A/N – So this is it folks. The final chapter in this story. I hope that you are all happy with how it has been concluded and that all tied ends and tethered securely. My biggest critic during all this has been my little sister, who deemed the whole Sara/Grissom thing as pathetic. I am always interested in what people think, so please tell me. Thank you for reading and I hope to bring you another story soon.
Chapter Six - Safety's Just Danger out Of Place
The day of Zachary James' hearing came too soon for Sara, whose nightmares of what had happened had yet to cease. She felt stronger though when the rest of the team offered to go with her. Even Brass was there offering silent support. Sara had to sit down just before they entered the courtroom where the hearing was to take place, her body reacting violently to the idea of seeing his face again. Catherine followed her into the ladies' room and held her hair back as she emptied her stomach of what little breakfast she had.
"You okay? Feel any better?"
Catherine fluttered anxiously at her side, pressing a cold wet cloth into Sara's hands. Sara wiped down her face and took some deep breaths before she answered.
"Just as long as you don't leave me alone, I think I'll be okay."
Catherine kept an arm around her shoulders as they headed back to the courtroom, and surrounded by her team, Sara entered feeling a little stronger then she had before.
"Please rise for Judge Susan Remington."
Sara stood, as did the rest of the courtroom, and waited while the judge, black robes flowing behind her, took her seat.
"Please be seated," the judge started. "Now, as I understand it, this man is not to face a jury of his peers. Would someone please explain this too me? Keep in mind that I have read the file on what he did to Miss Sara Sidle and Mrs Jane Dionna."
Sara watched as a tall well-dressed man stood, giving her a clear view of the man that had kept her locked up for three weeks. He was wearing a suit, and even though his hair had been cut and washed, he still looked somewhat dishevelled. Sara gripped Catherine's hand harder as memories washed over her and his smell come back full force, assaulting her nostrils.
"Dylan Summer, for the defence, your Honour. My client was on an experimental drug that prohibited him from thinking clearly, and made him act irrationally."
The Judge looked at Dylan Summer with complete disdain from over the top of her glasses.
"According to the reports I have in front of me, he paid a doctor to give him the drugs. For it to happen once was a mistake, but the fact that he was released from prison after kidnapping and sexually assaulting his wife, and demanded to go on the drug again, this is not a mistake. Explain to me, Mr Summer, as to why your client did this."
Dylan Summer shifted slightly under the judge's glare.
"He was in pain, your Honour. And this was the only drug that helped him with it."
The judge looked at the papers in front of her again.
"Did he remember anything he did? To either Miss Sidle or Mrs Dionna?"
The laywer nodded and opened his mouth to comment but the judge silenced him with a raised hand.
Judge Remington shook her head, and turned her attention to the other lawyer sitting across from her.
"And what do you need to say Mr Hill? Anything as stupid as I just heard?"
The younger man shook his head, smiling slightly.
"No, your Honour. I just wanted to say that this man has offended two women, and letting him go free would surely mean that another woman has to have her life damaged beyond repair just because he wanted to get rid of his pain. I ask that you take this to the full extent that the law will allow."
The judge nodded and dismissed the young man, allowing him to sit again.
"The court is dismissed for an hour. We will meet again at 11:00am."
She banged her gavel and in another billow of black robes she was gone. Sara sat still as the courtroom emptied, until it was just her and her team sitting silently, her hand still gripping Catherine's tightly.
"You still breathing, Sara?"
Nick's light comment made Sara smile slightly, as she nodded.
"Yeah, just. I need a coffee."
The rest of the team followed her as she led the way towards the courthouse coffee stand, where they all ordered, then went to sit in the hot Nevada sun.
Sara found herself sitting next to Grissom, and for the first time in weeks, not caring. She leaned on him slightly, allowing her head to fall on his shoulder, just needing someone to lean on, needing to feel the safeness that being near him invoked.
"Are you okay?"
Sara shook her head against his shoulder, taking a small sip of her coffee. She noticed how the rest of the team had conveniently dispersed to other ends of the quad. Talk about obvious.
"I need you to tell me it will be okay, Grissom. I need to know that I can get through this."
