CSI 1. Default Chapter

Title: Entreaty  
  
By: Manigault  
  
Disclaimer: They are not mine. CBS, Anthony Zuicker and Atlantic-Allicance own them.  
  
Category: Adventure, I hope. I also hope that it isn't too fluffy in spots. I'm trying to avoid that puddle . G/S as always.  
  
Gil Grissom rapped softly on the door. His eyes ached, his body was at the point of exhaustion and his world was crashing apart. He needed something or someone to keep him sane. Someone who could reign in his sanity with the lift of an eyebrow.  
  
The door tore open and he found confused brown eyes staring back at him. He wondered through his fogged mind if he had made a mistake coming here, but it was too late to turn and leave as Sara Sidle raked her eyes over him.  
  
"Grissom? What are you doing here?" Sara asked after several long seconds had elapsed.  
  
Grissom tilted his head slightly and stared into those deep brown eyes as he tried to process the question in his muddled brain.  
  
"Sara." Grissom rubbed his hand over the back of his neck as they stared at one another in contemplative silence.  
  
Sara assessed his appearance, taking in the loose short sleeved light blue shirt, faded blue jeans and exhausted eyes. Her own eyes widened at the sight of Grissom wearing blue jeans. Searching the files inside her mind, she could not recall the last time she had seen Grissom wearing faded jeans and looking so...A frown creased her forehead.  
  
"You look like shit." Sara told him before a grimace replaced the frown. That was not what she had intended to say, but the admission had brought a slight smile to his lips.  
  
"I've seen better days." Grissom admitted.  
  
"Where have you been?" Sara thought of the last few days at the lab and how lonely it had been without Grissom. Although the past year had been lonely even with Grissom in the lab. She pushed those thoughts aside and waited for him to reply.  
  
"It's a long story, and complicated." Grissom said on a deep sigh.  
  
Sara opened the door and stepped aside. "Share with me, Grissom."  
  
With the briefest of hesitations, Grissom took a tentative step into the room. He had not slept in the past forty-eight hours and it had taken its toil on his body.  
  
Sara trailed him to her sofa where she chose to take a seat on the coffee table directly in front of his knees.  
  
Grissom barely acknowledged her proximity as he leaned back against the cushions and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands.  
  
"A few days ago I received a phone call." Grissom said. He thought of the call that had rocked his world on so many levels.  
  
Sara waited as his voice trailed off in thought and his hands remained pressed against his lids. She remembered Grissom taking a call when they were working a case together a few days before and how, after clicking off the phone in stunned silence he had left without a word. Nick had shown up twenty minutes later and she had not spoken or seen Grissom until today.  
  
Now here he was, sitting on her sofa, looking as if he had been dragged through a mental ambush. Sara leaned forward, tapped his knee lightly and with a gentle voice prodded him to continue his explanation.  
  
"Who was the call from, Grissom?" She asked, never taking her eyes from his face.  
  
Grissom opened weary eyes and stared into her expectant ones. "My sister-in- law."  
  
A thousand questions slammed through Sara's mind at the mention of a sister- in-law. "I thought." Sara shook her head and started again. " I didn't know that you had a sibling, Grissom." She raised her eyebrows and added. "She is married to a sibling, right Gris?"  
  
The last question startled Grissom. "I'm certainly not married to anyone." The emphasis he put on that denial should have annoyed her, but it brought only a relieved smile from her lips. Grissom's eyes flickered to the long fingers resting on his knee, but he made no motion to remove them. Sara followed his eyes before yanking her hand away with an embarrassed laugh.  
  
"Then who is this sister-in-law?" Sara said with forced lightness. "And who is this long lost brother?"  
  
"I haven't seen or heard from my dad since he left my mom and me when I was five years old." Grissom said with no emotion whatsoever in his tired voice. "Apparently he started a new life with a new name and a new family, before he left them and vanished."  
  
The facts were relayed with no sign of emotional involvement. Sara stared at him with shocked indignation at the very idea of Grissom's dad abandoning him.  
  
"This man left you Gris? When you were only a little boy. That bastard!"  
  
Grissom's lips twitched. "I've made my peace with the past, Sara. We were better off without him in our lives and so were my." He stumbled over the words, but he managed to say them aloud. "And so were my half brothers." He took a deep cleansing breath and continued his recounting of the phone call. "That isn't why Elaine called me and asked for my help."  
  
Sara shook her head in confusion. Not for a second did she think he had made his peace with the situation, but she would go with it for a second and focus on what he had just told her.  
  
"Your sister-in-law, Elaine, phoned you to ask for your help concerning."  
  
"Elaine asked me to meet her in Calienta, central Nevada. She said it involved her husband, my half brother, Kyle."  
  
Grissom explained how she had given him her address and said that he would understand when they met and could talk face to face. Having his doubts he was curious enough to drive to her home in Calienta immediately and meet Elaine which was where he then learned the purpose of her urgent request. Kyle and their fourteen year old son, Andrew, had gone camping a week before in the Mojave Desert and failed to return after the three day weekend they had planned. Elaine had immediately contacted the police when they failed to arrive home when expected. The police had turned up nothing of her husband and son's whereabouts. They had vanished. Grissom spoke with the local authorities who had graciously given him all the information they had, which amounted to practically nothing of importance. Kyle's Navigator had been found and everything that the pair had taken with them remained inside, but there was no sign of his brother or his son. By the time Grissom had gone to the site, everything had been collected and given back to Elaine. It baffled him that the locals had not catalogued anything or kept the evidence contained while the case was open. The car was fully equipped with extra fuel, so they had not run out of gas. They were simply no where to be found and the authorities did not think that Kyle was so naïve as to go hiking without his equipment.  
  
"This is incredible, Grissom." Sara could not believe he was sharing this with her or that he was being so calm as he did so. "You haven't given up hope, Gris, have you?"  
  
"I don't know what I can do." Grissom shut his eyes and whispered softly. "The case remains open, but there are no leads and the agents that were called in have shelved it for now."  
  
"They haven't even tried, Grissom, have they? If it has only been a week there must be something, some clue that will lead us to them. Nothing vanishes without a trace, Gris, remember?"  
  
Grissom shook his head. "I would say state your source, but I think it will backfire on me." His voice took on a new level of seriousness as he addressed her statement. "I think that the lead agent believes Kyle took off with his son. The past repeating itself with the twist of the dad taking the oldest son."  
  
"You don't buy that." Sara said with confidence.  
  
"I don't know." Grissom admitted when a yawn betrayed his weariness. "My dad had no trouble running off twice, so maybe this man did the same, only with Andrew." He opened his eyes and stated with more emotion than he had displayed since entering her apartment. "I'm not that kind of investigator, Sara. I don't know what I can do."  
  
"The first thing you need to do is sleep." Sara pointed to the sofa. "Crash here for a few hours while I do some research."  
  
"Research?" Grissom quizzed with a skeptic twist of his lips. "I don't want you involved in this Sara. No researching."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Grissom. Relax." Sara disappeared into her room for a second, before returning with a blanket and pillow. "Sleep for a few hours and you will be able to process everything much more clearly."  
  
If she expected an argument, she was pleasantly surprised as Grissom took the pillow and sprawled out on the sofa without a word. Within seconds he was in a deep sleep that eased the frown lines from his face and took years off his countenance. She could have watched him sleep for hours, but she had work to do and not much time or information to do it with. With reluctance Sara turned away from Grissom's sleeping form and moved to her computer.  
  
The first thing Sara tackled was what appeared the most obvious. Pulling up the internet she began a search of the most recent news concerning any public information on Kyle Giles. Her search brought up a board load of junk, so she went back and typed Nevada next to his name and waited for the results. She spent the next thirty minutes digging through junk until she found an article that related to a missing man and his son.  
  
'Kyle Giles from Calienta, Nevada and his fourteen year old son, Andrew have been missing since Friday.' The article went on to give her scant information, no more than Grissom had told her already, but one item did catch her eye. There was a black and white picture of Kyle and Andrew. Sara studied the images with interest but could discern no resemblance between them and Grissom. Kyle was described as having blond hair, straight from the picture, and green eyes. She wondered if the green eyes could be traced back to the dad he shared with Grissom or if they derived from his mom's side of the family. Andrew had blue eyes according to the article and appeared to be the owner of a very dark and curly head of hair.  
  
Sara printed the article along with the photograph and waited as her printer kicked into gear. Taking the article and photo from the tray she studied them again, but could find no resemblance between the half brothers. The nephew did have a trace of the Grissom smile around the corners of his lips, but the image was newspaper quality and could not do justice to the finer details.  
  
The next hour was spent researching the Mojave Desert as a new and determined gnawing began within her mind. Gris needed her and she would not disappoint him. With this thought her eyes drifted to the sleeping form on the sofa and she added aloud.  
  
" Whether you want me to or not."  
  
TBC 


	2. Chapter Two

Title: Entreaty  
  
By: Manigault  
  
Disclaimer: Same as chapter one except it is Alliance-Atlantic .  
  
Note: This chapter is geared towards getting the geeks moving on the adventure. Also, thanks to Alison for beta reading this for me!  
  
The sweet smell of blueberries drifted around Grissom's nostrils, tweaking him to stir and open disoriented eyes. Several seconds elapsed as he struggled to regain his bearings and pull himself into a sitting position. Images locked into place within his mind and he found himself searching wildly for a familiar face in this unfamiliar apartment.  
  
Sara's profile came into focus as she stood in her kitchen, bending over the counter in complete concentration on some task. With a wide yawn, Grissom stretched his arms towards the ceiling before bringing his arm back down so he could glance at his watch.  
  
"I slept ten hours!" He exclaimed loudly. His body twisted towards Sara, who was now watching him with an amused smile.  
  
"You needed it." Sara told him without hesitation. "If you are hungry, I'm making blueberry pancakes."  
  
"I'm not hungry." Grissom assured her, but the mention of food triggered something within his stomach, because the blasted organ betrayed him with a rumbling growl.  
  
Scowling in indignation he stood up and muttered something about his cell phone.  
  
"Your cell phone is on the counter, Grissom." Sara flipped a pancake onto a growing stack before looking towards him. "It rang once and I answered it."  
  
With alarm etched on his face, Grissom reached his phone in two long strides. Grabbing it, he looked from its betraying silence to Sara's calm face. Too calm for his taste.  
  
"Sara," Grissom's voice was laced with exasperation. "I was expecting a call from Elaine."  
  
"She called." Sara pushed the plate of pancakes towards him and met his eyes without blinking. "The camping equipment is back in her house. We are meeting her this afternoon, at her home." Sara looked away from his astonished eyes. "By the way, I don't get how the feds could have kept the bags as evidence for so long when they claimed they held no clues to what happened to them."  
  
Grissom watched her pour batter into the pan as he listened to her ramble about the camping equipment.  
  
Beside him, Sara felt his stare lance through her and she could not help wondering for the hundredth time since he walked inside her apartment if he had regrets. She placed another pancake on the plate beside her and pointed towards him.  
  
"Grissom, eat." She gestured towards his untouched pancakes. "You need to eat something and then take a shower before we hit the road."  
  
"We?" Grissom stammered. He had not come here to involve Sara in his personal problems. "I don't want you involved in this Sara."  
  
Sara handed him a fork and did not speak until he took the utensil from her slightly shaking hand.  
  
"Then you shouldn't have come to my home Grissom, because I'm so involved now you could turn a blind eye on everything and I would keep investigating."  
  
"Keep investigating?" The shock on Grissom's face matched the alarm in his voice. "What have you been investigating, Sara?"  
  
Sara pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and spoke with the urgency she felt. "Grissom, I want to help you if I can. I spoke with Elaine and she wants us to come to her home for a reason other than the bags. She may have some new information."  
  
"Us." Grissom repeated. "She wants us to come to her home? That's what she said?"  
  
Sara bit her lip and glared over the counter. "You, Grissom. She wants you to come, but she invited me to come with you."  
  
"And you told her that you knew me-how?"  
  
"I told her the truth." Sara jabbed her fork into a blueberry that had escaped the batter "I'm one of your investigators at the CSI lab and I'm helping you with this case."  
  
Grissom watched her chew the blueberry and doubted that she tasted a bit of it. He knew that he had driven to her apartment, but it never entered his tired mind to go anyplace other than Sara's. He could blame it on the lack of sleep, but the truth was a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he shared his burden with Sara.  
  
He suddenly became aware of her probing eyes as she watched him and tried to decipher if he was regretting coming here. Looking away from her he picked up his fork and jabbed it into the pile of blue stained pancakes. The anger he had felt initially was ebbing away and turned into uneasiness that encompassed more than the flat out shock of discovering he had an extended family.  
  
Finding that she had lost her appetite, Sara began a quick cleanup of the kitchen as Grissom gulped down his food without comment. She sensed him move to the coffeepot as he reached for one of the empty mugs she had set out beside it and then felt his eyes bore into her back as he sipped the heavy brew and leaned against the counter.  
  
"I have my overnight bag packed, Grissom." Sara spoke without turning around. "Elaine offered to let us stay in her guestrooms." She stressed the plural before looking over her shoulder to see what his reaction would be to this new information.  
  
Grissom wore his blank mask, but his voice was edged in ice. "I have no intention of staying in Elaine's home."  
  
Sara gave him a tight smile in return, before rolling her eyes and turning halfway around.  
  
"Whatever, Grissom. I'll stay there and you can do whatever you want, but we really should get a move on it if we are going to get to Calienta before dark."  
  
Grissom watched as Sara walked to the front door and grabbed a shoulder bag. "I'm going with you Grissom." Sara stated.  
  
With calmness he did not feel, Grissom took another sip of coffee before he said with flat emotion. "You drive and I'll take this with me."  
  
Relief surged through Sara and she offered him a teasing smile. "You want to stop by your place so you can shower and change clothes?"  
  
Grissom sniffed the air. "Do I smell?"  
  
"Not yet, but you've definitely seen better days."  
  
An actual smile lifted the corners of his lips. "I have a bag in my car. If you want to grab it for me then I will take a shower here."  
  
"No problem." Sara dropped her own bag and reached for his car keys that were lying on the counter where Grissom had dropped them only hours before. "There are clean towels in the cabinet in the bathroom."  
  
"I'll find it." Grissom said as she slipped out the door.  
  
Grissom showered quickly and found that he was eager to be on the road and yet was strangely dreading the confrontation with his newfound sister-in- law. The first meeting had been disturbing enough with its emotional impact and now he was going back for more with Sara beside him. It was almost too much to wrap his brain around. Over the years he had sometimes wondered what had become of his dad, but locked in that childhood pain he had never imagined the elder Grissom would begin a new family.  
  
"Grissom?" Sara called to him from the bathroom doorway, her voice startling him from his musings. He felt the warm spray of water strike his face and chest as he turned the knobs off and pulled the shower curtain back. Pulling a towel off of the counter he noticed that Sara had placed his bag just inside the bathroom door. With a new urgency he pulled out his boxers and clean clothes, eager to be on the road to Calienta.  
  
TBC 


	3. Chapter Three

Note: I plead the fifth on Calienta and any of its inhabitants including the police. Never been there, but I hope any descriptions are believable.  
  
Sara drove along the scenic Highway 93 towards Calienta, all the while casting furtive glances towards Grissom, who appeared lost in thought as he stared out of the passenger side window.  
  
The silence that had descended between them was surprisingly comfortable given the circumstances and Sara was loath to break the mood. However, she had some more questions for Grissom that were gnawing at her mind. Such as, why had Kyle Giles taken his teenager camping in the Mojave Desert of all places? There were so many beautiful and much safer areas around Nevada to spend the weekend. She knew this as fact because she had taken to spending her off days exploring these places on her quest to "get a life."  
  
"Gris?" Sara decided to break the silence as they reached Newman Canyon with its towering and almost transparent sandstone walls encasing them on either side. She knew they were drawing closer to Calienta and thus to Elaine Giles home, so she felt compelled to take advantage of the time left. Pulling a folded piece of paper from the bag beside her, she handed it to Grissom who took it with reluctance. "I found that on the internet. I suppose you have already seen pictures of Kyle and Andrew?"  
  
He had. Grissom had been to the police station in Calienta where they had the images on flyers to send faxes across the country. The hope was that someone would recognize the faces. Opening the paper that Sara handed to him he stared at the strangers once more. The only recognition he drew from the men was the recollection of the flyers that he had seen two days prior. He could see no resemblance to the half-brother Kyle and himself but his eyes narrowed on the face of the boy. He saw himself in Andrews chin and in the hint of a smile that played around the boy's lips. He could not deny that he was related to this teenager, that they shared DNA. Another stranger and one he would possibly never meet.  
  
Sara glanced across the seat at Grissom and her heart ached with the pain she saw etched on his weary face.  
  
"Grissom?" Sara was unsure how to proceed, but determined to press through the new tension. "Have you spoken with anyone else about this? Brass? There may be something he could do on his end to help find them."  
  
"I don't want to drag Jim into this--yet." Grissom folded the paper again and tucked it back into the bag that lay on the seat between them. He stared out of the front windshield now as they passed a sign welcoming them to Calienta. "You need to turn on the fifth street to the left, Sara. Elaine lives on 754 West Allen St."  
  
"Okay." Sara swallowed over the next question she had been processing for the majority of the trip. "Why did Kyle take his son camping in the Mojave Desert, Grissom? Did Elaine give you any reason for that?" Grissom kept his eyes on the scenic building they were passing. The City Hall was a former Spanish-California passenger depot that had been built in 1923. Grissom had passed through Calienta before, several years ago, as he made his way to a beetle race in the Humboldt National Forest. He had stopped at the former depot on impulse and did a brief exploration of the building that now claimed the City Hall, chamber of commerce and a library. After receiving several odd looks from practically each individual he met, he high tailed it out of Calienta with an odd feeling jabbing his gut. Only now did he realize that it had something to do with his half-brother and that brother's family. The eeriness that pricked his brain at the thought of being in such close proximity to the now missing men was unsettling. Had he passed Kyle on the street? Or Andrew for that matter? Would they have seen him and not approached him? One woman had even called him by some name- -Tim or Tom, he could not recall. That had been when he was about to get into his car. Pushing the uneasiness aside he had driven on to Ely and chosen another route back to Vegas.  
  
"Grissom?" Sara prompted as she turned left onto West Allen Street.  
  
They had pulled up in front of a two story white clapboard house with a wrap around porch when Grissom turned towards her and finally responded.  
  
"I don't know why." He answered with a puzzled frown. "I didn't even think to ask Elaine that question."  
  
Sara was not sure what to say to that admission. Usually Grissom thought of every angle when he was investigating a crime, and the fact that he had failed to ask such a basic question was not like him. It only proved to her once more that Grissom was more shaken by this whole situation than he let on.  
  
Grissom closed the car door and kept his hand on the handle for the time it took Sara to close her own door and walk around the car to where he stood.  
  
"Are you up to this Grissom?" Sara touched his arm with concern as he finally pushed away from the car and turned towards the house.  
  
"Let's get this over with." Grissom replied in that weary tone that he had used when first knocking on her apartment door.  
  
They walked up the five steps to the porch and Sara took in the array of toys that were strewn across the light gray planks. A baby doll sat in a rocking chair next to the door and Sara realized for the first time since Grissom's confession that there were more children in Kyle Giles family than Andrew. The newspaper article had failed to mention siblings.  
  
Sara was not sure what she had expected Elaine Giles to look like, but the woman that opened the door did not fit the expectation that she had somehow cultivated on the drive to Calienta.  
  
Elaine was almost as tall as she was, her emerald eyes taking in the two investigators with a deep sadness. Deep auburn hair framed a flawless complexion and a wide smile greeted them with pleasure that did not reach her wide eyes.  
  
"Welcome," Elaine held out her hand to Sara and then Grissom before opening the door a bit wider and stepping aside. "I'm only sorry that we have to meet during such tragic circumstances."  
  
Sara nodded in acknowledgment of this statement and followed Grissom into the foyer of the Giles home. The floor inside mimicked the porch floor as toys lay scattered about the hard wood floor in disarray.  
  
Elaine motioned towards a door that led to a den and asked them if they would make themselves at home while she checked on Emily.  
  
The den was littered with toys just as the foyer and porch and Sara had to grimace at the mess. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her beige jeans to keep from picking up the toys and putting them in some kind of semblance of order. A loud squeak made Grissom jump as he had to side step a stuffed animal. Sara bit back a grin as Grissom glared at the offending creature before settling on the off white sofa with a groan of annoyance.  
  
Careful to avoid the toys Sara moved to a wall that was covered with pictures. The first one that caught her eye was of a small boy with dark hair and a familiar grin. She recognized him as a younger version of the teenager in the newspaper article.  
  
"That's Andrew." Elaine said from the doorway, a catch in her voice making the little girl in her arms turn worried eyes towards Sara.  
  
The child was the spitting image of Kyle Giles. "Hi there." Sara said with the awkwardness she usually exhibited around young children evident in her voice.  
  
"This is Emily." Elaine hugged the child tight, her eyes welling up with unshed tears as she looked at the picture behind Sara.  
  
"I'm two!" Emily informed them with a tiny voice.  
  
Sara nodded and glanced over at Grissom. Emily followed her eyes and spied Grissom who was staring back at the girl with an odd expression.  
  
Emily urged her mom to place her on the floor by tugging her little body away from the woman. Elaine set her own her feet and they watched with amazement as the toddler ran straight to Grissom and flung herself against his knees.  
  
"Unca Tom!" Emily trilled staring up at Grissom with a big smile.  
  
"No, hon, that's-Uncle.Gil." Elaine stammered, while walking quickly towards the child and the petrified man.  
  
Sara would have laughed at Grissom's discomfort if the sight of him with a little girl clinging to his legs had not opened a yearning in her chest that she could not explain.  
  
A tiny frown wrinkled Emily's forehead and in that second she looked so much like Grissom that Sara had to look away.  
  
"You not Unca Tom?" Emily asked with childish disbelief.  
  
"Uh, no." Grissom sighed with relief when Elaine plucked the child up and was holding her close when the doorbell rang.  
  
"My sister, Morgan, is coming to pick Emily up for the night." Elaine explained and then excused herself so she could get Emily ready to go with Morgan.  
  
Sara turned back to the pictures on the wall and her mouth fell open as she gasped.  
  
TBC 


	4. Chapter Four

Note: Wow. I apologize for the length between chapters, but I'm working on it. Thanks everyone for the kind comments regarding Entreaty thus far. It truly makes writing more enjoyable. Also, thank you Alison for being a wonderful beta !   
  
Feedback: Very much appreciated. Please give me some feedback and let me know what you think.   
  
Side Note: My apologies for the format problems. I'm hoping this version will work!   
  
The astonished expression on Sara's face drew Grissom to her side where he quickly found himself staring at a picture of a man sitting on a porch step surrounded by three little grinning boys. Not any man, Grissom noted in silent contemplation. He stared at the image of his biological dad and the three half-brothers he had never met. One boy was draped over the back of the man, his little cheek pressed against the side of the man's face as he laughed into the camera. The other two boys sat on his knees, their blond heads tilted so that they were smiling up into the man's unsmiling face. They appeared to be identical, and Grissom assumed that at least one of these boys was Kyle; the older boy must be the Tom that he had been mistaken for by both Emily and the Calienta resident outside of the City Hall years before.   
  
Sara gripped his upper arm as she felt the tension course through his body and his face transform into that of a stone mask.   
  
"Are you okay?" Sara asked him. She had the distinct impression that her words fell on deaf ears as he shrugged off her hand and continued to stare at the picture. Sara tucked her empty hand into her pocket and turned back to gaze at the picture. "It is eerie how similar you two look." Then, striving for some humor in the awkward atmosphere Sara joked, "Did you inherit anything from your mom?"  
  
She regretted the words as soon as they slipped from her mouth and immediately berated herself for being insensitive. The mask had slipped from Grissom's face for a second and she had the briefest glimpse of the hurt hiding inside when he spun on her with an indescribable expression, opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and then turned away.   
  
"Grissom---" Sara's apology was cut off by the return of Elaine, who looked between the two of them with puzzled eyes.   
  
"Thank you both for driving all the way out here." Elaine picked up a stuffed panda bear and hugged it close. She looked around at the room and shrugged with a slight frown. "I apologize for the mess. Keeping the house straight has not been at the top of my priority list the past few days."   
  
Sara gave her a polite smile and decided to get straight to the point of Elaine's earlier phone call.   
  
"What new information do you have, Elaine?" Sara asked this without looking in Grissom's direction.   
  
"It may be nothing." Elaine turned a light shade of pink. "Agent Bleacher didn't seem to think so when I called and told her."   
  
Sara waited for Grissom to speak and shot him an irritated look when he failed to do so. In fact, he kept his body turned slightly away from her and his eyes remained locked on some far away memory. She was not sure he even heard Elaine or her comment.   
  
"We can decide if it's important, Elaine." Sara assured her with what she hoped was a confident voice. Elaine was staring at the mute Grissom, but with Sara's words she turned and spoke to her in a much less certain tone.   
  
"I found a note in Andrew's dresser." Elaine said, her voice faltering.   
  
To Sara's dismay, she watched Elaine dig into her pocket and pull out a folded paper. Grissom groaned slightly, alerting Sara to the fact that he was at least aware of the conversation, but he made no move to retrieve the note.   
  
Sara asked that Elaine open the paper so that she could read it in an attempt to keep fingerprints to a minimum. The note was very short, typed and to the point.  
  
Bran Road  
  
Sunday, 7pm  
  
Bring your dad  
  
Sara read the note aloud and then shot a look towards Grissom to see if it piqued his curiosity. It had. She could tell by the way his brow furrowed and he tilted his head in thought.   
  
"I'm not sure that I understand why the Feds wouldn't be interested in this." Sara mused aloud. Bran Road was not far from The Mojave Desert and thus where Kyle's car had been found.   
  
Standing abruptly, Grissom left the room without saying a word, leaving Sara to stare after him with bewilderment. Sara turned back to Elaine who appeared as though she were about to burst into tears as she began to crumple the note in her shaking hand.   
  
"No!" Sara leapt across the short distance to grab the other woman's arm. "That note is evidence. It could prove very important in finding your husband and son."   
  
"Gil doesn't seem to think so." Elaine held the note out to Sara. "Here, take this. I don't want it."   
  
"I need gloves and an evidence bag." Sara explained and made no move to take the paper from Elaine.   
  
"Put it in here." Grissom spoke from beside Sara, who jumped and spun around to find him holding an evidence bag out towards Elaine.   
  
Confusion etched Elaine's face as she dropped the note into the bag. "You do think it is important?"  
  
"Of course," Grissom was in his investigative mode now and it pleased Sara that he was taking an active interest. Holding up the bag he now spoke to Sara. "Let's collect what we can, Sara, and then go from there."   
  
"Thank you Gil!" Elaine hugged him impulsively, causing a startled Grissom to tense perceptively as he shot Sara a helpless look.   
  
Elaine did not appear to notice as she led them down the hallway to a bedroom where she had stored the camping equipment. Walking directly behind Elaine was Sara, followed by a still recovering Grissom.   
  
"Elaine," Sara said as they paused outside of a closed door that displayed a rock sign that spelled ANDREW'S ROOM . ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. "Do you have any idea who could have given that note to Andrew? Or why the person would want your husband to come with him?"  
  
Shaking her head in the negative, Elaine wrapped a still shaking hand around the door knob that lead to her son's refuge. She hesitated for a long minute. "I have been so busy with Emily and Mattie the past few weeks that I haven't had a chance to even sit down and talk with Andrew the way we used to do. It wasn't until this morning when I found that note that I realized Andrew hasn't given me a morning hug in over a week the way he has ever since I can remember." She twisted around and stared at Sara with troubled eyes.  
  
"Andrew is such an open fun- loving boy and I took that for granted. I didn't even realize it when he stopped laughing and smiling." Tears welled up in her eyes as she let her hand fall from the door knob. "You can go on in, but I need to check on Mattie."   
  
Sara watched as Elaine almost stumbled down the hall and she could not help but wonder who Mattie was. Watching her expression, Grissom pointed to the door and said with more emotion than she thought he would exhibit.   
  
"Shall we check out the camping equipment, Sara?"   
  
With a nod, Sara turned the handle on the door and stepped inside Andrew Gile's room.   
  
TBC 


	5. Chapter Five

Note: Thanks for the reviews everyone! They do give me encouragement! This is a short chapter, but the next one will be following shortly.   
  
Sara surveyed the room with a mixture of amusement and interest. Andrew's taste ran to the outdoors and extreme sports as well as the usual run of the mill sports such as football and baseball. Rock climbing posters lined the walls and complimented the desert stones that sat on the desk as well as the windowsill. A whitewater rafting poster was displayed prominently above a single bed. Sports paraphernalia and trophies were exhibited on the bookshelf that sat in the corner of the room, along with footballs, a baseball glove and ball, and tennis rackets. He was a regular sports jock and outdoor enthusiast, Sara mused as she took it all in.   
  
Behind her Sara heard the door click shut as Grissom slowly made his way into the room and spoke loudly into her ear.   
  
"If you are finished taking a mental inventory of the room, Sara, then you can tackle that backpack over there." Grissom pointed to a medium sized backpack that lay against the side of Andrew's bed. He moved to a larger one that stood against the windowsill, his latex gloves quickly slipping into place as he snapped them on.   
  
With a roll of her eyes, Sara went to her own bag and pulled out a set of latex gloves before unsnapping the backpack that she was assuming belonged to Andrew. Power bars filled the outer pocket and she put them aside with little interest.   
  
Beside her, Grissom was pulling out clothes, checking pockets, and finding nothing to give them any hints of what happened to Kyle and Andrew. Sara glanced at him from time to time, attempting to gauge his mood as they worked, but she could not put a finger on it. Deciding to focus her attention on the rest of her task, she unzipped the main part of Andrew's bag, pulled out a pair of blue shorts and started to put them aside when she felt a crumple in the back pocket. Curious, she examined the pocket more closely as she unbuttoned it and pulled out a photo of a teenage girl. The girl appeared to be the same age as Andrew, fourteen by her estimate, and was smiling back at the photographer with a glint in her eyes.  
  
"Grissom." Sara waited for Grissom to turn towards her before she held up the photograph. "Andrew's girlfriend?"   
  
Grissom tilted his head and stared at the dog- eared corners of the photo. "Or a girl he liked."   
  
Turning the photograph back around, Sara studied the girl's playful manner. "I wonder if Andrew took this picture or someone else." With a shrug, she placed the photograph in a plastic evidence bag. "Either way, I would like to talk to this girl."   
  
"I'm sure Elaine could tell us who she is." Grissom replied. He stood up to stretch when he accidentally knocked the backpack over with his foot. Before he could stoop to upright the bag, Sara stopped him by grabbing his leg.   
  
"Wait!" She did not look up to see his astounded expression, but reached over him to point to something on the bottom of the bag.   
  
Grissom followed her finger and saw a twig stuck on the corner of the backpack. He watched as Sara extracted the twig along with a few strands of grass and deposited the items in the evidence bag.   
  
"It could have been stuck there by the police or investigators when they were transferring the camping equipment." Grissom stated this with a kind of stubbornness that mystified Sara, who rocked back on her heels to stare directly into the eyes that were locked with her own.   
  
"It could have been," she responded. "But personally I think that it is. It should be treated as evidence. I also think that we need to get this to the lab as soon as possible."   
  
"A twig and some grass," Grissom said without taking his eyes from her own. "You want me to process this in the lab and tell them what exactly?"   
  
Sara kept her eyes on his as she stood up in one fluid motion. "Grissom. What is with you? You want to investigate this case but you don't want to investigate the evidence. I'm confused."   
  
Grissom took a deep breath. He knew that Sara was making complete sense, but he did not want this trailing back to the lab. He stared at the scant evidence they had and frowned. "I don't know for certain this is a crime. We don't have the possible crime scene intact. We don't have any motives." He broke eye contact and stared across the room at the shelf of trophies. "I'm not a missing person's investigator, Sara." Grissom repeated for the second time in a day.   
  
"No, but you are an investigator, Grissom." Sara replied while taking a step closer to him as she gripped his upper arm in her own, until he looked back into her eyes. "We are investigators, Grissom, and we don't know what happened to Kyle and Andrew. But I plan to find out." She squeezed his arm. "Or do my best trying."   
  
Grissom gave her a slight nod as he dropped his eyes to the hand still holding his arm. Sara abruptly let go just as the door flew open. As it slammed against the wall with a bang, an angry voice reverberated throughout the room.   
  
TBC 


	6. Chapter six

"What are you doing in my brother's room?" the owner of the angry voice demanded from the doorway. The boy glowered at Sara as he spoke, but when he saw Grissom slide around to stand beside the stranger, his eyes widened in disbelief.  
  
"Uncle Tom?" Confused blue eyes stared at Grissom with a mixture of alarm and wonder.  
  
Grissom was no less dazed by the small boy who stood glaring at the intruders. He remained speechless as Sara swiveled her head between one and the other and blinked in amazed silence. The boy appeared to be ten or so with deep auburn hair and those startling blue eyes that Sara now attributed to the Grissom Gene. She knew this must be the Mattie that Elaine had referred to when she left them beside the door a few hours ago.  
  
She watched the boy's eyes narrow in suspicion.  
  
"You aren't my uncle." The child stated with a glare towards Grissom. "Who are you and why are in my brother's room?"  
  
Beside her, Sara felt Grissom take a shaky breath and release it with one long sigh, "No. I'm not your Uncle Tom. My name is Gil Grissom and that is Sara Sidle."  
  
Grissom took a chance and stepped forward to hold out his hand towards the young man.  
  
The boy leapt back as if Grissom had thrust a weapon towards him. Sara could see the wheels spinning behind the blue eyes and wondered what he was thinking. She did not have long to contemplate as the boy folded his arms across his chest and furrowed his brow.  
  
"I know that you are too young to be my sorry ass granddad." The boy stuck his tongue out slightly between his lips while he pondered. "I know that you look too old to be my Uncle Tom. He doesn't have gray hair or wear glasses."  
  
Grissom listened to the child with an amused tic lifting the corner of his lips. He was clearly fascinated by the reasoning that drifted through the boy's mind.  
  
"Mattie!" Elaine's voice halted the boy's processing and made him jump out of his skin as he spun towards the hall behind him. "Matthew Robert Giles." Elaine scowled at the child who now locked his jaw and stood ready to take whatever words were about to assault him. "I've been searching all over for you and here you are in Andrew's room being rude to the people trying to help find him."  
  
The words must have shot to Mattie's heart, because he turned quickly to reassess the couple in his brother's room.  
  
"I walked home from school," Mattie grumbled. "Who are they?"  
  
"Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle." Elaine began only to be interrupted by an impatient Mattie.  
  
"No. Who are they? Who is he?" Mattie questioned with a frown as he pointed towards Grissom.  
  
"Matthew Giles, I won't take that tone of voice from you." Elaine was on the brink of tears. Her emotionally charged voice must have registered with Mattie because he dropped his head and blushed.  
  
"I'm sorry." he mumbled, staring at his sneakers with a look of chagrin.  
  
Elaine hugged him to her side and rubbed the back of his shoulders. "Gil is your uncle, Mattie. He is the oldest son of your dad's dad. He never knew about any of us, did you Gil?"  
  
"No."  
  
Mattie turned to look at the man again, before pulling away from Elaine and walking swiftly towards the door. He ducked out of the room without making another comment, but Sara and Grissom saw the confusion and uncertainty that weighed heavy behind his eyes.  
  
Elaine touched a shaking hand to her own auburn hair and made a feeble motion towards the retreating back, "That was Mattie. He is struggling with everything right now and um---." Elaine's words trailed off, and she suddenly turned and fled the room.  
  
Sara and Grissom stared at the empty doorway with blank expressions before slowly facing each other with bemused looks.  
  
"I think that now would be a good time to take a break and grab something for dinner." Grissom suggested. He was eager to escape this claustrophobic room and the sporadic emotions that were raining down on him from all sides.  
  
Sara nodded and trailed after him to the hall and then on towards the entranceway.  
  
"Hey, Gris." Sara suddenly called out as they reached the front door, "I want to let Elaine know that we are going out for dinner and will be back later on."  
  
She was surprised when Grissom did not argue with her, but instead trailed after her towards the sound of pots and pans banging. They found Elaine in the kitchen washing a pan, her hands scrubbing the interior as if she were removing all of the stains that would ever exist within the metal object.  
  
Sara cleared her throat and felt instant remorse when Elaine dropped the pan with a clatter and spun towards them with a look of fear.  
  
"I'm sorry," Sara said with a faltering smile. "I didn't intend to startle you, Elaine. We just wanted to let you know that we are going to take a break and grab something to eat."  
  
The relief that washed over Elaine's face did not go unnoticed by Sara or Grissom.  
  
"There is a really good place in town called the Desert Springs Restaurant." Elaine told them as she escorted them to the door. "Will you be coming back here after dinner?"  
  
"Ah, no, I don't think so," Sara refused to glance at Grissom. "I think that we'll find something in town or maybe even drive back tonight."  
  
She wondered if Elaine forgot that she had offered to let them stay in her guestrooms, but then decided that she honestly would not feel comfortable even if she did make the offer.  
  
Grissom carted what little evidence they had gathered out to the Tahoe while Sara lingered on the porch.  
  
"Elaine," Sara searched for the words she needed to ask the woman, especially if they were not coming back tonight. There were so many questions that she needed to ask. "Did Andrew have a girlfriend?"  
  
A laugh escaped from Elaine's lips before she could stop it and she stared back at Sara with horror at her own slip.  
  
"Yes and no," Elaine said in a whisper. "Andrew had so many girls calling him and he went out with someone almost every weekend. I suppose he had many girlfriends."  
  
"No one special?" Sara prompted.  
  
Shaking her head, Elaine finally shrugged. "I don't think so. Although that could have changed in the past few weeks."  
  
"Sara?" Grissom called to her from the bottom step and she waved him off without looking at him and spoke again to Elaine.  
  
"I never got a chance to ask you why your husband took Andrew camping in The Mojave Desert of all places. That seems like a dangerous place to go for a camping trip."  
  
Elaine shrugged. "My son loves The Mojave. He always begged Kyle to take him camping there and Kyle finally said that he was old enough to go. I didn't like it, but my husband is an experienced outdoorsman. I trusted him to bring Andrew home safe."  
  
Tears slid down Elaine's cheeks and she made no attempt to brush them aside as she pulled the screen door shut between them.  
  
"I made a mistake it appears," Elaine said. She moved to close the inner door, leaving Sara alone on the porch.  
  
"Sara? You ready to go?" Grissom called to her once again. The irritation rolling in his voice was not lost on her as she spun on her heel.  
  
"Fine," Sara muttered as she turned to catch up with Grissom who was already sitting behind the wheel of the Tahoe. "And nothing was answered." She added beneath her breath.  
  
"What's that?" Grissom asked her as she approached the car.  
  
