A/N - I have no idea why this idea gained my attention but I think it came ot ok and makes sense. I have never been in a mine but I took a stab in the dark, so please forgive any mistakes that you spot. So please read, enjoy and reveiw.

The Benefit Of Sunshine

When the first explosion came, it quite literally rocked Sara's world. It knocked the air from her lungs and made her disorientated. She didn't quite know what was happening until Nick pushed her to the ground, protecting her body with his own. She could hear the debris flying over her head before everything went black and she could think no more.

When she came too, her ears held the same ring that they did when the lab exploded; it was the sensation of being underwater, trying to listen to the world above you. Nick was still lying on top of her, she could feel him breathing, his heart racing against her back.

"Nick?"

No response.

"Nicky?"

She moved slightly so that Nick slid off her back and landed beside her. He had blood dripping down his face from a head injury that Sara could not locate, even with the magna light that had survived the collapse in her pocket. She trailed the light down his body, finding a swollen wrist, broken she suspected, and a leg that was twisted at an odd angle, the bone almost protruding through the skin. She checked his pulse, which was strong beneath her fingers, before examining her own injuries. Aside from a boomer of a headache and an aching side, she felt ok. She took a look around the mine and soon released just the extent of the collapse. They were completely boxed in, and from what she could see with her little light, there was no way out.

"Sara?"

Nick's voice was strained and he made a move to sit up, his hands coming to clutch his head. He moaned with pain as his injured wrist brushed against his ear. Sara pushed him gently back onto the ground, his head resting on Sara's coat which she made into a make shift pillow.

"Stay still Nick. You've been hurt pretty bad."

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. You took the brunt of it."

"I'm starting to regret it though. How bad was the collapse?"

"We're sealed in."

Nick groaned again before closing his eyes. Sara ran her torch around their surroundings again, hoping maybe she missed something. While the dust was not as heavy as she had expected it to be, it still coated her lungs with every breath and she knew that it would not be long until she started to feel the effects.

"So what now?"

Sara sighed as she took a seat next to Nick, taking his good hand in hers.

"We do all that we can do. We wait."

Grissom felt the first explosion as it rocked the ground beneath his feet. He didn't even realize the second one had even happened until he spotted the rush of dust that shot out of the opening of the old mine, the exact place Nick and Sara had disappeared down earlier. Grissom strode over to the small collection of miners who were gathered around a mobile table, pouring over a large collection of maps.

"The mine collapsed! I thought you said it was safe?"

The oldest of all the miners felt the force of Grissom's anger first. He was the one that said it was ok to send people down, that it would be a quick and easy body recovery.

"It is safe. These mines don't collapse without a damn good reason."

Grissom allowed his anger to travel down his body, could feel it settle heavy and still in his fist's.

"Well it found a good reason. And now two of my people are trapped and possibly hurt."

"The maps –"

"Fuck the maps!"

Grissom swiped the maps off the table with one swing of his arm, advancing on the man. He would normally never allow his anger to get out of check like it was right then, never would have even considered acting on it. But now Sara and Nick were trapped in a mine, injured seriously for all he knew and all he wanted was to drive his fist into the man's weather beaten face. Before he could entertain the idea more seriously, Catherine slipped between them, her hand on Grissom's chest.

"Back off."

Her voice was hard, her eyes flashing dangerously. He ignored her and took a couple of steps forward, forcing Catherine to push back.

"Walk away Grissom."

Grissom released a huff of air before spinning on his heel and walking away. He managed to locate Brass, his back against one of the squad cars, his cell phone glued to his ear. He held up his hand as Grissom approached, waiting until the person on the other end of the phone finished talking before clicking it closed.

"Are you getting a Search and Rescue team in here?"

"Yeah, they're already on their way. We just need to be patient."

Grissom said nothing as he strode away from Brass and towards the mine opening where Nick and Sara had disappeared a couple of hours previously, kneeling down in the dust and dirt. He started to remove the larger rocks and stones, the sharp edges cutting into the bare skin of his hands.

"You should at least put these on."

Catherine materialized at his side, a pair of thick leather gloves dangling from her hand. He paused long enough to put them on before continuing with what felt like a mammoth task.

"Move over."

