't fail to notice the emotion that thickened her voice. "Paddy called me three days ago. Tamatsura will be here in 4 weeks. Which means Lee and Johnny Lo have to be gone by then. It's the only chance he has." She sighed. "And with the shoot out here, last night. He says he wants to be there when it happens." Jim cursed the whole situation. This job was tougher for Moira than any of the others.that much was clear. Brass knew of the similarities between Grissom and his cousin's husband when he called. There were a lot; and the fact that Colm Kelly would be the same age his friend is now, didn't help matters at all. Moira glanced up at her cousin. "I know what you're thinking, Jimmy. I know Gil isn't Colm. But he is still innocent in all this." There was something more - Brass could tell.
"You care about him." He stated plainly. He saw the flicker of fear in her eyes, before she tamped it down.
"I care about all my clients."
"Don't bullshit me, Moira. You forget who you're talking to? It's OK, if you do. He's one of the few people I know, who's good enough for you." He saw she was still hesitant to say it. "Colm would have wanted you to be happy, you know." He felt the silent tear hit his neck when he hugged her. Brass knew how blessed he was. His cousin was one of the most feared people in the business - and she always felt comfortable to let her guard down around him. She needed a safety zone, and he was glad he could provide that for her.
"It's been twelve years, Jimmy. Being here with Gil, just reminds me what I lost." She smiled over at Grissom. "What I might be able to have again, if I wasn't such a coward."
"I can't imagine anyone referring to you as a coward," Jim chuckled.
"You've known him for a lot of years. Do you think Gil could care about someone like me?" She needed to know. She wouldn't be willing to put her feelings out there, if there wasn't a chance. Brass looked at his friend.
"Honestly, I don't know, M. Both of you are complex. He's been on two dates that I know of, in the last three years - but everything always clashed with work." Moira gave him a sad smile.
"There's the rub," she quoted Hamlet. "My work, his work.they could potentially conflict."
"If you kill Tamatsura, why couldn't you consider settling down? The threat to Danny and Gil would be gone. You could move here to Vegas and set up shop. I happen to know you have more than enough money.you would never have to work again. Hell, with your qualifications, you could easily get on the force here." He could see that his suggestion had stirred something in Moira. Neither wanted to address what would happen if Tamatsura killed her. "You, Ellie and Danny are the last family I have. I'd like to have you here too.for purely selfish reasons." He teased. "I think Gil Grissom already cares about you. I think you owe it to yourself - and him - to see if he could love you. I just want you to be happy, Moira. No matter what." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you, Jimmy."
"I will always have your back, remember that." He told her as he pressed his forehead to hers. She just smiled at him.she knew. "Now that that is settled, get some sleep." She took off her coat and sat down on the floor in front of the sleeping Grissom. She balled it up and shoved it behind her head to use as a pillow. Brass took off his jacket and draped it over her. "I'll wake you up in a few hours. Then you can tell me what you have in mind for Michael Lee." She smiled up at him. It seemed like a fair deal.
GRISSOM'S OFFICE - 5 HOURS LATER
Grissom opened his eyes to the sight of his dimly lit office and the smells of coffee. He took a few minutes to get his bearings and shake the cobwebs from his mind. He glanced over at the floor when he heard the steady, deep breathing. Grissom was surprised to see Moira on the floor, sleeping, soundly. Her face was peaceful in sleep.free of tension, anger and sadness he usually noticed there. She looked angelic. He was lost in her face when the memories of this morning slammed back into his mind with a force. 'Gil, you jackass, you touched her face,' he chided himself. He held up a hand to check for broken bones. Nope. He almost hyperventilated in fear when he realized that he had told her she was beautiful. She wasn't just beautiful in his eyes, she was stunning. But he had had two dates in the last three years.and both had been through work. He found the lab tech, Susan, to be somewhat dry. They had nothing to talk about except work - the date was a complete disaster. And Terri - he had really liked Terri. But their fears, and their jobs kept getting in the way. He had been disappointed when she walked out of the dinner while he was on the phone. And he hadn't felt comfortable even attempting since then. Jim had teased him the other day about being "Gun Shy" as he called it. Maybe he was. He snapped out of his trance when he heard Moira clear her throat.
"Hi." She smiled up at him. She knew full well that he had been lost in thought. She had come to enjoy watching his mind work.
"Sorry." He apologized for "zoning out" on her. She waved him off.
"How are you feeling?" she was wondering if he might be annoyed about her switching his pills. She breathed a sigh of relief when he flashed her a brilliant smile. Moira couldn't help her answering smile.
