A/N: Hey everyone. Firstly I would like to thank you all for your patience on my story. It's been going now for 3 ½ years. Yes, a long time but it makes me so proud to see the fic has now surpassed 100,000 hits and way over 1500 reviews. I feel so, so blessed that you all continue to follow my little love :)

There is a lot going on in my life right now and a huge change happening, so I hope for your continued patience but I promise to the bottom of my heart this story will take the pride and soul of my heart until it is complete. There is still a fair bit to come, so keep on watching. Heheheh.

Amazing thanks as always to SSC, my beloved friend and amazing beta. She added a fair bit of input to this chapter and always gives the story that reach that I am struggling for. Love you babe!

So, let's get on with it, you have all waited long enough. Please review, it means so much :D

Chapter 96

Grissom went in search of his workers as the captain headed into town to round up his own crew. Time was most definitely of the essence in both men's eyes. Grissom knew his land…his estate was very much unprotected unlike the Grove. He didn't offer much in the way of defenses. Apart from his few guns and a lot of grit, his weaponry and man power was very much lacking.

The rancher knew he could probably ask for help. There were plenty of people in town who would be more than happy to offer him assistance to protect his land but for one, he didn't want to involve others in his own personal problems if he didn't have to and two, he knew, deep in his heart that it was best to return to the captain's estate.

This wasn't the easiest of realizations. Grissom doubted that The Colonel would remain in the same town that he committed his crimes in. Everyone in town knew him; most hated him.

And now that McKeen was at his most helpless, there wasn't a shortage of people who wouldn't take the opportunity to conveniently dish out their own vigilante justice. The man wasn't stupid and he never suffered embarrassment lightly. He would most likely blame two people for his own misfortune….himself and Sara.

Grissom had never been a coward. Had he only had himself to consider, he would stay on his own land and deal with the situation head on if McKeen had the guts to face him man to man. However, the love of this life was slowly recovering from a terrible illness, or so he hoped and Sara would have no chance against even a weakened evil like The Colonel.

He found Michael and Hodge's and told them to take a break while he sat with them and explained the situation. They both listened and seemed concerned for their boss but he instructed them to just remain calm and go about their daily lives just ensuring they be on guard for anything suspicious while he was away. He doubted McKeen would come to his place but they should be weary, just in case. Grissom also decided to ask Michael to go into town to send word to the sheriff and his friends to be on the lookout and to offer support if they needed it. Swallowing a little of his pride was probably the best option even just for the safety of his men and his own peace of mind.

Once done with his briefing and happy his lads would be alright during his absence, he headed for the stable. Pandora had been through a lot and he was uncertain as to whether she would be able to travel back to the Grove so soon after her ordeal of bringing Sara back to him. She had already done a lot of traveling in such a short amount of time.

Entering the stable, he left his gun by the door and then walked straight to Pandora's stall to find her standing with Dante, nibbling on some hay. The rancher smiled to see her up and upon hearing his master's entry, Dante immediately looked up and offered him a gentle, happy snort.

"How you guys doing?" Grissom asked, stroking both horse in turn with soft, gentle hands.

Dante gave his owner an energetic stomp of his back foot just as Pandora offered a quaint neigh.

"Come here, girl," Grissom requested. "Let me take a look at you." He took Pandora's legs one at a time and lifted to get a look at her feet. Dante watched him closely but didn't show any objections. The rancher noticed the horse's feet were still a little sore and after checking each one, he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not sure if she's going to be well enough to travel back to the Grove with us, boy," he said to Dante. "And we have to go back…today…"

Grissom noticed as Dante's eyes darkened and the horse suddenly adopted a more firm, defensive posture. Dante scraped his back leg through the hay covered floor and his nostrils flared.

"Whoa…whoa…" Grissom held his hand up, "…easy big fella," he said quickly. "I'm just thinking about her health…that's…"

Dante cut him off and stomped his foot again.

"You're really going to be stubborn about this aren't you?"

The horse bobbed his head.

"And you're not going to leave without her, are you?" Grissom questioned.

Now Dante shook his head.

A tiny sigh left Grissom's lips and he looked to Pandora. He still felt concerned she would suffer making another long journey right now. "Are you happy to make the trip, girl? You think you can make it with your sore feet?" He lightly rubbed her nose and she snorted contently at his question.

"Are you sure?" Grissom decided he needed confirmation.

Pandora licked his hand.

"Alright…" the rancher conceded, "…but…" He returned his attention to Dante, "…you my lad, have to take care of her. Do you understand? She struggles, you let me know, got it?"

The snort that Dante now offered made Grissom laugh. "Good. You have a few more hours rest before we leave. Make the most of it." With that, the rancher ensured all the horses had food before he made a move for the stable door.

