A/N: Alright my chickens, I am afraid I have to end this here. And I do apologize profusely for the wait. I had some serious writers block! Thanks endlessly for your patience.

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Grissom opened the passenger side door slowly to avoid waking the sleeping Sara who was slumped forward in her seat, her chin reaching on her chest. Reaching around her he unbuckled her seatbelt and lifted her limp body against his, cradling her to him.

"Mmm, Gil?" He eyes remained closed as she wrapped slugging clumsy arms around his neck, her cast connecting painfully with his ear.

"It's okay honey. Go back to sleep." Kicking the car door closed he walked easily up the steps to their home and fumbled slightly with the keys in the lock. Sara tightened her arms around him insecurely as he juggled her. Finally kicking the door open he headed straight upstairs to put her to bed.

Once she was undressed then redressed in her favourite sleeping clothes and tucked in with her casted arm propped up on a pillow he too crawled into bed, one arm wrapped around her abdomen and the other tucked under her pillow lightly stroking her throat from her collarbone, up to her ear and back down. He watched her face in the darkened room, brow slightly furrowed as though deep in thought, mouth parted and turned into a slight pout. His eyes traced the frown down to her chin then back up her face again and came to rest on the shallow scratch clawed across her cheek.

"You'll be okay Sara. I promise. Nothing or no one will ever hurt you again." Then, for the second time that night he whispered throatily into her ear. "I'll protect you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Between his thumb and forefinger Grissom evaluated the injuries he saw on the small brown haired figure that he held in his hand. Heart thudding achingly hard in his chest he surveyed the doll's arm pinned behind her back, twisted at an odd angle. From what he could tell the break was in her elbow. That would take longer to heal than her broken wrist had. He flashed back to that night, holding a panicked Sara on a hospital bed, whispering words of valor and vows of protection.

He studied the dolls face, brown eyes painted a little too dark. Natalie hadn't put much effort into the dolls face. The sweep of freckles that dusted the real Sara's nose had been neglected. The eyebrows didn't arch right and somehow sat a little too high on her face. A sob lurched in his chest but didn't break through his tight throat and lips.

Alone in his office, closed away from the buzz of the lab Gil Grissom considered the thousand tiny cuts littering doll Sara's face and the heaviness of broken promises.

The End

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A/N: I know, its short, but you know what they say, When all is said and done… one must stop talking. Hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks so much for reading.

-Robyn&Emily