A/N: I don't own anything that you recognize from the show. This means characters. I wish I did though...

Okay, I broke my promise. Blame my brother and sisters. I wanted to hang with them while they were home, so I neglected my story. However, now that school is started, I should have time (how ironic is that?). Okay, here is a new chapter.

Oh, one more thing: anyone with news on the strike, and it's effect on the shows? I think we may as well be resigned to the fact that were gonna have a half-season. Sadness:(


CHAPTER 7: NICK JOINS THE CAUSE

Greg was still asleep on the couch when his doorbell rang. Still groggy, he still felt remnants of elation from last night's success because he hadn't gotten killed, but was a little apprehensive at answering the door. It couldn't be anything good. Everyone who would come to call on him knew this was his time to sleep, and only colleagues would know this was his day off.

That was why when he opened the door a crack to see Nick standing there, he wasn't surprised. But Nick did not look happy, and that never boded well.

" G' Morning Nick," Greg greeted him sleepily, with an unsteady grin on his face to dispel the negative look on Nick's, "Aren't you going to tell me why you're here, on company hours?"

Nick pushed his way in with little opposition from Greg. "We need to talk, Greg."

All traces of lethargy disappeared from Greg's persona. Nick meant business. "About what, Nick? You know you can't talk me out of going again, because…"

"Yeah? Well I'm damn well going to try." Nick retorted, spinning on the spot to face the younger man. "I told you before that this was dangerous, but seeing how much money is on the line…you know how that makes a man act, Greg. We see it every day. I've seen people kill for much less, and so have you. And you're trying to double-cross one of the most influential, venomous people in Las Vegas. You're going to get yourself killed if you go there again tonight and step on the wrong toes" He emphasized the word killed, hoping to change Greg's mind through fear.

However, to a youthful mind like Greg's, full of determination to do the right thing and to help his best friend, the words that registered were not strong enough to change his mind. "Nick, that doesn't matter. I told you before, I have to do this. If I can find just one piece of info to let us get ahead of Perkasa, than maybe we can catch some of his men, or even Perkasa himself, in the act! Think of all the lives we could save if we stopped him once and for all, Nick. Think about it! All the future crime scenes that we know would be the work of Perkasa, all gone."

"And think, Greg, about this." Nick replied. The forced control he was exerting in his voice was obvious. "If you go in, and you get caught by some unfortunate mistake, you'll probably get taken to some room, and you know you will get tortured. You, who are such an old Las Vegas mob buff, know the lengths that they go through for answers. If you're strong enough to resist, they'll kill you. That's the good scenario. If not, you'll rat out Sara, and guarantee her death as well as yours." He saw the first hints of apprehension in Greg's face. It gave Nick more confidence. "And think. If you do get Perkasa from this escapade, he can afford the best attorneys. They'll find a loophole in all of this, using your involvement as an excuse, and let him walk away a free man, again. Then Ecklie will blame his escape on you, and then you'll get fired, and unable to help anyone anymore."

"Bu-but…" Greg had become paler, and he wracked his brain for words. "No. No, Nick, all this may be true, but I just can't sit back and watch as he gets closer to his prey. You know what, I am scared as hell, as far from believing that as you may be. I am definitely scared, but I know that someone has to put themselves in danger to protect Matthew and Gabriel Powell."

"Is this what it's all about?" Nick exploded, making Greg cringe at the harsh volume. "Greg, you know as well as I do that you cannot, as hard and painful as it may be sometimes, get this involved with the victims of a case. Besides building yourself up for a burnout, it just makes your outside perspective on a case unclear, and you start to make mistakes, like the one you're about to make now. I know you care about these kids…" He paused, and saw Greg's expression. It suddenly occurred to Nick that the reason he assumed Greg was doing this was only half the motivation. "…and you care about Sara."

Greg shuffled his feet. "She'd do the exact same thing. And I think that if I didn't promise her that I'd do something about it, she'd have done this already." He looked up in to Nick's face. "I'd rather get myself into trouble then see Sara get in danger."

It was Nick's turn to be at a loss for words. He knew that what Greg said was true. It was his and Greg's idea to talk Sara out of doing anything drastic during the drive to their next crime scene. He couldn't remember Greg giving details about it when they talked later, only that he had done what he was supposed to do. Now it was apparent Greg needed the talking to, not Sara.

"Look, whatever Sara did or did not say she was going to do, I don't think she'd have done this." Greg didn't reply and looked sullenly away, and it made Nick more stubborn. "Look, I'm going to tell Sara what you did. She needs to know." Greg finally looked at Nick, horrified. "Maybe she can talk some sense into you. Come on, you're coming with me into the lab, no matter how many hours it is until you're supposed to be back in. Get dressed."

"No way, mom." Greg snapped back, looking at Nick with a glare. "You promised that you wouldn't tell her. Besides, I'm tired, I've been up all night, and it's my day off."

