A/N: Hey everyone, thank you for all your great reviews. Sadly, once again work is controlling my life but finally I have a new chapter ready. I think you may all feel a great deal of satisfaction from this one, hehehehe. Thanks to my partner in crime, SSC, for your continuing support, friendship and amazing additions to the fic. (Very shortly she will be responsible for writing pretty much a WHOLE chapter, so be ready for that!). I have missed you this past week babe :(

So here we go…

Chapter 79

Sara's words now seemed to penetrate Hank's brain and the rich boy's eyes became wide when all of a sudden, mere seconds later, the cliff's edge was upon them. With all his strength, he pulled on the reins, yanking the horse back and to the side. The animal was startled at such a drastic change in motion and bolted before slipping. Sara was thrown over the front of the horse with a shriek before it came crashing to the earth, pinning his owner firmly under his body.

It only took a few moments before Dante breached the incline and was upon the chaos. Grissom leapt from his ride, seeing Hank attempting to slide from underneath his horse. The animal was clearly stunned, possibly injured and was struggling to get up. The rancher's fists clenched with fury as he watched the fallen man but his brain soon became aware to the fact that Sara was nowhere to be seen. His head snapped to the cliff's edge when he heard her cry for help.

Without hesitation he ran to the edge and saw his beloved below, clinging to the cliff's unstable face, holding on for dear life, mud and rock broke off and tumbled down the fifty foot drop below as she struggled for grip. If her hands continued to slip, she would fall to her death.

"God, Sara…" he gasped, getting to his knees and reaching for her. "Hold on," he begged, leaning over the edge and taking a firm hold around her wrists. Satisfied he had a solid grip, he pulled. "Sara, let go," he directed hoarsely as she still clung to the rocks poking from the cliffs wall.

Sara seemed stunned he was actually there…alive and she stared at him but as she snapped from her daze with more rock crumbling, she looked below her and shook her head. "I can't…"

Taking a breath, Grissom tried to remain calm. "Let go," his voice faded before he could get another word out.

Slowly, Sara looked up at him.

"Trust me…" he breathed on a wince.

She nodded quickly.

He smiled.

Putting her life in Grissom's hands, Sara released her grip on the rocks beneath her fingers. The rancher took her weight with a grunt and began pulling her up.

It was hard, for both of them, they were both suffering major fatigue from their ordeal and both were certainly in pain but they were determined to get try and get through this knowing whatever happened now was in their own hands.

Or so they thought…

While the couple were occupied, Hank had just about managed to shuffle free from his wounded horse. He was sure the animal had broken a leg or something on the fall, but with persistence, he managed to squirm from underneath the horse with nothing but a few bruises. Scrambling to his feet, Hank's nostrils flared in anger, his eyes passing over Grissom at the cliff's edge. The rancher may have survived up until this point but no more.

It was time to end this.

He saw a large rock in front of him and quickly picked it up.

As Sara's head breached the top of the cliff, her eyes locked with Grissom's but something drew her attention off to the side and that's when she saw Hank, raising his weapon and advancing on her man.

Her heart pounded. "Gil, look out!" she screamed.

Grissom's head snapped around but he couldn't quite react quickly enough. He managed to turn his body but Hank brought the object down heavily upon the ranchers shoulder causing him to fall to the side and release Sara.

She screamed as she slipped back down the cliff, only just managing to dig her nails into the surface, stopping herself from falling to certain demise. The pain was intense as dirt and rock splintered into her fragile skin, breaking several nails and causing them to bleed.

Grissom winced as he hit the ground but had enough momentum to roll onto his knees and face his enemy. His heavy breaths came short and fast as Hank blocked his path to Sara and grinned at him. The younger man looked over his shoulder as Grissom slowly got to his feet, holding his shoulder. Hank smirked at Sara's struggle. His attention then shot back to Grissom.

"Don't think she can hang on much longer," he bragged. "Such a shame to waste such a beauty, but you have to be so damned persistent. Do you think you can save her you annoying piece of crap?"

He tossed the rock from hand to hand but then, to Grissom's surprise, he dropped it. Hank then held up a hand and extended a finger, crooking it, urging Grissom forward. "Come and get her," he spat.