"Better. Rested, thanks to you." Grissom stood up to get his bearings. He extended his hand to Moira and she took it. She assumed that he was going to just help her to her feet. But every nerve in her body was electrified when he ran his thumb over the top of her hand. He pulled her to her feet suddenly. Moira was still stunned at her own reaction to his touch. And she stumbled when she got to her feet.right into Gil Grissom's arms.
The news about Ecklie came back two hours ago. Broken ulna and fractured radial bone in two places. The five cups of coffee Brass drank were catching up with him.
"O'Reilly, do me a favor. Wake up Moira and Grissom? I'll be right back." Jim took off around the corner. O'Reilly nodded and gently opened the door to Grissom's office. The sight that greeted him caused him to close it again - as he prayed that Moira Kelly didn't notice his intrusion. 'Probably not,' he thought. He sat back down in his chair. Brass returned a minute later. "O'Reilly? Are they up?" The big man just nodded.
"Jim, just how close is Grissom and your cousin?" he asked.
"Close enough, why?
"They must be a hell of a lot closer than that. They were in a pretty intense lip-lock when I opened that door." He explained. Brass felt like one of those cartoon characters - and if he didn't pick his chin up off the floor, someone was bound to trip over it.
"Are you serious?" O'Reilly nodded at him. Brass chuckled and took his seat in front of the door.
"You're not going to go in there?" O' Reilly asked.
"Why? You said they're awake. Let's give them a few minutes." Jim replied.
Grissom and Moira only broke the kiss when oxygen became a necessity. Gil Grissom had always prided himself on his mental acumen. But the power and emotion behind that kiss wiped the slate clean. He couldn't remember his name if somebody asked him.
"Wow!" His voice came out more haggard than he would have liked. Moira chuckled and placed her palm in the center of his chest. She rubbed small comforting circles; like she did the day she brought him home from the hospital.
"Flatterer," she whispered. Gil shook his head trying to clear it. All his thoughts and feelings seemed to be swimming. His eyes finally focused on her beautiful face. He gave her a mega-watt smile that turned her knees to jelly. He felt the tremble run through her when he began running his knuckles along her jaw.
"Have dinner with me?" he asked.
"I already have dinner with you."
"When this is all over, have dinner with me?" he corrected. Grissom was so nervous about taking this leap again; he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. If only he knew how terrified Moira truly was. She considered his request; and then thought about what Jimmy had said to her. She had loved Colm Kelly with every fiber of her being. He was a good, kind man who was executed to send a message to her. Jimmy had been wrong - she was a coward. No, when it came to facing monsters, she was as brave as they came. But when it came to living, or loving for that matter, she was terrified. He was right, maybe it was time for her to be happy. She wouldn't risk the same thing happening to Gil though. If they both survived this, she planned to retire. But in order to make a clean break, Tamatsura had to die - and it had to be big, and bloody. The message had to be sent to the rest of the monsters: attacks on people she cared about would not be tolerated.
"Are you asking me out on a date, Gil?" He was too nervous to get his voice to work, so he just nodded. "Yes," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward and kissed him. This kiss was interrupted by a knock at the office door. When they broke apart, Moira reached up and wiped the lipstick off Grissom's bottom lip. "It's not your color," she teased him. He gave her a quick smile before he opened the door, to find Brass and O'Reilly standing there - and Jim was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Come in," Grissom stepped aside to allow them to enter. Moira blushed when Jimmy winked at her. She playfully punched his shoulder to tell him to be quiet. She smiled wryly when she noticed it hurt a bit.
"So, M. You gonna tell us what's on the agenda for tonight?" Brass asked. Before she responded, she glanced at O'Reilly with a skeptical eye.
"Do, you know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. O'Reilly?" She asked him. The fact that Jimmy trusted him cleared him in her book. But she couldn't be responsible for his life too. Her plate was already full.
"Dangerous Asian Gangsters.chance of me getting hurt, or worse. I got it. I put in for my vacation time this morning. You got my help for the next 2 weeks. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself." She smiled at his candor. She could see why Jimmy liked him.
"You mind him helping out on this?" Moira asked Grissom. Gil scrutinized O'Reilly for a second. He and the large man had always gotten along. But he couldn't figure out why he would be willing to risk this for him.
"You sure about this, O'Reilly?" he asked. The big man nodded. "Ok, then."
"By the way, M, we got the word back on Ecklie. You snapped the Ulna and fractured his Radius in two places.other than that, he's fine." Grissom's head snapped around to Moira.
"You broke Ecklie's arm?!" Thinking he was mad, O'Reilly began to explain.
