What a Beautiful Mess


Nick carefully made his way along the outer edge of the track looking for any possible evidence. With each passing minute it seemed as if though the entire search was just in vain, and that fact was starting to wear away at his strength. They needed to find something, anything that would even possibly lead to a break in the case.

He heard Kyle Peterson behind him, walking slowly along the track. Both their footsteps seemed to echo through the night air. It didn't help that the moon and stars were hardly visible under the glow of the city. Even with the massive lights, for the night games, on it didn't do much to illuminate the whole area. The dark trees in the background served only to remind him of the last time he had been surrounded by trees.

As if in response to the memories a shot of pain coursed through his leg, and he had to bite his lip not to cry out. It took much more effort than he had hoped to keep walking on his search, and he couldn't help but sigh with relief when the pain started to subside.

Before long he was nearing the end of the track, and was waving his flashlight along the base of the chain link fence that marked the end of the school grounds. His concentration was solely devoted to searching for even the slightest clue. His eyes traveled back and forth over the recently cut grass, and he sighed when he accepted there was nothing there either.

After a few moments of gazing around the ground just past the fence he noticed a small group of sheds in the far corner near the beginning of the bleachers. All but one of them were closed, except for a single one in the middle. His breathing hitched slightly as he moved slowly closer to the pitch black room.

He could still hear to officer's footsteps behind him, and he felt relieved that he wasn't out here alone. If one of the shed doors hadn't been wide open it would've provided much more comfort. The hairs on his neck rose, and he bit his lip to stop the shudder from being heard by Peterson. Without a word he pulled his gun free, and waved behind him for the other man to do the same. Nick's eyes never left the shed as he inched closer, hoping that it had only been carelessness behind the reason it wasn't locked like the others.

Sweat trickled down from his forehead as he drew nearer, and he could hardly remember a time when he had been more glad for the standard kevlar vest he was wearing. With a final breath he lunged around the corner.


Warrick stood up slowly and stretched his arms and back. He had been bending down dozens of times in each room as he meticulously scoured the various rooms for any possible evidence. With each room he found at least ten items that could have been used to kill the little kid, and his patience was beginning to wear thin.

The entire case was beginning to frustrate him, and he found it hard not to curse repeatedly over the lack of evidence. There were too many suspects, and far too many possible murder weapons. In the end their best chance was if some clue would fall right into their laps. Except, Warrick wasn't stupid. While he hated to even think it, he knew the odds were that the case would never be solved. That made him even angrier.

It also made him worried. He knew Nick, and there wasn't even the slightest chance that Nick would want to accept that this case couldn't be solved. The man would be more than revolted by the idea that they could do nothing for the boy. And, when they didn't even know who the kid was it made things worse.

He was close to giving up. Nick would most likely be finishing his search of the track, and would undoubtedly come back empty handed for his labors. Warrick also suspected that his best friend would be more than exhausted after four hours of constant movement.


Across the city the rest weren't having any more luck. Greg was still wiped out, and was having a hard time focusing. Sara was getting quickly worn down by the other two men's obvious lack of energy and motivation, and they had no leads.

"So- what do we really even have?" Greg barely mumbled, his eyes fighting the urge to close.

"Nothing." Sara shot back, "We have a missing thirty year old male, name is John Fisher, didn't show up to his job for two days, and didn't call anyone. No clothes in his house, no food in the fridge… I think the guy probably just- ya know, went on vacation or high tailed it out of here."

Paul just stood back and watched. Everyone had told him that Nick was the friendliest, and most outgoing of any of them. Only the man had never once spoken to him about anything other than a case. While it hurt slightly, the knowledge that Nick probably still viewed him as some type of replacement, let alone a reminder of what he went through, managed to make any resentment fade. Warrick had gone so far as to tell him that Nick was the only reason Sara had ever really become a true part of the team, and that Nick had done the same with Greg.

He still felt like the outsider, and he had been working with them for over six months. Paul was also grateful that Grissom seemed to acknowledge that there was something wrong between himself and Nick. Of course, he also suspected that the supervisor's concern was more focused on Nick being uncomfortable around the man who had been hired to fill in for him. After a few moments he stopped, shook his head, and forced himself to focus on the case. It was going to be hard enough to solve now that his energy was at an all-time low, and they had nothing to go on.


Nick nearly fell back in exhaustion when he saw the shed was empty. Equipment lined the shelves, and there was definitely no one inside the small space. A quick glance at his watch showed that he had already been scouring the track and field for a whole hour.

"Are you Nick Stokes?"

He froze. Every muscle in his body tensed as he swung around. His eyes went wide when he saw the motionless body of Officer Peterson lying over fifty yards away in the middle of the track. The realization that his named was stitched onto the black vest came too late, and he felt himself being shoved back against another shed.

