"Warrick...you're like a brother to me man. I know you well enough to know that you're thinking this is your fault, but it's not. Don't listen to what anyone else says, this is not your fault bro. I wouldn't have had it any other way. You're the best friend I've ever had...I wish I could repay you for everything you've done for me." Warrick felt his heart trying to break through his ribs and he could barely breathe. "I love you all...I'm really gonna miss you guys." The tape ended. Grissom led a hysterical Sara out of the A/V lab into the breakroom. Catherine was clinging to Greg as if her life depended on it, and Greg's hands were shaking violently. Warrick just stared down at the tape recorder in front of him. His entire body felt numb and his lungs refused to take in any air.

Catherine put her hand on his shoulder. "He's right. This isn't your fault."

Warrick wanted to argue, but couldn't force the words from his mouth, so he just got up and somehow made it into the locker room without collapsing. He sat down on the bench in front of his locker, but was looking at the one next to his. Nick's. He reached over and spun in the combination he knew almost better than his own. He struggled taking the lock off because his hands were numb and he couldn't kept them steady. Once it was off, he slowly swung the door open. Nick's scent seemed to instantly fill the room and Warrick felt like slamming the door closed but then he saw the picture of him and Nick taken at Lindsey's birthday party last year and smiled. His arm was around the Texan's shoulder and they were laughing at Greg and Grissom fighting over whose present for Lindsey was the best. Warrick had the same picure in his locker as well. His eyes fell on to the one below that, of the whole team at a diner. Tears started falling from Warrick's eyes as he stared at Nick's smiling face. Last night he had seen someone who looked like Nick, but coulnd't possibly be him. This guy was covered in fire ant bites and buried underground, the color drained from his face. Not the guy smiling back at him in the picture. Warrick's fingers were sore from clawing the dirt away from Nick's grave. He tried to shake the image of hauling Nick out of the ground from his mind, but couldn't. He felt like it was happening all over again. He ran to Nick's side and pulled his back up against his chest and tried to wake him up.

"Wake up Nicky! Come on man, you gotta wake up!" Nick's eyes slowly opened and he looked up at Warrick.

"I'm...sorry." It sounded nothing like Nick. The voice was hollow and distant. Nick's eyes slowly closed and he died right there, in Warrick's arms.

"Wake up! You can't leave me bro...please wake up..."

"Wake up." Nick shook Warrick's shoulder gently, trying to wake his best friend up from the nightmare. "Warrick, you can wake up, it's okay man just wake up." Warrick's eyes opened and darted around the room before focusing on Nick. "It was just a nightmare bro."

Warrick sat up and realized he was in Nick's guest room. He took a deep, shaky breath. "Fuck nightmares."

"My thoughts exactly."

Warrick took a deep breath. "We listened to the tape...then I went to the locker room and looked at the pictures in your locker then had a flashback or something to when we pulled you out but then you wouldn't wake up..." Nick wasn't sure what to say. He wished he could make Warrick feel better like he always did whenever Nick had a nightmare, but he was always at a loss of words and it was killing him. Warrick noticed Nick's frusterated expression and felt guilty for making him feel bad. "It's not your fault I have nightmares Nicky. You don't have to say anything, you just being okay is enough."

Nick shook his head. "I want to help...I just don't know what to do anymore."

Stupid dreams...stupid Walter Gordon... "It's okay Nick."

"I just hate..." Nick's voice trailed off and Warrick got the feeling this wasn't gonna be good.

"What?" Warrick gently squeezed Nick's shoulder.

Nick hung his head. "I hate being me."

Warrick was unsure of what to say, but he knew he had to say something. "I don't think you're seeing the big picture."

Nick looked up at Warrick with obvious confusion. "Ya know...for a CSI...you really don't make much s-"

Warrick smiled. "Yeah yeah I know...I don't make any sense...but you never seem to let me finish...but anyway...you look at all the bad things that has ever happened to you, which is understandable...but you don't realize what a great guy you are."