"Nothing, Grissom." Sara strummed her fingers along the driver's window and stared at the Navigator sitting in the driveway in front of the Tahoe.  
  
Grissom followed her look and said with a slight smirk. "I already checked out the car, inside and out. I didn't find anything that the Feds didn't already collect."  
  
"Dirt from the tires?" Sara questioned, frowning when Grissom looked at the steering wheel and avoided her gaze. "If they did collect the dirt on the tires, then did you get the results?"  
  
Grissom mumbled something unintelligible and it was Sara's turn to lean forward and ask him to repeat himself.  
  
"Nothing, Sara." Grissom responded with another scowl, intentionally echoing her own response to his question.  
  
He was not sure if he was more irritated with the way in which Sara was taking over the situation or with his own trouble finding the will to prove that these two new found relatives of his were no longer alive and what had happened to them.  
  
"Agent Bleacher assured me that they collected all the evidence from the car---." Grissom finally admitted as his gaze followed Sara who was taking something from the back of the Tahoe. He watched as she moved with purpose towards the Navigator.  
  
"What do you think you are doing?" Grissom asked with an irritated raise of the brow.  
  
Sara ignored him as she flaked off various flecks of grass, dirt and other unidentifiable items from each tire, labeling them in individual bags as she wrote a letter on each one. Placing the bags aside she looked inside the interior of the Navigator and tried the handle on one of the back doors. It did not open, so she moved to the passenger door and gave it a tug. Finding it closed, she walked around to the front of the car only to find her path blocked by a very annoyed Grissom. They faced off as she stared into his eyes with a troubled look.  
  
"How many cars have we taken apart during a case, Grissom? How often have we found evidence hidden inside a dash or floorboard that would have been overlooked by less caring eyes?"  
  
Sara did not wait for him to answer as she knew that he knew the truth of what she said. Instead she pushed him out of the way with one hand and tried the driver's side door. It opened.  
  
Grissom glared at her as she bent inside the car and she thought he was about to snap something at her when a click rang throughout the interior and she saw the backdoor open.  
  
Straightening up, she looked over the seat to see Grissom inspecting the back seat. Without looking in her direction, he made a half hearted excuse about being hungry and how it would be faster if they both worked the car over so they could leave.  
  
Sara bit back a grin and let him complain.  
  
TBC 


	7. Chapter Seven

Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! And also, thanks to Alison for being a wonderful beta!  
  
Closing the back of the Tahoe after placing the last evidence bag within its interior, Sara glanced up at a second floor window that overlooked the driveway. The curtain dropped instantly and all she caught was a glimpse of auburn hair reflected in the late afternoon sunlight. Shrugging off the feeling of uneasiness, she scooted into the passenger seat and swiveled her body towards Grissom.  
  
"We need to get this evidence to someone at the lab. I'd rather have Greg process it."  
  
Grissom turned the key in the ignition and grunted something incoherent.  
  
"What?" Sara shook her head in displeasure. "Are we playing the guessing game, Grissom?"  
  
He avoided looking at her as he maneuvered out of the driveway and onto the street.  
  
"Why Greg?" Grissom finally asked.  
  
"Why not Greg?" Sara countered. A teasing smile played around her lips as she studied his profile.  
  
"I mean that I don't want to bring Greg into my private life." Grissom tried to clarify his reasoning, casting one sidewise look towards her to see if she would bite.  
  
Sara shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes while turning to the window. After a minute elapsed she turned her head back towards him.  
  
"Who would you suggest? Hodges?"  
  
"No!" Grissom jumped, clearly startled by the mere suggestion. His reaction elicited a chuckle from the passenger side of the car. "Maybe Archie."  
  
"Okay." Sara appeared to mull this over before she made the observation. "So, we give this to Archie and Greg catches wind of it.---and he will. Then we have two lab techs discover what is going on."  
  
"Why would Greg find out?" Grissom argued before shaking his head in acceptance. "I see. Greg knows all in the lab."  
  
"Greg looks up to you for some odd reason. He wouldn't spill your secrets, Grissom." Sara pressed her point, but she already knew that she had won this argument.  
  
"I remember when---." Grissom began to say something that intrigued Sara, but dropped it before he could complete the thought.  
  
"You remember what, Gris?" Sara needed to hear him say the rest of his thoughts aloud, but he had shut down, throwing the wall around him that had become more a part of their relationship than their work. In this past year at any rate, Sara mused.  
  
Sara bit back these thoughts as she watched Grissom pull off of the main street and into a crowded parking lot. After some searching, he found a spot not very far from a light tan building whose sign boasted it served the best food in town.  
  
"Sara?" Grissom bore a puzzled look as he pulled the keys from the ignition and stared out of the front windshield.  
  
"Yeah, Gris?" Sara responded quickly. Holding her breath, she hoped that he would continue their conversation from only minutes prior.  
  
"You never told me how you got out of work. I know that I had you on the schedule tonight."  
  
When Sara did not respond, Grissom turned his head to stare at her, his eyes questioning. The look he received was biting, at best. Without warning, Sara opened her door and slid out of the car. She held the door open long enough to answer his question before slamming it and walking swiftly towards the building.  
  
"Warrick is working for me tonight. Nick is picking up tomorrow night. They both owe me."  
  
Grissom followed her to the entranceway, his steps dragging a bit more slowly. He always seemed to dig himself in deeper where Sara was concerned. He had thought it was a reasonable question considering that he was her supervisor.  
  
Stepping into the dimly lit interior of the building, he found that Sara was speaking with a woman who appeared to be their hostess. Surveying the room, Grissom found the place had an almost romantic quality with its dark woodwork and lanterns adorning each round wooden table and booth.  
  
"Grissom." Sara tugged on his arm and he felt himself looking from a lantern to the faces of the occupants of the restaurant.  
  
Almost stepping back, he found that every eye in the place was fixated on him. Curiosity appeared to be the theme and he wondered if it was because he was an outsider or the fact that he apparently resembled the elusive Tom Giles.  
  
Sara tugged on his arm again and he noticed the hostess was giving him a kind smile that could not hide her own curiosity. The woman appeared to be close to his age, her brunette hair pulled up in a bun that framed her rather full cheeks and twinkling brown eyes.  
  
"Hello." The woman beamed at them both, her white teeth flashing in sincere friendliness. "Welcome to the Desert Springs Restaurant. My name is Bess and I own this little place along with my husband, Clayton."  
  
She motioned for them to follow her through the restaurant. Sara pulled Grissom after her, surprised when he did not resist her handhold on his arm. He tried to avoid the open stares that they passed, table after table, and instead concentrated on the back of Sara's dark head. He now noticed that she had pulled her hair back in a pony tail between the Giles residence and this restaurant.  
  
Bess paused beside a booth that was relatively secluded from the prying eyes of the restaurants occupants. She placed menus on the table in front of each of them and turned her attention to Grissom, giving him a big wink.  
  
"This is a small town and people are naturally curious. I hope that you two will ignore the looks and enjoy one of the best dinners you could have this side of Vegas." She started to turn away, before hesitating. "I must say, you do resemble Tom Giles. Although Tommy is a few years younger and has a very jubilant disposition." She excused herself and left them to mull over her words and their menus.  
  
"Grissom and jubilant." Sara snickered into her menu. "I don't know why anyone can confuse the two of you, knowing that Tom is jubilant." She stressed that word again with more pleasure than Grissom cared to admit.  
  
"You've seen me jubilant." Grissom commented. He studied his own menu as Sara's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed.  
  
"Excuse me?" Sara asked him as a funny surreal feeling swamped her mind. Was he really going to bring up a taboo subject?  
  
Grissom flicked an unreadable look over the top of his menu and said with a smirk. "I said that I would like a glass of wine with dinner. You?"  
  
"You did not." Sara sat back and slapped her hand gently on the table top. "Grissom."  
  
When he did not look up again, but appeared totally engrossed by the menu selections, she decided it wise to drop the subject for the time being. After all, she was the one who had given her word five years ago that she would never speak of what had transpired between them unless he broached the subject. She agreed that friendship was more valuable and the past was just that.the past. The question was whether or not he had broken the rules.  
  
Grissom ordered a steak, medium rare, and a baked potato. Sara chose the vegetable plate and a beer forgoing the wine that Grissom stubbornly ordered. They ate in silence and each silently agreed that Bess had not lied about this being some of the best food they had the pleasure of enjoying.  
  
The meal was almost over when Sara asked out of the blue.  
  
"Why didn't you tell Catherine about any of this, Grissom?"  
  
"Who says that I didn't." Grissom tipped the last sip of wine from his glass and avoided her eyes. "I needed someone to cover for me at work and she is the best choice."  
  
The hurt that swept over Sara was in her voice when she spoke. "I see. So, you did tell Catherine about everything."  
  
The flatness of this statement was not lost on Grissom and he studied her face from beneath lowered brows. He wondered what Sara thought, exactly, in regards to his friendship with Catherine. He was too wary to ask her the question and just assumed that she knew he and Catherine were bosom pals that went way back, further than their own acquaintance. He was mulling over how to respond when Bess reappeared at their table with the check.  
  
"I've got it." Grissom grabbed for the check before Sara's outstretched hands could reach it.  
  
"Fine." Sara brought her hands back to the table, surprising herself and him by not insisting on paying her share.  
  
They drifted back into silence as Bess returned with his card and the check. While he was signing the check she watched him scrawl his name across the bottom and finally spoke.  
  
"So, you are a cousin of the Giles?" Bess asked when her curiosity could not be restrained.  
  
Grissom returned his pen to his pocket and glanced up at her expectant face.  
  
"No."  
  
When he did not elaborate, Bess gained confidence instead of taking the hint. "Well, you must be related to them. I know Kyle and Elaine Giles very well. And I also consider Tom a friend. I don't remember them mentioning a Gil Grissom." She shook her head in thought. "Gil.Giles. Very odd."  
  
Sara folded her hands on the table and watched Grissom with amusement. She couldn't wait to see how Grissom maneuvered his way out of this conversation.  
  
"We appear to share the same biological dad." Grissom admitted. He hoped that would assuage the woman's curiosity and she would leave them alone. "Dinner was delicious," Grissom added. "If you will excuse us." He looked pointedly at the spot where Bess stood, obliviously blocking his path. He could not move without forcefully pushing the woman out of the way.  
  
"That explains it." Bess said with a thoughtful nod. Grissom's eyebrows shot up in dismay and he shot a glare at the now smirking Sara.  
  
Bess smiled at Sara before sadness appeared to engulf her mood. "I can't believe that Kyle and Andy have disappeared. I keep expecting to see Andy and my girl, Olivia, come dashing through that door any second begging for my famous cheeseburgers."  
  
Sara's interest piqued considerably with this new information. "Andrew and your daughter date?"  
  
Bess shook her head in the negative, placing one hand over her ample chest. "Oh, my no. I wish they had. No, Olivia and Andy have been best friends since kindergarten." Tears welled up in Bess's eyes. "Olivia refuses to leave her room she is so upset. We can barely get her to eat."  
  
"Do you think that we could speak with Olivia?' Sara could not keep the excitement from her voice.  
  
"Whatever would you want to talk to Olivia about?" Bess was clearly confused by the request and she glanced nervously towards a back door.  
  
Sara reached out to touch her arm. "We are trying to find Kyle and Andrew, Bess. We are investigators."  
  
A curious mix of relief and dismay washed over Bess's features, but she managed a weak smile. "That's right. Elaine did tell me that she was planning to call someone in the family that she hoped would help." A frown replaced the smile. "I still don't know what Olivia can do to help you."  
  
"There could be information that she could give us that she doesn't even realize she knows." Sara tried to explain with an encouraging smile.  
  
"I suppose it would be okay." Bess still looked uneasy, but she relented. "If Olivia agrees to speak with you. I won't make her do that."  
  
"Thank you, Bess." Sara smiled with warmth that caused Bess to brighten considerably.  
  
Taking advantage of the lighter mood, Sara decided to take another tactic. "Before we speak with Olivia, would you possibly answer some questions concerning the Giles?"  
  
"That I can do.Misses?"  
  
"Sara. Call me Sara if you would like, Bess." Sara leaned slightly towards her and smiled openly. "What do you know about Kyle Giles and his brothers?"  
  
Bess sent a perplexed look towards Grissom. "Don't you know them Mr. Grissom?"  
  
"No." Grissom locked his arms at the elbows and stared at Sara. It was her show.  
  
Sara quickly steered Bess back into the conversation. "Tell me about Kyle first, please."  
  
"Kyle is a good man. The best attorney in town. You can ask anyone." She quickly warmed to the subject. "Kyle moved here with his mom and brothers when he was a toddler. He is a twin. Kyle and Alex are identical in looks, but not disposition." She drifted back in thought. "Tom is the oldest brother.a treasure."  
  
Bess appeared to drift back in time as she recalled the Giles. "Tom was the oldest and made it his job to look after his mom and younger brothers. He used to work three jobs to help put his brother Alex through college."  
  
"So Tom has stayed close with his brothers over the years? He visits often?" Sara wanted to get the conversation back onto Kyle, but the question was uttered while she sorted out her thoughts concerning what information she would like to ask.  
  
"Tommy is like that." Bess smiled again, her eyes coming back to rest on Sara. "Andy is very much like him." She glanced at Grissom. "I would say that Mattie is a bit like you and Alex."  
  
Grissom tensed, but kept his jaw locked. He detected a hint of disapproval in her voice and realized that Sara had the same inclination when she next spoke.  
  
"You don't talk like you care much for Alex." Sara darted a quick look at Grissom and felt empathy for the hurt expression behind his eyes. Or, it could possibly be that it was her own hurt, at his expense, being reflected.  
  
"That's not true." Bess waved to someone as they left a nearby table. "I didn't know him very well. Alex kept to himself and as soon as he turned seventeen he took off for New York City. He has only been back a handful of times." Bess shifted her weight and rubbed her hands together before turning and pulling up a chair.  
  
Grissom groaned internally. Suddenly thirsty, he picked up his empty water glass and looked sullenly into its center before setting it aside.  
  
Silently, Sara pushed her ice tea glass towards him and he stared from it to her in surprise. She was not looking at him, but appeared preoccupied with whatever family information Bess was sharing at that instance. Taking the glass he sipped the sweet liquid and almost sighed with the satisfaction it gave to him.  
  
"I feel so sorry for Nan." Grissom heard Bess tell Sara, her face registering her distress with the brother that was much like himself, despite the fact that she did know Grissom at all.  
  
"Who is Nan?" Sara prompted.  
  
"Their mother." Bess waved to another customer who was approaching her with eagerness. "I'll see you tomorrow at lunchtime Abe."  
  
Grissom noted that Abe took the hint better than Bess herself would have, and promptly turned to leave, but only after giving him another pointed stare.  
  
"Nan lives nearby and is taking Kyle and Andy's disappearance very hard." Bess shook her head sadly. "Alex could visit more often. He hasn't even come to town after he found out about Kyle and Andy."  
  
"Of course." Sara bit her lip and avoided looking towards Grissom. She also thought of her own parents and how infrequently she paid them visits. Her brother, Stephen, was much better in that role.  
  
"Alex married some socialite in New York and they moved to Colorado a few years ago." Bess tried to keep the disdain from her voice and failed miserably. "I think they have several children, although I don't know much about them."  
  
"And what about Tom?"  
  
"Tom never married and he doesn't have children." Bess stood abruptly; bringing her ample frame out of the chair with more suppleness than either Grissom or Sara would have given her credit. "It is a shame that he doesn't have a family, but he will eventually."  
  
"And why hasn't Tom come to town to check on Nan and Kyle's family?" Grissom asked.  
  
Bess rolled her shoulders back and replied with a defensive glare. "He has, Mr. Grissom. In fact, he is staying with Nan."  
  
"You wouldn't happen to have their phone numbers would you Bess?" Sara asked. Her attempt to smooth over the new tension was effective as Bess relaxed and presented her with a smile. "I can give you Nan's phone number." She excused herself to retrieve the number and check on Olivia. "I'll see if Olivia feels up to talking."  
  
Grissom waited until she was out of earshot before he asked with a bluntness that made Sara arch a brow.  
  
"What are you trying to accomplish by asking those questions, Sara?"  
  
"A whole lot more than you accomplished by asking your one question, Grissom." Sara was not angry with him, but she could not get past his indifferent attitude. For the first time since wondering if he regretted coming to her home, she now thought she knew why he had.  
  
Before either one of them could continue with their conversation they were interrupted by a deep voice and a pair of wide set gray eyes.  
  
"My name is Clayton; I'm Bess's husband and owner of the restaurant." He nodded towards the back door. "I heard Bess talking your ears off over here and thought I would tell you to escape while you can, before she comes back. If you haven't paid, then dinner is on the house."  
  
"Hi Clayton," Sara kept the amusement out of her voice as she introduced herself and Grissom. "Bess is checking on Olivia."  
  
Clayton's gaze drifted past the table to the back door and his demeanor softened.  
  
"Olivia! Sweetie!" Clayton held his arms out towards a teenager who approached them with apparent half heartedness. "I'm so glad you decided to come out of your room."  
  
Sara turned towards the doorway and froze. Andrew's picture had just walked into the room.  
  
TBC 


	8. Chapter Eight

Note: Thanks for the R & R . I honestly appreciate the feedback! Special Note: To Alison for being the wonderful beta you are!   
  
Olivia had dark brown hair braided into one long pony tail that trailed along the center of her back and met at her waist. She wore faded jeans and a dark blue football jersey with the number 17 printed in large white letters on the front.  
  
Sara had to wonder, if the girl turned around, would she see the name Giles printed along the back? How many teenage girls wore their best friend's jersey?  
  
Olivia ignored her dad and stared with trepidation at the two imposing figures sitting in the booth. Her eyes darted from Grissom to Sara, settling onto Grissom when she spoke.  
  
"My mom told me that you are trying to find Andy." The girl's dark eyes were brimming with tears and the dark circles beneath her eyes betrayed the fact that she had not slept in some time.  
  
"Elaine Giles asked for our help," Grissom admitted. Sara was touched by the gentle manner in which he was speaking to the girl. His eyes had appraised her fragile emotional state and his voice reflected the softer side of him that few were privileged to witness.  
  
"Wait a second!" Clayton's voice shook with anger and he shot Grissom an accusatory look. "You want to interrogate Olivia?" Disbelief edged the man's question.  
  
"Interrogation is a strong word." Grissom kept his face blank, but his voice firm. "Olivia and Andrew are best friends. We are hoping she can tell us something that will help us find both him and Kyle."  
  
Olivia sat on the edge of the seat next to Grissom who was forced to unlock his elbows and scoot over to give her more room.  
  
Sara studied the girl as she stared at the table top, her fingers tracing an imaginary line along the wooden surface.  
  
"Olivia," Sara refrained from taking the girls hand in her own to stop the nervous movement. "Did Andrew say anything to you about the camping trip?"  
  
Olivia paused in her tracing, but kept her eyes lowered. "He wasn't excited about going on this trip like he usually is and ---." Olivia's words trailed off as she hesitated, unsure if she should continue.  
  
"And what, Olivia?" Sara pressed.  
  
Olivia's eyes flickered from Sara to Grissom.  
  
"I thought it was strange that they didn't take Mattie. Usually Andy can't wait to show Mattie all of the rocks and animals that they find when they go camping. When I asked him if Mattie was excited about the trip, Andy told me that he wasn't going." The tears that had been brimming in her dark brown eyes spilled over and rolled onto her cheeks. "When I asked him why, Andy got mad and yelled at me."  
  
Olivia wiped at the tears with the back of her hands. "Andy never got angry with me before. He would laugh at me, but I'd never heard him yell at me."  
  
"I think this interrogation is over, Mr. Grissom." Clayton settled a firm hand on the girl's frail shoulder and Sara took note of the way Olivia tensed from the contact.  
  
"I don't know anything else that could help you." Olivia told them in a whisper. "Please find Andy." Olivia touched Grissom's arm briefly before scooting out of the booth and walking towards the back door, her shoulders slumped.  
  
Sara watched her walk away and frowned as something about the girl's dejected shoulders gnawed at her mind.  
  
Clayton stared after Olivia with a thoughtful expression, before turning back to the table. "I didn't know about Olivia and Andy having an argument. She doesn't talk to me very much these days."  
  
"Clayton," Grissom said with a new found determination in his voice and manner. "Do you have any idea why Andrew would have acted so strange about this camping trip?"  
  
"I've known that boy since he was five, Mr. Grissom. Andy has never been anything but open and cheerful. He's the kind of kid that makes you smile simply by being around him." Clayton ran a big hand through his hair, spiking it up in spots.  
  
"Did Andrew have any other close friends that you think he would have confided in?" Sara asked the man before he decided to bolt.  
  
"Well, Andrew had friends everywhere, like I told you." Clayton stared at her with confusion lighting his eyes. "If he was going to confide in anyone then I imagine it would have been Olivia."  
  
"Thanks, Clayton." Sara slid from the booth. "Say, we may be staying in town tonight. Would you recommend a hotel or motel?"  
  
"The best place around here is the Calienta Springs Motel. You could probably get a room this time of year with no problem."  
  
As Clayton was giving them directions, Bess reappeared with a carry out box which she handed to Sara.  
  
"We didn't have any left overs, Bess." Sara's protest was waved off as Bess was insistent.  
  
"This is a little dessert," Bess replied. "You could consider it appreciation for helping Elaine find Kyle and Andy."  
  
Sara remained skeptical. They had not made any advancement in locating the missing man and his son. She swallowed her doubts and thanked Bess for her thoughtfulness before following Grissom out into the cool Nevada night.  
  
"Smells good." Grissom commented as he ambled past her to the Tahoe.  
  
"You want to drive, Grissom? I'm exhausted from the drive here." Sara moved around to the passenger side without waiting for Grissom's reaction.  
  
Taking the keys from his pocket, Grissom narrowed his alert eyes onto her face.  
  
"I thought you were looking peaked." Grissom waved towards the car and motioned for them to get inside. "I thought that you were insistent on staying at Elaine's house tonight."  
  
He could not keep the smugness from his voice and did not try to hide it from Sara who was giving him a good natured grin.  
  
"Did you notice how relieved she was when I said that we wouldn't be back this evening?'  
  
"Yeah. And did you notice the relief on my own face when you said that?"  
  
Sara chuckled at his teasing tone and the fact that he was sincere. She wondered what he would say about getting rooms at the nearby motel for the night.  
  
"Would you rather drive back to Vegas, Grissom? We could take the samples to Greg as soon as we get back in to town."  
  
Grissom knew she was exhausted. No matter how much she would claim she could sleep in the car it was not the same as stretching out in a warm bed. Not that her small frame took up much room in a bed..Looking away from her quickly, he pushed the thought away. He had already played on the edge too much tonight, recalling mental images that were better left in the past. Being alone was his motto. He lived by it. It was the life that he chose.  
  
"We can get rooms tonight." Grissom relented. "I'd like to get the meeting with Nan and Tom over with as early as possible and then we can drive back to the lab."  
  
Sara was looking forward to the meeting as Grissom so factually worded it. The only thing that bothered her was the fact that it would delay their taking the evidence to Greg.  
  
"Greg gets off work at seven, Grissom. Remember?"  
  
"I'll call him and ask him to meet me some place when we get back into town. He can take the evidence in with him as it is off the record. It won't raise as much suspicion as me strolling in there with a box and taking it directly to Greg. Everyone would ask questions."  
  
The motel was quaint and they were fortunate to take two of the last four rooms that were available. Grissom thanked the manager and took both sets of keys, handing one to Sara.  
  
"It appears that we are on the same hall."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm in murder central." Sara joked.  
  
Grissom reached over and grabbed the key from her hand, replacing it with his own.  
  
"Now, I am."  
  
Sara watched his retreating back. All the years and the man never failed to surprise her with his mood swings. Sliding the key in the door, Sara stepped into her room and looked around. It did not have much in the way of elegance, but it was sufficient. Walking to the bed she crawled onto the top of the covers, not caring that she had not sprayed it with her disinfectant. She did not care. Within seconds she settled into deep sleep.  
  
TBC 


	9. Chapter Nine

Note: Thanks to Alison for beta reading!  
  
Grissom stared at the bed, the dresser, the carpet. He felt tension overwhelming him, dragging his body with it. Tossing his carry bag on the bed he thought of everything that had transpired in the past few days. The phone call from Elaine. The drive from Vegas to Calienta all the time never suspecting the impact that Elaine's words would have on his orderly life.  
  
Sara.  
  
He had been walking in a daze, going through the motions all the time not wanting to stop and consider the affect it would have on not only his life, but his relationship with Sara.  
  
Pushing his bag to the side, Grissom fell back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. He was too keyed up to sleep and that long nap at Sara's had proven disadvantageous to him now. He did not want to dwell on the changes in his life; he did not want to think of where his half brother Kyle was and what had happened to both him and his son, Andrew.  
  
With a restless push, he swung his legs back off of the bed and stood up to stretch. He would take a walk around the motel. Find a vending machine and get a soda. He paused outside of Sara's door on his way to the lobby and hoped that she was finding the sleep that was so elusive to him.  
  
The lobby was deserted with the exception of the clerk at the front desk who gave him a kind smile. The young lady behind the desk could not have been more than twenty, but she had a knowing look that gave him the impression that he was not the first traveler to wonder around this motel looking for some form of entertainment.  
  
"The pool is always open, sir." The girl tossed her short blond hair and nodded to a door that indicated a heated pool. "But, I would suggest the hot tubs." She held out a brochure that he took with tentative fingers. He glanced at the cover and put the brochure in his pocket.  
  
"Actually I was looking for the vending machines. I didn't bring a swimsuit." Grissom glanced around the lobby for a vending machine sign.  
  
"The vending machines are right outside that door, near the pool." She waved towards the door and turned back to say with a coy smile. "But don't let a swimsuit stop you from enjoying the hot tubs, sir. The rooms are private."  
  
Grissom thanked her and walked quickly towards the pool area. He did not care for the way the girls eyes had swept over him when she made that comment. He found the snack machines with no problem and after purchasing a drink and a candy bar he weaved his way back to his room, avoiding glancing towards the desk as he walked through the lobby.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Sara was freezing. She woke up and glanced at the bedside clock, noticing that she had slept almost an hour. That was not bad, not for her, and not when she felt so wired. Scooting off the bed she walked quickly to the air conditioner and adjusted the temperature. Some nut had left it on fifty degrees. No wonder she was freezing. Rubbing her arms she looked around the room, inspecting it for the first time. A bed. A dresser. A television that she had no desire to turn on at that second. Noticing a brochure lying on the dresser she picked it up and read about the natural springs that the guests could enjoy. The tubs could fill in three minutes flat and the warmth that the brochure suggested was enough to send her to her bag for a robe. She did not need a swimsuit if it was a private room, did she?  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Safely in his room, he laughed at himself for being so ridiculous. That young girl had no more interest in him than..He frowned at the thought, not wanting to complete the sentence in his own mind. Sara had interest in him; he just did not know what to do about it. Sitting on the side of his bed he popped the tab on his drink and tossed the candy bar onto the side table. Leaning against the backboard, he grabbed the remote control and flipped on the television. One station after another breezed past and he found nothing that interested him in the least. Shutting of the set he twisted around to retrieve the candy bar when something crumpled in his shirt pocket.  
  
Pulling out the brochure, he read about the quick heating natural springs that were available in private rooms to each guest. It sounded like the perfect medicine for his aching body. The problem was he had no swimsuit, but if the rooms were private, then he could adjust.  
  
Grissom came to the last door and expected to see the word 'occupied' displayed on the front. Twelve private rooms on this wing held the hot tubs and he had almost decided it was not meant for him to enjoy any of them. He blinked twice as he read on the door that this room was unoccupied. Pushing the door open, he could almost feel the warm water soaking into his tired bones. He froze. This room was definitely occupied.  
  
"Sara?"  
  
"Hey Gris!" Sara grinned over the side of the hot tub. "You are the last person that I expected to see stroll in here."  
  
"Oh?" Grissom held the door half way open and glanced back at the sign. "And who did you expect?"  
  
Wrinkling her nose in his direction, Sara motioned him inside. "You are letting the warm air out, Grissom. Why don't you join me?"  
  
The expression on Grissom's face caused Sara to burst out in laughter.  
  
"I didn't invite you to sleep with me, Gris. And, I promise that I won't jump you." Sara waved him towards the tub. "You aren't a chicken are you?" The mischievous expression she wore was almost too much for him.  
  
Grissom cocked that one brow and for a second she thought he was going to turn and walk away. Instead he reached towards the door and slid the 'occupied' into place before shutting it firmly behind him. He wore an accusing expression when he turned back towards the tub.  
  
"Do you know that anyone could have walked in here? Why didn't you take precautions?"  
  
Sara had the decency to appear chagrined. "I was freezing. The only thing that I thought about was climbing into a warm hot tub." She gave him a weak smile, but the twinkle was back in her deep brown depths. "Besides, the door would not lock."  
  
Grissom surveyed the small room and noted the bench along the wall next to the door held several towels and a silky emerald robe that he assumed was Sara's. Pulling his own robe together in the front, he tightened it with the belt and was thankful that he had worn his black boxers. Not that he was planning on disrobing and getting into that hot tub with Sara. He stepped closer to the steaming water and peeked over the edge.  
  
"What made you bring a swimsuit Sara?"  
  
"I didn't." Sara replied with humor.  
  
Grissom's blue eyes widened in disbelief and they unthinkingly swept down to the water where he could make out the outline of her bare skin.  
  
"Sara, why didn't you warn me?"  
  
"And watch you run out of here so fast you would have taken all of the warmth with you?" Sara let her hands float on the surface of the water as she took in his uneasiness.  
  
Grissom lowered his own eyes as he backed away from the tub and a very nude Sara. He tried to forget the soft curves teasing him beneath the bubbles only an arms length away.  
  
A soft smile curved Sara's lips as she wondered what he would do about this and how long it would take him to make an excuse to leave the room.  
  
"Gris?" Sara prompted when the silence stretched on for several minutes. "I'm not going to jump you. Relax. Why don't you join me? There is plenty of room."  
  
'I'm not worried about you jumping me.' Grissom thought to himself. Aloud he joked. "That's a relief." He made no move to climb into the hot tub, but his eyes swept from Sara to the water with a yearning expression. His tongue darted out between his lips and he weighed the situation.  
  
Sara leaned back and closed her eyes, allowing the warmth to seep into her body. Without opening her eyes, she stretched her legs out, and wondered if Grissom was paying attention to her movements.  
  
"Sara." Her name escaped from Grissom's lips in a low rush.  
  
A smile tilted her lips as she heard the accusatory tone. "Sorry, Gris." She was not sorry at all, Grissom thought.  
  
He cleared his throat and cast furtive looks at the door, assuring himself that he was staying here in case some stranger came bursting through the door. He spun back towards Sara when she spoke.  
  
"I find it fascinating that there's this younger version of you running around. A jubilant version." Sara stressed the word and opened her eyes in time to see him scowl.  
  
"I find it irritating." Grissom grumbled.  
  
Sara smiled and that mischievous expression returned to her face.  
  
Narrowing his eyes, Grissom wondered what she was thinking and if he should dare ask. He moved to the bench and sat, picking up her robe as he leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes.  
  
"I'm glad that you find it amusing that I have a---." Grissom fumbled for the correct word, and finally said. "That there is someone so similar to myself out there."  
  
"I was just wondering if he sounds like you." Sara moved her hands along the surface of the water. "And by that I mean the sound of his voice, not the way he talks."  
  
"And how would that sound?" Grissom opened his eyes, meeting hers.  
  
The flirty nature of his question surprised Sara and she stared at him with suspicion.  
  
"Deep. Sensual." She kept her eyes on his face as she allowed her own voice to drop an octave.  
  
The heat from the spring appeared to intensify as they stared at one another across the short space of the hot tub.  
  
"Then I had better make the phone call to him myself." Grissom said. He fought the urge to stand up and run from the room. Instead, he kept the eye contact as a pink tint crept over Sara's neck and face.  
  
The teasing manner he was exhibiting was baffling. She was pleased and wary of his change in attitude and completely caught off guard.  
  
Grissom broke the trance. "I should speak with Tom anyway, since he is allegedly my relative. It would be strange for you to call him."  
  
Sara looked away and rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Grissom."  
  
"Why do you do that?" Grissom asked intently, his voice rippling with frustration. "Why roll your eyes every time that I say something that you don't like?"  
  
"I don't roll my eyes every time you say something dumb, Grissom."  
  
"It's kind of a childish habit."  
  
"So is avoiding the truth." Sara countered back with a pointed look.  
  
"What truth have I been avoiding?" Grissom ground the question out between clinched teeth.  
  
"Do you really want to go there, Grissom?"  
  
"You started it."  
  
They stared at each other and burst out laughing. The tension remained beneath the surface, but it felt good to let the atmosphere lighten.  
  
"I would say 'Did not', but we both know that so---." Sara responded with a smile.  
  
The smile was contagious and Grissom grinned back, silently relieved that the conversation had been detoured.  
  
"So?" Sara asked.  
  
Grissom shook his head, clearly bemused. "So. I guess we should call it a night."  
  
Sara thought he was being intentionally obtuse. "That's not what I meant, Grissom." She tried to keep her voice light, but her smile had faded.  
  
Grissom felt his heart thump loudly. Why did he not leave the room immediately? He felt rooted to the bench, his mind jammed.  
  
"Why have you avoided me this past year?" Sara pressed. "And you have been avoiding me, ever since the day Philip Gerard made that stupid comment about Hank."  
  
Sara grimaced as she said last name and watched in fascination as Grissom made a similar face.  
  
"I haven't avoided you, Sara." He could not figure out how this conversation had strayed to this point. "And now who is avoiding the truth?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Sara was not going to let him make this her fault. "Hank and I were just friends." Sara repeated with a loud sigh.  
  
Grissom felt a stirring of hope when she added. "At that time." She locked her eyes on her robe that was gripped in Grissom's hands. "Then you told me you were happy that I had a life. You started avoiding me and I---." She let her eyes flick to his before they returned to the robe. "I was confused."  
  
"We worked together on that Khandelwahl/Branson case, Sara." Grissom's protest was weak.  
  
"And I thought that we were cool, but then you went back to avoiding me."  
  
Grissom cleared his throat for what felt like the tenth time in an hour. "Sara." His voice sounded funny and she braced herself for the procedural kiss off.  
  
"I have an inherited condition known as Otosclerosis." Grissom licked his lips and swallowed over the lump that had formed in his throat. "Last year I found my hearing was slowly deteriorating. There were times when I couldn't hear anything at all and other times it was off and on. I was off balance."  
  
He risked looking at her face, mentally telling himself that he could take the pity that he would find. Only her expression was understanding and something else, relieved.  
  
"Grissom." Sara resisted the urge to climb out of the hot tub and touch his ears with both of her hands. "You could have told me."  
  
"No, I couldn't." Grissom's voice held a tinge of sadness. "I remember when my mom told my dad that she was going to be deaf. I remember the look on his face when he yelled at her and then looked at me with such horror."  
  
"He thought that you would inherit it." Sara could not imagine the pain that would have gone through a little boy's heart to have his own daddy look at him with such disgust.  
  
"Apparently he was right." Grissom locked his jaw and looked over her shoulder. "I had surgery on one ear last May. It appears to have stopped the decline for now. I'm planning to have the other ear operated on next month."  
  
Sara nodded. "Thanks for telling me all of this Grissom." Thinking back to her offhand comment earlier that day, when she asked if he had inherited anything from his mom, she silently berated herself. "Is your mother still living?"  
  
"Yes. She lives in a retirement community in Florida." Grissom shook his head again. "I don't know if I should tell her about these people."  
  
"These people are your relatives, Grissom." Sara's voice held no rancor. "But I think that if you don't tell her about them, then there would be nothing lost."  
  
Relief spread over Grissom's features and he smiled. Shaking away all of the sadness that had settled over his mind, he suddenly had the urge to touch Sara's face.  
  
"What is it?" Sara asked, sensing the shift in his emotions.  
  
"I was thinking that I'd like to touch you," Grissom admitted. He surprised himself with the admission and waited to see how Sara would respond.  
  
After a stunned beat, Sara responded with a heartfelt, "Then why don't you?"  
  
Grissom took a deep breath. The steam from the hot tub appeared to float around the small enclosure; the whole conversation seemed surreal. He must have had this dream a thousand nights over the last five years. He stood abruptly and moved slowly towards the side of the tub, his eyes locked onto Sara's eyes with a curious mix of doubt and resolution.  
  
Sara felt the air in her chest compress as her heart beat pounded in her ears. She watched him inch closer and closer until he was directly beside her and she had to tilt her chin to face him. He squatted down in front of her and stared into her eyes for a long heartbeat, before placing one hand under her chin and slowly allowing his fingers to feel the soft skin as they moved from her chin to her moist lips.  
  
Sara held her breath as his eyes slid down her face and locked on the soft curve of her lips. One hand sought the back of her head as the other one continued the sensual exploration of her face. She brought her hands up to rest on his chest and pushed forward to meet him as his lips grazed her own.  
  
They both drew back and stared into each others eyes before Grissom bent forward and let his pent up emotions flow from his lips to Sara's as she opened her mouth to let his tongue explore.  
  
Sara's hands slid from his chest to clutch the steamed curls on the back of his neck as she pulled him closer to her and felt his lips press against her own for the first time in five years. Grissom rained kisses along her neck, nibbling softly on her earlobe as he whispered three words that shook her to the core.  
  
"Catherine was right."  
  
"What?" Sara pushed on his chest with both hands. In the middle of an intimate kiss he had the nerve to utter those words?  
  
Grissom stared at her with true puzzlement in his eyes.  
  
"What did I say?"  
  
Sara eyed him before shaking her head in disbelief. "You told me that Catherine was right." Sara dripped sarcasm. "Catherine was right about what Grissom? That I would make out with you in a hot tub. That I would cave in if you kissed me? What?"  
  
Grissom was speechless. Sara pushed a little harder on his chest until she felt him step pull back, and then stand.  
  
"I don't recall saying that." Grissom admitted.  
  
Sara was not sure if that admission made her feel better or worse.  
  
Grissom narrowed his eyes as he tried to recall the words that had upset Sara. He had been nibbling on her ear and he remembered being thankful for his own ability to hear the soft moans that were emanating from her throat. His eyes widened.  
  
"Catherine told me that I should tell you about my hearing. She said that I should trust you with that and that you would understand. She was right."  
  
Grissom squatted again and reached for her face, cupping it within his hands. "Sara." The hoarse whisper of her name startled her and would have been her undoing if he had left it at that.  
  
"I didn't think." Grissom mumbled.  
  
"No, Grissom, you didn't." Sara pulled his hands from her face. "You didn't trust me and you also forgot to mention to me that Catherine knew all about your secret."  
  
"She guessed. And not until the night before I had the surgery."  
  
Sara digested these words. "If you had let me work with you more this past year then I would have figured it out much sooner."  
  
