A/N: Hey guys, ready for a new chapter? Will the wedding plans go ahead or will Evil Hat jump back in? Hehe, we will see.

Thanks for the great reviews and as always my thanks to Calim for the beta.

Just a quickie about reviews, I love to answer them but please remember you have to sign in if you want a reply from me - delita0204, I would love to answer your questions but you need to sign in so I can. If you are (guest) I can't :(

Okay, so on we go. Enjoy.

Chapter 123

Sara frowned, looking up and down the huge hallway in search of her mother. Alas, Laura had vanished. She checked the library to find it empty as was the dining room and her father's study. Only workers were in the kitchen and she even tried the great hall to find nothing but the echo of her own voice.

Her gut cramped as she returned to the hallway only to bump into Rana who was carrying a basket of laundry.

"Have you seen mother?" Sara asked the housekeeper, evident urgency in her tone.

"Yes, Ma'am," Rana answered. "She be upstairs. I just saw her going to her room, maybe, hmmm…five minutes ago."

"Thanks," Sara whispered, rushing towards the stairs.

She was swift to advance to the landing and towards her parent's bedroom. The door was half open. Taking a breath, she raised her hand, pushed the door open and entered the room.

Laura was standing by the window looking out over the Grove, her hands settled upon the sill, fingers tapping in a merry rhythm.

Sara's nerves pinched as she slowly approached. "Mother?" she said softly.

Laura's sigh was loud as she turned to face her daughter. She couldn't help but notice the tears in Sara's eyes for they matched her own.

"Mother, please don't be angry," Sara begged nervously, her fingers entwining in and out of each other.

Sucking on her bottom lip, Laura shook her head. "I'm not angry, Sara," she replied quietly. "Well, not with you anyway."

"I don't understand," Sara admitted.

Giving a weak smile, Laura reached out to take her daughter's hand. "You know, I'm not even sure why I came up here." She nodded towards the wardrobe. "I just spent the last few minutes gazing over my own wedding dress. How ridiculous is that?" she laughed.

"That's not ridiculous," Sara argued.

Laura snorted, tugging Sara towards the bed and they sat on the edge. "Yes, it is and, to confirm, I'm not angry, I'm disappointed. But not with you, with me."

Sara swallowed. "What do you mean?"

Looking to the ceiling, Laura closed her eyes. "I get so lost in tradition and my own wishes…the thought of a grand spectacle, Sara. I'll admit that and…" she lowered her head, glancing back to her daughter, "…you are my only child. Your wedding is the ideal celebration for me to show you how much I love you. How much your father and I both love you. Plus, what would the town say of our name if we didn't oblige with such a grand party to prove just how much you and Gil love each other?"

Opening her mouth to interrupt, Sara was halted by her mother's finger over her lips.

"Let me finish," Laura insisted.

Sara gave a tiny nod and Laura retracted her hand.

"And I'll be honest. I was looking forward to showing you off." She gave Sara a smile now. "Show everyone, all the non-believers, all the gossip mongers, the haters, just how far you have come and how strong you actually are. And that no matter what you had been through, love could still conquer all that. But that was just selfish and it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. It's you that's important and I should have listened to you before, shouldn't I? Although deep down, I knew how you felt. I thought you might change your mind in time and it was silly of me to think that." She sighed deeply. "I just needed a moment alone to get my head around things I guess…"

Re-taking her mother's hand, Sara gave it a loving squeeze. "You can still show me off, Mother," she snorted. "Just to a smaller audience. Gil and I both want it this way. He's been through a lot, too."

Laura's lips pouted and she gave a nod.

"The day is as special as we make it and we don't need hundreds of people here to make that happen," Sara continued. "That's if…you still want to help me…"

"Of course I do," Laura almost screeched, stopping her daughter in mid-sentence. "A mother not helping her daughter plan her wedding? Who would have thought such a thing?" Sara grinned. "I guess, we'll just have to scale things down a touch," Laura finished on.

"Just a touch," Sara sniggered, ruffling her nose.

Giving a hearty chuckle, Laura pulled her daughter into a warm hug and Sara sighed with relief.

"May I take a look at your dress?"

Pulling back with a frown, Laura cleared her throat. "You want to see my dress?"

"Yes," Sara whispered. "If that's all right…"

"Of course!" Laura's voice turned chirpy and excited and she literally yanked Sara from the bed and towards the wardrobe.

She watched as her mother pulled out the dress in which she'd been wed, moving back to the bed to lay it out over the covers.

