A/N: Hey ho, back again :) Are we ready for a little more honeymoon entertainment? I don't know though, I'm sniffing an evil hat… Not sure if he can sneak his way back in, hehehehe.

Thanks for your great reviews, I know the little miniature created a bit of a vibe, lol. I just had to put that in though :D And always, thank you to calim for the direction and input. You're good at getting me to change my mind :P

Chapter 147

Sara laughed as Dante and Pandora vanished through some trees.

"Be careful!" Grissom shouted. "I don't want you slipping!" They heard Dante loudly neigh and Sara smiled.

"You worry about him in the snow, huh?" she asked, her arm gripping onto his a little tighter.

"Always," he admitted. "Horses don't take well to falls, as I'm sure you know, and snow can be deadly to them should they slip. Luckily, he's intelligent enough to know what dangerous ground is since he spent plenty of time looking after himself when he was wild."

She snorted. "You know, your connection with them still amazes me. I think it always will."

Giving her a smile, he stopped and pulled her close, her arms dropping over his shoulders as his coiled around her waist.

"I still don't know why that connection is there or how. It's just…always seemed to be there. From the very first day I set foot upon this estate." He suddenly grinned.

"What?" Sara questioned.

"Oh, just remembering when Robbins brought me here and my first encounter with your father."

Her eyes narrowed a touch. "I still don't know a great deal about when you arrived here. Tell me what happened."

"Your father ended up flat on his ass," he chuckled. "That's what happened."

"Really?" she laughed. "How so?"

"His horse spooked and threw him. So my first sight of him was rather…" he paused.

"Amusing?"

"Yes," he snorted. "Very amusing but the horse…now the horse fascinated me. I'd never seen one so angry and I don't even know, still to this very day what possessed me to approach the beast. It wasn't like I'd had any experience with horses back home but no one could control him so I just stepped forward with my hand out and he settled straight away."

"You didn't have any horses back in Ireland?"

He shook his head. "My family wasn't well off, Sara. From what I remember we had a mule, but that was it."

She smiled sympathetically, her finger running over the back of his coat collar. "So you have no idea why he liked you?"

"Nope," Grissom admitted. "And ever since that day, every single horse I have come across has done exactly what I say. They seem to flock to me. Pretty strange."

"I guess you just have the touch."

His eyes gleamed and he smirked. "Do you think so?"

Quickly getting his meaning she sniggered. "Oh, I know it."

Licking his lips, he stepped back, took her hand and they continued walking.

"So, what's on the agenda for the rest of the day?" she asked then giggled as she spotted Dante licking Pandora's nose through the trees. Grissom glanced at her with that look again and she snorted. "You have a one track mind right now."

"Well…you are now my wife. Don't I have the right to think about you?"

Her eyes rolled. "Gil…I think, for the most part, that's all you were thinking about before we got married let alone now."

"Not all the time," he denied. "But can you really blame me? You are after all the most beautiful and amazing woman I have ever had the pleasure to come across."

"Keep talking like that and you'll be getting exactly what you want," she laughed. Smiling brightly, she pulled him to a stop again. "What time is it?"

Grinning at her he pulled out his pocket watch. "2:30," he replied.

"I'm getting hungry again," she admitted. "It seems you keep using up all my energy and this walk will just increase that hunger."

"Do you want to head back?"

Kissing him on the lips she smiled again. "Yes. We still have food at the cabin, right?" He nodded and her smile grew. "Good."

Grissom gave a smile back then whistled to get Dante's attention as they turned to head back the way they came…"

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Arriving back at the cabin, a piece of paper pinned to the door caught their attention.

Giving his wife a curious look, Grissom pulled on the paper and unfolded it. .

"Sir, Ma'am," he began reading, "...you will find fresh supplies in the kitchen that I hope are to your satisfaction. There is a large pot of water slowly simmering on the stove and a cold pot on the sideboard should you need any for drinking. I have also changed your linen and cleaned the dishes. Should you need anything else, please just let me know. Rana."

