Hanging by a Moment

Author: Jen

DONE YEARS AGO BUT REPOSTING AS WORTH IT!

Nick/Sara & everybody else!, major angst done in flashback, this is only the intro and has a long way to go yet, just this story would not go away, so read & see what you think. All comments welcome.

This is sort of different anyway!

These characters don't belong to me, I just borrowed them! This is my first and probably last attempt at CSI so here goes nothing!

It was just a moment, one that would change his life in much the same way that Sara had changed his, as he opened the door to his apartment and looked at the vaguely familiar face; it was the only look he got.

As something sharp hit his left temple hard, added to that he felt himself being thrown back into his apartment, he landed badly on the glass coffee table. Hearing it crack as his left arm hit it with force; glass cutting deep into his left wrist, blood started streaming from it down onto the carpet, he felt his watch slip from his wrist as well, not that he could do much about it, numbness and shock was starting to set in, his breathing starting to come in shallow gasps.

He tried to focus but his body was not responding, the room kept blotting in and out and he realized with certainty he was about to die.

Pain from his temple tore deep into him; he was going to loose consciousness fast as he felt another blow to his left temple, this was far harder than the first, some part of him had to fight as he felt himself being lifted, the slight pain from his wrist gone and the world and all that was important to him faded to black…

Sara looked at her five year old son, partly in pride he was growing strong and bright for his years but she also felt guilt when as she looked into those innocent warm brown eyes of her son, it was his father that was looking back at her and the fact he would never see this little man grow and become like him, it choked her even know almost six years later.

Carefully lifting him, ruffling the brown hair, the kid smiled and she hoped at least in some ways he would not take after his father but by the looks of it, with that smile and those innocent eyes she had no hope and wished once more that Nicky Stokes was here to see this.

She sighed long and deep looking out her window Catherine would be coming in a short time, after she had got back from some special case in Dallas… Dallas her thoughts turned inwards, Nick had came from there and ended up working in the dazzling back drop of Las Vegas as CSI.

A smile came to her face remembering his enthusiasm and humanity that he applied to everything, something she had loved from the first, without even knowing it. Only fate brought them together and the seed that had been there since the first moment she had laid eyes on that vulnerable but strong man was allowed to flourish the friendship turning to something more before it was all taken from her, almost all as she looked at her son…

Tears started to come as she looked out onto the bright suburban street, which was her backyard. For a moment she closed her eyes, took her hand to her cheek wiping away the tears, she was not sure how long she had looked out that window thinking about him, but the tug at her arm implied that someone was hungry but she was mistaken looking down into the all too serious eyes of her son:

'Where is daddy?' the one questioned she had always dreaded and knew would inevitably come and the truth was although he was more than likely to be dead she could not bring herself to say it.

The boy stood impatiently looking from her to the one of the few photos' there was of her and Nick together, it was an old photo, long before there relationship but it captured them perfectly:

Nick to taken with the work at hand, was busy showing her what he had unearthed, he was looking up at her, she smiling down at him questioning what he had found. The light of the camera silhouetted him to the grimy but photogenic backdrop but it was the look on that handsome face of his more than anything, the love in those intense brown eyes even then for her, he was reaching up to grab her hand just as the camera had clicked, picture perfect and it felt like a life time ago, as the same brown eyes of his son, asked the question she could not answer.

It was at that moment the phone rang and once more those serious brown eyes looked into hers:

'Will I get it mum?' somehow with that look in his face and confidence far beyond his years; she quickly regained her composure she had to be strong for his sake.

The phone was still ringing and had thankfully given her leeway to get of the subject of his father, she shook her head:

'I'll get it' and with that she smiled her son looked at her, with that same look as his father on him again, gaining strength from that look, she tried to block out the flashback of Nick wrapping his arms round her and the safety that came with that feeling. However it was pointless as she remembered the warmth of his touch and the protection that came with it but her son quickly brought her back to the present the image gone:

'I love you mum' they looked at each other a moment longer and then she raced to get the phone, hoping it would be Catherine.

Grissom waited impatiently trying hard not to think of times past but it was not helping, he had probably sent Catherine to a dead end but for some reason a hunch maybe or just because he genially thought a lot of Sara and that boy of hers and like the whole team even after all of this time and even though all the evidence at the time proved that Nicky Stokes was probably more dead than alive, some part of him would never accept that he was simply gone.

His eyes turned to the folder sitting on his desk, sighing deeply he opened the missing persons folder, the spare copy, Catherine had taken the original with her but they both said the same thing as he looked at the name written in bright red felt tip at the top – Nicky Stokes.

The photo of his once colleague was the first thing to great him, he glanced at it but quickly went to the written documents, the evidence, his finger tapped the desk nervously and without thinking brought the photo which had been at the front out of its pocket and laid it next to the written documents. This was all there was.