"Oh my…" Sara mumbled in awe, looking over the fine piece of attire.

The dress was simply amazing. An ivory coloured, silk moiré bodice with long sleeves, a trimmed waist with pleated satin ribbon and lace trimmed around the base.

"One of the happiest days of my life," Laura said on a sigh, running her fingertips over the dress.

"And what was another?" Sara questioned unable to take her eyes from the dress.

A smile pursed Laura's lips. "The day you came into my life…"

Feeling herself blush, Sara's head slowly turned and her eyes caught her mother's, her heart swelling. "Can I ask you something?" Her question was almost on a whisper.

"Of course," Laura replied.

Sara took a deep breath before her question came. "May…I wear your dress?"

Laura looked positively stunned, her jaw dropping to the floor and she swallowed. "You…want to wear my dress?" she stuttered.

"Yeah…" Sara's reply was short but so sincere.

"But…" Laura shook her head, her mind a muddle, "…don't you want a new dress, something of your own?"

"Mother, I wouldn't ask if I didn't mean it. I would be honoured if you would allow me to wear your dress on my special day…and…I can't think of such an amazing piece of tradition to continue…"

Tears welled in Laura's eyes as she grabbed both her daughter's hands again and squeezed them tightly. "Oh, Sara...I'd be honoured too…" She pulled her into a tight hug and Sara laughed.

After a moment they separated and Laura took a deep breath, flapping her hand in front of her face in an attempt to cool herself down a little and dry away her tears. She felt awfully hot and giddy all of a sudden.

"Do you think Gil will be okay with you wearing my dress?" she asked unsure. "I know Thomas was involved in the choice of. He may feel we're taking that away from him."

Sara's lips pouted. "I'm sure he'll be fine," she said, taking her mother's arm and leading them back towards the door. "But, how about I go discuss it with him?"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Grissom gawped at the captain as the older man sat on the sofa arm and went on and on about succession, birth rights, inheritance and obligations. And, of course, work.

The rancher's eyes narrowed when the captain explained exactly what would be expected of him marrying into the Sidle family. He watched the older man's lips move quickly but the words seemed to be floating right over him. He really didn't have the energy for this now and breathed a silent sigh of relief when the door opened announcing the return of Sara and her mother.

The captain immediately stood upon his wife's arrival, halting his conversation and gave a concerned glance as they walked into the room.

"Everything all right?" he asked with uncertainty, his eyes floating between Laura and his daughter.

Grissom swallowed having no idea how Laura was going to react besides running from the room. He chanced a glance at Sara who gave him a soft smile before sitting down and taking his hand in hers.

"Everything's fine, Thomas," Laura replied, looping her arm through his.

He frowned. "Really?" he questioned not expecting such a happy reply.

She snorted, glancing at Sara. "Yes." Returning her attention to him, she tugged on his arm. "Why don't we organise some fresh tea before the reverend gets here and I will explain."

"Isn't that the reason we hire staff?" he questioned. "Now we're bringing our own tea?"

"Thomas…" she moaned, gritting her teeth, "…just come. Please?" She kinked her head towards Grissom and Sara trying to make him understand they needed a moment alone.

Eventually he got it. "Oh…erm…yeah…right…sure."

Laura rolled her eyes as she tugged him away, wishing sometimes her husband was a little faster at working things out.

"Why do I get the feeling there's something I don't know," Grissom mumbled.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Sara snickered.

He gazed down at her just as she looked up to him, their eyes solidly fixing on each other's, their noses mere inches apart. She felt his hand glide over her dress, coming to rest upon her right hip and the friction that suddenly developed in the air sent a shiver down her spine. Grissom's eyes flicked to her lips and then his head dipped, his own lips capturing hers in one swift and smooth movement.

Sara's eyes slid closed and her tummy tingled as his mouth consumed hers, his tongue gliding past her lips. With a hand raising to his arm, her fingernails dug deep into his robe as he found what he sought and their tongues tangled in a slow, sensual dance. She sobbed into him and, as a searing heat began to burn within her, she knew she had to pull back, and did so, slowly drawing her lips away.

Gradually, her eyes opened and caught his gaze. She could see the craving burning within him and swallowed, taking in several needy breaths.

"If Father should walk in right now, I don't think he would be very impressed," she whispered, her hand gliding down his arm.

Grissom's eyes fell back to her lips for a moment. "I don't suppose he would be," he agreed on a similar whisper.

She offered a bashful smile, placing another quick kiss on his lips.