Secretly, Nick would have never told Sara unless something went wrong with the plan, as they had first agreed, but seeing the hold it had on Greg, he kept the charade up. "It's obvious that I need to keep my eye on you, so if you don't come with me now, I will phone her from this very spot and tell her all about your plan. And listen, you may be able to outthink me, but you sure as hell can't overpower me physically. So I suggest you do as I say. Get ready, and I'll meet you here. You can sleep on the way."

Greg's obstinate streak started to flare. "You went along with my plan earlier! You just can't change your mind…" Nick didn't budge, but looked with intimidation upon him. With a sour expression, Greg turned and headed in the general direction of what Nick assumed to be his bedroom. Nick gave a triumphant smile, though he hated to treat Greg like that. It was for his own good though, and this was what Nick consoled himself with when he decided to grab his phone and call Sara, and explain his own disappearance earlier from the Powell house.

He only needed to wait a few seconds until he heard the familiar, yet noticeably irritated voice of Sara Sidle on the other line. "Nick, where were you too? It was mighty nice of you to leave me alone at the scene, ya genius."

"I know, Sara, I know. That was wrong of me. But I needed to check on something important."

There was a pause, and then, "Did you do what you were supposed to get done?" Sara inquired about what Nick had to do. He was relieved she didn't delve further into the subject.

"Yeah, I think it's taken care of now. Did you find anything at the Powell house?"

He could almost hear Sara smile on the other end. "I have Santosa Perkasa's motivation, in a neat little letter. I'm going to process it, see if there's anything interesting on it that trace can identify. Maybe a fingerprint is there. Alone, we can't link it to Perkasa, but hopefully we can find something, but that won't be for a while. In the meantime, I'll be at the hospital during my break, visiting Gabriel, so if you need me, that's where I'll be. You should come with me, actually. How far are you from the hospital?"

"Not too far. I'm bringing Greg as well."

"Greg?" Sara questioned. "Why are you doing that? I bet he's tired...you should leave him alone."

"Oh, no, Greg wants to come with us." Nick lied, looking towards the quiet apartment. He was starting to get worried at how long it was taking Greg to get ready. "…Sara? Give me a sec."

Nick started to walk down the hallway, and he looked into all of the rooms he passed. They were all empty. He came to the door at the end of the hallway, which was closed. Greg must have been in there. It was probably his bedroom; he probably just fell asleep on the bed. He had looked tired, as Sara had mentioned. "Greg?" Nick called, knocking on the door. "Are you in there? Are you ready now?" There was no reply. Nick called out the same thing, and still he got no reply, making Nick as agitated as he was before. "Greg, I'm going to knock the door down if you don't come on now!" Still there was no noise from within the room.

Nick grabbed the door handle, and cursed himself when he felt it turn smoothly beneath his palm. It hadn't been locked. Nick ran into the room, and his eyes popped upon finding Greg nowhere in sight. "Greg?" Nick called, now a little worried. Greg had come in here for sure, but where had he gone? There was no way that he vanished into thin air.

A warm Las Vegas breeze blew past Nick's bare arm, and he turned towards the open window. "Oh come on, there's no way…" Nick murmured to himself as he walked up to the port to outside, and pulled back the drapes. However, Nick's fears were realized as, when he looked down, he saw a large piece of rope, from Greg's climbing days, hanging down from the window like a large tongue, licking the ground as it blew in the breeze. Greg was on the loose.

"Son of a bitch!" Nick roared, as he grabbed up his stuff and raced to get out of the apartment and after Greg.

"…Nick? Nick?!" Sara's faint voice could be heard from his phone as he ran full tilt towards the door. "What's happening? What's wrong?"

"Oh crap!" Nick said to himself as he grabbed up his phone and put it to his ear. "Sara! Sara, something really bad is happening. Greg's going to go and do something stupid." He cursed himself again. He really hadn't planned on telling Sara, because of Greg's own wishes, and his well founded thoughts that, if Sara got wind of the idea, she would also pull something foolhardy.

"…What kind of stupid?" Sara's asked.

"'Get himself killed', kind of stupid." Nick said, still racing out of the apartment towards his vehicle. The feeling in the pit of Nick's stomach told him that something was going to go wrong with Greg's plan tonight. He had to tell Sara. He sighed in resignation. "Sara, I'll meet you at the hospital. We have to come up with a plan of action."


"So what you're saying is," Sara repeated Nick's words to make sure she had heard him right, "that Greg went to Santosa Perkasa's casino, to a special place where a bunch of thugs gather to try and get on his good side and earn money, and he tried to act like a spy? What a moron!" She cried with vexation. "He's going to get himself fired, or worse, killed! What possessed him to do that?"

