A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay. Real life has been a bit of a bummer lately but finally the new chapter is good to go. Best thing is I have the next one all perfect and good to go too! Mwahahaha. The hat is firmly on and dictating right now so you better be ready. My amazing beta SSC has convinced me to do something I had not planned to do so…ugh…be ready for that too! I will be ready to run when you have your pitch forks! Lol.

All my love and thanks to SSC. I know it's not been a great time for you babe so you fitting my little ficlet into your schedule is immensely appreciated. I love you and you are always in my thoughts! You make this fic more and more intense with every word you add.

On with the show….

Chapter 71

Sara sat by her mother on the sofa in the lounge and they both watched as the captain paced back and forth, rubbing his chin over and over again. She wanted to say something but she wasn't quite sure what. Her father still looked rather angry.

Finally, the captain ceased his pacing and ran his right hand swiftly through his hair. "I'm not sure where to start with all this," he sighed, looking to his family members.

"How about you start by sitting down?" Laura suggested.

Blowing out a breath of hot air, the ranch owner nodded and slipped into his chair. "I feel like such a fool," he said as soon as he sat. His eyes locked on Sara. "I should have seen…I should have known…" Sitting forwards he reached his hands to Sara's and held them tightly. "You say you love someone but you were prepared to sacrifice that and…any hope of happiness for me?"

A heavy lump formed in Sara's throat and she tried to swallow. She slowly nodded.

The captain sighed and looked to his wife who just offered him a gentle smile. He returned his attention to his daughter.

"I'm sorry, Father," Sara apologized. "I just…couldn't go through with it…I…" She closed her eyes and fought back her tears.

Her eyes opened when she felt her father's soft hand on her cheek. "You don't have to be sorry, Sara," he tried to sooth. "You're sacrifice touches me deeply but it shouldn't have happened. Why didn't you tell me the conditions of the marriage?"

"I just couldn't," she whispered. "I thought…I thought I was doing the right thing and I thought that maybe…I could learn to love Hank and that things would work out." She sniffed hard. "I just couldn't bear the thought of seeing you ruined but…I have ruined you anyway. Haven't I?"

"No." The captain was quick with his firm and simple reply.

As the captain stood again, Laura and Sara exchanged a glance. "What do you mean?" Sara asked. "How can this not spell the end for us? The colonel's money was all that was going to save us."

"How about we take a walk around the garden and I will explain? It looks as though we could all use a little air..."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

When Hank got home, he wasn't exactly sure how to feel. He was angry, so very, very angry. How dare she do that? How dare she? But then, as he thought about how his uncle was going to react, he felt very uncertain and even a little afraid.

But Sara was just back up, right? A very nice proposition to have her as his wife and to be able to… He smiled. …feel that surely soft, sweet skin next to his. But in all honesty, they didn't really need her for their true goal.

Then again…he'd always liked her…had a crush on her…

Who was he trying to kid? He wanted Sara Sidle!

After taking his horse to the stable, he was quick to go in search of his Uncle. But he didn't have to go far, for the second he stepped from the horse compound; his elder family member appeared in front of him.

"Ahhhh…you're back," the colonel was quick to say. "Good. We have a lot to discuss and a problem.

Hank felt his heart rate speed up. He had his own problem to reveal. "Um…a problem?" he asked.

"Yes." The colonel stepped into the stable and Hank followed as he approached the first stall.

"Make sure you groom him properly this time," McKeen said as one of his workers pampered his horse.

The worker nodded quickly and sped up with his brushing. "Yes, sir."

Spinning around, the land owner stared at his nephew. "Thomas has pulled out of our deal, we are no longer partners."

Hank felt his pupils dilating and suddenly his legs felt like jelly. "What?" he stuttered, "How?"

Scoffing sarcastically, the colonel moved to the next stall and checked on another worker. "Because…" he continued, "…good old Samuel Braun left my dear friend a rather substantial amount of money in his will. So Thomas is now plush with funds and doesn't need our help. You and Sara are now the key to the city, my boy, so we must push the wedding as quickly as possible."

"Oh, God…" Hank said without realizing but by the time he knew he'd just let those words slip, it was too late.

McKeen's eyes narrowed as Hank suddenly turned very pale. "Is there something you're not telling me, Hank?"

"Um…" The younger man took a few steps backwards, "…Uncle…it wasn't my fault. I didn't do anything…I swear…"

As Hank continued to move backwards, McKeen followed his every step, advancing on him. "Hank…what are you talking about? What…have you done?"