"She is a Godsend," Sara sighed happily.

"Isn't she just," Grissom agreed, opening the door and urging Sara inside.

With her curiosity blooming and her tummy rumbling, Sara removed her coat and headed straight for the kitchen to see what Rana had left them.

"We have more strawberries," she laughed out loud, poking her head out of the doorway to see Grissom removing his coat.

Looking at the table, everything from the previous night was gone. "Fabulous," he cooed and Sara snickered. "We can play with those later. What else?"

"Fresh bread, meats and cheeses, pickles, rice, cakes, lots of fruit and… oooohhh…. chocolate, hmmmm…."

Now he laughed. "I gather you are happy then?" he asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Very!" Sighing, he just stared at her and she frowned. "What?" she questioned.

"You have no idea how happy I am seeing you getting excited about food. Your diet of late hasn't been very good, has it?"

Her lips pursed. "No," she admitted. "I guess I'll have to make up for it now."

"Glad to hear it," he replied, stepping close and sweetly kissing her.

"Hmmmm…" she hummed, closing her eyes, stroking a hand down his arm as his lips melted against hers. After a good minute of enjoying her husband's attention, she pulled back, smiling as she did so. "Hungry?"

"Most definitely but maybe we should eat food first?"

Laughing and shaking her head at his pun, she play slapped him on the arm. "Be careful," she warned. "Or you won't be getting that particular dessert."

"Spoilsport," he shot back as she reached for the coffee pot and held it up.

"Shall I make?" she asked.

"Sure. Coffee is good." He gave her a wink before backing from the room. "It's great for energy..."

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The afternoon passed by quickly. The couple ate and chatted about their gifts and the prospect of their own house come spring. Sara still couldn't get the silly model out of her mind but Grissom told her not to worry about it. Then after food and before it got dark, Sara stood on the porch, watching as her husband chopped more wood for the fire. They were using up a lot so he thought best to make sure they had ample. She didn't mind though since she loved watching him work. Especially cutting wood. It showed off just how strong he was and the sight of him lifting that axe and splicing the wood to smithereens just made her ache in a sinful way.

As darkness fell, they lay together in their bed, Grissom propped up against the pillows, a book in hand. Sara's head rested on his chest and he slowly ran his hand through her hair.

"'Believe it, love. Indeed it is so. Consider how natural and how plain it is, my dear, that it should be so. You, devoted and young, cannot fully appreciate the anxiety I have felt that your life should not be wasted…'" ***

Sara's head raised as he finished the sentence, her fingers sliding through a gap in his pajama jacket as he lowered the book. '

"Heard enough?" he asked.

"Hmmmm," she mumbled, taking the book from him and throwing it onto the cabinet but as she went to pull her hand back, he caught it and held it aloft.

"What are you doing?" she snorted, feeling a little weird with her hand stuck up in the air.

His right eye twitched as he brought his lips to her ring finger, softly kissing the golden band. "You haven't seen the inscription on the ring yet, have you?"

Her lips parted and she blinked at him. "Oh, no…. I…totally forgot," she answered innocently. And her words were true, she had forgotten. "It seems you have been keeping my mind a little occupied, Mr. Grissom."

Giving her a smile, he released her hand, nodding towards it and she stared at the ring. "Well then I guess now is the perfect time for you to take a look."

Now she smiled. "All right," she agreed, sitting up then pulling the ring from her finger. Holding it up, she tried to catch a little more of the candle light in order to read the inscription.

"Semper et in aeternum…" she read out aloud then frowned, her eyes narrowing on the engraving to make sure she'd said it properly. "Is that right?" she asked having no clue whether she was correct or not.

"Perfect," he confirmed. "And, spoken very well."

Looking at him, she nibbled on her lip. "What does it mean?"

"It's Latin and it means…," he began, reaching out the take the ring from her and slip it back onto her finger, "…always and forever. And…" He brought her hand to his lips once the ring was safely back on, and kissed her knuckles, "…that is what you are to me. Now and for eternity. I will never stop."