His arms went up fast, but he wasn't strong enough to hold back the sudden thrust of a heavy metal object being pushed against him, just below his neck. His arms were pinned in place, his hands desperately trying to push back. Only the pain in his right arm instantly flared up, and the metal bar was starting to press even harder against him. Breathing was growing harder as the metal pushed down even harder.

Nick was gasping for breath, sweat falling faster as his strength started to waver. He let out a sharp cry, and before he could get any words out the metal was trust up against his throat, forcing his head back. The cool wood of the shed only served to bring him more pain. His face was turning bright red from the lack of air, and he could almost feel the Plexiglas walls closing in around him.

Just before everything turned back his assaulter took a quick step back. He immediately fell to his knees gasping for breath, and just as he lifted his head to see what had happened he felt the metal slam against the side of his head as if his head had been a t-ball on a post. Nick caught one last glimpse of the dirt rushing to meet him as he fell before everything did turn black.


"Hey, Grissom- I got an ID on the kid. Took longer than I hoped, but his name is Billy Meyers, parents are Jack and Lisa Meyers. I'll go call them."

"Alright, talk to them, and then get out to the crime scene to meet up with Nick and Warrick. If they have something, then call me. If not- well… keep looking, you can tell Nick there's still stuff to do here in the lab for the case if he's tired."

"Sure thing Gil, I'll keep you updated." Catherine offered him a small smile before heading off towards her office. With a sigh she firmly closed the door behind her and sat heavily in her chair before picking up her phone. She waited as it rung repeatedly.

There was no easy way to break such terrible news to people. The loss of a child should be every parent's worst fear. Catherine despised any parent who felt differently. She would lose any bit of sanity she had if she ever lost Lindsay, and the last thing she wanted was for her daughter to suffer. If she ever had to bury her own child she'd sure as hell make sure someone paid.

It was comforting knowing other people would go to great lengths to keep her daughter safe.

And the phone continued to ring, while no one answered.

"You have reached the Meyers' household, please leave a message at the beep, and we promise to get back to you as soon as we can."

The message was so simple. Catherine quickly hung the phone up. She was starting to feel sick to her stomach at the thought of having to break such terrible news to the child's parents. With a deep sigh she copied the number and address out of her directory, and placed it in her pocket. The very thought of Billy Meyers made her heart, and head, ache. These cases were always the worst, and it never got easier.

It never would. Catherine almost felt grateful for that matter. The pain meant she still cared, and that she was still alive and kicking. It meant she hadn't given up on life. That caused her thoughts to drift towards Nick. A man whose heart was bigger than anyone's she had ever met before. The man that would give anything to help others, and in turn had kept so little to help himself. Yet, no matter how bad things had gotten for him he had never fully given up on life either, which also worried her. He'd definitely be feeling sick over the lack of evidence on this case just as badly as anyone else would be, if not more.

With a quick sigh she rose, and grabbed her coat before heading for the door. It would probably be a full ten minutes before she got to the scene, and she was sure every minute would be spent imagining just how much Nick had suffered to help Lindsay.


Sara was beginning to find any reason for them to keep investigating. Their case had gone from cold to freezing, and they didn't have a single lead, let alone any real evidence. The man may as well have dropped off the face of the Earth for as much good as it did anyone now. All they had was what appeared to be a slight struggle in the man's living room.

It didn't help that she was getting more and more worried about Greg as they continued to pick through every corner of the house. He had never been so tired or worn down before, and even after a few cups of coffee he hadn't improved. To make things worse it was starting to get to Paul as well. Over the past six months the man still hadn't gotten used to being on the nightshift, and while he had had energy before, it seemed as if it had been used up completely in less than two hours.


"Melissa Freeman speaking, how may I help you?"

"Get ready, we're about to progress to phase three. Don't take things too fast either, we need to make sure this is done right. Now, do you still have those copies of those files."

"Of course, I've got copies of the entire nightshift's files here, plus several of the lab technicians, and a few other criminalists from the other shifts."

"Good, I'll be needing those soon enough. These guys are going to wish they never screwed with us."

"I'm with you all the way Luke, but if you take this too far… well, don't expect me to help you out, got it? Don't piss John off."

"Yeah. I got it, now get moving."

"How was phase two?"

"Poor bastard didn't stand a chance. Just knocked the cop out in the middle of the field and followed him. After all the mistakes Donovan made, at least he did something right by having them take Stokes alive. One of the easiest fights in my life, and I'm sure his friends will find him before it's too late."


Nick didn't know where he was. He had no way of knowing how long he had been unconscious. His mind screamed for him to move, but his body wouldn't listen. All he could smell was his own sweat, and what might have been oil. There was nothing to see around him except darkness, and if he hadn't been able to breathe he would've wondered if he was back underground.

He was sitting on something solid, maybe even wood, but he couldn't be sure. Memories of his latest scuffle with a man completely dressed in black. Complete with a ski mask. Nick tried desperately to tell himself that it was a common disguise for criminals, that those clothes meant nothing, and he was safe. He didn't want to think about the possibility that just maybe there was someone still out there who want him dead.