Grissom's eyes flicked back to the cliff. It wasn't hard to come to the conclusion that Hank was not going to stand down without a fight. In fact, by the look on the younger man's face, he actually thrived upon the idea. Grissom regretted not finishing him off back at the house, although deep inside he knew that was not who is was.

But did Hank have the advantage now? Maybe, but Grissom was prepared to fight until he dropped in order to try and save Sara. He would die for her…

Without another moment's hesitation, Grissom shot forward with a growl, taking Hank by surprise. Grissom had always been rather cautious but now, he seemed like he didn't care. Hank quickly jumped away from the cliff's edge as Grissom headed for him.

And then the two bodies clashed as the rancher plowed right into his nemesis. Both lost their footing and fell with a crunch.

The two men hit the ground, each tussling…fighting for control over the other. Punches flew, curses sneered, knee's jabbed, bodies rolled. But as Grissom heard a heart wrenching plea from Sara he knew her time was almost up, she just couldn't hold on.

"Dante!" he managed to shout in the middle of his tussle and rolling Hank onto his back. He landed a punch onto the younger man's jaw and it gave him a few seconds to speak. Hank's head hit the ground with a thud, stunning him. Finding his voice again, he summoned his horse. "Dante, help Sara. Now!"

Hank recovered quicker than Grissom would have hoped and hit back, drilling his fist into the rancher's already tender abdomen. Cringing and coughing, Grissom fell from his enemy and onto his side. Hank scrambled to his feet and as he did, he spotted his revolver near his fallen horse and his eyes lit up. When he pulled himself out from under the animal it must have come loose. He grinned and bolted towards it but Grissom managed to grab his ankle, pulling hard and causing the younger man to crash back to the ground. Sadly for Grissom, Hank's counter attack was fast and with a swift swipe of his leg, he kicked the rancher in the face, full on with his right boot. The force of the kick was brutal and Grissom almost blacked out as he fell backwards, his head cracking upon the heavy ground beneath him.

The rich boy sniggered, managed to get to his feet and ran for his weapon.

Dante carefully walked to the cliff's edge and lowered his head. Sara saw him immediately and the horse was by no means stupid. He hung his head just low enough so his reins dangled in front of the tiring heiress. She didn't think twice, she could no longer keep her grip on the crumbling surface beneath her and with a deep breath, she let go of the rock and made a swift grab for the leather strapping.

She seized the reins and held them as tightly as she could. "Okay boy," she gasped breathlessly. "You got me, pull me up."

Obeying, Dante slowly stepped back and inch by inch pulled Sara up and eventually to safety away from the cliff edge. When she felt ground beneath her body, Sara let go of the reins and felt the relief washing through her body. But her relief was short lived when her head rose and she spotted Hank, picking up his revolver and turning back to a fallen Grissom.

Scrambling to her feet, she pushed all her fear, all her aches and all her pain aside and charged at Hank. She was not going to stand idle and allow him to kill the only man she had ever loved. Not if she could help it.

Hank stepped up to Grissom as he moaned and tried to push himself up. The younger man was so occupied with making sure he saw the shot coming; he didn't see Sara as she ran towards him.

As Grissom got to his knees, his blurry vision caught sight of his nemesis and then immediately, he saw the gun. His heart lurched when without warning; Sara blocked his view and leapt at Hank.

"No!" she screamed, grabbing her ex fiancés arm and diverting his aim away from Grissom. Hank was so taken aback by her sudden attack, the gun slipped from his fingers but it only infuriated him even more. He grabbed her by the hair and she yelped. Without thought or remorse he drilled his fist heavily into her stomach.

Sara's face became a picture of pure horror; her eyes bulging as his blow completely knocked the air out of her. She fell to her knees and gasped for air as pain ran through her abdomen. She could do nothing as Hank bent to retrieve his gun. "I'll get to you in a minute," he growled, pointing the revolver at her. His lips curled a grin as he turned and strode towards Grissom with a purpose.

"Time to die now," Hank said firmly and to the point, raising the gun and squeezing the trigger.