"Grissom, in her defense, he put his hands on her. And he was trying to get at you. Granted, all he would probably do is jaw at you." The CSI held up a hand to cut him off.
"I'm not mad, O'Reilly. Surprised, but not mad. Ecklie has been on a rampage against me and my crew since I started this job." He clarified. Jim threw his arm around Moira's waist.
"Well, not anymore. He came back to the lab about 30 minutes ago. He was shaking like a nervous Chihuahua when he looked at your office." Brass begin to laugh. Gil shook his head in amazement. This woman was not only fighting to make sure he had a life..she was fixing parts of it, in the meantime. "So, you gonna explain this C-Omega plan of yours?" he asked his cousin. She gathered everyone around Grissom's desk.
"Gil, can we use your phone here?" When he said yes, Moira took out her own phone and punched in Paddy's number. "Paddy, take this number." She relayed the numbers Grissom told her. "I want you to secure this line. Really? Hang on, talk to Jimmy." She handed the phone to Brass. Moira took out one of her knifes and popped the back off the phone. She pulled out a small electronic bug and laid it on the desktop. "Gil, do you have a magnifying glass?" He dug in his desk and produced one, she jotted the numbers on a piece of paper with a note for Jimmy to go out into the hall and tell Paddy to trace the bug. She suddenly got an evil idea and smiled wryly at Grissom. She whispered her intentions in his ear. He laughed. When she disappeared out the door, O'Reilly's curiosity got the best of him.
"Where is she going?" he asked the CSI.
"She'll be right back, she found a better place for the listening device." He chuckled. A thought suddenly occurred to the big man.
"Ecklie?" he laughed when Grissom nodded. "Remind me not to mess with her." Within minutes both Brass and Moira had returned. Jim was absolutely pale.
"Jimmy, what is it?" Moira was a bit nervous over what he had found out. He took a steadying breath.
"Paddy says that serial number is listed as belonging to the Las Vegas Sheriff's Office." The bottom dropped out of Gil's world. She had to grab his arm to steady him. She steered him to his chair and sat him down. "Gris, I don't know why Brian is bugging your office, but we'll take care of it." Moira felt the shudder pass through him and took a knee in front of him. She gently touched his hand.
**Gil, do you trust me?** she asked.
**Of course** he signed back.
**We'll take care of Lee and Johnny Lo, tonight. I'll deal with the Sheriff before Tamatsura gets to Vegas. OK?** She promised him.
**I want to go with you when you talk to Brian** he signed. He noticed Moira's jaw clenching.
**Every one of these you insist on going on, you make it twice as hard for me to protect you** she tried to tell him.
**I know. I'm sorry. I'll be careful, I promise. But I have to hear it from Brian. Why he is bugging my office. And on who's authority** Moira sighed. She knew Gil Grissom was a man who needed answers. His very sanity depended on it.
**I'll get you your answers, but you have to do EVERYTHING I tell you to do, when the time comes. Deal?** He smiled and nodded. Brass knew Grissom had just used his influence to get what he wanted. He couldn't help his own smile. Moira couldn't say no to Colm Kelly either.
"All right, now that we don't have any eavesdroppers, we can get down to business." She cast a sideways glance at Grissom knowing full well he had just gotten the better of her. "Michael Lee and Johnny Lo get taken out of the equation, TONIGHT. And we're going to use my jet to do it. When I called Sean." she checked her watch, "almost 6 hours ago, he began putting things in motion." She withdrew a small chart from her coat. "This jet has hollow compartments, here.and here." She pointed the out on the chart. "Sean is filling them with enough C-4 to reduce the Mirage to rubble." Brass was starting to catch on.
"That's why you chose an isolated airfield." She nodded.
"That's why I ALWAYS choose an isolated airfield. No innocents anywhere near. The bonus about Mathews Field is that there is a tower. I'm putting Sean up there with a Sniper Rifle.and you'll stay with him, Gil." She explained.
"Where will you be?" he asked.
"Somebody has to be the bait," she stated. Grissom damn near jumped out of his chair.
"No! Absolutely Not!" he told her. She sighed.
"We don't have a choice. We need bait, and the only thing that will draw them into the jet is you, or me. And I'm not about to let you go in there." Neither Brass nor Gil liked that idea. "Gil, will you relax. I told you.I had this jet specially designed. I had an escape hatch put in the cockpit. I can get out that way. Jimmy, you and O'Reilly will be laying down cover fire for me to get away from the jet. Maybe even take care of whoever doesn't get on the plane with Lee and Johnny Lo. Sean will give you the detonator when we get there. The RV will be parked about 50 yards away, as soon as I get behind it, blow it. OK?" She asked Brass.
