A/N: Thanks so much, guys. I know these author's notes are probably getting boring to read, huh? They all say the same thing! But thank you guys so much for your encouragement and reviews; just the fact that you're reading it makes me ecstatic! I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter.

Chapter Six: Checkmate

It was funny, Warrick thought, how a simple event in one's life could become some bring some phenomenal life-altering change to the way they looked at themselves or others. For Warrick Brown, this moment was the second that he felt Sara Sidle's lips against his own. Those few moments, just looking into her eyes was something Warrick Brown was not likely to soon forget. For at that moment, Warrick knew instantly he was the luckiest man in the world.

Warrick Brown was in love with Sara Sidle.

She was the damsel in distress, and he was her knight in shining armor. At the moment, she was the sleeping beauty lying on the thin white mattress in her hospital room covered with the blankets with Warrick at her side. Her arms were atop the blankets, resting at her sides, and her left hand was balled into a fist, holding onto the loose ends of the sheets as tight as her hands could.

Looking around the room, Warrick noticed the door was open. He hadn't heard a thing from Grissom or Brass since he had called them…maybe he should give them a ring, he thought. Hesitantly, and a bit reluctantly, Warrick got up from his place in the chair by Sara's hospital bed- a task that proved to be as difficult as a baby bird leaving the nest for the first time- to go and use one of the payphones in the hallway. Walking over to the doorway of the white room, Warrick shot one last glance at Sara, as if to reassure himself that she was still going to be there when he returned, and then walked off.

Warrick reached into his pocket for some more change as he ventured toward the payphones once again. He felt around and stopped when some coins fell from his pocket, landing on the ground with a loud clang. Picking them up, Warrick frowned as he discovered he didn't have enough for just one call. He had a few cents…a crumbled-up receipt and old cracked mint that had been in his pocket for god-knows how long. Looking in his wallet, he noted that he had a few dollars and decided to head to the receptionist's desk to ask if there was an ATM in the cafeteria.

Putting everything back in his pocket, Warrick headed down the hallway once again. After getting in an elevator and listening to the hum of the mechanical device for a few moments, Warrick got out on the first floor right next to the gift shop. Spotting the receptionist's desk in the very front of the room, Warrick headed in that direction, trying not to step on any of the tiny children that were running and crawling around the building on the blue carpets while a thus oblivious mother was catching up on what Oprah was doing in her magazine.

Finally reaching the counter, Warrick got the attention of the receptionist and she looked up from her computer monitor and her small work area that was decorated by various Disney memorabilia. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she greeted Warrick with a warm smile and asked, "How can I help you, Sir?"

"I was hoping if you could tell me whether or not there was an ATM in the cafeteria on the third floor? I needed to get some change," Warrick told her. He really didn't want to have to leave the hospital just to get some change.

"As a matter of fact, Sir, if you make a stop in the gift shop just over there," she motioned with her finger the gift shop behind him near the elevator he had come out from, "the cashier would be happy to give you some change."

"Thanks," Warrick told the woman, heading toward the gift shop. The second Warrick walked through the doorway of the gift shop he was hit with an overwhelming scent- a mix of floral and chocolate candies. It smelt better than the hospital rooms, Warrick thought, that much was for sure. Warrick looked around for a moment to see if he could find anything for Sara, but there wasn't anything that caught his attention and just screamed her name. He was pretty sure that she wasn't a big fan of Barbie pink.

Warrick then spotted the candy at the counter- candy bars, gummy bears, peanuts… So much for just coming in to get change, but…Warrick was hungry, so he picked up a Milky Way and set it down on the counter, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. After getting some dollars in change and paying for his meal, he walked out and headed back to the elevator, holding the wrapped candy bar between his teeth as he put his wallet back in his back pocket and hit the button for the elevator to come down.

