Summary: A serial killer comes to town on the boy's night to work. Things don't go calmly for Nick or Warrick when the killer decided to not play nice.

Disclaimer: This is all written in fun and trial for something new. Everything CSI is not mine and never will be. It belongs to the creative talent of the actors, the writers, the directors, and producers. I am not making any money off of this. Only meant to offer something new on something already so great. No reason to sue.

Author's Note: Nice and early here for ya today. You guys are awesome with the reviews. I hope there will be enough angst and drama through the rest of this for you. I finished typing it up last night and I must say, it turned out better than I thought it would. Updates should be fairly regular until then end, but I am not going to promise anything. Thanks for sticking it out with me and enjoy the next part of the tale. Nick and Warrick wake up to in a situation they don't like, but when do they ever? They are so much fun to paly with in fanfiction! Until next time...

Breath for me

Written by: duffshel

#9

It felt as if there were tiny Hodges pounding away at the tender insides of Nick's brain as he began to wake back up. He really didn't want to open up his eyes, but he also wanted to see what was happening to him now. The trunk had done a number on him. It had been dark and tight. He hated dark and tight.

Ken came to get him. He had been ready with another cloth of that crap he used in the park. This time it had been stronger and knocked the man out cold. That was all he could remember. Now he could feel that his body was sitting upright. The chair was cold. His legs were getting wet.

Nick finally managed to manipulate one of his eyes open. It felt grimy. The other eye seemed to have gotten jealous enough and opened slowly as well. There wasn't a whole lot of light. A yellow wall with peeling tape was directly in front of him, by about three feet.

"What the fuck!"

"Well it about time you wake up, sleeping beauty."

Nick would have jumped a mile into the air if he could have, "What!"

"It's okay Nicky. It is just me, Warrick. Calm down dude."

The voice of his partner was to his left. What Nick could see of the room spun as he turned his head towards the other CSI. He tried to move his body as well, but his arms were pinned down at his sides. With a shake of his hands he felt something cold and metal. The light was stronger, he could make out most of Warrick. The man was handcuffed to the sink.

"Where the hell are we!"

"Man, we are tied up in a god damn bathroom. But don't ask me where this bathroom is because I just woke from my nap not too long ago as well."

Nick frowned and tried to assess his situation. If Warrick was attached to the sink and his legs were getting damp, then the toilet was the only thing left. Sure enough, his arms had been pulled down along side his body and there were two lengths of handcuffs holding his wrists in place underneath the tank.

"This guy is one messed up asshole. He chained me to the damn toilet! Who the hell chains another person to a toilet!"

There was a hint of desperation and, of course, panic in Nick's voice as he made his declaration to Warrick. Warrick really wished his hands were free at that moment. He felt that if he could touch his partner in anyway it would help the other to focus. It was then that he realized his legs were still free. He reached over his right foot and pressed down on Nick's.

"Hey, hey. Calm down, please. I need you to think clearly with me here if we are going to get out of this mess and take this guy out. Can you do that for me?"

Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Yeah. I will try. Give me a minute, okay?"

"Whatever you need, bro. It is yours."

"Even a chocolate sundae?"

"Just shut up."

Nick smiled despite himself. He could feel himself begin to gain control and return to normal his normal self. Air was flowing into his lungs and giving him something to focus on other than the darkness and confinement of the room. They would make it out of there.

"So, what's the plan 'Rick?"

"How come I always have to come up with the plans? You should be able to come up with something."

"I really would, but the throbbing in my arm is getting worst. I had forgotten about that bullet there for a minute. It doesn't seem to be bleeding anymore.'

Warrick could have kicked himself. He had forgotten about that as well. From what he could remember seeing as he watch Nick put himself in the trunk, there was not a lot of damage. It looked to be more of a flesh wound.

"I am still taking you to the damn hospital."

"Fine, but when they start poking me with every god damn needle in the place, you are going to owe me so big man."

"Yeah, whatever. You are such a wimp for a cowboy."

!#$&()!#$&()!#$&()

Ken sat next to Colleen on the hotel bed. He was still trying to figure out what he wanted to do now that he had the two guys in the bathroom. They would be a lot of fun to mess with. One could most definitely be used against the other. This could be a fun game if he played his cards right.

Colleen was sniffling again. She had been crying pretty much since the moment Ken had murdered Heidi right in front of her. Her eyes were puffy and red. Ken would really like to keep her around, but she was nothing. She was extra baggage.

"So honey, did you take a good look at our guests?"

She had learned to answer him when he asked her something. She nodded her head. The gag was still tight in her mouth. She had taken a good look at the two men. They looked like they were important.

"I bet you are wondering who they are. They are the guys who are supposed to be figuring out it is me that is killing everyone. Those are CSI's finest."

The girl gasped in fear. He had captured cops. There were cops handcuffed in the bathroom. These were the men she was supposed to be relying on to save her from the same fate of Heidi. She was completely doomed.

"They are going to watch me kill you. Then they are going to suffer until I kill them as well. Then it is off to Missouri."

More tears began to stream down her cheeks to soak into the rag. There was nothing she could do. She had nothing anymore.

Ken laughed as he watched her crumble right before his eyes. Just watching her made it all worth it, but he wanted to keep the party going. He stood and stretched his back out. With a slight bounce in his step, Ken walked to the door of the bathroom. The light switch was on his side of the door. He flipped it up and opened the door.

The two men had cringed away from the extra light from the bulbs above the mirror. Warrick was leaning up against the metal leg that held up the sink. His arms were twisted awkwardly back towards the piping where his hands were tied. Nick was sitting slumped backwards on the toilet because of the way his arms were pulled backwards behind the tank.

