A/N: Most of you said the same thing... I am mean. Yes I know I am... lol. Some of you asked if Tara killed Dave to get Sara out to a crime scene. Not quite. Chapter Eleven everything should come out.
Chapter Nine: One of their Own
"NICK!!!!"
He could hear Grissom yelling through his phone that had taken up residence on Stacy Williams' floor.
"Are you ok?" Stacy asked. Nick managed to nod.
"Look another CSI is being placed on the case. He'll be here in fifteen minutes tops. Don't touch anything." He said, bending down to pick up his cell phone and brushed pass Stacy to the exit. Sara, the love of his life was missing. She was supposed to be with Catherine on the case. How did she go missing? A million questions flooded Nick's mind as he walked to his Tahoe. Ecklie pulled up and for once in his life, Nick could see he was sympathetic.
"Hey Stokes... sorry about Sara." He said.
"Thanks Ecklie." Nick muttered, starting his truck up. He speeded off to the lab, where everyone was in the break room.
"Nicky!" Catherine exclaimed, as he walked into the room. She had a nasty bruise forming on her forehead.
"What happened?" he asked, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.
"We were working on the DB at the motel and someone hit me really hard on the head, I went unconscious and when I woke up Sara was gone." Catherine replied, tears stinging her eyes. She knew how terrible Nick must have felt, thinking she was the one that was spying on them.
"Who was there with you?"
"I was." Brass said.
"You didn't see someone going up into the room?" Nick yelled.
"Nicky..." Grissom started.
"First... I want you to know that me and Sara talked before we went to the scene and she asked me I was the one spying for Tara and I swear on Lindsey Nick, that I would never do that to you two." Catherine interrupted. Warrick and Greg stayed quiet. Nick collapsed into a chair. Grissom started talking but Nick could barely hear what he was saying. It was like reliving when Holly Gribbs was shot, except this time it hurt really bad. It was Sara. Sure Holly was part of the team but she had only been new. Catherine blamed herself, Brass blamed himself, Warrick took it the hardest, he was supposed to shadow her and he left to gamble. Nick remembered when he was paged with the news that Holly died. It had hurt. It was odd to explain but Grissom, Nick, Catherine, Warrick, Greg, Brass, Doc; they're all a team and Holly became a part of that team quickly. Nick had only talked to her for a few minutes before he went off on his work. Then Holly faded from his mind and memories of Sara entered it. The first time Nick had seen her. He was dropping dummies off a roof for Grissom and he had leaned over the roof and saw her standing with Grissom. Numerous cases they had worked on together where they'd joke around. Their first date; they had gone to the movies and Nick had gotten gum stuck in his hair from a kid sitting behind him. Sara laughed at him the whole night. The night Nick proposed; their wedding. By then Nick was crying silently and hid his head in his hands. Nick felt someone's arm go around him, hoping it was Sara he looked up but found Catherine and he just cried in her arms. She comforted him, well tried to at least. Finally shift was over and one by one they all left the break room but Nick stayed. He couldn't go home. Everything would remind him of Sara.
"Nick..."
Nick didn't move. Whoever it was sighed and sat down in front of Nick. It was Warrick.
"Man I know you feel terrible right now but sitting here is not going to change anything." He said.
"Warrick... you don't understand." Nick said.
"Yeah I do. I feel like its Holly all over again." He said.
"Funny... I was thinking the same thing." Nick muttered.
"Yeah well one thing's different." Warrick said.
"What's that?" Nick asked.
"Holly died. Sara's not going to. She's strong Nick. She's not going to let anyone push her around. Hell, she doesn't let us push her around." Warrick replied. Nick let out a chuckle.
"I'm going for a walk." He said, standing up.
"Alright." Warrick nodded and Nick left the room. He surprisingly found himself at Grissom's office. The door was wide open but Griss wasn't in there. Nick shrugged and walked in. What surprised Nick even more was that there was a book opened up on Grissom's desk. He walked over and saw it was a photo album. Nick smiled. All these pictures were from CSI softball game from the past spring. As usual the night shift beat the day shift. Nick sighed as he settled down in Grissom's chair, turning to the first page of the album. The very first page was a picture of the whole night shift. Nick, Warrick, and Greg in the back, Catherine and Sara in front of them and Grissom... well Grissom was taking the picture so it wasn't the whole night shift. The next picture was Nick and Warrick dumping a cooler filled with ice on Grissom's head. Catherine had taken that picture. Next was a picture of Greg on one knee in front of Sara with a rose in hand. Nick laughed at the memory. That had been the day he had proposed to Sara and Greg had found out that Nick was going to propose and figured he'd give it one last shot to get Sara. Greg somehow found a rose and asked Sara to marry him. She politely refused and that night she had said yes to Nick. A few more pages was a picture of Nick with Sara on his shoulders. Another one was Grissom looking at a bug. Sara had snagged a camera for that one.
"Having fun?" Grissom asked. Nick looked up.
"Oh hey. Sorry. I was walking by and saw the album out." He said, shutting the book and standing up.
"Don't be sorry. You're allowed to look at it." Grissom smiled. "We're pulling a double today. You, Cath, and Warrick are going to go back to the motel and look for prints to see who took Sara. Greg will be here to analyze and I'll be here for assistance. Afterwards we'll go and find her."
