Disclaimer: Still don't own them… But if George Eads were to stop by, I wouldn't be too upset by that. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

Pairings: N/S

Authors Notes:

Thanks to: forensicsfan, EquestrianBabe, DarkDreamer56, Space-Case7029, Cheryl, csijunky05, mudhousejunkie, Julie, trainerker, phoenix lily.

Your reviews mean a lot to me! Thanks so much!

On with the Show

How have you been
in the shape you were in
I'm suprised that you got where you're going

Sara sat on her bed, tears falling from her eyes. She had opened that floodgate and she knew that there was no logical way to stop it. Sighing, she knew that now she was going to have to tell Nick everything. She had already told him too much. She was embarrassed that he knew.

Nick's head poked through the doorway. "Sara? Are you okay?"

Sara scoffed and looked away. Of course I'm not okay. But I haven't been okay for a while, not that you've noticed.

Nick came in the bedroom and sat beside her. "Sara, I'm sorry. If I had known, I never would have said…"

Sara cut him off like she had earlier. "Nick, look. I know you mean well. I just need to figure out how to deal with this."

Nick sighed. "All right. I need to call Catherine anyways. She doesn't know that I'm not coming in for my shift." He started walking across the room. "You don't need to deal with this alone, Sara. You can talk to me. I'm here whenever you need me." Walking out of the room, Nick returned to where he had spent the night: flipping channels on the T.V.

Sara eased herself into a lying down position on her bed. Thoughts whirled about her mind, and she didn't do anything to stop them. She was just so tired of always having to deal with things. She knew that Nick was right, and that she could talk to him. But Sara Sidle had always solved her own problems ever since she was young, and she wasn't about to stop now.

Closing her eyes, for a moment, she found herself drifting back off into sleep.

Nick

Who would believe
What a date you would be
If I knew I'd have thought about knowing

And in between now and the last time we met
I'd open the door if I met you again
And I swear that we'd be better/fair ever friends
From here until 10 miles from nowhere

Nick sat in front of the T.V. for what seemed like hours. He stared out the window and saw the dark clouds covering the sky. He wasn't even sure what time it was anymore. Reaching for his cell phone, he dialed his supervisor's number.

"Willows."

"Catherine, it's Nick."

"Nick, what can I do for you?"

"I'm at Sara's."

"Oh." Catherine went silent.

"Catherine, I… She needs me to be here right now."

"I can't spare you tonight Nicky. I wish I could."

"Please, Catherine. Consider this me calling in sick."

"Nick, Grissom is already down Sara. I can't afford to be down you as well."

Nick sighed. He knew that this wasn't going to be an easy call. He needed to find a way to get Catherine to understand. "Catherine, something happened to Sara. I'm not sure which. But she's hurt and someone needs to take care of her. She is refusing to go to the hospital."

"What happened?" At this point, it dawned on Nick that Grissom hadn't mentioned it to Catherine yet.

"I don't know. She won't tell me. All I know is that it has something to do with the crime scene she was processing and a suspect she was questioning." Nick rubbed his face with his hands. "Look, Catherine, I know that this may sound stupid, but I haven't exactly been there for her in the past, and I need to be here for her now."

Catherine sighed. "Fine. I'll have to pull Greg or someone."

"Thanks." Nick hung up before she could refute his request for time off.

Standing up, Nick walked down the hallway to Sara's room. Pushing the door open lightly, he saw her sleeping peacefully on the bed. Tip-toeing in, he grabbed the blanket from the foot of the bed and covered her with it. Kissing her forehead, he whispered, "I'm going to be here for you Sara. I promise."

Sara

What is that there
In your brown paper box
I can see that you kept all the memories we'd lost

I'd sworn it was you
Who was destined and gone
To the pressure of past undertakings

Sara woke up a few hours later, feeling somewhat better. She got out of bed slowly, and walked down the hall to the living room. "Nick?"

Nick looked up from the T.V. show that he was watching. "Yeah, Sar?"

"Can I sit with you for a while?"

Nick looked at her strangely for a moment, and then shifted over so that she could sit next to him. " Sure thing. It's your place, not mine. You can sit wherever you want."

Sara sat down next to him and remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. "Nick, look, I owe you an apology."

Nick looked at her and shook his head. "No, you don't Sara. You were upset, that's all."

"No, Nick, there is more to it than that."

"Oh?" Nick perked up and turned toward her. "What more is there?"

Sara looked down at her hands. "Nick, I forgot that you have been in this situation before, and I probably went ahead and brought it all back for you and for that, I am truly sorry."

Nick turned to face her and sighed. "Well, Sara, you're right, I was thinking about Nigel and the other times I have been in front of a weapon, but this time, it was about you. Not me."

Sara melted against him and started sobbing in earnest. "Oh God, Nick, it was horrible. It was truly one of the most terrifying moments of my life." Putting her head on his shoulder she looked up and him through tear-filled eyes. "How did you do it? How did you deal with it? You seem to have come away without too many ill-effects."

"Yeah, you learn to move on."

Sara shrugged. "I guess."

Nick reached for her hand and held it. "Sara, tell me what happened. Please? I'm worried about you."

Sara sighed, unsure of what she should actually say. "All right."

Nick sat and waited for her to begin, trying really hard not to pressure her into anything too quickly.

"Grissom and I were sent to an Institution for the Mentally Handicapped. There had been cases of people being raped and we were there to discover what happened." Sara paused for a moment, and then continued her tale. "I was in a room with a suspect who wasn't allowed to leave because he was the prime suspect. Of course, he was more comfortable with a female in the room only, so myself being that stupid, I went along with it. Next thing I knew, I was against the wall, pinned by the sheer weight of him. He was grinding against me, pretending to rape me. He had my gun out and at my head." Tears began to spill again in earnest. "I could see Grissom out the corner of my eye and he was trying to get in. I saw him pick up a chair, and try to break through the door. The suspect continued his assault by tossing me into the table, and then I fell to the floor, where he landed on top of me. My gun was still in his hand, albeit with a looser grip."

Nick just stared at her and listened. He hadn't thought it had been as bad as this.

"So, the guards finally got the door open, but hauling him off me was a problem. He wouldn't let go of my arms." Sara exhaled sharply. "Finally, they got him off of me."

"Sara, I had no idea… I never imagined it was that horrible." Pulling her closer too him, he held her. He kissed the top of her head. "You have every right to be upset right now, Sara. I wouldn't tell anyone."

Sara smiled a little. "I know, thanks. But I think just talking to you helped."

"So, what happened after he was removed from the room?"

"I ran from the room and down the hallway, nearly knocking Greg over."

"Then why isn't he here, now, with you?"

Sara shrugged. "He has a case to solve." What are you getting at Stokes?

"I guess, but so did I. I dropped it with Catherine at the end of shift. Told her that you needed me and that I wasn't leaving until you didn't anymore."

Sara smiled and buried her head into his chest. "Thank you, Nick."

"Anytime Sara, anytime." Nick smiled. He would love to hold her like this everyday. He wanted to, but knew that this moment wouldn't be the best time to bring that subject up with her. Guess I'll just have to be a better friend to her first. The revelation came to him as he heard her breathing soften. She was drifting off to sleep, finally able to relax a bit more.

Had I had known that it might have been me
I might have returned a letter or three
Or gave you a call from the sanctuary

for the cracks in these walls tell time for a fee

From here until 10...
From now until 10...miles from nowhere

Song: 10 Miles From Nowhere © Five for Fighting, CD: Message for Albert

Next Chapter: Nick and Sara get a little bit closer!

Thanks for R&Ring!

Lisa