Grissom's eyes fluttered closed as he awaited his death. He couldn't save them. He had failed….again

But, the mere seconds Hank took to enjoy his so called victory, gave Dante the opportunity to make his own target. Unseen, the horse scrapped his back foot through the dirt and with an unheard flare of his nostrils, he charged at his enemy.

Hank was too occupied sneering at Grissom; he never saw the horse coming before it was too late. Dante charged from the side and the young man's head only snapped around to see the horse just before he struck him. Head first, Dante ran into his obstacle, hitting him full on and sending him skyward in a second. Hank never knew what hit him and could do nothing but take the full force of the horse's fury.

Grissom watched in amazement as Hank flew through the air and towards the edge of the cliff, the rancher's eyes widening as the younger man landed just before the drop but skidded, right over the edge. Hanks fingers clawed into the earth with a cry as he disappeared out of sight.

With a grimace, Grissom got to his feet on tired legs and stumbled to the cliffs edge. He picked up the revolver which had fallen to the ground just a few feet away from him and looked down. He immediately saw Hank, in the same position Sara had been in, hanging to the rock face, clinging on with all he could in order to prevent himself from falling to his death.

The rancher stood static, staring down at the man below him. How the tables had turned.

Hank tried to reach up, grabbing at one of Grissom's boots but he just fell short. "God damned it, help me!" he shouted.

Grissom's brow knitted a frown. Had he just been asked for help? By the very man who, not so long ago had tried to kill him…hang him? He lifted his left hand and ran his fingers across the bruising on his throat. "And why do you think I'm going to help you?" the rancher replied, still trying to catch his breath.

The younger man tried to hide his cry of despair as his hands fought for grip but he wasn't very successful. "Because…" He managed to find a foot hole, giving himself a little breathing space, "…you are not like me…" He gritted his teeth, "…Grissom." His eyes bore into the rancher's. "You are not a killer, are you?"

Grissom tapped the revolver against his thigh, listening to Hank's words with narrowed eyes even though he felt tempted to stomp down on his foes head.

"Would you rather not see me hang for my crimes?" Hank rambled. "Give those justice who you feel deserve it?"

The older man sighed but he had the gun now, he just hated himself sometimes. Why did he always have to be so noble? "You're right," he clarified, his voice rapidly threatening to leave yet again. "I would rather see you hang."

Hank nodded, puffing out a heavy breath. He released one of his hands from the rock face and held it up to Grissom. "Then help me."

Grissom had made his decision, he would help Hank and then he would take great pleasure in turning him over to the sheriff. Everyone would get much more satisfaction if he was tried for all the crimes he had committed. He slipped the gun into his holster and knelt. Reaching down he grabbed Hank's hand in a firm grip. "You try anything." he croaked out. I'll kill you."

"Got it," Hank replied quickly, reaching for Grissom's second hand as he offered it. Now nothing, apart from Grissom's grip stopped the young man from falling to his death.

As Grissom pulled, Hank suddenly grinned. "At least I will take the fact that Sara belongs to me, to my grave. She is mine, Grissom."

Grissom stopped pulling and felt his nostrils flare, the anger once again building deep within him. "She will never be yours, Pedigrew!" he spat.

"Oh haven't you heard? She already is. I took her, Grissom," he gloated. "She fought, oh yes, she fought me but I took her and I took her hard. Hmmmm…the feeling of her soft skin, so, so nice…" A huge smile passed over his face now. "She is ruined for you, such a shame."

The rancher felt a rock form in his throat, a sickening shiver running all through his body. His lips moved but he just couldn't find any words and then his head slowly turned to look in Sara's direction. She had got to her feet and was standing just a few feet away, looking at the ground, holding her stomach.

Tears welled in Grissom's eyes; it only took the rancher a second to figure out what Hank was saying and another second to make the decision that would probably haunt him for the rest of his life.

His eyes shot back to Hank's and he relaxed his hands, releasing his grip. He witnessed the younger man eyes widen with a shocked terror and he tried so hard to grab at Grissom's arms. But it did no good. His hands slipped from those that were holding him and he fell, nothing but a rapid river and rock awaiting him fifty feet below…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

On a heavy swallow, Grissom stood and turned his head away from the death below him. The funny thing was at that particular point in time; he felt absolutely no guilt about what he had just done.

