A/N: Well, I got to post a little sooner than I thought I would so I hope you all enjoy the next chapter... *evil hat...on*. Lol! Thank you to everyone for all your great reviews, pleeeeease keep them coming but don't forget if you sign in as a guest I can't reply to you so try and sign in if you can!

On with the show :D

Chapter 5

Brass led a confused and anxious Grissom to the command unit and took him inside. "Any luck?" the captain asked looking to Colin who was still trying to call through to the store.

The negotiator shook his head. "Not yet."

"This is CSI supervisor Gil Grissom..." Brass gestured, clearing his throat tentatively, "...Gil, this is Colin Dexter."

The negotiator held out his hand. "Too bad we couldn't have met under better circumstances, you have quite a reputation," Colin replied as Grissom shook his hand. "I'm going to do everything I can to ensure your wife and son both come out safely."

Faking a smile Grissom looked through the numerous monitors in front of him trying to get a look inside the store from any one of the many cameras which had been set up. He couldn't see inside though, the blinds which had been pulled down made sure of that. "Tell me everything you know, Jim, right now," he demanded, flicking his eyes to his friend. "I want to know who has my family and what the hell we are going to do to get them out of there."

The captain sighed and rubbed his hand heavily over his chin before starting. "Right now all I know is at approximately seven thirty I joined the pursuit on a car suspected of being used in an armed robbery."

"Where?"

"Give me a chance will you?" Brass asked holding up his hands.

The CSI sighed but nodded, he just wanted to know what was happening.

"It appears our two gunmen burst in on a jewellery shop as the owner was leaving and locking up but he managed to raise the alarm as they left. We will know more soon, the team are at the scene right now." Brass leaned against the wall and folded his arms as he continued. "We continued the pursuit until the suspects went off the road just around the corner. They ran, we followed and they took the first bit of cover they could find. A couple of people managed to get out when the shooting started."

"Shooting?" Grissom gasped. "Who the hell got shot?" His fingers clenched...in and out...every nerve in his body pinching till it hurt.

Brass scratched his head. "At this point we don't know who or how many people have been hurt, I'm sorry."

The CSI felt his heart rate dramatically increase. He really didn't know how he would handle his wife and son being hurt again. "Do we have an I.D on these men?" Grissom asked, desperate to know exactly who they were dealing with.

"Not yet," Brass admitted. "But we should soon. As soon as we hear from Catherine we will know more."

"So until then?" Grissom asked urgently, needing to do something.

"We wait..."

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Inside the store the atmosphere was beyond tense. The two gunmen argued amongst themselves by the counter while they looked into the bag which had been on Jay's shoulder ever since they entered the store. Sara watched carefully as their initially quiet conversation became heated and Ryan suddenly ripped the bag from his brother's shoulder and threw it onto the counter.

"We have time so, stop panicking and relax!" he finally yelled.

Every captive looked up at them when Ryan shouted and received a glare from Jay in response, causing them all to avert their gaze back away from the two men. All apart from Sara who kept her eyes glued to the brothers. She was definitely intrigued as to what was in the bag and why they were arguing. But one thing she was certain of, her son needed to get out of there and the sooner, the better. She watched as Jay pushed past his brother to lean against the counter but then her eyes flicked to Ryan and she shivered when his eyes met hers, dead on.

"You look a little tense," he said stepping towards her. "Is there anything I can do to relieve your anxiety?" he mocked.

Sara found herself a little shocked at his offer even if it was a sarcastic one. But she had nothing to lose by playing along.

"Actually, yes," she responded quietly.

"Oh?" he chided.

"You can release my son."

Ryan grinned, brows raised. "Now why would we want to do that?"

"You don't need him; you have me and the others. He's seen more in his lifetime than you can possibly imagine. He shouldn't have to be here and go through all of this and you know it."

"Why do you think I care?" he responded very much lacking in enthusiasm.

Sara ran her bound hands up her sons back as he snuggled closely to her. "Because he is only a child, you must have some compassion. Bad things happen to good people, please, let him go. I promise you if you..." she swallowed hard, "...do, I will do whatever you say, whenever you say it. I won't run. I won't try anything. I will do what I can to make sure you get out of this..."

"Strong words for a CSI." Jay shot across the room. "Sara Grissom, C...S...I..."

