Authors Note: I own nothing. But I thank my readers and my reviewers. You are feeding the muse! I will stop for now with the un-betad chapters until I get some feed back.Chapter 6

Greg found Nick sitting quietly in the shadows. As he approached Greg cleared his throat. Nick waved him over without looking up. Greg joined him, sighing heavily as he sat down.

Nick looked sideways as Greg afraid to speak. Hear it comes Nick thought. The "you repulse me and I could never be your friend again speech.

"I really don't know what to say Nick." Greg started. "I'm a little shocked, and a little in awe." Nick turned to face Greg; sure he was imagining the words. "I don't know how you could work some of these cases after that." Greg really didn't know what else to say. He wanted to be there for Nick. But he didn't think prying would be the best way to help. And he wasn't sure he could be strong for Nick if he knew the facts.

Nick sat speechless for a minute or two staring at Greg in disbelief. "I guess I do it because of what happened. I couldn't stop her from hurting me. But I wanted keep others from getting hurt." Nick rose and began pacing. After a few minutes he stopped suddenly and turned to Greg. "But I messed up did I?" He asked just above a whisper.

Greg looked at Nick puzzled. "I don't understand Nick, what did you mess up?" Greg wasn't following Nick's train of thought.

"I didn't keep others from getting hurt." Nick began pacing again as he continued his rant. "My silence was the cause of Nicky St. James killing himself. How many others have there been Greg? How many other boys spent their lives suffering at her hands. Just because I was to weak and stupid to speak up!"

Nicks voice has risen to nearly shouting. Greg stood and put his hand on Nick's shoulder effectively stopping Nick's outburst. "Nick, why don't we take this up again later." Greg nodded towards the parking lot where several people were watching them as they walked into the building. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather not draw a crowd." Greg gave Nick one of his patented grins.

"Sorry G. Didn't mean to go all Oprah on ya." Nick chuckled nervously. "What say we get back at it for now." Nick's cell phone chose that moment to start ringing. He looked at the caller ID and motioned for Greg to follow as he took the call.

"Jack, what'd ya find man." Nicks face twisted up with confusion. "Bachelors degree huh. You're sure. Yeah, Texas A & M, engineering. Got it. But I don't understand it. What? No, no problem. Just a connection to a case I'm on here in Vegas. Yeah, you take care too. Come out for a visit sometime, I know a place you can loose a couple of hundred bucks! Talk to ya later Jack, and thanks." Nick hung up as he and Greg walked into Catherine's office.

"I just talked to my buddy Jack in Dallas. It seems that… she has a Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering. The… " Nick closed his eyes to regain his composure. "She has a near genius IQ. Finished top in her class and finished a year early."

"Well, Nick, even a genius doesn't know everything." Catherine really didn't know what else to say to ease the guilt Nick was feeling.

"Yeah, well she knows how to get little boys to keep secrets." Nick flinches at his own dark thoughts. "Brass, any luck tracking an actual address for her. A car, anything?"

"Yeah, the address she gave the St. James is the same address on her drivers license. She's "lived" there for two years according to their records. I didn't find any vehicle registered in her name though. So I tried my luck, and got a rental vehicle make. Appears there are still rental companies that will rent fir cash. No charge card required." Brass reads off his note pad.

"Two years? She's been in Vegas for two years? What the hell's she been doing?" Nick looks at them like a caged animal, eyes darting back and forth between them. "Wait, she's been watching me. She's been biding her time, waiting to strike, waiting to get to me again!" Nick races from the room heading to the locker room.

After a few very uncomfortable moments of silence Brass asks "So, who's gonna go talk to him?"

"Nobody." Mandy looks around at the others. "Give him an hour or so. He needs some time to let this all sink in a little bit. Then I'll try." They all nod in agreement.

"Ok, Greg, look into what all she studied while in college. I want to know every project she was involved in, whom she worked with, where she worked, any committee she was ever on, everything. Have Archie help you, but don't give away too much. Brass, why don't you do a broader criminal history search. Mandy, check and see if Doc Robins sent anything to the lab. I'm going to go see what the autopsy turned up." They all left the office to go about their assignments.

**CSI**NICK**CSI**NICK**CSI**NICK**CSI*NICK**CSI**NICK**CSI**NICK

Alison sat on her sage green loveseat looking through her special photo album. With each picture of Nick she stroked his face tenderly. She re-reads the newspaper articles from when Nigel Crane stalked him, from when he was rescued from his makeshift grave and from Warick's funeral.

"My Nicky, you should have been with me. None of these bad things would have happened to you if you had just come with me that night. I would have kept you safe." Alison sighs as she closed the album. Smoothing over the cover with her hands.

Alison rose, placing the album back in the bookcase before going to her desk to turn on the monitor. She turns the monitor so she can see it from the kitchen as she makes herself a light supper. Returning to her desk she sees Nick walking through his front door.

"Welcome home darling. Did you have a rough shift? I wish I could come and brush all your troubles away. Soon, my love. Everything is coming together and soon we will be together again." Alison switches to another camera and watches Nick undress and step into the shower. She smiled dreamily as she takes her dishes to the sink. Thinking of all the things she wanted to do to Nick.