Author's note: Sorry for the delay! I know I said I'd post Friday, but my drumline scheduled a late practice, then Saturday we had an all day competition. But, starting this week, I will be updating AT LEAST once a week (if not more) and I will be trying to make the chapters much longer! So, please, enjoy!

……….

He stared at her out of the corner of his eye, just like he had been doing for the last half an hour. Stealing glances at her, trying to convince himself that she was still there. And of course she was, it was just so hard to get used to when she wasn't making a sound in the seat next to him.

It was raining outside; rare in Las Vegas, but not uncommon for the Denver area. Sara's form was still, her head leaning against the car window, moving slightly with the movement from the car. The streaks from the rain cast light shadows over Sara's cheek, but Grissom had a feeling her face held echoes of the same pattern from her tears.

"Sara…?" he asked her still form quietly.

She woke with a start, and sat up in her seat, her eyes wide as she turned to face him. Recognizing his face, Sara calmed down, and leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry… did I wake you?"

Grissom kept his focus on the road, but listened for Sara's reply. He bit his lip when she didn't reply right away, but continued to watch the road. He cast a quick glance at her when she leaned against the window again, and rubbed a tired hand over her face.

"I wasn't sleeping," she mumbled.

"It's ok if you were, Sara, you need the rest."

"I'm fine, Grissom. And I wasn't sleeping, I was thinking."

"Well, you should catch some sleep on the plane, at least. We're almost to the airport," he shrugged his shoulders, and continued, "You'll recover better once you're home, anyway."

Sara looked away slowly, fighting away the fears and anger that rose freely into her head. She wrapped her arms around her shivering form, hoping for their warmth to seep through her cold skin. She choked back a sob as tears formed behind her eyes. Shaking her head, Sara sighed.

"Who are you to tell me how I'll recover?" she mumbled.

"Sara, I'm just trying to help," Grissom's eyes briefly rested on Sara's shaking form.

"Trying to help?" she shook her head, "You leave me with that bastard for two years, and now you want to play hero?"

Grissom shook his head, "Sara, no, that's not…"

"Damn you Grissom! What were you thinking, that you'd show up, say a few sweet nothings, sweep me back home and everything would be normal again? Is that what you thought? You'd pretend like the last two years never happened? Well, guess what Grissom, they did, and I've got the scars to prove it! You have no idea what hell I went through!"

Sara fumed, turning her head to face him, her eyes piercing him to his very soul. Grissom stared at the road, thinking of exactly what to say. She had every right to be mad; in all honesty, he had hoped things would be that easy. He wanted that old life back, but things would never be that way again. He licked his lips slowly and calmly started to speak.

"I know they were real. I lived every day wishing they weren't. I kept the file on my desk, went through it every shift, hoping something would jump out. And, you're right, I don't have any idea what happened to you, but that's why we're going to Las Vegas. You may not feel safe with me, but maybe you will with the rest of the people who worked everyday trying to find you. Then maybe… maybe we can get some idea, and we can catch whoever it is who did this to you."

"Why can't you just let it go?" she asked.

"Why can't I?"

Grissom was still shocked by her lack of wanting justice. Sara had always been an avid supporter of bringing the bad guy to justice. Whoever had taken her, whatever bastard had done this to her, had really done a number, and even if Sara wasn't all that willing to find this guy, Grissom was. So, Grissom pushed.

"You do know that what happened is a crime, right?"

Sara stared at him in disbelief, "Of course I know it was a crime, Grissom, I've worked on solving crimes like this for years!"

"So why can't you find justice for yourself if you were always so willing to find it for others. Why do you want to give up so badly?"

Sara sat silently for a moment, staring at her bruised hands before answering, "Nobody had to deal with him. He made a lot of promises I don't want him to keep."

"What did he say to you, Sara? If you're trying to protect me from him, you can stop. I don't care what happens to me. I'm trying to protect YOU from this guy."

Sara huffed, "No offense, Grissom, but two years ago you really didn't do such a great job of protecting me."

The car went silent, except for the patter of rain against the windshield, and the wipers clearing them away. Grissom sighed.

"I know… I'm sorry. There are a lot of things I probably could have done differently, and I regret not doing every single thing. But Sara, none of that changes what happened. We can look back on all of the things we could have done, but it can't change what has happened. Trust me, Sara, trust me like you used to. Let me help you. Please."

Sara shuddered at the desperation she heard in his voice. Sara looked down at the ground and took in a deep breath before slowly letting it out. Turning in her seat, she looked at Grissom, pushing her fears aside, briefly forgetting all the bad things that had happened. For a moment, it felt like old times, sitting in the car on a way to the scene, hoping the few hours before the end of shift would go by quickly so the she could fall into his arms again. But the moment was quickly broken when her hand found one of the many bruises and she flinched.

"I want to trust you."

"You can."

"It's going to take awhile."

"I know. I can wait."

"Grissom?"

"Yeah?"

"You really kept it on your desk?"

Grissom grinned, and nodded, "Yeah. God, I wanted you back so bad. I looked so hard, Sara… we all did."

Sara sighed, "He told me so many lies, Grissom, but I had to start believing something."

"Sara, I… I know it's going to take awhile before you trust me again, but this… going back home, will be good for you. And you'll be safe, I promise."

Sara hesitated, then nodded, "Ok."

Grissom grinned and turned to the road once more, determined to make her feel safe, protected, and maybe, even loved again.

……….

The lights went off, and Sara knew the door was going to open before if did. And when it did, she knew the devil himself was walking through it.

"We're going to play a game," she heard the darkness say.

"Trying to win me over?" asked Sara sarcastically.

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll pretend like you didn't say that."

Sara heard the click of the man's shoes against the cement floor, and shuddered when she felt his breath against her skin. She closed her eyes and licked her dry lips, trying to keep him distracted from other things.

"Why are you doing this?"

His form retreated, and Sara relaxed. The man walked through the room, and sarcasm dripped from his voice as he spoke, "I was a bored and neglected child. Bad combination."

Sara shook her head, "Neglected, but not so long ago, and you weren't too bored until you decided to take me."

"Smart Sara," the voice paused, "But then, how else could you have been Grissom's favorite?"

"So, its about Grissom?"

The man clicked his tongue, "We're taking an awful lot of risks today, aren't we?"

"I deserve answers if you're going to keep me here," Sara said as she shifted on the floor.

"You deserve nothing, not after taking so much from me."

Sara frowned as she listened to the man's steps. True, she had never really seen his face, other then the quick glimpse at the hotel, but she was sure she had never met the man. Could he be a stalker? Someone who had committed a previous crime she and Grissom had investigated?

"I'm sorry you feel that way," she said, "but as far as I can recall, I've never taken anything from you."

Then man shook his head, "Considering you could be dead soon, I'll let you in on a little secret. Grissom met a young, ambitious girl at a seminar once, and fell in love. In his blindness, he ignored the young, ambitious boy. I never did take rejection well."

Sara grinned, "So, it is about Grissom?"

"Yes and no. I like to think I'm killing two birds with one stone, no pun intended. I'm getting my revenge in two ways, destroying the man who destroyed me, and bringing pain to the women who stole his heart."

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

"I'm not, I'm finding this quite enjoyable. But, back to our game. It's simple, really. Sleeping is a luxury you no longer have. If I catch you, not only will you feel my wrath, but Grissom will feel it too… when he's identifying your body on the slab."

Sara was shocked, "What? But why?"

"I lost many nights of sleep wondering why. Now you can too," the footsteps headed for the door, "Sweet dreams… oh wait. I guess not."

The man laughed as he slammed the door behind him. It would be a long time before Sara trusted sleep again.

TBC