A/N: Apologies for the delay in posting. At this point in time my writing is bordering on nonexistent with my new job. I simply have no time but hopefully after Christmas, once things have settled down a bit I can get back to it and a more frequent posting schedule. As for now, if I can get 3 hours writing a week, I'm lucky, so please bear with me and I appreciate your patience.

All my thanks to SSC. You hold a more demanding schedule than I do but you still manage to beta for me, offer advice and be my friend. I have to say however, I have missed you these last few weeks and hopefully we can get back to our natters soon! Love ya babe.

So, on with the show…

Chapter 62

Laura was furious as she climbed the stairs and headed to her daughter's room. She could not quite believe that her husband had agreed to the trip being wedding orientated. It was supposed to be so Sara could get away from all that. Oh, she was not happy.

But as she entered Sara's room and found her daughter still sleeping, she decided to just sit by the window and wait for Hank to leave. She did not want to see that man right now and as soon as he was gone, she would ensure her husband would find out exactly why…

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Grissom woke to another headache that morning and he woke late. He tried to force the pain away as he dressed and quickly made coffee before walking out onto the porch. Upon sucking in a fresh breath of the cool morning air, he sighed and took a sip from his cup.

Looking out over his land, he remembered how hard he'd worked to accomplish what he had. Why did it suddenly feel like it wasn't enough? He felt like a failure.

The sound of Hodge's voice startled him and his head snapped around to see his helper strolling towards him.

"Good morning," the worker announced as he drew closer. "Did you enjoy your sleep in?"

Glaring at his assistant, Grissom took another gulp of coffee but ignored the comment. "Don't you have work to do?" he asked, leaning backwards against the cabin.

"I am…" Hodges pointed behind him, "…just mucking out the stables but I wanted to ask if you…" he hesitated and fiddled with his hat "…were coming back to work. Jobs seemed to have piled up. A fence on the south side needs repair, the barn roof is leaking, the horses need exercising and the breeding schedule will be due to start again shortly and…I still need you to check Athena. As I said last night, the birth of her foul is very close."

Swirling what was left of his coffee around and around, Grissom took a moment to think as he stared into his cup. "Just do what you can for now," he responded raising his head. "I will check on Athena later."

It was obvious by the look on Hodge's face that he desired to push the matter but he decided not to and offered a nod. "Fine…" he sighed. "I'll get back to it then."

Grissom nodded and Hodges walked away and back towards the stables.

Placing his cup down, the rancher leaned forward over the porch rail and stared into nothing. He knew he needed to help Hodges; after all, his estate was all he had now. He couldn't let it crumble before his eyes, could he? Did he actually care?

Thankfully his elaboration of that thought was cut short when the sound of a cough caught his ears. Straightening himself out he looked to his left to see Teri by the porch steps looking up at him.

She smiled. "Good morning, Gil." She held up a basket. "I bring breakfast…"

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As Laura watched Hank climb upon his horse and disappear down the driveway, she heard Sara stir. Pushing herself from the chair, she approached the bed just as Sara rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes.

The lady of the house smiled as their eyes met. "Good morning, sweetheart," she said softly as she reached out to feel Sara's forehead. "How are you feeling?" Laura noted Sara was no longer hot and gently pulled her hand away.

Clicking her lips together, Sara swallowed. "Thirsty."

"Here," Laura poured a glass of water from the porcelain pitcher by the bed and handed it to her daughter as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Thank you," Sara said before gently sipping from the glass. The sip turned into a full blown glug and she quickly finished the entire glass, sighing happily once the water was gone.

"Better?" Laura asked, taking the now empty glass and placing it back onto the bedside table.

Sara nodded. "Much, thank you."

"Do you still feel sick?"

Now Sara shook her head. "No, Mother…I have no idea what came over me last night…it…just came on all of a sudden."

"You think you can get up?"

Sara nodded again. "Once I've woken up properly," she added with a smile.

"You take your time. Get up at your own pace, Sara, alright? I will send Rana up with some breakfast and then she can help you dress." Laura paused as she recalled her daughters previous night's attempt at eating. "Do you think you can manage some breakfast?"