Sara felt her heart almost burst at his unquestionable devotion. "Oh, Gil…" Reaching out, she tightly wrapped her arms around him. "I love you very much," she sobbed, fighting back a sudden wave of emotion.

Pulling her close, he held her strongly. "I know. I love you too…."

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Grissom's head shot from the pillow when he heard something that sounded like a gunshot. Sara followed a second later.

"What…was that?" she gasped just as another shot rang out.

Grissom jumped from the bed, startling her and her eyes went wide as he rushed to the closet and grabbed a pair of pants.

"What are you doing?" she asked panicked.

"That sounded like a gunshots," he answered, fastening his belt, not bothering with a shirt and then rushed across the room to get his boots. "And no one from the estate would be shooting at this hour. It's the middle of the night…"

Sara's eyes never left him as he moved and she shuffled from the bed grabbing her robe, watching him pull on his boots then grab the rifle by the door.

Rushing towards him, her hands clasped his arms. "You can't go out there," she ordered. "It's freezing, it's dark and if you haven't noticed, someone is shooting…We have no idea who's out there…"

Biting down on his lip, he checked the gun was loaded. "And we're trapped in an enclosed space." His words didn't help and Sara's alarm grew.

"I don't want you to go out there…" she whimpered. "If you get hurt again…"

Sighing, he moved to the dresser, opened the top drawer and pulled out a revolver. His first priority was Sara being safe. It always was and always would be. Holding it out to her, she frowned at him. "I need you to be able to protect yourself."

Swallowing hard, she looked at the gun. "I've never used a gun before," she admitted. "I don't know how to shoot."

Oh, he didn't expect that but right now he didn't have a choice. Taking her hand, he softly placed the weapon in her palm. "You've seen how a gun works. Now, you stay inside, keep the gun aimed at the door and pull the trigger if you have to. It's that easy."

Her head shook. "Gil, please…"

As another shot rang out and they both jumped, he raised a hand to her cheek. "Better to find them if they are hostile than they find us. Trust me on this. I need to find out what's going on."

She knew he'd made up his mind. "Please be careful," she begged.

Lowering his hand, he nodded. "I'll be okay. Stay inside and keep the door locked. Open it only for me. Do you understand?"

Taking a deep, nervous breath, she nodded. "At least put your coat on."

"I'll shoot better without it," he replied, slowly opening the door and carefully peeking outside.

Scanning the area, his eyes landed on an orange glow in the distance off to his right. It might be a lantern. Target found, he looked over his shoulder giving Sara one last look.

"Lock the door," he ordered and then he was gone, moving as quickly and quietly as he could down the cabin steps and towards another gunshot as it echoed through the night.

With her heart beating wildly, Sara watched until he vanished into the darkness then reluctantly closed the door. Leaning back against it, she stared at the gun just praying she wouldn't need to use it.

Grissom did his best to keep quiet as he moved, ducking behind each and every tree he came across in order to remain undercover. As he grew closer and closer to the orange glow the sound of male voices grew louder.

"Damn it, Zach, he got away. You're a piss poor shot, you know that?"

"Oh, shut up…"

With his heart racing, Grissom edged closer to the voices, leaning against a tree. He shivered, the cold getting to him. But he couldn't stop now when an unknown threat was just ahead. Slipping past the tree, he was finally close enough to see the two men, looking around, weapons lowered.

"Did you see where he went?"

"Over to the left I think…"

Seeing his chance as the taller of the two men pointed to his left, Grissom rushed forward. "Drop the guns and put your goddamned hands up!" he shouted, aim floating between the two.

"What the hell!" one shouted and they both spun around.

"I said drop the guns! NOW!" Grissom cocked the hammer, firing a shot to the ground right in front of their feet. He was not messing around.

Instantly both men dropped their guns and their hands flew into the air.

"Jesus Christ," they cried together both seemingly terrified. "Don't shoot! Please don't shoot!"

Slowly moving closer, Grissom's eyes narrowed as he got a good look at the men's faces. They were boys not men, no older than fifteen. And they looked familiar.