"I see you two are finally awake. About time at that."

Warrick glared up at Ken, "What the hell are you going to do with us?"

"Haven't you watched enough movies or television Warrick to know that the bad guy isn't going to answer a dumb question like that?"

"We are too busy cracking down on assholes like you to watch stupid crap like that," Nick grumbled.

"Such language Nicholas. As a fellow Texan, I know your mama didn't raise you like that. Oh don't give me that look, I know a fellow longhorn when I hear one. I just don't…like to use my accent. Makes me sound like a southern fool. Not attractive to prey."

Ken smiled down upon his two captives. He could sense the anger rolling off of them, but it was the under lying panic that made his blood boil. Hopefully there would much more of that in the air very soon. Reaching towards the dresser next to the bathroom door with his right hand, Ken grabbed the gun. He waved it into the room.

"Now, I am going to move you two into the main room. I have a nice show for you both. But if either of you tried anything, the other will be the one to pay."

Warrick glared at the man, "You are not going to get away with this. The more you do to us, the more you seal your fate."

"Not a good answer," Ken walked across the bathroom in two large steps. Before either man could move, the butt of the gun impacted with the side of Nick's head. Ken smiled as the Texan's head whipped hard to the right.

"Hey, what are you doing!"

Ken turned back towards Warrick with a gleam in his eye, "Anything you want to add. I could go all night pistol whipping this boy if that is what you want."

Nick groaned and ran his tongue over his teeth. He could have sworn one was knocked out when the metal hit the side of his jaw. That was going to be one bitch of a bruise in the morning. He could hear in a fog Warrick yelling something, but really didn't want to put any energy into figuring out what it was.

"Just leave him alone! Nick! Talk to me man. Don't you dare touch him again."

The handcuff key was pulled from Ken's pocket and he reached down to pop it into the lock at Nick's wrist. The cuff fell open. Ken stood and placed the gun at Nick's temple.

"Nice and slow. Get up and walk."

Nick spit out the wade of spit that had gathered in him mouth. The throbbing in his jaw increased at the action, but Nick ignored it. He pushed himself up from the toilet lid and stood. There wasn't a lot of room in the bathroom with all three men in it. Nick had to step over Warrick's legs to get through. Once in the main room, the lighting increased as did the beat of Nick's heart.

"What the hell? Who is that?"

Colleen looked at the man with large, pleading eyes. She whimpered through the gag. Her arms tugged on the ropes holding her arms above her head. This guy was a cop. They knew how to do anything in any situation.

"She is simply a message. Don't worry, we will not be in her company for much longer."

The gun pushed Nick along the room to the metal table. Being this close to it now, Nick could see that the stand was wielded right into the floor. Ken kicked him hard in the back of his left knee. Nick went down hard. Before he could do anything, the cuff was back around his free wrist. Ken shuffled away.

Warrick had been trying to see out of the bathroom to see what was happening. He could hear Nick freak out about something. Then there was a thud. Ken was back in the doorway seconds later.

"Come on now playboy. Let's get this party stared. Just be good and nothing will happen to your partner."

Trusting that the man was telling the truth, Warrick didn't move a muscle until Ken told him to stand and walk. The girl on the bed really didn't surprise him. It seemed like something this asshole would do. He found his partner sitting on the floor next to the metal table. Warrick was nudged to the other side. He sat and allowed his arms to be reconnecting with the table base between them.

Ken stood back and stretched his spine. After that refreshing crack, his hands reached down to his belt buckle. Colleen began to panic at the movement. She knew what it meant.

Nick felt his stomach churn at the thought of what the man could be doing. There was no way he could sit there and watch him rape the girl on the bed. He would rip this table out of the ground to stop the killer. Warrick had tensed next to him as well. He was sure the taller man was thinking along the same lines as he was.

The buckel snapped together. Ken walked over to the bed and knelt down on the edge. It dipped under his weight, causing Colleen to roll towards him.

"Alright now sweetie. It is time to show these two nice men how nice I play with my women. I hope you enjoy this as much as me."

The loop slipped over her head even with her tossing it. Leather scrapped along flesh as he pulled it tighter. Colleen struggled as she felt the stale oxygen got caught in her lungs. The burn was worst than she would have ever thought possible.

"Hey, stop! Leave her alone!"

"Don't man! Let the girl go!"

The shouts of the two CSI's did nothing to disrupt the ecstasy of the moment for Ken. He was totally in the moment. There was nothing other than the belt in his hands and the reddening face in front of his eyes. With a jerk backwards, the belt for even tighter. Her quivering lips were turning blue. Ken thought he would come right then and there.

!#$&()!#$&()!#$&()+

Brass starred out across the parking lot. Grissom had called him and asked him to meet him in front of the lab. The man sounded urgent. It wasn't out of the way though. He had been following the tow truck with the Ford car in anyways. It would just be nice if Gil would be on time when he asked someone to meet him. The gum in his mouth had lost all of it flavor.

Footsteps coming from the door behind him announced the arrival of the caller. Grissom walked straight to Brass and didn't bother with any pleasantries.

"I can't get a hold of either Warrick or Nick. I want you to go with me to the crime scenes and see if can't figure out why neither of them feel it is important to answer their phones."

"You think something happened to them?"

"Right now, I am not ignoring anything. I want to know where they are right now. Are you going to come, Jim?"

"Yeah. I'll have to give those two fools a piece of my mind when we find them."

Grissom nodded and grinned tightly. He would feel better when he saw them with his own two eyes. Then he would yell at them.

TBC…oops…