Sara thought for a moment as she leaned back against the pillows and then she nodded once more. "I do feel hungry actually," she admitted.

Leaning forward Laura kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Good," she replied as she pulled back. "Eat, dress and come down when you are ready. We have something to talk about."

Suddenly, Sara frowned and looked confused.

"Don't worry," Laura said quickly, noting Sara's expression. "It's nothing bad, alright, trust me?"

A small smile now passed over Sara's lips. "Yes, mother."

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Laura rushed down the stairs. The relief she felt a few short moments ago upon discovering her daughter was much better had now washed away, her thoughts returning to the trip and her husband's stupidity. She found Thomas in the study, sitting at his desk briskly writing notes on a piece of paper.

She slammed the door closed once she entered the room, so hard in fact that the captain almost bounced from his chair. The whole household probably heard it and she didn't care if they did. The captain looked at her with a rather stunned expression on his face.

"What…on earth are you playing at, Thomas?" Laura growled as she approached the desk.

Dropping his pencil, the captain stood and held out his hands. "My dear, calm down," he urged.

"Calm down?" Her eyes pierced through his as she gripped tightly onto the edge of the desk. "How can I calm down? I'm trying to get Sara away...from…the wedding…away from here… away from all this insanity and you go…you…you agree for the trip to be a shopping trip for the wedding?" She turned around and flung her arms into the air in frustration. "This just says to me you have ignored everything we talked about last night…"

She continued her rant angrily, keeping her back to him. She just didn't want to look at him, "…and you just want the wedding to continue as planned…" Taking a ragged breath she felt a chill run down her spine but tried to calm herself. "I can't believe you are just ignoring everything…" she finished on a whisper.

Stepping around his desk, the captain stopped directly behind his wife. "I'm not ignoring everything," he replied softly. "And, as far as I am concerned you can do whatever you want on the trip, I will not force any wedding shopping upon Sara."

With a deep frown, Laura turned to face him. With a shake of her head, she studied his face. "I don't understand. Why would you tell Hank it was a good idea if…?"

He stopped her with a quick raise of his hand and a tender finger across her lips. "The less Hank knows about the reasons for the trip, the better. By agreeing with him, it just makes him think he is in control and he won't ask any questions. Can you imagine the reaction if we said Sara needs to get away because of you and the wedding?"

"Oh…" Laura muttered as he removed his finger.

"And," the captain continued, puffing out his chest and crossing his arms, "I think the fact that Hank is footing the full bill makes it all the sweeter. He refuses to take any payment for it, so…you girls ensure you have a good time." An accomplished grin passed over his lips.

"Thomas…I'm sorry…I…"

He shook his head. "You are looking out for our daughter, Laura, so do not apologize and I haven't been especially paying attention lately have I? So I don't blame you for reacting the way you did."

"Are you…" She averted his gaze, reached up and fiddled with his tie, "…paying attention now?"

"Indubitably."

She smiled, looking back at him. "I'm so very glad to hear it."

Rubbing a hand over his beard, the captain smiled back. "How is Sara doing this morning?"

"She seems a lot better."

"Well enough to travel?"

After a moment's thought Laura shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure; I suppose that is a question I would need to ask her. Why? Do you think we should leave today?"

He took her hand and they began moving towards the door. "Well, I am going to start doing a little digging and I'd rather you and Sara were safely away from here…just in case something should go wrong."

Feeling her heart skip a beat, Laura stopped, causing him to stop also. "Thomas, please promise me you will be careful and not take any chances. If you discover anything you must tell the sheriff. Promise me…." Her words were firm, concerned but also quite gentle.

"I promise. The sheriff will be my first stop anyway as I need to talk to him. Alright?"

"Alright."

Now he smiled. "Good."

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Grissom sat at the table on the porch and stared at the plate Teri had laid out before him. Eggs, bacon, potato, cheese and bread. He looked up at her as she poured coffee and she smiled as her eyes flicked to his.

