Thanks so much for the reviews! I enjoy reading them and I love knowing what people are thinking about the story. Also, thank you to everyone who gave suggestions as to the Sara/Grissom relationship. I am trying to build that more slowly and realistically, but it's harder than I imagined. So, please be patient, and let me know what you think, it always helps!

Chapter 12 – Painful Revelations

After a hushed conversation, Grissom and Sara left the decision of whether or not they would stay to Hannah. The little girl pondered the possibility; certain that she wanted to get out of the current situation as soon as possible.

"We could leave?" She asked tentatively, not sure what to make of the news.

"We could leave," Sara answered gently. "But we need to talk to someone. So we'll have to find another doctor. But if you don't like Dr. DeMaurier, we won't stay."

"It's not her," Hannah whispered softly.

"I didn't think so," Sara replied. "We could stop for today. But it might be better if we talked some more. And maybe we could find a way for you not to be so afraid."

"You could quit work," Hannah said hopefully.

"Baby doll, that's not what I meant."

"I know," Hannah answered darkly.

"Hannah, do you think we could give Dr. DeMaurier one more try?" Grissom posed the question carefully, not really wanting to see the child suffer any longer but also very anxious to get to the bottom of her fears.

"Okay," the little girl answered in a whisper. She pulled away from Sara a bit and sat back on the sofa, preparing herself for another onslaught of questions. When the doctor returned, she noticed that the tiny girl seemed very determined to stay strong and do whatever her pseudo-parents thought best.

The doctor perched once more across from the newfound family and focused her attention on Hannah, who was watching her carefully. "So, Hannah, what makes you worry when Sara and Gil go to work? We'll start there."

"I don't want to be alone," Hannah informed her softly.

"Do Sara and Gil always come home after work?"

"Yes," Hannah answered.

"Then what makes you think they won't?"

"I don't know," Hannah answered softly.

"Well, I think there's a simple solution. Hannah, would you feel better if you could call Sara and Gil at certain times? That way you would know that they were okay."

"I guess that would be okay."

"I think it could be arranged," the doctor said with a gentle smile. "So what's going to make you feel better about Sara and Gil going to work?"

"I know that they will always come back."

"I'm glad you know that now. And I think they are too. Have you ever met anyone else like Sara or Gil?" The question was vague, but Hannah attacked it from the same direction the doctor was hoping she would take. Did the little girl know any other adults who happened to be decent human beings, kind in every day life?

"Catherine is nice. She stays with me sometimes. And Julie. She watches me when Sara and Gil have to go to work. And Greg is funny. And there are other nice people at the lab."

"The lab where Sara and Gil work?" Hannah nodded. "Anyone else?"

"Not really," Hannah answered with a frown.

"What other kinds of adults have you met?"

"Miss Debbie was mean," Hannah said, matter-of-factly. "And Mr. Jack was a bad man."

"Why was he bad?" Dr. DeMaurier asked. Sara and Grissom were intently listening, having all too much knowledge as to what has probably made this man bad. Children were very perceptive and rarely were so secretive about things unless they were truly taboo in the adult world.

"I can't tell," Hannah answered, her voice tapering off in a wavering tone.

"You can say anything in this room, Hannah," Dr. DeMaurier informed her, "I want you to know that you're safe here. Everyone in this room wants to help you."

"What should I say?" Hannah wanted to tell them, but she couldn't; in her four-year-mind, she wasn't sure where the adults wanted the conversation to go if she couldn't divulge anymore information.

"Do you want to talk about Mr. Jack?" The doctor posed this question despite the fact that Hannah had already offered many signs that indicated that she did not want to talk about him.

"It might help, baby doll," Sara said gently, "but only if you want."

"He was Miss Debbie's friend. He came to the house. I couldn't leave." Her voice was trembling and Sara could feel her beginning to shake.

"You're safe here. We're right here," she reminded the little girl in a whisper, rubbing her back reassuringly. She was so tiny and young to have such horrific memories.

"Mr. Jack would yell all the time and sometimes throw things. One time, he threw a glass and I got a piece in my hand. But Miss Debbie pulled it out. And he would do bad things when Miss Debbie wasn't there."

"What kinds of thing?" The psychologist prompted gently, not wanting to disrupt the flow of the little girl's story.

"Bad things," Hannah repeated hollowly. "He would touch places." Sara had heard enough; she was fighting to keep the tears at bay while Grissom attempted not to tear apart a nearby throw pillow.

