A/N- Firstly I do not own CSI or it's characters. Secondly I am not sure of this first part with the time frame. If I got it wrong sorry.

Warning- Spoiler for season 8 finale!

As always enjoy!

It had been almost a year and a half since Sara left. When she left things seemed to have spiraled out of control. The team as whole caved in on itself. For a while everyone thought that it was going to be the end of this team, but one fateful night that all changed.

(3 months after she left)

It had been a long week for the Las Vegas graveyard shift. They dealt with many ups and downs and a long process of Warrick being framed for the murder of Gedda. Now they were sitting together at their favorite diner enjoying each others company. Everyone started to leave for the evening, but Nick and Warrick stayed. They joked with each other for a few minutes, and then Warrick decided to go home.

Nick was talking up a cute waitress that he saw when he heard it, a gun shot. Nick pulled out his gun and ran outside in the direction the first shot when he heard more. He called for backup and an ambulance for the alley he was heading into. As he looked up the alley he saw Warrick's car with the Under Sheriff standing at the side window cleaning off a gun and throwing it into the car. At that moment all Nick saw was red as he ran at the under sheriff. As the under sheriff tried to run, Nick pounced. They wrestled to the ground and Nick began to punch and scream at the man. He did not hear the police behind him or Brass calling his name. All he knew was that this man was the mole. This man wanted Warrick dead. This man must DIE!

Nick glanced to his left as he was pulled back and saw them working on Warrick. He wanted to be with him, but the voice behind him said no. Soon he found a familiar face in his line of view. Grissom looked at him and then reached out for him. Nick collapsed in his arms and they both fell to the ground. Grissom just held Nick as he cried and cried about how this shouldn't be happening and how he should have left with Warrick. Grissom just ran his one hand through Nick's hair while his other arm held Nick close so he wouldn't run. He tried to reassure Nick that it wasn't his fault, but Nick wasn't listening. Then Nick heard it.

"Pancho this isn't you fault. You could not have stopped this just as much as Warrick could not stop you from being buried alive. You need to breath Pancho before you pass out. Put your hand on my hand." Nick backed up just far enough to see Grissom's face and hand. Nick placed his hand in Grissom's and felt the same pull of calmness he did when they had finally found him. He watched as the paramedics loaded his friend in the ambulance. He begged Grissom to let him go, but he wouldn't. Grissom knew that Nick would have to go into police custody for beating the under sheriff.

The under sheriff was making a scene down the alley telling how Nick jumped him as he went to help Warrick and that he should be locked away for injuring him. Both Jim and Grissom shared a look that said no one was to be alone right now. Something was fishy about his story, and neither guy trusted him or some of the other officers right now. Word traveled fast and soon both Greg and Catherine were by their side. Greg bent down next to Grissom so he could see Nick's face and he wiped away some of the tears that were still left on his face. They had a silent understanding that Greg would not leave tomorrow as planned. Greg would stay for everyone's sake.

Nick fought for a while about going down to the police station. It was only the fact that Grissom had told him he was coming too, that had calmed the irate man down. Nick could hardly concentrate. All he wanted to do was see Warrick.

" I told you for the last flippin time! I heard a shot. I called for backup and ran to the alley. I heard 2 more shots fired as I got to the alley. When I got there I saw the under sheriff cleaning a gun and throwing it inside Warrick's car." Nick repeated for the fifth time to the detective.

" How do you know that the under sheriff hadn't heard the shots like you and scared the perp off. How do you know he wasn't just picking up the gun with the cloth so he wouldn't put his prints on it?" the detective interrogated.

" I just know all right!!" They looked on as Nick was in the hot seat. Shortly after Nick was taken to the station they all agreed that Grissom would take Greg and go back with Nick then Catherine and Brass would go to Warrick. Grissom and Greg both knew that this was going to get bad. On the way back Grissom had called Ecklie and told him about the situation, and as much as they hated each other they both knew Nick was right. Something was definitely fishy with the under sheriff's story. Ecklie got his team together as fast as possible and went to the scene before any of the crooked cops tampered with evidence. Ecklie might be a bastard but he knows a good team when he sees it. After Nick being buried alive he would never make the same mistake twice with splitting that team up. They were the best team in Nevada and they all knew it.

Grissom and Greg both wanted to be in the room with Nick. It was like watching Warrick all over again. The team was falling apart and something needed to be done quickly or no one would survive the battle. Both men came out of their musing when voices started to rise. "You just want someone to blame for your friend's problems. Maybe you hired the killer?"

screeching of a chair "What did you just say?" Grissom and Greg knew it was time to get Nick out of there. They both marched into the interrogation room and were met with hostile glares from the detective. "This isn't over go back outside gentlemen."

"This is most definitely over. No more comments until a lawyer is present. Nick come on we're leaving." Grissom glared at the detective giving him no room for argument. They lead Nick out of the building and into Grissom's SUV. The whole ride to the ER was silent. Each man lost in his own thoughts, but one main thought was evident: 'Did Warrick survive?'

I know that this is thought on everyone's mind since the season finale.

As always please read and review. Tell me what you think )