She felt Grissom shift slightly, his breath now tickling her bare neck and ear.
"You are one of the strongest people I have ever met, Sara. If you can't get through this then no one can. It will all be fine."
Sara smiled a little, feeling a little flushed by the compliment, as she turned her eyes back on his, which were solemn. She settled herself back on his shoulder.
"Promise?"
She felt Grissom nod.
"I promise. Trust me, it will be fine."
Sara allowed herself to close her eyes, and felt her body relax and lean more on Grissom, who shifted his body weight to accommodate her.
"I'm sorry for what I have done, Sara," came a new voice, slick in nonchalance. "Can you ever forgive me?"
Her heart clenched in panic as the horribly familiar voice came washing over her. She felt Grissom stiffen and when she finally managed to gather the courage to open her eyes, Zachary James stood before her.
This is just a horrible dream, I must have fallen sleep. Yeah that's it. This is not happening.
Grissom stood so suddenly that Sara almost toppled right over, his fists clenched and his eyes flashing dangerously. Zachary James stood before him, coolly confident, not one trace of regret on his face, his smile easy and calm.
Grissom lashed out quickly, his fist connecting with Zachary's jaw, wiping the smile off of his face. Blood pulled on the ground near Sara's feet, making a small neat circle. Grissom lashed again, this time connecting with the man's stomach, knocking the air out of him with a steady whoosh.
It was then that the team reacted, Nick, Brass, Warrick and Greg pulling Grissom away from the man before he pounded him again. It took all four of them to pull off the furious Grissom, who strained against their strength like an enraged bull. Zachary stood, smiled slightly at Sara, and moved away, his stride less confident and a little jolted. Sara continued to sit, feeling dazed and confused. Grissom just beat up a suspect. Grissom, of all people. Mr Straight-and-Narrow, just beat up a suspect right outside the courthouse.
"Are you alright, Sara?"
Grissom was at her side again, the others feeling that it was safe to let him go now that Zachary was out of sight. Sara glanced at his right hand, which had a nice set of bloody knuckles, and then back at him, her eyes wide.
"You know you just hit a suspect, right?"
Grissom winced slightly as he opened and closed his hand, testing to see how much damage was done.
"Yeah, I know. I lost it. He just stood there, and he was so smug. I'm sorry - I never should have let my temper get the better of me."
Sara continued to stare at him.
"I would never have expected you to do that. Nick and Warrick, yeah, Greg maybe, or even Catherine, but not you. Why did you do that?"
Grissom shrugged, his hand forgotten.
"After what he did to you, he just came and stood smugly before you asking your forgiveness. It would have been fine if he actually meant it, but he didn't. I just snapped."
Sara nodded, and removed a tissue from her handbag, making it damp with a little bottle of water she had in there. She took Grissom's hand in hers and proceeded to gently wipe away the blood, taking care to not hurt him. It was then that the judge's guard came to tell them they had five minutes until court was back in session. Sara finished cleaning up Grissom's hand but kept it clasped loosely in her own, her coffee long forgotten. The electricity that she had always shared with him zipped up her arm making her mind swim and her body tingle all the way down to her toes.
"We should head back to the courtroom. Come on."
Grissom gently pulled Sara up behind him, his hand tightening around hers. The team moved quietly back to the room, Sara for the first time noting how dishevelled the boys looked, thanks to the scuffle outside. Within minutes, Zachary was back in the courtroom, his mouth now cleaned, a spot or two of blood on his blue tie. They stood as Judge Remington took her seat again at the front of the courtroom.
"Please be seated. I have read over the files from top to bottom and I still do not understand why this man is not going to go in front of his peers for what he has done. Instead it has fallen on my shoulders to be the judge, jury and executioner, and I'm afraid, Mr James, that you will not like my decision. You not only indecently assaulted one of the women but you shot the other. You docked weeks off of their lives, weeks which they can never get back. So in light of the evidence, you are sentenced to 12 years in a national prison, and then on parole for another six when you leave the institution. I also demand that you take counselling, and other management classes. You are welcome to appeal, Mr Summer, but I doubt that any one of my peers will disagree with my decision. Court dismissed."