"I'm not leaving until you eat that," she informed him. "You look like you haven't eaten for a week."

He rolled his eyes at her comment. He didn't need mothering.

"I saw that," she said with a smirk as she pushed a cup of steaming hot coffee in his direction. "Now eat, If you don't I'm going to stay here and keep on cooking until you do."

Now Grissom's eyes widened at that proposition. "Fine…" he grumbled holding his hands up in defeat, "…I'll eat."

With a gentle snicker, Teri slipped into the chair opposite him. "Good," she said, waiting for him to start eating before she picked up her own fork. "So…you want to tell me what's going on with you?"

Grissom actually enjoyed the taste of the salty bacon on his tongue as he slipped it into his mouth. He felt his stomach rumble as he chewed and it reminded him that it had been sometime since he'd eaten anything. He slowly swallowed the bacon before answering Teri's question. "I don't know what you mean," he mumbled, sticking his fork into a piece of cheese.

Snorting, Teri picked up her coffee and sipped from the cup. "Really?" she mocked.

"Really," he replied innocently, although he knew that answer wasn't going to be good enough.

"Hmmmm…." She put her cup down. "Alright, so…explain to me the reason you are drinking…" Looking behind her, she counted the three empty bourbon bottles lined up outside the cabin door. "… as if the world depended on it? Explain why you look like…like…damn Gil, you look terrible…And why are you back? You looked so happy last time I saw you. I have an idea as to your return but I would rather you told me. You really look like you need to talk to someone."

Suddenly, Grissom lost his appetite again and dropped his fork. He opened his mouth and then paused before shaking his head. "I can't talk about this…" he said before standing and walking away from the table. He slipped down the cabin steps but Teri was quick to follow. He'd only got a little way before she grabbed his arm and he stopped with a sigh.

She tugged his arm and he turned to face her. "I can see the despair in your eyes, Gil. Please talk to me," she pleaded. "If you don't… you are going to be eaten alive by your demons and…you may never recover…"

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Sara sat by the window. A small smile graced her lips as she watched two sparrows sitting on a tree branch, chirping away to each other. Upon hearing the door opening, she turned to see Rana entering the room.

"Morning, Miss Sara," Rana said merrily. "I have breakfast for you." She approached the young heiress and placed the tray she was carrying down onto the dressing table.

"Thank you," Sara replied, pushing up from the chair. Her stomach rumbled as she approached the tray but the second the aroma of eggs caught her nostrils, her stomach suddenly turned again and her nausea returned. Just as the night before, her hand shot to her mouth but this time, her distressed eyes caught the housekeepers and not her mothers.

Rana was quick to act though and rushed forward. Slipping an arm around Sara's waist, she urged her back to the window and quickly pushed it open. "Just breathe, Miss Sara," she urged. "Nice, deep breaths…breathe in the fresh air and don't think about the food, Miss."

Following Rana's advice, Sara quickly inhaled and absorbed the outside air rather than the odor of the food.

"Don't move, Miss," Rana added. "I am going to place the tray outside and I will be back in a moment."

Closing her eyes and continuing to suck in deep breaths, Sara just nodded and placed her right palm against the wall to try and steady herself. Her stomach twisted in knots again and she fought not to vomit. Why did she feel so sick again?

As she was about to finish her thought, she felt Rana behind her again and her eyes slowly opened as the sudden wave of nausea disappeared. With a hearty sigh, she faced the house's helper.

"Are you alright, Miss?" Rana asked, looking her in the eye.

"I think so…" Sara replied a little uncertain, "…just the smell…makes me…"

"I should go get your mother," the housekeeper continued.

Grabbing Rana's arm, Sara shook her head. "Please don't. I'm fine really. Maybe just, not ready to eat, that's all." She faked a smile.

Rana's eyes narrowed.