Now he swallowed. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he asked quietly, his hand raising, fingers sliding over her throat.

Giggling, she took his hand and softly kissed his fingertips. "Even in your condition?"

"Especially in my condition," he retorted and her brow rose. "I have so much time on my hands to…think about you…"

"Well…" She grasped his hand between both of hers. "Unless you want my father castrating you, you'd better keep those thoughts to yourself until after the wedding."

He gave her a seductive smile before shuffling his butt in discomfort.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Hmmm…" He pulled his robe a little tighter around his bottom half. "It may be a good idea if I don't get up for a while though."

She frowned. "Why?"

Now his cheeks reddened as he looked down. "I think you got me a little excited."

Sara instantly got his meaning and her hand shot to her mouth in an attempt to hold in her laugh. "Ummm…" She cleared her throat, and although very flattered, the smile on her face was one of pure amusement. "That might be a good idea," she snorted.

"I'm glad you find it humorous, my dear."

"Hey, don't blame me," she shot back. "You started it."

"True," he sighed. "I did."

She sniggered again curling back up into him.

"So, what were you going to tell me?" he asked. "We seem to have gotten a little side tracked."

"Yeah," she sighed, running her hand through the gap in his robe.

"Is your mother okay? She didn't seem upset like she did when she left the room."

Pushing herself back straight, Sara ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to tidy it a little. She could feel it had gotten a little messy.

"She's all right," she began. "We had a talk about how we feel about the wedding and how she feels as well. She's…happy to go along with whatever we want. Let's just leave it at that."

He gave a smile and a nod.

"There is something else though," she admitted.

"What?"

"How do you feel about me wearing my mother's wedding dress?"

"Umm…" His brow creased. That wasn't exactly what he was expecting. "Is it something you want?"

Sara nodded. "The dress is amazing, I really love it and I think it will give mother a little something that will make her feel good. I would really like to wear it but I need to know you're okay with that."

Grissom gave a shrug. "If that's what you want then, I'm happy."

Sara smiled again, grabbing both his cheeks in her hands and giving him a big kiss. He laughed as she pulled back.

"Hey! I'm trying to get rid of this little problem I have, not make it worse," he chided.

"Sorry," she apologized tapping him on the nose. "Did you and father have a talk?"

Puffing out his cheeks, Grissom gave a nod. "Oh, yes…although he did all the talking."

Alas, he didn't have the opportunity to explain because the door opened and the captain and Laura returned.

"I'll explain later," he said.

Sara gave a nod, shuffling to make a little distance between herself and her fiancé just to keep her father happy. After all, they were soon to be joined by the reverend.

"This just came for you," the captain said holding out an envelope to Grissom when he reached him. "By messenger…"

Scrunching his chin and frowning, Grissom reached out for the envelope and everyone watched on with curiosity, Sara especially. It wasn't usual to send messengers in such weather unless it was an emergency.

Pulling the paper from the envelope, Grissom read the message, his frown deepening by the time he got to the end.

"So, what does it say?" Sara asked urgently. "Who is it from?"

"Um…" Grissom lowered the paper, looking to all who were watching him in turn, his eyes resting on Sara. "It's from Taylor."

"In Alexandria?" she asked. Grissom nodded. Sara took a breath, concern nipping her thoughts. "Has something happened?"

The rancher's frown remained as he thought for a moment. "Not really," he finally spoke. "But, kind of…"

Now Sara frowned. "Not really but kind of? That makes no sense," she pointed out.

"It's about the land we acquired in the outer territories."

"Oh," Sara sighed. "You had me all worried there for a second."

He gave her a smile. "No, nothing to worry about."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door and Rana bringing in fresh tea. "The reverend is here," she announced, picking up the used tray. "Shall I show him through?"

"Yes, please," Laura replied.

Grissom slipped the envelope inside his robe, still looking very much in thought. "The note isn't important," he said. "I'll tell everyone about it later."

The captain gave him a suspicious look and Grissom knew he didn't believe him. To send a messenger through the snow, from all that way, for something that wasn't important? It wouldn't happen.

"So, are the two of you ready to discuss your plans?" Laura questioned.

Grissom and Sara both gave each other a glance then shrugged at the same time. They hadn't really gotten past the idea that they wanted something small.

"I'll guess we'll have to improvise," Sara suggested to him.

"We can do that," Grissom agreed. "But all that's important to the reverend at this point in time, is a date, time and location." He took her hand. "I'm sure we can work that out."