Sara felt the first proper smile in weeks creep up on her, and it grew bigger when she saw how quickly Zachary's face fell as the punishment was handed down, his confidence falling away entirely. She felt everybody hug her and murmur their congratulations, and she stayed there until it was just her and Grissom left in the courtroom, his hand still clasped in hers.
"I told you that you could do it. How do you feel?"
Sara felt tears start making tracks down her cheeks, as she broke down. It's finally over. She could move on with her life without this black cloud hanging over her.
Grissom let go of her hand and put his arm around her, letting her cry into his shoulder. After a while, the heaving sobs had finally reduced to small hiccups, Grissom's calm and steady presence making her feel better.
"Sorry. It's a relief that this is done. Finally I can move on from this."
Grissom nodded his head, wiping a wayward tear with the pad of his thumb.
"You don't need to be sorry. I'm just glad you are ok. You ready to go home?"
Sara shook her head, and nuzzled a little closer to Grissom.
"Nope. I just want to sit with you a little while. Is that alright with you?"
Grissom squeezed Sara's shoulder, resting his cheek on her soft hair.
"I could think of nothing I would rather do."
Life is good. Sara sighed happily as she held onto Grissom's hand. They were thrown side to side as the roller coaster took another stomach-churning bend. Her hair flew in her face as the ride swung them upside down, and she allowed herself to scream and squeal, her grip on Grissom's hand tightening as the bends became closer and closer together. The thrill was over too soon for Sara's liking, and as they hopped off the ride, Sara dragged him to the end of the queue of people waiting, and grinned at him.
"So going again. That was great - I can see why you ride them so much."
Grissom watched as Sara's happiness overtook her whole face, signalled with a wide grin, her dimple deeper than he had ever seen it before. Her hair was completely mussed, strands thrown one way or the other, her cheeks flushed, and she had never looked sexier to him.
He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. Her mouth was firm and warm. After a moment of surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair lightly. People went around them as the queue moved forward, deciding not to interrupt the happy couple. Not that Sara and Grissom noticed the movement or noise around them - they were lost in their own world, locked in each other's arms. After what seemed like mere seconds, they broke apart, and laughed when the saw how they had somehow came to the end of the line of people.
"I guess they moved around us."
Sara ran a hand through her hair, trying to fix it and put it into some sort of order, fully aware of this being the turning point in her and Grissom's relationship. Grissom took her hands in his and laid another soft kiss on her flushed lips, his forehead coming to rest on her own, his voice low and soft.
"No more games. All or nothing. You brave enough?"
Sara moved her head away from his and kissed his forehead, breathing in his scent, keeping her voice low and as soft as Grissom's.
"Someone once told me that I was one of the strongest people they knew. So, yeah, I think I can handle you. What about you? Think you can handle me?"
Grissom nodded, his hand coming to brush a strand of hair off her face.
"It would be my pleasure. I wanted to tell you something."
He pulled her closer so that her ear was level with his mouth, and as he spoke his lips tickled her earlobe.
"I think I'm in love with you. You running yet?"
Sara pulled away slightly and smiled at him. His blue eyes were serious, and he was holding her like he would never let go, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
"Why would I run away from the only man who gets me? The only man I know who lets me yell in his face, insult him, and worry him silly? The only man I know who would not give up on me? The only person I know who would come over to my house at some unholy hour to read me to sleep? You're not going to shake me that easily Mister. Get used to having me around, because I'm not going anywhere."
Sara pulled him to her again and hugged him tightly, enjoying the feeling of having him in her arms. After a few moments, Grissom pulled away slightly, brushing some strands of hair away from her face.
"So shall we go for another ride then?"
He nodded his head towards the roller coaster that was now spinning more screaming people around in circles and loops. Sara shook her head, putting her face close to Grissom's.
"Nope, I can think of something that's even more fun then that."
And with that, she pressed her lips and her body against Grissom's, making him forget the ride and the world around him.
FIN
Song: Safety is just danger out of place – Harry Connick Jr.