Sara's glance shifted to him and a look of shock highlighted her face. She tried to speak as she saw Jay rifling through her purse but no words came out of her mouth as he held up her I.D and wafted it through the air.

Ryan walked over to his brother and snatched the I.D from him. He turned back to Sara and as he slowly walked towards her she noticed how his eyes darkened.

"You're a cop!?" he shouted angrily.

"No, no..." she said quickly, holding up her bound hands in defence, "I'm not a cop, I'm...a crime scene investigator."

Her captor stopped. "What's the difference?" he spat.

"I erm..." Sara thought quickly, "...I collect evidence, find out how people died, I'm not a cop, I don't arrest people or..."

"But you put them in jail..." Ryan interrupted.

For one of the few times in her life Sara found herself lost for words, technically he was right. She just didn't know what to say. "Look," she stuttered, "right now this is about you showing a little mercy and allowing a young boy to leave a fiendish situation." She tried so hard to change the subject although she felt it was a futile attempt but she didn't expect Ryan to leap forward and yank Michael from her grasp.

"Mommy!" he screamed the second he was pulled from the comfort of his mother.

"What the hell are you doing?" she cried in horror, getting quickly to her feet as Ryan backed away with her son.

"Don't, you, dare, move!" he spat through gritted teeth as he yanked his gun from his belt and pointed it right at her.

Swallowing hard Sara held up her hands in submission as her eyes flicked between Michael and the gun. "What are you going to do with him?" she whimpered. "Please, please don't do this. He hasn't done anything!" she finally screamed.

"Shut...up!" Ryan demanded, flicking back the safety on the gun.

Silencing, Sara felt her gut roll as he glared at her.

Refusing his captive another word Ryan turned with Michael struggling in his arms and headed for the door. "Unbolt it," he instructed his brother but Jay frowned and didn't move.

"What are you doing?" the younger brother asked the elder.

"Just do it!" Ryan growled.

Out in the command unit Grissom's eyes were glued to the monitors and their footage of the store. He gnawed heavily on his nails as he desperately waited for something, anything to happen. Suddenly he heard one of the officers holler..."Door is opening," and shot to his feet.

Before Brass could react the CSI was already out of the unit and out on the street, running towards the store. When he reached the tape he stopped and caught his breath but as soon as he saw his son being pushed through the door he ducked underneath the tape. With all the speed he could muster he ran towards Michael with absolutely no consideration for his own safety.

"Gil! Wait!" Brass shouted, seeing his friend alone and running towards the scene. But Grissom didn't listen and continued towards his son. "Everyone, hold your fire," the captain ordered as he quickly followed.

As the store door closed Michael stood afraid, alone and looking completely lost.

"Michael!" Grissom shouted as his son aimlessly looked around. Finally the young boy saw his father and cried out his name. The CSI didn't hesitate for a moment as he bounded towards him and quickly swept him into his arms. "I got you...I got you..."

"Gil, get the hell away from there!" Brass hollered as he ran towards father and son, two SWAT officers by his side, guns drawn and aimed at the store.

As Grissom turned with a sobbing Michael in his grasp Brass grabbed his arm and dragged him away back towards the hefty line of SWAT that had their weapons ready and waiting to strike on the first order.

Ducking back under the tape the supervisor whispered words of comfort to his trembling son and carried him away from the chaos towards a waiting ambulance.

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Sara stood aghast as she watched Ryan bolt the door securely. Michael was gone, her captor had released him but she was shocked at the fact he had done so.

"Why did you do that?" Jay whined, "You gave away a hostage."

"Because..." Ryan began as he started back towards Sara, "...we have all we need right here."

With a heavy swallow Sara took a step back as he advanced on her. She wasn't keen on where this might be going.

"Sit!" he demanded, pointing his gun to the chair behind her.

Quick to comply Sara took the few steps backwards she needed until the back of her legs clipped the chair and she sat as ordered, resting her bound hands on her bump.

"I don't get what you mean," Jay added checking the hostages with a quick glance before returning his attention to his brother.

"We have a CSI." The elder brother smiled as he continued to explain, "And a pregnant one at that. The release of her son just gave the idiots outside confirmation of that. I have a feeling their priorities may be a little different now. Isn't that right, Sara?"

"I don't know," she responded shaking her head.

He stepped a little closer. "You don't know?"