There wasn't the slightest chance that he would let himself cry. While he had fought tooth and nail to keep it from happening, each time he got hurt he fought back. Nick couldn't let himself just give up, no matter how much he wanted something to end, even if it was his own life, he couldn't do it. Death didn't scare someone who had thought he was going to die more times than he could count on one hand.

Though he would never admit it, he knew that in a way he had almost hoped for it. Every single day of his life had been spent trying to be strong, to move on, but most of all, to keep the hope that things would get better. And every time he lost all hold of that, it was harder to get even the slightest bit of it back. In the end he did it for them.

He did it for his parents, his whole family, who knew nothing of his babysitter, or of the kids he had allowed to beat him, or the multiple relationships he had, some of which had landed him in a hospital. The family that knew nothing of Amy Hendler, or Nigel Crane, and who only knew about Gordon and Donovan because he hadn't been given the chance to prevent them from being told.

Then there was the family that knew about most of it. Catherine who knew almost everything, then Warrick, his best friend, and the others. Now there was this; another notch to add to his belt to remind him of how many people had hurt him. His arms and legs ached, he was lightheaded, and it was still hard for him to breathe. He distantly wondered how long he had been sitting, and if he was going to run out of air anytime soon. It wasn't long before his eyes reluctantly closed once more.


Catherine couldn't help but hold her breath slightly as she pulled up in front of the school. Her own daughter had almost been kidnapped just a few yards from where she was parked. Nick had been shot twice in this very parking lot. Stop. Just stop now. He's alive, and you have to let this go. I can't help anyone if I'm distracted either.

She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but something felt wrong. Every part of her mind told her she was overreacting. Only her gut was saying otherwise, and that made her nervous.


Warrick was staring to get a bit more nervous as the minutes passed. It had been two hours since Nick had gone out to check the football field, track, and stands. After another few moments he stood up, let out a sigh and stretched his arms.

He's alright. Probably just took a bit of a break. I mean that is a lot of ground to cover, and he might have found something…

Though it was meant to convince him, it didn't work. For one, he knew Nick would have to be suffering an incredible amount of pain to stop in the middle of processing to take a break. He also knew that if Nick had found something he would probably know.

Just before he got the chance to even start walking towards the stairs he heard footsteps. A few seconds later he saw Catherine tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. She offered him a warm smile, but he almost thought he could see a slightly worried look cross her face.

"Hey, how are things going?"

"I got nothing. Maybe Nick was a bit more lucky, but I doubt it."

"Where is he?" Now Warrick could really tell she was concerned. The tone and pitch of her voice was enough to give it away.

"He went outside to check out the track area. Thought that something might have gotten ditched out there."

"Why don't we go check and see if he's found anything."


The next time he woke up he wasn't so calm. His mind wasn't hazy, and he could distinctly feel the metal cuffs biting into his wrists that were wrapped around some type of pole behind his back. His mouth was covered with some type of tape, making it impossible for him to call out for help. The fact that he couldn't see anything in the darkness scared him even more.

As far as he knew he could be six feet underground in another box. He could be in someone's basement. I could be anywhere… That thought scared him as well. Nick made it a point not to get lost. After a day of losing his mind in a glass box while not knowing anything about how he had gotten there he had always been determined to know something about where he was.

His breathing was growing more rapid, but he did his best to fight the panic. Instead he found himself trying to make some sense of his situation. He instead tried to smell the room around him once more, taking in the sickening scent of sweat mixed with oil and grease as well as what might have been wet grass. In the distance he thought he could hear crickets chirping nearby.

The open shed… that's where I must be. The others should be able to find me here in no time. They found me before… they've never let me down. Just gotta stay calm, and wait for them. It'll be okay. Nothing is going to happen to me in here… no one is gonna hurt me. Oh God, what about Peterson? He has to be okay. This guy wanted me, not him. No, he's probably just fine.

Nick tried to relax, and to make himself as calm as possible. He knew Warrick was around and that Catherine would be arriving soon, or had already gotten there, and that they definitely wouldn't leave without him. It also helped knowing that he hadn't been seriously injured, and aside from the usual pain in his arms and legs the only other pain was coming from his neck and upper torso.

No time to lose control. I can get through this. Just have to stay calm and focused. They won't let me down.I just have to stay calm...


To Be Continued…


Notes: Had a bit of writer's block towards the end of this chapter. As for my previous question, well, my answer is that it's not going to happen. It would probably be awkward, and I decided if I'm questioning it so much then it's not the right choice for this story, besides, I've come up with ideas for the ending now that fit much better. Thanks for all the comments and support, hope you enjoyed this chapter and take the time to review! Hope to have the next chapter done soon, since more pieces are beginning to fall into place.