Realistically, Grissom had a few other horses that he could ride other than Dante.

Dante wasn't his only strong horse. However, he had a bond with the stubborn stallion that he didn't have with the others. He loved Dante's spirit and if Grissom risked losing everything…the only thing he wanted to keep, with the notable exception of Sara, was Dante.

Suddenly, a thunderous crash cut through the whirl of the wind and Grissom's feet literally left the ground as the noise took him totally by surprise. His heart pounded through his chest as he bolted for the door, grabbed his rifle and ran outside, gun poised and ready should he need it. His eyes frantically looked around to try and locate the source of the noise but his feet told him he was going straight to the cabin and nothing was going to stop him.

As he ran towards his home, Hodges appeared behind him. "What was that?" the worker asked, running alongside his boss.

Grissom opened his mouth to answer, to admit he didn't know but suddenly he slowed, until he came to a complete stop. He breathed a sigh of relief and took in several well needed breaths. He pointed towards the cabin. "That by the looks of it," he said and Hodges followed his direction.

It seemed a tree by the side of the cabin had toppled over and crashed through the outhouse, totally destroying it.

"Damn it," Hodges swore loudly. "We knew that tree had been weakened. Didn't think it had been that badly damaged though. Guess it wasn't as strong as it looked. Wind must have…."

Grissom's heart finally slowed it's tempo. He gave a smile to Hodges. "It's okay. You are doing the best you can and I'm grateful. Good thing it wasn't one of the ones closest to the cabin."

"True," Hodges breathed. "But still, I suppose the increasing wind just overwhelmed that tree."

"Looks that way," Grissom replied, slipping his rifle under his arm and walking closer to the now crushed outhouse. "Good thing, no one was in there," he stated. He frowned then and looked to the cabin. There were no signs of movement coming from inside and Laura hadn't come out to see what had happened. "Start…" he cleared his throat, "…clearing this up. We'll need to get to the water pump and fix it as it's probably damaged, otherwise we will have no water…I'll come help you once I've checked the cabin."

"Sure thing, boss," Hodges replied with a nod.

Grissom walked the small distance to the cabin, stepping over discarded, broken branches as he went and his boots stomped up the few steps, just as they normally did. He propped his rifle against the cabin while his hand reached for the door knob, enclosing around it and he slowly pushed the door open. Immediately, he stopped dead in his tracks as the second his boot contacted the cabin flooring he heard the cock of a rifle's hammer.

"You dare step in this cabin and I swear…. I will shoot you dead…" Laura's shaky voice warned.

"It's only me…" Grissom replied quickly, "…Gil…just me, Laura…no one else."

Inside the cabin Laura crouched behind a chair, weapon raised over it, ready to shoot if required. Laura swallowed the heavy lump in her throat and breathed a sigh of relief, lowering the gun with very shaky arms.

Carefully and slowly, Grissom pushed the door open. "It's just me," he repeated, holding up his hands. His head turned to Sara to see her head facing the opposite direction, tears rolling down her cheeks and mumbling between wheezes.

She wasn't in the amount of distress that he had been accustomed to witnessing her in as of late but there was something in this quiet distress that bothered him. However, a shaky woman with a rifle was the first threat.

Laura closed her eyes as he approached her and gently took the rifle from her hands. She jumped when his soft hand set upon her shoulder, her eyes shooting open. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"What in the heavens name was that noise?" she sobbed. "I thought…I thought…it was him…dear Lord…I thought it was him."

Quickly, Grissom placed a finger to his lips. "Shushhhhh…" he encouraged, rolling his eyes in Sara's direction in order to give Laura the message. She silenced immediately and held her hand over her heart.

"A tree fell and took out the outhouse that's all. Nothing more. No one was hurt and we can…get it fixed in time, okay?"

Laura nodded although her gesture didn't have Grissom brimming with confidence. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes," she sighed. "But what must Sara think? She'll think I've gone mad…"

"I don't think she….." Grissom's voice was cut off by his thoughts as he approached Sara. He could not discern if her actions were the result of the tree falling or if her confusion was once again the result of her illness.

"Oh," Laura seemed to catch her breath. "She started that again a little while ago. I couldn't make it out. She wasn't crying though. Oh God, maybe I did scare her. That's the last thing she needs…."

"Shush," Grissom said again. "It's okay, Laura." He reached for Sara, noting her weight had dropped yet again. He shouldn't be surprised. She hadn't eaten anything but mere scraps in several days. Still it bothered him to feel each individual little bone. Gathering her against his chest, he simply hugged her for several minutes, as if trying to give her some of his strength.

"It's all over," Sara murmured. "Can't be fixed….can't be fixed. I want my baby back."