"Cuz I complain too much."

"Actually, you don't complain, which is surprising. I bitch about my pen running out of ink. Nobody could have gone through what you have and made it this far. I'd fight anyone on that."

Nick smiled, but only briefly. "Why can't I ever get over anything?"

"Why would you want to?"

"Okay, I let you finish that time..."

"You just don't understand my philosophies."

"Not many people would man."

Warrick laughed before explaining. "If you get over something, it means that it didn't really affect you."

"No..." Nick was still pretty confused. "It means your weak and pathetic."

"Wrong again. People who easily get over something didn't care too much about it, or don't care about anything at all. You have the biggest heart in anyone I've ever seen, so you care about people and things. Not getting over something doesn't make you weak, it makes you strong."

"Maybe it's those stupid pills I have to keep taking...but my head hurts...and I'm pretty sure it's from all your philosophies."

Warrick smiled. No matter what the situation, Nick was always being Nick. "Have you ever heard the expression what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger?"

"Yeah...but..."

"But nothing. After everything that happens to you, you get stronger wether you want to admit it or not. Anyone else would break down and give up."

"Yeah...right...cuz I've never broken down or tried to give up."

"Exactly."

"I was being sarcastic."

"It's not sarcasm if you're right. Have you ever given up?"

"Well...depends on-"

Warrick cut him off. "It's a yes or no question Nicky."

"I guess not..."

"That's a no. You may have felt like giving up, but you never have and I know you never will. It's not you. And you just can't break down."

"No...I'm pretty sure that's a good possibility..."

"I won't let you."

Nick's smile returned. "This is gonna sound crazy..."

"Most of what you say is crazy to some degree." Warrick teased, receiving a glare followed by a smile from his best friend.

"This definitly fits that criteria...but...I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world." Nick laughed at his own statement. "Now I'm confusing myself...is that not the most hipocritical thing you've ever heard? I've been molested...stalked...buried alive...but having a best friend like you balances it out."

Warrick nodded and smiled. "I know what you mean." Nick looked like he was about to say something, but was interrupted by his cell phone ringing loudly. "I have my money on Catherine."

"I'd take you up on that, but you have a gambling problem..." Warrick threw a pillow at Nick's back as he ran out of the room to find his phone. He searched his room, but came up empty handed. "Where the hell is it?"

"Follow the ringing genius. How hard is it to find a phone?"

"Pretty hard...gotcha!" Nick found his phone under the couch and quickly answered it, a little out of breath from sprinting down the hall. "Hello? Oh, hey Catherine..."

"You owe me 20 bucks." Warrick said as he walked past Nick and into the kitchen.

"Warrick's a tool...yeah, I know...so what's up? Yeah, that sounds good...we've ordered pizza and chinsese food for the last week and I think the delivery guys are getting sick of us...okay, see ya soon." Nick hung up and went into the kitchen to find Warrick looking in the fridge at the empty coke bottle.

"Why do you put it back when it's empty?"

"To remind me to get more."

"How's that workin out for ya?"

Nick tried to fight back a smile. "Not so good, actually."

Warrick laughed and leaned against the fridge. "So what's up with Catherine?"

"Well, she figured we would need food, and Lindsey wanted to visit, so they're coming over for dinner."

"Dinner? What time is it?"

The realization had just dawned on Nick as well. "Uhhh...dinner time?"

"Nothing gets past you." Warrick turned and looked at the clock hanging in Nick's kitchen. It read quarter of 6. "Didn't we go to bed at like 11:30 last night?"

"Yeah...after the Daily Show." Nick answered.

"Man, we're gonna be so messed up when we have to go back to work."

"Yeah, cuz we never get messed up with sleep with our work...no, never ever..."

"It's not my fault you have insomnia bro." Warrick jabbed playfully.

"Actually, it is." Nick shot back.