Taking a deep breath, Hank answered. "Sara…called off the engagement. There isn't going to be a wedding." His voice shook with every word he confessed. He knew his uncle had an exceedingly brutal temper.

Lunging forward the colonel grabbed his nephew by his shirt and literally threw him from the stable.

Hank went crashing through the door and fell flat on his face. With true fear burning in his gut, he flipped himself over and scurried back on his butt and hands through the dirt as his Uncle advanced on him. "Uncle, please!" he shouted. "It wasn't my fault!"

Catching his breath, the older man hovered over the defenseless Hank on the floor. His face contorted in nothing but fury. A bustle of whispers could suddenly be heard behind the pair and the colonel turned to see several workers had gathered and were watching.

"Get back to work!" he hollered. "Now!"

All the workers quickly did as told and scrambled back into the stable.

McKeen returned his attention to his nephew as he held up a defensive hand from his position on the floor. "Tell me now, Hank, and tell me very, very quickly, exactly what happened and if you have screwed everything up, I swear I'm going to beat you so hard, you won't walk for a month."

With a quick nod, Hank began, rambling his side of the story. "I…followed Sara to Washington but she didn't buy anything and only stayed a day before returning. I waited for her at the Grove for when she got back and…she told me she couldn't marry me. She also…" He swallowed hard, "…told her father the reasons for the marriage. So…he knows why…now…"

McKeen worked his jaw from left to right. "Oh superb. So, just like that, she calls it off, huh?"

"Yes."

"I wish I was entirely surprised…" the colonel grumbled. "Get up," he then demanded.

Hank did so quickly, scrambling to his feet.

"And that's it?" the land owner continued. "That's everything?"

While trying to gather his composure, Hank thought and then he remembered something. "She did go to see Grissom while in Washington."

Now McKeen looked even more worried. "Why? Why would she go to that…pile of garbage? What the hell did she say?"

"Please, Uncle," Hank begged, "…I don't know. Kurt followed her there but he said she didn't stay long."

The colonel pointed to the house. "Get inside, now. I think we need to have a very serious talk…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The birds sang as Sara, her mother and father walked through the garden. It was a lovely day. Warm but not too hot with a light breeze coming from the south. Both female Sidle members sat down on a bench after the captain had informed them of their new financial situation. They were both quite flabbergasted.

No more money worries, none at all.

Laura took Sara's hand with a full blown smile and squeezed it tightly. "I told you it would be alright, didn't I?"

Licking her dry lips, Sara offered a feeble nod but she didn't feel all that confident in her gesture. Even though money was no longer an issue what about her and her love for Grissom and…the baby?

"So…" The captain folded his arms and looked down to his daughter with a smile, "…how about you tell me about this gentleman who seems to have captured your heart? Maybe it isn't too late to fix…if it is appropriate to do so, of course."

Butterflies flurried in Sara's stomach as she felt her mother's grip tighten upon hers. She sucked in a deep breath, looking down at her hand, uncertain of how her father would react to what she was about to say.

Slowly, her head rose and she looked at her father. She was very nervous. "It's Grissom…" she whispered.

The captains smile faltered, the right side of his mouth now twitching. His eyes flicked to Laura before coming back to rest on his daughter. "Did you just say…..?"

All Sara could do was nod.

"You are telling me the man you are in love with, is Gil?"

"Yes, Father."

Puffing out his cheeks, the captain scratched the back of his head. "I'm not entirely sure how to respond to that," he admitted. "Does he love you?"

Sara wanted to smile, her father and mother both asking her the same question but at this point in time, she just couldn't. "Before…I'm sure he did, now…I don't know. I treated him so badly…"

The captain seemed to get a little more serious. "So the two of you have been having a relationship?"

Squirming, Sara pulled her hands free from her mothers and laid them on her lap. "We had grown very close," she admitted.

"Exactly how close?" the captain asked firmly now.

Sara didn't answer; she couldn't find the right thing to say.

Impatiently tapping his boot on the ground, the captain shrugged his shoulders. "I'm waiting, Sara. Exactly what have you and Gill been getting up to…in my house…on my land…? He was my employee, Sara…"

Snorting a disgruntled huff, Sara felt her gut tighten as she pushed herself to her feet. "You're employee…You're land? Your house?" she snapped. "Is that all that matters to you? I scarified any chance of happiness to save your precious land remember? I ruined the man I love…" She didn't mean to lose her temper, but everything suddenly got too much to handle and she couldn't help it.