"No."

"Hmmm," he sniggered, leaning over her. Placing his hands on the arms of the chair he looked her dead in the eye and she couldn't help but shudder. "Would they risk the life of one of their own, especially in such a fragile condition?"

She looked away from him and he stepped back.

"What does your husband do, Sara?"

His question somewhat startled her and her glance sprang back to meet his.

"I presume you do have a husband?" he questioned. "You do wear a ring."

Now what did she say?

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Grissom continued to sooth his son as they reached the ambulance and a blanket was immediately placed over the sobbing boy.

"What the hell are you playing at, Gil?" Brass growled as the supervisor sat Michael on the back of the vehicle and checked him over. "You could have got yourself killed."

The CSI just glared at him for a moment before returning his full attention to his son. "Michael, are you alright?" he softly asked cupping his hands gently around the quivering boy's cheeks.

Sniffing hard Michael seemed unsure whether to nod or shake his head, eventually he nodded.

"Sir," a voice came from behind and Grissom turned his head to see two paramedics. "We should check him."

The supervisor nodded but as the man and woman approached, Michael leapt from the back of the ambulance and back into his father's arms.

"Hey, hey, hey," he whispered, tenderly rubbing his sons back. "They won't hurt you; they just want to make sure you're okay, sweetheart."

Shaking his head Michael dug his face into his father's shoulder and tightened his grip.

"Alright, alright..." Looking at the paramedics Grissom shook his head. "Maybe in a little while, he needs some time."

They agreed and stepped back as Grissom sat where Michael had been a few moments earlier and he placed his son on his lap. "Do you think you can answer a few questions for Daddy?" he asked softly, "About...Mommy?"

At the mention of his mother Michael immediately looked up into his father's eyes and nodded furiously.

"Good boy." The CSI smiled lovingly. "Is..." he hesitated, clearing his throat. "...is Mommy hurt?"

Brass watched on eagerly, nibbling on his lip as Michael shook his head.

A heavy sigh of relief fell from Grissom lips. "Is anybody hurt?"

Now Michael nodded and the captain and the CSI exchanged worried glances.

The tender interrogation was cut short by an officer approaching and whispering in Brass's ear. The lawman looked to his friend. "Dexter is going to try and call again."

Nodding with haste Grissom scooped Michael back into his arms. "Until Catherine gets here, he stays with me."

"Fine," the captain agreed and they walked back towards the command unit.

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Tentatively looking at her hands for a moment, Sara entwined her fingers. "I have a husband..." she admitted lifting her head to look back at Ryan, "...and...he's...he's a good man."

Ryan was about to respond but the sound of the phone ringing again stopped him. He smiled slyly before spinning around and walking towards the phone. He reached out his hand to pick up the receiver but suddenly he stopped. "They can wait..." he looked to his brother, "...just a little longer."

As he looked back to Sara with a smug grin on his face, she sighed heavily and returned her eyes to the floor.

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Brass and Grissom entered the command unit as Colin hung up the telephone. The negotiator looked to the captain and shook his head.

Grissom frowned and placed Michael on a chair, softly rubbing his cheek with his thumb before looking back to his friend. "Michael said people were hurt, do you know who? Did you get any information from the people who got out?"

"Not much," Brass sighed. "They just ran, although, they did say one guy at the counter got hit, that much they did see. Anything else, they were already out when it happened."

"So we still don't know how many people are inside and how many are hurt?"

"Not exactly," the lawman admitted, "At least now we know Sara isn't hurt, so that's a good thing. For now anyway..."

Thinking for a moment Grissom knelt on the floor in front of his son. "Michael?"

The young boy looked to his father.

"Do you think you can answer a few questions for daddy? They are very important questions and you are the only one who can give me the special answers that I need, okay?"

Michael first nodded but then he shook his head.

Grissom and Brass exchanged glances both looking equally confused.

"Why?" the CSI asked tenderly.

"I'm thirsty," he pouted in response.

With a gentle smile Grissom softly ruffled his son's hair with his hand before looking up, "Colin do you have anything to drink in here?"

"Um...yeah." The negotiator stood and headed to a cooler box in the corner of the unit. "What would you like?"

"Juice or water," Grissom replied.

Colin Rummaged through the cooler and pulled out a bottle. Walking to Grissom he handed it to him.