"Please…" Sara pleaded. "Don't tell mother…"

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Grissom had conceded to Teri's request to talk. Well, for the most part anyway. They sat, side by side on the porch steps, he stared dead ahead and told her all about the Grove's issues, the sabotage, the murders, Michael, and his suspicions about Jeffery McKeen. He told her the reason he left was because his word no longer meant anything and no one would listen to him. Basically, he felt he was no longer needed and he would never support anything that McKeen was involved in.

Once he'd finished, he turned his head to see her staring at him. "What?" he asked, suspicious of the look she was giving him.

She licked her lips. "Didn't you forget something?"

"Did I?" he replied innocently.

"Or…" She scooted a little closer, "…should I say…someone?"

Grissom's mouth opened, closed and then opened again but no words came. He bowed his head and pulled his eyes from hers. Teri's lips turned upwards into a smile…..such true Grissom fashion, she couldn't help but think.

There was a moment of silence before Teri spoke. "Do you love her?" she asked.

Feeling his heart catch in his mouth, Grissom closed his eyes. It hurt so much to think about it. "It doesn't matter…" he whispered.

He jumped when he felt a gentle pressure on his hand and his eyes opened to see Teri's fingers entwining with his. "Why?"

"Because she made her choice," he growled, feeling anger once again swelling through every pore of his body.

She tightened her grip on his hand. "Have you actually stopped to consider the reason why she made the choice she did? I mean…really thought about?"

Raising his head, he looked at her again.

"When I saw you two at the party, it was blatantly obvious, to me, that she felt for you, very deeply. Do you ever pay attention, Gil?"

He frowned, his gut cramping as he began to recall the party…after the party…him and Sara…but before he could get too lost in thought, the sound of horse's hooves beating into the hard earth caught his attention…

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Relief spilled through Sara when Rana agreed to keep her returned nausea to herself. The housekeeper was quick to take the tray of breakfast down the back stairs and return it to the kitchen so no one would see Sara hadn't eaten. She then returned to her room with hot water. Sara washed, brushed her teeth and Rana helped her dress.

She made excuses as Rana laced her corset and commented about her weight and the fact she was looking rather thin.

"I do pay attention, Miss," she had said.

Even before the nausea, Sara hadn't been able to eat since the night of the fire. Her heart cried for something and it wasn't food.

After thanking Rana for her assistance and understanding, Sara headed downstairs just hoping her sickness would not return. So far, it hadn't and just the single spell was all she suffered.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, the large bunch of flowers that sat on the table in the hallway caught her attention. Sara loved flowers, plants and all types of flora and this was probably why she enjoyed spending so much time in the garden and of course for the peace and quiet. She approached the glorious bunch of carnations mixed with chrysanthemums and lilies with a tiny smile forming on her lips. She could sense their aroma as she drew closer she was happy the smell didn't make her feel sick.

Picking up the bunch, she inhaled and sighed, they smelt amazing. So sweet, fresh and natural. She spotted a small white card tucked in between a few of the stems but as she was about to pluck it out, she was distracted as her mother's voice caught her ears.

"Sara…"

Turning her head she saw her mother approaching.

"…I'm happy to see you are looking refreshed. Did you manage breakfast?"

"Um…" Looking back to the flowers, Sara averted her mother's gaze, "…these are very pretty, where did they come from?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Taking a step closer, Laura looked to the flowers. "Hank brought them…"

Sara's chest suddenly tightened and very slowly, her eyes met her mother's again.

"He was here earlier…" Laura continued, "…insisting on seeing you but I said you were unwell. He left the flowers for you."

Dropping the flowers back onto the table, Sara felt an eerie chill rush down her spine. "How nice…" she mumbled with no feeling what so ever. Snapping her attention from the flowers she faked a smile. "So…you said earlier we had something to discuss. What might that be?"

A/N: How will Sara react to the idea of getting away? How will the trip work out and does Laura have a plan? Will the Cap actually be able to find anything out and if he does, will he do anything about it? And Grissom, what's next for him? Will he sink deeper into depression or will he snap out of it? So, so much is about to go kabooooom! Lmao. Well, eventually.

Many thanks for all your lovely reviews, please keep them coming. They make me smile and inspire me to continue :)