"Thanks Gil. Really. Thank you." Nick said.
"Don't thank me." He said. "Thank Catherine."
Nick smiled and walked out of Grissom's office. He found Catherine and hugged her.
"What's this for?" she asked.
"Grissom told me you were the one who made us pull a double to find Sara." Nick replied, still hugging her.
"Nicky do you think we'd let her stay out there with some mad man? Or woman in your case." Catherine said. "I know who Tara's spy is."
"It's not you is it?" Nick joked, pulling away. Catherine smiled.
"No but she does work here. I found your watch as well." She said.
"Mandy." Nick said. Catherine nodded.
"You want to talk to her?" she asked.
"Be there with me?"
"Always." Catherine said and she and Nick went to find Mandy.
"Hey! What's up?" she asked when they found her.
"More like where's Sara." Catherine replied.
"Huh? Oh I heard about Sara. I'm sorry Nick." Mandy said.
"Mandy can we talk to you for a few minutes?" Catherine asked. She nodded and they went to the interrogation room.
"Do you know Tara Matthews?" Catherine asked. Mandy shook her head a nervous looked plastered on her face.
"Mandy, I wouldn't lie if I were you because it's costing you you're job." Catherine said.
"Fine. Tara is my brother's fiancée. When she found out that I worked with Sara she wanted me to spy on her. Something about getting back at her for something." Mandy started.
"Taking Dave from Alicia." Nick said.
"At first I said no. Sara and I got along and I didn't want do jeopardize that. But then money came into it. $200,000 if I got a picture of the man she was in love with. Everyone thought it was Grissom. I told Tara and she was disgusted. When you and Sara stared going out Nick, I didn't tell Tara. It was over. No more going behind all of you and spying on Sara. Somehow she found out about you and blackmailed me into to spying on Nick. I agreed... but only to find out tidbits about you. Then it turned into your secrets. Your babysitter when you were nine, Kristy Hopkins, Nigel Crane stalking you. When you and Sara got engaged Tara was ecstatic. She wanted me to figure out everything about you. Everyone heard about you guys going to Orlando and she attacked me until I told her. The day you and Sara left Vegas she left too to meet you guys down in Orlando as a coincidence. Tara phoned her cousin, Dave Edwards to meet her down there. His wife, Alicia and the kid Brandon would come along as well but you guys wouldn't find out about Alicia and Brandon would act as Tara's son. No one ever knew Tara and Dave were cousins so it worked out perfectly. That was all I knew. I didn't know that they knew where you guys were going. Call Dave he knows everything." Mandy finished.
"That's going to be a little hard." Catherine said. Nick looked at her questioningly.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Dave Edwards was the dead body at the Three Aces Motel." Catherine replied. "Sara freaked out when Brass told her his name. Mandy did you have any interaction with Dave at all?"
"No. All I know is that he and Tara were cousins and I overheard her phone call last week when they planned this whole thing." She replied.
"What about my apartment?" Nick suddenly asked. Mandy took the watch off her wrist and handed it to him.
"It's yours." She muttered.
"Yeah I noticed. She had you break into my apartment?" Nick said. Mandy nodded.
"She wanted something of yours and when I went there I heard Catherine in the hallway and I grabbed the watch off the counter. I ran out of your apartment and went the opposite way. Catherine didn't know I was there. I did get it fixed though. I didn't want Tara to think I was slacking." She explained.
"Mandy you're going to jail for breaking and entering, stealing, and stalking." Catherine said.
"I didn't stalk them!" Mandy exclaimed.
"Oh really? Going to my apartment when I'm on my honeymoon to get God only knows what just so your sister-in-law's pleased with you, listening in on private conversations. Yeah I'd call that stalking Mandy." Nick said.
"Where's Sara?" Catherine asked.
"I don't know!" Mandy said. "You don't even know that it was Tara that kidnapped her!"
"Well we'll find out whether she did or not. As for Dave Edwards, why was he in Las Vegas?" Nick said.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Mandy yelled. "I don't know anything about him!"
"I'm getting the officer outside. Mandy you're under arrest." Catherine sighed. "Nicky page Grissom."
Five minutes later Grissom entered the room.
"Mandy."
"Mr. Grissom."
"Gil she's the spy." Catherine explained. "She confessed everything."
"Does she know where Sara is?" Grissom asked.
"Look, don't talk like I'm not in the room." Mandy snapped.
"Ok. Mandy do you know where Sara is?" Grissom asked.
"No. Like I told Catherine and Nick I only did the spying. I don't know why Dave Edwards is dead or who killed him and I don't know who kidnapped Sara or where she is." Mandy answered. Grissom motioned for the officer to handcuff her and he escorted her out.
"Where's Warrick?" Nick asked.
"At the motel looking for evidence. Cath that bruise looks nasty." Grissom replied.
"Tell me about it. I put some ice on it but no good." Catherine sighed. "I guess we should get over to the crime scene."
"Yeah." Nick said, standing up. "The faster we work the sooner Sara's back."
"Right. Let's go." Catherine said and she and Nick left the room.
(Sara)
Sara sat up, rubbing her head in the process.
"I was wondering when you were going to get up." A voice said. Sara looked around but all she saw was dark. A figure step out and Sara saw the grinning face of Tara Matthews.
