Disclaimers in Ch. 1/2
~*~
"Danny Robbins. 25 year old male. Advertising executive from San Francisco," Brass told them.
"What was he doing in Las Vegas?" Nick asked, pulling on his latex gloves.
"Good question. I tried calling the company. No one's in."
"Hmm, death...looks like it was by the bullet in his head." Grissom observed.
A cell phone rang and the three men reached into their pockets.
"It's mine," Brass said. "What? Yes, yes, we've found him. Ok, we need someone down here to confirm. Yea, ok. Uhh, I'll send someone up," Brass said, before hanging up.
"Ok, Danny Robbins has been missing for a week now. He was supposed to stop in Las Vegas for a meeting. He made the meeting, never made it to the airport,"
"Well, we're right by some casinos," Nick said, taking a look around. "You think he could've stopped to play some?"
"Maybe...Grissom, want to send some of your guys up to San Francisco, to check out the scene and talk to..."
"Yea, uhh...I'll send Warrick and Catherine,"
"Warrick and Catherine are working on their case," Nick reminded him.
"Right, uhh...I'll go," Grissom volunteered.
"Why can't I go?" Nick asked.
"Are you sure? I mean, you just got back..." Grissom said.
"It's fine. In fact, I want to go,"
Grissom looked at him hesitantly. "All right, you can go. Just, try to, be careful?" Grissom said.
"No problem..."
~*~
"Nice meeting you, Mr. Stokes," CSI Officer Jack Quincy said, waving.
"Come down to Vegas sometime," I said.
"Only if there's murder..." Jack said, chuckling as he got into his Tahoe.
Although I was supposed to head back to catch his flight to Vegas, I turned on the ignition and started the car. I had one more stop to make.
~*~
'Here I am.' I thought, as I pulled up in front of the house I recognized from visiting it with Sara, the last time I had been in San Francisco. Stepping out of my tahoe, I walked up the stairs to the front door and rang the doorbell.
"Yes? May I help you?" a woman asked? This woman wasn't Sara or her mother.
"Uhh, yes. Is Sara here?" I asked, gulping.
She took a good look at me before answering my question.
"No, she's out. Who are you?" she asked, pressing her face closer to study me.
"Umm, I'm an old friend. DO you know where she is?"
"She's at dinner. TUlio's, on Mission and 5th," she said. I thanked her, and drove to Mission and 5th.
~*~
Tulio's is a fancy resturant. Italian food, and I knew Sara had a thing for Italian. Parking my car, I walked inside the resturant, hoping to find her waiting there for me. Searching the room, I finally found her.
Her chesnut hair, I recognized almost instantly. BUt it was the famous smile that caught my eye. I turned my attention on the man sitting across from her. They were laughing and drinking wine. Anger bubbled inside of me. No, not answer. Saddness.
Feeling defeated, I turned on my heel and walked out of the resturant.
~*~
"Hi Sara, sweetie. Did you and Eric have a good time,"
"Oh, it was wonderful. I've really missed him,"
"He's been your best friend since the 1st grade, of course you've missed him,"
"I was really looking forward to seeing Melissa and the kids, but, they couldn't go,"
"That's really a shame. Say, did your friend find you?"
"My friend? Which friend is that?" Sara asked, grinning.
"Umm, Aunt Barbara said he had a Texan accent. She said he was handsome..." he said, shrugging.
"Was it Nick? Did she say what his name was?" Sara asked, panicked.
"Didn't asked. He didn't give it either,"
~*~
"Flight 228, final boarding to Las Vegas! FLight 228, final boarding to Las Vegas!" the announced called.
Clutching his boarding pass, Nick headed towards the gate.
~*~
"Come on! GO! Go! Faster!" Sara urged.
Traffic was really causing the delay. She was almost there, just 5 more minutes.
~*~
Nick stood at the end of the line. Looking at his watch, he was amused to see that the flight would be leaving in 2 minutes. 'Not with this line, that plane isn't going anywhere,'
~*~
Sara waited for the elevator. 5, 6, 7..no! 'Go down...', 8...
Feeling as though she was on a time limit, Sara found herself racing down the stairs.
She finally reached the first floor and ran to check the gates and times.
'Flight 228, to Las Vegas, gate 75," she read aloud, before racing to gate 75.
~*~
Nick handed his boarding pass to the flight attendent who smiled at him good-naturedly.
"Thank you, enjoy your flight, sir," she said smiling.
"NICK! WAIT!" Sara yelled as she ran towards Gate 75.
Nick turned around and his heart ached, just hearing the voice he had wanted so desperately to hear.
"Sara?" he asked to no one, unable to speak.
Nick stepped out of the line and found himself face-to-face with Sara Sidle.
"Hi Nicky," she said, beaming.
"Sara...how did you, how did you know I was here?"
"Where else would you be?"
"Excuse me, sir, the flight will be leaving in 2 minutes..." the flight attendent said.