Warrick got in the elevator as the doors opened and pressed the button for the right floor, watching the doors close and feeling that sinking sensation in his stomach as the elevator started to move. The doors opened after a second or two and he got out, walking down the hallway that reminded him of The Shining. Warrick ripped open his candy bar and stuck it in his mouth as he took out some coins for the payphones. As he was about to put the first coin through the slot, he turned around and saw the doctor from before that he knew was treating Sara.

He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but…at the same time, he did. But he couldn't hear much of what the doctor was saying…or he just couldn't decipher it. Her mouth was moving…damn, if only he could read lips. She was talking with one of the nurses and he noted the occasional wince, cringe, or grimace that came from the tiny nurse she was talking to, which was actually a very frequent expression among the young woman's face.

After a few moments, the doctor walked off, leaving behind a small manila folder on the counter. The nurse walked off and the folder was left behind. Warrick knew that had to be Sara's file…and the doctor hadn't really given him many details as to what sort of shape she was in at the moment. What…if there was something this woman wasn't telling him? What if something was seriously wrong with Sara? His Sara? And he didn't know?

Looking around, Warrick felt as though he was trying to sneak into the girl's locker room at a high school as he tried to be stealthy and secretive. Nonchalantly, he strolled over to the counter where the file was and his efforts were rewarded when he saw that the name 'SIDLE, SARA' labeled the folder. He took a deep breath and swallowed, completely forgetting about his candy bar that was now in his hands as he slowly opened the folder.

The first page was basic information- Sara's full name, date of birth, driver's license photo, home address, phone number... That wasn't going to tell Warrick much other than that her apartment complex was right next to a Holiday Inn and a Denny's.

Warrick flipped to the next page and his breath instantly caught in his throat. This was it.

His eyes scanned the page and he bit his lip, almost hard enough to draw blood as his face contorted into a frown.

Patient Name: Sara Sidle

Room Number: 309

DOB: …

That was just more of the basic stuff Warrick knew he was going to see. The next few lines made him feel sick to his stomach, making his uneaten candy bar seem like the most un-appetizing thing in the entire world.

Minor cuts and scrapes… bruising… head contusion… bite mark and bruising sustained to left breast…

"Son of a bitch…" Warrick hissed. Looking up, Warrick immediately remembered where he was and what it was exactly that he was doing (that he wasn't supposed to be doing), and he walked off, leaving the rest to his imagination…

My god…he really did do a number on her. Sara…god, Sara, how could you have been ashamed or embarrassed not to tell us? Warrick thought, slowly heading back to her room. This bastard…he's going to get his, Warrick thought. But how was that going to happen if he was in the hospital just sitting around, looking like he was waiting for doom? He wasn't doing anything to help find this guy…and he knew that he should be. Not for him. For Sara.

Walking into Sara's hospital room, he looked down at her and sighed. She looked so peaceful…he hated to leave her, but he needed to catch this guy. And she was asleep; he knew…he wouldn't be that long.

Looking down, Warrick noticed a small lump in his jacket breast pocket. Raising a brow, he reached inside and wrapped his fingers around something…something plastic.

The chess piece- Sara's chess piece.

Warrick smiled, looking at the piece for a long moment. If…he kept that chess piece with him, it would be like having her there with him; it would be a small reassurance that she was always with him...that she would always be on his side.

Heading over to the hospital bed, Warrick kneeled down and lifted the chess set from before up off the floor. Reaching inside the box, he pulled out his white king piece from before. Looking down at the sleeping Sara, he pressed the chess piece against his lips and slowly opened Sara's right hand lying next to him on the bed, placing it in her palm and re-wrapping her fingers around it.

"I'll always be with you, Sara…" Warrick whispered. "And you'll always be with me… and I promise…that I'm going to catch this guy," he said, though he knew she could not hear anything he was saying. Getting to his feet and putting the chess piece in his jeans pocket, Warrick leaned over and kissed Sara's forehead before walking out of the room.

Warrick walked straight past the restrooms and the payphones in the hallway, leaving behind an uneaten candy bar on the counter along with a good $0.89 in coins. Nothing else mattered to Warrick more than catching the guy who had put Sara through so much pain and suffering. He loved Sara, and this man had hurt her.