"I know that." Grissom started to reach towards her face and hesitated. "Why do you think that I've been avoiding you?"  
  
"We should probably call it a night." Sara shrugged away from his hand and turned her back on him.  
  
Grissom watched as she stepped out of the hot tub, water glistening along her shoulder blades and running along her slender back.  
  
He could have kicked himself for his own stupidity.  
  
Sara spun around and caught his eyes staring at her. Fighting off the urge to hold her hand out for him to join her, she bent down to pick up her robe, which his movements had knocked to the floor. She belted the robe tightly in the front and forced herself to remain calm.  
  
"Good night, Grissom."  
  
It took a few heartbeats for him to realize she was going to walk away, but all he managed was a brief 'good night' as she turned and left the room.  
  
TBC 


	10. Chapter Ten

Note: This is a very short chapter. However, chapter eleven will follow it quickly. Thanks for all of the reviews! It is appreciated.  
  
Sara was already seated at a table in the motel's dining room when Grissom walked in. He hesitated briefly before joining her at the table, all the time keeping his eyes averted from her face.  
  
"May I?"  
  
Sara waved him to the seat across from her without offering him a smile. She kept her own eyes glued on the newspaper that was lying on the table beside her cup of coffee.  
  
Grissom pulled out a chair and noticed that Sara had left an extra cup on the table beside the tall white coffee pot. He wondered if it was deliberate, or if the waitress always brought out two cups. He poured his coffee and took a sip before venturing to break the silence.  
  
"Anything interesting in the local paper?"  
  
"Not really." Sara turned a page and kept her attention on the blurry words floating before her face. She could honestly say that she had not read a single paragraph, much less a sentence since picking up the newspaper on the way to the restaurant.  
  
Grissom tapped his fingers on the table and wondered if he should broach the topic of their last conversation or pretend it never happened. The latter was the most appealing and he chose to go with that emotion.  
  
"So, I think that I should phone Nan Giles to get directions to her home and see if we can talk with her this morning." Grissom waited for Sara to lift her eyes from the paper and when she failed to do so, his confidence faltered. Maybe she wanted him to bring up last night. He took a deep breath and decided to broach the subject when Sara suddenly glanced up at him.  
  
"I have her number in my room. I'll get it for you." Before he could protest, Sara pushed her chair back and head out of the room. Working his jaw in frustration, he reached for the paper and pulled it over to his side of the table. The first headline caught his attention. Sara had not seen this? He read the first paragraph and was shaking his head when Sara returned. Holding up the paper, he spoke with unconcealed displeasure.  
  
"You see this article, Sara?"  
  
Taken aback by the accusatory tone, she focused her eyes on the headline. "The search for Kyle and Andy Giles." She said aloud, and noted that it was on the front page. She frowned and looked into Grissom's eyes. "So, I wasn't really reading the paper. I didn't see that."  
  
Grissom read the first paragraph aloud, his voice losing its reproach as he realized she was as occupied as he with the events that transpired last night. "It says that two strangers are in town to help find two of our own." He felt suddenly conspicuous as he looked around the dining room. Fortunately nobody else was reading a paper and he turned back to read the next line. "It goes on to say that one of the men is the long lost brother of Kyle Giles." He shook his head again, and looked up. He was not going to read the next line, and hoped that Sara would not insist on reading it herself.  
  
"Does it mention me?" Sara was curious about that strange glint in his eyes. She mentally scolded herself for not concentrating on actually reading the paper.  
  
"It does." Grissom scanned the rest of the article before looking up to inform her that it basically covered information they were already aware of. "It does mention that Kyle's partner, Scott Hanson, is offering money for information concerning their whereabouts."  
  
Sara digested this new information as she studied the man in front of her. "Who leaked this to the press? Elaine?"  
  
"My guess would be someone at the restaurant last night. Most likely it was Bess."  
  
"Or maybe even Clayton." Sara pushed a piece of paper across the table. "This is the number that Bess gave me for Nan Giles."  
  
Grissom picked up the number and stared at it for a full minute. "I think that I will call from my room. Do you want to meet me at the car?"  
  
Sara nodded. She was disappointed that he did not feel comfortable making the phone call while she was present, but appreciated his need for privacy.  
  
TBC 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Note: Thanks to everyone who is reading this. I hope that you are being entertained to some degree.  
  
Thanks to Alison for beta reading.  
  
Nan Giles lived on the outskirts of town. They drove through the streets in silence, passing the restaurant they had eaten in the previous night. Sara remembered the unopened take out box and glanced around the car. It was on the floorboard where she had placed it.  
  
The container was heavy and when she opened it, the smell of apple pie wafted out and floated around the car's cabin. Grissom shot her a look and she started to close the container when something caught her eye. A piece of paper was taped to the inside of the box lid. She pulled it free and returned the box to the floorboard.  
  
"What's that?" Grissom watched her unfold the paper and frown.  
  
"It's a note. It's from Bess." Sara read the note again, this time aloud. "It says that we should speak to a Paul Hanson. He is on the football team with Andy."  
  
"Is that it? Why didn't she just tell us that in the restaurant? Why the cloak and dagger?"  
  
"That's a good question." Sara tried to recall the conversation with Bess and Olivia. Did she mention anyone named Paul? With sudden recollection, she spun towards Grissom and reached for his arm. "Hanson!"  
  
"Hey! Careful." Grissom kept his hands firmly on the steering wheel despite the sudden movement of Sara clamping her hand around his forearm.  
  
"Hanson was printed on the back of Olivia's jersey. She is dating him." Sara let go of his arm and sat back. "We should go to the school and interview him as soon as possible."  
  
"And see it in tomorrow's paper? Maybe we should find him at home."  
  
"No." Sara stared out of the front window. "I think we should interview all of the boys on that football team. We need to learn more about the effusive Andy Giles."  
  
Grissom did not say anything for several minutes. He was weighing his thoughts with what he felt was the best course of action. "You're right, Sara." He decided not to resist the urge to investigate this case thoroughly. Up to now, he had felt that he was performing some obligation and then he could continue with his own life, but not now. He was in too deep and he had pulled Sara with him. "First, we need to visit Nan Giles. She is expecting us."  
  
------------------------------ ---  
  
Sara stood beside Grissom on the porch of Nan Giles home. This porch was much smaller than Elaine's was, without the littering of toys or rocking chairs. It did have a swing that gently swayed in the light breeze and hosted a wide assortment of potted plants; ferns, cactus, spider plants, and many that Sara did not recognize.  
  
She and Grissom avoided exchanging looks as they waited for Nan to answer the doorbell. Five minutes later, they were still waiting.  
  
"Are you sure that she is expecting us Grissom?" Sara tried to keep the doubt from her voice.  
  
"Do you think that I lied to you about calling her?"  
  
"No."  
  
They stood there for several more minutes trying to decide if they should wait or come back later.  
  
"Maybe I should try calling again." Grissom suggested. He took his cell phone out just as the sound of a car engine revved from the street.  
  
A metallic red convertible eased up behind their Tahoe and they stared in wonder as the man sitting behind the wheel gave them a wide salute.  
  
The man that shut the engine off and climbed out from behind the wheel resembled Grissom, from a distance. As he drew closer to them, Sara could understand why the locals were taken aback by the remarkable likeness. However, she thought the similarities were subtle. Tom Giles hair was dark brown and curled in the back to the nape of his neck. His chin was cleft, but not as distinct as Grissom's, as were the dimples when he flashed an appraising smile. Removing his dark glasses, Sara noted that his eyes were not as blue as Grissom's, although they twinkled in appreciation.  
  
"You must be Sara Sidle, my long lost brother's girlfriend." Tom held out his hand to Sara before acknowledging Grissom's presence.  
  
Grissom tensed beside her, but held his tongue. Sara shook her head in the negative.  
  
"I'm Sara Sidle." She took his hand. "I'm not his girlfriend. I work with him."  
  
"Media." Tom smiled and raised her hand to his lips. "You can never trust them to report the truth."  
  
Sara narrowed her eyes and pulled her hand back. She looked over her shoulder at Grissom who shrugged at her questioning expression.  
  
Tom followed her look and focused on the man standing defensively beside the door. He did not look surprised by the similarities between them; in fact, he appeared completely unfazed by the circumstances.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gil. I've waited years to have the honor."  
  
"Excuse me?" Grissom was stunned by those words. Sara could only imagine how he felt. She started to reach out to touch his arm, but held back. She was not sure he would appreciate her empathy.  
  
Tom did not appear startled; instead, he gave him a soft smile. "I know that you must be knocked off balance by all of this, Gil." He nodded towards the front door. "Why don't we go inside and I'll make some coffee and we can talk."  
  
Grissom was set to protest, but some inner turmoil made him hesitate. He glanced at Sara who was staring at Tom with puzzlement.  
  
"We rang the doorbell, but your mom didn't answer." Sara watched him open the door that had been apparently unlocked.  
  
"She is probably outside in the garden." Tom led them inside a well-kept foyer. Walking towards the back of the house, he motioned for them to follow him. He brought them to a spacious kitchen where he gestured towards the table. He then walked over to a glass sliding door and stared outside into the back yard.  
  
Sara followed his gaze and saw a gray haired woman digging in a tomato garden. The woman sat back and glanced towards the door. When she noticed them, she gave a wave before standing up and pulling the gardening gloves from her hands. They watched her approach the sliding door and Sara thought her steps seemed heavy. Dismissing it as her imagination, she turned away from the door to find Grissom seated at the glass topped table staring into space.  
  
Tom slid the door back and gave his mom a warm hug. Nan Giles smiled at Sara and held out a wrinkled, but firm hand. Sara recognized where Kyle had received his own good looks in this woman's dignified appearance. Nan smoothed her hands on her gardening attire and took a deep breath before facing the man she had been preparing herself to face for years.  
  
"Gil."  
  
Grissom stood. He searched for the feelings he thought that he should have towards this woman who must have known about him for years if Tom's words had implied what he thought they did.  
  
"I hoped that we would meet someday." Nan did not hold out her hand to him as she had Sara. Instead, she stepped forward and hugged him with warmth that he had not expected.  
  
Taken aback, Grissom did not return the hug. His hands remained by his side and his face registered his shock.  
  
Nan pulled back and motioned towards the table. "I suppose you have many questions."  
  
"No." Grissom wanted to leave. He wanted to leave this surreal place and drive back to Vegas and the crime lab where the strangest people made some sort of logic.  
  
"We do have questions regarding Kyle and Andrew." Sara stood close to Grissom, trying to absorb some of his shock.  
  
Nan's smile faltered. "I don't know what has happened to my son and grandson. I hope that you can help us find them." She turned away and busied herself by the coffee pot. "Would you care for coffee? Or would you rather something cold?"  
  
"Coffee would be fine." Sara looked at Grissom and then over at Tom who was observing them with interest.  
  
He pulled out a chair for Sara and took the one next to hers. Grissom stood for another minute before reclaiming his own chair.  
  
"Do you care to explain how you know about me?" Grissom directed the question at Tom, but he included Nan.  
  
Tom glanced towards Nan before offering his explanation. "I learned about you about ten years ago. My mom told me of you and wondered how you were doing, what had become of you. I decided to find out, so I did some research."  
  
Nan placed a cup of coffee before Grissom and one in front of Sara. She then placed creamer and sugar between the cups.  
  
"I knew of you from when I was married to your dad." Nan pulled out a bar stool and sat on it so that she could face Grissom. "He told me a little about you after Tommy was born. I didn't know of you before then."  
  
Grissom did not want to hear about his dad. He wanted to find out more information on Kyle and Andrew, and then leave.  
  
Nan kept speaking, though, lost in her memories. "He told me that Tommy looked so much like his son, Gil." She wiped at a tear. "He told me that he did not know where you were and that your mom had kept you away from him."  
  
Anger swelled up inside Grissom. He fought to keep his voice steady.  
  
"My mom and I lived in the same house in Marina Del Ray, California until I went off to school. She then moved to Florida. If he wanted to find me all he had to do was come back home."  
  
Nan did not look surprised. She nodded at Tom who picked up the explanation. "When he left us, my mom was suspicious of that very thing. She still wanted to know about you and has always felt a connection."  
  
"I wanted to know that you were okay, and ten years ago Tommy found out that you were more than okay. You are one of the few entomologists in this country. You run a crime lab in Las Vegas. You have done well for yourself. I'm relieved."  
  
"Why would you be relieved?" Grissom was honestly baffled. "You did not steal him away from my mom and me. He left because she became deaf and he could not handle it."  
  
"I'm not sure why it has weighed on my mind for years." Nan exchanged an indescribable look with Tom.  
  
Grissom allowed curiosity to rule his own mind. "He told you his real name? Grissom? Is that how you traced me?"  
  
Tom took over the explanation. "He told mom that his ex wife owned an art gallery in Venice. It wasn't hard to track from that point."  
  
Grissom gave him an appreciative look. He knew that it would be hard to trace from that point because his mom had used her maiden name and kept her personal life private.  
  
"It's all history." Grissom stated matter of factly. "I'm here to ask you about Kyle and Andrew."  
  
Nan referred to Tom once again in a manner that intrigued Sara. She noticed that Grissom had not missed the possible significance.  
  
"We know as much as you do, Gil." Tom reached for the creamer and sugar while he clearly planned for the appropriate words. "Tom told us that he and Andy were going camping. I asked him to wait until I could go with them." He looked up and into Gils' eyes. "The Mojave can be an unforgiving wasteland if you don't respect it."  
  
"You think they simply wandered off and got lost? That doesn't seem likely seeing as their car was found with all of their camping equipment." Grissom did not want to spell it out in front of Nan, but the fact that Tom was suggesting that carelessness had resulted in their demise was ridiculous. He also thought it was an odd reaction from the missing person's family.  
  
Sara had the same reaction. "Are you assuming that they wandered away from their car, even though they are experienced campers?"  
  
"No, of course not." Tom wore an exasperated look. "I have not given up hope that they are okay. I don't know what to think."  
  
Grissom looked at Nan's ashen face. "What do you think Mrs. Giles?" Nan caught his eyes with pain etched in her own. "I think that someone has taken them and has them locked away someplace. I think they will be okay if we can find them."  
  
"Mom. Don't say anything." Tom forgot his coffee and stood up to touch the older woman's frail shoulders. He looked back at Grissom and Sara. "She is hoping for the best and at this point that is the best scenario."  
  
"Who do you think could have them, Mrs. Giles?" Grissom spoke with such softness Sara had to strain to hear the words. Nan Giles heard his question and so did Tom.  
  
"I don't know, Gil. That is why I had Elaine call you and ask you to come here to help us find them."  
  
"What do you mean, Mrs. Giles?" Sara picked up the silence as Grissom stared between Tom and Nan.  
  
"It's nothing." Nan patted Tom on the hand and smiled weakly at them both. "I knew that you were an investigator and I thought that you could help."  
  
"He isn't that kind of investigator, mom. I told you that." Tom spoke with tenderness, but his expression was agitated. "I think that we've told you everything that we know concerning their disappearance." His dismissive tone was not lost on Grissom or Sara.  
  
Sara thanked them for seeing them and took Grissom's arm.  
  
"I need to move my car," Tom led them back through the house and out of the front door. "I'm sorry that my sister-in-law and mom got you involved in this, Gil. We should have met you under different circumstances."  
  
TBC 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Note: Thanks as always to Alison for beta reading. Also, thanks to everyone who is reading this story.  
  
They pulled into the parking lot of Desert Springs School. Grissom had not spoken one word since leaving Nan Giles home. After several attempts to engage him in conversation, Sara had rolled her eyes and turned to stare out of the window.  
  
Now Grissom pulled his keys from the ignition and stared at the steering wheel. Closing her door, Sara walked around to his side of the car, waiting for him to join her so they could begin the process of convincing the principal they needed to interview the football team. When Grissom did not move from his trance, she knocked on the window, waiting with more than a little impatience as his face slowly registered that he acknowledged her presence. Opening the car door, Grissom climbed out and then leaned back against it as he stared at the front of the low one story brick building.  
  
"You are coming in with me, right Grissom?"  
  
"Of course." Grissom mentally pushed his uneasiness from meeting Nan and Tom Giles to the back of his mind and concentrated on the task at hand. They had several boys to interview and it could take them a few hours to accomplish.  
  
The halls were silent as they entered the front doors; Sara assumed that the kids were all in class. She glanced at her watch. 10:40 a.m. She read a sign that pointed towards the office and began to walk in that direction when she noticed that Grissom was moving away from her and towards a trophy case. She followed his stare and saw that the display case housed the previous year's state championship baseball trophy. A large picture of the team was propped behind the trophy and in the center of that picture was Andrew Giles wearing the biggest grin Sara had ever seen. Moving from case to case in the front lobby Sara and Grissom noticed that Andrew appeared in a good many of the championship pictures from the past years. Football, baseball, tennis; Andrew Giles was a star athlete.  
  
A bell rang throughout the hall, and as if someone opened a can of worms, kids of all ages appeared to stream from the walls. Several stopped upon seeing the two strangers and many whispers began to flow among the passing students. Sara felt a firm hand take her elbow and guide her through the throngs towards the office sign. When they entered the relative silence of the office, he released her elbow and they turned as one towards the secretary.  
  
Bending over something at her desk, the secretary failed to notice their entrance and kept her eyes downcast. Sara noticed that she was reading the newspaper as she stepped up to the front of the desk.  
  
"Hi there." Sara spoke into the silence and watched the secretary jump ten feet in her chair.  
  
Wild eyes flew up and darted from Sara to the man standing directly behind her.  
  
"You! You are those investigators from Vegas who are here to find Andy." The woman smiled widely and pushed her chair back from the desk. "I'm so happy to meet you Mr. Grissom and you too Miss Sidle." The wisp of a woman pushed her dark hair back from her face and glided around the desk. Grissom stepped back and to Sara's other side as if she could shield him from the dynamo flying towards them.  
  
"My name is Ellen Thompson." She held out her hand towards Sara, who took it with a slight smile. When Sara dropped her hand, the woman turned with determination to Grissom who reached forward, careful to keep Sara between them.  
  
With an amused smile, Sara waited while the woman told them again, how glad she was that they were in town.  
  
"We would like to speak with Andy's friends, Ellen, if that's possible." Sara smiled warmly, but it was not enough to keep the woman's face from clouding over with doubt.  
  
"I don't know about that." She glanced towards a door that had the principal's name, Howard Owens, stenciled across the front. "I will have to speak to Howard and see if that would be okay."  
  
"That would be fine, Ellen." Sara watched the woman knock on the door and slip inside. She turned to Grissom, who was staring after the woman with a puzzled expression.  
  
"That was an odd reaction, don't you think?" Grissom raised his eyebrows at Sara and she responded with a shrug.  
  
"This town is filled with strange reactions." While they waited, Sara read the article in the newspaper that mentioned Grissom and his girlfriend were investigating Andy's disappearance. She looked up to catch Grissom's narrowed eyes daring her to comment.  
  
"It's a gift, reading things backwards."  
  
"You couldn't read that small type from here."  
  
"Where are you keeping your girlfriend, Gris? In the back of the car?"  
  
Grissom was spared a retort when the principal's inner office door swung open and a man came hurrying out.  
  
"I'm Howard Owens." He greeted them with a terse smile. Grissom noticed that he swallowed several times and had the nervous habit of running his finger between his tie and his throat. The man was in his mid to late forties and had fading brown hair and small black eyes.  
  
"Hi, Mr. Owens." Sara returned his greeting by introducing herself and Grissom. She could tell by his reaction that he knew who they were and wanted nothing more than for them to leave.  
  
"We would like to speak with a few of Andy's friends and teammates, Mr. Owens." Sara spoke with a calmness that did not match the knot that was growing in her stomach.  
  
Howard looked like he was about to deny their request when the door burst open and a teacher stormed in pushing a little boy in front of him. Sara and Grissom recognized the boy as Mattie Giles and they could tell that the child was surprised to see them.  
  
The teacher hesitated when he saw the strangers, but his ire was recalled when Mattie shrugged out of his grip. He pointed towards the child. "That child can not stay in my class. He has disrupted it for the last time. There is no excuse for his behavior."  
  
Glancing at Grissom and Sara, Howard repeated his nervous habit and swallowed before he turned his attention to the distraught teacher.  
  
"Now Gary, be reasonable. You know that Mattie has been going through a lot with his family life shattered the way it is." His glare at the child did not match his words, but Mattie did not appear to notice or care. His eyes were trained on Grissom.  
  
"I'm tired of that excuse, Howard." Gary folded his arms. "I don't want him back in my class. He tries to disrupt the class every day and now he has succeeded in upsetting my students to the point that they refuse to enter my classroom."  
  
"They are chickens." Mattie spoke with defiance and shoved his hands in his pockets in a posture of nonchalance.  
  
"What.Why," Howard was having trouble formulating his thoughts as he put a restraining hand on Gary's arm. "What could he have done to keep your students from wanting to enter their classroom?"  
  
"He released a jar full of cockroaches." Gary shuddered in dismay. "There must be more than a hundred roaches running around my classroom. I'm surprised you didn't hear the kids screaming."  
  
"One hundred and twenty four." Mattie corrected.  
  
Grissom chuckled, earning a playful jab in the ribs by Sara. Mattie looked at him with a new respect.  
  
"You are not helping, Mr. Grissom." Howard turned to Ellen. "Why don't you take Mr. Grissom to the gym where he can speak with the football team?"  
  
Ellen nodded. Grissom was reluctant to leave the defiant Mattie in the office alone with the disgruntled teacher and principal, but he followed Sara out of the room after giving Mattie a conspiratorial wink.  
  
"You shouldn't encourage that, Gris." Sara spoke in a soft voice as they walked along the hallway. They passed a group of laughing and joking children who mingled around in front of a closed door.  
  
Grissom shrugged. "It is serious. He has potentially put those roaches in the pathway of being destroyed by unaware individuals."  
  
"You're kidding." Sara sidestepped one of those creatures as it scurried from out beneath the door. Several kids screamed as the roach paused and vanished back the way it had come. "I would stomp it if I had on different shoes."  
  
The comment earned her a displeased look from the bug man himself, but she did not care. "It's a roach, Grissom."  
  
They reached the entrance to the gym. Ellen called over the coach. The man took in the investigators with an appreciative smile.  
  
"I was hoping that you would stop by here." Ray Ebsen was the first adult in the school to appear genuinely happy that the investigators were planning to talk with Andy's friends.  
  
After Ellen left them to return to the office, Ray motioned them over to a group of boys who were whispering to one another and staring at their approach.  
  
"This is the class that Andy was in and these are the boys that he was around the most." Ray introduced the group of nine teenagers. Sara's attention was focused on the one he called Paul Hanson.  
  
"We would like to speak with each of you individually." Grissom stated. "We will split up, with Miss Sidle talking with one of you while I speak with another." He looked back at Ray. "If that is okay, Mr. Ebsen?"  
  
"That would be fine." Ray informed the boys that they should be honest and tell the investigators anything they wanted to know.  
  
Sara heard a snicker from one of the boys.  
  
"Is there a problem, Paul?" Ray did not speak to the boy with any affection. Sara decided she would talk with Paul Hanson first.  
  
"No, sir." Paul replied without a hint of sincerity.  
  
"I'll speak with you over there, Paul." Sara motioned towards the bleachers on the far side of the gym. She watched the boy grin and toss his basketball to another boy as he strutted over to the bleachers.  
  
Grissom pointed to a boy, but Ray shook his head and nodded towards another teen that stood a few feet off to the side of the group. Grissom caught the teen's eye and motioned towards the bleachers on the opposite side of the gym from where Sara was walking. Emmett reluctantly followed Grissom, averting his eyes from the rest of his teammates.  
  
-------------------------------------------- -------------------  
  
Sara chose to stand while Paul sat back on the bleachers, his arms stretched out along the back of the seat behind him.  
  
"You knew Andrew Giles well, Paul?"  
  
"Everyone in this town knows everyone else well, Miss Sidle." Paul let his eyes roam over her.  
  
"Were the two of you friends?" Sara ignored the impulse to reach over and wipe that insolent look from the teens face. That would look good in tomorrow's paper. 'Grissom's girlfriend smacks a student, one of our own.'  
  
"Yep. Andy and I have been friends for ages." His voice did not lend truth to the words. Somehow, Sara got the impression he was fibbing.  
  
"Why do I think that you are lying to me, Paul?"  
  
"I'm not lying," Paul insisted. "Andy and I were at a party together the weekend before he went camping."  
  
"That doesn't make you friends." Sara was beginning to wonder what she had hoped to accomplish by interviewing Paul first. She should have spoken with the other boys and then Paul. She decided to come back to him after she interviewed the last teen. "Is there anything about Andy that you could share with me, Paul? Anything that would explain who he was meeting that weekend?"  
  
"He was meeting someone that weekend?" Paul was truly surprised by her comment. He did not know about the note.  
  
Sara decided to ask him about Olivia while his defenses were down." Tell me about your girlfriend and her relationship with Andy."  
  
"Olivia? She and Andy were friends." Paul shrugged.  
  
"They were best friends, weren't they?" Sara watched him lean forward, his grin now gone.  
  
"They used to be best friends. Andy was doing more stuff with the boys and Olivia didn't like it."  
  
"If Olivia was your girlfriend, then why should she care what Andy was doing with the boys?"  
  
"You would have to ask her that question." Paul wore a bored expression. "Is that all? Because I need to practice my game."  
  
"You do that." Sara watched him jog back over to the group and hoped that Grissom was having better luck.  
  
----------------------------------------------- --------------  
  
Emmett kept his eyes on his hands, twisting them with a nervousness that intrigued Grissom.  
  
"Why are you so nervous?"  
  
Emmett stopped twisting his hands and risked a quick look into the face of the investigator.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Tell me about Andy. Were you and he close friends?"  
  
"We used to be good friends." Emmett looked in the direction Sara and Paul were sitting. "Then he started goofing off with Paul and his group."  
  
Grissom kept his eyes on Emmett as the boy looked away from Paul. "You don't like Paul very much, do you Emmett?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why don't you like him?"  
  
Emmett was quiet as he debated what he should tell Grissom. He was worried about Andy, but he did not know how much he should share without alienating himself from the entire group.  
  
"Andy used to be his own person. He liked everyone, but he didn't care about impressing everyone.you know?" Emmett did not wait to see if Grissom understood what he was saying. "And then one day he did."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Emmett looked around him to make sure that nobody was listening. "I don't want you to tell anyone that I'm the one that told you this."  
  
"It depends on what you tell me, Emmett. I can't make promises that I'm not sure that I can keep."  
  
Grissom was afraid that Emmett would change his mind. The boy wiped his brow and took a deep breath.  
  
"A few months ago, when Olivia started dating Paul." He looked around again to confirm they were alone. "Andy decided to go to one of Paul's parties. He wanted to keep an eye on Olivia and make sure that things didn't get out of hand."  
  
Grissom could see that happening, based on what he had learned of Andrew. "What happened?"  
  
"They spiked the punch and Andy got wasted."  
  
That was not unusual, Grissom thought to himself.  
  
"Andy was more than wasted." Emmett tapped his knee. "Paul and some other boys put ecstasy in his punch. He was wired."  
  
Grissom considered these details and waited for Emmett to continue. It took him another long pause and another look around the room. Grissom followed his eyes.  
  
"Which of these boys were involved?" Grissom watched the teens throwing a basketball between them while they talked.  
  
"All of them." Emmett shrugged. "Andy was the best, but he had no clue that all of these guys were doing drugs. When he realized what had happened he was stunned to say the least."  
  
"He decided to turn them in?" Grissom quizzed.  
  
"No." Emmett was so pale now he was shaking. "He told me what happened and made me promise not to tell anyone."  
  
"Why would he do this?"  
  
"Olivia was seeing Paul." Emmett let the statement speak for itself. "If he turned them in, then he turned her in. He wanted to get her out before something happened to her, but she wouldn't listen."  
  
"So, he was in the process of trying to make Olivia stop seeing Paul and also stop her from doing drugs?"  
  
"Yes and no." Emmett stood up and started to walk back to the group, but hesitated. "That was what he intended to do, but somehow he started joining in with them. He was smoking pot and doing ecstasy and heroin almost every weekend."  
  
He left Grissom standing there with more questions than answers. Grissom saw Sara walking back towards the group and waved her over. Speaking softly he filled her in on what he had learned and watched her expression change to sadness.  
  
"He thought he could help Olivia by being part of the group, but he ended up getting in way over his head."  
  
Sara shook her head as Grissom spoke. "Stupid kids." Her voice choked on the words and she looked up at Grissom. "Do you think that Kyle suspected?"  
  
"I have a good idea that he did."  
  
"We should finish interviewing the rest of the kids. I suppose we need to ask them the drug question without letting on that Emmett spilled."  
  
"They will figure it out anyway, but we can try."  
  
They spent the next hour and a half speaking with the remainder of the group. Only one other boy let on that Andy was involved with drugs. He stressed that drugs had nothing to do with why Andy and Kyle had disappeared. "It was recreational; I promise we had nothing to do with his disappearance."  
  
Grissom let the boy go back to the group and watched as they glared in the direction of Emmett. He hoped that the boy would not be ostracized by the school for speaking to them in such a candid manner. Ray patted the teen on the shoulder and jogged over to where Grissom and Sara stood by the gym entrance.  
  
"Did you learn anything useful, Mr. Grissom? Miss Sidle?" Ray had the look of genuine concern and for the first time since meeting him, Sara wondered if he was aware of what was going on with his team and sent Emmett in first to figure out what the boy would tell them.  
  
"Are you aware of any of your boys doing drugs, Mr. Ebsen?" Sara watched his face clearly and found it interesting when no flicker of surprise altered his features.  
  
"I was suspicious." Ray rubbed his chin. "I noticed a behavior change in Andy several weeks ago that bothered me. When I talked to him about it, he shrugged it off as stress with school and home."  
  
"Stress at home?"  
  
"He said that he was struggling with some of his classes and his parents were not happy about it."  
  
"Did it concern you that he was struggling with classes?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"If he failed then he wouldn't be able to play football this year." Sara suggested.  
  
A flash of anger lit behind his eyes. "I didn't care about the game, Miss Sidle. I've known Andy since he was in first grade. He is an avid learner and excelled at school. I was concerned about him."  
  
"I can see that." Sara felt that he was being sincere. "What did you do after you spoke with Andy?"  
  
"I called his dad." Ray told them about calling Kyle and asking him to stop by the school. They had a long talk and later Kyle told him that Andy had denied drug use. His dad did not believe him and was determined to get to the bottom of it. "I told him that if there was anything I could do to let me know."  
  
Grissom was thoughtful. "Why didn't you tell the principal? Why haven't the rest of these kids been tested."  
  
Ray was ashamed of the answer he had to give them. "I did tell them. They said that I was mistaken, these were good kids who would never take drugs"  
  
"They dismissed the whole thing as untrue." Grissom mused aloud.  
  
The bell rang for the next class and Ray watched the boys jog off to the locker room. "I get these kids two hours a day and then practice after school. I talk to them about not doing drugs, about keeping their lives in order. I think that the only one that listens is Emmett and I worry about him the most."  
  
With that, Ray left them to find their way back through the halls to the front entrance.  
  
Grissom paused outside of the closed classroom door that led to the roach release of several hours earlier. On impulse, he peeked inside and found the room empty with the exception of one little crouching body. Mattie was scooping up one of the roaches and placing it inside a jar, his face a study of concentration.  
  
"Is this your punishment?" Grissom was impressed that Mattie did not flinch at the sound of his voice, nor did he turn to look at him. He was focused on a corner of the cabinet where a small tentacle peeked out.  
  
"I got you." Mattie placed another roach inside the jar before acknowledging Grissom's presence. "This and I've been suspended for four weeks."  
  
Sara heard the pleased tone that accompanied the boy's statement. She wondered if he had planned on being suspended.  
  
"So, how many have you caught?" Sara asked him as her eyes searched the floor around her feet.  
  
"I've recaptured one hundred and five." Mattie moved a container on the shelf and looked behind the books.  
  
"That is better odds than I would have given you." Grissom commented.  
  
Mattie did not look at him as he kept peering behind book after book on the shelf. "Oh, don't I know it. I blocked all of the main holes in this room before I let them go, but some of them still found a way out."  
  
"They always do." Grissom started to leave when Mattie spun the lid on his jar and looked at them with wistfulness.  
  
"Would you give me a ride home? They haven't been able to get in touch with my mom and I don't want to ride the school bus."  
  
"If that is okay with the office, then sure." Grissom stepped aside as the boy lifted the jar and walked past them to the door.  
  
"Why didn't you call your Uncle Tom?" Sara could not help but ask the boy.  
  
Mattie's eyes sparkled and he stopped in his tracks. "Uncle Tom is here? I didn't know that he was coming this week."  
  
"Do you want to call him or do you want us to take you home?" Sara was surprised by Mattie's answer.  
  
"Oh, you can take me home. It would be faster and I can call Uncle Tom from there."  
  
"We need to speak with your mom, anyway." Grissom stayed in the hall as Sara verified with the office that they would take Mattie to his home.  
  
"No problem." Sara said when she returned. "Strangers can waltz in there and take home one of their students."  
  
"You're not strangers." Mattie whispered, almost to himself.  
  
TBC 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Note: Thanks to everyone who had been reading. Also, thanks for your patience.  
  
----------------------------------- ---  
  
"I'm hungry," Mattie informed them as soon as they were outside of the school and standing beside Grissom's Tahoe.  
  
Sara smiled. "I'm sure that your mom will have lunch for you."  
  
"No, she won't." Mattie secured his jar of roaches between his feet on the floorboard. "She isn't home. She probably won't be home until after three."  
  
Grissom exchanged looks with Sara.  
  
"We could speak with Bess and Olivia again, Gris."  
  
"And eat lunch." Mattie enthused.  
  
-------------------------------- -----------  
  
Grissom wondered if the entire town was eating lunch at Clayton's. Silence swept the room giving them each a sense of de'ja vu. Bess greeted them with a questioning look at Mattie.  
  
"What are you doing out of school, young man?"  
  
Mattie looked around him at the blatant stares and stepped closer to Grissom.  
  
"I was suspended." He pushed his auburn hair out of his eyes. "My uncle is buying me lunch."  
  
Grissom was strangely pleased by these words and placed a supportive hand on Mattie's shoulder. Sara was oddly touched by his actions and smiled warmly.  
  
"Do you have a table for us?" Grissom asked.  
  
Bess smiled weakly. "There is a booth in the back."  
  
She led them to the same table where they had been seated the previous evening. Several people spoke to Mattie on their way to the table and in turn he mumbled replies as he kept his eyes straight ahead.  
  
When they reached the booth, Grissom excused himself to go to the restroom.  
  
Sara sat in the booth, opposite Mattie.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
The boy started to nod when a beeping sound spilled across the table. He paused and quickly reached to his watch to push a button. When he looked up, tears were swimming behind his dark lashes.  
  
"It's synchronized with my dad and Andy. Dad gave us watches last year and set them so we could all have breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time."  
  
A waitress approached their table and took orders for drinks. After she left, Mattie shot a reproachful look around the restaurant.  
  
"They all think that my dad took off with my brother." Mattie watched as Grissom walked slowly back towards the table. "My dad would never do that to me. He promised that he would never leave."  
  
Grissom caught the last bit of Mattie's statement. He slipped into the booth next to Sara and wondered if he should say anything. He had only been half Mattie's age when his dad vanished. The memories were fewer and less painful.  
  
Mattie stared at them for a long minute. "If you knew my dad, then you would know that something has happened to him. He would never run away."  
  
"I'm sure that's true." Sara responded.  
  
The waitress returned with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. Grissom surprised Sara by picking a five vegetable plate. Ordering the same, Sara turned to Mattie.  
  
"Have you decided what you would like?"  
  
"Chicken fingers and fries, please."  
  
Mattie propped his chin on his fist and swirled a straw around his glass of root beer with his other hand.  
  
"He was trying to help Andy." Taking a sip of his drink, he took the straw and chased an ice cube. "Andy was acting weird lately. I heard my dad and him arguing the day before they went camping. Andy didn't want to go, but my dad said it would do them good to get away for the weekend."  
  
Grissom glanced over at Sara. Reading his expression, Sara spoke as carefully as she could.  
  
"Mattie. I want you to know that we believe you and we want to help find your brother and your dad." Sara hesitated. "Mattie? Is there anything else that you can remember that could possibly help us?"  
  
Mattie let go of the straw and looked up at her through worried eyes.  
  
"I think that Andy was doing drugs." He paused a beat and searched Grissom's face for a response. "He was acting strange."  
  
"Did Andy say anything to you in particular?" Grissom asked. He wondered how he should ask a kid if his brother had any specific enemies. If he knew who may have wanted him to vanish. It was much easier when you knew that you were not related to them. He studied the child and felt a tugging at his heart. He scowled without thinking about it, but Mattie did not appear to notice.  
  
"Andy yelled at me once." Mattie said with such sadness that he touched their hearts. "He felt terrible and said that he wasn't himself. He told me that he would get better." Mattie fought back the tears. "Andy told me that he messed up, but that dad was going to help him fix it."  
  
Sara resisted the urge to push Grissom out of the booth so that she could enfold the boy into her arms. The feeling was foreign to her and she was not sure that she liked it. This was a case. Mattie was a possible witness to the disappearance of his dad and brother. She could not allow herself to become emotionally attached to him.  
  
Mattie looked up at her with those blue eyes and she steeled herself. She reminded herself how many cases they had investigated where the children ended up being the killers. When Mattie gave her a little smile, she took a deep breath. Grissom was watching her with a strange expression. Ignoring him, she focused on Mattie who appeared to have pushed back his doubts with his next words.  
  
"They will be back. I'm sure that they will be back." With what had to be described as denial, Mattie somehow pushed away any other possibility and dared them to correct him.  
  
Sara entertained the possibility that Kyle could have taken Andy away for rehab. Would Elaine have known if he had? He would not keep that from her or his family. If they knew, then why would Elaine and Nan call Grissom? Dismissing the idea, Sara decided to talk to Bess while they waited for lunch.  
  
"Will you let me out, Gris? I'm going to say hi to Bess." And, run away from the blue eyes that surrounded her at this table.  
  
Grissom scooted out of the booth to let her out and then watched as she weaved her way around the tables to find Bess.  
  
"I like your girlfriend." Mattie broke the silence.  
  
He jumped back as Grissom snapped, "She's not my girlfriend."  
  
"Sure, whatever." Mattie took another sip of his drink and gave him a knowing nod. "She's pretty."  
  
That was safe enough. "Yes, she is beautiful."  
  
"And nice." Mattie continued.  
  
"Very nice." Grissom sighed in relief when their lunch was set on the table in front of them. He looked around for Sara, and spotted her in conversation with Bess.  
  
-------------------------------------------- --  
  
Bess did not appear happy to see Sara's approach. In fact, she was ready to turn and flee when Sara's voice stopped her cold and several patrons turned to stare.  
  