Catherine crouched beside him on the dirt, her face determined as she matched her moves to his as they began working silently side by side.

She didn't know just how long they had been down there, but it was long enough for her to feel the panic beginning to rise in her chest. She was shivering all over and was struggling to keep her wits about her. She was normally fine in panic situations but the sheer hopelessness from the darkness kept invading her, making her chest hurt and tears come to her eyes. She had tried to keep Nick talking but it became impossible as shock set in, his teeth chattering painfully while he lay prone on the ground. He lost consciousness during one of the ringing silence's that fell between them and Sara's heart stopped in a moment of sheer panic. Was he dead? Her heart pounded back to its normal rhythm when she felt his pulse strong beneath her fingers, his chest still rising and falling with ease. She tried to reassure herself that Grissom would save them soon, that he would pull his normal knight-in-shining-armor role, swooping in just in time. But as she sat in the dark alone, her body aching, dark thoughts kept stealing their way into her mind. What would happen if Grissom didn't save them? What would happen if the mine collapsed again, only this time they weren't quite so lucky? Her thoughts kept returning to Grissom, all the things she wished she had said. All the things she promised herself she would say when they got out of this mess. If they got out of this mess. When an odd sound echoed off the walls, she soon realized she was crying, the sobs making her side ache harder until the tears were those of sheer terror and pain.

It had been almost two hours between the search and rescue call and the arrival of the actual team and it was Catherine, not Grissom, who found she was the one struggling to keep her anger in check. Catherine was not a hugely sentimental woman but of all the things in the world that were important to her, her daughter Lindsey and her team mates were at the top of that list. And two of her very close friends were trapped down there, God only knows what kind of condition they were in, and the only people that could help had the ordacity to show up two hours after the emergency call was made. She could almost feel the smoke coming out of her ears.

"Excuse me, but didn't we call you two hours ago?"

One of the men stepped forward, the apparent leader of the group judging by the way the others gathered behind him. His narrow face was thick with sweat and Catherine could see the small droplets falling from his face and onto his shoes and the hot Vegas sand below. Catherine gave him a quick look over, spotting his name tag, black italics over his red jumpsuit read 'Scott'.

"Yes Ma'am you did but yours, unfortunately is not the only emergency call we have had today."

Catherine looked the man over, looking for a trace of a lie on his face. He looked tired, the same expression she was sure on her own.

"Sorry, I just want to get them out."

Scott nodded as his small team moved away and began to talk to the miners, who were still pouring over the maps, trying to find out why their 'safe' mine had collapsed.

"I understand that Ma'am. We will try our best to get them out before anything else happens. What is he doing?"

Scott spotted the still furiously digging Grissom over Catherine's shoulder and she offered a slight shrug.

"He couldn't wait for you guys. He made quite a lot of leeway."

"Well he needs to stop. He could make it worse by trying to make it better."

Catherine nodded slightly before turning from Scott and making her way back over to Grissom's side.

"Grissom, you need to stop."

"No."

Catherine placed her hands over his, stilling their frantic movements..

"You could make it worse."

Grissom dropped his hands instantly from the rubble and feel back on his heels. He waited till his breath came back before standing and moving away from Catherine and the slowly extending pack of people that had gathered. Catherine watched him go before turning her eyes to the horizon. It was going to be yet another stunning Vegas sun set, the sky already starting to turn into a shade of flamingo pink.

"Is he ok?"

Warrick's voice jolted her from her thoughts and she suddenly remembered what she had been meaning to ask him all shift.

"He'll be fine. He just wants them out of there."

"Understandable."

Catherine turned to face Warrick, her eyes searching his.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because you've been quiet all shift."

Warrick turned his eyes from hers; it was his turn to focus on something that wasn't Catherine's penetrating gaze.

"Tina left me. I got the divorce papers today."

Catherine's hand found his shoulder and he took comfort in her touch.

"I'm so sorry."

Warrick laughed bitterly.

"You were right Cath. Getting married that soon after meeting, not such a good idea."

"I didn't want to be right"

Warrick's eyes flashed as he turned back to Catherine, rearing for a fight. He had no idea why but he wanted to argue the point with her. She was the one who had put that fantasy seed in his head, she was the one that made him doubt. Or at least made an excuse for his doubt.

