A/N: I promised a longer chapter and here she is. Of course, if you don't count the song in the beginning, it's close to the same length, but meh. I go with what the word count says. In any case, usual disclaimer. Blah blah blah. Oh, I don't own the Hail Mary prayer, and apologize if I got it wrong; I'm not Catholic. I also do not own the Lord's Prayer. I also left out the last part of the Protestant Lord's Prayer (For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever) because I was attempting to adhere to the Catholic tradition of not saying that part. Whatever. This Author's note is REALLY long. So just read it.

Chapter 10- I Say a Little Prayer

"The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little pray for you
While combing my hair now,
And wondering what dress to wear now,
I say a little prayer for you

Forever, and ever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you
Forever, and ever, we never will part
Oh, how I love you
Together, forever, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only mean heartbreak for me.

I run for the bus, dear,
While riding I think of us, dear,
I say a little prayer for you.
At work I just take time
And all through my coffee break-time,
I say a little prayer for you.

Forever, and ever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you
Forever, and ever we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, forever, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only mean heartbreak for me"

I Say a Little Prayer by Aretha Franklin

Sara kept walking, past the main entrance to the hospital, past the nurses' station, past everything, until she found herself at a place she never thought she'd be. She had wound up at the chapel, and her mouth twisted at the irony. She looked around and sighed. It wouldn't hurt to try, right? She pushed open the heavy oak door and stepped inside, savoring the silence that hung in the darkened room. It was a pretty chapel with a few pews as well as all the other things one would expect to find in a chapel. The only light came from the stained-glass windows on the back wall, and few flickering candles.

Sara paused, slightly unsure, then stepped into a pew and sat down. She stared up at the figure of Jesus on the cross until her eyes started to blur, and then she closed her eyes and rested her forehead on her folded hands.

"Hey God," she began, her voice little more than a whisper. "It's me. I know we haven't really talked in awhile. That's my fault, I know. Actually, the last time we spoke wasn't too different from now, huh? Things were kinda similar, remember? The explosion? I think I promised you anything if you would make Greg ok. And he was. But still, ironic, huh? Here we are again, and God, it's about Greg." She paused, trying to formulate the words in her head so she could say what she meant. "I know that he wasn't himself. I know that. But I just wish...I wish he had thought of another way. Look, I know you know what happened, so I won't go into that...and look, God, I won't even ask you why you did this to him (although I'd love to know why), or anything like that. It's just...he has to get better. He has to. Because..."

The realization settled in her stomach like a load of bricks.

"Because I love him."

Warrick sighed as he strolled through the halls, looking for Sara. Grissom had sent him to find her. He had looked everywhere, the cafeteria, the bathrooms, everywhere. Well, everywhere except...

His mouth opened in surprise as Sara stepped out of the chapel. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. "Sara..." he said, stepping forward and enveloping her in a hug. She hugged him tightly, then let go, stepping away and wiping her face.

"I...I should go. How is he?"

Warrick shook his head. "No change."

Sara nodded slowly, then walked away, deep in thought.

Warrick stared after her, then looked in the chapel. It was so peaceful in there. He wondered vaguely how many people had come in here to pray, to offer God anything to save their loved ones. He stood, back resting on the wall, and began to speak, hoping God would hear him.

"Man, I don't know what to say. I've never been very good at this. It's been...I dunno, years since I went to church. I guess the main thing I want to ask is that you please, please save Greg. Don't let him die, man, please. We all love him here, even if we don't show it, and I don't know what we'd do without him...what I'd do without him. He's like my little brother. Wrong color, but hey, it's what's on the inside, right? Well, on the inside, we're bros. Forever and always. Take care of him, Lord. Please, let my brother be ok."

Nick sighed as he slumped in the pew. He had been in the little chapel for almost a half hour now, and still hadn't said the things he'd come to say. He looked up at the statue of Jesus and was disgusted by the benevolent look the artist had carved on his merciful features. Nick sat forward and started talking, eyes never leaving the statue.

"Now would be the time for begging and pleading, right? Promising you that I'll change, I'll go to church, I'll read the bible, if you'd just spare Greg. Well, fuck that. I've seen too much shit in this world to believe that if someone starts going to church then you'll relent on the crap you throw at us. I understand you're punishing people. Hell, I deserve what's coming to me. I killed someone in cold blood. I shot her, I fucking killed her and I don't even feel one goddamn ounce of remorse. But Greg, man...Greg doesn't deserve any of this. He's a good kid...kid being the key word. He's just a kid. I know he's, what, thirty? Thirty-one? Maybe older, I dunno...but inside...he's still a kid at heart, and a sweet, innocent kid at that. Why would you want to take that away? Why? What did Greg do to you?

"There's that psalm, right? 'The Lord is my shepherd' and all that shit, right? Well, you're the worst fucking shepherd ever. I don't care if I burn in hell for all eternity for saying that, cuz it's true. I need Greg here, we need Greg, we..."

He broke down crying and could only manage one word more.

"Please."

Grissom stared around at the now vacant chapel. After discovering Nick in there, sobbing, almost twenty minutes ago, he had insisted that Nick go home and sleep. Now, he was here, in a place he never thought he'd set foot in again. He had been a religious man at one point in his life, a Catholic, in fact, but he'd semi-abandoned his spirituality in pursuit of science. Now he sat, the cold wood of the pew providing no comfort to him. He tried to remember how to say a Hail Mary.

"Hail Mary, full of Grace,

For the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb

Hail Mary, Mother of God

Pray for us sinners now

And at the hour of our death"

He faltered and stopped. Those words hit a little too close to home. He prayed that this wasn't the hour of Greg's death. Switching gears, he began the only other prayer he remembered from his Catholic days. (A/N: The Italicized words in the parentheses are what Grissom thinks as he says the prayer.)

"Our Father, who art in Heaven" (Is there even a heaven? And if Greg dies, will he go there?)

"Hallowed be thy name" (I wish I knew if you even exist...I wish...Oh, God, I wish for so many things...)

"Thy Kingdom come" (If this is supposed to be your kingdom, how could you do this to him? How?)

"Thy will be done" (How could this be your will? Look at him...at how broken he is...is that your will?)

"On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our Daily Bread" (Give him this day, please...let him live to see the day...)

"And forgive us our trespasses" (Will you forgive them? Will you forgive them for what they did to this beautiful, innocent boy?)

"As we forgive those who trespass against us" (Never. No way in hell will I ever forgive them for what they've done to him)

"Lead us not into Temptation" (Yeah, you did a great job with keeping Bishop and Manchester out of temptation)

"But deliver us from evil." (Why couldn't you deliver him? Did he call on you? Did you hear his cries? Who will be his deliverer now?)

A/N: Oh, just as a side note, I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone's religion.