Author's note: enjoy. You'll lynch me, but enjoy.
Special Thanks to El Gringo Loco for helping to make this story believable.
Spoilers: I will generally tell what spoilers the chapters contain. In this Chapter: not a lot
Summary: When Ecklie chooses Grissom's team to head to a conference in London, the Las Vegas CSI nightshift couldn't be more excited. Then their plane crashes in the sea. Now Grissom, Catherine, Nick, Warrick, Sara, and Greg are stranded on a deserted island and their only way home is to survive.
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.
Surviving the Storm
Chapter 21: Leaving the Island
"Do you see anything?" Catherine asked from her hiding spot behind the rocks. Gil reappeared, holding a finger to his lips, as he crawled towards her, clutching her hand when he reached her.
"They're down there," he whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her skin.
"What do we do?" she mouthed back. He looked around, searching for something to get them out of this position. They were on top of the rock hill and were unable to move because of two thugs below them. They couldn't go back to the beach, because most of the trees had burnt through the night and the fire was still roaring. Then Grissom saw the lever for the landslide trap. If he could just reach it…
"Trap," he moaned, pointing it out to Catherine. From their position, they would have to run to the stick holding the rocks up and pull it, risking exposure and being an open target.
"I'll go," she whispered, a determined glint in her eyes. Panic flashed in his.
"No!" he hissed, "You've already been shot once!"
"So? You can take care of me again," she replied cheekily, already getting up to leave. For a moment he didn't know what to do. If the criminals looked up, they would see Catherine, and they would shoot. If he did anything to distract them, they would still look up and they would still shoot. It seemed hopeless. He looked around wildly, trying to find some means to protect Catherine, to give her time. He picked up a rock and looked at it for a moment. Praying it would land where he wanted it too, he threw it, so that it lofted over the criminals' heads and into the nearby bush. His aim was true and both thugs looked over at the trees, just as Catherine pulled the lever. Rocks tumbled down the hill and the criminals were just too late to notice the danger and were pelted with rocks.
"You were amazing!" Catherine squealed, throwing her arms around his neck.
"You're amazing!" he exclaimed, swinging her around. They paused and looked into each other's eyes, faces inches apart. They could see triumph in the others eyes. Catherine was the one who closed the gap and pecked him on the lips, still getting used to this newfound closeness.
"Can we get out of here, now?" she asked. He chuckled.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," he said, breaking the embrace just enough so that his arm was still around her waist, guiding her though the forest. She didn't protest.
Nick awoke to pain in his shoulder, ribs, and leg and was sure that one of these body parts, if not all, were broken.
"Good, you're awake," Sara said, kneeling over him, smiling. He mustered a half smile. It calmed him to look up into her face.
"How long have I been out of it?" he asked slightly groggily.
"About an hour, give or take," she said, "Whoa, easy, there, cowboy," she told him as he tried to sit up and winced in pain.
"That hurt," he groaned. Using his left arm as support, he painfully pushed himself into a sitting position.
"Which part, the fall, or the repercussions?" she teased.
"I get two guys off of your back, and this is the thanks I get?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You were very brave," she amended, smiling warmly down at him, "And you did save my life, and if you had seriously hurt yourself doing it…" she couldn't speak.
"I'm fine, Sara…well, okay, I'm not seriously hurt," he assured her, "I would've done it all again, you know."
"And I would have done the same for you," she said sincerely. He smiled, and gently reached out and caressed her face. He eased himself up and he leaned in close, despite his protesting body. He gently brushed his lips against hers.
"I'm glad I have you on my side," he said softly. She smiled her slight gap-toothed grin that he adored so much.
"I was always on your side, Nicky," she told him, this time she leant in for a kiss. When they broke off, Nick chuckled.
"Good thing we got rid of Greg," he explained and she laughed too.
"Come on, you. Let's get to the raft," she said, giving him a hand up. She supported him as they walked through the trees.
"We can't be far," he said, "The ravine was, what, a fifteen minute walk to the cave?" he asked.
"This time it might take longer," she whispered. They moved along, stopping every so often to hide when they heard sounds in the trees, but most of the time it was just an animal. They even came across a group of pigs.
"Aww, now that really pisses me off," he whined, putting on an adorable pout. Sara giggled.
"Maybe if we find another island, there will be pigs there for you to hunt," she said. He raised an eyebrow.
"Don't even joke about that, Sar," he said. They kept going, but stopped suddenly at the edge of the trees to watch a thug turn into the bush. It was the Asian guy, and from the looks of it, he was ecstatic.
"If he's happy, nothing good can come out of it," Sara whispered anxiously.
"Let's just get to the raft," he said. With Sara's help, he was able to make it across the clearing. There wasn't a soul in sight as the slid down the hill and onto the embankment before slipping into the water.