"Well you should be happy, the fantasy might just come true now."

"Warrick, I want you to be happy, with or without Tina."

"It's without now."

"Did you talk to her?"

"No. We have met up several times since the split. She's always drunk looking for old comfort. But I can't that to myself. It's too easy to slip and fall into bad habits again."

"I'm here if you need me Warrick."

"I know you are."

He turned on his heel and walked in the same general direction as Grissom, the dust shifting slightly in a small gust of wind. It was then that Catherine heard and felt a deep rumbling in the ground beneath her. She broke into a run towards the search and rescue guys, all thoughts of Warrick gone. Sara and Nick were in even more trouble now.

When the next rumble came, Sara didn't have time to think, letting the adrenaline and her desperate desire to survive direct her movements. She covered Nick's body with hers, wanting to protect his head and chest. She felt and heard things zip past her, felt something tug at her arm, before deathly silence fell again. She carefully checked Nick over, relieved that he had no further injuries. It was only when she took the focus off Nick that she felt the raw pain in her left arm. Her overalls had been torn away from her skin, and she could see a long, deep cut that ran from her wrist to almost the top of her elbow. The blood ran freely down the length of her arm, pooling at her fingertips before landing on the ground.

"Shit."

She ignored the pain as she shone her torch around the small area of space again. Only when she did two or three rounds did she spot what appeared to be a small opening. She moved closer still, not quite daring to hope that it was what she thought it was. She felt the fresh air stir her hair, took a deep breath to reassure herself that it was indeed the Vegas air that relieved her aching lungs. Now she had to figure out just how she was going to get Nick and herself out before there was yet another collapse.

"We need someone small."

Catherine narrowed her eyes at Scott.

"What do you mean?"

Scott pointed to one of the maps, and Catherine noticed the outline of a small narrow tunnel.

"Due to Vegas and her tendency to have flash floods, the builders of the mine built an emergency tunnel. But because of the collapse, it's going to be a hell of a lot smaller then what it would be normally."

"Ok. Is it going to be large enough to get Nick and Sara out?

"It should be. It may be a bit of a squeeze but it should be fine."

"And do you have anyone small enough on your team to go down?"

"No"

Catherine took just a second to make her decision, her chin already hardening with determination.

"I'll go."

Scott looked her over before he nodded.

"Ok, if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

Grissom appeared at her side, his face stern.

"You can't go down there."

"Yes I can and I am. In fact Gil, you have no say in the matter. This is my choice."

Grissom open and closed his mouth a few times, trying to form some logical protest that she would listen too. He didn't need her to be down there as well. He watched as Catherine easily slipped on a red jumpsuit, Scott fitting her with a camera and torch on top of a hard hat. Grissom was still trying to find points to argue when Catherine moved over to him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I'll get them home, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep Cath."

"Have I ever made a promise I couldn't keep?"

Grissom shook his head against her shoulder, trying to stay composed. He knew that he could promise her the earth and she would still go down that mine, he also knew that she was more that perfect for the job. Not just in a physical sense but because he would not want to send anyone else down but her. Because he trusted her with his life, he also trusted her with the lives of Nick and Sara.

"Come back safe, ok?"

Catherine whipped him a confident smile before moving to a small opening that had been located just north of the mine. It was the last thing he saw before she disappeared into the darkness.

Sara kept her mind occupied the only the way she knew how. She thought of past cases, solved and unsolved. She also thought of what had gotten her into the mine in the beginning. The miners had found a skeleton. That was it. Somehow it turned from a recovery mission to a rescue. She didn't know what pissed her off more. The fact that the case will never be solved or that she was stuck in this situation because she was trying to do her job. It was then; in the middle of her mindless chatter that she saw the glint of bone. She moved closer to the source of the light and felt a small smile begin to form on her face. She gathered some of the bones together, including an almost complete skull, tucking them carefully into one of the evidence bags that had been tucked in one of her pockets. The crime may never be solved but the least they could do was ID him and give his family a little more sleep. Sara was still mulling over her find when she heard a distinct scratching behind her. Within a few minutes a hand extended and Sara grasped it tightly. Catherine eventually pulled the rest of her body out before Sara enveloped her in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're here."

"How's Nick?"

"Not good. His pulse is starting to get thready."

