Author's Note: Okay so this is where I'm gonna need you guys to kind of forget the last eight episodes of season seven. I wrote this after Monster in the Box aired, but before Lab Rats. I told you I fudged up the end of the season, and now is when that comes into play. Thank you in advance for your understanding. And, thank you so much for all your love and support, as usual. It warms my heart! Have a fantastic weekend everyone! :)

Here's to chapter four! Hurrah!

Attempting to regain his composure, Grissom slowly made his way down the hall towards the layout room, dreading what he was going to have to tell his coworkers. Not my coworkers, he reminded himself. My friends, Sara's friends… our friends. Slipping into the room, the small mumblings in the room ground to a halt as everyone registered their boss and friend enter the room, looking… off.

Warrick spoke first. "Griss? Are you okay?"

Grissom collapsed into a chair and regarded them all with a look that rocked them to their very core; it was empty and cold. No one had ever seen Grissom like this, and they were pretty sure that whatever had put him in this mood did not bode well for any of them.

OoOoOoOoO

Sara loomed over the piece of paper, dreading what was written inside of it but at the same time curious to know what it said.

Bending down, she grabbed it and sank to the floor. She recognized Grissom's writing on the outside, and felt her heart begin to beat wildly.

She, gingerly unfolded the single sheet to find more of his writing on the inside, and slowly began to read.

OoOoOoOoO

Catherine stared at the computer screen, feeling the anger rising in her chest. The email sent to Grissom had been another "update," as their kidnapper liked to call them. This picture was again of Sara, but she was asleep – more than likely knocked out, Catherine thought – and didn't look as terrified. She was still pale and sweaty, but the gag had been taken off of her and she seemed to be breathing, meaning that she was still alive, for now.

Thank God.

Quickly printing both the most recent email and the previous one, she stood from the desk and headed for the layout room, in search of her team. It was time to find Sara.

OoOoOoOoO

"Sara."

"What about Sara?" Brass asked, moving towards his friend. "Have you heard from her? Do you know why she's not at work?"

"Kidnapped."

A gasp went around the room and everyone hoped that they had heard incorrectly.

"Pardon?" Brass asked, he seemingly being the only one who could speak at the moment. "Did you say kidnapped?"

"Yes."

"Oh God," Nick said, backing into the wall and sliding to the floor and holding his head in his hands. Greg quickly followed, his knees buckling and causing him to land in a heap, leaning heavily on Nick.

"What… Who… How?" Greg asked, trying, but failing, to come up with coherent questions.

"I don't know," Grissom said, his voice a mere whisper. "But we're going to catch this son of a bitch, and I'll make sure he's put behind bars for the rest of his life."

No one in the room doubted the man's vow for a minute. They knew he loved them all, but they suspected that he loved Sara a little more, perhaps a little differently.

Catherine ran into the room then, slightly out of breath. "Gil," she said quickly. "We got another email, he sent another picture."

Grissom paled even further, the color draining completely from his face. "Let me see it," he rasped out, reaching for the papers that she held in her hand.

She reluctantly handed them to him, not wanting him to fall apart in front of the others. He needed to be strong for Sara, himself, and his team if they were going to find her alive.

OoOoOoOoO

Sara stared at the letter, her eyes growing bleary with the tears that were threatening to overflow. She read it again, for what had to be the hundredth time in less than ten minutes. It said;

Sara,

Our parting was awkward. I don't know why I find it so difficult to express my feelings to you. Even though we're far apart, I can see you as vividly as if you were here with me... I said I'll miss you, and I do. As Shakespeare more ably wrote my sentiment in Sonnet #47,

Thyself away art presence still with me, For thou not farther than my thoughts canst move, And I am still with them and they with thee, Or if they sleep, thy picture in my sight, Awakes my heart to heart's and eye's delight.

The tears finally won, making tracks down her cheeks and spilling onto her hands and the edges of the paper. Pushing it quickly away from her, Sara let the note fall to the floor, not wanting the her tears to wash away Grissom's sweet words; she feared that they might be the last ones she ever received from him.

OoOoOoOoO

Pulling the pictures towards him, he also grabbed the new miniature and laid them out side by side. "Okay," Grissom said, fighting to control his voice. "We need to find out where this miniature is, and then we can save Sara."

"You think the miniature killer is the one who kidnapped Sara?" Brass asked.

"I do," Grissom answered.

"Why?"

"Because," Grissom said through clenched teeth, "I don't think that the fact that she's missing and another miniature just happens to show up in my office at the same time is a coincidence."

"Gil," Catherine said gently, "that's just a hunch. We don't work hunches."

Grissom rounded on her, his eyes flaring. "Do I look like I care Catherine? I don't care right now. My focus right now is finding Sara." Lowering his head, he felt the tears at the corners of his eyes threatening to make themselves known. "I want her back. I need her back."

Brass leaned over the table and gently removed the pictures from his friend's hands. Grissom looked up suddenly, a lost expression on his face. He didn't want to let them go; he couldn't let go the one connection he had left to Sara right now, even if he logically knew that that wasn't the case.

Gently prying them from his grip, Brass motioned for Sofia to follow him out the door and down towards PD. She stood slowly, and before leaving, she looked at Grissom. "Gil," she said quietly. "We'll find her. Don't worry."

Grissom attempted a smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "Thanks Sofia," he croaked quietly, voice nearing a broken whisper.

Sofia nodded and headed to the door, Brass on her tail. They hurried down the hall, away from the crime lab and its occupants. Quickly making their way to PD, Sofia asked, "What do we have so far?"

Looking down at the two email printouts, he answered, "Not much. These two emails and a miniature that Gil thinks is related to Sara's kidnapping."

"Not much to go on, is it?" Sofia asked, giving him a small smile.

"Nope," Brass said on a sigh. "The last time one of us was kidnapped…"

"Nick," Sofia said quietly.

"Yeah, Nick," Brass said. "You weren't here for that. "

"No, I wasn't, but I heard it got pretty bad and Gil was a wreck."

"Yeah, you could tell," Brass said, pulling Sofia into his office for some privacy. "Gil is not the kind of man to show his emotions. It's just not him. You've been here long enough to know that." Sofia nodded, agreeing. "But with Nicky, it wasn't a good thing to see. Grissom loves Nick, I mean he really does. He loves his whole team, and losing any of them would obviously haunt him. But Sara…" Brass trailed off, unsure of how to proceed.

"But Sara's an exception, isn't she?" Sofia asked.

"Sara is an exception, but not in a bad way," Brass explained, sitting down behind his desk. "Sara… Sara, she… Grissom loves her as well. She's a part of his team. But that affection goes farther," he sighed, "so, so much farther."

"Why?"

"I don't know. When Holly was shot seven years ago, he immediately called Sara. No questions asked, he didn't even discuss it with anyone. It was just, 'That's it, I need a CSI and I'm calling Sara.' It was odd, the way they interacted together. It was like she knew him so well, possibly better than he knew himself, and it was just…" he trailed off.

Sofia nodded again. "I know Sara and I aren't the greatest of friends, so I'm just wondering, is this little trip down memory lane important?"

Brass stood up again, and made his way to the door. "All I want you to know, Sofia, is that finding Sara is our only job right now. Nothing else in Las Vegas matters."

With that final statement, Sofia followed Brass to the door, completely ready to find the pretty brunette who had captured her friend's heart.

to be continued...