"I don't like it," he clarified. "This is too risky." Moira pressed her forehead to her cousins.
"Jimmy, you know it has to be this way. We have to divide them. I can't handle them together. Besides, you know I've done tougher things than this." She winked at him. He sighed. She had pulled off tougher feats, and most likely would get out of this one. He still didn't like it. He nodded.
"So how do we lure them to the airfield?" he asked. Grissom was livid.
"Jim! You can't be serious!"
"Gil, I don't want her to get hurt anymore than you do. But if Lee, Tamatsura and Lo are able to get together, we all die. M is good, we have to have faith she'll get out of there before we blow the plane." Truth is, Brass was terrified. He adored his cousin, and losing her would be a blow to him - and to Danny. But the alternative was much, much worse. He had to smile to himself though. If Grissom was this scared for her, it was clear he cared.
"Jim!" Moira turned to him and begin signing.
**I'll be careful, I promise** she told him. **Besides, you and I have a date when this is all over** she smiled at him. He didn't like it, but he had to have faith in her. He believed they were going to live through all this when he asked her.it's just the fear and the danger was very real - and now it was to someone he had grown to care about. Maybe it was the idea that he would be safe while Moira's neck was on the chopping block. Whatever it was, he had to control it. He couldn't allow her to go into that situation, worried about him. She needed to be focused on getting herself out of that plane before they blew it up.
**You're right, we do** he smiled at her. **I'm alright. Is it OK if I still be a little nervous for you, while you're in there?** He gave her the mega-watt smile to try and let her know he trusted her.
**Thank you** she signed to him before turned to resume her briefing with Jimmy and O'Reilly. "Everybody know what their assignments are?" she asked. The two cops gave a nod to indicate they were set. Moira glanced back at Gil. Technically, since he didn't carry a weapon, his assignment would be to stick close to Sean in the tower. He acknowledged her with a nod of his own.
"M, how are we gonna get Lee to come to the airfield?" Jim asked.
"Remember Kevin?"
"The punk from the warehouse?" This got Grissom's attention. This Kevin must be the man who attacked him.
"Despite the fact I told him to leave town, he's still here. And he's going to have to make it up to me." She smiled wryly. She hadn't planned on the young mercenary disobeying her order.and was quite angry he did. So she didn't feel guilty, one bit, using the foolish man to accomplish her goal.
"You want O'Reilly and I to pick him up?" Brass asked. He knew she had something special in mind for the Kevin Charger. Moira shook her head.
"No, a phone call shall suffice," She dialed Paddy's number and ordered him to patch Grissom's phone through to Kevin Charger's cell. She left the speakerphone on.
"Charger" The young man answered after 3 rings.
"I thought I told you to leave Vegas, Kevin?" Moira kept her voice firm and angry. From the way his breathing picked up, Grissom guessed the man had figured out who was calling. He began stammering immediately.
"I-I-I-I-Irish!" the man's voice had gone up an octave within seconds. Moira grinned over at Brass. "I-I-I know you told me to leave.B-B- But I had to finish." She cut him off.
"Say hello to Mr. Grissom, Kevin. And be nice, I'm already angry with you." She winked at Gil. Kevin Charger sounded like he was hyperventilating.
"M-M-M-Mr. Grissom, sir. I'm S-Sorry I hurt you." the terrified mercenary's voice cracked and he began to cry. "I swear if I'd have known you were Irish's friend.I would have never touched you." Only he was so scared, the sentence came out as one long word. "I'M SORRY!" Brass started to laugh, he had seen tougher men than Kevin Charger fall to pieces under his cousin's scrutiny. He always found that hilarious because Moira Kelly looked like a fashion model. She didn't look half as dangerous as she truly was. Grissom just shook his head. The sobbing mess on the other end of this phone had tried to kill him.and for some reason he couldn't bring himself to hold a grudge.
"KEVIN!" Moira said loud and sharp to get his attention. "Kevin, since you chose to disregard my order, you are going to make it up to me." The young man's breathing hitched at the string of hope Moira was offering him.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked, knowing full well she wouldn't tolerate his behavior a second time.
"Good boy. Take this phone number down," she read him the bogus number Paddy had given her. "Take that number to Michael Lee and tell him it's your contact at the FAA. You were tipped off to the flight plan of Jet CK-471, passengers listed: M. Kelly, G. Grissom and J. Brass bound for Boston, then onto Dublin. Flight is leaving Mathews Airfield in 2 hours. The person on the other end of that phone number will confirm that exact flight plan. You get Lee and Johnny Lo to Mathews Airfield, and I'll forget your previous indiscretions." She explained.