Checking the label Grissom smiled and held up the bottle. "Apple juice, Mike, you want some?"

Nodding furiously Michael held out his hand as Grissom unscrewed the cap and he handed the bottle to his son. Michael took the bottle and glugged heavily from the contents.

"Better?" Grissom asked as his son now pulled the half empty bottle from his lips.

"Yes," he sighed in satisfaction. "Better."

"So," the CSI began, "do you think you can answer some questions for me now?"

After a moment's thought Michael eventually nodded.

"Good boy," the supervisor said with a smile. "Now, can you tell daddy how many people were inside the store when the bad men came in?

A look of deep concentration fell upon Michael's face as he began to count his fingers. "Eight," he said, holding up his fingers.

"And does that include you and mommy?" Grissom continued his gentle questioning.

Again, Michael thought and then nodded.

Grissom smiled and rubbed his son's cheek. "Good, Mike, good, you are doing very well."

As Father and Son talked, Brass took notes, paying close attention to everything that was said.

"You said mommy hasn't been hurt, right?"

"Right," Michael mimicked his father with a smile.

"Can you tell me how many people are hurt?"

Again Michael thought for a moment and counted but he seemed to hesitate with his answer this time.

"It's okay." Grissom rubbed his shoulder while offering him more juice. He knew recalling the painful parts would be difficult. "Want some more to drink?" he asked holding out the juice.

Nodding quickly young Grissom took the bottle and sipped lightly from it.

"So," Grissom continued, "do you think you can tell me how many people are hurt so we know how many people the nice paramedics have to help?"

Taking a deep breath Michael bobbed his head and passed the bottle back to his father. He contemplated for a moment and then held up two fingers this time. "Two," he stated.

"Good, Mike, good." The CSI smiled again, holding his hands on his son's shoulders now and continued. "The bad men, are they looking after the people who are hurt?" Grissom wasn't sure whether or not Michael would know what he was eluding too but they really needed to know how badly the people inside were hurt. Without aid, their time would be crucial.

"No but Mommy help." Michael smiled, obviously proud. "Mommy help lady, she much better but not help man with badge. Too late, he not move anymore."

Now Grissom frowned. "Man with badge?" he asked.

Michael turned his attention to Brass and pointed to his shirt. "Badge!" he shouted. "He had badge like, Uncle Jim. Michael likes badges."

"I know you do," Grissom sighed as he stood, softly placing his hand in his sons hair and giving it another gentle ruffle. "Here..." He handed him the remaining juice, "...you have another drink alright while I go and talk to Uncle Jim?"

"Yes, drink." Michael took the bottle with haste as Grissom stepped towards Brass.

"I'm going to make a call," the captain said as soon as Grissom approached. "See if we have any officers M.I.A."

"Whoever Michael is talking about may very well be the same person who got hit at the counter, although he didn't mention he was dressed in a uniform. If he was I'm sure Michael would have said he was an Officer and not just a man. You know what he's like with the whole police thing."

"Yeah..." Brass half smiled, "...that I do. Off duty, maybe?"

"My thoughts exactly," the supervisor agreed. "But from what Mike has said, he's..."

The captain gnawed on his bottom lip. "This just gets better," Brass sighed. "I need to..." He held up his radio, "...try and find out who this guy is."

Grissom heavily rubbed his chin noting the aggravated tone which had suddenly appeared in his friend's words. Killing a cop would not sit very well with anyone involved at the scene let alone Jim Brass and that scared Grissom. It would not make for easy negotiations and that put his wife in even more danger.

As he watched Brass exit the command unit the sound of Michael speaking caught his attention.

"Finished, Daddy," he said, holding up the now empty juice bottle.

Smiling he stepped up to his son and took the empty bottle, throwing it in the trash. "You had enough?"

"Yes, Daddy," Michael nodded.

"Good," Grissom responded, reaching down and picking him up. "Do you think we can let the nice paramedics have a look at you now? I know your ok but we have to be sure, alright?"

"Ok."

"That's my boy."

Grissom kissed Michael on the cheek and the youngster wrapped his arms around his neck as he carried from the unit.

A/N: Ugh oh... I think a few of you were worried about what would happen if they found out who Sara was... Now she's in real trouble! Ooops... what next? Reviews pleeeeeeeeeeeease :D Love you all!