Sara heard the scream of the terrified man as Hank fell to his death, slowly fading until no trace of it could be heard. The pain in her belly still resonated, radiating to her chest and core, almost taking her breath away. Still, her concern was only for Grissom as she braved herself to straighten up and face him.

He was looking at her, an odd look on his face that she couldn't quite decipher. He stumbled toward her, at first unsure of what to do. She almost tripped over her dress to get to him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders in order to keep from hurting his already sensitive neck.

"You're so hurt," she whispered her concern as she smoothed his hair away from his dirty face. "It's all my fault. I'm so sorry."

Grissom held her tighter. She was apologizing to him for such a cruel act against herself or was she apologizing for his injuries? He wondered if she had heard Hank's words but he didn't believe she had. He had no idea how to even broach such a taboo and horrible subject. For now, he would leave it alone. Now was not the time. She was hurt; he was hurt.

"Shush…" he soothed, rubbing his hands up her back. He then kissed the top of her head.

"How, Gil?" She searched his face, raising a trembling hand to cup his cheek. "How can it be all right? I caused this."

His throat was too tender to verbally reassure her. Instead he pulled her into his arms again, holding her against his body. A wince escaped her lips, reminding Grissom that he wasn't the only one who had been injured. And there was the baby to consider.

Their embrace lasted for a minute or so until Grissom pulled back. His concern about their location pulled at his nerve endings. He gently cupped her face in his hands, wiping away her tears with soft thumbs. "I need to get you home. Are you alright to ride? Is the baby…" he paused as Sara's eyes widened.

Her entire body was hurting and her stomach kept cramping which was very uncomfortable but she tried to ignore all the pain, for now anyway. "You know about the baby?"

He nodded.

"Is that the only reason you came back?" she wept.

His throat burned, making even breathing painful and difficult. Helplessly, he looked at her. The added emotion created a lump that made speech impossible. His lips parted to say the words that she needed to hear. He reached for her hand, finally some garbled words came, but he scarcely recognized his own voice.

"We….." he swallowed against the pain. "Need to….get….you…back. Talk…..later."

She looked conflicted but squeezed his hand in response. He couldn't speak anymore because of the terrible injuries inflicted by the near hanging. He needed a little time for recovery now and had to refrain from talking as much as possible.

Her free hand massaged her abdomen. It was over now, wasn't it? She could and would gladly spend the rest of her life making it up to him…and to their child.

With uncertainty she nodded and responded to his question. "Yes, I can ride."

Wrapping an arm around her back, Grissom lightly whistled as it was all he was capable of doing and Dante came trotting up to them. "Good lad," Grissom commended his horse, giving him a tender rub on the nose. The horse understood what Grissom could not say and remained still while Grissom boosted Sara aboard.

The horse offered a comforting snort.

Once Sara was up onto Dante he pulled himself in behind her. As he encircled his arms around her and took the reins, she turned back into him, placing her head on his shoulder, almost sitting sideways.

For the first time in she couldn't remember how long, she actually felt safe but physically safe, that feeling couldn't shake how uncertain, how scared she was inside. Did she and Grissom even have a future after everything that had happened? Could they? He knew about the baby but how did he really feel about it? And what had happened at McKeen's? Was it all over?

Grissom was right. They had to get back to the Grove and only then, could her questions be answered.

She took one of his hands in hers as they set off and held it tightly. She loved this man more than she loved life itself and she prayed so hard that he could forgive what she had done to him. For without him, she had nothing to live for and wouldn't…

***The two stand in the fast-thinning throng of victims, but they speak as if they were alone. Eye to eye, voice to voice, hand to hand, heart to heart, these two children of the Universal Mother, else so wide apart and differing, have come together on the dark highway, to repair home together, and to rest in her bosom.***

*** Extract taken from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A/N: Ah, so the skank is dead but will it end up effecting Grissom for letting him drop? And now where do we go? Ahhhh….still much more to come….*puts on hat*. HA! Please let me know your thoughts :)