"I don't know." Nick said. The two of them were sat across from each other in the hallway just outside of Gabriel Powell's room, waiting for the doctor to come out from his check-up. Ever since the attack on Matthew, an officer was placed outside the room at all times, but since Nick and Sara had come, he was off getting coffee, leaving them time to talk. Nick looked at Sara, who was sitting forward in her chair with her elbows resting on her knees and her eyes staring straight ahead of her. He knew that she was hiding her concern for Greg behind her anger, and he himself was feeling the weighted pressure of Greg's perilous position. "Listen, Sara…" He started, suddenly finding his shirt collar a bit too tight, "He's doing it for Mathew and Gabriel."

"So he says." Sara growled, rising off her elbows. "Why does he always do this? He has no thought for his own well-being, he's reckless, pig-headed, and entirely too righteous. He's going to get himself into trouble, and we're going to have to help him out of it." She sank back down, leaning her elbows on her knees once more.

Nick didn't know what else to say. She was entirely right, of course. Greg had good intentions, but his youthful naivety always got him in trouble. Greg was also right, however, in thinking that Sara would have done the same thing, had it occurred to her. Nick was stuck between two very stubborn, passionate people, at a loss to help either of them.

Sara heaved a sigh. "Where do you think he's to?"

"Probably hiding from me." Nick replied. "And Las Vegas is a really good hiding place. He'll try to avoid me until tonight, when he goes to Perkasa's. Sara, I should really go and start to look for him…"

"Don't bother." Sara said. "Just leave him." Nick looked at her. Her voice and expression held an eloquent pleading, and he listened intently. "He won't stop until he helps us. Greg is so stubborn. And if you can't beat him, join him. Can't we just stay there as back-up, the three of us, and work together? I'm sure that if we did, Greg would be fine, for another night."

During her speech, Nick started to frown. "Are you saying that in Greg's best interest, or your own?"

Sara looked up at him in return, her face screaming of horror and indignation. "How can you say that?" She whispered. "I love Greg, and if anything happened to him I'd never be able to forgive myself. He's gone there for me, to make sure I wouldn't do something foolish. I'll be honest; I had planned to do something like this until Greg promised me that to hold back. He said he'd take care of it. And now that Greg's gone and done the same thing, I realize how stressful it is for everyone involved. And I also know that he'll never leave on his own free will unless we restrain him. Since we can't do that now, we have to guide and help him, one last night. Now, will you help me…us, protect those kids?"

Nick was silent, thinking over the proposal. There was nothing else that they could do. However, how could he justify the danger, the trouble they could get in, if something went wrong? How could he leave two of his best friends in the lurch? How would he even decide what to do?

Before he could begin to reply, he heard a noise to his immediate right, and he turned his head to see the doctor come out of the room. "How is Gabriel today?" Sara asked, looking up at the doctor as well.

"Better than yesterday." The doctor replied. "He'll be completely healed in no time, and able to go with child services to be with his brother. You can see him now, Ms. Sidle, if you wish."

"Thank you." Sara replied, and stood up as the doctor walked on down the hallway.

She looked to Nick, who also rose from his seat. "So," Nick began, looking to her, "The doctor knows you by name now?"

Sara gave him one of her 'looks' and he smirked, making her smile. She entered the quiet, white and lonely room first, with Nick following her. She walked up to the familiar bed, and smiled at the little boy who by now recognized her, and held up his arms towards her. His neck was still wrapped with bandages, protecting it from his own picky, curious hands, and from infection, but all of the wires and tubes that had at one point been taped and inserted in all parts of his body were now removed. He looked so much better now, then when Sara first found him.

"Hey Gabriel." It was not Sara who spoke, but Nick who talked so gently to the boy, and slowly, he picked him up, out of Sara's arms, and into his own. "Hey. How are you doing, little guy?" Nick started to stick out his tongue at Gabriel, and he started to laugh, which intensified Nick's own smile. "He's beautiful, Sara."

"I know." Sara said, as Nick handed Gabriel back to her. She smiled too, as Gabriel looked curiously between the two of them, trying to decide who he wanted to be up with more. "And I hate to think of what may happen to either him or his brother Matthew if we don't do something to stop Perkasa."

"Sara, we are forensic scientists, not detectives." Nick fought, but weakly. His resolve was fading with every glance he took of the child.

"No, we aren't, but it hasn't stopped us before when there was a lot at stake." Sara said, and he knew immediately that she was talking about his own kidnapping. They may have used forensic evidence, but they weren't confined to the lab when one of their own was on the line. All of them tended to twist the rules…and now would be one of those times.

Nick sighed. "Where do we start?"


Here is the usual asking of critiques, reviews, and the wishes of, 'Hope you enjoy.' And, for those unfortunate sould such as myself, hope your return to school is an enjoyable one:) I kinda doubt it will though, if your principal is anything like mine...