"Is it too much to hope to find a map with the location circled" Warrick commented as he and Catherine continued to search the car. Catherine smiled sadly

"I don't think no criminal would ever be so kind" she shone her torch into the trunk, the beam picking out blood, it wasn't even dried up, still fresh, Catherine swabbed the blood, knowing full well who it was likely to belong to. It wasn't a huge amount of blood, but was worrying enough. Something else had caught her eye, a single hair; she held it up to the light, a blond hair. Greg had recently being in this trunk, the blood was still fresh, did that mean he was still nearby. They didn't know where to start looking that was the problem.

"Catherine, I found something else, it was just on the floor, he must have dropped it" Warrick was holding a small key

"Handcuff keys" Catherine remarked "Nick found some cuffs in the cabin, I doubt he would keep the key to those, find anything else?"

"Nothing, all we got to go on is the wet clothes; let's hope Jack can help us"

"He doesn't know anything" Sara said joining them, "All he knew was that Paul would take him to the cabin, he doesn't know what his plans were other than that."

The three CSIs stood helplessly out in the rain; before Paul died he had told Nick and Grissom that they would never find him 'in time', in time before what happened? The night was getting blacker and blacker, and the rain fell heavier as the storm began. The outlook for finding Greg was getting gloomier by the second.

Nick, after his hospital room had turned into a crime scene had been moved to another room, on the left wing of the hospital, he had an excellent view of the gathering storm outside as the rain lashed the windows Nick's misery grew. He had received an update from the team. Jack Robins did not know where Greg was and Paul's car yielded nothing concrete apart from wet clothing.

A powerful flash of lightning fully illuminated the room, it was a bad storm. Suddenly, he jolted upright remembering the conversation he had with Paul, before Grissom confronted Paul. The storm is coming he had repeated that before saying 'he's not got long left' what significance did the storm have, why did he keep mentioning it and smiling? It must be connected to Greg somehow Nick thought. What possible damage a storm could a storm do to Greg? Nick thought long and hard, outside the floor was flooding rapidly, flash flooding. The drainage system Nick noted was struggling to cope. Then like the lightning bolt it hit him, could that be it, a storm drain, was that where Greg was? He was excited as he began to mull the possibility over in his mind, a storm drain, which fills up with water, that's why he said he wouldn't have long left, the heavier the storm was, and the quicker it would fill! That's gotta be it! He thought excitedly.

He shouted to the police officers manned outside his new hospital room. Fearing somehow their patient was being attacked again, they came running in urgently. Stokes was sat up in his bed, his eyes shining.

"You got to get a message to Gil Grissom" he said breathlessly "Tell him they have to search the nearby storm drains, that's where he is I'm sure!"

The youngest police officer looked at him like he had finally flipped his lid but promised to relay the message immediately.

He spotted Grissom about to leave with the remainder of his team as they prepared to return to the crime lab, he ran across the car lot and banged urgently on the window of his car.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Grissom demanded winding down his window.

"Mr Grissom!" he gasped "I have a message from Nick Stokes! He says you need to look for Sanders in the storm drains!"

"Based on what! Nick's hunch!"

"He seemed really convinced Grissom; I think he could be right, do you trust him?"

"Of course"

"Then I think you should do as he says"

"Well thank you for your recommendation Stevens but if Nick's wrong, we could be wasting valuable time by going on this wild goose chase"

"What are your other options Grissom, return to the lab and try find some forensic proof where he is? Sanders could be dead by then and you know it" Officer Stevens challenged.

"Where do we start? There are miles of sewers and drainage system." The more Grissom thought about it, the more he began to think that Nick could be right, Paul had chosen a place that would be nigh impossible to pin point and they did find those wet boots and clothing. Of course it could all be part of an elaborate decoy but as Officer Stevens had said what was their other option.

"Nick thinks specifically a storm drain, the nearest is about 3 miles from here" Stevens offered helpfully

Grissom thought quickly, the more and more he thought about it, he began to become convinced that he was right but there was also the nagging doubt that it was a set up. If he was there though and they waited to get forensic proof and they were too late though, Grissom could never forgive himself.

He quickly informed his CSI's of the change in plan and called in search and rescue teams, there were only three storm drains in the immediate area. Grissom, Warrick, Catherine and Sara went with one of the teams whilst Brass led the other teams.

In the car on the way, there was silence; they knew they were drinking in the last chance saloon. They only had one chance to save Greg that is of course if Paul was telling the truth and hadn't killed him already. It was a horrifying possibility that had stuck in Sara's mind ever since news of Paul's suicide. Fate couldn't be so cruel could it?

Sara wrapped her waterproof jacket tightly around her as the other CSI's did the same, they gathered on the ground outside the huge storm drain and listened to the instructions of the search and rescue guy, who struggled to make himself heard above the driving wind and rain. The teams fanned out to comb the area. Immediately Warrick spotted something promising at the site, tire tread marks, he couldn't be sure but they seemed identical to those he and Sara found at the cabin. There was no time for analysis the number one priority was finding Greg

. "Somebody was here recently!" He yelled over the driving wind and rain and occasional thunder claps. Catherine and Sara dashed over to the main huge drain as Warrick and Grissom helped the team lift it.

"Greg!" Sara yelled "GREG! ARE YOU HERE? Can you hear us?"

Catherine shone her torch into the drain, all she saw in the darkness was angry swirling water, but then the powerful beam picked up something further down, something that looked… blond! Greg. Her heart soared.

"Oh god! He's here!" She cried "Greg's down here!"

Immediately there was a flurry of movement at Catherine's news, she heard one of the search and rescue teams frantically calling his colleagues at the other site "The boys here!"

Catherine didn't hear the muffled reply but guessed it was something along the lines of is he 'alive'

"Undetermined" the phrase sent shivers down her spine, from her vantage point he looked, looked dead. She prayed to God she was wrong.

Sara was all for jumping straight down right there and then but was reluctantly persuaded of the danger.

"Where's the nearest access point?" Grissom demanded "Where does the water flow out!" The team looked around frantically,

"There!" Warrick cried pointing at the huge opening, further up field. They ran like they never had before to the pool of the water, and waded into the dark tunnel, the water was flowing fast now and they were up to their waists in second.

"I don't see anything!" Sara coughed in dismay

"He was further up than this, where the water was rising highest!" Catherine declared

Finally, they did see him, clearly now, the water was up to his neck almost, he wasn't moving. Warrick reached him first, he was freezing.

"It's Ok Greg! I got you, were here now" He tore the strip of duct tape from his mouth and removed the blindfold; he was unconscious and barely breathing. "Shit!" he swore.

The rest of the team had reached him now, but they were unable to move him. Sara took a deep breath and dived into the murky waters, horrified she discovered the ties that were pinning Greg down. She came up for air.

"His ankles and waist are tied" she reported "with chains"

Both Warrick and Grissom dived under to help Sara free Greg. Catherine held him, trying to keep his head above the water; he was lower down they were because of the weight of the chains. He had gone blue from being in the freezing water for so long. "Come on Greg! Stay with us!" she pleaded feeling his breath rate slow down further. Sara came up for air beside her "we can't free him" she sobbed "the chains are too tight!"

"I'm not leaving him!" Catherine screamed above the raging water

"Were gonna have to! The water is getting higher and higher, it's going to submerge us rapidly" said one of the search and rescue guys. "There's nothing we can do for him now" He yelled "I'm sorry! Were going to have to leave him"

A/N : i know, i know i'm so evil for leaving it there, but I'm taking a break from my very important essay to just get this chapter done, so you're very lucky to have this hehe