"Ok, hold on...I have a plane to catch,"
"I know. I just, wanted to see you," Sara said, suddenly feeling very stupid for coming to the airport.
"Well, I'm glad I got to see you. I have to go..."
"Stay," Sara pleaded.
Nick looked at Sara in amazement.
"I can't. I have work...and, I have to put this behind me,"
"Put what behind you? This relationship, this incident, me?" Sara asked, barely above a whisper.
"Yes. In New York, you didn't want to see me. That hurt, so much. Almost as much as when you didn't accept my proposal,"
"Nick..." Sara said, her eyes filling up with tears.
"Sara," Nick said, silencing her, as he cupper her cheek with his hand. "I need, to think. I need to move on, to find myself again. Can you understand that?"
Sara nodded, the tears slowly making it's way down.
"Sir, we are leaving, now!" The flight attendent said with presistence.
"I love you," Nick said, ignoring her, "I always will."
Without waiting for Sara's response, he turned and boarded the plane.
'Saying goodbye
Is never an easy thing
But you never said
That you´d stay forever.
So if you must go,
Oh! darling I set you free,
But I know in time
That we´ll be together.'
Sara watched him disappear behind the gate, the tears overflowing her face.
'I won´t try
To stop you now from leaving
'Cause in my heart I know
Love will lead you back,
Someday I just know that
Love will lead you back to my arms,
Where you belong.
I´m sure, sure as stars are shining
One day you will find me again, it won´t be long,
One of these days our love will lead you back.'
Nick stopped before actually boarding the plane. He stopped and thought. Making up his mind, he stepped onto the platform.
'One of these nights,
Ooh! I´ll hear your voice again,
You´re gonna say,
Ooh! how much you missed me.
You´ll walk out this door,
But someday you´ll walk back in,
And darling I know ooh!
I know this will be.'
'Sometimes it takes,
Sometime you on your own now
To find your way back home...'
Sara sits quietly, crying, in her car.
Love will lead you back,
Someday I just know that
Love will lead you back to my arms,
Where you belong.
I´m sure, sure as stars are shining
One day you will find me again, it won´t be long,
One of these days our love will lead you back.
Nick sits on the plane. "This is flight 228 to Las Vegas. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight,"
Love will lead you back,
Someday I just know that
Love will lead you back to my arms,
Where you belong.
I´m sure, sure as stars are shining
One day you will find me again, it won´t be long,
One of these days our love will lead you back.
"Love Will Lead You Back" ~ Taylor Dayne
~*~
~*~
"Danny Robbins. 25 year old male. Advertising executive from San Francisco," Brass told them.
"What was he doing in Las Vegas?" Nick asked, pulling on his latex gloves.
"Good question. I tried calling the company. No one's in."
"Hmm, death...looks like it was by the bullet in his head." Grissom observed.
A cell phone rang and the three men reached into their pockets.
"It's mine," Brass said. "What? Yes, yes, we've found him. Ok, we need someone down here to confirm. Yea, ok. Uhh, I'll send someone up," Brass said, before hanging up.
"Ok, Danny Robbins has been missing for a week now. He was supposed to stop in Las Vegas for a meeting. He made the meeting, never made it to the airport,"
"Well, we're right by some casinos," Nick said, taking a look around. "You think he could've stopped to play some?"
"Maybe...Grissom, want to send some of your guys up to San Francisco, to check out the scene and talk to..."
"Yea, uhh...I'll send Warrick and Catherine,"
"Warrick and Catherine are working on their case," Nick reminded him.
"Right, uhh...I'll go," Grissom volunteered.
"Why can't I go?" Nick asked.
"Are you sure? I mean, you just got back..." Grissom said.
"It's fine. In fact, I want to go,"
Grissom looked at him hesitantly. "All right, you can go. Just, try to, be careful?" Grissom said.
"No problem..."
~*~
"Nice meeting you, Mr. Stokes," CSI Officer Jack Quincy said, waving.
"Come down to Vegas sometime," I said.
"Only if there's murder..." Jack said, chuckling as he got into his Tahoe.
Although I was supposed to head back to catch his flight to Vegas, I turned on the ignition and started the car. I had one more stop to make.
~*~
'Here I am.' I thought, as I pulled up in front of the house I recognized from visiting it with Sara, the last time I had been in San Francisco. Stepping out of my tahoe, I walked up the stairs to the front door and rang the doorbell.
"Yes? May I help you?" a woman asked? This woman wasn't Sara or her mother.
"Uhh, yes. Is Sara here?" I asked, gulping.
She took a good look at me before answering my question.
"No, she's out. Who are you?" she asked, pressing her face closer to study me.
"Umm, I'm an old friend. DO you know where she is?"
"She's at dinner. TUlio's, on Mission and 5th," she said. I thanked her, and drove to Mission and 5th.
~*~
Tulio's is a fancy resturant. Italian food, and I knew Sara had a thing for Italian. Parking my car, I walked inside the resturant, hoping to find her waiting there for me. Searching the room, I finally found her.
