Author's Note: Hugs for everyone. To those that reviewed, thank you from the bottom of my heart. They mean a lot to me. I just thought of a little Snicker moment not too long ago. I had to put it in this chapter. Its in a form of a flashback (they'll get to her soon, I promise). Hope you'll like it.

Chapter 8

"Where is it? Where the hell is that room?" Nick asked, as he pointed to the laptop, feeling extremely agitated and concerned. He had ran to every room, trying to find a place similar to what he saw on the screen. Tired and discouraged, he leaned against the wall to take a break. "How can we be sure it's a live feed?" Nick asked in the steadiest voice he could master, facing away from both Brass and Warrick, wiping the tears off his face.

"We just have to assume that it is." Warrick said sadly. He was still seated by the table, staring at the screen, trying to make sense of the image in front of him. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and in his head. The experience felt familiar, similar to the time when he and the gang were in standing in front of the monitor in the lab, watching Nick struggling in that box. She's dying…The words kept replaying in his head. What happened to her? Where is she? Why is she there? How are they going to get to her? Questions, questions! But no answers… The pounding in his head was getting heavier and harder by the minute. Every thought, every question was rushing into his brain. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to clear his mind as well as prevent the tears from coming out of his eyes. He took out his phone…

Adrenaline was traveling around his bloodstream. The hairs on his neck were standing. His jaw was left hanging and he had stop breathing. Those were the kind of reactions that you would not expect from a man like Grissom. He was relieved, he was worried, he was upset, he was nervous; all emotions rolled into one. He ran into the other room, where Catherine, Sofia and Greg were discussing the 'rejected' killings.

"I just got off the phone with Warrick--- Go through the kidnapped victims statements again. We need to find that room." The 3 of them looked at Grissom, confused and baffled by his outburst.

"What room, Grissom?" Greg asked. "What are you talking about?"

Grissom took a breath to clear his mind, "Nick and Warrick are along Route 160 on a case. It's somehow related to the 'reject killings'…" He told them the conversation he had with Warrick, filling them in with the details of the dead body they found and the laptop. "… They have found Sara…" He paused, trying to control his emotions. "… It doesn't look good."

"Alright…. You're sure? Ok, we'll try to look for it…. Thanks." Warrick hung up the phone. "Nick! I just got off the phone with Cath. One of the victims remembered seeing a safe room somewhere… you know, the kind with steel doors and all. It must be hidden in one of the rooms. She could be in there."

Nick was seated in the living room, his face looking down towards the floor, his cap covering his emotions. They knew Sara's here, she's somewhere in this house, begging for help, and they can't find the door to get to her. He slammed his fist onto the coffee table in front of him, "Damn it Warrick! Where is she? I have search every room in this godforsaken place and I still can't find her." He banged his fist onto the table again, before covering his face with his bruised hands.

Warrick sat next to him. "She's counting on us, Nick. Don't give up yet." Nick sighed and nodded his head in agreement. The two men were about to stand up when Brass called out to them.

"Hey guys, we got something…" They walked into one of the bedrooms. The room was neat and tidy, and if they didn't know better; it would have looked like one of the rooms you'll find in a nice motel. There was a single bed in the center of the room, a table next to it with a digital clock and a lamp that matched the green painted walls. The bed was made, with its blankets tucked into its sides. It seems like no one has slept on it for a while now. There were tiny rectangular windows near the ceiling; allow the moonlight to reflect its rays onto the bed and its frames. The ground was fully carpeted and clean, with the exception of tiny specks of dust hovering near the surface. On the left was a large hanging picture on the wall and a huge brown door that was open on the right. The only thing out of place was a big wooden board leaning against the bed, with Brass standing beside it.

"We did a little snooping around. This officer here 'accidentally' pulled this out while searching the closet." Brass said, pointing to the board. "We found this." He ushered them towards the open door. The closet was about the size of a walk-in wardrobe. The only source of light came from a light bulb hanging above them, swinging from side to side, laminating one end of the room to the other. Right in front of them, where the big wooden board used to be, was very heavy-looking steel vault door.

"I've heard of a safe room but this is ridiculous." Brass said as he pulled the 3-point handle on the door. It didn't budge. He looked at Warrick and Nick. "If this room was suppose to keep you safe… why are the locks on the outside? A safe room is meant to keep intruders out."

"…Or keep someone in." Nick answered. "Are you sure she's in there?" He waited for their positive response. "We need to get this open, and we need it open now!"