Pointing a firm finger of warning, the captain cleared his throat. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, young lady."

Laura quickly stood. "Come, both of you. This is not where we need to go with this."

Sara felt tears burning her eyes as she kept her attention on her father. "I love Gil…can't you understand that? Worker or not, I love him."

"So why didn't Gil come to me? And tell me about your feelings for each other?" the captain returned.

Clenching her hands together, Sara attempted to remain calm. "He was going to but, with everything else that was happening he just couldn't. You had enough on your mind. He…was going to ask you for my hand, Father…but he never got the chance…"

The captain looked positively stunned now. "You had talked about marriage?" he stuttered.

Biting down hard on her bottom lip, Sara nodded.

"Without my consent?"

Sara felt her whole body slumping in defeat. This wasn't going the way she had hoped. "Answer me one question, Father?" she asked quickly.

"Alright."

"If Gil had come to you and asked for your blessing, what would you have said?"

Now the captain's shoulders slumped. "I don't know, Sara. There is just too much to consider in such a question."

"Like what? We loved each other, what else should matter?"

"A lot, Sara," the rancher snapped back. "Remember who you are and who he is. Love is fine but it doesn't pay the bills. You could marry to where you would never have to worry about money, never be in need. Your children would have the absolute best. I like Gil as a person but if you married him, you would have to work the rest of your life. You and your children would have the status of working class. I've given you the best money can buy and you would throw all that away?"

Laura stepped between father and daughter now. "Alright, you two, this is getting out of hand. You need to calm down, take a moment and we need to discuss this properly."

Sara suddenly felt sick and shook her head. "No. I can't do this now…I just need to be alone." She started to walk away but the captain was quick to grab her arm and she stopped, swiftly spinning around to face him.

Father and daughter glared at each other.

"You know," Sara began, so softly you could barely hear her, "After everything I sacrificed for you, Father, after everything Gil has done for you, I thought you would have understood." She pulled her arm free and rushed away.

Thomas and Laura watched her disappear towards the house and then looked at each other. Laura's eyes clouded with tears but as she opened her mouth to speak, the Captain held up his hand.

"Don't, Laura…just don't."

He stepped away and went in pursuit of his daughter, Laura was quick to follow.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara ran to her room, as quickly as her legs would allow. She slammed the door behind her, clicked the lock and slumped back against the fine oak finish. Tears drifted down her cheeks. She should have known her father's reaction and she felt so stupid for thinking he would actually understand.

Suddenly she jumped when there was a bang at the door.

"Open the door, Sara!" Her father's voice commanded from the other side.

Wiping her nose on the back of her hand, Sara stepped away from the door. "No, Father," she replied. "Please, just go away and leave me alone."

"Thomas…just give her some time…please…" Sara heard her mother's plea and then her father's huff of frustration.

"Fine," he then grumbled before Sara heard his boots clanking down the corridor and eventually out of ear shot.

She moved to the bed and fell upon it, pulling her knees up to her chest, she hugged herself into a fetal position and allowed her tears to flow freely now.

Would anything ever work out right for her?

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Laura followed her husband as he stormed into the study and headed straight for the bar. Watching as he poured himself a large brandy she sighed giving him a look of disgust.

He downed the alcohol and stared at her. "Don't look at me like that, Laura," he said.

"After everything she's been through…" she began, "…can't you try and be a little more understanding?"

Rolling his eyes, the captain poured another drink. "Understanding?" he questioned. "My daughter and my aid? How understanding would you like me to be about that? We had our suspicions but…to have it confirmed…"

She stepped towards him. "Thomas…"

"No, Laura…" He shook his head, "…I'm not talking about this now. It's…"

"Stop it Thomas!"

The captain took a step back in bewilderment. "Laura, Gil is a great man but he is not of our class."

Laura frowned, the expression marring her normally pretty features. "I didn't marry you for your money, Thomas. I married you for love, and if…..you hadn't a cent, I would have still married you."

"Yes but your father surely didn't complain about my wealth," he pointed out.

