A/N: Sorry about the mistake in the last chapter - I didn't know that identical twins don't have identical fingerprints. At the ME's office this month I haven't seen any identical twins - which is a really good thing. Thanks for the info (if anyone has a good source and genetic mechanism, let me know. I'm always looking to add to my medical library). Hope you like the 'snickery' update. -Jac

Nick's POV:

She asked me to hold her. Sara began to hyperventilate the moment I turned the lights off in the bedroom. She wouldn't admit it, but the darkness terrified her just as much as the daylight did. I turned the light back on to see her lying petrified in bed with tears running down her face. She trembled in my arms for thirty minutes before she fell into a restless sleep. I stayed awake holding her the entire time.

My gun was loaded and ready to be used at a moments notice. I knew that it probably wasn't necessary since Brass had sent what seemed like a small army of armed guards to keep us safe. I hadn't used my gun much since I became a CSI. It usually wasn't necessary. The detectives and police officers always offered to clear the scene. I could count on one hand the number of times I needed to draw a gun on a suspect. It was the same number of times that I had stared down the barrel of a gun.

Sara looks so fragile in my arms. The size of the foam collar has even managed to make her look small. She hated the foam collar. Sara hated that between the medications and foam collar she was rendered helpless. She cursed when she found that eating was nothing short of a monumental feat. She said it hurt to chew. Bruises on her face began to darken. He must have hit her in the face once or twice. Sara said that her wrists and hands hurt from trying desperately to fend off her attacker. She begrudgingly let me help her eat only after the frustration brought her to tears.

I nursed her wounds this evening. The antiseptic solution burned her skin, but she pretended that it wasn't a big deal. The antibiotic salve smelled horrible. The bandages over the lacerations constricted her mobility. Her eyes went glassy. Sara retreated to somewhere in the corner of her mind to forget. She needed to forget about her attacker; she needed to forget about her helplessness.

I would have held her whether or not she wanted me to. I knew from experience that Sara needed someone to make her feel safe. After Nigel, all I wanted was the safety of another person. Warrick took me into his home for two weeks. Warrick and Sara took vacation time to fret over my every mood. I complained, but secretly I was thankful for the safeness they provided. I was thankful that they never told another soul that I jumped if I thought I heard movement in the attic. I knew Sara needed me to give her that kind of safety right now.

She woke up gasping for air. She sat straight up and wrapped her arms around her chest. Sara began to rock herself slightly. Her pupils were dilated from the overwhelming sympathetic response that fueled the nightmare she woke from. I gently helped her lay back down. I wiped the pieces of hair caught in a matrix of sweat from her forehead. Her eyes pleaded for me to tell her that this was all just a dream. She didn't need to say it. Her eyes screamed it.

"I'm going to be sick," Sara whispered as she scrambled to the bathroom. She leaned heavily on the toilet as she emptied her stomach. She stayed in the position . . . gasping for air when she was done. I held her hair out of her face. Sara let me help her back to the bed when she was done. I wiped her face with a washcloth, and offered her water and an Altoid. She smiled gratefully.

"I dreamt that it was Catherine. I drove into the parking lot and it was Catherine that lay on the ground. Her eyes were open, but she wasn't breathing. Then the guy in the hooded sweatshirt began choking me from behind. I couldn't get him off of me," Sara said as she rested back into the pillows.

"It's okay. The dream is over. I'm right here," I whispered as I laid next to her. She rolled on her side. Her head rested on my chest. I'm sure that she could hear my heart pounding. I ran my fingers through her hair. I lifted my head to kiss the crown of her head. That's when the tears started. I held her until she quieted. I knew she wasn't asleep, but she was exhausted.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Brass said as he walked into the bedroom with two suitcases in hand.

"Did you get him?" Sara asked.

"I have one suspect in custody. I have my entire force hunting for the other suspect. How are you doing?" Jim asked as he sat on the edge of the bed. Sara didn't move from her position on my chest. I couldn't bring myself to let her go.

"My head hurts. My jaw hurts," Sara said softly.

"Are you taking your pain medications?" Brass asked as he leaned in closer to examine the bruises along Sara's jaw line.

"I took them a few hours ago," Sara replied.

"Sar, I need to talk to Nick about the case. Can I borrow him for a few minutes?" Brass asked.

"I want to know what's happening," Sara replied point blank.

"Are you sure?" I asked. I knew Sara already had enough on her mind. I didn't want her to know that gory details.

"Our suspects are identical twins. They were convicted of sexual assault ten years ago. The victim said that they both raped her. Copious amounts of seminal fluid and bruising leant itself to her story," Brass began.

"So one of them could have been innocent?" I asked.

"The victim did a lot of heroin. She was a 'good time' girl. It's possible that her recollection of the rapes is incorrect," Brass replied, "It's easier for the jury to convict both of them rather than one."

"What is the evidence telling us about my attack and the Judge's murder?" Sara asked.

"We have no fingerprints. Epithelials aren't going to do anything for our case. Our case rides on alibis and witnesses. I'm sorry, Sara," Jim replied.

"So everyone else from the trial is safe?" Sara asked.

"There was another victim . . . the jury foreman. He was shot this evening," Jim replied.

I drew in a deep breath. What I thought was two murders seemed to be something spiraling out of control. I could feel Sara tense against me. She must have been thinking the same thing.

"Nick, take care of her. Sara, you have everyone working on this case. We'll get you home soon," Brass said as he stood up and disappeared.

I was beginning to think that soon could be a really long time.