"How so?" Nick didn't have to repsond. The doorbell rang and Nick quickly left the kitchen to answer it. "That's what I thought buddy."

Nick opened the door and had absolutly no time to react as Lindsey attempted to tackled him. "Uncle Nicky!"

Nick smiled as he tried to catch his breath. "Owe...hey Linds, how are you?"

"Good, are you feeling better?"

"Yes I am, although I think you may have broken one of my ribs..."

Catherine smiled as she entered the house, quickly kissing Nick on the cheek before bringing the food into the kitchen. When she came back in with Warrick, Lindsey was still clinging to Nick's waist. "Hey Linds." Warrick said, and Lindsey released her death grip on Nick and ran towards Warrick. He had more time to prepare for impact than Nick, but still grunted when Lindsey threw herself at him. "Nice to see you too."

"She should play football Cath." Nick said as he sat down on the couch next to her. "So what's for dinner?"

"I tired to make soup..." Lindsey said, coming over and plopping down next to Nick. "But I kinda burnt it..."

Warrick laughed. "Don't worry, Nick can't cook either. He burnt the tea kettle."

"You told me there was water in it." Nick said defensively.

Catherine smiled and looked at Lindsey. "See sweetie, this is why we don't let guys cook...or 12 year olds..."

Nick shook his head. "I don't need to know how to cook. I'm smart. You and Warrick can both cook, and I know how to order food very well, so I'm all set." He turned to Lindsey. "You don't need to either...just marry a cook."

Catherine and Warrick both laugh at that comment. "Nice advice uncle Nicky." Catherine teased.

"I think it makes sense." Lindsey says giggling.

"So since the soup backfired as if Nick were cooking it...what are we actually gonna eat?" Warrick asked, obviously pretty hungry.

"Spaghetti and meatballs." Catherine answered, getting up to go get it started.

"I'll help, considering these 2 are incompetant." Warrick said, following Catherine into the kitchen.

"Whatever bro, we don't want to cook anyway." Nick said, dodging a pillow thrown by Warrick. The pillow bounced off Lindsey's head, and she picked it up and hit Nick with it. Nick grabbed the pillow from her and threw it on the chair. "I don't want to loose another pillow fight." Lindsey laughed, then fell silent. She looked like she wanted to say something, but didn't want to or didn't know how to say it. "What's wrong Linds?"

Lindsey looked down at the floor and swung her feet back and forth. "Nothing..." she said quietly.

"You're so lying. It's okay, you can tell me." Nick said softly, putting his hand on her arm.

"I just...well my mom told me when you got kidnapped...and I was really scared cuz I already lost my dad once...I didn't want to lose you too..."

Nick swallowed the lump in his throat and gently brushed the light blonde hair from Lindsey's face. "It's okay Lindsey, I'm safe. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

Lindsey looked up at Nick. "You promise?"

Nick smiled. "I promise. I'll always be here for you, and so will Warrick and obviously your mom. There's nothing to worry about."

Lindsey smiled and hugged Nick. "Thank you."

"Anytime sweetie." He let go of Lindsey and playfully ruffled her hair. She giggled and grabbed his arm with both hands and tried to hold it down, but he lifted it over his head, taking Lindsey with it.

"Not fair, you're too strong." She said laughing. She let go and fell back onto the couch. Nick picked her up off the couch and carried her into the kitchen. "What are you doing?" Lindsey said through her fit of laughter.

"Don't worry about it." Nick lifted her by her hips on top of the fridge and stepped back as she tried to kick him. "I'll leave you up there forever."

"No you won't, I can jump down too ya know."

"He'll just put you back up there." Warrick said.

Catherine smiled. She was overjoyed to see Nick was better, and so was Lindsey. She'd been having a rough time the last few years after losing her dad, but Nick and Warrick had been there the whole time for both of them. She was sure that no matter what, everything was gonna be okay. It always was.