Catherine made a move towards Nick before Sara's injured arm caught her eye. She grasped Sara's hand gently turning it over to examine the wound.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine but we need to get Nick out of here."

Catherine ignored Sara's protest's, continuing her examination of her arm injury. She extracted an impossibly small first aid kit from her pocket, starting to put a dressing on Sara's arm. She wanted to help Nick, she really did but Sara was losing blood rapidly from that one long cut and Catherine would never forgive herself if she didn't do something about it now. Sara kept twitching under Catherine's touch, more from impatience then pain Catherine guessed. When the bandage was securely fastened, only then did Catherine release her arm and follow Sara to Nick's side. His pulse was light and uneven and Catherine was infused with the urgency that Sara had a few moments before. They needed to get him out ASAP.

"There's not going to be an easy way to do this. Do you think you could use your arm?"

Sara nodded before taking her position at Nick's feet. It was probably best that he remained unconscious because this was going to hurt.

"Ready?"

"More then ready. Let's get out of here."

Sara was still having an argument with herself over whether color was appropriate at a memorial service, when a knock sounded on her door. When she pulled it open her question was answered. Nick looked very handsome in his suit and red silk tie.

"Hey you look good"

Nick offered her a small smile as he made his way into her home, his walking stick making dull thudding sounds on the hard wood floors.

"I would say the same to you but you don't look ready yet."

He collapsed onto the couch with a groan, his hand going instinctively to his pocket where he kept his pain medication. Sara went to the kitchen, retrieving him a large bottle of water and placing it in front of him. She watched as he palmed two of the little white pills, popping them in his mouth before chasing them with a large gulp of water. Though none of them would ever admit it too him, every single person on their team was worried about Nick. Even though his wrist was much better, his leg was the biggest problem. It took multiple surgeries and hours of physiotherapy just to get him walking again, and even then it was with the assistance of a cane that Doc had brought him. Sara was still plagued with guilt over him receiving those injuries protecting her and somehow all she had gotten out of the mine with was bruises, cuts and aching ribs. The huge cut on her arm had healed well, leaving a faint, pink scar running the limbs length; it was nice to have a permanent reminder that this job could be dangerous if you don't take the proper precautions.

"I was trying to decide if it's ok to wear color to something like this. But your tie certainly answers that question."

Sara gave him a quick smile before ducking into her room. She came out a few minutes later wearing her neat black slacks, a sleeveless red shirt with a peter pan collar and the front of her hair pulled back in a small butterfly clip.

"You look lovely."

"Nick, flattery will get you everywhere. You ready to go?"

"After you."

Nick held the door open for her and they made their way down to the truck, Sara climbing into the driver's seat. They arrived at the church early, people were still filing into the tall, elegant building, heads bowed and shoulders slumped.

"You ready for this?"

"Closure, here we come."

Nick gave a little laugh as he took Sara's hand that she offered and slipped carefully out of the vehicle. She hooked her arm through he good one and they made their way to the front door of the church, taking the memorial booklet from a weeping woman that was handing them to those who passed her. They settled themselves in a couple of spaces at the front and Sara studied the picture of the victim that stood larger then life in front of the podium. Graham Brian was well loved and respected in the Las Vegas community, that much was obvious by the people coming to bid their final farewells. Though they would never know the circumstances surrounding his death, Sara knew that he had been shot at close range by a small caliber weapon and then his body dumped in the abandoned mine. But it was enough for his family. He was no longer missing and they could finally draw some peace with this memorial service. Sara settled further into her seat as the faint strands of Ava Maria that had been playing faded out as the priest stepped up to the podium and began to talk about Graham's life.

Catherine had been more then determined that they would not celebrate Nick and Sara's return until both CSI's were back on their feet, literally in Nick's case. They had cleared off Grissom's desk and laid out a variety of food and drink, making the office seem more like some sort of morbid party zone then a serious place to do work. Catherine had to smile at Grissom as he stood in a dark corner fussing over the gift he had gotten Sara. Nick's had been brought and wrapped weeks before, she only knew that because Grissom had ended up asking her what he should get the young CSI. But Sara's gift was a different story all together. And she knew from experience that it was much harder to get a meaningful gift for someone you had feelings for then it was for just a friend. Catherine poked her head around the corner of the door and what she saw made her heart sink. Sara and Nick were coming down the hallway, only Nick was heavily leaning on Sara, who was struggling under the excess weight.

