Author's Notes: So this is it, hope it isn't too anticlimactic--thank you very much to everyone that reviewed. This story was actually one of the very first CSI fics I started, though the last so far that I've finished, and there are a lot of things I would change if I were only starting it now, so the support is appreciated.

The front door had been unlocked. They didn't have a warrant, but when they heard a dull thud sound from inside, they had probable cause. Grissom and Catherine were pushed behind Brass and his men, who charged the foyer with their guns in front of them.

Catherine had her gun out as well, looking very much as though she'd love to use it. Reluctantly, Grissom followed her example. They heard a voice, and Brass ran in front of them into the kitchen. A door to a pantry was open, and through it, they could see Nick on his knees. Landers stood behind him, his fists so tight around the rope that blood was seeping into the threads around his fingers, and his concentration was so focused he had not even heard them come in.

Grissom was yelling before the scene had entirely registered, and though he wasn't sure what he had said, it caused Landers to let go of the rope and step back in shock. Nick stood suspended for a moment, his eyes clouded with shock, before he fell.

"Hands in the air," Brass demanded, reaching forward to grab Landers by the collar and pull him from the closet before he'd even had a chance to do as he'd been told. Grissom and Catherine ran to Nick, and Vega called for an ambulance.

Brass passed Landers off to Vega, who cuffed him quickly, reading him his rights with acid in his voice. Brass's eyes flickered back to the three CSIs. They'd turned Nick onto his back. He was pale, but not all of the color had gone, and Brass was hoping that meant he would be alright. He turned to glare at Landers. "You'd better hope that kid isn't dead," he snapped.

Landers looked like he was in shock himself. Maybe he was just unable to believe he had been caught, or maybe he really couldn't believe what he had done. Brass wasn't sure he cared either way.

"I only did it for her," he said, his voice was pleading. "She wanted me to, she did! I swear it, she asked me to. We're meant to be together, don't you see!? I couldn't let anything keep us apart."

"Get him out of here," Brass demanded.

"My pleasure," Vega said. He cast a quick concerned look over at Nick, before shoving Landers from the room.

"This guy's off his rocker," Brass mumbled, his tone of voice falling somewhere between awe and resignation. As soon as Landers was out of sight, he knelt beside Catherine. "How is he?"

"He's just passed out," Catherine said, sounding relieved. "Thank god he's breathing."

Grissom gave him a light shake, and Nick let out a low moan. "Nicky?"

"Gris?" Nick sounded totally bewildered. He immediately regretted speaking, his throat felt as though it had been torn apart. His eyes moved from Grissom, to Brass, to Catherine. Catherine was untying rope from around his wrists, and that was enough to remind him where he was.

When the rope came loose, the pain came rushing to take its place. He winced and bit his lip, glad at least that it had taken his attention off his throat. Behind him, Grissom helped him sit up. The room spun a little when he was pulled half up, but it stopped quick enough. "Landers?" he asked, wincing again.

"We got him," Brass said, smiling over at him. "Good to see you. Maybe we ought to have a talk sometime about safety, huh? And common sense."

Nick was tempted to issue a comeback, but he didn't think the pain of speaking would be worth the results. He gave a small rueful smile instead.

They heard faint sirens, getting closer, and Grissom muttered, "It's about time."

Nick felt Catherine's eyes on him and glanced at her. She was watching him intensely, looking about as pale as he imagined he did. "Cath--" he started, but she cut him off, pulling him into a fierce hug.

"From now on you run all your dates past me, you got that?"

He gave a startled laugh. Catherine held him tighter when he started shaking, because she knew it wasn't from laughter.

Nick pulled irritably on the neck of his sweater. It was a grey ribbed turtleneck that Catherine said made him look like he belonged on the cover of GQ, and he only wore because it hid the bandages. He'd spent last night and almost all day in the hospital, but they had finally released him and the night shift had started again.

Not that he was allowed to work. He sighed as he headed to Brass's office. He was only here to give a statement, at which time he would be sent home to rest. Not that he wanted to rest, because resting meant thinking, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Nick." He stopped and turned towards the voice. Grissom was leaning in the doorway of his office. "A moment, please."

"Sure," he said quietly, following him into his office. He tapped his fingers along the back of the chair he stood behind, while Grissom sat behind his desk. Catherine had warned him that Grissom was less than happy he had gone to meet Viva, and as much as he wanted to return to work, this had been something he would have liked to postpone.

"I asked you to stay at the lab," Grissom said casually.

Nick took a deep breath. "Yes."

"You said that you would," Grissom continued, his eyes on a file he was sorting through, but Nick doubted he was actually seeing.

"Yes."

"I asked you to stay away from Ms. Charles."

Nick almost winced, but managed not to. "Yes."

"You said that you would." Grissom looked up then, his intense eyes locking onto Nick's and holding him there like a deer in front of an oncoming car.

"I did, yes."

"Yet," Grissom said, leaning back in his chair. "You did neither."

He thought about pointing out that he hadn't seen Viva since he had said that he wouldn't, but decided it probably wouldn't help considering the reason he hadn't was he'd been kidnapped. "I didn't mean for it to happen." It was true enough. He'd had every intention of following through--until, that was, Viva called him sounding terrified and heart broken. He'd been set on white knight auto-pilot after that.

"Do something that stupid again, Nick, and I'm putting you on suspension."

Grissom said it so calmly, as though he'd just mentioned the weather, that the words took a moment to register. His mouth fell open. "Grissom, I didn't--"

Grissom sighed. "Nick, you've been in more life threatening situations than the rest of us combined. Humor me, will you?"

Nick swallowed, the lingering pain in his throat causing him to wince. Grissom noticed, and let out another sigh, looking exhausted. "You should go home and rest, Nicky. You're on leave for a week."

It was on the tip of his tongue to protest and say he could be back by tomorrow, but he held back. Maybe after a week they would have forgotten all of this, he decided. And they'd all stop looking at him like he was made of glass.

"As soon as I give my statement," he said instead. He gave a small smile and turned around. He stopped before entering the hall and looked over his shoulder. "I don't think I said thank you for saving my life--again."

Grissom gave a wry smile. "There's no need to thank me, Nick. It was all of us, and we were happy to do it. We just don't want to have to do it again." The last part was accompanied by a pointed glare, and Nick gave a brilliant smile in response.

"Understood," he said, before continuing to Brass's office, however, as fate wasn't finished giving him a hard time yet, someone else stopped him before he could reach it.

Viva Charles lightly touched his arm, smiling coyly when he stopped and turned around. She was in one of her saner moods today, apparently, but he knew her well enough by now to know it wouldn't last. If he thought it ever would, he wouldn't be so convinced he had to walk away.

She seemed to notice what he wasn't saying, and her smile faded away. "We're not getting back together this time, are we?"

Nick paused. He hated leaving her to deal with what had happened to her alone, he knew how traumatizing a stalker could be, but he kept trying to save women that didn't want to be saved--and someone always wound up hurt. "I think that would be for the best."

He didn't know what else to say, so he started down the hall so he could find Brass and give his statement. He just wanted to put this all behind him, place it with all the rest he didn't want to remember and never touch it again.

"I guess I'll have to add you to the list of guys that have broken my heart then," Viva called after him.

Something in her voice caused him to pause, and when he turned around she was gone.

The End.