"That's not the point," Laura protested. "I disagree with you. Love is more important. What's money anyway? We were about to lose everything but we would have still had each other. Just remember…Sara was willing to sacrifice the only man she has ever loved, the one and only person she so obviously desires to spend the rest of my life with…give up any happiness she could have ever hoped for…to save you financially and this land that you seem to love so much." A heavy sigh fell from her lips. "And I know you love Gil. You know as well as I do that he would take care of her, no matter what his position. You really need to get off your high horse and think about this properly; otherwise…well…you just think about it…I'm sure you will figure out what will happen if you get it wrong..."

With that said, she turned and left the room, leaving her husband alone and very frustrated.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Grissom couldn't seem to get anything done. His new acquisition was perfect for his fillies but he just couldn't gather the motivation to show any interest. Instead he told Hodges to introduce Michael into the world of horse breeding. It wasn't hard but Grissom always liked to be around when a new male made his mark. Today was different though, he just couldn't get Sara's letter out of his mind. He'd barely slept through thinking about it.

He just didn't know how to feel.

Now he leaned against the great oak by his cabin, a piece of straw between his teeth, staring at her letter once again. What was she saying to him?

"You know it won't change, no matter how many times you read it…"

Grissom looked up upon hearing Hodges and slipped the letter into his pocket. "Thank you, David. That's a big help," the rancher retorted.

"May I make a personal observation?" Hodges asked.

"No." Grissom was quick with his reply. "But…you can answer a question for me," he continued, pushing from the tree.

"Um…" The worker looked a little confused but nodded anyway. "Well…I will if I can."

Walking passed him, Grissom smiled and Hodges was quick to follow. "Oh I'm sure you can." They started towards the stable and Grissom continued. "When Sara came here…how…how did she look…act?"

Hodges stopped, just by the stable, so then, Grissom did also. "Do you want me to be honest or tell you what you want to hear?"

Grissom smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "I want you to be honest."

"Well…to tell the truth, she looked…unwell, very pale and she has most certainly lost weight since the last time I saw her."

Those words didn't make Grissom feel any better; in fact, they made his gut tighten with more worry, "Anything else?"

"She seemed worried…nervous. In fact completely different to what I remember her being like."

Working his jaw, Grissom nodded. "Thanks."

As he was about to walk away Hodges stopped him. "What? Is that it? Don't you want to share your thoughts?

Grissom shook his head. "No. Thank you, David."

That said, he stepped away and disappeared into the stable.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara remained in her room all day long and refused to come out. No matter the pleas from her mother, she just couldn't face anyone, especially her father. She so desperately wanted him to understand…to give his blessing but now, she wasn't sure he would ever do that.

Her gut clenched with worry. If her father wouldn't accept her and Gil then he would never understand about the baby. Her earlier thoughts were now confirmed. She would have to leave the Grove. Her and her illegitimate child would not be welcomed.

If Grissom wouldn't take her back, if he wouldn't give her his home and his name then Sara was truly on her own.

The thought made her cringe. What would she do? Where would she go? What would she ever say to her child when he or she asked about their father? Sara didn't care about wealth but the basics would have to be provided….food, shelter, clothing.

Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. Sara paced restlessly in her room. If Grissom would just accept her and their baby then she would spend the rest of her life proving to him that it wasn't a mistake.

She refused offers of food but managed to sneak out on two occasions to use the outhouse and have some water. One time her mother almost caught her as she retreated back to her room but she managed to get back inside just before her mother reached her.

The house was silent now as darkness had fallen many hours ago. Sara sat on her bed, still adorned in the same dress she had been in all day long. She simply didn't care. She reached to her nightstand and picked up Grissom's book which she had removed from her trunk a few hours previous. She opened it and read the first passage her eyes came upon…

"If you remember the words that passed between us, long ago, you will readily comprehend this when you see it. You do remember them, I know. It is not in your nature to forget them. I am thankful that the time has come, when I can prove them. That I do so is no subject for regret or grief. If it had been otherwise, I never should have used the longer opportunity. If it had been otherwise." ***

Sighing softly, her eyes passed to the clock on the mantel. It was almost 5am. She really could use some air and she knew at this time it would be safe to leave her room. Everyone would be sleeping.

As she stood and put the book down, she found herself staring at it, images of nothing but Grissom before her eyes. She knew what she had to do and tomorrow evening, once the household was asleep, she would go to him.

She had to….

A/N: So Sara finally told her father but sadly, didn't get the reaction she was hoping for. So now what? Hmmmm….I wonder….LOL.

Thank you for all the amazing reviews, please keep them coming. I love your thoughts, ideas and curses, lol and the more the merrier. They make me want to post! So, hit that button!