"Everything?" he wanted to make sure.
"Yes, everything. But Kevin.you cross me and I promise you a very slow and painful death. Am I clear?" The young man had been a dependable messenger boy before, but she wasn't about to take any chances. "There won't be a place in the world you can hide from me.Saturn Arms, Apartment 4." She read off his current location to prove to him that she knew EXACTLY where he was, and could find him easily should he choose to try and run. Kevin dropped the phone in shock. His breathing was shaky again.
"I won't let you down" O'Reilly thought he sounded like a condemned man.
"Leave, now." She ordered and smiled when she heard the click of the young man hanging up. "Paddy?" she asked. Grissom had forgotten that this had not been a direct call. "Is everything in place?"
"Yes, M. Ready and waiting. Sean is standing by at the airfield." The young Irishman answered.
"Good. If this goes down the way I want it to, wire $75,000 to Kevin Charger's Swiss Account. Jimmy will call you when it's over." She ordered.
"Understood," Paddy replied and hung up.
"Well, gentleman, let's go level the playing field." Moira led the men out of the office.
MATHEWS AIRFIELD - 2 HOURS LATER
Grissom was shocked when he met Moira's pilot, Sean Kennedy. The young man was at least 6'7" tall and close too 300 pounds of solid muscle. He had been polite and soft-spoken, but also direct and to the point. Grissom sensed Moira's influence there. He pointed out possible cover and things that might impede their success.clearly; Sean was good at his job. Now everyone was in position, Sean and Grissom on the tower, Brass and O'Reilly on the ground and Moira in the plane. The big Irishman noticed the concern in Gil Grissom's features when Moira checked in on the radio.
"Ah, don't worry about her, Mr. Grissom." His brogue was significantly thicker than Moira's. Probably the time she spent living in the U.S., the CSI imagined. "She's the best, she'll get out of there."
"I hope so, Sean." He replied just as they heard three cars turn onto the road to the airfield.
"Show time, boys. M, they're here, be careful." Sean said into the radio. He took the scope off the sniper rifle and aimed it at the cars. "Well, I'll be damned." He got back on the radio, "M, we got 3 cars, looks like 4-6 in each one. Targets are in the second car.repeat, the second car." Everyone could feel their hearts begin to beat faster. Brass and O'Reilly both ducked behind their cover, gripping their weapons tighter. Moira had replaced the clips in her weapons with armor piercing rounds. She had an extra case of knives and throwing stars along. And her favorite and most prized weapon - her katana - was stashed behind the pilot's seat. The size of the jet would give her the advantage once the door was secured. She adjusted the throttle on the running engines - keeping the brakes firmly in place. If Lee thought they were ready to take off, he would rush things and make a mistake. She gripped her Sig tightly in one hand and ducked farther into the small cockpit. She made sure the escape hatch was wide open, to facilitate her quick escape. Sean secured the scope back on the rifle. "M, they're 15 meters from the plane." He informed her. Grissom had never been so terrified in his entire life. The large man next to him was coiled tighter than a drum; he could only imagine what was going through O'Reilly and Brass' minds being down on the ground. He began to breathe a bit harshly himself. Sean spared him a glance out of the corner of his eye. "It's OK to be scared Mr. Grissom. The danger is very real." He curled his finger around the trigger and focused through the scope.
"How do you do this? And why?" he asked the big man. Sean gave a half smile without taking his eye off the twelve people that exited the three cars.
"We have 12, that's 12 targets." Sean reported over the radio and heard three voices confirm. "I do this because I love that woman in there. She cared for my family and me when no one else did. And I'll do what I have to to repay the loyalty she has shown me." He turned his head enough for Grissom to catch his eye. "Even die." He immediately went back to the task at hand. Gil watched Michael Lee order 5 men to stay outside the plane while the other 7 went inside. He didn't like those odds for Moira. "As soon as M, closes the door, take the 5 out." He ordered over the radio.
Moira knew 5 out meant 7 inside with her. She cursed silently when she heard Lo order two of the men to stand on the stairs. She needed them off if that hatch was going to close. Her only option was to draw them in with her. And if she did get out of this alive, she knew Gil and Jimmy would be pissed about what she was about to do. She kept her Sig in one hand and drew the 10-inch knife out of her leg holster. She took a few steadying breaths to gather her nerve. '1-2.' On 3 she charged out into the cabin. She fired one shot into the forehead of the closest man and used the Sig to deflect the attack of one of the two incoming knives. She plunged her knife into the abdomen of the next man and pulled up on the blade. He fell to the floor, dead. She grunted in pain as the third man plunged his knife straight into her forearm. She spun to pull the knife out of his reach and fired 3 shots, point blank into his abdomen. Having killed three of the seven, the two on the stairs were forced to come into the plane to protect their bosses.
