A/N: Another story I started while in training.

Blindsided

05:43 a.m.

Shelby's Steakhouse

Captain Jim Brass sighed in relief as the Las Vegas Crime Scene Investigators finally arrived at the scene. "It took you long enough."

"Had to finish up a DB on Carson Street." Grissom said ignoring his friend's sour mood.

"Well, now you've got another dead body and the crowd is starting to get out of hand." He said gesturing over his shoulder to the group of people testing the limits of the police tape.

"What? Are they waiting for good seats? Don't these people ever sleep?" Irritation apparent in Nick's voice.

"You know what they say…" Sara started.

"Well Sara, you have a captive audience. What do they say?" Grissom questioned with an amused raised eyebrow when she made no move to complete her sentence.

"A good steak is worth the wait?"

"State your source." Grissom challenged.

"Warrick Brown, CSI Level Three." Sara said shrugging with a smirk.

Grissom smiled.

Brass cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"There's a dead guy in there that's dying to meet you all."

Grissom went into business mode. "Okay, Jim. What have we got so far?"

"The store's owner got here about five o'clock this morning and found…" He paused to consult his notepad. "…one Mark Costa, with the largest steak knife I've ever seen in my life in his back."

"There's a certain irony to this." Nick commented.

"Okay. Nicky, talk to the owner then start canvassing and photographing out here. You'll have plenty of light in about a half hour." Grissom signaled to the sky with his hand. "Sara, come with me inside."

Grissom and Sara worked companionably, processing the scene.

"You know what he problem is here, Sara?" Grissom said looking around.

Sara studied the large dining area where the body had been found. "There's not enough blood. This isn't the scene of the crime -he was moved here." She finished triumphantly with a smile.

"Very good."

"I think I found something!" Sara called out to her supervisor.

"What do you see?" Grissom asked as he made his way down the stairs, through a maze of halls and into a cold storage room of some sort Sara had wandered into. Spotting her quickly, he hunkered over next to her. "What do we have here?"

He was so close. Sara could feel his breathe on the back of neck. An involuntary shiver went down her spine. She turned her head slightly, his face on centimeters from her own.

"I-um. I think I found it."

"Okay. Sara what have you found?" His breathe tickled her face with each word.

She felt a blush slowly move over her face. He was doing it again. He was openly flirting with her.

"I found the original scene of the crime."

"Yes. Yes, you have." Giving her a genuine Grissom smile that she hadn't seen in months.

"Sara…" He started as he stood then held out his hand to assist her doing the same, "Why don't you go suit up? It's going to get pretty chilly in there."

"Okay, but I don't think it's going to be a problem for me." She murmured then quickly exited.

Grissom smiled stepping out the storage room and began a search of the immediate area. The basement also held an office. He pushed the door open cautiously and swept his flashlight around the room. He moved further into the room as something on the desk caught his eye. The hairs on his neck began to bristle as recognition set in. He gasped out loud as he read the digital display of an explosive device sitting in plain view on a desk:

00:16

Dropping the flashlight, he broke into a dead run, knowing in the back of his mind that he would never make it upstairs and out before time ran out. He didn't even know if there was a back door!

"Fire in the hole! Sara! Sara, get out of here! There's a bomb!" He yelled as he tried desperately to remember the direction from which he came. In his mind's eye, he could see the timer ticking down. "There's a bomb down here! Sara get out!"

He almost wept in relief when he found the cold storage room. It wouldn't save him completely from the blast but at least it was somewhat of a shield. No sooner than he slammed the door closed, the bomb exploded.

Upstairs…

Sara stepped gingerly around the body as she replayed the last few minutes in her head. Yeah, he was definitely flirting with her. Since he returned from his mystery vacation, he seemed to be the aggressor - if you can call it aggressive, in this dance they had begun over ten years ago. She tried to get over him during his absence but it was not to be. Just seeing him still got her flustered.

"Maybe, in another ten years, he'll actually kiss me." She mused out loud.

"Huh?" An unfamiliar voice answered her.

Sara looked up to find one of the cops there to secure the scene. She forgot she wasn't alone. "Oh, uh- nothing."

She was to the back door when she thought she heard her name. She turned and strained to hear. No maybe it wasn't. Then she heard three words she was sure would be her last.

Grissom's panicked voice yelled "BOMB! SARA…OUT!" She never got a chance to respond.

Outside…

Brass was interviewing the owner of the restaurant with Nick when the building exploded. The unexpected force of air, heat and debris, left no one time to react. Jim shielded his face as the ground came rushing up to meet him.

Minutes later, he looked up to survey the damage. Surprisingly, Shelby's Steakhouse was still standing, although it seemed to be gutted completely. There was an eerie silence that was deafening. Then all hell broke loose.

Bystanders, who caught some of the flying debris started panicking and screaming. People yelling and getting sick. Some dead. Officers down. The restaurant owner dead.

Nick, thrown from the blast, lay stunned, not more than a few feet from him.

"Hey kid? You okay?" Brass called out, moving to the younger man.

Nick turned over onto his back, and then opened his eyes. When understanding dawned on him, he jumped to his feet.

"Oh my God! Sara! Grissom!" He said taking off towards the new crime scene.

Brass ran to follow, pulling out his cell phone to call in the disaster. He signaled to two officers to hold Nick back while he finished his calls.

"Nick, I'm sorry. You can't go in there."

Nick didn't respond as he continued to struggle with the officers, obviously in shock.

"They could still be alive in there. They could-"

The front section of the remains of the building collapsed inward, cutting off whatever words of hope he had. Brass steppe back as Nick promptly lost his lunch.

Bellagio Hotel and Casino…

"Brown." Warrick answered, pulling off his latex gloves to answer his cell phone. He quickly ended his call with Judy the receptionist and speed dialed Catherine.

"Willows." Catherine answered sleepily.

"Cath, it's Warrick."

"Warrick, this better be good. You know-"

"Cath, there's been an accident at a crime scene."

Catherine bolted up in her bed, already looking around for her clothes.

"What happened? Is anyone hurt? What crime scene?"

"Griss, Sara and Nick had a DB at some steakhouse in Henderson."

"So, who go hurt?" She asked again, impatiently.

Suddenly the gravity of the situation hit Warrick full force and he gasped out loud.

"Warrick?" Catherine asked slowly and very afraid of the answer. "Who was hurt?"

"I don't know. Judy said the building exploded."

"Oh my God!"

"I'm on my way to pick you up Cath, okay."

"Okay."