Her chesnut hair, I recognized almost instantly. BUt it was the famous smile that caught my eye. I turned my attention on the man sitting across from her. They were laughing and drinking wine. Anger bubbled inside of me. No, not answer. Saddness.
Feeling defeated, I turned on my heel and walked out of the resturant.
~*~
"Hi Sara, sweetie. Did you and Eric have a good time,"
"Oh, it was wonderful. I've really missed him,"
"He's been your best friend since the 1st grade, of course you've missed him,"
"I was really looking forward to seeing Melissa and the kids, but, they couldn't go,"
"That's really a shame. Say, did your friend find you?"
"My friend? Which friend is that?" Sara asked, grinning.
"Umm, Aunt Barbara said he had a Texan accent. She said he was handsome..." he said, shrugging.
"Was it Nick? Did she say what his name was?" Sara asked, panicked.
"Didn't asked. He didn't give it either,"
~*~
"Flight 228, final boarding to Las Vegas! FLight 228, final boarding to Las Vegas!" the announced called.
Clutching his boarding pass, Nick headed towards the gate.
~*~
"Come on! GO! Go! Faster!" Sara urged.
Traffic was really causing the delay. She was almost there, just 5 more minutes.
~*~
Nick stood at the end of the line. Looking at his watch, he was amused to see that the flight would be leaving in 2 minutes. 'Not with this line, that plane isn't going anywhere,'
~*~
Sara waited for the elevator. 5, 6, 7..no! 'Go down...', 8...
Feeling as though she was on a time limit, Sara found herself racing down the stairs.
She finally reached the first floor and ran to check the gates and times.
'Flight 228, to Las Vegas, gate 75," she read aloud, before racing to gate 75.
~*~
Nick handed his boarding pass to the flight attendent who smiled at him good-naturedly.
"Thank you, enjoy your flight, sir," she said smiling.
"NICK! WAIT!" Sara yelled as she ran towards Gate 75.
Nick turned around and his heart ached, just hearing the voice he had wanted so desperately to hear.
"Sara?" he asked to no one, unable to speak.
Nick stepped out of the line and found himself face-to-face with Sara Sidle.
"Hi Nicky," she said, beaming.
"Sara...how did you, how did you know I was here?"
"Where else would you be?"
"Excuse me, sir, the flight will be leaving in 2 minutes..." the flight attendent said.
"Ok, hold on...I have a plane to catch,"
"I know. I just, wanted to see you," Sara said, suddenly feeling very stupid for coming to the airport.
"Well, I'm glad I got to see you. I have to go..."
"Stay," Sara pleaded.
Nick looked at Sara in amazement.
"I can't. I have work...and, I have to put this behind me,"
"Put what behind you? This relationship, this incident, me?" Sara asked, barely above a whisper.
"Yes. In New York, you didn't want to see me. That hurt, so much. Almost as much as when you didn't accept my proposal,"
"Nick..." Sara said, her eyes filling up with tears.
"Sara," Nick said, silencing her, as he cupper her cheek with his hand. "I need, to think. I need to move on, to find myself again. Can you understand that?"
Sara nodded, the tears slowly making it's way down.
"Sir, we are leaving, now!" The flight attendent said with presistence.
"I love you," Nick said, ignoring her, "I always will."
Without waiting for Sara's response, he turned and boarded the plane.
'Saying goodbye
Is never an easy thing
But you never said
That you´d stay forever.
So if you must go,
Oh! darling I set you free,
But I know in time
That we´ll be together.'
Sara watched him disappear behind the gate, the tears overflowing her face.
'I won´t try
To stop you now from leaving
'Cause in my heart I know
Love will lead you back,
Someday I just know that
Love will lead you back to my arms,
Where you belong.
I´m sure, sure as stars are shining
One day you will find me again, it won´t be long,
One of these days our love will lead you back.'
Nick stopped before actually boarding the plane. He stopped and thought. Making up his mind, he stepped onto the platform.
'One of these nights,
Ooh! I´ll hear your voice again,
You´re gonna say,
Ooh! how much you missed me.
You´ll walk out this door,
But someday you´ll walk back in,
And darling I know ooh!
I know this will be.'
'Sometimes it takes,
Sometime you on your own now
To find your way back home...'
Sara sits quietly, crying, in her car.
Love will lead you back,
Someday I just know that
Love will lead you back to my arms,
Where you belong.
I´m sure, sure as stars are shining
One day you will find me again, it won´t be long,
One of these days our love will lead you back.
Nick sits on the plane. "This is flight 228 to Las Vegas. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight,"
Love will lead you back,
Someday I just know that
Love will lead you back to my arms,
Where you belong.
I´m sure, sure as stars are shining
One day you will find me again, it won´t be long,
One of these days our love will lead you back.
"Love Will Lead You Back" ~ Taylor Dayne
~*~