"Hannah, you are such a brave little girl. We are all so proud of you for talking about such grownup and hurtful things. Do you think we could talk a little more while Sara and Gil waited outside?" Dr. DeMaurier suggested that arrangement mostly because she could see that the little girl's story was having an adverse effect on the adults. And one thing Hannah did not need to see was her safety nets falling apart. Hannah looked at the two adults questioningly and Grissom nodded, offering his consent.

"They can't leave," Hannah said softly, burrowing closer to Sara.

"We're not leaving," Sara answered, firmly.

"Hannah, Sara and Gil are going to stay right outside this room. They're not going anywhere. I just thought you and I could talk. Just between us." Hannah looked at her skeptically, and then turned her eyes to Sara.

"Only if it's okay with you, baby girl," Sara said softly.

"I guess so," Hannah answered uncomfortably. Sara and Grissom were led outside and then into an observation room, where they were able to see and hear everything going on with Hannah. Sara sat in a chair near the window and Grissom stood behind her, his hand reassuringly resting on her shoulder.

At first, Hannah seemed fine without them. But after a few minutes, she slowly regressed in manner and speech. Dr. DeMaurier asked her to play a game of checkers and Hannah pretended not to know how, despite the fact that she played it quite frequently with both Sara and Grissom.

"Hannah, let's try something else."

"Okay," the little girl consented.

"I have these two dolls. This one is you," she said, indicating the doll with the dress, "and the boy doll is Mr. Jack. Why don't you show me how they would play together?" Hannah shook her head and crossed her arms, fearfully eying the dolls.

"I need to go in there," Sara said quickly, pulling away from Grissom

"No, Sara, she's fine."

"That is not fine," Sara said frantically.

"Just give them a minute." They turned their attention back to the room in just enough time to hear Hannah say,

"I want Sara." Grissom had to physically hold Sara back, firmly taking her hands in his to stop her from running into the room. Hannah walked toward the door, intent upon leaving and going back to her guardians.

"Hannah," Dr. DeMaurier said firmly. "Sara can't help you." Sara's eyes flew open wide and she looked incredulously at Grissom; how dare this woman say such a thing to upset her little girl.

"Sara and Gil wouldn't leave," Hannah said defiantly, but they heard the terror in her voice.

"No," Dr. DeMaurier agreed. "But they aren't in this room with you."

"Are too," Hannah argued proudly.

"Where?"

"They love me, so they're always here," Hannah said, fingering her white gold heart, "Sara said so."

"She's a smart lady, your Sara. And so are you, my dear. But it's not good to keep secrets. Because they hurt, way down deep where you can't see. And Sara and Gil don't want you to hurt."

"I can't tell," Hannah said, her voice obviously vibrating with frustration.

"Why is that?"

"He'll come back."

"Hannah, do you know what your guardians do for a living?"

"What are guardians?"

"Sara and Gil. They make sure that the bad guys don't hurt more people. They will protect you. You never have to worry about Mr. Jack again."

"Really?"

"Really," Dr. DeMaurier said gently. "What if we bring them back in and we all talk about Mr. Jack. Then, there will be no more secrets. I promise, it will help. Hurtful things are easier when you share them."

"I don't want anybody to be mad."

"No one will be mad at you," Dr. DeMaurier said firmly. "You are a good little girl. Nothing that Mr. Jack did is your fault.

"Okay."

"Good," Dr. DeMaurier smiled gently. As soon as Hannah spotted the two walking into the room, she ran straight for them, jumping directly into Sara's arms.

"I want to go home," she said frantically.

"We will, baby," Sara assured her as she held her close.

"But I think that Dr. DeMaurier wants to talk a little more before we go. Is that alright with you?"

"Can we just go home?"

"We can, if you want," Sara assented, glaring at Grissom when he attempted to argue. "But this isn't going to go away until you talk about it. I wish I could make all the bad things go away, but I can't. And we can't help you unless we know what happened with Mr. Jack."

"Can I sit with you?" Hannah asked in a whisper.

"Of course you can sit with me," Sara consented. She crossed the room to a more comfortable looking sofa and sat down, pulling Hannah into her lap and putting her arms around the frightened little girl. Grissom sat next to them, offering his silent support. The doctor switched on a tape recorder and perched on another chair, not far from the small family.