"I know you…" the rancher mumbled, easing his finger off the trigger. Zach quickly nodded and Grissom frowned. "Your Jim Brass' nephews…"

"Yes, sir…" the boys said together.

With an almighty sigh, Grissom lowered the rifle but kept alert. "Are you two the only ones here?" They both quickly nodded. "Why for the love of God are you here, at this hour shooting?"

"Uncle James spoke with the captain yesterday. He said it was okay for us to hunt deer for the New Year's roast in town. That's all we were doing, I swear."

Shaking his head, Grissom stepped right up to them. "I could have killed you. Do you have any idea that hunting at this hour is incredibly stupid if no one knows about it?"

"We're sorry," Zach apologized. "We had no idea anyone lived all the way out here."

Blowing a huge breath, Grissom watched as the large burst of cold air floated before him then he shivered again.

"I suggest you leave and you leave now. And, if you want to hunt, make sure you do it at a normal hour and that people are aware you are here. You got that?"

"Yes, sir…" Zach swallowed, pointing to their guns. "Can I take them?"

"Yeah…Take them and get out of here."

Swiftly, both boys grabbed their guns and Grissom turned as they passed him, watching them run back the way he'd come. Shaking his head, he started back toward the cabin.

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Sara heard the crunching of footsteps rush by the cabin and her pulse reached new heights. Backing away from the door, her shaking hands raised, pointing the gun right at the door. She could hear the mantel clock…tick tock…tick tock… and she became edgier by the second. Then as a knock came at the door, she jumped, her finger tightening upon the guns trigger.

"Sara, it's me!" Grissom shouted. "You can open the door, honey…"

Breathing an amazing sigh of relief, she rushed to the door, unlocking it before pulling it open. Grissom stood there, rifle against his shoulder, his body shivering in the moonlight.

"Oh my God, Gil, you're frozen…" Grabbing his arm she pulled him inside. "What happened? Who was shooting?"

"Jim Brass nephews," he said, putting the rifle down. "Apparently your father told them they could hunt here. Sadly, they had no sense to do it in the daytime."

"Are you joking?" she gasped and he shook his head. "Do they have any idea what could have happened?"

He gave a nod. "They did when I shot at them." Folding his arms he shivered once more and Sara was quick, slipping her arm around his waist and guiding him towards the fire.

"Sit down," she insisted, urging him into the chair before grabbing a blanket from the bed and throwing it over his shoulders. Then she rushed to the kitchen and came back with a glass of bourbon, kneeling at his feet. "Here, drink this. It will warm you up."

"Thanks," he said, reaching out to take the glass.

"Gil, I was so scared…" Her head shook. "You better make sure you speak to Jim about his family's stupidity. You could have killed them."

Taking a swig of liquor, Grissom nodded. "I will, eventually, but I'm sure they got the message."

She took his free hand and rubbed it hard, trying to get some warmth back into his skin.

"At least I know what we're doing tomorrow," he said, then took another sip from the glass.

"What?" she asked with a frown.

"Teaching you how to shoot. It never crossed my mind that you couldn't use a gun."

Her head moved from side to side. "It's not that I didn't want to learn but father always insisted that guns were for the men. When would I ever need to use one?"

"Well, I think you need to learn. You never know what might happen."

"Okay," she agreed not really wanting that feeling of helplessness again.

Managing to give her a smile, he put the glass down on the floor, took her hands and pulled her into his lap.

"What are you doing?" she laughed.

"I'm cold and there's one thing that will certainly warm me up."

"Oh, yeah?" she cooed. "And what might that be?"

His eyes worked over her face before settling on hers and he licked his lips. "You."

*** - "Yet even when his eyes were opened on the mist and rain, on the moving patch of light from the lamps, and the hedge at the roadside retreating by jerks, the night shadows outside the coach would fall into the train of the night shadows within."

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

A/N: Hehehe, did it get a little tense there for a minute? I wonder how Sara will get on with her lessons. I guess we will see :D Thoughts please :)