"Nick?" she said.
"What?" he asked, focused on staying above water.
"Is that a DB?" she asked, pointing to a man floating in the water.
"Oh, shit!" Nick cursed.
"Hey! You guys can't sit there and gawk all day!" Warrick hissed from the raft, "Come on!" They swam towards the raft.
"Here, let me give you a hand," Greg said as they approached. Sara moved over.
"Nick first. Be careful with him," she ordered. Greg and Warrick heaved their buddy up by his right arm, the one that didn't pain him. Then they helped Sara up.
"What happened to him?" Warrick asked.
"He took a fall," Sara explained.
"Will he be alright?" Lindsey asked.
"I'll be fine," Nick assured her, propping himself up in the edges of the raft, "What's the deal with…." he trailed off.
"The guy was firing at Greg and Lindsey when they were in the water," Warrick started.
"And Warrick saved our butts," Greg finished.
"Did what you had to do," Sara said. Warrick smiled weakly.
"I still feel like sh- crap," he amended remembering Lindsey was present.
"Has anyone seen Grissom and Cath?" Nick asked, looking from Greg to Warrick to Lindsey. He purposely meant to change the subject after he seen how much it disturbed his friend.
"The last time I saw them was last night. Somehow, we lost them in the gunfire," Warrick thought back. Lindsey looked up at this.
"Is my mom okay?" she asked worriedly. Sara moved to put an arm around the young girl.
"Knowing Catherine, I'd say yes. If she's with Grissom, that's a definite yes," she assured her. Greg chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?" Nick asked, perplexed.
"I knew they were conspiring in the drills. How else do you think that old man beat us here all the time?" Greg said smugly, and Nick, Sara, and Warrick laughed. Lindsey just hoped that her mom and her "Uncle" Gil were okay.
"Shh!" Gil hissed in Catherine's ear as he pulled her behind a tree. She stayed perfectly still against his chest, listening to his beating heart and wondering if hers was beating just as loud as his. She listened as two sets of heavy boots crushed the grass and plants in the path on the other side of the tree that sheltered them from their hunters.
"Where the Hell is everybody?" Boss asked his companion, "I haven't seen one of those stupid rats."
"Maybe they were expecting us, Boss. There's no telling how long they've been on this island," the voice they recognized as Boss's right hand, Johnny, ventured.
"If they get off this island, we're toast," Boss said menacingly, "I'm not getting thrown back in the joint because of a the Swiss Family Robinson." Gil almost snorted at this. Then they heard a new set of footsteps join Boss and Johnny.
"Why the Hell do you look so damn pleased with yourself, Lee?" Johnny asked ruthlessly.
"I got one," Lee's Asian accent evident as he said these words.
"You got one?" Boss asked.
"Black guy. Jumped off a cliff. Shot him in the water," Lee said proudly. Gil and Catherine froze. Not Warrick. It couldn't be! It couldn't have happened!
"How many were on the beach?" they hardly heard Boss voice this question.
"Six," Johnny answered, "Counted 'em."
"Five to go," Boss said menacingly. They heard them stomp off. When she thought it was safe to move, Catherine buried her face in Gil's tattered shirt, soaking it with her tears.
"Oh, God. Not Warrick," she sobbed. Gil was breathing hard as he tried and failed to fight back tears. They stood there, supporting each other as they sobbed for their friend. He was more than just a friend. Warrick was practically a family member to both of them now. All of them were. Warrick, Nick, Sara, and Greg were the only sense of family they had on the island. It was almost like mourning the death of son. Neither of them knew how long they were standing there, sobbing, holding one another.
BANG! They jumped apart at the gunshot.
"I see 'em, Boss!" they heard Lee shout and to their horror, he heard Lee, Johnny, and Boss start towards them.
"Run!" Gil hissed, panic replacing grief on his face. Clutching hands, they ran deeper into the trees, with three angry murderers chasing them.
BANG!
"Gil?" Catherine shouted as they ran side by side.
"Yeah?" he asked, indicating he was listening.
"If we don't get out of this alive-"
"We will get out of this alive, and I love you!" he interrupted her, secretly fearing that he would never be able to say it again.
"Real romantic, Gil!" she called, ever sarcastic. He couldn't help but admire her for it.
"Don't tell me you weren't about to say the exact same thing!" he shouted over to her, stealing a glance at her as they ran.
"Is it so bad to want to tell you that I love you?" she asked, looking over at him.
"Never!" he shouted, and despite the danger, he was grinning. Suddenly she pulled him to the side of the path, bypassed it on the grass and then moved back onto the path. He looked over at her, perplexed, but soon he understood.
"There they go- AHHH!" they heard Johnny's scream of anguish.