"Grissom, Warrick something's wrong with Nicky."

In an instant both men were at Sara's side, easing Nick's arms around their shoulders and all but carrying him into the office. They eased him down into the high backed leather chair and Nick sat panting heavily, the sweat beading on his forehead and upper lip.

"He over did it again."

Warrick crotched down in front of Nick, his face pulled into a deep frown. He carefully rolled up Nick's pant leg, reveling the pinched, tight skin surrounding his latest surgical scar.

"Nicky, you should have stayed off this leg of yours."

Warrick gently began to message the swollen skin, ignoring Nick's grunts of pain. Nick had lived with Warrick for three weeks after the accident and Warrick had learnt quickly just how serious Nick's injury was. He sat in on most of Nick's physio sessions, watching carefully as the nurse showed him how to keep the circulation flowing through the muscles to help reduce the chances of swelling and infection. Unfortunately, Nick was determined to get back to the way he was and he often forgot that there were severe limitations. Warrick worked on the leg for a good ten minutes before the swelling began to visibly reduce and Nick's grunts of pain were reduced to slight moans. He then pulled over a stool and slipped it under Nick's leg.

"Stay off it ok man? You could get really sick if you keep over doing it."

Nick nodded before he pulled out his pain pills, popping two into his palm. Catherine grabbed him a bottle of water from the table and they all watched in a semi-circle around him as he swallowed. It took a few minutes for a small smile to appear on Nick's face, as he glanced around at the serious looking team.

"I'm ok guys, I just over did it. Hey Catherine, you bring any of those killer chicken nibbles?"

Catherine rolled her eyes before grabbing a paper plate and piling it high with the requested nibbles.

"Here we go Nicky."

Soon everyone had their own plates piled with food, chatting easily amongst themselves. Grissom took the opportunity to grab some private time with Sara, cupping her elbow gently and pulling her into one of the dark corners that dominated his office.

"Hi."

"Hi. What can I help you with Grissom?"

Grissom ignored the question and handed Sara the gift he had spent hours trying to track down and just as long wrapping. She examined the small square package in her hands before giving Grissom a questioning look.

"What's this?"

"It's a celebration Sara, there are usually gifts."

Sara smiled before she carefully began to remove the soft red ribbon and then the night blue paper. He had given her gifts before, a plant and a book to be exact but this was something that was far more personal. It was a heavy oak jewellery box that had intricate butterfly designs etched into the wood and it was incredibly beautiful. She opened it carefully and ran her fingers over the velvet lining, admiring the smooth corners and the wood that was soft and cool to her touch.

"Oh Grissom, this is incredible. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

"I love it."

"I'm glad you're safe Sara. And I'm sorry that I put you into that situation."

Sara carefully laid the box back on the table before turning back to Grissom, her face serious.

"It's not your fault. What happened to Nick and I was an accident. No one is to blame, least of all you."

"I'm still sorry."

"Don't be. We're safe and that's all that matters."

Grissom nodded and watched as Sara picked up the box again and traced the butterflies with careful fingers.

"This really is incredible Grissom."

"It's the least I could do. You're not easy to shop for though."

Sara smiled up at him.

"Well I appreciate the effort."

She leaned in and laid a quick kiss on his cheek before pulling back slightly, her eyes locking with his. After a moment, she leaned forward again, only this time she pressed her lips to his, her free hand resting lightly on his shoulder, near his neck. He hesitated for just a second before his own hands moved to her waist, pulling her gently against him. The sensation of kissing her was beyond any words that Grissom had in his vocabulary. She tasted as good as she felt beneath his hands and he wondered how he had not taken the leap earlier, kissing her felt so completely natural. She broke it off far to quickly; he could have stood there and kissed her until the world stopped. When he spoke, his voice caught in his throat and he felt a little foolish as she watched him with a small smile.

"What was that?"

"The benefit of sunshine. You get to see things you didn't see before. Ready to go back to the celebration?"

Grissom nodded mutely before he followed Sara back to the main area of his office, his feet so far off the ground that he felt like he was defying gravity.