Nick had been one of the best Crime Scene Investigator that he had worked with and he had always been so dam serious about his work, it was ironic that the great Grissom could not get to the bottom of what had happened to the once happy, energetic young man and with that he swept the folder of his desk, its contents falling to the floor …

'Go to hell Grissom' the tone fierce, the eyes dark in intensity and rage, the usually handsome features, were drawn and defiant as Sara watched Nick Stokes in disbelief as he defied his boss outright in front of everyone. His gaze fell on her, she seen pain and fear in those brown eyes before the glazed look came back over them, as his attack on Grissom continued:

'The evidence is wrong, we're missing something.' The tone gentler now, less sure than before as Grissom just stood his ground but Sara could see the worry in his eyes as well, as Gil at last spoke:

'Nick you're way to close and you now it. The kid murdered his father in cold blood the evidence is there right in front of you, and if you were not so dam stubborn and used your intellect, instead of your heart, you might see sense'

At this Warrick added:

'Nick come on you've seen this type of thing before and not even batted an eye lid, what's so different this time?' The two friendly competitors looked at each other; one trying desperately to help a friend, the other was in hell and trying to fight his way out by burdening his rage on his colleagues.

Sara watched more closely this time her usually sensitive colleague, flinched at Warrick's words, she realised the nerve had been hit hard, as the dark demon that seemed to have taken over Nick Stokes choose its next victim.

As the handsome man's gaze drifted back to her and rested, she felt herself step back, not liking the look in his eyes. As he ignore Warrick's words.

For not the first time in this day, did she wish she could have the Nick that turned on the charm. To get what he wanted and always more or less got. That smile which could make any heart sing and those usually soft brown eyes, that she had to admit, had hidden depths, which some part of her had always wanted to explore in more ways than she even wanted to admit to herself…

However right now as the ever increasing silence cut with dagger intensity into each of them, Sara wondered what was behind that smile and that squeaky clean personality, that attracted women like a magnet and her own past told her, that Nick had not had it easy and even now life was tearing apart what made him a good man. This was her last thought as his tone casual uttered the question no one dared ask, the dark hatred in his eyes hitting a new intensity and she was the target:

'So what is it between you and Gill here?' it was said without feeling and that made it hurt all the more, her gaze shifted to the floor but she just had time to see Grissom's face turn to pure anger and hate, the boss turned on Nick:

'How dare you ask that?' the tone even darker than Nick's, she looked at him in disbelief she felt tears spring from her eyes as the dark brown eyes still burned with nothing but hate in them as Nick looked from her to Grissom, answering his own question:

'So it is true then' Sara found Gill's gaze but she looked past him to Nick and wondered what the hell was going on in that head of his, her only other thought was that he was half right and half wrong. Yea there was something between her and Gill something which no one could touch but it was not what the CSI three thought it was.

Catherine watched the explosion of feelings in the room, cursing herself for not saying what she had been vowed to keep secret by the man she somehow seen as a son. More vulnerable and sensitive than either Warrick or Sara, and for that reason alone, she had respected his wishes when he returned from his time off and not mentioned the real reason for his absence.

The brown eyes were on her know, pain, hate and fear was all that shone in them and she acknowledged something to herself, Nick had been through hell in the last year and when had finely decided to take a little time of to get his new apartment sorted out, fate had sent him another fatal blow, sending him back to his roots to Dallas.

She found her voice loud and unyielding, rebounding of what Nick had just said and turning the table's something she had always done well:

'Ask him about Dallas Grissom', Gil turned to her in puzzlement, Sara and Warrick also lifting there heads in unison but it was the figure that stood apart from the rest that was struck the hardest blow.

The dark demon within finely relenting as she seen his gaze soften, she had no clue herself what had happened. Only the nit pickings he had given her of his family history and as she seen the pain surface in his eyes, she wondered how much Nick cursed his family name and what he had been born into, as she kept her gaze firmly on him, to see what his response would be.

There was no response though or not the one she had hoped for anyway as his look hardened again:

'I don't belong here'

Under current circumstances and what he had just said to Gill, Nick was probably right but Catherine knew there was more to that comment than that as he backed out the room.

Years later she also found a greater irony in that one comment it was the only place he belonged. That same thought ran through her head as she looked at these two signatures right in front of her, one the ink was just drying, the other was an eight year old signature but they were both the same hand writing.

She smiled as a pair of brown eyes searched hers for understanding, Grissom had been right on the hunch that had brought her all the way here to this café on the suburbs of Dallas, it had been a long time coming, a lot had changed in that time as well but it was worth it as she looked in those brown eyes that still did not know her yet…

To Be Continued