CHAPTER 6

Grissom woke with a groan. The muscles in his back went into spasm as he moved - a result of having spent several hours slouched sideways in the living room chair as he slept.

He blinked owlishly as he got his bearings.

The room was quiet and there was no sign that Alex had arrived back.

Pushing himself painfully to his feet, he stretched his back and winced as the muscles bit back, then made his way down the corridor to the guest bedroom.

Sure enough, it was empty.

Sighing, he made his way back to his own room and lowered himself down onto the bed and closed his eyes. He would just wait a few minutes for his back to settle then would get up and call Sara. He didn't mean to doze off again but he had had precious little sleep the night before and a hectic day at the university and his body simply refused to co-operate any longer.

The bed creaked slightly and he felt the mattress beside him sink a little as someone lay down next to him.

He jerked upright.

"Hey, it's just me. Sorry I woke you."

He blinked several times to clear the remaining sleep from his eyes. His heart rate slowed as he realised it had been his wife and not a psychopathic brother-in-law that had woken him.

"Hey." he replied, his voice hoarse from sleep. "You home already? How were things at work?"Sara shrugged before cuddling in close.

"It was OK." she replied, stifling a yawn. "I finished up early. How did you two get along?"Grissom rolled his eyes without Sara seeing.

"Alex left around 10:30 last night." he replied.

Sara sat upright, suddenly awake. She stared at him in disbelief.

"What? He left?" she repeated, "Where did he go?"Grissom shrugged and turned his head towards his wife.

"I don't know." he replied. "He just said he was leaving and….he left."Sara continued to stare at him, a mixture of anger and fear gnawing at her.

"And you just let him go?" she asked accusingly.

Grissom's eyebrows creased in a brief frown.

"Well, he wasn't very receptive to anything I had to say." he said simply. "I told him we were responsible for him while he was out on bail and asked him not to go….and he went anyway."Sara scowled at him a second longer before pushing up from the bed with an angered intensity and stalking out into the corridor and down to the guest bedroom.

She returned a couple of minutes later obviously pissed.

"Bed still empty?" asked Grissom quietly.

Sara simply nodded her head and flopped down on the bed again.

Grissom watched her for a brief moment before rolling over and drawing an arm across her.

"I'm sorry." he murmured softly.

He felt her body tense up as she rolled her back to him, but her hand came up to cover his and keep it in place over her abdomen.

Grissom sighed and tightened his grip. He loved his wife more than anyone in the world and knew from past experience that her psyche was damaged from her childhood experiences. He also knew that sometimes the only thing he could do to ease her inner pain was just to hold her tight and not say anything.

It was almost an hour later that Grissom heard the front door open and movement in the living room.

He still lay holding his wife, who had finally succumbed to exhaustion and fallen into a deep sleep. Pulling his arm gently away from her, he rolled and pushed himself up from the bed, stretching his back before reaching down and covering Sara with the angora blanket that sat at the foot of the bed.

Heading out of the bedroom he found Alex, wide eyed and anxious - clearly unable to keep still - pacing through the living room.

"You came back." Grissom said unnecessarily.

Alex swung around and stared at him, his eyes positively gleaming with a wild intensity. Grissom frowned a little in concern. In all the years he had worked with victims of drug dependence, it was the unpredictability of their actions that he found the most unnerving.

"Are you feeling OK?" Grissom asked, frown deepening as Alex continued to prowl the room like a caged lion. "Are you high?"

Alex snorted then laughed - a cold, humourless laugh.

"What do you care." he spat out. "It's none of you're business what I've been doing."

Grissom folded his arms and held firm despite an irrational urge to throw his brother-in-law out of his home.

"My name is on your bail form, Alex." he replied calmly. "That makes it my business."

Alex advanced towards him forcing Grissom to take a step backwards - albeit cursing silently to himself at giving him any ground at all. As if sensing he had the advantage, Alex smirked and continued to progress until he was right in front of him. He tried not to flinch as Alex leant right into his face.

"What's the matter, bro? I scare you?"Grissom didn't reply but stood his ground and maintained eye contact.

Alex continued his verbal assault.

"You think you're so much better than I am, don't you! You think you have it all!" Alex's voice rose in volume the more he went on. "Well, you got nothing, brother! You're nothing more than a useless, old piece of…"

"ALEX!"

Sara's shout startled Grissom more than Alex's rant and he jumped instinctively.

Alex's demeanour changed instantly as Sara ducked past her husband and pushed herself between the two men. He backed off straightaway looking suddenly uncomfortable - a world away from the thuggish bully of merely seconds before. It occurred to Grissom that he hadn't realised she was home - he must have assumed that she would still be at work and he smiled to himself - at last his wife had seen her brother for what he was.

"I trusted you." she said, eyes boring into Alex's "I put everything on the line to help you and you blew it."

Alex seemed to suddenly sober up.

"Sara. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I lost control tonight. I need help. Please."

"Save it, Alex." she replied calmly, voice devoid of any emotion that would certainly have been festering underneath. "Gil and I have put a lot on the line for you. If we can't trust you to stay here and keep off the drugs for one week - ONE WEEK, ALEX! - then maybe I should just send you back to jail right now."

"Sara, please…" Alex's voice had a pleading quality - almost that of a small boy. "The drugs have a hold, Sara. They control me. It's so hard."

"I know it's hard, but you couldn't go 24 hours without a hit?" Sara challenged. "Alex, you're behaviour towards Gil has been nothing short of obnoxious. If you don't want to be here with us then go. Leave. But remember this…you came to me for help. You came to me to get off the drugs which are systematically ruining your life. You asked me to help you and I am. You walk out that door now and you not just let me down but you let yourself down too. Your choice."

She finished talking and leant back defiantly, folding her arms firmly across her chest.

Alex stared at her. His expression was one of a remorseful child. Suddenly, a flash of cunning passed over it - the hint of a malicious smile tweaked at the edges of his mouth - before he righted himself and turned his expression back.

Sara frowned slightly. She thought that she had seen it, but began to doubt herself. Then, just as she was about to back down and accept him remorsefulness, she saw it again - the glimmer of malevolence passed back across his features.

"Get out." she said cooly.

Alex recoiled as if her had been slapped.

"Sara."

"Go." she replied. "You have been playing me ever since you arrived. Now leave."Alex paused a moment longer, a humourless and hostile smile creeping across his face, then turned and stalked to the doorway - sideswiping a framed wedding photo of Gil and Sara into a wall as he passed - and left. The door slammed shut as he went and Sara felt herself finally relax.

She heard a deep breath being released next to her and turned to look at her husband.

"Are you OK?" Grissom asked quietly.

Sara nodded slightly and went into his waiting arms.

"I'm sorry." she murmured against his chest and felt his gentle hand come up to rest against the back of her head.

"There's nothing to be sorry for." he replied. "You were looking out for your brother."Sara closed her eyes and relaxed into his embrace. She was done with her biological family. She would create her own family instead with the man she loved.

And they would be a happy.

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