It seemed as though Warrick had teleported. Now he was in his Tahoe, doing at least 80 through a residential area. He sped off toward Winston Street, the address Sara had given him. Maybe he would be able to find some more evidence to help nail the bastard's ass- he was certainly awake enough for the job.

Warrick rounded corner after corner, looking at each street sign to try and lead him in the right direction. Flashing lights blinding Warrick were no obstacle for him as his eyes blocked out everything else in the world except for the street signs he was looking for. Finally he made it to Maple Street, a street he knew connected to Winston. Stopping at a stop sign, Warrick looked around for traffic as he thumbed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. He could see the yellow crime-scene tape, he knew he was close.

Warrick pressed his foot down on the gas pedal and turned left, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw the green street sign half-covered in graffiti that read 'Winston Street' in faded white writing. Just as Warrick was about to get out of his car to retrieve his crime-scene kit from the trunk, he spotted a figure in the distance who were obviously oblivious to his SUV parked around the corner. Warrick reached into his glove compartment in the passenger's seat and grabbed a spare Mag-Lite, clicking it on. He quietly got out of his car so he could see who this person was from afar, to make sure if wasn't someone like Catherine or Grissom.

Warrick poked his head around the corner just a bit to try and get a view of this person's face. Their clothes made them very visible in the moonlight- he was wearing a large over-sized white shirt, he obviously wasn't in law enforcement. He had a black bandana wrapped around his head and he pulled his baggy black jeans up around his waist as he walked over to the crime-scene, completely ignoring the crime-scene tape.

White shirt…black jeans…mustache… Warrick was beginning to put the puzzle pieces together. Was…this the guy? He certainly fit Sara's description. As soon as the guy ripped the crime-scene taped out of his way and begin to trespass into the scene, Warrick made himself visible. "Hey!"

The man immediately spun around and looked at Warrick who shone the Mag-Lite's small beam of light into his face. Not waiting for Warrick to say anything else, he ran off.

"HEY!" Warrick yelled, dropping his Mag-Lite onto the ground as he bolted after him. "STOP- LVPD!"

This didn't seem to faze the guy; actually it only seemed to make him run even faster in his haste to escape Warrick's sight. He was running down the street as fast as he could, but Warrick was faster. He had so much driving him at this point- Sara, rage, his promise to protect her and catch this guy.

Suddenly the man turned and ran into an alley, jumping into the air and wrapping his fingers around the gated fence leading to the other street. He tried to climb it, but Warrick moved faster and grabbed his shirt collar from behind, yanking down to the ground. "So you're the son of a bitch, huh?" Warrick asked.

The man just looked at Warrick and threw a punch, landing a blow right below Warrick's eye. Warrick immediately returned the blow, slugging him right across the face and watching as blood began to drip from his nose. The sound of sirens in the distance distracted Warrick, giving the suspect plenty of time to return another blow to Warrick.

His leg connected with Warrick's side who angrily growled in response, punching him once again in the face. Knocking him to the ground, Warrick sat on top of his legs. "Feels different when you're the bitch, doesn't it?" Warrick coldly spat.

"Oh, she was good at it," the man replied, his lips curling into a grin over his now blood-stained teeth from a blow to his jaw.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Warrick yelled, raising his arm up to throw another punch.

"WARRICK, STOP!" came Brass' voice. Immediately Warrick was being restrained by officers as he continued to try and claw at the guy.

"Brass, that's the bastard that hurt Sara!" Warrick yelled, still struggling to get out of the officers' grasp.

Brass looked down and noticed the suspect reaching into his pocket for a weapon. Brass yanked the guy to his feet and pulled his arms behind his back, cuffing them into place. Brass led the guy away and Warrick reached into his jeans pocket, holding the chess piece up to the light. "Checkmate…" he whispered, looking down at the piece. "We got 'im, Sara…"