Gil didn't like this, something was wrong. He saw the two men on the stairs run into the jet and knew what she was doing.
"Moira, no!" he said quietly. Inside the plane, Moira had already taken two additional stab wounds. She turned and ran toward the cockpit. She knew it was foolish to expose her back to this group, but she had to get the door closed. She grunted as she felt the bullet tear through her left side. 'Damnit! They brought the armor piercing rounds too!' Apparently Lo had heard about the shootout at the lab. She almost stumbled as another bullet sunk into the back of her right thigh. She noted that the bullet didn't come out. Not all of their guns had armor piercing capabilities. Moira stumbled through the door of the cockpit and slammed a bloody hand onto the panel. The outside door slammed shut and latched. Moira grabbed her katana and dropped down the open hatch - but not before taking another round through the trapezius muscle. She hit the ground with a thud and scrambled to her feet to secure the escape hatch. She managed to duck behind a wheel before Lee's five other men noticed her. She smiled to herself when she heard two more bodies hit the ground and knew Sean had made it a bit safer for her to make a run for it. She looked at the blood all over her clothes - most of it was hers. No, they weren't going to like this one bit. She struggled to her feet and took off on a run toward her parked SUV. The bullet in her thigh was slowing her up considerably.
Brass almost had a heart attack when he saw the blood that coated Moira's clothes. He could tell from the way she was moving that she was hurt badly. He fired his weapon at the two men who were rushing to intercept her. He hit one, but not seriously. Both men retreated behind the cars, with their backs toward the plane. The third man was checking the jet door to try and free his trapped bosses. Jimmy heard the hiss of the bullet come through the air and heard the thump of it hitting the guard's body. The third man dropped to the ground. He knew Sean couldn't get to the last two from his position.
"O'Reilly, M needs help. Give me some cover fire." He called into the radio. He saw O'Reilly shake his head from his position.
"No, you have the detonator. I'll go." The big man shouldered his weapon and moved around the plane to get to Moira. It took less than 2 minutes to get there. "Need a lift?" he smiled down at the injured woman. She nodded and he immediately scooped her up into a fireman's carry. The second O'Reilly passed Moira's armor-plated SUV, Brass set off the detonator. The explosion literally ripped the jet to pieces. The force of the blast threw O'Reilly and Moira to the ground. Sean jumped to his feet and ran toward the door.
"Come on," he told Grissom. Both men took the stairs 3 at a time and reached the bottom in seconds. Gil immediately took off toward Moira and Sean went to make sure there were no more threats.at least not from this party. The CSI nearly stumbled when he saw Moira lying on her back covered in blood. She had blood pouring from her thigh, her left side and her shoulder. He shuddered when he got closer and saw the 8-inch blade sticking out of her forearm. O'Reilly took of his belt and made a tourniquet for her thigh. Brass pulled off his coat and pressed it to her side. She held up her arm with the knife in it.
"Get this out," She looked right into Gil's eyes. "I told you I'd make it." She chuckled and realized that hurt her side. Grissom kneeled down next to her. "Get this out," she repeated to him. "Please." He was about to explain that it was probably better to leave it in.but she wrapped her other hand around the handle of the knife. His hands shot out to stop her.
"All right, Moira. I'll take it out." He took off his own coat and laid it on the ground. He grabbed one of the knives from her shoulder holsters and cut three big strips out of the coat. He wrapped one hand around her forearm and the other around the handle of the knife. "On the count of three. One, two, three!" On three he pulled the knife free. He had to give Moira credit. The only indication she gave that it had hurt was the continual blinking and swallowing. Gris quickly grabbed the strips and tied off the holes. Sean opened the back doors of the SUV and Grissom scooped Moira up in his arms. "We have to get you to a hospital." He stated.
"No! No hospital!" She was adamant. Hospitals asked too many questions. She thought for a few seconds. It was still the night shift at the CSI lab, and Robbins, the Coroner was technically an MD. "The lab. We go to the lab. You're coroner can patch these holes." She noticed the skeptical look on his face. "Gil, I CAN'T go to a hospital. Robbins is an MD, and I know you trust him." The blood from her wounds was starting to seep into his shirt, so he gave in. Time was of the essence here. He nodded and climbed into the back seat still holding Moira across his lap. She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. Grissom panicked when she closed her eyes. She was losing blood fast, and he couldn't allow her to go to sleep.