"I've seen this before. You need a code to open a vault door. It's impossible to break through. The door has inner and outer steel plates installed. We need to get one of our security specialist to open this lock." Warrick said, tapping on the door before picking up his phone to call for backup. "I'll call the coroner as well. We need to get that D.B to the lab."

As soon as Warrick ended his sentence, a voice spoke up, "Hey… this picture is upside-down." The 3 men turned towards the voice. The officer that explored the house together with Brass took hold of the hanging picture by its sides and took it off the wall.

"Wait, don't touch anything—" Warrick shouted as he ran out from inside the closet, just in time to see the officer lifting the picture off the wall and placing it on the floor. "What is the matter with you? This is a crime scene! You're not suppose to touch anything…"

"I…I'm sorry, I… I just joined the… force not long ago…" The rookie cop looked like as if he was about to pee in his pant as Warrick walked towards him. Brass was standing at the other side of the bed, holding his head with his hand and shaking his head in embarrassment.

Nick looked around the room. "Quiet, you guys…" He said as he put his hand towards his ear. "Do you hear that?" All of them silently stood where they were, straining their ears to listen out for a sound.

"I don't hear…"

"You! Quiet!" Brass harshly whispered as he pointed his finger at the rookie, threatening to break him in half if he said anything else. Something was making a sound, a very soft 'something'. An unusual repeated 'clanking' sound was heard. Where is it coming from? The safe room?

Nick walked towards the officer and took the painting off the floor. He turned the picture around and pushed its backing, trying to feel if there's more to the picture that meets the eye. Sure enough, there was definitely something between the backing and picture. Nick took it off to see what it was. Inside were the blueprints of the house as well as a letter.

------

Hello my dear CSIs.

If you're reading this letter, that means one of you idiots had took the painting off the wall. Did you hear a something? That is the sound of your window of opportunity opening. You see, there're 4 sensors hidden behind each corner of the frame. Each sensor is paired up with another found in the wall. If one of those sensors were to be separated from each other, a ventilation shaft will open, allowing you access into the vault. (I'm sure you have already found it. After all, you guys are CSIs.) Remember this though, it doesn't stay open forever and it's a one-time deal. The shaft is designed for only one person, so choose your players wisely. You have 30 minutes before it closes. Worried? Don't be! Being the 'kind' human being that I am, I have left you the blueprints of the house. That should save you some time. If you win, you get to save your friend (if she's not already dead). So, without further ado, let the games begin.

Some facts about the game we're about to play…

- To open the vault from the inside, push the button located closest to the doors. The doors will take about 30 minutes to open.

- There are medical supplies in the vault, use it to your advantage.

- The ventilation shaft is only able to support the maximum weight of 160lbs. Any heavier (even if its just 1lb over), the shaft will dismantle, killing you and destroying your only way in.

- The maximum height that the ventilation shaft can support is 6 feet. Any taller will result in a higher risk of you getting trapped.

- Bring what you need. Once you enter the vault through the ventilation shaft, there's no turning back.

Now that you have wasted about 5 minutes of your precious time reading my letter, you better start moving.

P.S I'm going to need her back when you're done with her…

------

26 minutes left…

"This is a game to him?!" Nick shouted in disbelief, getting a little hysterical. "This is nothing but a game to him? …You!" He pointed an angry finger at the rookie officer. "What… we're moving furniture now? We're decorating crime scenes? What were you thinking?" Nick grabbed the officer by the collar, slamming his back up against the wall. "We don't even have any backup! IF SHE DIES…"

"NICK, back off. Let him go!" Warrick stood behind Nick, grabbing his arms in a lock and pulling him back away from the officer.

"Stand outside with the others and secure the perimeter." Brass ordered the rookie. He took a long, hard look at the trembling officer, knowing that that could be the last time he'll ever see him in uniform again. He turned towards Nick and Warrick. "I never liked rookies." He said as he pointed towards the door that the officer walked out from. "You okay?" Nick nodded, looking a little calmer than he did before. "Don't worry." Brass assured him with a smirk. "I would have done the same thing if you didn't attack him first. Let's look over the blueprints." He looked at his watch. "We have to do it fast."

22 minutes left…

"The ventilation shaft is over here." Warrick pointed to a spot on the blueprints. "According to this, the opening is found at the back of the house."

"I'll go check it out." Brass stood up and headed out through the back door.