"Bess. I would like to speak with you." Sara had noticed the wild look around and the woman's readiness to abandon her post near the front door. She kept her tone friendly, yet determined, and hoped that Bess would speak with her.  
  
Speaking softly, so that the closest table would have to strain to hear what was said, Sara decided to go straight to the point.  
  
"You gave me that note about Scott Hanson because you know drugs were involved in Kyle and Andy's disappearance." Sara watched the anxious look Bess was directing in all directions.  
  
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Bess said at last.  
  
Sara had to work to keep her voice steady and her demeanor calm. "You are worried about Olivia. You know that she was involved with Hanson and that he got her into drugs."  
  
Any pretense of friendliness fled. "Olivia would never do anything so stupid. She may have tried to help Andy. That's all."  
  
"You knew that Andy was experimenting with drugs?"  
  
Bess appeared stunned by her own admission. "No. I didn't say that."  
  
"What's going on here?" Clayton's rumbling voice interrupted any response Bess may have made in addition to her denial.  
  
Sara automatically straightened her shoulders and held her chin up.  
  
"I was."  
  
"Miss Sidle was just thanking me for the apple pie that I sent with them last evening."  
  
Sara narrowed her eyes, but held her tongue as Bess sent her a pleading look. Clayton put an arm around Bess's shoulder and together they walked towards a side door.  
  
Returning to the booth, she slowed and took in the sight of Grissom and Mattie. They were conversing between bites of food and the annoyance she felt with Bess faded as the image before her drew closer.  
  
Mattie held a fry in each hand, as he appeared to ask Grissom a question.  
  
Grissom caught her watching them and made a point of sliding over in the booth to make room for her to slip into the seat beside him.  
  
He raised an eyebrow in question and she shook her head in the negative.  
  
"So, what were you two men talking about so seriously?" Sara tried to hide her earlier irritation and smiled brightly across the table.  
  
Mattie returned her smile. "I was asking Uncle Gil if he likes cockroaches."  
  
"Oh, I see." Sara nudged Grissom with her elbow. "And, did Uncle Gil tell you he races hissing cockroaches for a hobby?"  
  
Mattie's eyes widened. "Is that true?"  
  
A flicker of surprise lit Grissom's eyes as he turned from Sara to Mattie. "They are called Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches or Gromphadorhina portentosa. They make a nice pet." He smiled slightly. "They are also fun to take to race competitions."  
  
"I would like to see that." Mattie breathed out with a sigh.  
  
Grissom's cell phone took that instance to ring. He pulled it out, glanced at the caller id on the panel, and then chose to ignore it. He placed it on the table between his and Sara's plate and pushed a mute button. Sara glanced at the name and saw that it was Catherine.  
  
"It may be important." She nodded towards the phone.  
  
"If it was an emergency she would page me and put in 911. It's not important."  
  
Sara wondered why he was making a point of ignoring a phone call from his second in command and his good friend. Was he trying to tell her something with his actions?  
  
Grissom continued to confound her when he opened his mouth. "There is a race next month in Humboldt Forest. Maybe you can go with me if it is okay with your mom."  
  
Excitement spilled over onto the boys face. "That would be cool."  
  
Sara sent Grissom her widest smile. He tilted his head slightly and absorbed it while keeping his attention on the boy. He told him about his prize racers and they continued eating in compatible silence that was intermingled with Mattie's peppering of questions regarding entomology.  
  
When it was time to leave, Mattie's mood shifted perceptively. His chatter ceased the closer they got to his home and stopped all together as they pulled into the driveway beside a black Mercedes Benz.  
  
"Do you know whose car that is?" Sara asked.  
  
Mattie frowned. "That's Mr. Hanson's car." He pulled his jar of cockroaches close to his chest after climbing out of the car. "What's he doing here?"  
  
Grissom and Sara were asking the same question as they followed him to the front door. Mattie pushed the door open and stormed inside, his face registering his displeasure.  
  
Almost immediately he stopped.  
  
Grissom and Sara also froze as they stepped into the foyer behind him.  
  
Hanson had both of Elaine's upper arms in his grasp and he was speaking in a low voice. Mattie dropped the jar he was carrying, startling everyone, and practically flew across the room.  
  
In a blur, Hanson dropped his hands and pushed at the flying derby. Mattie was propelled backwards, his fall halted by Grissom. Sara stepped in between Elaine and the angry man, who seemed to realize that his conversation with Elaine would have to wait. He walked quickly to the door, but stopped before leaving.  
  
"Keep in mind what I told you, Elaine." Hanson glowered at Sara and then Grissom before slinging the door open and slamming it behind him.  
  
Grissom kept his hands on Mattie's trembling shoulders and inspected the shocked expression on Elaine's face with curiosity.  
  
"Are you okay, Elaine?" Sara touched the woman's arm and frowned when blank eyes returned her stare.  
  
"I'm fine." Elaine wrapped her arms around herself and tried to stop the shaking.  
  
Mattie did not move from his spot in front of Grissom. "Why was that man here?"  
  
Elaine appeared to notice her son for the first time. "What are you doing home so early?'  
  
She looked from Mattie to each of the adults and back.  
  
"I was kicked out of school for four weeks." Mattie pushed his hands into his pockets and remembered the catalyst for his suspension. He turned and searched for the jar of roaches and sighed with relief when he found the lid still intact.  
  
"Kicked out of school." Elaine repeated. "What did you do this time?" Elaine's eyes dropped to the jar that was filled with crawling bugs. "Oh, Mattie, you didn't."  
  
Grissom watched the interactions before him with a studious expression. Elaine frowned at Mattie and then transferred her frustration onto Grissom. "What do you have to do with this? Why is Mattie with you?"  
  
"We were at the school when we encountered Mattie," Grissom replied.  
  
"Why were you at the school?" Elaine was clearly perplexed. She knew that they had visited Nan and Tom that morning and had thought they would be back in Vegas by now.  
  
"We should probably discuss that, Elaine, but not now." Sara gave a pointed look towards Mattie.  
  
Elaine did not turn to Mattie when she spoke. "Go to your room, Mattie." Her tone boded no reproach and with one quick look towards Grissom, Mattie complied, cradling his jar of roaches carefully against his chest.  
  
TBC 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Note: Thanks again for the reviews! And special thanks to Alison for editing another chapter!  
  
"That's not possible." Elaine wrapped her fingers around the chair back and stared at Grissom with disbelief. "Andrew would never do drugs. He is too smart."  
  
Grissom turned to look at Sara for support. She lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug before concentrating her attention on the upset woman.  
  
"It happens to good kids, Elaine." Sara took a tentative step towards the distraught woman. "Andrew experimented along with some other boys on his football team. Two of them have admitted it."  
  
"They are lying." Elaine's knuckles were white, and her eyes sparked in anger as she darted her attention between Grissom and Sara.  
  
"What is going on here?"  
  
Both Grissom and Sara swiveled around towards the harried voice of Tom Giles.  
  
Tom was glowering from the kitchen doorway as Elaine hurried around the chair to grab his arm. "They are telling me that Andrew, my Andrew, was using drugs."  
  
She stared at her brother-in-law's face with such hope it caused Sara to look away with a new sadness.  
  
Tom continued glowering at the pair as he wrapped a protective arm around Elaine's shoulders.  
  
"Why would you come here and tell Elaine this when it can't lead us to Andy, or Kyle, for that matter?"  
  
Grissom opened his mouth and closed it quickly. Sara picked up the response.  
  
"You are kidding, right? The fact that Andrew has vanished may have everything to do with his taking drugs and with his altered behavior."  
  
"What do you know of his behavior?" Elaine demanded. "You only know what people have told you. If you had known Andy then you would have known that he was always upbeat and full of laughter." Her voice trailed off as her eyes took on a glazed expression.  
  
"Andy has always been incredibly personable." Tom added, but with less conviction.  
  
"Exactly." Elaine clung to Tom's arm a bit harder and they could see him wince. "I would know if Andy was changing."  
  
A toddler's cry echoed down the hallway. Elaine dropped Tom's arm, but she did not move towards the sound. Instead, she reached for a chair and sunk into it with a stunned look.  
  
Three pairs of eyes studied her with new speculation. After several minutes, Elaine looked up and with glistening eyes sought Grissom. "Do you think this has only been going on for a few weeks?"  
  
"We estimate that it started approximately three months before he disappeared. That's if what his friends tell us is true."  
  
Hope flickered in Elaine's eyes. "Then you are not positive." She turned from Grissom to stare at Tom. "Tell me that you don't think that Andy would do this, Tom."  
  
"I know that Kyle was concerned about him." Tom admitted after a long hesitation.  
  
Elaine gasped. "Kyle said nothing to me." She stared at the others as she tried to come to grips with this new information.  
  
The toddler's cry grew louder as she called for her mom to come get her. Elaine did not even acknowledge that she heard the child. Sara glanced at Grissom and they exchanged questioning looks. Should she draw Elaine's attention to her child?  
  
She was about to touch the woman's shoulder, when she saw Tom silently leave the room. A few seconds later he reappeared with a red faced Emily. Immediately the toddler reached out for her mom to take her, but again Elaine barely acknowledged the girl, earning a frown from Tom.  
  
"Elaine, your daughter needs you."  
  
Tom tried to hand the child to Elaine. She waved him away and twisted her back on them both. "I can't hold her right now, Tom. I need to be alone."  
  
Without another word, she left the room. Sara noticed Mattie watching from the hallway as Elaine passed him. She did not speak to him and he did not attempt to stop her flight. He looked back into the kitchen with a sad expression. Tom held out a hand towards him and he ran to his uncle, pressing his face into the man's side.  
  
Emily wrinkled her small face and began to cry as Tom swayed gently while holding her close. He looked over her blond locks.  
  
"If you two have dropped enough bombshells, maybe you should be leaving."  
  
Sara felt Grissom's hand on her elbow, but she was not ready to go yet. "Did you plan on ever letting Elaine know any of this, Tom? Is that fair?" She did not want to say too much in front of Mattie, but she felt compelled to defend her actions, and Grissom's.  
  
Tom patted Mattie's shoulder and asked him if he would wait for him in his room. Mattie nodded. He stopped in front of Grissom as he was leaving the room and tilted his head.  
  
"I would like your phone number, Uncle Gil. Is that okay?"  
  
Surprise flickered behind Grissom's eyes, but he smiled slowly. "Of course." Pulling his wallet from his pocket, he withdrew a small business card. Taking a pen, he wrote his personal home number and his cell phone number on the back before handing the card to Mattie.  
  
Taking the card, Mattie pressed it within his hand and turned to Sara. "I would like to keep in touch with you, too, Sara." He smiled and with a shy look took his watch from his arm and handed it to her. "I want you to borrow this so you can use it to remember me and my dad and brother."  
  
A confused Grissom watched Sara smile warmly at the boy. "I can't take your watch, Mattie. Your dad gave it to you."  
  
"It's a loan." Mattie placed the watch inside her hand and said firmly. "I think it will help you find them. I don't know why." He backed away from them and left the kitchen.  
  
When Sara looked back at Tom, his expression had softened. "You both made quite an impression on Mattie. He doesn't usually take to strangers."  
  
"I guess he doesn't consider us strangers." Grissom said. His voice was more defensive than he intended and he decided again that it was time to leave. "We need to get back to Vegas, Sara. I also want to take another look at the spot where they found Kyle's car."  
  
Sara gave him a nod, but her attention was on Tom and the little girl. "Will you stay with them for awhile?"  
  
Tom swayed with the child in his arms while simultaneously rubbing the small back. "I'll probably take them to my mom's house. I won't leave them by themselves while Elaine is in this state."  
  
The relieved smile Sara sent him lit up her face and Grissom noticed that Tom gave her an appreciative smile in return.  
  
Scowling, Grissom tightened his grip on Sara's elbow. "We need to get on the road." He grumbled.  
  
Sara did not shake him off immediately, but she also refused to be pulled out of the door. "Tom, you said that Kyle suspected that Andrew was using drugs? Did he say anything else that would make you think it could have been related to their disappearance? And, did he mention who he thought could be supplying these kids the drugs?"  
  
To her relief, Tom did not appear angry. He was thoughtful as he mulled over the questions.  
  
"Kyle was concerned, but he didn't know anything for certain." Tom smoothed the little girls blond hair and pondered his own response. "At least Kyle did not tell me anything for certain. I don't know who was supplying the drugs."  
  
"Okay." Sara did not press him, although something about the way he was averting his eyes made her question how much he was keeping from them. "Say, Tom? Do you think that it would be okay for us to borrow Kyle's tent and supplies?"  
  
Again, surprise washed over Tom's face, as well as Grissom's. They both stared at her with odd looks.  
  
"I don't know why not." Tom nodded at the child. "I don't want to put Em down right now, but you and Gil can get whatever you need. Do you know where the stuff is?"  
  
"Thanks, Tom." Sara pulled her elbow from Grissom's grasp and refused to look at him. "We will get what we need."  
  
"You will keep me informed?" Tom requested, speaking directly to Sara.  
  
"Of course." Sara shot Grissom a warning look, but to her surprise, he was not looking at either of them.  
  
"We better load the camping equipment into the Tahoe, Sara. That's if you are finally ready?"  
  
Ignoring the sarcasm, Sara led the way to Andrew's room.  
  
------------------------------------------------- ---  
  
An hour outside of Vegas, Grissom put in a call to Greg's pager. Within fifteen minutes, his cell rang and the energetic lab tech was talking his ear off.  
  
"Where you been hiding, Grissom? It's strange here without you ordering people around. I think that ---."  
  
"Greg." Grissom tried to interrupt, but Greg kept talking. After another long sentence, Grissom tried again. "Greg!"  
  
Sara laughed aloud without thinking it would carry over the line. Greg's attention was finally captivated.  
  
"Was that Sara? That sounded like Sara's laugh."  
  
"I have the radio on, Greg." Grissom did not intend to explain Sara's presence to Greg. "Listen, Greg, I need a favor."  
  
A subdued Greg agreed to meet him at a park not far from the lab in two hours. Grissom pressed the disconnect button and sighed with relief.  
  
"Greg bought your the radio is on explanation?"  
  
"It is on." Grissom said with a defensive look towards the radio.  
  
"He didn't buy it," Sara snorted. "I'll ask him not to say anything."  
  
Grissom shook his head. "I'm going to drop you off at your apartment."  
  
"That's bull shit, Gris and you know it. I'm with you on this and I'm seeing it through." Sara glared at his locked jaw and wondered how long she would have to repeat her arguments with him regarding her input on this case.  
  
"To what end, Sara? I'm not sure of anything right now, much less what is in the desert. I'm not even sure why I'm going back there or what I think will be accomplished. I think the answers are in Calienta."  
  
"I think you are right about that." Sara rubbed her neck and shifted back onto the seat, drawing her right leg up against her chest. "I also think that Tom knows more than he is letting us know."  
  
Her remark earned an astonished look from Grissom. "I'm stunned to hear you say that." Grissom spoke with a new lightness resonating in his voice.  
  
"He is your blood relative, Grissom." Sara could not resist the taunting response, but it was said half-heartedly.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Grissom demanded.  
  
"It means that you both have secrets. You have these elusive natures that give you the excuse to lock away your emotions." Sara took a deep breath and continued in a much calmer voice. "You have an excuse to hide behind this mysterious persona in the hopes of not being hurt by anyone."  
  
Grissom gripped the steering wheel and refused to look at her as he spoke. "You think that I've never been hurt? You think that I'm incapable of feeling emotions?"  
  
Sara studied his profile for several minutes while processing his words. They had touched on this subject in the hot tub, but then he had successfully changed the topic.  
  
"No, Grissom. I don't think that you never feel emotions." Sara chose her words carefully. "But, I also don't believe that you have ever been in love. Have you?"  
  
She did not expect him to reply, but she was disappointed when he remained tense and silent. Turning away from him, Sara stared with unseeing eyes at the blurry scenery of the desert.  
  
TBC 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Entreaty Chapter 15  
  
Side note: I know that it has been awhile since chapter 14. If anyone is reading this then thanks for being patient with me. RL has been dragging me away from writing in recent weeks.  
  
And a big huge thanks to Alison for prodding me with gentle persuasion into continuing with this story. Thanks so much for your editing and your support.  
  
Before reaching the park where they agreed to meet Greg, Grissom decided to phone Brass and ask another favor. Satisfied with his short conversation with Jim, he replaced the cell phone and concentrated on the next task. He needed to convince Greg to help him, without the younger man asking too many questions or jumping to conclusions where Sara was concerned.  
  
Greg was waiting in the park when they arrived. Pacing around his car, anxiety written all over his expressive face, he did not notice them when they drove in.  
  
Grissom pulled up beside Greg's red Honda Acura and glanced over at Sara. He started to make a comment to her when she flung the door open and stepped out of the car.  
  
"Greg," Sara pasted on a big grin as she walked around the Tahoe towards the startled lab tech.  
  
"I knew it!" He darted an accusatory look towards Grissom who was exiting his car much more slowly.  
  
"Why are you and Grissom here together?" Greg directed his question to Sara, who was trying desperately to maintain her composure.  
  
"We are not together, Greg." Sara stressed the word together while she tried to avoid Grissom's eyes. "I'm helping Grissom with a case. That's it."  
  
Greg nodded and looked back at Grissom. "You said that you wanted a favor?"  
  
Grissom shook off the irritation that Sara's words caused him and began to give Greg a brief recap of the evidence he wanted him to process. He left out any mention of his relationship with the missing individuals.  
  
"This is off the record, Greg." Grissom said firmly and then added a smile. "If you don't want to do this, you can say so. I'll respect that."  
  
Greg placed the box in the trunk of his car and closed the back. "I don't mind, Grissom." Greg glanced at Sara and suddenly smiled. "But, Sara could agree to go out to dinner with me sometime."  
  
"It's not a favor for Sara," Grissom told him with a frown. "I'm asking."  
  
Greg wore the look of a scolded puppy; Sara decided to throw him a bone to ease some of the new tension.  
  
"I'll go out with you Greggo." Sara told him. "But, it's only dinner. That's it and you can't tell anyone about this case or that I'm helping Grissom."  
  
With a bright smile, Greg agreed. He was curious about what the case involved and why Sara was helping Grissom, but he was wise enough not to press for answers.  
  
Back inside the Tahoe, Grissom pulled onto the road and tried to control his irritation with Sara.  
  
"Dinner with Greg? Do you really think it's a good idea to lead him on?"  
  
"You take dinner dates so seriously, Grissom." Sara bit back. "Unless you are having dinner with Catherine?"  
  
"Sara. Catherine and I are just friends." Grissom glanced at the gas gage and decided to change the subject. "How much gas do you estimate a Navigator uses compared to a Tahoe?"  
  
"I have no idea." Sara's mind was clicking and she decided to hazard a guess. "I would think that it would be comparable since they are both SUV's. You think Kyle stopped for gas between Vegas and Bran Road?" Sara shook her head. "He could have refilled in Vegas."  
  
Grissom motioned to the barren landscape. "We can stop in each town and see if anyone remembers seeing them."  
  
"Good. I want to buy some water if we are going to make a trip out to this desert."  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
"Can this car hold any more water, Sara?" Grissom snorted as she carried another armload of water bottles to the car.  
  
This was the fourth town they had stopped in and Sara was not backing down from the adage of never having enough water. In the first town, she bought a large cooler and dry ice along with their first supply of water.  
  
Grissom had showed the pictures of Kyle and Andrew to the everyone he encountered, but so far, they nobody claimed to recognize either man.  
  
Now Sara was storing her latest supply inside the back of the Tahoe and smiling over a bag towards Grissom.  
  
"You are aware of the dangers of being in the desert?"  
  
"I don't plan to be there that long." Grissom countered back with a smirk. He avoided her mock glare and pointed over her shoulder towards a small café. "Why don't we grab a bite to eat while we are here?"  
  
"That sounds good." Sara opened the lid on the cooler and started to rearrange the bottles. "I'll meet you there."  
  
With a slight nod, Grissom strolled off towards the café while Sara continued her task. She closed the lid on the container when an alarm beeped from inside her blue jean pocket. Pulling out Mattie's watch, Sara turned it over with a frown and promptly shut it off. She wished that he had kept this memento from his dad and silently vowed to take it back to him as soon as she could. Closing the door of the Tahoe, she hurried to catch up with Grissom, forgetting about the watch as she approached the café.  
  
TBC 


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Entreaty

Chapter 16

Side note: Thanks again for everything, Alison.

Mojave Desert

Sara exited the Tahoe and stretched her arms behind her back. After a nice filling lunch at the café in the last town and the long drive out here to the spot where Kyle's car had been found she was relieved to be standing on her two legs and on firm ground.

She watched Grissom climb from the driver's side of the Tahoe and walk around to the front of the vehicle as he scanned their surroundings. As far as you could see in each direction was blue-sky miles of uninhabited land with scatterings of tall outcroppings of rocks.

"They were out here overnight before packing everything up and preparing to meet someone." Grissom turned in a half circle. "The Navigator was found here. Traces of a campsite were found over by those rocks." He motioned towards a large outcropping of red rocks.

"That bothers me." Sara met Grissom's eyes with a frown. "If they were such experienced campers then they wouldn't leave behind any trace of a campsite. Would they?"

"That puzzles me too." Grissom admitted. He nodded towards the outcropping of rocks. "I also wondered why they left the car over here, but set up camp a distance away." He measured the distance with his eyes and found that there was a good five hundred feet from where the pair presumably camped.

Grissom wiped his brow. They had been out here less than twenty minutes and he was already feeling the heat from the desert assault him. With one hand he pulled his shirt away from his body and let it flutter back where it settled against sticky skin.

"Maybe we shouldn't bother setting up the tent. What's the point?" Sara asked as she pulled her hair up into a bun and eyed him with interest. "We can visualize the scene without actually recreating the campsite."

Grissom was walking away from her as she spoke. His eyes focused on the rocks.

"Grissom?" Sara placed her hands on her hips for a brief minute before opening the backdoor of the car and pulling a 64-ounce bottle of water from the cooler. Soon, she was trailing after Grissom, who was almost to the rock formation.

"It does look like a beetle doesn't it?" Grissom was tilting his head in contemplation. "I didn't notice it before when I came out here."

Sara was not sure Grissom expected her reply as he circled around the rocks and studied the soil. Watching him, Sara squatted down and placed the water bottle beside the rock as much out of the sun as she could manage. A flicker of metal caught her eye.

"Uh. Grissom. I think that you should see this."

Drawn by the excitement in her voice, Grissom walked over until he was standing beside her. His eyes flicked from her upturned face to follow her gaze as she turned her head and nodded towards the object.

"A shell casing?" Grissom breathed out slowly as he crouched next to her. "It wasn't here the other day."

"Are you positive?" Sara pulled her sunglasses off and bent closer to the object. "It could have been beneath the sand until that thunderstorm last night."

"The reports indicated that metal detectors were used all around this site and for two miles around that. No metal was found."

Sara did not challenge him with words. Her quirked eyebrow spoke volumes.

"They could have missed it." Grissom admitted. "Or someone could have been out here shooting yesterday."

"Where are you going?" Sara watched him retreat. She had been doing a lot of that lately, it seemed.

"To get my evidence kit." Grissom responded over his shoulder.

Sara looked back at the shell casing and let her eyes wander around the rocks. It was late afternoon and she was thankful they had stopped at that diner. If they had been here before 4:00 p.m., she would have been sitting in the air-conditioned car.

"No, you wouldn't Sidle." She chided herself as she twisted the top off the bottle of water and took a long sip. "You would be right here with him."

The person in question reappeared with a determined look and an evidence bag. The cotton shirt was now plastered against his chest and sweat ran from his forehead along the sides of his face.

"Drink." Sara held the bottle out to his protesting scowl.

"I need to bag that shell." Grissom was already snapping on latex gloves and reaching for the object in question. Securing it inside the bag, he labeled it with a black sharpie.

"Now drink." Sara thrust the bottle beneath his nose and he only hesitated a second before taking it from her with a gentle tug. Taking a long sip, he found that he was thirstier than he realized and was soon chugging half the water.

"Hey, not so fast." Sara grinned as she tapped his hand that held the bottle. "We are sharing that you know."

"We have plenty of water in the car." Grissom teased and waved his arm in that general direction. "You can get another bottle while I search for more shells."

"Oh? Is that so?" Sara took the water and with a purposeful look held it to her lips before taking a long sip. "And who found this evidence in the first place? Hmm?"

"You, dear." Grissom bit back the grin that threatened to erupt as he watched her eyes widen. "I'm going to walk around this area with the metal detector." He pointed to his detector as Sara shook her head to clear the cobwebs he spun so easily.

"I think that I'll walk around." Sara spoke to the air as Grissom focused on the beeps emitting from the detector. "In the blasted desert heat." She mumbled beneath her breath.

Thirty minutes later, she was back at the car digging into the cooler for another bottle of water. Leaning against the hood, she let her eyes wonder back over the plains until her gaze fastened on the lone figure moving with unsteady legs over the sand in the direction of the car.

She was in the middle of the desert with the only man that could wrestle her emotions into a knot. Why had she allowed it to happen? From this distance, she could not see the expression on his face, but when his head snapped up and he looked straight at her she felt her heart flip flop.

Then he was shouting something and her senses erupted anew as she heard a loud humming sound. When he started running towards her, waving his arms wildly, she jumped and felt her heart slam inside her chest. She looked up in time to see a small single engine plane winging over where she stood. Instinct made her dive behind the Tahoe just as a loud barrage of bullets hit the cars body and windows. Glass shattered above her and all around as she felt a body fall on top of her, pressing her into the sand.

Grissom waited for the plane to circle around and come at them from the side of the car they were on, but instead the hum grew distant and soon faded.

Shaken from the entire experience Grissom slowly rolled off Sara. "You okay?" His voice shook as he spotted red dots on Sara's hands.

"Scratches." Sara assured him as she sat up and leaned back against the car, her eyes wide with shock. "Grissom," Sara stared at the man now crouched in front of her, whose expression mirrored her own. "What just happened?"

Grissom opened his mouth and then shut it without uttering a word. He shook his head as a new thought hit him and he clambered to his feet. "I need to call for backup."

"You think they will come back?" Sara stood on shaky legs and surveyed the damaged car. "I'm glad they didn't hit the gas tank." They stared at the untouched gas cylinder and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't know if they will refuel and come back or not." Grissom replied to her earlier question and then pointed to the steaming hood. "Although, I don't think we are going anywhere anytime soon."

Sara pulled open the front door and scooted into the car. She reached for the first cell phone that she saw.

"Shit."

"What's wrong?" Grissom's concerned voice would have brought a smile to her lips fifteen minutes ago, but now she simply held up the phone.

"Well, shit." Grissom echoed. "Where's the rest of it?"

Sara held up the second half.

"We will have to use your phone." Grissom leaned into the car and waited for her find her own cell phone.

Sara stared at the glass-riddled seat and reached for her jacket, hoping it had protected the fragile lifeline.

"Wait." Grissom leaned between her and the steering wheel and grasped her wrist lightly. "I don't have scratches on my arms and hands." He picked up her jacket with tentative fingers and tossed it onto the floor. Sara shifted to allow him more room as he reached for the phone. "It's in one piece." Grissom said.

Finding the humor in the worst situation she had ever been in, Sara could not resist.

"That's always a good thing." She replied with a weak smile as she waited for him to pull back out of the car.

Grissom pushed the call button and held the phone to his ear, before tapping in numbers and pressing send.

Sara held her breath as she watched his face. "What's the matter, Gris?"

Grissom held the phone up for her to read. 'No roaming.' Blinked on the faceplate.

"No." Sara said with a dismal look.

They stared at each other, seconds stretching into minutes. "I suppose that we know why it wasn't important to shoot us." Grissom said with a wince.

"Greg will try to contact us." Sara said without much confidence. "And Brass. He will be suspicious when he can't get through on your phone."

Grissom glanced at the setting sun. "We can try walking back to the main road when it gets dark."

"What if someone is waiting for us, Grissom?"

"They can just as easily drive out here or fly back if they want to finish us off."

Sara had to agree with him. "Then we'll try walking out of here when it gets dark."

Grissom leaned back into the car and touched her arms and hands with gentle fingers.

"They are not deep scratches, Gris." Sara let him inspect the minor cuts. "Not like that cut after the explosion at the lab."

The mention of the explosion made Grissom turn her left hand over and run the tip of his finger over the scar. Sara watched him with a curious mix of emotions playing across her face.

When he looked up at her, his eyes held an emotion that she could not place. Then it was gone as he abruptly released her hand and turned back to the rocks.

"We are onto something that has someone spooked." Grissom let his eyes roam over the landscape. "Someone with connections apparently."

Sara stepped from the shattered vehicle and walked around to stand beside him.

"I think that we should stay here tonight." Grissom stated.

"Why?" Sara touched his elbow. "I thought you wanted to walk towards the main road tonight. By tomorrow it will be much too hot for us to go anyplace."

"I'm not sure why, Sara." Grissom turned his head to look at her. "I just have a strong feeling that we shouldn't leave yet."

Taking a deep breath, Sara let go of his arm and turned towards the car. "I'll check to see if we have enough water to get us through tomorrow and longer if necessary."

Grissom followed her back to the car. "I'll set the camping equipment out. We can pitch the tent over by the rocks."

Sara heard the thread of excitement in his voice.

"You're enjoying this." Sara accused him with a soft smile. "The adrenaline of having someone shoot at us must have brought out all your manly feelings."

"My what?" Grissom's lips twitched.

"Your manliness." Sara grinned. "Oh, never mind."

Grissom pulled out the camping equipment while Sara took stock of their supplies. The shattered glass and bullets had done no apparent damage to their water, a fact that sent relief coursing through her veins.

She could handle having no food for several days, but water was vital for their survival.

Grissom was puzzling over the tent when she stepped around the rocks to inform him that they were okay on water.

"You do know how to put up a tent, don't you Gris?"

Grissom's chin snapped up and he scowled good-naturedly. "Of course, Sara." He locked his jaw before turning back to the flat canvas. "You could help if you want."

Sara smiled at his back before moving over to the opposite side of the tent. Together they managed to stabilize the tent into a nice secure standing position. Sara then tossed the sleeping bags inside before turning to study Grissom's thoughtful face.

"You can always sleep outside with your bug friends."

Their eyes met and he shifted from a half crouching position to stand. "I'll take my chances with the creepy crawlers inside the tent."

"Be careful Gris. You may have to contend with more than you can handle."

"I doubt that."

Sara was the first to break eye contact. "I'm going to get more water from the car and also bring the snacks over here."

Grissom hesitated a beat. He glanced at the dark blue sky looking for a sign of a plane. He did not see one, but he found himself trailing behind Sara back to the car.

"We should probably take the cooler." Grissom leaned over her shoulder, his breath tickling the inside of her ear.

"Gris, don't do that." Sara protested as warmth spread up her neck.

"Don't carry the cooler to the tent?" Grissom asked with mock bafflement.

"You know what I mean." Sara used her elbow to gently prod him backwards so that she could breathe and he could reach the cooler.

"I'll get the snacks after you haul that out of there." Sara added after putting a safe distance between them. She watched Grissom lean into the car, his back muscles rippling beneath the clinging material.

Shaking her head at her own internal fantasies Sara forced her eyes away from Grissom's body and surveyed the horizon. A part of her kept expecting the plane to come back or even a car to appear carrying more people set on harming them.

"Are you okay?" Grissom was holding the larger blue cooler with both hands and eyeing her warily.

"I'm fine." Sara tried to smile but failed miserably. "It's surreal. That's all."

Grissom nodded. "I'm going to take this to the tent. You are coming?"

"I'm right behind you." Sara retrieved the sack full of snacks. When she backed out of the car, she found that Grissom was waiting. Surprised and touched, she could not resist. "I knew dinner with you would be exciting, Gris. You do know how to entertain a gal."

She received no reply, but the look he sent her made her heart thump.

They reached the interior of the tent and Sara set about removing items from the bag.

"You're cooking for me, Sara?"

Sara froze, her eyes fastened on a box of powdered donuts. The teasing quality in his voice was unnerving. She was not going to allow him to charm her and then ignore her at his whim. Still, she found her eyes drift over to where he was lounging on one of the sleeping bags. She quickly scolded herself for her weakness. He was lying on his side facing her, one hand propped beneath his cheek and the other smoothing a small spot on the sleeping bag in front of him. His eyes were filled with humor and something deeper. They flickered over her face as she quickly looked away. Swallowing over the fresh lump in her throat Sara tried to take her mind off the fact that she was alone in the middle of the desert in a tent with Grissom.

"You can have powdered donuts for dinner." Sara told him with a forced lightness. "Or you can have chips. We have a variety--sour cream, barbecue, plain."

She stopped rambling when she felt his voice spin a web around her mind.

"I'm not hungry for donuts or chips."

Grissom did not know why he was baiting Sara. He only knew that she could have been cut down in that bullet spree today and now they could perish in the desert sun. With a sudden clarity, he realized that he wanted to hold her close to him and make love to her with no inhibitions. He could have lost her today and it was not certain that they would be rescued from the situation they now found themselves in the middle of at present. The thought of losing her was incomprehensible to him and he wanted to show her with more than words.

Sara refused to look at him. The back and forth of the past three years with him was beyond confusing. Was it too late? She told herself that it was. Then he had appeared on her doorstep asking for her help.

"Sara?" The teasing was gone, replaced by uncertainty.

Sara waited for him to continue and was disappointed to hear only a heavy sigh. Opening the box of doughnuts, she bit into one of the sugary confections and tried to ignore the man behind her. Finishing off the doughnut, she mustered the courage to face Grissom. He was stretched out on his back, one knee bent and one hand pressed over his eyes.

Sara smoothed her sleeping bag out as far from his as she could manage before sitting on the soft fabric and staring at the tent flap. She thought of going back outside and taking a short walk around the tent, but instead found herself reclining on her back with her arms folded beneath her head.

"Gris?" Sara needed to hear his voice. She thought that he had fallen asleep when he responded.

"What is it?"

Sara was not sure how to explain that she simply wanted to hear his voice.

"Not even in my wildest fantasies did I ever imagine that I would be lying in a tent with you in the desert, cut off from all civilization." Sara paused and attempted to interject humor. "The gunmen in the airplane…now _that_ was my wildest dream come true."

Sara dared not look at him as her rambling monologue ceased.

Grissom's voice seemed to waver. "What are your fantasies, Sara?"

Sara had to look at him. She could not resist. A quick glance. The glance found Grissom with his eyes closed, one hand still pressed against his head, his other hand lying still on his stomach.

"Are you sure you want to go there, Gris?"

"No."

Sara waited.

"But we are stuck in a tent in the middle of a desert with no outside communication and nothing to do but wait." Grissom cleared his throat. "So, what about it, Sara?"

"All of my fantasies involved one man." Sara hoped she was not going to regret this topic.

Grissom drew in a deep breath. Would he ask, Sara wondered.

"Do I know him?" Grissom managed the words and held his breath as he waited for her reply.

"I think so." Sara said with intentional vagueness. "Better than I do, at least."

"Sara…"

Sara heard him move before she felt his warm breath inches above her face. Opening her eyes, she found his own eyes pinning her down with their intensity. He stretched out beside her, his right arm supporting his weight.

"Tell me his name." Grissom spoke with such softness she had to strain to hear him. It took her a second to focus her mind and frame her words.

"You know."

"I want to hear you say it."

"Why? Who do you fantasize about?"

"You." Grissom smiled. The shock of his honesty registered in the wideness of her eyes. "Your turn."

"It's you, Gris. Always has been." Sara watched him lean forward, his lips grazing the curve of her jaw.

A soft laugh escaped from Grissom causing Sara to flinch. "What's so funny?"

Grissom pushed up on his elbow and smiled into her questioning eyes. "You taste like powdered sugar." Grissom smirked. He leaned forward and kissed her nose.

"I think the heat has gone to your head, Gris." Sara arched her back as Grissom's fingers found their way beneath her shirt. "But I'm not complaining."

Grissom returned to trailing kisses along her neck as Sara ran her fingers along his spine. She felt his body move over her own and within minutes, they were shedding clothes.

------------------------------------------------

Sara had no notion of how much time had elapsed. She only knew that time had stopped and now she was lying on her back with Grissom pressed against her side, his left arm beneath her head and right arm draped around her waist.

Grissom rubbed her stomach with his thumb and she felt his warm breath against her cheek.

"Gris?" Sara turned to gaze at him as her smile faltered.

"Don't talk now, Sara." Grissom kissed her lips and hugged her closer.

"I'm only wondering if you will be here when I wake up." Sara did not pull away from him and she questioned herself for asking.

Grissom sighed. "Where am I going to go, Sara?" He moved his right foot between her ankles and kissed her chin. "Can we not talk about the past?"

Sara bit her lip. Giving into his caresses she let her insecurities fade as she pulled him close.

TBC


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Entreaty Chapter 17  
  
Side note: Thanks again to everyone that is reading this story. And, again, thank you Alison.  
  
An alarm sounded and Sara woke to find the tent flooded with early morning light.  
  
She stared at the man entangled in her arms for a long breathless minute, before slowly extracting herself to search for the source of the annoying sound.  
  
Moving a shirt aside, and then Grissom's blue jeans, she found her own jeans. The sound appeared to emanate from there. She pulled the watch that Mattie had given her out of the pocket and stared at it for a second before pressing the off button. She looked back at Grissom; to her surprise, he still slept. Not wanting to waste time, Sara stretched out beside him again, only to hear another beep sounding throughout the tent.  
  
Sitting up quickly, Sara did not realize she had startled Grissom awake as she scooted towards the tent flap and groped for the zipper.  
  
"Sara? What is it?" Grissom sat up with a puzzled expression and watched her movements. "Is someone here? Another bi-plane?"  
  
"No. Listen, Grissom." Sara held the tent flap open, but the sound had faded.  
  
Grissom began to wonder if his hearing was failing him again. "I don't hear anything."  
  
"The watch. Mattie's watch is synchronized with his dad and brothers." Sara gave him a stunned look. "Grissom."  
  
Sara moved back into the tent and picked up the watch. She held it up for Grissom to see and a light bulb clicked on behind his eyes.  
  
"You heard it outside of the tent?"  
  
Sara nodded. She looked back at the watch. "Mattie told me that their watches are synchronized to go off three times a day-breakfast, lunch and dinner. They could all eat meals the same time, every day." She glanced back towards the tent opening.  
  
"One or both of them could be out there." Grissom stated.  
  
"Maybe it's simply the watch, Gris. It may have fallen off one of them and mixed into the sand. Metal detectors are fallible." The words lifted her own mood and she grabbed her t-shirt and slipped it over her head.  
  
Grissom debated grabbing his own metal detector to conduct his own investigation of the desert. Common sense urged him to wait. The heat in the Mojave during the day hours was horrendous and it would not bode well for him or Sara if either of them developed heat exhaustion. He decided it would be best to wait until the timer on the watch went off in five hours. Pushing away thoughts of Kyle or Andrew, he decided to lighten the mood that had settled over the tent.  
  