Sara gave him a shy smile. "I'm sure we can…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The clock in the hallway chimed a single chord, announcing to the household it was 1pm. The reverend had been and gone, looking rather perplexed at what had been finalized. It certainly wasn't what he was expecting.

December 28th had been set as the date. Both Grissom and Sara deciding between Christmas and New Year would be best. Having their wedding on one of the specific holiday dates would just create way too much fuss and make the event bigger than they wanted it to be.

They would hold the ceremony in the great hall at the Grove. The reverend had agreed that an altar would be assembled there in time for the occasion. Although he pushed for the ceremony to be held at the church, Sara didn't like the idea of everyone having to travel so far given the notorious weather conditions at that time of year. She especially worried about Grissom being out in the cold, or slipping and hurting himself. Plus, she knew the church would be freezing. It always was in the winter and neither of them were very good with cold conditions anymore given the status of their health. Finer details, guests, entertainment, food and so forth were still to be discussed and finalized but, most importantly, their date was set.

Now, Sara had gone off with her mother, both of them giddily hurrying upstairs once the reverend had left in order for Sara to try on the dress. They needed to see if it needed any alterations and Laura was just so excited to see what it looked like.

Grissom remained in the living room alone as the captain had gone to retrieve more tobacco from his study. He sat by the window, watching the snow as it fell from the heavens above.

"Something on your mind, son?"

Grissom turned from the window to see the captain standing behind him. The rancher gave a smirk.

"Lots," he replied.

"Hmmm…" the captain mewed, sitting on the sofa arm. "Would one of those things happen to have anything to do with your telegram?"

On a soft sigh, Grissom reached into his robe and pulled out the envelope, handing it to the captain.

The captain pulled out the note, reading it to himself…

Gil,

I hope this message finds you well. Well, maybe not fully well yet, but better than you were. Your boys send the captain their thanks for the updates on your condition and they relay those messages to us. Of course, we were very distressed to hear what had happened with regards to The Colonel and the shooting. We are very thankful that you live to see another day and that maybe finally you have found yourself some happiness. After everything you have been through, it is well deserved.

I am writing you for another purpose though, not just to send you well wishes. It is in regards to our land acquisition in the outer territories. I had a visit two days ago from the railroad company. They are more than keen to purchase the land from us for development and, my dear boy, they have made more than a substantial offer. Almost double what the land is worth. I realize you had intended to use the land in your future one day but, I seriously advise you consider the offer. It is more than generous. Please respond as soon as you can. I need your answer within a week. If I do not hear from you by then, I will decline the sale of your share as I would not make that decision without you. If it is any help, I have decided to sell.

Let me know how you are doing and how Sara is also. Hopefully, we can meet up sometime in the near future.

Best regards,

Taylor Miller.

The captain cleared his throat, lowering the letter to glance at the rancher.

"Well…" he began, "…quite a surprise for you…"

"Indeed," Grissom sighed.

The captain frowned, handing the letter back to Grissom. "This seems to trouble you. Why?"

Grissom shrugged. "Honestly? Because I'm not entirely sure what to do. So much has been said today and has …developed…" He shook his head, waving the letter in the air "…it's a lot to take in. I had intended this land to be my future. Mine and Sara's future…" Grissom swallowed as he looked the captain in the eye. "After what you said to me earlier…" He struggled for words now, "…I just don't know what I want or what is best or…"

"Wait…wait…" The captain held up a hand and Grissom silenced. "You didn't intend to stay here after you and Sara were married?" The older man sounded shocked, as if that were an obligation…a tradition Grissom would have taken as a natural step.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Grissom felt a headache coming on. "I don't know," he admitted.

"I see." Standing, the captain ran a hand roughly over his chin. He didn't seem happy at all. "I thought you would have understood your responsibly now, especially after what I said earlier."

"Captain, I mean no disrespect. I just…"

Now the older man shook his head, taking a step back. "I have things to do," he snapped, cutting Grissom off. "When you decide what you're doing with my daughter's life, please be kind enough to let me know, won't you?" He didn't say another word, turned and left a stunned Grissom alone, staring into an empty room.

Grissom threw his arms into the air in disbelief. What had he done? And… He looked around. How the hell was he going to get out of this room?

*** - "It wore itself out, and wore him out with it. He was again alone, considering what to do next."

*** - Extract taken from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Slightly adapted)

A/N: Things did seem to be going a little too well didn't they? Now what? Thoughts please... Have a great day!