"Moira, you have to stay awake," he gently kissed her sweaty forehead. She was going into hypovolemic shock. She was going to need blood and fast. "O'Reilly, can you dial the lab for me?" the big man nodded and pulled out his phone. He handed it over when it began ringing. "Sara, are you guys busy?" he asked. "Good. I want the crew to go see Robbins in two's. Give him a pint of blood and tell him to prepare for a live one. Sara? Don't tell anyone but Robbins we're coming." He snapped the phone shut and handed it back to O'Reilly. "Moira, what's your blood type?" She gave him a weak glassy smile before she tried to give him the answer he requested. When he asked again, Brass told him, she was type O. He did a quick tally of those he knew to be type O: him, Catherine, Warrick, and Nick. He wasn't sure about Sara.he hadn't forced her into the "mandatory donation" initiation when she joined their team.
"Mine is Type O," O'Reilly offered. Grissom tallied three pints waiting at the lab; two coming with the patient.should be enough. He reached down and pushed the hair away from her face.
"Don't you leave me, Moira Kelly." He whispered to her. Brass took a lot of comfort in the whispered conversation he heard coming from the back seat. He knew his cousin was hurt. And talking meant she was alive. This was only half of their battle. And Jim wondered if Moira's life would be the cost this time. He hoped not. As much as he wanted to turn around and beg Moira to fight, he wanted to give Grissom his chance. So he just ground his molars and forced himself to stare at the road.
"She'll make it, Mr. Brass. She's tough." Sean told him. He appreciated the strength of conviction in the young man's voice. There wasn't a doubt in Sean's mind that she would beat this, like she beat everything else.
AUTOPSY BAY - CSI LAB
Robbins was a bit nervous. It seemed like forever since he treated a patient that was living. Not since he had to close his practice years ago. Sara Sidle had explained that there was an emergency that he was needed. But offered no other details. It wasn't until Brass called 10 minutes afterward and explained the situation. He had the 4 units of blood standing by and tubing to directly transfuse two more. Sara and Nick help him check and recheck his equipment. The three of them jumped when the door to the autopsy bay slammed open. Grissom was carrying Moira - and she was covered head to toe in blood.
"Jesus Christ, what happened to her?!" Nick asked in amazement.
"Relax, Nick. It looks worse than it is," Moira ground out and threw the young CSI a smile filled with pain. Rollins began cutting away the bloody clothes. Grissom undid the straps of her vest and sat her up to slide it off. Now that he could see the wounds in her shoulder and side.he forced himself to calm a bit. The shoulder shot was clean through the trapezius muscle. Not life threatening at all. The side shot was still pouring blood. But didn't look as serious as he's feared. He watched Robbins cut her jeans off and check the pulses in her leg to make sure the bullet didn't hit anything vital. His heart jumped when the Coroner frowned. When he wiped the blood off her leg, Grissom noticed her leg had a slightly blue tint to it.
"Oh shite!" Moira stated. She knew the bullet was impeding her circulation. That bullet had to come out first. "Doc, grab your scalpel.and get this one out." She shook her head when Robbins picked up a syringe. "No time for that. If we wait for the anesthetic to kick in.that's ten more minutes my leg goes without circulation. Just do it." The Coroner looked to Grissom and Brass for approval.
"Just do it." They both echoed.
"Gil, give me your belt, please." He took it off and handed it to her. She folded it three times. "I'll buy you another one." She told him before biting down hard on the folded leather. Sara and Nick were stunned.
"Grissom! You can't let her do this!" Sara pleaded.
"This is nuts!" Nick added.
"If you two can't do anything productive, then get out!" Brass yelled.
"Sara, you can assist me removing this bullet and stitching these holes. Nick, help them hold her down." Robbins ordered. Grissom and Brass held her arms. Nick got up on the table. He put his weight on her good leg and helped O'Reilly hold down the one Robbins would be cutting into. As the Coroner got closer to her leg with the scalpel, Moira began to breathe faster - preparing for the initial cut. She moaned and strained against Grissom and Brass when she felt the scalpel sink in. She managed to move both men half an inch before she relaxed. She had to force herself to keep her leg still.
"Moira, look at me. Moira.come on, look at me." She was groggy from the pain and the blood loss, but she managed to turn her head in his direction. He pressed his forehead to her sweaty one. "Don't you leave me. I still need you." Everyone's head snapped in Grissom's direction at the confession. But he was too focused on the woman before him, to notice. He smiled when she relaxed and nodded. His heart jumped when she closed her eyes. He reached down and felt for a carotid pulse. He let out a breath when he felt it bounding beneath his fingers. "Al, she passed out." He informed the Coroner.