It was the first time she had mentioned the loss of her child. Their child. Grissom hadn't had an opportunity to even think of the baby at all. Today was no exception.

Grissom was a practical man, who had never thought of having children, for good reason. He thought briefly of the sad eyes of his own father. That was what the young Grissom remembered most about his kind, loving, father….those sad eyes.

The conception of this child was less than ideal. In fact, it was downright scandalous. And with Sara's illness…..McKeen….the forced evacuation….the stress of the situation both before and after the baby's demise, Sara needed every ounce of strength in order to recover. She couldn't support a child. The baby would demand her body's resources….resources his Sara didn't have to spare. Not now anyway.

All those tiny little bones. His fingers palpated every edge of her vertebrae.

"It's okay, honey," he soothed. "It's okay. Maybe we can adopt a baby….if you really want one."

Laura was now smiling as she knelt beside Grissom. "Gil, I mean…miscarriages are a sad thing….but there's no reason that Sara cannot have another child."

"No…" Sara's voice drifted off. "No baby….never again."

Grissom didn't respond immediately to either Laura or Sara's comments. He held Sara a few more minutes before finally satisfied that sleep had found her again. Carefully, he laid her back down on the bed.

"I don't think she's scared, Laura. Well, not in the manner we currently fear. I think delusion has hit her again. She doesn't know what she wants…"

Laura's posture relaxed a little and she nodded. "Good, in a way…I suppose," she responded uncertain but regained some confidence as she finished her thought. "The last thing she needs right now is to be afraid, well of us or him…anyway..."

Without even thinking, Grissom reached for Laura and her face, softly cupping his cheeks in two hands. "That's the last thing any of us need and we need to stop thinking about it." He looked deeply into her eyes. "We will be safe, alright? Trust me…"

"Despite everything that has happened, Gil, I don't think there was ever a time when I didn't trust you."

Grissom smiled and felt his chest swell, just a little. "Then are you going to try and relax?"

Now Laura smiled. "Yes," she whispered.

"Good," he replied, softly removing his hands from her face. "Now, can I get you anything?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she responded on a long breath. "But I would prefer to keep…occupied. Maybe…I could help you pack? You will be needing…things…you know…coming back to the Gove…and I'm sure you have even more you need to do now before we leave considering the damage to the outhouse…"

Grissom's smile grew. "Sure…I'll make you a list and bring a trunk from the barn, yes?"

"Yes."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Hodges helped Grissom bring a trunk from the barn and they set it in the center of the cabin.

"You sure you want to do this?" Grissom asked. "I can find time to pack myse…"

Laura cut him short, "Yes, Gil, I need to stay busy. And you won't be the first young man I've ever packer for…" She smiled at him as she turned to open the trunk. "…if I find any surprises I'll be sure to keep them to myself…"

Grissom laughed to himself as he checked on Sara and Laura began rummaging through his closet. Sara had turned over and was now sleeping on her side. He rearranged her pillows before kissing her softly on the cheek. Her wheezing had eased a little but her fever still raged. At least she seemed comfortable and that's what was important at that point. She just needed to rest and if she was sleeping, she wasn't in pain.

Hodges stood at the foot of the bed, watching his boss with curiosity as he waited for direction. Finally Grissom drew his attention from Sara and approached his worker.

"Let's get to sorting that tree out shall we?" the rancher recommended. "Time is very much against us right now…"

"Sure thing, Boss," the younger man agreed. "I'll go get some tools and a cart."

As they were both about to head out the door, it opened and the captain walked in. "What the devil happened out there?" he asked flustered and panicked, not even bothering with any pleasantries.

"Just an act of nature," Grissom informed him, "Must have uprooted because of the weather and it fell not long ago."

The captain rubbed his chin. "Well…it's a good job no one was in there."

"Indeed," Grissom agreed. "But no one was hurt."

"Glad to hear it," the captain added looking to his daughter and then his wife.

Laura offered him a soft smile as she placed a pile of Grissom's shirts into the trunk. "Did you get things sorted?" she asked.

"Yes." The captain offered a nod. "Rana and Joe are just picking up some supplies for the journey and then they will be here, so we should be able to leave in a few hours if that's…" He turned to Grissom, "…good with you…"

Pulling his jacket collar up Grissom nodded, "Fine. We can probably get most of the mess cleaned up outside by then."

"Want some help?" the captain offered with the trade mark Sidle pout of the lips.

Grissom and the captain's eyes locked and the younger man's lips twitched. "Sure…thanks…"

With a confident scrunch of his shoulders the captain offered a faint nod but then everyone paused as horses approaching caught everyone's attention.

