Again, I thank everyone for the great reviews. Sorry it took me longer to post this time. Here you go, chapter five of Cliff Hanger!

By the end of the shift, Nick already missed the field. After all, he was a CSI, not a lab tech. He was glad to leave the building at shift's end. He had just clocked out and was about to walk out the door when Grissom came up behind him.

"Nick, I have good news," his supervisor announced, "I just got a call from Detective Blevins. Dallas has called off the dogs. You're a free man."

Nick sighed with relief. "Thank God. Looks like I'm back in the field night after next. Tomorrow's my night off."

"I'll see you then."

Nick stepped out of the heat of the building and into the cool air of the desert morning. The sky was a brilliant blend of light blues, pink, and orange as the light consumed what was left of the black night. Not only was it beautiful, it was symbolic. The sunrise mirrored the relief and tranquility Nick felt.

As he strolled to his SUV, his mind was filled with fond and happy memories of his best friend Tanner Woods for the first time sense the incident. Before he had never been able to think about Tanner without remembering his tragic death; he was glad to finally be able the think about the good times. He decided that today would be the day he was finally at peace with the events of July fourteenth, 1986.

"Nick!" Nick turned around to see Catherine rushing to catch up with him. "Hay, did Grissom give you the good news?'

"Yep. I've officially been cleared. Do you want to go celebrate?" Nick winked and grinned.

Catherine grinned back at him and mimed raising a glass. "Cheers to no more bitch from Dallas."

"To closure." Nick added.

"To the administration of justice."

"To us."

On their way to Nick's house, the two of them conversed fixed on no particular subject, both anticipating an ordinary day.

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11:00 a.m, Melissa Woods waited in a black Jeep Cherokee rental car down the street from Nick's house. She had a lot of ideas, but no sure plan as to how to carry out her quest for revenge. I could shoot him. Run him off the road and make him wreck. Bring him to the roof of a building and make him fall to his death just like he did to Tanner.

But before she could do anything, she had to be sure she could get him alone. As she watched the house, she tried to sort through unanswered questions. Why are their two cars in the driveway? Is he married? Does he have children?

While she was sorting through these questions, she saw Nick walk out of the house with a blond haired woman who, of cores, Melissa did not recognize. She saw him walk the woman to her car and kiss her goodbye. So he's married. As Melissa watched Catherine pull out of the driveway, she came up with her most diabolical plan of all.

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About thirty minutes after Catherine left, Nick had fallen asleep on the couch. He was awakened by his phone ringing. He sat up slowly and answered it. "Hello?" He groaned groggily."

"You sound tiered." A familiar voice said. He wasn't quite sure yet who she was, but he knew he had heard that voice somewhere. "I hope you slept well, because after today, you'll never close your eyes in peace again. Do you know who is calling you?"

"No, who are you?"

She did not answer him directly. "I came to Nevada to kill you, to make you pay for what you did to my son." Now Nick new. "But I decided not to kill you. I can hurt you worse then a bullet through your heart would. I can make you suffer the pain of loss you forced on me."

"Oh my god." Nick said in horror. Catherine.

"I'm following the woman you love now. Is she your wife? Girlfriend? Fiancée? I'm right behind her, and she has no idea that the grill of her fancy SUV is about to kiss a big ol' Mac truck. Taste pain, MURDERER!"

"NO!" Nick screamed, but it was to late. All he could hear was the dull hum of the dial tone; the most awful, haunting sound he had ever heard.

TBC. Whew! I'll see you next chapter. Hay, the title is Cliff Hanger, what did you expect?