"Get out of that pit, you idiots!" they could hear Boss yell, "That old guy and his slut aren't that far a head!" Gil skidded to a halt.
"Gil, no," Catherine pleaded, but his jaw was set as he let go off her hand and ran back towards the pitfall. He crept quietly behind Boss, the hunting trips finally paying off.
"Hey, Buddy," Gil said, Boss whirled around…right into Gil's fist. The impact caused Boss to teeter back and fall into the pit with his henchmen.
"Nobody calls her a slut," Gil called, turning on his heel and jogging back to Catherine.
"You've lost it!" she exclaimed, almost jumping into his arms.
"I think you're right!" he admitted, pulling her close.
"If you ever scare me like that again…" she threatened. He laughed.
"I had to make sure the kids' trap worked!" he defended himself, though they both knew the real reason.
"What until they hear-" she stopped short, remembering what they had learnt earlier. He did too.
"Let's go," he said softly, leading her away from the path, towards the northern end of the island. Along the way, they found it strange that they didn't encounter a soul as they made their way to the raft. Even though they knew at least five of Boss's crew were hindered, they still expected to find at least one other mobster. They didn't. With little difficulty, they made it to the cliff, but they stopped. Lee had said that was where Warrick had-
Catherine gripped his hand tighter. He lead her to the edge, and with dread, he peered over the ledge. There was no body.
"There's nothing," Catherine observed coming beside him.
"Maybe the kids-" but he couldn't finish.
"Thank God it floated away," Sara whispered, "It was giving me the creeps."
"Tell me about it," Warrick agreed, still unable to come to terms with what he had done.
"I wish Cath and Griss would get over here so we could go," Greg moaned impatiently.
"My thoughts exactly," Nick agreed. Lindsey looked anxiously though the mouth of the cave. She wanted her mother so badly. For the past month and a half, Catherine Willows had been presumed dead, and now Lindsey had the glorious opportunity to speak to her, to touch her, to hug her.
And when they heard sliding noises and a light splash in the water, the waited with bated breath. It was Grissom. And behind him, Catherine followed. Sara had to restrain Lindsey from diving into the water.
"What took you guys so long?" Warrick asked as he watched his boss and Catherine swim over. There was a look of shock and amazement on both of their faces.
"We thought you were dead!" Grissom exclaimed.
"You can't get rid of me that easily, Griss," Warrick chided him, grinning, "Oh, and by the way, we have a stowaway."
"What are you talking about?" Catherine asked. She hadn't seen her daughter struggling with Sara.
"C'mon up, Cath," Greg said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He and Warrick pulled her up and as she was raised out of the water, the first thing she saw was a sight she thought she would never see again.
"Lindsey!" she cried, pushing past Greg and Warrick and enveloped her crying daughter into a hug.
"Watch it! You almost pushed me in!" Greg called, but he was smiling.
"Mommy!" Lindsey sobbed against Catherine's shirt. Catherine couldn't seem to grasp the fact that her daughter was there and the tears streamed down her face.
"What's going on?" Grissom asked as Warrick and Greg helped him up. Once he was onboard, he looked over and saw the last person he expected to see on the island. Catherine and Lindsey were gasping and crying, clutching each other tightly to make sure that this wasn't a dream.
"How-" Gil was speechless. Then, upon hearing Gil clearly, Lindsey momentarily released her mother and hugged her second-favourite person in the whole world.
"Uncle Gil!" she exclaimed, latching herself on his neck.
"Butterfly! What in the world are you doing here?" he asked, staring into the young girl's eyes.
"'Butterfly'?" Greg mouthed softly, looking at Sara, Nick, and Warrick.
"Long story," she said, hugging him again before returning to her mother's arms.
"Well, you could tell it to them as we get outta here, Lindsey," Nick said from his spot leaning against the edge of the raft.
"You're not paddling," Sara said firmly, grabbing a paddle.
"I told you that I'd beat you here, old man," Greg quipped, as he and Warrick untied the raft.
"Greg, do you want me to leave you on the island?" Grissom threatened. Greg shook his head and took his place beside Sara in oaring. Warrick and Grissom took the other side.
"Now, how on earth did you get here?" Catherine asked her daughter, as she, Nick, and Lindsey let the others do the work. Nick was lying propped up on his side while Lindsey sat encircled in her mother's arms. Lindsey regaled them all with her tale as the island got farther and farther away.
"…And then…wait a minute, look!" Lindsey broke off, pointing off into the distance.
TBC
Originally this was to be combined with the next chapter, but, obviously I thought I could have more fun this way and I don't want to let go of this story quite yet. It's quite comical, actually. First this was to be 21 chapters, then I split up the 20th chapter to make 22. Now I split up the 21st, so there is now going to be 23 chapters...Don't be too shocked if this number changes again!