Throughout the following hour, they heard terrible tales of what had occurred in just the past few months of Hannah's young life. This Jack person had, as they had feared, violated the tiny child in the worst and most unforgivable way. Hannah remained steady as she retold what she could remember but Sara had to work hard to remain calm. Eventually, she felt a strong hand wrap around hers as Grissom offered his own reassurance and stability. Despite their reluctance to fall apart in front of the little girl, Sara and Gil were both in tears by the end of the session.

"Nothing like that is ever going to happen again," Grissom told her firmly as he held his niece in his lap. "I'm so sorry those things happened. But I promise, you're safe now."

"I know," Hannah said through her weeping. She was crying because everyone else was crying; it was a natural reaction for a child. Eventually they gathered their things and prepared to leave, scheduling a much shorter session for the following week. Hannah, emotionally exhausted, was asleep in Grissom's arms before they reached the car.

"That was awful," Sara seethed as Grissom closed Hannah's door. She was standing in the parking lot, her arms crossed and her expression angry. "It went too far."

"Sara, I think the doctor knew what she was doing. Hannah's going to be fine," he said, reaching for her hand. Sara pulled away and turned, pacing a bit before addressing him again.

"She's never going to be fine," she said, tears flowing down her cheeks. "How can she be fine when someone violated her? Violated her right to be an innocent little girl? How can someone do that to a child?"

"Shh," Grissom soothed as he pulled her into his arms, successfully stopping her fidgeting. "It's okay to be upset. But not angry. Hannah won't understand it. "She may have awful memories, but she's safe now. And she knows that. We can't change the past, we can only make sure that her future is full of love and security."

"You sound like a hallmark card," Sara said with a laugh as she sniffled and attempted to wipe away some of the tears.

"I missed my calling as a greeting card phrase writer."

"Never too late to reinvent yourself," she teased.

"And let you have all the fun? Nah," he said with a shake of his head. He put his arm around her and led her to the passenger side of the car and then made sure she was settled before closing the door and rounding the car to slide into the driver's seat. Most of the ride home was silent, but Grissom could tell that Sara was still fighting tears. She had gone through several tissues since they had left the parking lot. Once Hannah was in bed for what looked to be the night, Sara found herself standing in the hallway, unsure of what to do. It was late, but she felt strange going home to her empty apartment after such an emotionally draining day.

Grissom found her staring at a shadowboxed butterfly in the hallway and at first he was at a loss for words; how did he ask her to stay? It was times like these when he wished he were more social, that he had more people to go to for advise. "I should probably go," she said quickly, blushing as she realized that he had been staring at her.

"You don't have to," he answered uncertainly.

"It's late," she returned piteously.

"I could make dinner. We could watch a movie," he said, the hopefulness in his voice evident enough to make Sara reconsider. A gently smile quickly graced her features and she took the hand that he tentatively offered.

"I'd like that," she answered softly. Kicking off her black heels, she curled up in the corner of the sofa and gratefully accepted the glass of red wine that Grissom offered her a few minutes later. Sara scrolled through the cable movie guide while she listened to Grissom moving around the kitchen, apparently preparing something edible. She quickly found a channel playing Gone With the Wind and switched it on before taking a few good sips of the wine.

"I never took you as a romantic," Grissom commented as he saw Vivien Leigh sweep onto the screen.

"Gone With the Wind is the quintessential romance," Sara informed him, "everyone should know it. Besides, I am a romantic. You're just thick-skulled." Grissom looked at her strangely, not quite knowing how to answer the off-handed insult. "Hey," Sara said as soon as she saw his face fall, "I'm teasing. What are you thinking?" They had spent far too long avoiding each other's feelings and she wasn't about to let something else come between them.

"I'm thinking we should have done this a long time ago," he answered gruffly.

"We are now," Sara said, her expression lighting up with a smile, "that's what matters." Their conversation was interrupted by the kitchen timer and he pointed, indicating that he should get back to the food. After finishing a small portion of the pesto pasta, Sara found that her eyes were refusing to stay open. Although the movie was one of her favorites, she couldn't seem to concentrate on it. Before she knew what was happening, she was floating in the air, slowly moving. She realized that Grissom was carrying her into his bedroom.

"I'll sleep on the sofa," she objected as he placed her under the covers.

"Stay in here," Grissom ordered softly. "Sweet dreams."