"Are you going to fix breakfast for me, Sara?"  
  
"Pancakes, eggs?" Sara was relieved that they could push reality aside for a little while longer.  
  
"I'll take the pancakes." Grissom watched Sara pick up a brown bag and toss it over to him. He caught it and waited for her to join him with a bottle of water before he opened the bag.  
  
"I'm not sure that I like the way you cook, Ms. Sidle."  
  
"You cook next time." Sara joked back.  
  
Grissom raised his eyebrow, but said nothing as he pulled out the powdered doughnuts, a bag of peanut M & M's, and more potato chips.  
  
The water was tepid as Sara took a long swallow. "There will be a next time, right?"  
  
Grissom glanced up from staring in disbelief at the junk food. "You mean before or after we get home?"  
  
"When we get home." She did not feel like playing with semantics.  
  
"I'll show you what a true breakfast is when we get home, Sara." Grissom reached for the water and relaxed when he saw her smile.  
  
"I'm going to hold you to that."  
  
They spent the next fifteen minutes eating junk food and swapping the bottle of water back and forth.  
  
"You know that it's going to be the hottest part of the day when that watch goes off again." Sara picked up a green M & M and handed it to Grissom. "We need to keep drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated."  
  
Grissom took the M & M and popped it into his mouth. "We also need to conserve our energy." He added as his eyes swept over her body.  
  
"Then I'd better put my jeans on." Sara teased. She allowed her gaze to soak in his bare chest. "You better put some clothes on yourself, Gris."  
  
"It's too hot for clothes."  
  
"It's too hot without clothes."  
  
Grissom met her eyes with a soft smile, before moving slowly towards her lips.  
  
------------------------------- ---------------  
  
Several hours later, Sara was pulling her shirt back on and searching for her blue jeans. Grissom reached for her waist and she avoided his fingers by inches.  
  
"It's reality time, Gris." Sara zipped her jeans, shooting him a sympathetic look. "The alarm should be going off any minute."  
  
Sara tossed him his boxers and then his blue jeans. She then picked up Mattie's watch and turned to search for her shoes.  
  
"You need to put on a hat, Sara." Grissom zipped his jeans and reached for his ball cap. "Wear this." She felt his baseball cap land on her head and his fingers began to tuck her long strands of hair inside it.  
  
"I don't want to take your cap." Sara protested as she started to lift the cap off her head and give it back to him.  
  
Grissom's hands stilled her movement. "If you don't wear it, neither will I." Grissom held up his shirt. "Besides, I have this."  
  
With that, Grissom tied the shirt around his forehead and smirked.  
  
"You need sleeves." Sara ran a hand over his pale skin. "I have sunscreen in the car. I should have time to get it and another shirt." She stepped out of the tent and hurried towards the Tahoe. The desert heat grabbed her before she had taken five steps and she berated herself for not bringing a hat of her own. Grissom was standing outside the tent when she returned. A frown played about his lips as he glanced around the desert.  
  
"Hold this." Sara put the shirt in his hands and flipped the top off the sunscreen. Without hesitating, she lathered the lotion along his chest and arms before moving to his back.  
  
Grissom pulled the long sleeve shirt on and held out his hand for the sunscreen. "Your turn." He lathered the lotion along her arms and the exposed areas around her chest and neck. "You should wear sleeves."  
  
"I tan, Gris."  
  
"It's over 107 degrees out here, Sara. Tanning isn't an option."  
  
Sara wanted to reassure him, but a beep resounded from her pocket. Quickly she turned it off and they listened for the echo of another alarm.  
  
"There it is." Grissom began to walk rapidly towards the sound, followed by Sara.  
  
They paused several times, changing directions and moving further away from the tent. Sra was on the verge of going back to retrieve water when Grissom froze. They stared at the sand until the watch ceased beeping.  
  
Crouching down, Grissom began digging in the sand, at first slowly, and then with more vigor. Sara joined him, knowing he would not stop until they found the watch. It took only seconds for Sara to gasp and reach for Grissom's hand to stop his movement. He followed her eyes to where she stopped digging. Fingers reached up from the sand. Grissom bent forward and began pushing the sand away from the fingers until the hand, wrist, and watch were uncovered. When he looked back over his shoulder at Sara, she shuddered at the wild expression in his normally calm eyes.  
  
"Grissom." Sara touched the wet cloth that clung to Grissom's back. "We need to leave the scene as untouched as possible. We need photographs."  
  
Grissom knew she was right even as he cleared more sand away from a spot that was to the right of the watch. Blond hair blended with the sand.  
  
"Kyle." Grissom sat back and took another deep breath. He looked around them and then back at Sara. "How did the FBI miss finding him? He can't be 100 feet from the campsite."  
  
"Maybe he wasn't out here, then." Sara touched his arm. "The body could have been brought here after they stopped the search."  
  
Sara was feeling parched and knew that they should re-hydrate as soon as possible. Wiping the sweat from her eyes, she weaved a little and caught herself from falling backwards. Grissom's eyes narrowed as he took in her expression.  
  
"You need water."  
  
Grissom grasped her hands and they stood on unsteady feet. Taking her hand they moved slowly back to the tent.  
  
---------------------------------------- -----------  
  
Sara was not sure that sitting in a sweltering tent was any easier than being exposed to the blistering heat of the desert. Pulling off her jeans, she then gripped the water bottle tightly in both hands.  
  
Grissom appeared lost in thought, his own water forgotten as it sat beside him on the tent floor. Sara nudged him lightly with her toes.  
  
"Gris? You need to drink your water."  
  
Grissom made no move to retrieve his water. He looked drained, and Sara could sense the emotional conflict that was raging through his mind.  
  
"Gris?" Sara touched his cheek until his eyes focused in on her own face. "I'm sorry about Kyle. This afternoon I'll get my kit and we'll do a proper investigation." She kept her hand on his cheek. "You need water, now."  
  
Grissom licked his bottom lip and processed what she was saying to him.  
  
"What am I supposed to feel, Sara?" His voice cracked and his eyes held such bewilderment that it made her heart ache. Grissom continued speaking in a voice barely above a whisper.  
  
"I don't know him. A week ago, I didn't even know that I had half brothers and never considered the possibility. Now I don't feel anything."  
  
He squeezed his eyes tight and leaned forward until his forehead was touching hers. "I feel like a robot sometimes, Sara."  
  
"You are most defiantly not a robot, Grissom." Sara rubbed his left arm with her fingers but she did not pull away from his own touch. They stayed frozen for several minutes before Sara finally pulled back and lifted the water bottle.  
  
"We need to consume so many gallons of water per hour. Drink."  
  
Grissom took the water and obliged. Satisfied, Sara took another long sip of her own water before lying down on top of the sleeping bags. She knew that it was best to not talk much in this sweltering condition, but she was compelled to offer him comfort.  
  
"Gris, I wish that I had the right words but I don't know what to say except that I'm here for you."  
  
TBC 


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Entreaty Chapter 18 Side note: Thanks to everyone who is still reading this. My apologies for the time between chapters. Thanks to Alison, for prodding me to continue this.  
  
Sara wanted to wrap her arms around Grissom and transfer her own strength to him. Apparently, Grissom had the same thought because after removing his long sleeved soggy shirt he stretched out on his back beside her. Quietly he reached for her hand and they interlaced fingers as he stared up into her face.  
  
"You should really take your jeans off." Sara suggested with a sincere frown.  
  
A chuckle escaped from Grissom. He knew that was not a proposition, but after the past evening and preceding morning he could not prevent the thought from intruding. It was a welcome relief from the horrendous discovery of his half brother.  
  
"Don't even think about it. We need to drink plenty of water and conserve energy."  
  
"That's what I was thinking." Grissom said with mock defensiveness. With one fluid motion, he stripped his jeans off and turned onto his side to face Sara who was following his example.  
  
The hours slipped into one another as water was consumed and energy was depleted from the sheer heat of the day. They spoke very little and found comfort in little touches.  
  
It began as a low humming. The silence inside the tent interrupted by the slowly growing sound of chopping blades through the air.  
  
Grissom was the first to hear it and quickly scrambled to his feet. He moved to the tent flap and peered outside and into the horizon. A black helicopter was moving across the desert skyline. He debated with himself on whether he should move outside the tent and wave his arms or grab Sara and run to the relative safety of the rocks.  
  
"What is it?" Sara asked from beside his elbow.  
  
"Honey, you should get dressed."  
  
Sara wasted no time pulling on her blue jeans and then her shirt. Grissom kept his eyes on the chopper as it drew closer.  
  
"I think that I can see writing on the tail." Grissom stepped outside and felt Sara move to stand beside him.  
  
"LVPD." Sara breathed in relief as the chopper turned slightly and settled with flare of sand near the Tahoe.  
  
Grissom glanced in her direction. Together they walked slowly towards the men emerging from the welcome sight of the chopper.  
  
Brass was the first person they recognized. They watched him stare at the battered Tahoe as another figure stepped from the chopper. Sara caught her breath and glanced quickly towards Grissom's grim face.  
  
Brass spotted their approach and gave a half smile and wave.  
  
"Decide to take your car to a firing range?" Brass quipped as they walked within earshot.  
  
"Apparently," Grissom held out a hand to grasp Brass's outstretched one. "Good to see you, Jim."  
  
Sara gave Brass a nod and turned to look with bewilderment at Tom, who stood with comfortable ease behind them.  
  
Grissom followed her gaze and his eyes locked on Tom. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I called him." Brass interjected. "When I couldn't reach you on the phone I was concerned."  
  
"I never gave you his number." Grissom did not want Tom Giles here; not when Kyle was less than 100 feet away.  
  
"I called Elaine's number and Tom, here, answered." Brass glanced towards Sara. "Imagine my surprise when he informed me that you and Sara went exploring in the Mojave."  
  
Grissom made a motion towards the car. "Someone else knew we were out here. I would like for you to call my team in, Jim."  
  
"To investigate your car?"  
  
"No." Grissom gave Tom a pointed stare. "I don't think you should be here."  
  
Tom blanched. "What have you found?"  
  
Grissom searched for the appropriate words. He felt Sara's hand on his arm and it helped steady his emotions.  
  
"Tom, I'm sorry." Sara let go of Grissom's arm and walked over to stand in front of the now anxious man. "We discovered a body that we think may be Kyle."  
  
A sickly pale chased all color from Tom's face. "Where is he?"  
  
"I don't think that it would be a good idea for you to see him."  
  
"I need to see him."  
  
Sara frowned. "I think that you should wait, Tom. The scene shouldn't be compromised."  
  
Tom gave her an incredulous look. "Kyle is my brother. I need to see if it's him." He turned to Grissom. "Take me to him."  
  
Grissom nodded. If he had felt so compelled to see if it was Kyle, then someone who knew the man, loved him, would feel that much stronger. He expected no less.  
  
"I'll show you where we found a body." Grissom led them back to the spot where he and Sara had discovered the source of the beeping watch. "I don't think it would be wise for you to go near the body, Tom. We already have to contend with our own footprints around the scene and I don't think we should add any more confusion."  
  
Grissom's words fell on deaf ears as Tom drew in a shaky breath. He took in the sprigs of blond hair mingled with the sand and could not halt his impulse. Before Grissom or Sara could stop him, Tom moved closer to the site and squatted down to touch the protruding fingers, his eyes taking in the watch. A sound pierced the desert. A loud bleep that caused them all to jump out of their skin.  
  
Swallowing over the lump in his throat, Tom returned his hand to Kyle's wrist and turned off the sound. Tears glistened in his eyes when he looked up at them.  
  
"I would like to be alone. I promise that I won't contaminate the scene."  
  
Sara placed her hand in Grissom's and tugged him away from the brothers. Grissom opened his mouth to protest. It was one thing to show him the body; it was another to leave him alone with it before they could process anything.  
  
Reluctantly, he let Sara lead him a short distance away, where he could keep a close eye on the man without hovering around him. Brass approached them and observed the intimate way Sara clutched Grissom's hand. He cleared his throat and stared towards the crime scene.  
  
"You called Catherine?" Grissom acknowledged his presence as he let go of Sara's hand.  
  
"She, Warrick, and Nick are on their way." Brass assured him. Sara moved away from the two men and walked to the car.  
  
"I have information, Grissom." Brass added as he watched Sara return from the car and hand Grissom an opened bottle of water.  
  
Grissom took the water from her, but his eyes remained on Tom.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Brass took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped at his brow. "I don't know how you two managed out here."  
  
"Air conditioner in the tent." Grissom snapped. "Jim, tell me what you found out."  
  
"Kyle Giles was clean from everything I could find. His partner, well, that's another story."  
  
TBC 


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Entreaty Chapter 19  
  
"Hanson has a record a mile long in Vegas." Brass accepted the bottle of water that Sara handed him and took another swipe at his forehead with the handkerchief. "His family owns several casinos. In fact, his grandfather is Monty Richardson. Ring any bells?"  
  
Grissom shook his head, but Sara piped in. "He was on the news recently, commenting on being sued for scamming the public."  
  
"What casino doesn't scam the public?" Grissom voiced to their amusement.  
  
"He is well known in the Vegas circles. His grandson was not so welcome. The talk is that Hanson was forced to leave and make his own way outside of the family business."  
  
"Involvement with drugs?" Grissom asked him as his mind raced for the connection between Hanson and Andy.  
  
"He wasn't convicted on anything drug related, but he was a suspect." Brass dabbed his forehead again and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw an approaching helicopter. That was one-step closer to getting back to air conditioning.  
  
Tom walked past them without a word and walked over to the first helicopter. He spoke briefly with the pilot, before turning back towards the small group. He watched the second chopper land as he spoke.  
  
"I have a team coming here directly. This is FBI jurisdiction."  
  
"You are a Fed?" Sara gasped.  
  
"My team is already here." Grissom said smoothly. He studied Tom from a new perspective. "We are processing this scene."  
  
"It's not your case," Tom insisted. "You can return home and I'll take it from here."  
  
The two men glared at one another until Sara placed a hand on Grissom's chest causing him to break eye contact with Tom.  
  
She then turned back around to face Tom. "I know how much this must be tearing you up inside. We only want to help."  
  
Tom stared at her for a tense minute and then slowly nodded as they watched the door of the second chopper slide open.  
  
Nick was the first one to emerge. His wide grin vanished when he took in the disheveled pair and the man that was standing beside them.  
  
Warrick was next, followed by Catherine. They had similar reactions as Nick when they set their eyes on the tattered group.  
  
Sara was the first to speak. "Tom, this is Catherine, Nick, and Warrick." She glanced at Tom. "This is Tom Giles." She did not find it necessary to explain he was a relative of Grissom's and left any further explanation to the two men.  
  
Grissom ignored Tom and began a brief description of the crime scene. He did not tell them his relative was the victim and he offered no explanation of the man standing beside him.  
  
"Tom?" Sara's voice relayed the question she was not going to ask aloud with everyone listening.  
  
"Any information will be given to my team when they arrive." Tom insisted as his eyes swept over Grissom's team. "I will have them meet me at CSI." He turned away from them and walked briskly back to the first helicopter pilot.  
  
Sara motioned for the team to follow her and they moved as a group to where the body was discovered.  
  
The team moved as a unit to collect evidence. Nick commented on the "mussed up" sand and quickly shut his mouth when he earned a disproving look from Grissom. They worked in silence for several hours until the body was completely uncovered.  
  
Catherine walked over to stand beside Sara who could not take her eyes from Kyle Giles body.  
  
"When we get back to the lab, you have to tell all."  
  
Sara shot her a sour look. "There's not much to tell, Catherine." Her eyes found Grissom's across the body before he turned his attention back to the scene. "Grissom asked me to help him out. So I helped him." She bit her lip. This was Grissom's tale to share if he chose to share.  
  
"And what an interesting tale it must be."  
  
Once the body was secured in the second chopper, Tom spoke to Sara.  
  
"I'm going with Kyle. Will you be returning to the lab to process the evidence?"  
  
"I'm going to finish processing here, first." Sara motioned towards the Tahoe. "Then I will return to the lab."  
  
Tom nodded. His demeanor was that of a tired man. A shell of the man she had first met only a few days before.  
  
Grissom broke the silence. "Nick, why don't you ride back with Brass and begin processing."  
  
They watched the helicopter lift off and then turned towards the Tahoe.  
  
"We know the plane was a Cessna." Sara commented as she averted her eyes from the others.  
  
"Warrick and I will collect the bullets." Grissom bent down to stare at one of the holes. "Why don't you and Catherine collect the tent?"  
  
Sara stared at his bent head for a minute before shaking her own head. She walked towards the tent with Catherine trailing behind her with a collection kit.  
  
"You don't need that, Catherine." Sara stepped into the tent and stared at the unfolded sleeping bags spread out on the tent floor.  
  
"Uh, Sara, can you move aside so that I can enter the tent?"  
  
"You know," Sara held her position as she spoke over her shoulder. "I can get this, Catherine. Why don't I hand you the cooler?"  
  
"The cooler." Catherine repeated. She gently pushed Sara aside and stepped into the tent. Her inquiring eyes absorbed the intimate layout. "This is not Kyle Giles campsite?"  
  
"It is his campsite." Sara began the process of rolling up the top sleeping bag. "You could call it a re-enactment campsite."  
  
"I wonder how much re-enactment occurred here." Catherine picked up a dark blue bra.  
  
Sara snatched it out of her hand and tucked it beneath her arm. "It gets really stifling in the desert during the middle of the day." She looked away from the inquisitive eyes.  
  
Catherine stared at her discomfort for a second and then cleared her throat. "If you and Grissom have come to some kind of understanding then I'm happy for you both."  
  
"I think that we should get this stuff together." Sara started rolling the second sleeping bag up and kept her blushing face averted.  
  
"I'll take the cooler to the Tahoe." Catherine picked up several empty water containers and stuck them inside the cooler.  
  
Warrick dropped another bullet into the evidence bag held by Grissom. "Who did you piss off, Gris?"  
  
Grissom leaned on the car and watched as Warrick dug another bullet out of a tire.  
  
"That man is my half brother."  
  
Warrick straightened. "The Fed?"  
  
"The Fed. The victim." Grissom heard a gasp and turned to find Catherine staring at him.  
  
"You don't have siblings." She said.  
  
"I found out recently that I do have siblings. Three to be exact."  
  
That was all he felt like telling them. He saw Sara standing behind Catherine, looking uncertain.  
  
"I'll take those Sara." He reached for the sleeping bags with the intention of placing them inside the car. "We can get them back after the car is towed."  
  
"Warrick. Would you mind helping Catherine break the tent down?" Sara's pleading look was understood by Warrick who dragged a protesting Catherine back towards the campsite.  
  
Left with Grissom, Sara felt suddenly awkward. The past evening felt eons ago and incredibly surreal. Grissom closed the back of the Tahoe and walked around to stand in front of Sara.  
  
"Thanks." Grissom indicated the retreating pair. "I'm not ready to share more of my personal life with them."  
  
"I'm surprised that you told Warrick as much as you did." Sara stared over his shoulder. "I'm not sure how to say this, Grissom."  
  
"It can't be that bad, Sara, spit it out." Grissom purposefully kept his tone light. Inside he was waiting for her to state that it had all been a mistake.  
  
"Catherine suspects that something happened between us."  
  
Grissom's eyes swept from her face to her feet and back. "Why would she think that?"  
  
Sara fastened her gaze on his chin. "You sent us to breakdown the tent."  
  
Grissom shrugged. "Because she knows we slept in the tent she automatically assumes that something happened?" "Gris," Sara was not sure how to explain this to him without bluntness. "You haven't been back inside the tent since we heard the chopper."  
  
"Nooo," Grissom clearly was not getting what she was implying.  
  
With a heavy sigh, Sara looked around to make sure no one was within earshot.  
  
"If you stepped back inside there, Gris, you would have known that something happened."  
  
Grissom pictured the small tent. The sleeping bags spread out on the tent floor.  
  
"Think with all your senses," Sara wiggled her brows suggestively. "Not to mention my bra was lying in plain sight."  
  
Grissom's eyes flicked to her chest and back to her face.  
  
"Hey, you two ready to go home?" Catherine stood next to Warrick who was now wearing an unreadable expression.  
  
Grissom gave her a short nod. "I need to get back before the FEDS take over the case."  
  
"According to your ---." Warrick stumbled over his choice of words. "Tom, the case is already a Federal one."  
  
"I've been thinking about that," Sara said. "Tom never showed us his ID. What if he isn't FBI? I mean, he is one of the only ones that knew we were coming out here."  
  
She could tell that possibility had never occurred to Grissom. His eyes widened. "You think he has been involved in the disappearance all this time?"  
  
Warrick squinted into the distance. "Here comes a car. See the dust?"  
  
Grissom grabbed Sara's hand. "Let's get inside the chopper. Now."  
  
They clambered inside and buckled quickly as Grissom shouted for the pilot to take off.  
  
When the pilot did not turn around or acknowledge them, Grissom spoke louder. "Let's go!"  
  
Still, the pilot did not move.  
  
TBC 


	20. Chapter Twenty

Entreaty  
Note: Thanks to all who are still reading and reviewing this story.  
  
Warrick leaned forward and touched the pilot's jacket. "Hey!" He shook the man slightly.  
  
"Grissom?" Sara followed the trail of dust that was growing with each second.  
  
"There is a pulse." Warrick pressed two fingers against the pilot's carotid artery. The mans eyes flew open causing Warrick to jump back.  
  
"What are you doing?" The pilot appeared ready to climb into the back of the chopper and pummel Warrick.  
  
"You were asleep." Warrick said in defense. "I had to check when you didn't respond."  
  
Embarrassed, the pilot turned back around and began to fiddle with some knobs on the dashboard. "It was taking you all so long and I haven't slept in over thirty hours. I was called in..." An irritated Warrick interrupted his explanation.  
  
"Do you think that you can fly this bird back to the lab?" Warrick asked him.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Now?" Grissom requested tersely.  
  
The pilot looked back at the edgy group before beginning a series of flicking switches.  
  
"It's closer, Gris." Sara stared out of the window as a dark car flew over the desert.  
  
Grissom leaned over Sara's shoulder and tried to determine the make and style when the helicopter wings began spinning. They all released a collective sigh when the machine lifted from the ground and spun around in the direction of Vegas.  
  
"It's a tow truck!" Grissom stated looking down as the lumbering car barreled into plain view.  
  
Everyone stared at each other with relief and a bit of amusement.  
  
Warrick chuckled. "That Swiss cheese car must have really messed with you both."  
  
"Wouldn't it have messed with your mind, Warrick?" Grissom sat back and glanced at Sara. "Someone shooting away at the car while Sara..." He cleared his throat and swiveled his head to look out of the window. "While Sara lay on the other side. She could have been hit by one of those bullets."  
  
"I wasn't," Sara wanted to touch his hand. "In fact, that still bothers me. The fact that they could have easily shot us both. For the most part we were both wide open."  
  
"You have plenty of time to fill us in on what has been going on the past few days." Catherine pressed.  
  
"Maybe someday, Catherine." Grissom leaned back and shut his eyes.  
  
Sara shrugged and turned to stare out of the window, anxious to be back near the bright Vegas lights.  
  
Grissom felt the eyes of the lab personnel follow them throughout the halls and wondered if it was their appearance or the fact that Tom Giles must have strolled along these same halls only hours before. He had decided that it was probably both when Greg bounced out of a room.  
  
"I didn't tell. I promise that I didn't." Greg's anxious expression pleaded with Grissom and Sara to believe him.  
  
Catherine stared at the lab tech. "You knew?"  
  
Grissom ignored her disgruntled stare and spoke directly to Greg.  
  
"Did you discover anything from what I brought you?"  
  
"Nothing significant." Greg smiled at Sara. "So, are you still on for that dinner?"  
  
"Greg?" Grissom waited for the younger man to turn back to him. "Have you seen Nick?"  
  
"He was in the break room with someone called Tom." Greg glanced again at Sara.  
  
Sara smiled and thanked him before following Grissom to the break room. Warrick and Catherine trailed after them, sharing perplexed expressions.  
  
Sara paused beside Grissom and spotted Tom seated on the sofa, his head lowered into his hands. Nick sat beside him, looking positively uncomfortable with the situation.  
  
"You should talk to him." Sara said beneath her breath.  
  
Grissom tore his eyes from the forlorn man, sweeping them over Sara's face. "I guess so."  
  
Forgetting that Warrick and Catherine were behind them, Sara touched his waist. "I'll check with Doc Robbins and see what he has found."  
  
Grissom nodded. After Sara walked away, he found himself studying the man on the sofa and tried to decipher the best way to approach him.  
  
Walking towards the sofa, he silently motioned for Nick to leave them alone. Nick was quick to dash from the room and joined Warrick and Catherine in the hall.  
  
Clearing his throat, Grissom pulled a chair over to face Tom, who had yet to acknowledge his presence. Before Grissom could formulate his thoughts, a broken voice spoke, almost startling Grissom.  
  
"Kyle would have liked you, Gil. He wanted to meet you."  
  
"Kyle knew about me?" Grissom felt cheated by the fact that these men, these half brothers, knew of his existence.  
  
Tom did not look at him when he replied. "When Kyle found out that you lived in Vegas, he tried to talk me into coming here with him to meet you. I talked him out of it."  
  
"Why?" Grissom was genuinely interested in his reason.  
  
Tom finally looked at him. "Because I didn't think that you would welcome us. I thought that we would only bring unrest to your life." He held Grissom's gaze. "It turns out that I was right."  
  
The honesty in this statement made Grissom flinch. "What made you come to this conclusion?"  
  
Tom leaned back against the sofa and kept his eyes from wavering. "I've followed you career, Gil. You are a brilliant scientist. A leading entomologist. That's another reason Kyle wanted you to meet his sons." Tom rubbed his knees as he closed his eyes. "I didn't feel it was the time to contact you and tell you about all of us."  
  
"Does Alex know about me?"  
  
"He knows. Alex had suggested that we invite you to Colorado for a family reunion of sorts."  
  
Grissom tried to reconcile this image with the man Bess had described. Tom paled as his thoughts turned to Kyle's twin.  
  
"I dread telling Alex. I told him that I would always watch out for him and Kyle."  
  
Grissom was not sure how to handle the outpouring of emotions. "Alex is an adult. I'm sure he will be devastated, but he couldn't expect you to be able to protect Kyle from whatever happened."  
  
Tom's eyes flew open and the pain etched there caused a ripple of sadness to course through Grissom. "I'm their big brother, Gil. I was there whenever they needed anything." He took a deep breath and wiped at a tear that was threatening to run from the corner of his eye. "I should have been there for Kyle."  
  
Grissom studied his own fidgeting hands. "Is it something that you could have prevented?" His question was not accusing and his voice was laced with compassion.  
  
Tom considered his choice of words carefully, then threw caution to the wind. "It's possible that I could have."  
  
TBC 


	21. Chapter 21

Entreaty

By: Manigault

Chapter 21

Wow. This was a long time coming. My thanks to those who are still sending me emails asking about this story and my apologies for waiting so long to get new chapters out there. I didn't want to send it out until it was finished and I didn't want to send it out without it being beta read. Thanks for anyone who still cares about reading this, trust me it is appreciated!

Thank you Donna!

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Sara closed the door to the breakroom, leaving the two men alone to handle the situation in the best way they could, with the most privacy she could give them. Facing her co-workers she gave them each a tight smile before looking pointedly at Catherine.

"Walk with me to see Doc Robbins?"

They walked along the corridor towards Albert Robbins domain. Before Sara could open her mouth to make her request, Catherine spoke. "I'm not going to say anything about you and Gil to anyone, Sara." The smile that she gave her allowed Sara some measure of relief. "I know how hard it's going to be with all of the rumors circulating about you and Gil; these long lost brothers, the two of you alone in the desert. There is enough inuendo without my adding to the rumor mill."

"Thanks, Cath." Sara told her with sincerity before asking the next question that was on her mind. "So, you didn't say anything at all to Warrick when you folded up the tent?"

"Ah, no." Catherine got a funny look in her eyes and shook her head. "Warrick is a smart man. You know what? I think that I'll go have a talk with him. Don't worry, I won't tell what I know."

Sara watched her dash off and felt a tinge of apprehension. Shaking it off, she braced herself for the next confrontation. Pushing the door open, she greeted him with as much calmness as she could muster, "Hey Doc."

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Grissom felt the tension in his jaw spread along the side of his neck as it climbed its way to his brain where the nerve endings began pounding in horrific ripples of pain. "Tom, what are you talking about? What could you have done to prevent this?"

"Kyle called me several months ago, concerned about Andy. He didn't know what to do and asked me for advice." Tom recalled the conversation with pain that echoed in his words. "I was busy and told him that I would call him back when I returned from a trip overseas. When I arrived back home a month later, I did call him, but Kyle brushed me off, said everything was cool."

"You couldn't have known how serious any of this was." Grissom said with genuine emotion. "Andy is a teenager and from what I know of that age group they're continually going through rough times. When you called back, Kyle must have felt everything was fine."

Nervous energy drove Tom from his seat where he paced around the breakroom. "Everything wasn't fine. Nothing will ever be_ fine _again, will it, Gil?"

What could he say? Grissom had found and lost a half brother that he had not known even existed. Tom had not only known Kyle, but he had protected and loved the man for decades. "We can concentrate on finding who did this to him." Grissom finally said as he stood up from the chair and tried to catch Tom's eyes. "We can continue the search for Andy."

This last comment stopped Tom in his tracks. "What if Andy did this to Kyle?" Tom asked with sudden awareness. "What if he shot Kyle over drugs and then ran away?"

Grissom did not care for the wild look he now saw in Tom's eyes or the way his mannerisms were changing from grieving brother to furious uncle. "Then Andy would have had to have help from someone. He did not take the car, and unless he took off at a run into the desert, where did he go?" He wanted to tell this man that Andy was a kid who loved his dad and that he would never do something to his own father, but Grissom lived in the real world, a world in which kids did do the most horrible things for the most ridiculous reasons. Nothing surprised him.

"If he took off into the desert, then we probably will never find him." Tom continued. He cleared his throat and looked nervous again. "I would like to see Kyle."

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When Sara stepped into the room, she found that Doc Robbins was not alone, David was standing beside him and they both stood beside Kyle Gile's body.

"David." Sara greeted the younger man before she turned to face Doc Robbins. "What have you discovered?"

Robbins smiled warmly in her direction. He let his eyes flicker over her, taking in the wrinkled clothes and worn out expression. The grape vine had moved quickly and everyone was talking about Sara Sidle and Gil Grissom out in the desert in a tent. He glanced at the man on the table and lifted his eyes back up to Sara.

"He was shot. Once, but once was enough. It was a penetrating shot." He held up a container where a lone bullet rolled around, clacking against the sides. Before he could explain any further, the door swung open admitting Grissom and Tom.

"Doc found a bullet." Sara nodded towards the evidence.

Tom walked up to the table and reached out one hand to touch the still man's blond hair. Shivers assaulted him and his body began to shake with emotion. Grissom exchanged anxious looks with Sara and doubted his own decision to allow Tom into this room.

Deciding to distract the attention from the grieving man, he asked Doc Robbins for any other evidence. The question appeared to do the trick, because Tom's chin snapped up and he squared his shoulders as he took in Doc Robbins response.

"The bullet entered in the front, about here," he pointed to a barely noticable spot. "Your guys will have to determine the angle of entry, but I can tell you that it was not straight on and it was from some distance."

"Someone aiming from a plane?" Sara theorized.

"The shooter was either very lucky or he was an excellent shot," Doc Robbins went on to describe the direction of the bullet, before looking at the stranger next to Grissom. "He felt no pain."

Tom frowned and said with a furious calm. "He felt pain. He felt pain weeks before the bullet struck."

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

Entreaty Chapter 22

Thank you to those who have read and for those who review!

Many thanks to **Donna**. You rock.

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The shrill ringing of a cellphone cut through the somber room. All eyes focused on Tom, who after reaching into his jacket, had pulled the phone out only to stare blank faced at the name that appeared on the screen.

"I can't talk to her yet."

Tom held the phone out towards Grissom who took it and slowly lowered his eyes to read the name. He felt helpless as he handed the phone back to Tom. "It's your mother, Tom. You don't really want me to tell her, do you?"

He prayed that wasn't what Tom wanted. He watched the sadness in Tom's eyes grow as he shook his head. "I'll tell her soon, but not yet." The ringing stopped, and everyone in the room released pent up breath.

"When you are ready to talk to her, I'll show you to my office where you can have some privacy." As Grissom said this, he hoped it would be soon. The tension surrounding Tom was almost palpable and he did not know how much longer he could maintain his own composure.

Clearing his throat, Tom turned back to Doc Robbins. "You were telling us what you found? Kyle didn't feel the bullet, but he knew that it was coming."

What could you add to that? Doc Robbins thought to himself as he looked back at the man on the table. Kyle. He started to pull the sheet down to the victim's waist to show the bullet's path, but he hesitated and looked up at Grissom, saying. "Maybe you should show Tom to your office, now, Gil." Turning to the man in question, who despite being an FBI agent was also the victim's brother, Robbins continued, "It would probably be best if he didn't see this."

"I can handle whatever you show us," Tom insisted. He braced himself for what the sheet would reveal and found that nothing could prepare him for the fact of seeing his brother cut open, organs exposed. His face paled, his stomach roiled, and he found the air rushing from his lungs within seconds. Sara and Grissom were beside him in an instant, holding each arm as they escorted him from the room.

They walked into the hallway and somehow managed to guide him to Grissom's office. Tom collapsed into a chair, braced his arms on his knees, and lowered his head between his hands.

Sara tugged on Grissoms arms and tilted her head towards the door, signaling him to follow her out and give Tom some privacy. Grissom glanced back inside as he closed the door and saw Tom's back shakiing in spasms of grief.

As Grissom and Sara walked side by side back towards the autopsy bay, they did not speak, each lost in their own thoughts and battling their emotions.

"What have you got for me, Nick?" Grissom asked as he answered his cellphone. Nick and Greg had driven out to the nearest airstrips where they had inquired about planes that had taken off and landed within the proper timeframe.

He heard Nick's heavy sigh on the other end of the line and fought back his own disappointment.

"We're batting zero, Gris." Nick admitted. "Either nobody is talking or it was a private air strip." Nick's next comment was garbled, prompting Grissom to ask the younger CSI to repeat himself.

"Hold on a sec, Grissom." Nick continued an argument with Greg and then spoke back into the phone. "Greg saw a side road that he's convinced leads to a private airstrip. Something about a trip out here a few years back for a party. I'll call you right back."

The line disconnected and Grissom continued towards the ballistics lab where Catherine and Warrick were working on the evidence from his bullet riddled car. He had not taken five steps into the lab when his phone rang again.

"Anything Nick?" Grissom asked.

"There is a small air hangar out here Grissom. And a strip. I don't see anybody outside."

Grissom's brow furrowed with thought. "Nicky, don't get out of the car. Okay? I'm going to call Brass and have him meet you out there. If it is the people we are looking for then they are dangerous."

"It could take Brass thirty minutes to get here, Gris. I have my gun."

"Nick, I'm not asking you to remain in your car and away from that hangar. I'm ordering you." Grissom said. He was aware of the concerned looks he was getting from Warrick and Catherine, but he ignored them and focused on his conversation. "I want your word."

There was a long pause and then he heard Nick's resigned sigh. "Okay. But tell Brass to get her ASAP." He gave Grissom directions and then thought it would have been faster to call Brass himself.

Grissom clicked the off button and dialed Brass. After giving him the directions he turned to Warrick and Catherine who were still watching him with interest.

"What have you found?" asked Grissom.

"Your car was riddled by a semi automatic rifle." said Warrick.

"If they had wanted to kill you then you wouldn't be standing here now." Catheine added. She shivered at the thought of both Gil and Sara not being here and quickly pushed the image to the back of her mind.

"It was a scare tactic," said Grissom. "We already determined that when we found ourselves alive."

Grissom tucked away the emotions that had gripped his mind at the thought of Sara being harmed. "We need to find out who was flying that plane."

He thought of Nick and hoped that he was not playing cowboy.

Warrick brought his mind back to the present with his next comment. "The bullets don't match the one that struck the victim."

"Kyle." Grissom said automatically. He earned stunned looks for identifying with the victim, but given the circumstances neither Warrick nor Catherine would dare call him on it. Each of them understood that Grissom was identifying with the victim and that fact made him all more human to them.

"That doesn't mean the same person didn't shoot him." Warrick added as if Grissom had not interjected the name of the victim.

"What _do_ we know about this case?" asked Catherine. So far they had pieced together the fact that Grissom was related to the man on the autopsy table and to the man pacing around the breakroom, but they had little information on how he had become involved in the first place or what he suspected.

Grissom rubbed the back of his neck and longed for his migraine medication. "We have a missing boy," his mind recalled the image of Andy. "We know what type of plane and the weapons that were used but no other evidence to point in the direction of the perpetrator."

"That's more than we had a few days ago, Gris." Sara said from the doorway. She then held up a piece of paper. "We also have this."

Grissom walked quickly over to where Sara was standing and reached for the paper as she continued to speak. "It's a signed confession from Olivia."

TBC

Please review! Comments are appreciated!


	23. Chapter 23

Title: Entreaty

By: Manigault

Thanks for reading this story! Thanks to those of you who have hit that button on the bottom of the page and replied. Much appreciated.

Again, thanks to Donna for beta reading this and for the wonderful suggestions! I took them all, of course. Thank you.

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Grissom walked quickly over to where Sara was standing and reached for the paper as she continued to speak. "It's a signed confession from Olivia."

The paper trembled in Grissom's hand and he turned incredulous eyes on her unsmiling face. "That can't be possible."

"That was my reaction, but this was faxed to me only seconds ago and I called the office to confim with the local police."

Grissom was still shaking his head as he read the statement aloud. "I, Olivia Martin confess to luring Mr. Giles out to a spot where Andy could shoot him and then leave his body. We left and Andy took off for New York City where he could lose himself in the crowds."

Grissom shook his head again. "This doesn't make sense. I want to talk to Olivia."

"I asked the local police to transport her to Vegas," Sara told them that she would arrive, along with her parents, in the next few hours.

Catherine watched them with compassion. They were exhausted. "Why don't both of you go home, take a shower, and grab a little sleep before the suspect arrives? I'll call you if anything new comes in."

Sara knew that Catherine did not intend for her suggestion to sound so _suggestive_ but the thought of going home with Grissom and taking a shower was appealing to her frayed nerves. She then thought about Tom sitting alone in Grissom's office and inwardly sighed as she turned to Grissom.

"You should take Tom to your place and try to get him to rest for a little while. I can meet you back here in three hours?"

Grissom nodded. He did need to shower and rest for at least an hour, but the thought of Sara going to her home and not to his was some what agitating to him. He told her that he would walk out with her if she gave him time to find Tom.