"Almost there." he had grabbed the bullet and was grunting with the effort to pull it out. Nick repositioned himself and offered his help. Robbins passed the handle over to him without letting go of the bullet. With a slight twist and a pull..it came out with a loud sucking noise. Robbins immediately grabbed the cauterizer and added a few stitches. Within minutes he had both the entrance and exit wounds on her leg closed. He immediately set to work on her side. He was relieved to see that the bullet had just broken the bottom two ribs and passed through what little adipose tissue that there was. "Grissom, can you start that line for me? I want to get some blood back into her." Gil nodded, happy to finally be able to do something productive. He cleaned her arm and grabbed the needle to start a line. As he got close, his hands were beginning to shake. He stopped and opened and closed his hands, trying to get the shaking to stop. When he tried again, the shaking started again. Nick gently took the needle from him.
"Here, Gris.let me." Gil took a step back as he watched Nick quickly find the vein and started the line. He hung the first bag of blood and stepped back. "There." He smiled at his boss and friend, and then he backed away from the table to allow Grissom to resume his place at her side. Nick noticed clear slices into her smooth skin and flinched in sympathy. He stepped out into the hall and found a large man waiting there. "Hi." He said to the tall man.
"Hello, Mr. Stokes." Sean smiled, as Nick's eyes got wide in surprise. "I work for Moira, of course I know who you are." He explained. "How is she?" Nick scrutinized the man before him. He was muscle upon muscle..but a gentleness and worry crept into his face when he asked about Moira.
"She's hurt pretty bad. Doc had to remove a bullet from her leg without anesthetic." Nick shook his head. "She's a tough lady." He said in admiration. "If you don't mind me asking, what the hell happened to her out there?" Sean considered Nick's question. Moira had informed him that Gil Grissom's crew was completely devoted to him. Sean surmised that the same devotion just might extend to Moira herself now.
"Your boss had two very powerful men that initiated the contract on his life. Now there is only one." He informed the CSI. Nick swallowed nervously.
"That guy did that to her?!" he asked in amazement. Sean smiled at him.
"Him and six of his bodyguards." Even with the shootout they had here last night, Nick hadn't been aware that Grissom was truly in this much danger. Now, he was terrified for his friend. Especially since his main source of protection was now hurt. Sean seemed to read his thoughts. "Don't worry about Mr. Grissom, Mr. Stokes. I'll watch over him until Moira is awake." Sean pulled himself up to his full height. Nick glanced back into the autopsy bay and saw Grissom sitting next to the table, holding Moira's hand. She hadn't regained consciousness, yet. But that didn't seem to stop Grissom from talking to her. Brass pushed the hair off her pale face. Sara was busy passing sutures to Robbins as he patched holes and slices. O'Reilly was picking up Moira's ruined clothes and placing them in the biohazard bag. He asked Brass a question and nodded when he got a response. O'Reilly sat the bag down and poked his head out in the hall.
"Nick, we have to dispose of Grissom and Moira's clothes. Brass says there is a bag in Grissom's office. Can you bring it down here?" he asked.
"Sure," he started off down the hall but stopped when a thought occurred to him. "I assume it's best if no one knows you guys are down here?" he asked.
"Definitely," O'Reilly replied and returned to the autopsy bay. Nick headed upstairs for the bag. As he got upstairs, Catherine managed to corner him in the hallway, before he got to Grissom's office.
"So, what happened?" she asked him. She didn't like all the hush- hush. Nick tried to wave her off.
"The less you know the better it is." He told her. She grabbed his arm and pushed him up against the wall. This was Grissom's life he was referring to, and Brass and his cousin. Nick knew she wasn't going to relent. So he gave her Sean's simplified explanation.
"Look, Moira's associate said two very bad guys put out that contract on Grissom," he whispered. "Now there's only one.and Moira got hurt taking him and his six bodyguards out." He was a bit shaken by all this himself. He had NEVER seen Grissom this emotional over ANYTHING. "Now let me go. I got to take them some fresh clothes." Catherine stood aside and allowed him to pass.
"What have we walked into?" she asked the air. If Moira died, Grissom would not only be emotionally vulnerable, as Nick said.there was still another man out there that wanted him dead. She decided to head for the autopsy bay to check out the damage for herself. She prayed, for all their sakes, that Moira Kelly was as tough as everyone said she was.