The captain's face quickly changed from content to cautious. "Are you expecting anyone?" he asked in a shot.

Shaking his head, Grissom grabbed his rifle. "No. I'm not expecting anyone but that doesn't mean people won't drop by." He held the rifle close, just in case and went for the door. The captain and Hodges quickly followed him as Laura looked on anxiously.

With haste, Grissom skipped down the few cabin steps, his eagle eyes searching for whoever was approaching. The instant he spotted the visitor he relaxed, propping his rifle against the cabin.

As he crossed his arms casually over his chest he smiled at the captain when he stepped up beside him…the older man didn't look quite so relaxed. "Its fine, Captain, it's just Michael with a friend," he informed him. "David, go get what you need."

"Right," Hodges replied and off he went towards the barn.

The captain still seemed a little suspicious but offered Grissom a single nod of trust.

Grissom lightly laughed, noting the captain's still defensive posture. "Come…I'll introduce you then you can relax."

Eagerly, the captain followed Grissom as he approached Michael and the man who accompanied him…Taylor Miller.

"Gil…" the local land owner said with confidence extending his arm.

With a smile Grissom shook Taylor's hand. "Good to see you, Taylor, but what brings you here?"

After a firm handshake, Taylor rubbed his chin. "Well, Michael told me of your troubles so I thought I'd pop by to see if there was anything I could do to help…" His eyes flicked to the captain and the two men took each other in.

Grissom noticed, quickly deciding to introduce the two men to each other. "Captain, this is Taylor Miller. Taylor, this is Captain Thomas Sidle."

"Ahhhhhhh….." Taylor stepped towards the captain with a smile and held out his hand. "At last, I get to meet the great man…"

In an instant the captain's brow reached for the sky. He cleared his throat as he accepted Taylor's gesture and firmly shook his hand. "Great man?" he just about croaked, a tinge of embarrassment mixed with a slight hint of curiosity evident in his question.

Taylor smiled and looked to Grissom. "According to this man, yes. Gil has always spoken of you proudly and fondly, mentioning on many occasions that if it wasn't for you, he wouldn't be in this world today. So, your name is certainly known within our community and well deserved."

A lump formed in the captain's throat as he and Grissom exchanged a quick look at each other. A small smile curled the corner of Grissom's mouth.

"Well…" the captain stuttered, returning his attention to Taylor, "…it's a pleasure to meet you. From what you have just said, I would presume you and Gil are good friends?"

Slipping his hands into his pockets, Taylor offered a nod. "For many years, pretty much since Grissom arrived here. He has done many a wonder for this town yet rarely ever puts himself first. I mean…he returned to work for you leaving his home behind. That's some serious dedication and quite a lot of love, wouldn't you say?"

The captain's jaw visibly worked from side to side as Grissom looked down to his boots. Both men seemed a little uncomfortable with the praiseful words Taylor was offering them. A lot had happened in recent months which Taylor didn't know about, each man knew it, but yet, there past…they're previous friendship…Grissom's attempt to care for Sara…could it be enough to mend the holes which had been formed? Time would tell.

Michael stepped forward as a silence suddenly encircled them "What happened over there?" he asked pointing to the outhouse.

All four men now looked to the wooden mess. "I was wondering that myself," Taylor added.

"Mother Nature," Grissom replied with a sigh, "Just an accident. David's gone to go get some tools to start cleaning it up."

"I'll go help him," Michael said and stepped away.

Returning his attention to Taylor, Grissom shivered as a sharp wind caught the back of his neck. The trees rustled around them and he sighed, just praying the storm would not pick back up. There was no way they could travel if the weather turned again; it just wasn't safe for anyone. The town must be trying to return to some form of normality after the hurricane and her repeats of bad weather, so he hoped for some rest bite for all. It was a good town, which he dearly loved and he didn't want to see it destroyed just like he wanted to ensure Sara was safe.

But, either way though, whether they traveled that evening or had to stand their ground at the cabin, it was going to be a very, very long night….

….and Grissom knew he would put his life on the line for the one he loved…

*** "The man who had left his saw sticking in the fire-wood he was cutting, set it in motion again; the women who had left on a door-step the little pot of hot ashes, at which she had been trying to soften the pain in her own starved fingers and toes, or in those of her child, returned to it; men with bare arms, matted locks, and cadaverous faces, who had emerged into the winter light from cellars, moved away to descend again; and a gloom gathered on the scene that appeared more natural to it than sunshine..." ***

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

A/N: Well, will they make it out or will another storm come? Can Sara even make such a journey? Will McKeen find them no matter where they go? Ahhhh, I love the options and my mind is a thunder :) Hmmmm...Evil hat? Yes, no? Yes, no? You have to let me know. Love you all! :D