"I'll be in the locker room," said Sara. She avoided Warrick and Catherine's eyes as she preceded him out of the room and they turned in opposite directions.

Grissom knocked softly on his office door before he pushed it open. Tom was still sitting in the same chair, but this time he held his cell phone against his ear and spoke gently to the person on the other end of the line.

"I'll call you as soon as I find out anyting else, Elaine, and I appreciate your being there. I knew she wouldn't take it very well." Tom clicked the off button and turned to look over his shoulder at Grissom. "They all know. I called Alex first and he is on his way here as we speak."

Grissom did not want to meet Alex. He could not imagine seeing Kyle's identical twin when he had been so heavily involved in finding the brother.

"I'm going home for a few hours to rest. Why don't you come with me?" Grissom waited for the other man to respond and found himself somewhat relieved with his reply.

"I'll stay here if that's okay with you Gil? Alex will be here soon and I don't want to leave..." He left the sentence unfinished but it was apparent that he did not want to leave Kyle.

"You can stay here, Tom, that's fine." Grissom felt uneasy about leaving him, but at the same time he wanted to escape this building. "Call me if you need anything?"

Tom thanked him and turned away.

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Sara was waiting for him when he entered the locker room. She was sitting on the bench, facing the lockers, her shoulders slumped. Grissom thought of all of the times he had wanted to slide onto the bench and take her hands in his own.

He stepped forward, deciding to take a chance that she would be open to him sitting on the bench and following his impulse to offer comfort, when she spoke. He had not even realized that she knew he was in the room.

"I was thinking about Mattie," Sara said without turning her head to look at him. "He had so much hope that we would be able to find his dad and brother and now he doesn't even have that."

Grissom didn't know what to say, so he said the only thing that popped into his head. "There is still a chance that we will find Andy."

"If we do find him? What then, Grissom? If Olivia is telling the truth then he is facing prison. Mattie then has to then face the fact that his dad is gone and his brother murdered him."

Grissom knew that Sara had developed a soft spot for the boy, but he did not know how strong that was until now. "I'll ask Tom if he knows how Mattie he doing when we get back."

"I was thinking that we could call him." Sara stood up from the bench and walked towards him with an expectant look. "I'm sure that he'd like to hear from you."

Grissom rubbed his beard in thought. "Okay, but not here. We'll go home, take a shower, sleep a couple of hours, and then call him. That sound okay to you?"

Sara stared at him with shock. "Home? Your home?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Grissom. A comprehension of what she was talking about hit him like an iron fist. "I meant my home. My townhome." He was flustered and her grin was not helping the situation.

"Relax, Griss. It sounds like a plan."

She held the door open for him as he followed her from the locker room.

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Sara tried to roll over and felt her body trapped by something. Her eyes flew open and reality swept back into her mind as quickly as the knowledge that it was Grissom's arm that was wrapped around her. Twisting around, she found that he was pressed up against her back, his eyes still closed.

"Grissom?" Sara whispered after she managed to twist her whole body around until she was facing him. "Gris? Your cell phone is ringing."

"I'm ignoring it," Grissom whispered back, never opening his eyes. "If it's important they'll leave a message."

Sara kissed his nose and reached over him for the phone on the night table. Grissom let out a groan as she crawled over his body, but he did not try to stop her. Once the phone was in her hands, she looked at the caller id and said softly. "It's important." she pressed the button and spoke into the mouthpiece. "Hello?" She had an idea that it was Mattie, but it could be Elaine or someone else using the Giles' phone.

A young boy's sobbing broke over the line and Sara felt her heart breaking. "Mattie? Is that you honey?"

Grissom was wide awake with those words. He stared up at Sara's face and listened to her side of the conversation. "Mattie? I'm going to give the phone to your Uncle Gil, okay? Honey, I want you to call me too if you ever need to talk." She listened as the sobs continued, but she heard a whispered thanks from Mattie. Scooting off Grissom, she handed the phone to him, before heading to the bathroom to give him some privacy. She felt her own tears welling up and decided the move would benefit them both.

Grissom gripped the phone and sat up slowly. He was clueless about what to say to comfort the child. "Mattie? Do you feel like talking to me? Is anybody with you?"

The sobs were slowing and turning into hiccups as Mattie tried to gain control of his emotions. Giving him time, Grissom sat with the phone pressed against his ear and waited for the boy to reply. Grissom heard the water running in the shower and knew that Sara was taking her second shower in the last few hours. He glanced over at the alarm clock and calculated that they had only slept for two hours.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Gil, I shou...shouldn't have..have called you." Mattie's stuttered speech tore at Grissom's own emotions. He wished the boy were in front of him so that he could wrap his arms around him and hold him close. And then was amazed by his own paternal instincts.

"Mattie, I'm glad that you called me. I planned on calling you soon anyway to see how you are doing."

"You did?" asked Mattie.

Grissom could hear the relief in the childs voice. "Sara and I both wanted to talk to you. We're worried about you, Mattie."

"I'm okay. I talked to Uncle Tom and he told me that you found my dad." Mattie was able to formulate his words without breaking down. "I told him that I wanted to see him, but he said that wasn't a good idea yet. He said maybe later."

Grissom knew that Tom was trying to protect the child. "What else did he tell you Mattie?"

"That someone shot him and that he didn't feel any pain." Mattie's voice broke into a sob again.

Grissom waited patiently for the child to become calm before he asked one of the questions he had already asked him. "Is anyone with you, Mattie?"

"My mom is taking care of my grandmom. She isn't doing so well." Mattie told him with another short sob. "My sister is with my aunt at her house."

"You're at your grandmom's house, Mattie?" Grissom stressed. He knew that they could not have left him alone. The silence was bothersome to him. "Mattie?"

"I was supposed to go with my aunt, but I told her that my mom was letting me stay with the neighbor. Everyone is so upset that it was easy."

Releasing a heavy sigh, Grissom had to ask. "Why do that, Mattie? You don't want to cause your mom more worry do you?"

This resulted in another round of sobs and Grissom felt like shit. "I'm sorry, Mattie. Listen, okay? Let me call someone to come stay with you until your mom can pick you up or someone can take you to your grandmoms. Mattie?"

"I want to see you and Sara."

Grissom did not know how much more of this emotional rollercoaster he could endure. Scribbling a note on a pad next to his bed, he took the piece of paper over to the bathroom and opened the door.

"We'd like to see you, Mattie, but right now you need to be with an adult. Okay?"

Sara looked up from where she was toweling her legs off and stood abruptly when she saw the paper that Grissom was holding out for her to read. With a quick nod, Sara left the bathroom to find her own cell phone, and grabbed a t-shirt in the process.

"How are you doing, Mattie?" Grissom returned to the bedroom and looked around for his jogging pants. With one hand he pulled them on while listening to Mattie as he began to cry once again.

"I'm scared, Uncle Gil." Mattie managed to say as Grissom left the bedroom to go in search of Sara. He found her on the patio talking to someone on her own phone. She waved him away as she talked, not wanting Mattie to overhear the conversation. Grissom backed up and walked to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee as he tried to soothe the little boy.

"I know that you're scared, Mattie, that's why someone needs to be with you."

"I'm not scared of being alone, Uncle Gil, I'm scared of never seeing my dad again, or Andy."

What could he say to that sentiment? He had no idea. Sara walked back into the room and scribbled something on a piece of paper. He read it and nodded.

"Mattie? Sara called your mom and let her know that you're okay." He waited for a response, but there was silence. "She also called Eric from the local police department. Your mom said that you know him? Eric is going to come over to your house to pick you up, okay?"

Sara held out her hand for the phone and Grissom turned it over to her.

"Mattie, your mom said that you could come stay with your Uncle Gil for a few days if you want. You do? Okay, so Eric told me that he could drive you up here to see us and to see your Uncle Tom."

Grissom shook his head vigorously. It was not that he did not want to see Mattie, but now was not the right time. Sara touched his lips with her fingers as she listened to Mattie's excited response.

"Okay. So, Eric is there already? Wow, he is fast. Okay, can I speak with him?" Sara spoke to the police officer that Elaine had said she trusted implicitly and gave him directions to the lab.

Once off the phone, she turned to Grissom with an apologetic smile. "Elaine is in no condition to take care of Mattie right now, Gris. Neither is Nan. I don't know what else to do except let him come see you."

Expecting an angry response from Grissom, she was not prepared for him to wrap his arms around her and squeeze her as he kissed her forehead. "Thank you for caring so much, Sara. Thank you for taking all of my problems and making them your own."

Hugging him back, Sara protested lightly. "Mattie is no problem and I'm the one that should be thanking you for involving me in your life."

Grissom's lips met hers in a tender kiss. "I'm going to call the lab and see if there is any news. After that we should eat something and then head back there to check on Tom."

Sara agreed and they moved about getting ready as if they had been doing it for years.

TBC


	24. Chapter 24

Entreaty

By: Manigault

Thanks to those of you who are reading this story and for those of you who have reviewed. Reviews are nice even if it's a word of encouragement. G

Thank you to **Donna **for being a wonderful beta reader, editor, etc.

This is a short chapter, hopefully chapter 25 will follow soon.

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When Grissom and Sara entered the lab, they split off in two directions. Sara went in search of Nick and Greg who had returned to the lab without finding any evidence at the private hangar. Brass had called Grissom to let them know the status before they left his townhome. Sara knew the guys would be disappointed and wanted to check in with them to see if she could help in any way with their search.

Grissom headed straight for his office where he found himself in the middle of a family reunion of sorts. Tom had his back to the door and was speaking to a woman whose face he could not see and a man whose face he saw clearly. The man looked past Tom's shoulder and directly at him.

"You must be Gil," said Alex. He stepped around Tom and walked over to where Grissom stood rooted to one spot.

Taking his hand, Grissom said softly. "You must be Alex."

Alex Giles smiled tightly as his grip tightened on Grissom's hand. "I wanted to meet you under different circumstances, but life had different plans."

Grissom noticed the puffiness beneath Alex's eyes and felt empathy for Kyle's twin. After letting go of Grissom's hand, Alex turned around to put his arm around the woman who had moved to stand beside him.

"This is my wife, Claire."

After exchanging pleasantries, Grissom felt awkward. He looked over at Tom and decided to let him know about Mattie, but found that it was old news when Tom spoke.

"Elaine called me to let me know that Eric is driving him here." Tom gave him a grateful smile and the warmth reached his eyes. "Mattie has taken a shine to you, Gil." .

Alex chimed in with his own warm sentiments concerning Mattie before his expression turned to something resembling distress.

"Now that Gil is here, Tom, do you think we can see Kyle?"

The sigh was inward, but Grissom felt it throughout his entire body. With resignation he motioned them to follow him from his office.

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Sara sat around a table with Nick, Greg and Warrick. A list of airports sat on the table with more than half of them crossed out.

"We've called or visited these airstrips." said Nick. He pushed the list over towards Sara and sighed.

"Maybe we've been looking at it all wrong." Sara stared at the list and her eyes widened. "You know, guys, there are all of these new subdivisions that are airplane communities." She looked around the table. "Maybe this Cessna is from one of these_ very _private airstrips."

She received a round of appreciative looks as the men tossed this new idea around. "I read about one of those communities once. You have to own a plane to live there and the garage is for that plane. I'll do some research." said Nick. He stood quickly from the table and cast a look over at Greg. "You like to help me out Greggo?"

"I'm in!" Greg jumped from the table so fast his chair flew back with a loud thump. He stood it back up straight and gave Sara an embarrassed grin before dashing off to catch up with Nick.

Warrick chuckled and shook his head as they watched the eager tech run off. "He is going to be crushed when he finds out about you and Gris."

Sara, who was slowly pushing her own chair back from the table, froze in motion and gave him a horrific look. "What did you say?" She glanced over her shoulder at the doorway and lowered her voice and did not give him time to respond. "I don't know what you think you know, Warrick, but have you ever heard of the word discretion?"

"Relax, Sar, I'm not going to spread gossip around this place." Warrick locked eyes with her and kept his tone level. "I have to warn you though, there is gossip already flying around the hallways about you two being out in the desert."

Raising her shoulders, Sara looked at him and he replied to the unasked question. "All I know is that it didn't come from me or Catherine. The airways are not secure, though, Sara. And there was no way to keep something this big secret. I do know that nobody knows you were in a tent."

Sara processed what he was telling her and smiled weakly. "There is a chance this could fade away then, with no corroboration." She pushed the chair back and walked to the doorway, pausing to look back at Warrick. "I do trust you, Warrick. Thanks."

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Mattie stood in the entrance of the CSI's lab and felt overwhelmed. He gripped his backpack over his shoulder and watched Eric walk up to the information desk to enquire after his uncle.

Shifting from one foot to another, he scanned the faces of the individuals entering and exiting the building, searching for a familiar face. He wondered if his Uncle Tom was here and then his face paled. He wondered if his dad was here. Feeling sick to his stomach, his eyes lit on a familiar face walking along a corridor. She stopped to speak to a blond woman and his instincts kicked in as he shouted her name.

Sara heard her name echo along the corridor and looked up in time to see the source flying towards her on eager feet. She was acutely aware of the curious looks she was receiving from not only Catherine, but several others who milled around the hallway. Her uneasiness faded as Mattie drew closer and she could make out the anxious eyes of the child she had grown so fond of in such a short period of time.

Bending down, she held out her arms for the child and he did not hesitate to fling himself into her embrace. It felt right to have the small arms clinging to her and she ignored the stunned expression on Catherine's face when she caught the woman's eyes over Mattie's head. She was unaware of the audience that had gathered at the far end of the corridor as Grissom escorted a shellshocked Alex, his wife, and Tom from the emotional visit with Kyle.

Escaping from the horrid scene he had witnessed, Grissom looked around the hallway and noticed that several of the lab personnel were seemingly transfixed by some scene that was taking place down the corridor. He followed the directions of their gazes and found himself witnessing a much more serene encounter. Walking quickly along the hallway towards Sara and Mattie he found himself slowing down as he drew near to them.

Mattie had his arms wrapped around Sara's neck and his face was hidden in her hair. The maternal image touched him in a way that he could not define so he pushed the emotion to the back of his mind and kept walking.

He watched as Mattie drew back from Sara and looked from her face up to the man who stood beside them.

"Uncle Gil!" Mattie moved from Sara's arms over to Grissom where the man did not hesitate to crouch down and open his arms to the boy.

Sara unbent her knees as she slowly stood and glanced around the corridor. If the rumor mill was not flowing before then this would have the flood gates open.

TBC


	25. Chapter 25

Title: Entreaty

By: Manigault

Thank you again to those who have read and especially those who have reviewed!

Thanks to Donna for beta reading and editing!

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Clinging to Grissom, his head on the man's shoulder, Mattie looked up and into the concerned face of his Uncle Tom. Not releasing Grissom, Mattie turned his head away from the man who had been unable to bring his dad home. Tom crouched down beside them and placed a hand on Matties trembling back.

"Hey Kiddo," said Tom. He visibly flinched as the little boy shook him off and Grissom gave him an apolegetic shrug.

"Hey Mattie," Alex said from behind Grissom. His voice was soft as he cast an anxious glance towards Tom.

Tension filled the little boy and he pushed back on Grissom to stare over Tom's head at this familiar voice. "Dad?"

Alex shook his head quickly as the surrounding faces echoed his dismay. They had been so preoccupied with their own sorrow they had not stopped to prepare Mattie for the spitting image of his dad standing there in living breathing form. Tom stood quickly and spoke with a firm gentleness.

"No, it's Uncle Alex, Mattie. I'm sorry that we didn't tell you that he would be here."

Mattie, who had never had a problem telling his dad and Uncle Alex apart, now stared in confusion. In a tentative voice he asked. "You're not my dad?"

The boy's lips trembled and his eyes welled up once again. Turning away from Alex he sought shelter, and found Sara. Without hesitation, Sara held out her arms for him. Mattie walked numbly into her arms and allowed her to wrap her arms around his shaking body as she pulled him into a protective hug.

Mattie thought his tears had ceased hours ago and was horrified to find himself sobbing in front of his uncles and all of these strangers who stood gaping in the hallway.

Sara ran her fingers over the boy's auburn locks and spoke soothing words to him as she shared a concerned look with Grissom. Leaning towards her, Grissom suggested that she take him to his office, where he would join them shortly.

Watching Sara lead the distraught child away, Grissom then turned back to face his half brothers and the men exchanged grim looks. The Giles appeared as devastated as he felt inside as the nightmare reached levels of newfound pain.

Pulling his key ring from his pants pocket, Grissom took one of the keys off of the ring and held it out to Tom.

"Why don't you take Alex and Claire to my place and get some rest. Mattie will be fine here with Sara." He paused a fraction of a second before adding. "And with me. Feel free to make yourselves at home."

Tom ran a hand through his tousled curls and shook his head as he spoke. "I appreciate the offer, Gil, but we'll get a suite at one of the hotels. It will be less intrusive and easier for Mattie." His eyes wrinkled in concern as he pictured the boy's tear-stained face. "What an idiot I was Gil. I didn't think of the consequences of his seeing Alex."

"You're not alone." Grissom had dreaded the meeting of Kyle's twin for his own selfish reasons and had even considered the effect it would have on Tom, but he had not once considered Mattie's reaction. He glanced in the direction Sara had taken and found that the lab personnel had spilled over into the hallway. Scowling at the employees he twisted around to find Catherine taking everything in with a speculative look.

Without a word, she moved from her position and began shooing everyone back to their tasks and away from the fascinating scene in the hallway. Swiveling his head back around to Tom he curled his fingers around his keys and nodded. "I'll call you you if there is any new information."

"I plan to get my brother and Claire settled before coming back," said Tom. He knew that Olivia would be here soon and had no intention of being left out of the loop when she was questioned.

Grissom was not going to argue with him, knowing that if he were in Tom's position he would do the same thing. "What if I call you when she arrives? That way you can at least get something to eat and rest for a little while."

After leaving them at the front entrance, Grissom made his way to his office and was unprepared for the sight that assaulted his senses when he stepped into the room.

Sara was sitting in his chair, her attention focused on the small boy who sat in her lap, his head leaning against her chest as she stroked his hair. She was singing something to him that he could not make out and Mattie's eyes were closed in what he could only imagine was exhaustion. Grissom had never seen Sara in a maternal light and the sight was both unsettling and touching. He stood in his doorway, unwilling to interrupt the domestic scene and yet unable to move away from it either.

He was startled when Sara whispered his name and he looked up to meet her eyes as he quickly gathered and locked his emotions away.

"Grissom," Sara repeated in such a low voice, he had to strain to catch what she was saying. "If it's okay with you I'll stay here with Mattie for awhile and let him sleep."

"Of course," Grissom said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked away from them, struggling for the right words. "When you're ready to move him then you can always lay him on the couch in the breakroom." Grissom looked back at her and gave a sigh. "Page me. I'll come carry him for you and make sure the breakroom is cleared out."

Sara was moved by Grissom's sudden nervousness. She offered him her widest smile before saying in a teasing manner, "If you want to help me out then you can put something beneath my right elbow. I'm afraid I'll shift too much and wake him. Do you mind?"

Eager to do something, anything, to make Sara more comfortable, Grissom pulled off his jacket and walked around the desk to stuff the article of clothing between her right elbow and the armrest. His face was inches from her own and she leaned over quickly to kiss him swiftly on the cheek. To her pleasure Grissom did not freak out with her move, nor did he dart a glance towards the doorway to make sure nobody witnessed the exchange. Instead, he smiled back at her and leaned back in towards her to plant a soft kiss on her lips as he smiled again.

"Thank you, Sara," Grissom said as he moved away from the desk towards the door. He paused in the doorway and twirled back around on his heel as he said lightly. "Thank you for everything."

With that gratuity he was gone and Sara sighed as she marveled at the changes in their lives. Mattie groaned in his sleep and Sara's attention was diverted back to the fragile child she sheilded in her arms.

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"Bingo!" exclaimed Nick. He pointed to an address that he had circled and smiled with satisfication. "I found a community that has potential; over fifty homes that boast proud Cessna owners." He looked up at Warrick and Greg to exchange grins.

"We should get a list of the happy Cessn owners and see if there are any possible links with Andy Giles." suggested Warrick.

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"Catherine? Have you seen Nick or Warrick?" asked Grissom as he entered the ballistics lab.

Glancing up at the face of her old friend, Catherine nodded. "Greg told me that the boys have a lead and are on their way to follow up on it."

"They didn't bother to inform me." Grissom said, his irritation obvious as his scowl deepened. Ignoring Catherine's chastising look, he pulled out his cell phone and hit a number, waiting for Nick to pick up on his end.

"Grissom. Brass asked me to let you know that Olivia is here," said Greg. He lingered in the doorway and watched as Grissom brought the phone from his ear and hit the end button.

Without a word to Catherine or Greg, Grissom pushed past the curious pair and hurried from the room. He briefly debated informing Sara, but just as quickly decided that he did not want to disturb Mattie, and would catch her up on the interrogation when he saw her later.

Brass waited outside an interrogaton room and held up his hand for Grissom to stop before entering.

"She's in shock, Gil, and her parents are a piece of work. They are refusing to let her speak with us alone and the dad keeps insisting that this is all a mistake."

"I've met them." said Grissom. He knew that Clayton would be filled with denial and anger about the situation. He also understood that parents would never want to believe their child could be involved with anything so horrific. He knew better. He had catalogued the evidence of too many crime scenes where children wre the perpetrators over the years.

They entered the room and Grissom hovered in the doorway taking in the sight. Olivia sat in one chair, her pale face a blank mask of indifference as she stared at the interlaced fingers resting in her lap. Bess sat on her left, worry creasing the woman's face. She looked to be fighting back a flood of tears that would erupt any second if provoked.

Clayton was the restless tiger, pacing the room, his face contorted in anger and something more-- frustration. He paused in his trip from one end of the room to the other and his narrowed eyes landed on Grissom.

"This is _your_ fault, Mr. Grissom." Clayton said through gritted teeth, his fists curled by his sides. His angry accusation brought Bess to turn and look at Grissom who stood with a strange feeling of unease in the doorway.

Olivia never stirred.

Ignoring the parents, Grissom walked further into the room, directly to the table where the teenager sat. "Olivia? Are you okay?"

"Okay?" Clayton roared from behind Olivia, one big hand landing on the girl's shoulder as Grissom saw the first emotion from the girl in the form of a wince. "She stupidly confessed to something she did not do because of guilt brought on by you and your girlfriend."

Brass glanced sharply over at Grissom at the word "girlfriend" but he did not comment as Grissom continued to speak to Olivia.

"Can you tell me about Andy and if you know where he is now, Olivia? Is he alive?" Grissom bit out this last question as his throat tightened. Difficult as it was to ask, it was necessary.

Olivia's chin snapped up at the question and her blank eyes met those of Grissom. "I don't know, Mr. Grissom. I don't know where Andy is and I don't know if he is alive. I haven't seen him since that day."

"Tell me about that day," Grissom urged her with a gentle tone. His eyes shot daggers at Clayton, who shut his mouth quickly after opening it to sputter a protest.

Olivia shook her head and looked back at her hands. "I wrote it all in that note. I confessed."

"Tell me about what you wrote, Olivia, I would like to hear it in your words."

Tension filled the small room as the adults waited impatiently for Olivia to recount the events that she had previously confessed. Five minutes stretched into seven as she sat there in a state of complete silence.

Grissom was beginning to think that the girl would never open her mouth when the door flew open and Tom agrily strode into the room.

"I need to know what happened, Olivia, and why my brother had to pay with his life. Why was Kyle murdered?"

Chaos followed this outburst as every adult except Grissom burst into protest at Tom's intrusion. Brass demanded to know who had let him into the room. Bess wrapped her arms around Olivia's shoulders and begged Tom not to hurt her child. Clayton insisted he leave and that Brass make him leave or he would sue the department. The lawyer that Clayton hired was busy spewing legalese.

"Stop it!"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Oliva shouted as she leapt from her chair and banged her fists on the table. "I didn't kill Mr. Giles and neither did Andy! We didn't kill him." Sobs shook the girls body and she collapsed in Bess's arms as she kept muttering over and over. "We didn't kill him."

All eyes bore into the girl as Grissom spoke. "Who did?"

TBC


	26. Chapter 26

Title: Entreaty

By: Manigault

Thank you for your patience. I hope that someone is still reading this story.

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Wiping the back of her hand under her eyes, Olivia sniffed, "I can't tell you. If I say anything then they will kill Andy."

This brought another round of barrelled questions directed at the girl who was beginning to retreat once again under the scrutiny. Not wanting Olivia to escape inside of herself again, Grissom snapped at Brass to clear the room or get everyone to shut up. Brass looked at the ceiling and then spoke with authority at the room in general.

"Shut it up now folks, or clear out of this room. You are terrifying the girl."

Clayton huffed a protest and glared at Brass, "you are the ones scaring my Olivia, sir. You and Mr. Grissom."

"I've heard enough," Tom said from beside the table where he had moved to stand beside the seated Grissom. "You need to tell us who it is you are afraid of and why you think they will kill Andy. You said in your confession that he took off for New York," he glared at the teen, "no more lies."

Olivia shuddered at the harsh tone and tears crept down her cheeks once again. "I can't tell you. I can't..."

Exasperated with the girls refusal to answer the question, Tom was about to demand she give them some name when Grissom's cellphone announced he had a call. Pulling the object from his pocket, he glanced at the caller id and hit a button.

"Nicky?"

Grissom's expression became incredulous as he listened to whatever it was Nick was informing him of and slowly a frown creased his forehead. "Thanks, Nick, I'll talk to you soon."

Placing his cellphone on the table, Grissom did not say a word for a full minute as all eyes landed on him and everyone waited. When he finally spoke it was without satisfaction or relief.

"Nick and Warrick found the Cessna that was used to attack me and Sara in the desert." Grissom looked up at Tom and then turned to stare at Olivia, "your boyfriend Paul Hanson has an uncle that owns that Cessna."

Olivia shook her head and her lower lip trembled. "Paul doesn't have anything to do with this," she turned wild eyes towards her parents and insisted, "Paul did not take Andy. He didn't."

Grissom knew that Nick and Warrick had circumstantial proof that the Hanson's Cessna was involved and were gathering the evidence. Brass was bringing Burke Hanson in for questioning.

"Paul asked you to write that letter didn't he Olivia?" Grissom asked with sudden insight.

"No! Paul loves me. Why would he ask me to confess to killing anyone? Andy did it. Andy killed his dad because of drugs." Olivia's voice held no conviction and she started to rock back and forth in the chair, "Paul loves me. He told me he loves me."

Sitting back in his own chair, Grissom studied the teenager as he waited for the tears to ease. Glancing over and up at Tom's stoic face, Grissom decided it was time to address Olivia once again.

"Olivia, you and Andy grew up together didn't you?"

She nodded, but kept her eyes on the table and refused to speak. She was listening though, and that was what Grissom wanted.

"You and Andy were best friends," Grissom pressed with a gentleness that made Tom scowl.

Olivia sniffed and took the tissue that Bess handed out for her to use. "Andy used to be my best friend," angry eyes flew up to meet Grissom's, "until he tried to break up my relationship with Paul. He kept harrassing me to break up with Paul, telling me that I was being used and was in danger of being hurt. Andy was the one that was hurting me."

Tom watched the scene unfold and silently thanked Grissom for keeping his cool. All he had wanted to do was pick the teen up and shake the answers out of her and bypass the bullshit. Now he understood where Grissom was going with his easy manner.

"Andy loved you and tried to help you," said Grissom without breaking eye contact with Olivia.

"No. Andy did not love me or he would have been happy that I found someone that I cared about. He would have left me alone instead of trying to get Paul and his friends in trouble. He had the nerve to think that he could trick me into helping him trap Paul and his cousins." Realizing that she had said too much, Olivia pressed her hand against her lips and looked at her hands.

The anger had vanished from Clayton as Olivia's words had sunk through his denial. "Olivia. Darlin', please tell me what you know about what happened to Kyle Giles and Andy. You knew them all of your life. Kyle was a good man and Andy is your best friend."

"Andy stopped being my best friend when he kept interferring with my life." Olivia insisted her pretty face scrunched up in a scowl. "I'm hungry. I don't want to talk anymore."

Brass displayed his disgust as he motioned Grissom from the room. Once the two men were outside, he spoke to Grissom with a shrug. "What do you suggest, Gil? Do we keep pushing this or do we wait and speak with Burke Hanson?"

"We need to have Paul Hanson brought here as well, Jim. These cousins of his as well," Grissom glanced at the door and released his frustration in a heavy sigh. "Let her eat and have a break. We can see if that does anything to make her talk and maybe her parents can get something out of her if she isn't on guard."

"Explain your theory to your bro-," Brass stopped midsentence and continued with an embarrassed grin. "Explain that to Tom, because I have a feeling that he will not agree with easing up on the witness."

_No, he would not. _Grissom felt the urge to ask Brass to wait five minutes and give himself time to retreat to his office, but he summoned his courage and opened the door to the room and met Tom's eye.

"We're going to let Olivia have something to eat and rest for a little bit, Tom." Grissom hoped that the other man would pick up that he had a plan and was not abandoning the idea of learning more from the teen. He prepared himself for the protest that didn't come and relaxed as Tom nodded and without a word brushed past him to leave the room. Grissom allowed his gaze to move around the room, landing on Olivia with a _this is not over _expression.

Tom stood several feet outside of the room, his back to Grissom, his posture tense as he waited for Grissom to explain. Within seconds Grissom passed him in the hall and waved his hand in a gesture for Tom to walk with him. Neither man spoke until they reached the CSI corridor that led to Grissom's office and then the silence was broken with a question.

"We're so close to getting answers, Gil, why are you letting her regroup?"

Grissom was prepared for the question, but the answer did not sound convincing to his own mind when it poured from his lips. "I felt that with some time alone with her parents she will relax and rethink her position. She was shutting off her emotions by asking for food and refusing to talk."

"So now you're a pop psychologist," Tom stated with a smirk. He wasn't in the mood to humor this girl that knew so much more than she was saying.

"In my buisness it's not a bad idea to have some knowledge of psychology," Grissom said. They paused outside of his office and he pushed the door open slowly not knowing if Sara would still be sitting in his chair holding a sleeping Mattie.

His chair was empty. Stepping into the room, Grissom let his eyes sweep the perimeters looking for any sign of Sara or Mattie. Without explanation, he turned from the office and walked with his distinctive lope towards the breakroom. The strong pull to find Sara unnerved him and he quickly dismissed it as some residual left over from being with her so much over the past several days.

He sensed a puzzled Tom following him along the corridor but had no awareness of the striking pair they made as they moved along the halls. So similar and yet so different, and obviously related.

Grissom's pace slowed as he neared the breakroom and he noted immediately that the blinds were not closed nor the lights out which indicated that Mattie was not taking a nap on the sofa.

Unexplained relief swept over him as he spied Sara sitting at the breakroom table, Mattie on one side and Greg on the other, a box of pizza in front of them. Sara glanced up as he and Tom entered the room, her eyebrow rising in question. Unspoken words passed between them as Grissom glanced over at Mattie and then back to meet Sara's stare. With a nod, she motioned towards the pizza.

"We have enough for both of you. Dig in."

As Sara spoke, Mattie spotted Tom and slowly lowered his slice of pizza, "I'm not hungry anymore."

"You've only had one slice, Mattie, and you were _starving_ two minutes ago." Sara teased gently.

"I'm not hungry." Mattie said as he glared in the direction of his Uncle Tom.

Picking up on the boys anger towards him, Tom rubbed his jaw and thought furiously about how to respond. Did he ignore the situation or address it head on? He chose the latter and asked directly.

"Are you blaming me for not saving your dad, Mathew?"

The use of his full name caused tears to well up in Matties eyes. Nobody called him by his full name unless he was in trouble or unless they were very concerned about him. "Don't call me that." Mattie folded his arms at the elbows.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't save your dad, Mattie. I'm sorry." Tom's voice broke on the words and his shoulders slumped. There was not much else to say and nothing Mattie could dish out at him that would ease his own guilt.

Mattie's expression changed and his eyes clouded with tears as he pushed back from the table and moved around it to walk up to Tom. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around his uncle and let the tears fall again.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Tom. I'm sorry."

TBC


	27. Chapter 27

Title: Entreaty

By: Manigault

Thank you to those reading this story! Thank you for the reviews!

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Burke Hanson was not what Grissom expected. There was nothing disarming about the man that sat slumped in a chair in the interrogation room, his face a concentration of resignation and guilt. He looked much older than his brother, Scott, and from all outward appearances they had no resemblance to one another. Burke looked like your average Joe, no flash, no charm oozing from his pores.

His lawyer sat beside him at the table, his own expression guarded as Brass and Grissom entered the room. Together, they had convinced Tom to stand behind the mirror and observe as they interrogated the suspect.

Grissom took a seat across from Hanson while Brass stood beside his chair, facing the man.

"Mr. Hanson, would you like to explain to us how you are involved in the murder of Kyle Giles and the disappearance of Andy Giles?" asked Brass, his eyes locked onto the top of the thinning hair of Burke Hanson. He ignored the protest of the lawyer and kept his attention focused on Burke.

"Murder?" Burke exclaimed, his chin snapping up as the first real emotion glittered behind his eyes. "I don't know anything about murder. That's not possible."

Grissom opened a folder that he had placed on the table in front of him. Averting his own eyes from the images, he pushed the photos of Kyle across the table until they were in front of Burke. The man slowly lowered his eyes to the images and flinched. His hand shook as he picked up one of the photographs of Kyle in the desert. His lawyer started reciting legal jargon and Burke held up his hand for him to stop.

"Is this true, Mr. Grissom? You seriously believe that I had anything to do with this?"

Grissom held Burkes eyes as he said softly. "I don't know you, Mr. Hanson. I do know that your Cessna was involved in a flyby attack on myself and a collegue at the same spot where Kyle was found." Grissom glanced over at one of the images of Kyle and then back up to meet Burkes eyes. "How can you explain that?"

"Proof, Mr. Grissom, we need proof of your accusations." The lawyer argued and fell silent again as Burke held up his hand.

"I don't know," said Burke. "When did this _attack_ take place?"

When Grissom gave him the date, he noticed Burkes face growing pale. "I was at the Bellagio for a conferance that day. I wasn't home."

"We can check that out, Mr. Hanson, but tell me this," said Brass as he walked away from the table and then turned back with a turn of his heel. "Who else can fly that bird of yours?"

Burke blanched. "Only my sons Quinn and Conner. They didn't fly the plane though, they are not allowed to fly the plane unless I'm with them." The words trailed off and he shook his head. "They were at the house with my nephew Paul. My wife and our other children are in Washingtion visiting her family."

"Paul was staying at your house?" asked Grissom with a tiny smile. The pieces were tying together, however slight the thread was spun. He knew that the boys were waiting in another room, certainly much more aware of the situation than this man appeared to be.

A cloud passed over Burkes face and he suddenly drew from some reserve that was hidden before now. "My sons are not involved in anything illegal. They are good boys."

"And Paul? Is he a good boy?" asked Brass with a slight smirk.

"Paul is...Paul is too much like my brother Scott," Burke said at last. "I've tried to give him special attention, but, he is a wild boy."

"Is he capable of flying the Cessna?" Grissom asked.

Burke scoffed. "I offered to teach him several times, but the boy has no patience. He wants everything at once and is not capable of expending any energy to work for it."

"Is he capable of murder?" asked Brass.

"No, of course not." Burke insisted. "He's lazy, but not a killer."

"Is Paul involved with drugs?" asked Grissom taking a different route.

"Why would you ask that?"

"It's a simple question, Mr. Hanson." said Brass with a mock smile.

"I wouldn't know what he is involved in anymore," Burke rubbed his chin and leaned back in the chair. "He hasn't been open to me in several years, but I know that he and my boys are close. I could ask them."

"We'll ask them, Mr. Hanson." said Brass. "When we speak to each of them in a few minutes time."

"My sons are here?" Burke pushed back from the table and glared at Brass. "I didn't give you permission to bring them in for questioning."

"That's the funny thing about the law, Mr. Hanson. When we suspect that someone is involved in a murder we have the right to question them." Brass shrugged. "We don't need your permission."

This time when Burke turned to the lawyer for help, the man could only shrug.

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Quinn and Connor were separated and placed in two different interrogation rooms. Paul had not arrived yet, which was fine by Brass as they had time to obtain the brothers side of events before tackling the one that they felt had the most involvement.

Sara joined Brass and Grissom outside of one of the interrogation rooms and answered Grissom's questioning look with a short explanation. "Mattie is sleeping on the sofa in the break room and Greg volunteered to keep an eye on him."

Grissom nodded and proceeded to fill her in on the interrogation with Burke Hanson. "So, we can divide and conquer with these two brothers," Grissom spoke to both of them but his eyes were on Sara as he said. "You pick."

With a fleeting smile, she pointed to one of the rooms. "I'll take door number one."

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The teenager appeared harmless enough to Sara's observant eyes. Walking over to the table she took in the boys frightened expression; wide eyes, pinched mouth. Brown straight hair spilled into the boys face and he continuously brushed it back from his eyes as they followed Sara with trepidation as she approached him.

Sara did not have time to ask the first question when Quinn started spilling his guts. She listened in stunned silence as he confessed to taking his dads plane out for a spin.

"Paul insisted that we scare a couple of people that were harrassing him in Calienta. He knew that they would be at the same place that Andy was when I picked him up a few weeks ago. Connor flew the plane and we shot at their car, but we didn't try to hurt the people."

Sara placed her fists on the table and leaned forward until her nose was inches from Quinn. "I'm one of _those_ people, Quinn. You shot at me and my friend, Gil Grissom, and you are lucky that we survived."

"Wh...What? You are one of...Ahhh man. I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry." the tremble of his lips and his shaking body suggested to Sara that he was being sincere.

"You said that you picked Andy up there recently? Were you there when Kyle was shot and did you help someone bury his body in the desert?" Sara watched the teen wipe the sweat off his brow that had slowly beaded along his forehead.

"Who is Kyle?" His puzzled look caused Sara to shake her head and exchange looks with Brass who had stood by the door as Quinn had started stammering.

Brass did not believe the kid and in his mind he replayed all of the lying murdering kids he had seen parade through his office over the years. "You should be in Hollywood, kid," the response earned a narrow look from Sara, but he ignored it and pushed on. "Kyle is Andy's dad. The man who was driving the SUV that was at the spot where you said you picked Andy up last week? Did you stop and wonder how Andy got out there to the desert or why he would need a ride if the SUV was sitting right there?"

"Paul asked me to pick Andy up because he needed to get away from his dad. He said that he drove the SUV out to desert and was ditching it so that nobody could find him. I took him to meet Paul and Paul's girlfriend, Olivia, and dropped him off. They said that they took him into Vegas and he took a train to New York City."

It was unreal how easily this teenager was talking to them and neither Brass nor Sara could trust what their ears were hearing. With a cynical arch of the brow, Sara scraped a chair back from the table and sat down opposite the teen. Part of her trusted that the kid was being truthful and was clueless of his role in the murder of Kyle, but another part of her, a part that had been witness to children that could commit hideous crimes and lie about them, was weary of his words.

What she had to determine was how much of Quinn's confession was truth and how much was fiction.

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Behind door number two sat Connor Hanson. As nervous and full of confessions as Quinn was, Connor was calm and silent. Bright eyes calculated the men standing in the room and a smirk tipped up the corner of his lips. He knew that his brother was probably crying next door, but then, Quinn knew little if nothing about what he and Paul had done. Quinn was a wimp and it had been necessary to keep him in the dark as much as possible to ensure that his buisness succeeded.

Connor eyed the men. He did not know who one of them was, but the other had to be Gil Grissom. A gray haired man that was the long lost brother of Kyle Giles. He was alarmed when he had first heard from Paul about the connection of a Vegas CSI to the man from Calienta. The man that had gotten in his and Paul's way and threatened their plans. Grissom was smart. Connor could sense the man was intelligent and the thought made him shiver, but he kept his gaze steady. He refused to show fear.

Glancing at the officer who had entered the room with him, Grissom swept his gaze back to the teenager and narrowed his eyes. The boy was trouble and he could see the similarities between him and Paul.

"Talk to me about your dad's Cessna," said Grissom as an opening. "Tell me about what it's like to fly the plane and how often you take it for a spin."

Connor smirked. "I know what you are trying to do, Mr. Grissom, and it won't work."

Remaining calm, Grissom leaned back in his chair and tapped a pen lightly on the table. "What is it you think I'm trying to do, Connor?"

"I'm aware of your trying to pin a crime on me and my cousin Paul. I know that you think I did something to Andy." Connor shrugged. "Andy called my cousin Paul and asked for a ride. Quinn drove out to pick him up and took him to Vegas where he could catch a bus. If he killed his dad then we didn't have anything to do with it."

It was Grissom's turn to smirk. "So, when you picked Andy up he was alone. Nobody was with him?"

Connor pushed his chair back on it's back legs and grinned. "I didn't see anyone else," His grin widened. "Except Olivia, Paul's girlfriend. She was with him and they both looked nervous and guilty."

Grissom kept his expression blank, something that was harder to do than he would have thought possible. The kid was sure of himself and he was sure that Connor and Paul were setting Olivia up with the girls consent. Anger simmered beneath the surface as he took in this kids smug expression and cold eyes. How could a boy with such an unassuming normal looking dad have such a calculating son? How could a teenager who appeared to have so much going for them, turn so rotten? These were questions that he had often pondered and as he always did he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrated on the evidence.

"You took your dad's Cessna out recently and tried to scare myself and a friend of mine," said Grissom as he somehow managed to keep his voice level. "You shot a few holes in my car and," Grissom let his voice drip with steel. "I do know that _that _is a crime that can be prosecuted."

"Prove it," Connor replied without betraying his inner doubt. They had gotten rid of the evidence. All of it.

"We will prove it, Connor, that's what we do," Grissom allowed a tight smile to flit over his mouth. "Think about it."

With that, Grissom left the room and released his frustration out on a long sigh.

"Hold that emotion, Gris, we have some new information." said Sara.

TBC


	28. Chapter 28

Title: Entreaty

By: Manigault

Thank you for reading this story! Thank you to those who have reviewed!

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Grissom, Sara, Tom, Catherine and Nick sat around a table in the conference room. Nick had presented them with the evidence from the Cessna, including a shell that was found lodged in the back of the plane. Warrick and Brass had returned to the Hanson home with a warrant and found a small collection of firearms which they were in the process of bringing back to the lab to analyze and compare with the weapons used to attack Grissom and Sara as well as the one used to kill Kyle.

"It is shaping up to be a solid case against these boys," Grissom said as he studied a report that Greg brought him on the shell casing. "Connor is bluffing, thinking that Quinn doesn't know enough to harm either himself or Paul."

"And, he thinks that Olivia took the blame for the shooting and implemented Andy," Sara said and then added with a thoughtful look, "I think that Paul will have the same story as Connor and the two of them will be working it rather hard to convince us that they are smarter than us."

Waving one hand lightly in the air, Grissom grunted. "They always think they are smarter than us. It depends on us to prove them wrong." He glanced up at Sara and their eyes locked for a brief second.

Standing up from the table, Tom proceeded to pace around the room, one hand running through his curls as he thought aloud. "We should play them against each other, tell Connor that Quinn confessed and Olivia backed him up."

"We will play those cards and a few others," Catherine assured him. "I'm sure that of the four teenagers, something is bound to crack between them." She watched as Tom continued to pace and took the time to study him for the first time since they met. It was incredilble how similar he was to Gil, not only in looks but in mannerisms. She had known Gil for so many years and had never known anyone that resembled him. Her eyes darted over to Sara and she repressed a smile. Except Sara.

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Paul Hanson smirked across the table at Grissom and Sara. He was prepared for the questions and knew exactly what he was going to say when they quizzed him about Kyle and Andy Giles. For the past year he and Connor had been heavily involved with trafficking drugs in both Calienta and Vegas. They had built a nice network using resources that Connor had made in one of his granddads casinos. They were solid, rolling in dough, and living the high life until that shit Andy Giles started poking his head into his buisness.

"Tell me where we can find Andy Giles," Grissom said. He waited for the teen to respond and locked his jaw when he saw the smile flitting around the boys lips. "This is not a game, Paul, you are in serious trouble. You will not walk away from this if there is anything that I can do to stop you."

Paul leaned forward and gave a short laugh. "That's the rub, isn't it Mr. Grissom? You can't do anything." Leaning back in his chair he rolled his shoulders and glanced towards the door. "I should have a lawyer in here before I make any other comments."

Sara opened the folder that was on the table. Steeling her own raw emotions she picked one of the pictures up and pushed it across the table in front of Paul. "Why don't you look at a few pictures until your lawyer arrives?" She knew that it would be a matter of minutes before the same lawyer that had represented Burke would appear in the room along with Scott Hanson.

Paul picked the photograph up and smirked again. "This is cool. How did you make it look so real? Special effects?" He held the photo as his eyes traveled between Grissom, who wore a barely concealed expression of disgust, and Sara, who was not even trying to hide her disdain.

"That is what Kyle Giles looked like after being shot and buried in the desert by you and your cousins." she snapped. Tension rolled along her spine and she had to flex her jaw to keep from saying more.

"Andy shot his dad. I didn't know that he buried him in the desert," said Paul with a look of amusement. "Do you have more pictures I can look at until my lawyer says we are finished?"

"You are a piece of work," Sara said with undisguished contempt. Before she could say more, the door opened and Scott Hanson stormed into the room.

"You best not be interrogating my son without our lawyer present because I'll sue this place and everyone involved in this debacle." Scott Hanson stood in the doorway with his hands firmly planted on his hips. Glaring at the nonchalant investigators he dared them to deny his threats and then, satisfied with their silence, he walked over to the chair beside his son and took a seat.

Scott wrapped a protective arm around Paul's shoulders and flicked his eyes over the teens face. "Are you okay, Paul?"

Anger pulsed through Grissom's arteries and he knew his pulse was out of control as he tried valiantly to keep his temper in check. Shifting in the chair next to him, Sara let her thigh press against his in a gesture of reassurance. He noted that the same lawyer that had been in the room with Burke had entered the room and taken a chair on the other side of the teen, a weary exrpession now lining his craggy face.

Grissom reached over to the folder that was in front of Sara and opened it without saying a word. Taking the photos out he lined them up on the table in front of the Hansons and the lawyer and then he folded his arms over his chest and stared directly at Paul.

"Tell me why you killed Kyle Giles and then buried him in the desert."

The room erupted in angry shouts as Scott stood and the lawyer protested. Paul kept that twisted grin on his face as he watched the commotion. Grissom and Sara stayed seated and let the men run on for several minutes. When the room was silent once again, Sara broke the silence by repeating Grissom's question.

"Why did you kill Kyle Giles?" Sara asked as she tapped a finger on one of the photos and kept her eyes trained on Pauls face. "And, if you say that you did not kill him then tell me why you did not call the police after you picked Andy and Olivia up in the desert."

"This is ridiculous!" Scott shouted as he pushed back from the table and turned towards his lawyer. "You had best put a stop to these accusations or we will find a new lawyer."

Paul was not flustered by the outburst of his dad or of the photos that lay spread on the table before his eyes. He ignored Grissom and stared across the table at Sara with a look that she did not have much trouble deciphering. She could only hope that they could get this kid off the street before he hurt someone else. She fought back the thought of him being out on the street when he reached adulthood and decided that he should be tried as an adult. She hoped the DA would agree.

Grissom scowled at the boys expression as he devoured Sara with his eyes and decided it was time for them to take a break. "Sara? Will you see me outside for a minute?"

He walked towards the door and waited for Sara to join him. He was not prepared for the sparks that were flying from her eyes as she walked angrily past him and into the hall where she held her temper until the door closed and they had moved further along the corridor.

"A break, Grissom? We just started questioning that...that...bastard and you decide to yank us out to take a break? If we keep giving these kids time to regroup then how do you think we will ever progress in finding Andy?"

Oblivious to the small crowd they were drawing, Sara took a deep breath and kept her eyes fastened on Grissom's darkening expression. She knew that she had stepped over a line, but the audacity of Paul's attitude was fueling her discomfort and she wanted answers.

"I think that Brass will continue this interrogation with me and I'd like for you to speak with Olivia," Grissom said with a steely determination that Sara knew much too well.

"If I don't go back in there with you, Grissom, then that gloating teenager will have won some points," said Sara.

"This is not a game, Sara, nobody is trying to score the most points," Grissom said firmly. He spotted Conrad Ecklie approaching from the periphery of his vision and tried to steer the conversation in another direction. Speaking only loud enough for Sara's ears, he said soothingly. "We'll talk about this after shift, Sara, but right now Ecklie is fast approaching and he is not a big fan of either of us."

Taking the hint, Sara clenched her fists and gave a quick nod. "I'll talk to Olivia." He watched her walk away, her eyes averted from Ecklie as she made her way to another interrogation room.

Grissom felt no elation with this concession and knew that they would hash it out after shift and deservedly so on Sara's part. He had reacted like a protective lover wanting to shield her from the cold eyes of what he believed was a calculating killer. Although he had often felt these urges, this was the first time something had snapped inside of him and he reacted badly. Ecklie stopped in front of him and Grissom brushed him off with a shrug.

"Everything okay with Sidle?" Ecklie asked, unwilling to be brushed off by Grissom.

"Everything is fine, Conrad, we were discussing the case," Grissom mumbled with a distracted expression as he pulled out his cellphone. "I need to make a call, excuse me." Without a backwards glance at Ecklie, Grissom sent a text message and then motioned to Brass who had been standing in the hallway since he and Sara had left the interrogation room.

In another room along the hallway, Sara felt her phone vibrate and pulled it off her hip, tapping a button to read a message that was on her small screen.

_I'm sorry. Make it up later. G. _

With a soft smile and tilt of her head, Sara knew that she was not going to let him off the hook that easily, but it was a start. Pulling out a chair, she spent the next few minutes calming her emotions and planning the direction she would take with Olivia to try and bring some closure to this teenage farce. By the time the door opened she was steady and knew exactly how to approach the shell shocked teen.

TBC


	29. Chapter 29

Title: Entreaty

By: Manigault

If your still reading this story, thank you! I hope it makes sense. Thanks to those who reviewed!

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Olivia was subdued as she walked into the room, flanked on each side by Clayton and Bess, who both appeared to have aged fifteen years since the last time Sara saw them. She felt for the couple, but as she looked at Olivia her empathy faded. A female attorney walked in behind them, followed seconds later by Catherine, whom Sara had paged after she had angrily left Grissom in the hallway.

Catherine took the seat beside Sara and glanced over at the younger woman to see how she was holding up. After being paged by Sara, she had no less than three different individuals fill her in on the spat between Grissom and Sara in the hallway outside of the interrogation room with Paul Hanson. Apparently Grissom had taken Sara off of that interrogation and had her interviewing Olivia. Catherine had no time to question his motives, but she was certain there was logic behind his actions.

"Olivia, we spoke with Paul."

Sara sat back and waited for the bombshell to drop and was not disappointed when Olivias eyes grew wide and excitement swept over her features. "When can I speak to him?"

Ignoring the question, Sara said calmly. "Paul says that you killed Kyle."

Confusion swept over the teens face and she stuttered a protest. "Andy killed him. Paul knows that and would never say that it was me. I admitted that I was there, but I didn't shoot Mr. Giles."

"You told us earlier that you were afraid that _they_ would hurt Andy. You were talking about Paul and his cousins, isn't that right, Olivia?" Sara was relieved Clayton and Bess did not interfere with her line of questioning.

"I would like to speak to Paul," Olivia insisted. A tremble began on her lower lip and she wiped away a stray tear that was rolling down the side of her cheek. "I'm not saying anything else until I speak to him."

Annoyance flashed over Sara and she steeled her voice as she leaned forward. "You will not be permitted to speak with or see Paul until you answer these questions."

"You can't do that!" Olivia spun around to face her lawyer. "I have rights! She can't threaten me like that! Do something!"

"Answer Ms. Sidle's question Olivia," Clayton said firmly. "No more of this nonsense about seeing that good for nothing boy."

"What? You can't say that!" Olivia cried out. "Paul never said that I shot Mr. Giles. You are lying!"

"Which one of the boys actually shot Mr. Giles? Was it Paul?" Sara chose to ignore the accusations and the fact that there was a bit of truth in what she had said. Paul had claimed that it was Andy that had shot his own dad, but he had also claimed that Olivia helped him.

Tears streamed from Olivia's eyes as she glared from one silent adult to the other, until her eyes returned to Sara and she said stubbornly. "Paul didn't shoot him. I didn't shoot him and I don't think Quinn or Connor shot him either."

It was like going in circles with this girl, Catherine was thinking to herself as she waited for Sara to pull out a true confession. Settling back in her chair she decided to give Sara the reins for now, but was ready to jump in the minute Sara appeared to lose control of the situation. She thought of the younger woman as a loose cannon who rode on emotions too much of the time. Gil was crazy about her though and because of that she would keep her opinions to herself.

"Paul says that it was you, Olivia, you and Andy that shot Mr. Giles." Sara held her breath and waited for the words to sink into the girls mind. The wheels were spinning and she could see the doubt shining from the teary eyes as Olivia hunched her shoulders and began rocking slowly back and forth. When she looked back at Sara, she had made a decision.

"Paul shot him," Olivia muttered. "He shot him and they also shot Andy."

Gasps swept throughout the room and Sara fought back the sick feeling that was threatening to take over her self control.

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Paul wore the over confident smile of a rotten teenager that thought he could get away with murder. That was the impression that popped into Grissom's head as he and Brass walked back into the room to confront the suspect.

"Where's Miss. Sidle? I like her better than you," Paul said with a laugh.

"That's enough Paul," Scott said with a warning in his voice. "You need to let me and our lawyer do the talking."

"Why?" Paul rolled his eyes at the lawyer. "They don't have anything on me."

Grissom's phone beeped and he realized that he was still holding it after text messaging Sara. He glanced at it and an odd expression flitted over his face.

_Olivia stated Paul shot Kyle and Andy._

He was stunned. If what Olivia said was true then..._oh shit. _Grissom looked up at Paul and narrowed his eyes.

"That isn't what your girlfriend says," Grissom lifted the phone and tilted his head. "According to your girlfriend you not only shot Paul, you shot Andy."

If he expected Paul to deny the accusations he could not have been more wrong. Scott, however, began a loud protest that could be heard from outside the room and was quickly subdued by his lawyer who asked for a short recess.

"No," Grissom shook his head and refused to leave this room without some answers. "I want to know what you did with Andy after he was shot? Is he buried in the desert?"

"Olivia is a bitch," Paul said with that calmness that gave an honest man chills. "She knows that Andy shot his own dad and she helped him. Andy is in New York City for all I know."

Grissom closed his eyes for a brief second and then opened them and shook his head sadly. "Kyle has a wife. He has three children, including Andy. He has a mom and brothers. He did not deserve this, Paul." Grissom felt everyones eyes on him and knew that he was being emotional and very much unlike himself. He was letting this case get to him, alter his self control. These four teenagers held the answers to what happened to Kyle and Andy Giles and they were dancing in circles.

"We have enough evidence to link you with the attack on myself and my collegue," Grissom continued. "You will be punished for that alone. Now we have a witness that claims that you killed Kyle and shot Andy." Grissom stood and paced over towards the door and back. He stared at Paul while his mind worked out a puzzle. _Where was Andy? Was he involved?_

In a sudden flash of insight, Grissom spun on his heels and left the room. He made a beeline for the interrogation room where Sara was interviewing Olivia.

TBC


	30. Chapter 30

Title: Entreaty chapter 30

By: Manigault

Thank your reading this story and than you to those who have reviewed!

I've had some computer difficulties and have not been able to post any new chapters. Hopefully I will be able to post the rest of this story in a more timely manner. Thanks again!

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The door to the interrogation room flew open causing everyone to jump back as Grissom stormed inside. His focus on Olivia, he moved to stand behind Sara and level an icy stare onto the girl.

"Where did they take Andy? Is he in Paul's house? Quinn and Connor's? This is your chance to get a light sentence if you help us out." Grissom's statement was so intense that Olivia started shaking and rocking faster as fear gripped her mind.

"He is in some abandoned house not far from where Quinn and Connor live," Olivia sobbed. She tore her eyes away from the accusing looks of everyone and focused on the table. "They said that he would be killed if I told anyone. If I didn't back them up and tell the story that they had told me to say."

"Olivia!" The cry was torn from Bess, who could not take this confession from her child. Clayton's arms wrapped around her shoulders.

Grissom did not wait to watch the drama unfolding in the room. He was back in the hall and speaking rapidly to Brass who had followed him from the room.

"I have several squad cars on it, Gil," Brass assured him as they walked towards the front of the building. "If Andy is alive, we'll find him."

Grissom felt a familiar presence on his left and knew that Tom had raced from the room to accompany them. For a flash of a second Grissom wondered why Sara had not hurried to catch up with him, but dismissed the thought knowing she would want to tie up some loose ends with Olivia.

The drive was tense. Brass kept up a stream of dialogue with various officers and with headquarters, locating any abandoned homes near the Hanson's. Glancing over at Grissom he relayed information as he received it.

"There are three possibilities, Gil, and there are men going to each one as we speak."

"Which one is closest to the Hanson home? We should try that one first." Grissom shifted slightly in the seat next to Brass and looked over his shoulder at Tom who had his head pressed against the cool pane of the window.

It was less than ten minutes when they arrived at the first home where they found three police cars there ahead of them. Jumping from the car the men hurried towards the entrance and were met by Detective Vartan.

"Jim, Gil," Vartan nodded at the men as they approached. "We searched the house and basement and he isn't here."

Grissom looked up at the two level house and estimated that it was at least more than 2000 square feet. "Jim?" The question went unanswered as Brass phoned his men at the other two houses. With a grim expression he looked back at Grissom.

"No luck," Brass said sadly.

Tom brushed past them and began moving from room to room, his own expression grim. "They searched the basement? The closets? Attic?"

Brass looked over at Vartan for the answer.

"We looked everywhere except the attic," Vartran admitted. "We didn't see an entrance for an attic." His look was sheepish and he avoided the disbelieving eyes of the men. Brass immediately got back on his phone to be certain those attics were checked.

Taking the steps to the second level, two at a time, Tom reached the next floor and scanned the ceiling. "It's a pull down attic ladder," Tom said to Grissom. "It looks like the pull has been cut off."

They studied the situation and with sudden clarity, Tom crouched down and laced his fingers together. He looked up at Grissom. "If he is up there, Gil, then it can't be good. We can't wait for someone to get here with a ladder."

Grissom placed his foot in the other mans hand and pushed up towards the ceiling. Beside him, Brass reached out to help him balance and they watched in frustration as Grissom used one hand to push against the ceiling while with the other hand he tried unsuccessfully to open the wooden trap door. The rope had been cut off flush against the wooden surface. Grissom dug his nails into the edge of the trap door and tried to pry it open with the tips of his fingers.

Wincing in pain as one of his nails ripped from his finger, Grissom let loose a stream of expletives.

"Try this, Gil." Brass handed a key up to Grissom who took it with a doubtful expression. Pushing the key into the edge of the trap door he ground his teeth together as he pushed down with the metal object.

"It's bent," Grissom said. "The ladder would probably get here first at this rate."

"Keep trying, Gil, you have to open the door," Tom pleaded.

Brass handed Grissom a stronger key and gave him a quick grin. "Try pushing it at an angle with the edge of the trap door, Gil."

Grissom followed the suggestion and found the door opened enough for him to squeeze one finger in far enough to gain a hand hold. Within seconds he pulled the door down enough to grab the built in ladder with one hand. He was not prepared for the ladder to fold apart with a sudden spring that catapulted him through the air where he landed with a heavy thud against the wall.

Brass rushed to his side as Tom held onto the ladder and the trap door, afraid to let go lest it swing back into place preventing their inspection of the attic.

Gil held his left shoulder and gritted his teeth. "I'm fine, Jim. You need to see if he's up there, Tom." Grissom spoke to the concerned man holding the ladder.

Grissom's words broke Tom free of whatever trance he had felt under and he scrambled up the shaky ladder and into the attic space. Ripples of heat assaulted him as he reached the top of the ladder and scanned the small room.

"He's here!" Tom shouted. Moving as quickly as possible, Tom made his way to the far side of the room where a tiny window opened at the back of the house. The crumpled body that lay beneath the window did not stir. Bending down, Tom turned the body over and found what he feared. Andy was unconscious. Pressing two of his fingers against the teens carotid artery, Tom held his breath as he felt what he was searching for and released a heavy sigh.

"Gil! Call an ambulance! He has a faint pulse!"

"Jim has already called for one and they should be here within minutes," Gil spoke from behind Tom and the younger man turned to give him a grateful smile.

"He's alive, Gil, but I don't know how much longer he can hold on."

Grissom felt a surge of emotion as he stared down at the teenager that he had wondered if he would ever meet. The boy looked like shit and from the odor emanating from his person, smelled like shit as well. Grissom recognized the clothes the boy wore as the ones that Elaine had described him wearing the day that he and Kyle had left for their camping trip.

"He's been shot," Tom pulled the shirt up for Grissom to inspect. "A graze by the looks of this wound."

Grissom shouted back down from the attic to Brass who informed him that the ambulance would be here any minute.

"He needs fluid," Grissom noted the signs of dehydration with concern as he crouched beside the boy and inspected him for any other injuries. The wound that had grazed the boy had left a trail of blood with it that was pooled beneath his body. Sitting on his heels, Grissom reached the back of one of his hands up and wiped at the sweat that was sliding down the sides of his face. He was roasting. Looking up at the small window, Grissom saw a bloody print on the edge where Andy had apparently managed to push the tiny frame up enough to allow some fresh air to enter the stifling room.

"We need to get him out of here," said Tom with a desperate look at his nephew and the surrounding room. "Maybe we can carry him down the stairs?"

Grissom was about to agree when he heard shouts below stairs and an EMT appeared at the top of the stairs with one end of a stretcher in his hands. Seconds later another EMT appeared and they quickly took over the scene, pushing Grissom and Tom gently away from the supine teen. Neither man was offended by the brusque nature of the medics and stood aside in relief as they watched the efficient manner in which the boy was placed on the stretcher and strapped onto it in order to keep him immobile as they lifted him through the small openening and into the hands of other medics that stood waiting on the second floor.

Andy was rushed to an ambulance where the medics began swiftly applying bandages to the open wound, an iv in the hand so fluids could begin circulating in his blood, and a more through inspection of any other injuries.

Feeling helpless, but overcome with emotion, Tom and Gil stood side by side watching the scene play out, each with their own sense of disbelief that they actually had found Andy alive.

"I need to call Elaine and Alex," said Tom. He made no move for the phone, however, but kept his eyes glued on the still unconscious boy that was making no response to the medics probing and sticking with the needle.

"You should ride with him to the hospital," said Grissom with the sudden realization that he had a phone call of his own to make. "You can phone everyone from there after you know how he's doing."

Tom nodded and moved towards the ambulance as Andy was lifted into the back. Stepping inside the interior he turned back to speak to Grissom but found that his brother had already moved away from the ambulance and held a phone against his ear.

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"Gris? Hey there, any luck?" asked Sara as she pressed her cell to her ear and prayed he had good news. Nothing came over the line except a broken sigh causing Sara's heart to drop with the sound. "Grissom? Talk to me."

"We found him, Sara. Andy is alive. Barely, but he is alive."

Grissom's voice broke with the words and he was thankful that he had his back to any curious onlookers that were still at the scene, including Brass. "You can tell Mattie that his Uncle Tom found his brother and that the doctors are taking care of him in the hospital. He should know that Andy is alive," Grissom could only hope that Andy stayed that way or Mattie would be devastated.

Sara's elation at the words was temporary as the grimness of his voice took form. "He's bad, huh? Listen, Griss, I know this kid will be just fine because he has the same line of blood as you have, okay?"

A soft chuckle greeted her declaration and she relaxed against the wall where she had halted when her cell phone had first rung.

"I'm not sure if blood lines equal toughness and survival, Sara, but at this point I'm willing to give it a chance," Grissom felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to find Brass tilting his head towards his car in silent communication. "I need to go with Jim to the hospital, Sara, so you will let Mattie know about Andy?"

"Try to stop me," she replied and then added quickly. "We'll meet you at the hospital as soon as we can get there, okay?"

Clicking off the phone, she smiled widely and went in search of Mattie to break the good news.

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Grissom was sitting in the waiting room, leaning back against the wall, eyes shut tightly, when he felt small arms wrap around his neck. His eyes snapped open and he found a freckled face and wide teary eyes staring back at him.

"Thank you, Uncle Gil, thank you, thank you," sang Mattie as the boy hugged Grissom close again. With slow motion Grissom lifted his arms and wrapped them around the child while his eyes locked with the brunette who had sauntered up in front of him, a beautiful smile spreading across her face.

"How is Andy?" asked Sara softly.

"Holding his own," Grissom replied. Shifting suddenly, he made room for Mattie to sit beside him as he kept his arms wrapped around the small shoulders. "The doctors feel that when the fluids take hold he will gain consciousness and recover quickly." Pushing back the tender emotions he was feeling as Mattie snuggled into his shoulder, he smiled weakly at Sara who was settling beside them, one of her hands reaching over to smooth Mattie's bangs away from his eyes.

Tom walked into the room at that instant and could not help but admire the visual of Grissom, Sara, and Mattie comforting one another, a tight little family circle. Not wanting to disturb them, but feeling the pull to be part of that circle, Tom made his way over to a chair across from the couple and eased himself into the cushions with a loud sigh.

"He's doing better," Tom answered in response to the question he read on Grissom's face. "Alex, Claire, Elaine and our mom are on their way here as we speak."

Mattie scooted off of Grissom's lap and flung himself into Tom's arms, repeating the same gratitude that he had given Grissom. "When can I see Andy?" asked Mattie with hopeful eyes.

"We will have to ask the doctors, okay, sport?" Tom kissed the boys forehead and smiled into his eyes. "When they give the okay, I will make sure that you are right beside him. I'm going to go back and check on him and I'll ask the nurses what they think about a little brother making a quick visit, I promise."

Mattie nodded, not happy with the answer, but understanding of the reasonings behind the promise. "Is it okay if I wait here with Uncle Gil and Sara?" Mattie pleaded, his eyes wide with anticipation.

"Of course, Mattie, the fact is until your mom gets here you are Uncle Gil's responsibility, isn't that right, Gil?" Tom stood up and stretched before returning to Andy's side.

"I suppose that I am responsibile for you Mattie, so it looks like your stuck with me," smiled Grissom. He felt Sara's arm through his coat and his body relaxed. "I suppose you're stuck with me and Sara for awhile."

Mattie nodded happily, a smile flitting across his small face as he felt geniune peace for the first time since his dad and Andy had disappeared. Squeezing back into the seat between Grissom and Sara, he leaned his head on Sara's shoulder and closed his eyes. Sleep claimed him and as he drifted off to sleep, Sara felt her maternal instincts kick in again as she lifted her hand to smooth it over the boys fly away curls.

Grissom twisted in his chair until he was facing Sara and Mattie. Stretching one long arm along the back of the chair he found his own fingers reaching for Sara's tendrils as he played with a strand of her hair and studied her wistful face.

"You look beautiful holding a child, Sara," Grissom heard his own voice and marveled at the wistfulness he detected. "Have you ever thought about children of your own?"

Sara stared at him as if he had spoken some language she could not decipher, her mind spinning with the implications of his words. Grissom talking about children with her even if it was in an abstract manner? Impossible.

"When you fell off that ladder, did you hit your head, Griss?"

A smile lifted the corner of Grissom's lips and he narrowed his eyes in a playful way. "Noooo, I did not hit my head. I'm serious, Sara, you are getting older-."

"Watch it, pal," Sara said with a mock glare, but her eyes twinkled. "Okay, seriously, I've never allowed myself to think that far ahead." The twinkle slipped from her eyes and she frowned slightly as her eyes drifted down to the long eyelashes of Mattie.

"Why not?"

_Why was he pressing this issue? _The question flitted through both of their minds and each of them pondered the reprecussions of this discussion.

"I guess that I never thought I would have children because I would make a horrendous parent," admitted Sara, now afraid to meet his eyes.

When Grissom did not reply, she risked a glance up towards his face and was surprised at the tenderness she found.

"Honey, there are many things that I don't know, but I know without a doubt that you would be a wonderful parent."

"You can't know that, Grissom, you don't know what I went through as a child, what my-." She drifted off and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. "Besides, what difference does it make? Unless you are willing to be a sperm donor then the subject is mute." She meant the statement as a means of lightening up the conversation, a way to break the tension. She was shocked into silence when Grissom spoke.

"That could be arranged. When you are ready, that is," Grissom grinned as her eyes flew open and she stared at him with raw emotion.

"Don't tease me like that, Griss, it's not fair."

"I'm not teasing you Sara," Grissom held her eyes and leaned forward until he was inches from her face. "These past few weeks have been eye opening for me and I realized how short life is and what is truly important. Trust me, if you ever decide that you want children then I would be honored to give you my sperm. The old fashioned way, of course, none of that clinical stuff."

Sara lifted her left hand and touched Grissom's cheek with tenderness. "You are serious, aren't you Grissom? What about you? Do you have a desire to be a parent?"

With a light shrug, Grissom repeated her words from earlier. "I never allowed myself to think that far ahead," he leaned forward and his lips brushed hers. "I want anything that you want, Sara, you tell me when and if, and I'm yours."

"And in the meantime?"

"What do you mean?" Grissom pulled back slightly and frowned.

"Where are we in the meantime, Gris? Together as a couple? Co-workers?"

"Both, I suppose," Grissom leaned forward and let his lips trail light kisses over her nose and along her cheek. "We will figure it out together, if you want to that is."

Pulling his head towards her, Sara met his kiss with a hunger that equaled his own. The clearing of a throat had them both pulling reluctantly apart and they found a bemused Catherine and Warrick standing in the doorway.

"There is a child present, people," Warrick teased, pointing at the sleeping child.

A red blush spread over both Grissom and Sara's faces as they stared at their collegues. "What's going on Catherine?" Grissom finally managed to ask as it was obvious Catherine and Warrick were enjoying their discomfort.

"Oh, lots is going on by the looks of it," Catherine retorted as Warrick snorted.

"I'm talking about the case, Catherine, anything new with the teenagers confessions?"

"What confessions? If you mean Oliiva, then she's retreated into emotional silence. Paul still mantains his innocence and the Hanson brothers have clammed up completely."

"Have you told them that we found Andy?" Sara asked.

"We told each of them and only Quinn had a reaction. These kids are something else, they don't appear to have any consciousness or moral compass." said Catherine with a shake of her head.

"Give it some time, though, and I'm sure that Quinn will crack and confess," Warrick said with a firm smile.

"When Andy wakes up then we will have his side of events," said Sara with more confidence than she actually felt. "Then it won't matter what Paul or his cousins say because the evidence is against them."

Grissom hoped this was the case, but they would have to wait until Andy woke up before they could get his version of events. If Andy had been trapped in the attic all of this time then his memory was very possible going to be clouded and Grissom realized that he may not be able to offer any information.

"The good news is that Warrick and Nick stumbled into their nest egg when they searched the brothers rooms," Catherine grinned and winked over at Warrick. "Quinn apparently kept a journal with the names of their contacts and the names of many of their clients. He writes that his brother and cousin think that he doesn't know all of these names, but he isn't as stupid as they think."

She let these words sink in when Grissom spoke for the first time since he and Sara had been interrupted. "If he has written in a journal about these things then did he write about what happened to Kyle and Andy?"

Catherine and Warrick exchanged smug looks and Warrick spoke. "A unknown confession is a thing of beauty."

"Warrick, I didn't know you could quote poetic," Grissom grinned. "You did change it a bit, but I get the drift."

"We have them, Griss, we have them." Sara did not care that they had witnesses, she leaned over and planted another kiss on Grissom's lips and smiled into his mouth.

TBC


	31. Chapter 31

Title: Entreaty

Thanks for reading this and thankyou to the person who reviewed my last chapter-your comments always make me smile.

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By the time Elaine and Nan arrived at the hospital, Mattie had woken up and left for the cafeteria with Sara.

Grissom, Tom, Alex and Claire were sitting in the waiting room when Elaine breezed into the room and made a beeline for Tom, ignoring everyone else, much to Grissom's relief. Nan trailed in after Elaine and smiled weakly at Grissom before falling into the arms of her son Alex.

"Where is Andy?" Elaine asked Tom with a hurried air. "Has he gained consciousness yet?"

"Calm down, Elaine, take a deep breath," said Tom as he took her elbows in his hands and stared into her eyes. "He has not gained consciousness, but the doctors think that he looks good considering what he has been through. He is going to pull through this without a doubt."

"I want to see him," insisted Elaine. "Take me to him, Tom."

Tom let go of her elbows and looked over to Nan. "I'll take both of you in to see him, but I want you to be prepared for the lines running all over him."

"He's alive, that's what matters," Nan said with shaking voice. She reached up and touched Alex's face and did not stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Elaine looked over at Alex for the first time since entering the room and her face paled.

"I don't think that it's a good idea for you to be here, Alex. It could be confusing for Andy," Elaine could not keep the irritation from her voice as she stared at Kyles' identical twin and added as almost an afterthought. "And Mattie."

Alex frowned and weighed her words. "Mattie has already seen me and appears to be okay with my presence," Alex did not add that it had been hard for Mattie when he first saw him, but that since then the boy did not appear to have any problem being in the same room with him. "I'll stay away from Andy until he asks to see me."

Claire wrapped her arms around her husbands waist and gave Elaine a hard stare. It was hard enough for Alex to lose his twin, but for Elaine to speak to him in the way she had was too much for her to endure. Alex squeezed her waist and gave her a warm smile.

"I know that it's hard for you to see me, Elaine, and I respect that emotion. Claire and I will leave as soon as we know for certain that Andy is going to be fine." He watched Elaine nod and leave the room with Tom, who patted his back on the way from the room. Nan hung back and hugged Alex close to her and whispered in his ear.

"I'm glad that you are here, son, and I hope that you don't leave until I can spend some more time with you and Claire."

"Thank you," Alex replied and wiped at the corner of his own eyes as Nan followed after Tom and Elaine.

Turning to Grissom, Alex shrugged his shoulders. "Family."

Claire laced her fingers with Alex's fingers and smiled warmly at Grissom. "Would you like to come with us to the cafeteria to grab something to eat?"

"No thanks. I'm going to wait here for Sara and Mattie to return. I'm really not hungry."

Grissom settled back into his chair with a newspaper and the crossword puzzle and pondered the fact that Elaine had not even asked about Mattie and how he was doing with all of this.

"Hey there, Gris."

Grissom looked away from the puzzle to find Sara, holding a wrapped sandwich and a fountain drink, one eyebrow arched and her head tilted to the side. Holding the sandwich and drink out to Grissom she smiled.

"Roast beef with the works," Sara said to him with a small roll of her eyes. She did not eat the stuff, but she could buy it for Grissom who did. Mattie had spent the whole lunch time quizzing her about being a vegetarian, a fact that he had learned from Greg earlier that evening. She had given him honest answers and found herself amused that he was so fascinated with her choice.

"Thank you Sara," Grissom took the sandwich and smiled up and into her eyes. Shifting his weight he placed the drink on the small table on his right side and was about to place the newspaper aside when he felt it snatched from his lap. Startled, he held the sandwich in the air and gave Sara a questioning look.

"I'll do the puzzle while you eat," Sara informed him with a smirk. She was not good at waiting in hospitals and the only thing keeping her from losing her mind was being with Grissom and Mattie. "You want to give it a try, Mattie?"

"No way," Mattie pointed at the paper and asked softly. " Is it okay if I read the funnies, though?"

"Sure," Pulling the cartoon section out of the paper Sara handed it to the little boy and smiled fondly at him before turning to the puzzle that Grissom had started. She looked back over at the scowling man. "Pen?"

Without a word, Grissom handed her a pen and mumbled something about her taking away his puzzle. Hiding her grin, Sara tried to read the first line, but thoughts of the past few days kept swimming past her minds eye.

A soft whisper broke into her reverie. "You want me to help you with this puzzle, Miss Sidle?"

Sara smiled and turned her head slightly to look into Grissom's smiling face. "No, Dr. Grissom, I can manage while you finish eating your sandwich."

Holding up his empty hands, Grissom shook his head. "I finished eating," he pushed a strand of her hair away from her face. "You have been staring at the paper with a far away expression. I was almost afraid to disturb you."

Sara did not have the chance to respond when she heard angry voices coming from the corridor. She recognized one of the voices as both she and Grissom moved quickly to the doorway to peer out into the hall where they witnessed a red faced Elaine poking the chest of an equally flustered Scott Hanson. Tom and Nan looked on helplessly as the confrontation grew louder.

"What are you doing here?" Elaine was shouting at Scott as he tried to explain his motives. "How dare you show up here, where my son is lying in a hospital bed because of _your _horrible son and ask me how he is doing?"

"Elaine, please, I'm sorry, I had no idea that Paul and his cousins would do such a thing to Kyle and Andy," Scott made a motion to touch her face and several eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What's he doing here?" Mattie asked. He moved in between Grissom and Sara but made no move to fly into the middle of the argument like he did only a few days before when they had brought him home from school to find Scott and Elaine in a similar situation. Grissom placed a hand on the boys shoulder and worried about his lack of emotion.

Noticing Matties presence, Tom moved forward to stand between the arguing duo and politely asked Scott to leave. "This isn't the place or time for you to be here, Hanson, and my family would like some privacy."

Scott appeared to notice the bystanders for the first time as he took in the faces of each one before turning back to Elaine. "I hope that Andy recovers and that you will forgive me someday." With those words, he fled the hallway leaving a shaken Elaine staring after him.

_There is a story there. _Sara thought to herself as she placed a hand on Matties other shoulder.

Nan had spied Mattie when he walked from the waiting room and hurried over to give him a big hug. "Hey sweetie! Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine," Mattie said wrapping his own arms around Nan. "Did you see my brother?"

"He looks really good, Mattie. I'm sure that by morning he will be waking up and asking to see you." Nan assured him. She glanced over her shoulder at Elaine who had moved over to speak with Tom, her attention not focused on her younger son.

"Why don't you say hi to your mom, Mattie? I'm sure that she would like that." Nan lovingly squeezed his shoulders and nodded towards Elaine.

Frowning slightly, Mattie shook his head. "She's busy. I'll see her later on."

Catching Sara trying to stifle a yawn, Grissom made a quick decision. "I'm taking Sara and Mattie home so they can get some solid sleep. Nan? Would you like to come with us?"

Nan gave him a quizzical smile. "No, thank you dear, I would like to spend time with Alex." She looked at Mattie and her smile faltered. "I think that it would be good idea for you to go home with your Uncle Gil." She did not bother glancing over at Elaine. Her daughter-in-law had not been herself for some time now and it was probably not in Mattie's best interest for him to stay with her at this time.

"Elaine? Is that okay with you if I take Mattie home with me and Sara?" Grissom asked the distraught woman who had yet to acknowledge her middle child. He watched Elaine flick her eyes over to her son as if seeing him in the room for the first time and she nodded.

"That would be a good idea. Thank you," Elaine turned away from them and left the room without a word to Mattie who looked like he was struggling to keep his composure.

"Call me if there is any change?" Grissom asked Tom as they each tried to push Elaine's treatment of Mattie to the back of their minds for his sake.

"Sure thing, Gil. Goodnight Sara, Mattie," Tom hugged the little boy and tried to assure him that Elaine was in a emotional distress and it had nothing to do with him.

They left the hospital and were walking towards the parking deck when Mattie tried to lighten the mood. "Do you have any clothes that fit me Uncle Gil? I kinda forgot to pack a bag when I left."

Sara chuckled and reached over to punch Grissom lightly on the shoulder when he tried to sputter a response. "It's okay, Mattie, I know of a store that's open twenty four seven and we can stop to pick up a few items for you." Sara tosseled the boys hair as she spoke and shot a grin over at a relieved Grissom.

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Walmart was a busy spot and a place that Grissom had never stepped foot inside of before tonight. He looked befuddled by the activity and so unsure of himself that Sara felt the urge to grab hold of his hand and lace his fingers in her own.

"We should get a buggy," she suggested. They weaved their way through the store until they found the childrens department and the boys clothing section.

Watching Sara pick up a t-shirt and ask Mattie what he thought, Grissom shook his head at how naturally she fell into the role.

"I like that t-shirt," Mattie was saying as she placed the shirt in the buggy and reached for another one. "I only need one to sleep in and maybe I could wear it tommorrow?"

"It's no problem," she assured him as she spied a rack of nicer dress shirts and made a beeline for them. "You'll need several shirts if you stay here in Vegas for the next few days."

Mattie gave Grissom a helpless look which the man shrugged away with a smile as he advised. "When a woman decides to buy you clothes then you shouldn't stand in her way."

Mattie stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets and tried to smile. "You don't have to buy me anything but the basics. I really could have slept in one of your shirts and washed this one."

Grissom started to reply when his attention was captured by a t-shirt with a big spider spread along the front. "This is a wolf spider, a ground dwelling hunting spider," Grissom smiled slightly and held the shirt up towards Mattie who was peering at it with interest. Grissom launched into a short lesson on the habits of the spiders as Mattie peppered him with questions.

Returning to the buggy with an armful of shirts and jeans Sara kept her amusement in check and waited for Grissom to finish explaining about the female egg laying habits before she interrupted.

"Dr. Grissom, could you spare Mattie for a minute?" she asked with a teasing smile.

Startled, Grissom blushed slightly and nodded. "We can talk about the wolf spider later on."

Mattie was beaming as he walked over to Sara with expectant eyes.

"I need to know what size jeans you wear. I know that you're ten so do you wear a ten?" Sara held up the jeans and arched one brow.

"I'm not sure," Mattie felt for a tag in the back of the jeans and squinted in an effort to turn around and read the tag.

"There is a fitting room over there if you want to try this pair on," Sara pointed to a sign that was a few feet away. "That way we can be positive they fit."

Taking the jeans, Mattie jogged over to the rooms and disappeared inside. Sara frowned. She turned to ask Grissom if he thought the boy would be okay by himself when she felt a hand on her elbow.

"I'll check on him," Grissom dropped the t-shirt that he and Mattie had been discussing as well as several other t-shirts into the buggy, before trailing into the fitting rooms after Mattie.

Sara picked up the shirts and allowed the grin, that she had kept inside when she overheard the lecture on wolf spiders, to erupt. Grissom had picked up two more shirts with various spiders on the front, one with a lizard, and one with a beetle. He was so cute when he was enthralled with answering Mattie's questions on one of his favorite subjects. She could only imagine what it would be like when Mattie saw his collection at the townhome.

A few seconds later Mattie appeared from the fitting room with a wide grin and Grissom only a few steps behind him. "They fit, Sara!"

"That's perfect because I picked out another pair of jeans and some shorts," Sara added the pair of jeans and tossed them into the buggy. "Now we need to find some underwear and socks."

Groans emitted from two directions and she laughed softly. "Briefs or boxers, Mattie?"

"Huh?" Mattie blushed deep enough to match his auburn hair and Sara felt instantly sorry that she had embarrassed him.

"I'm teasing you Mattie, uhm, maybe Uncle Gil can pick out your undergarments while I find some socks?"

"That would be wise," Grissom's lips twitched in amusement as he watched Sara fumble in her own embarrassment. "We'll meet you in the toothbrush area?"

With a playful roll of her eyes, Sara left them to do their own shopping while she quickly found a pack of socks and pushed the buggy towards another aisle in search of the toothbrushes.

They caught up with her as she puzzled over what kind of toothbrush Mattie would like. _Who would have thought there would be so many choices for kids? _She turned and saw Grissom casually placing a package of boxers in the buggy and smiled. She could imagine Mattie asking Grissom what he wore and going with that when he chose the boxers.

"You want to pick out a toothbrush? I didn't know if you wanted something plain or something more, hmmm, interesting." Sara held up a spiderman toothbrush and saw Grissom's eyes light up. _Now that was interesting_.

"I'll take a plain one," Mattie shrugged and reached out to pluck a blue toothbrush from the shelf. "This is fine with me."

"Grissom?"

Twisting part way around, Grissom said quizzically. "Did you know they make bubblegum toothpaste?"

"It's nasty," Mattie offered with a quirky smile. "I like the peppermint toothpaste."

Arching both brows, Grissom somewhat reluctantly replaced the toothpaste on the shelf and searched for a peppermint flavor. "This one okay?"

"Yeah, but I can use whatever you have at home," Mattie replied. He looked from Grissom to Sara and smiled timidly. Looking at their smiling faces he decided that they were enjoying themselves, but still he didn't want to overstep his welcome with his uncle and Sara by asking for too much stuff.

Reading his expression, Sara tried to reassure him with by reaching out her hand and smoothing his hair from his eyes. "We like buying these things for you, Mattie, and we want you to be comfortable for the next few days."

Realizing that she had revealed so much of herself by referring to _we, _Sara shot a glance in Grissom's direction to gauge his reaction. He was smiling so tenderly at them both she felt her eyes tear up slightly.

"I think that there should be an electronic section in here someplace," Sara said to quickly hide her fluster. "We could pick up one of those gameboys for Mattie so he will have something to do when he's in the hospital or at the lab."

Grissom shrugged and mentioned the subject of books. "Do you like to read?"

Stunned by the idea of getting a gameboy, _finally_, Mattie gulped and shrugged. "I like to read some, but a gameboy? Seriously? Dude! Everyone has them!"

Trying to hide his disappointment, Grissom motioned over to the book section. "I'm going to browse over here while you two check out the games."

After buying the gameboy and several games to go with it, Sara and Mattie met back up with Grissom who had a handful of books and a silly smile on his face. "I decided that you may want something to read when the games get old." He grabbed Sara by the elbow and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "A gameboy?"

Keeping the laughter from her voice, Sara said with mock seriousness. "Dude, every boy has one."

Shaking his head, but not holding back his own amusement, Grissom led them to the front of the store to check out. Turning down Sara's offer to help with the clothes, Grissom pointed at the electronics bag that Mattie held clutched to his chest. "I've got this common stuff," he said as he pulled out a credit card.

Leaning against him, Sara spoke loud enough for only his ears. "You, Gilbert Grissom, are a wonderful uncle."

TBC


	32. Chapter 32

Title: Entreaty

Thank you for reading this story! Thank you Thank you to everyone who commented. I truly appreciate each comment!

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Mattie was wired by the time they reached Grissom's townhome and after being shown where he would sleep, he turned to Sara who was folding his new clothes, and asked her if he could try out his gameboy.

"If you brush your teeth, get ready for bed and your uncle Gil doesn't mind then I think that it would be okay for you to play for thirty minutes before bed." she told him feeling like a parent for the first time in her life. _Did she do the right thing, buying him a gameboy? _She knew that Greg and Nick had gameboys and they were smart men, most of the time. She did not think that it would hurt his mind, even if Grissom did not approve, and he did not approve, that was evident in his actions.

She wondered if he would agree that Mattie could play the gameboy or insist that he read one of the books that he bought. Folding the last t-shirt, she looked around the cluttered room and tried to decide where to place the new clothes. Grissom's spare room was what she would describe as _neatly cluttered_, if there was any such word. He had a spare bed against one wall and a night table with a small lamp on its surface.

The rest of the room looked like anything but a guest room and if Mattie had slowed down for a second when he followed Sara into the room and looked around he would have seen the half dozen terraniums that littered the room. Shivering, Sara knew that there was a range of pets in these containers; spiders to racing cockroaches and hoped that Mattie would not be squeimish about sleeping in the room. Knowing the child for the brief time that she had then she rather doubted he would be upset.

Since there was no dresser in the room and the closet boasted an assortment of boxes, Sara decided to put the clothes in the nightstand drawers and ask Grissom about the closet space later. Moving from the room she wandered back into the den to find Mattie curled up in a chair with the gameboy and Grissom on the sofa preusing the games that she had bought.

Sara thought about reminding Mattie about brushing his teeth and putting on his pajamas, but thought better of it when she took in his absorbed expression. She did not want to take him out of his temporary retreat and bring him back into reality. On top of that, she reminded herself that she was also a guest of Grissom's and this was his nephew, not hers.

Grissom looked up as she slid onto the sofa beside him and he lifted his left arm to wrap it around her shoulders and pull her against her side. "We never did talk about what happened earlier in the hallway, outside Paul Hanson's interrogation room."

"No, we didn't." Sara placed her chin on his shoulder and stared into his eyes. "Are we going to talk about something that happened so long ago? Or are we going to relax and enjoy the fact that you rescued Andy and he is going to be fine."

Aware of the presence of his nephew, Grissom glanced over towards the chair and found that the boy was so wrapped up in the gameboy, headphones on his ears and attention on the small screen, that he could speak freely with Sara and not worry about his overhearing.

"I know that there are going to be reprecussions for us when Conrad realizes that we are together and I don't know if either one of us is prepared for that." Grissom said as he took her left hand and laced the fingers of his own within her solid grip.

Placing a small kiss on his earlobe, Sara breathed out a long held sigh. "There is no reason that we can't keep our relationship private, Gris, and as long as we don't give Ecklie any reason to suspect then we shouldn't have to worry about anything."

"The speculation will be rampant after everything that has happened in the last couple of days," Grissom lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand softly. "I'm not sure if I want to hide our relationship."

Pulling back from his grip, Sara stood rapidly and walked towards the kitchen on shaking legs. Her sudden withdrawal from him was startling and he felt her absence keenly as he pushed himself up off the sofa to follow her into the kitchen.

She was leaning against the counter next to the dishwasher, her arms locked at the elbows and wrapped protectively around her waist, her head turned down so that she was studying the tile.

Grissom paused in front of her, but did not hesitate to place his hands around her hips and lean forward so that his forehead was touching the top of her head. "If you don't want anyone to know about us then we won't let them know. Anything that you want, Sara, you tell me how we play this and I'll do my best."

Doubts about her feelings for him began to play in his mind when she did not look up or respond. A sense of insecurity crept along his thoughts and he removed his hands from her hips only to find her hands wrap around the collar of his shirt and pull him forward until their lips were touching. Opening her mouth she permitted his tongue to enter inside and soon found the kiss deepen as his hands slid beneath her shirt and she felt his thumb circling around on her abdomen. Sudden clarity fought through the fog in her mind and she gently pushed him away.

"Mattie," she breathed quickly in explanation. Grissom dropped his hand in embarrassment and looked quickly over at the chair where Mattie had been sitting. The chair was empty and there was no sign of the boy.

"Shit," Grissom ran a hand through his hair and looked back into Sara's eyes with a questioning look of his on. "I'm not used to having company and definitely not used to having a child here."

"I know, Gris," Sara smoothed her shirt down as she led the way towards the guest room. She hoped that Mattie had not witnessed too much of their passion, but did not know how he could have missed the scene playing out in the kitchen, only a few feet away from him.

They found Mattie inspecting one of the terraniums, a delighted expression playing over his face as he bent down until he was eye level with a lizard. Hearing the door open, he tore his eyes away to greet them with a wide smile.

"This is so cool. I don't know how I missed them earlier," Mattie pointed at the lizard and grinned. "What's this one called?"

Relief, surprise, and humor swept over both Grissom and Sara simultaneously as they hovered in the doorway. "I think that you can field his questions, Gris, so I'm going to take a shower and brush my teeth." Sara smiled at Mattie before slipping from the room.

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Sara was drifting off to sleep when she heard Grissom enter the room. A few minutes later he slipped into bed beside her and scooted beneath the sheets until their faces were inches apart as he wrapped his left hand on her hip and propped his right hand beneath his head.

"Why are you wearing jogging pants?" Grissom asked with sudden realization. Pulling the sheet down, he inspected her body and found that she wore a oversized pair of his jogging pants and one of his t-shirts.

"Mattie is in the next room so I didn't think we should put temptation in our path," she replied while trying to keep her eyes from sweeping over his own bare form. "You should put some jogging pants on yourself, or then again, maybe I should sleep on the sofa tonight." Sara sat up and swung her feet off the bed when she felt her body pulled roughly back onto the bed as Grissom rolled her beneath him and positioned his forearms on either side of her body.

"The door is closed. Mattie is already fast asleep. These walls are sound proof." He kissed the corner of her mouth and _hoped_ the walls were sound proof. He knew that they were thick. "We can make love without screams and other loud noises, can't we?" His tongue trailed along her jaw from one side to the other as his one hand found the opening beneath her shirt and began to trail along the edge of the much too big jogging pants.

"I'm not sure that I can make love with you _without_ making loud noises, Gris." Sara sputtered between pants as she felt his hand tease beneath the edge of the band and tug it lower on her abdomen. "I'll try though." Without another word she wiggled her hips until the jogging pants were sliding down her legs and Grissom was pulling them off with one hand while his tongue continued to trail a path along her jaw to her neck and then to her right shoulder.

Within seconds she was divested of her clothes, _his clothes_, Grissom thought with a chuckle. His motions slowed down once they were lying skin to skin and he gazed into her eyes. "I love you, Sara."

She felt her heart leap wildly inside her chest and her eyes widened. Those were words that she had dreamed he would say to her and yet never expected to hear, at least not this soon. She should respond. She should but he was kissing her again, taking her response away from her and ingesting it with his lips and his tongue. He nipped at the base of her neck and kissed the spot before moving lower towards her right breast where he paused when he heard Sara's soft plea.

"I want you now, Gris, no more foreplay," Sara breathed out in a rush as she wrapped her long legs around his body and ran her hands over his spine. "I want you inside me. Now."

Grissom placed both forearms on either side of her face to support his weight as he made her look up at him and into his eyes as he entered inside of her and they became one. Sensations enveloped them, washing over each of them in pulses as Grissom met her cries in his throat and they tried to contain their passion within the confines of the bedroom.

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Sometime later Grissom lay sprawled on the bed, slumber overtaking him, one arm flung over Sara's stomach and the other beneath the pillow they both rested their heads upon. Sara stared up at the ceiling, languid and relaxed and yet strangely unable to sleep. Grissom had told her that he loved her and she had not returned the sentiment. Not with words. She did love him and had built her world around him since she arrived in Vegas at his bequest. She adored him. Why had the words stuck in her throat?

With sleep elusive, she decided to check in on Mattie. Disengaging herself from his arm without him waking was not easy, but she managed to accomplish it and was soon pulling Grissom's t-shirt back on she made her way down the hallway until she reached the guest room.

Mattie was mumbling in his sleep and Sara had to step up close to the bed to decipher what nightmare was disturbing his restless sleep, although it was not hard to hazzard a guess.

"Don't leave, daddy. Don't leave," Mattie was mumbling over and over again as Sara eased herself onto the edge of his bed and reached out to push the hair on his forehead back. A lump formed in her throat as she watched the little boy's torment.

"It's going to be okay, Mattie, everything will be okay." Sara felt like a heel even as she repeated these words and smoothed his auburn locks away from his eyes. Who was she to tell this kid that everything would be fine when his dad was gone, his brother was in a coma, and his mom was oblivious to his presence.

She paused as his eyes fluttered open and his gaze bore into hers in the half lit room. "Sara? What's wrong? Andy?"

"Andy's fine, Mattie. You were having a bad dream. Would you like to talk about your dad?" she asked. She was not sure if the timing was right, but she felt he needed to get this off his chest.

"I miss my dad," Mattie whispered. "He used to sing me to sleep at night when I was little and even when I got older he would sing me back to sleep if I had a bad dream."

"Really? What songs did he sing to you?"

"Many different ones," Mattie rattled off a variety of songs, some Sara recognized and some she had no clue. "Sara?"

"Yeah, Mattie?" _Please don't let him ask me to sing_.

"Do you have my dad's watch?"

Relieved that her singing abilities would not be called into play, Sara nodded. "I do have it. Hold on one minute and I'll get it for you." The watch had been cleared from evidence along with Kyle's wallet, which Grissom had given to Tom, and Sara had requested the watch with the intention of giving it to Mattie when the opportunity arrived. Apparently the opportunity had arrived.

Returning to the room with Kyles watch, Mattie's own identical watch and also Andy's watch which they had collected from the hospital, Sara presented the items to the child with a soft smile.

"Andy doesn't have his on," Mattie said sadly. He took the watches in both hands and stared at them with a frown. "I need to take his watch to him, Sara."

"Tommorrow," she replied. "We will try to get you in to see him tommorrow and you can take him his watch."

Mattie smiled and yawned simultaneously. "Sara?"

"Hmmm?"

"Will you sing me a song?"

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When she was certain that Mattie was sound asleep, she tucked the blanket around his shoulders and eased her long frame off the bed before turning towards the door where she came face to face with a bemused Grissom who was leaning against the doorframe.

"Don't say a word," Sara said as she pushed him gently back from the doorway and into the hall. She noticed that he had pulled on the jogging pants that she had discarded earlier and looked so sexy standing there, smirking.

"You have a beautiful voice, Miss Sidle, will you sing me to sleep now?"

"Shut up," she laughed softly and looked at him from the corner of her eyes as she made her way back towards his bedroom. "If you are lucky then maybe I can hum you back to sleep."

The words lit another flame of desire as he followed her into his room, and he could not help but tease. "I don't think that humming would lull me into slumber."

"We will have to test your theory," she replied as she reached for the rim of his jogging pants.

TBC


	33. Chapter 33

Entreaty

By: Manigault

Thanks to everyone for reading this story! Thank you so much to everyone who has hit that button on the bottom and commented!

This is the last chapter with exception of the epilogue. It's been a long road finishing this one out. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Comments welcome if you enjoyed the ride!

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Mattie was dressed and playing his gameboy when Sara walked into the den the next morning.

"Good morning, Mattie." said Sara. When he did not respond, she walked over and gently lifted the earphones. "Good morning, Mattie," she repeated with a soft laugh.

Smiling shyly up at her, Mattie pulled off the earphones and shut the game off with a shrug. "Morning, Sara. Is it okay that I'm playing my gameboy?"

"How long have you been awake?" Sara quizzed before making a decision. She did not want the gameboy to become an obsession with Mattie.

Mattie looked at one of the three watches he wore on his left arm and shrugged. "An hour?"

"I see," Sara felt her eyes water at the sight of him wearing the watches along his arm, but she felt she should be firm when it came to the time he played the gameboy. "And, have you been playing it since you got up?"

Nodding, Mattie scratched his head. "Too much?"

"Nah, but what if you help me with breakfast?" Sara walked into the kitchen and began opening cabinets to decipher what exactly Grissom had in the way of breakfast items. "You have any preferences?" She asked Mattie when he walked into the kitchen.

"Hmmmm, waffles?" suggested Mattie.

Sara opened a lower cabinet and found a box with an unopened waffle maker sitting on the lower shelf. Smiling, she remembered a few years back when the lab had bought Grissom the waffle maker as a welcome back gift when he returned from his leave of absence. She'd wondered if he had ever used it and was amused to find that he had not.

"This will be perfect," Sara took the waffle maker out of the box and reached into another cabinet for a bowl. "Have you ever made waffles?"

"Nope," replied Mattie with a curious look at the waffle contraption. "The waffle maker we have is square and flat. This one is different."

"This one is much cooler," Sara responded.

They spent the next thirty minutes mixing batter and making a large stack of waffles. Spreading an assortment of toppings on the counter, Sara stepped back to appreciate their efforts when a soft growl greeted her from the den.

"Someone has been experimenting with my waffle maker," Grissom teased.

"Well, someone has neglected said waffle maker for too many years," Sara teased back. She was pleased when he leaned in to press a light kiss on her lips.

"Child present!" exlaimed Mattie. He was grinning as he sprinkled powdered sugar over his own small stack of waffles. Walking past Grissom to the breakfast bar, he tilted his head in Sara's direction. "I knew that she was your girlfriend."

"Smarty," responded Grissom. He was relaxed and happier than he had been in years and the friendly banter with Mattie added something that he had not even known was missing. "Which stack of waffles belongs to me?" Grissom eyed the tower of waffles that Sara handed him with a skeptical eye. "All of these are mine?"

"We accidently doubled the recipe," Sara admitted with a slight blush. "We can freeze what we don't eat."

His smirk escaped as he took the plate of waffles and removed four of them and placed them on Sara's plate. "I dare you to eat all of these."

"If you want to hold back my hair while I barf in the bathroom, then sure thing."

Grissom stared at her for several seconds before removing the waffles and placing them on a separate plate. "We'll freeze those. I'm sure they will taste just fine thawed out whenever we decide to have waffles again." He mumbled something beneath his breath as he reached for the butter and began to pour the melted substance over his waffles.

Pulling the bowl of freshly cut strawberries over to her own plate, Sara paused and held the fork towards him in a playful manner. "What did you say?"

Reaching for the maple syrup, Grissom grinned over his shoulder and shrugged. "I said we can have the left overs, someday."

"After that," Sara waved the fork at him. "What did you say after that?"

Licking some of the syrup off his finger, Grissom tried to hold back his laughter. "I said that we have enough waffles for the rest of the year."

Mattie laughed along with Sara as the latter joined him at the breakfast bar and watched as Grissom eyed the assortment of toppings that were set out.

"You aren't going to eat all of that at once are you, Griss?" Sara watched him pile strawberries, blueberries, powdered sugar, and whipped topping on the waffles before picking up a fork and walking around the kitchen to the breakfast bar.

"Watch me."

"You may be the one in the barfing," Mattie giggled through a mouthful of waffle.

"Hmph," Grissom took a swallow of his coffee and cast a look over towards the boy, amusement curling the edge of his lips.

Breakfast continued with easy banter that soon led to the task of getting ready to go to the hospital. The mood shifted as the time arrived for them to leave and Sara watched Mattie withdraw inside his shell as he packed the books Grissom bought for him and then the gameboy and some games inside a bag.

Putting the last plate into the dishwasher, Sara went in search of Grissom and found him wearing faded blue jeans and buttoning up a light blue shirt. Hesitating in the doorway, she felt uneasiness around him for the first time in days and for the first time wondered if she was overstepping her bounds by walking unannounced into his bedroom.

She was about to step back when he spoke. "Come on in, Sara, I don't have anything in here that you haven't seen."

"That's so romantic, Gris," said Sara. She entered the bedroom and walked slowly in his direction, until she was standing in front of him. Reaching up she buttoned the top button and let her gaze travel up until they met his twinkling blue eyes.

"Mattie is ready to go?" asked Grissom.

The sadness she had felt seconds earlier returned. "He is resigned."

Grissom rubbed his thumb over her chin and forced a smile. "Mattie is tough. We will try to get him in to see Andy today and then maybe it will take away some of his fear, if only for a little while."

Bringing her hand up to wrap around his hand, Sara nodded. "Let's go see Andy."

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The hospital waiting room was filled with strangers. Grissom looked around the room, his eyes settling on the familiar faces of Nan and Tom who were seated in two corner chairs and appeared as if they had never left the hospital.

Mattie spotted them and weaved his way around the strangers until he stood in front of Nan where he leaned forward and gave her a big hug.

"Good news," Nan told him with a smile. "Andy is awake. He woke up about an hour ago and is talking to a nice man, Captain Brass."

"That's wonderful!" Sara smiled as she and Grissom approached. "Does he remember anything about what happened to him?"

"He remembers everything, apparently," Tom said with a shake of his head. "He is in an incredible amount of emotional pain right now and wanted to talk to someone about what happened to his dad, and also to himself. He asked for only Elaine to stay with him while he spoke with Brass and I have no idea what he is telling them."

Grissom was as curious as Tom about what Andy had to say and why he did not wish for his uncle to be present, but he was glad that if anyone was doing the interviewing, it was Jim.

It was over an hour before Brass walked into the waiting room and motioned for Grissom who was quick to share a look with Sara and tilt his head for her to follow him out of the room and over to where Brass was now leaning against the nurses desk. Tom trailed along behind Sara, determined to know what Brass had to tell them concerning Andy.

"That's one torn up kid," Brass began as they stopped in front of him. "He is going to need counseling for years to come by the looks of it and by the story he told me." He explained to them how Andy was trying to get Olivia away from the drugs and bad influence of her boyfriend and in the process dug himself in so deep he did not know how to get out without seeking help from his dad. Kyle phoned his uncle Tom who was not able to help at that time and at this point, Brass sent Tom an apologetic look, he was rather pissed off with his Uncle Tom.

"The camping trip was a planned trip and it was one that Olivia knew about and one that she had convinced him to leave Mattie out of which he thought was strange at the time, but made perfect sense to him later on." Brass preceded to tell them.

"He received a note about meeting someone on Branson road at 7pm," said Sara with a questioning look at Brass.

"The note was sent the day they were leaving and he didn't think too much about it at the time. He decided it was a prank and didn't even mention it to his dad." Brass kept his voice low as he noted the curious glances the nurses were sending their direction. "Andy and his dad camped out like they planned. They had a nice two days with heart to heart talks and bonding and stuff," Brass looked away as the memory of Andy's tearful recounting popped into his mind. "They were packing up to leave when they saw dust in the distance and then saw an SUV approaching. They also heard a sound in the sky and saw a small Cessna. Everything happened so fast after that, his memory is blurry with the details. He knows that his dad pushed him to the ground and told him to try to get in the car and get out of there quickly. He didn't see his dad get shot, but knew much later that the blood on his shirt was not all of his own."

"Andy never got in the car to try to leave." Grissom stated. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked over at Sara who gave him a reassuring smile.

"He didn't want to leave his dad but by the time he turned to see why his dad wasn't following him to the car the other SUV pulled up and Olivia and Quinn stepped out and told him that they were taking him someplace safe and away from his dad. He protested, but one of them hit him on the back of the head and the next thing he knew he was in the back of their SUV, his hands and feet tied."

"So, Olivia and Quinn knew that Kyle was shot and they left him there? Andy doesn't know if they buried him in the desert before they left?" asked Tom. He tried to fit the pieces together, but it was not making sense.

"He doesn't know what happened to his dad after they knocked him out. When he woke up he was in the back of their car and they were arguing about the whole situation. He says that Olivia was crying and hysterical. Quinn, who was driving, told her to phone an ambulance and have them go check on Kyle. Instead, Olivia phoned Paul who told her to take Andy to the abandoned house where we eventually found him. Paul and Connor showed up soon after they arrived at the house and they told Quinn to shut up about Kyle. They would take care of him. They took Andy to the attic and left him there with only a bottle of water that Olivia managed to sneak in and leave beside him, without Paul's seeing."

Brass was sad as he thought of the nightmare Andy had endured. "The doctor said that if he didn't have that bottle of water then he would not have survived."

"How nice of her," Tom replied, the sarcasam dripping from his voice. "If she had phoned the police then he wouldn't have to be in the hospital at all."

"Those kids are in heaps of trouble," Brass assured him. "Apparently it was Paul and Connor that went back out to the desert and buried Kyle. I had to break the news to him about his dad and he didn't take it well, as you can imagine."

"I want to see him," Mattie said with a small voice.

Spinning around, Tom spotted the little boy and his frantic grandmother standing just behind him. "I tried to keep him in the waiting room with me, but he gave me the slip." Nan apologized, her eyes moist with the news they had overheard.

"I'm afraid that he is sleeping again and according to the doctor, he needs to sleep as much as possible to fully recover." Brass gave the disappointed boy a gentle smile. "I tell you what, Mattie, when he wakes up then I'll make sure that the nurses let you in to see him."

They spent the next few hours drinking coffee, reading the paper, exchanging small talk and taking turns trying to get Mattie to engage in conversation or pull his head up out of the gameboy that he was completely engrossed in. Elaine never left Andy's side to check in on Mattie and they had not seen Tom since he stormed off after Brass had filled them in on Andy's side of events.

Alex and Claire had arrived and were deep in conversation with Nan, when Tom reappeared. He lifted the headphones on Matties ears and said softly.

"The doctor said that you can see Andy now, Mattie. He's awake and wants to see you." Mattie pulled off the earphones and jumped up with eagerness. "Did you see him Uncle Tom?"

"No, I spoke with his doctor a few seconds ago in the corridor and he told me that it was okay for you to see him for fifteen minutes. You ready?"

Mattie touched his arm that held the wrist watches and gave a small nod. With one last look at Grissom and then Sara, he followed Tom from the waiting room and into the ICU where Andy was waiting.

"You want to take a walk?" Sara asked Grissom. "We could get some fresh air and maybe something to snack on."

"I'm still feeling the affect of those waffles, but I could use some more coffee, something not so strong," he shot a mock glare at the waiting room coffee pot that earned a chuckle from Sara.

"It does remind me of our usual stuff in the breakroom."

They excused themselves from Alex, Claire and Nan and found themselves with a mocha latte, sweet bun and fresh air as they stepped out onto a patio.

"Jim appears to believe Andy's side of what happened to him and also thinks that he's going to have a long road to recovery." Sara pondered this information as they shared the honey bun and sipped on the latte. "At least he has a good support system," she added as they stared at the distant mountains and Grissom remained silent. "What are you thinking about, Gris?"

"I'm wondering why Elaine hasn't bothered to check on Mattie," he said at last. "That kid has been through so much already and he needs her to comfort him."

Sara pressed her shoulder into his and looked over at him, the troubled expression doing odd things to her own emotions. "Elaine is in shock. Maybe now that Andy has woken up and is on the road to recovery she will come into her right frame of mind and realize that Mattie needs her as well."

"Or maybe she will spend all of her time and energy on Andy and neglect Mattie," Grissom mused.

"Where is this coming from, Gris? You almost sound like you want to keep Mattie with you, here in Vegas," she said the last with a light note that turned serious when he refrained from denying her statement.

"Grissom? You can't be seriously considering keeping him here in Vegas."

"Why not? At least for the summer or until he starts school and Andy has had some time to recover, and also Elaine."

An internal struggle was taking place in his mind as he spoke the words aloud and he wondered what Sara would think about his statement. Their relationship was new and he did not know if she would stand for bringing a child into the middle of their lives, shaking it up for not a few days but a few months.

"I'm not sure that Elaine would let him stay or if he would want to stay for that matter," added Grissom as he shook his head. "He will probably want to be home with Andy, so it's all a mute suggestion."

Sara rubbed a hand over his thigh and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "You are the kindest, most wonderful man I've ever known, Gil Grissom. I love that you want to keep Mattie here with you for the summer and I think that it would be a well accepted suggestion, at least to Elaine." She was not so sure if Mattie would want to stay away from Andy that long, but she suspected that he would want to at least visit occasionally. "You know that he'll want to spend some time with Andy, but you could always leave an open invitation to him."

"You would be okay with that?" asked Grissom. He thought about the bond that Sara had formed with Mattie and suddenly knew in his gut that she would be okay with whatever decision was made concerning Mattie.

"Of course," she ran a finger along his jaw and over his lips. "I hope that you include me in taking care of him if he stays with you at all and if he wants me around."

"I know that I want you around," Grissom replied with a soft smile. He captured her finger in his lips and sucked on the tip lightly. "I hope that I can make you that breakfast that I promised soon."

"I expect many of those breakfasts, Gris, and dinners and lunches," Sara pulled her finger away and moved closer to him so that her lips were touching his and they were soon engrossed in a duel of tongues.

Breaking away after several long minutes, Sara suggested that they return to the waiting room and see how Mattie was doing after visiting Andy. Taking her hand in his own, Grissom led the way back to the waiting room, his life now complete.

The End.

Epilogue will follow soon.


	34. Chapter 34

Entreaty

Thanks for the comments and also to those who stayed with this story for the whole ride! I thought that I would go ahead and post the epilogue...it's all fluff.

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Epilogue

The sweet smell of chocolate chip cookies wafted through the townhome and into the bedroom where Grissom was pulling on a LVPD t-shirt. Following the smell he found his way into the kitchen where the sight before him made him stop in his tracks and amusement turn up the corners of his lips.

Sara was covered in flour, head to toe, and she was waving a spoon towards a giggling Mattie who was equally covered in flour and jumping up and down in excitement. White powder covered the counters, the floor, and the utensils. A complete mess. Grissom grinned at the sight and backed up quickly, not wanting to get involved in the middle of the flour war that had exploded in his kitchen.

Standing a safe distance away, he cleared his throat and held the palms of his hands up in self defense. "I simply would like a cookie, without the flour drama."

"They aren't ready yet," Mattie offered as he bent to peek into the oven. "Another five minutes?"

With a grunt, Sara wiggled her eyebrows. "You sure you don't want to play, Griss?" She held out the spoon filled with batter and gave him that wide smile that never failed to send a shiver down his spine.

"As tempting as that sounds, I don't think so," he said with a mock frown at the mess. "You two should have fun cleaning up my kitchen though," he let his eyes run up and down Sara's white powdered body. "and yourselves in the process."

Backing further into the living room, he picked up his newspaper and settled on the sofa while picking up the remote control.

"That's too bad, Griss, because these cookies are going to be delicious and if you don't contribute you don't get any."

Grissom lowered the newspaper and peered over the edge of it towards Sara who was back to placing more dough on a cookie sheet after delivering her light hearted warning.

"You won't give me any of those cookies unless I join your flour war? You can't hold the cookies hostage from me." Grissom folded his newspaper and placed it on the table in front of him before standing up and venturing slightly closer to the pair.

"When I go back to my apartment I may take the cookies with me," Sara teased. "At least the ones that Mattie and I don't eat or take to the lab."

"I wonder if you remember how to get to your apartment," smirked Grissom. "You have spent the past month here with me and Mattie so I'm not so certain of that threat. The lab, however, would be a good place to take the leftovers since it appears that you have succeeded in making more than double the recipe." He stared at the bowl of cookie dough and added with an arched brow, "make that tripled the recipe."

The timer on the oven alerted them that the first batch of cookies was ready, interrupting their conversation, and causing Grissom to step a few feet closer to the kitchen as Sara pulled on an oven mitt and then bent over the oven, pulling out the tray of cookies.

"I'll help clean up this mess if you give me one of those cookies. Only one."

"I don't think that you could stop with one," teased Sara as she placed another tray of cookies in the oven and turned on the timer. "You have never tasted my recipe."

"That sounds like a challenge," Grissom stepped further into the kitchen and eyed the tray of cookies. It was humurous to himself that he was making such a big deal out of cookies, something that had never been a temptation to him in the past. Over the past few months many things had changed in his life and it was as though a tremenduous weight had been lifted and vanished from his shoulders opening up his life and mind to a new realm of lightness.

Grissom looked at Mattie who had his arms pressed on the counter next to the oven, his nose sniffing the air at the sweet aroma. Sara was watching him as he looked at his nephew and when he moved his eyes to hers they exchanged a silent communication. Mattie had been with him for the past month because life for him in Caliente had been similar to what Grissom feared. He had phoned Grissom one day, five weeks after returning home with his mom and Andy, and pleaded with Grissom to come get him.

Elaine had been willing to let him go for the remainder of the summer with something Grissom had deemed as relief. Andy, who was slowly recovering, was taking all of her energy, leaving little for the attention that Mattie deserved. Tom had taken a leave of absence from the FBI and moved back to Calienta to be there for his family and, for awhile, it had been enough for Mattie but he too was expending most of his energy and attention with Andy. Tom and Andy had moved back into a comfortable relationship after many angry words and tears of remorse. With his help Andy was on the mend.

Grissom had driven to Calienta and picked Mattie up without much fanfare and the two had returned to his townhome with Mattie immediately asking about Sara and requesting that she have dinner with them. It had been so easy, their slide into this comfort zone. Him. Sara. Mattie. Grissom had taken a leave of absence from work in order to spend the time with Mattie and simultaneously begin working on the forensic entomology textbook that he had been gathering research on for years.

Within days they had established a routine that had felt so right to both Grissom and Sara and now they stood in his kitchen, chocolate chip cookies in front of him and a simple challenge in the air.

"Oh, I can eat just one. Try me," he winked at Mattie who had turned to watch their light banter.

Taking one of the now cooling cookies he bit into it and savored the look on Sara's face more than the taste of the cookie.

"Perfect," he said at last.

"You would like another one?" asked Sara with a teasing smile.

"No."

A puzzled expression raced over Sara's face before she said with uncertainty, "Okay."

Wrapping his arms around her waist and caring less if the flour transferred to his own clothes, Grissom kissed the tip of her nose and said softly. "I want them all."

The End

If the mushiness didn't sicken you, then please let me know if you liked the story? Thank you!


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