Warrick read the letter again. Maximum 6 feet and 160 lbs… he thought to himself. He closed his eyes for a moment. Brass has the height but he's about 3lbs too heavy. Warrick looked at his own physique. He's definitely out. He's too tall and too heavy to get through the ventilation shaft. The rookie officer is too green and stupid to do the job, and the others are either too tall or too heavy. Nick was just the perfect height and weight to get through. The only problem was that Nick hasn't exactly recovered from his own traumatic experience. It's too soon. He may suffer a panic attack in there. Warrick sighed. They could wait for backup to arrive. The shaft will be inaccessible by then but they could bypass the security locks with what they have. But... it would take them about an hour to get here and more than 2 hours to break the code.

Time… is something that they didn't have.

18 minutes left…

Nick sat in front of the vault door, his head leaning against its cold surface, cooling his hot wet tears that were running down his face. After hearing what Warrick had to say, he went into the closet to think things through. They were thinking of going with the second plan, which was waiting for backup. Nick could tell that both Warrick and Brass didn't like the idea at all, but they had no choice. To ensure the safety of everyone... well... almost everyone.

His gut felt like it was filled with butterflies. His heart was heavy. His fists were shaking and his feet were restless. He hated the way he was feeling. He took slow and steady breaths in an attempt to calm down, with only the occasional sobs and hiccups interrupting him. Here he is, sitting in a place where he thought was the closest to Sara, whispering to the door as if it would repeat to her what he said, trying to justify his actions. He wanted to save Sara so badly but fear is preventing him from doing so. He felt helpless, useless and worthless.

Could he save her without a panic attack? Could he even save her at all?

After being buried alive, Nick has developed a fear for enclosed spaces, becoming claustrophobic. During his first few days of recovery, he experienced horrible flashbacks when awake and nightmares when asleep. He used to get panic attacks frequently. He still gets them sometimes, but he has learnt to control them. He had help from the P.E.A.P counselor and therapist. He had help from his family. He had help from friends.

He had help from Sara…

About 2 years ago...

Nick was leaning against the hood of his car, looking up at the cloudless sky. The lights of the city were beaming, almost like they were competing with the stars for his attention. His shift was over, but he decide to hang around for a while, appreciating his surroundings. Once you had experienced what Nick had gone through, you'll learn not to take things for granted.

"Hey." Came a voice that he knew well. He turned towards the source, watching her walk towards him. It was a cold night, she had her thick jacket on and her hands in her pocket. She stood nearby and gave him her warmest smile, "Is this space taken?" She took one hand out of its comfort zone and pointed to the front of his car.

He smiled back as he scooted over to his left, making space for Sara. She lean against the spot where he was, feeling the remainder of his body heat on the hood, "Did you see your P.E.A.P Counselor today?" He answered her question with a nod. "How was it?"

"It's alright. We just talked about stuff… you know how it is."

She smiled, "I know. Been there, done that." She looked down on the ground, shuffling the tiny grains of sand on the gravel from one position to another. "…I'm worried about you Nick. You seem different somehow." She paused, pondering over her next question. "Still having nightmares?"

"Not so much now… I am getting better. I can't stand it when people keep asking me about it..." He looked towards Sara for a moment. She was still looking at the ground, but he could tell that her feelings were a little hurt by that last sentence. He continued, "I do get a little nervous around bugs and small spaces. I feel like… like a wimp, you know. I'm sure the boys back in Dallas are having a good laugh over this."

"Nick," She looked up from the spot where she was staring at to look at him, "What you've experience is no laughing matter… And you're not a wimp." She gave him a friendly punch to his right shoulder. "Besides, I don't think anyone of us could endure what you have gone through. It takes a really strong person to be able to make it out of there…"

Nick smiled at the thought, but it disappeared quickly, "I still get uncomfortable around these things. I don't know… I'm worried about its effect on the cases— I'm worried about its effects on me…" His voice drifted off into a whisper. After a short moment of silence between the 2 CSIs, he felt his car bounce slightly. He looked up to see Sara standing in front of him, the tip of her shoes almost touching his own. She looked back at him, studying the contours of his face.

"Close your eyes." She said.

Nick gave her a puzzled, confused look. "Wait—what? Why?"

She leaned closer towards him. "Trust me, close your eyes…" She said as she placed her fingertips on his forehead. Gently, she glided her fingers down to his eyes, covering them with both her hands. After she was sure that he had done what she asked, she took her hands off his face.

"This better not be a trick Sara Sidle." Nick said as he felt her fingers leave his face. What is she up to?

"Oh… using my full name now." She joked. "Just trust me… that's all I ask."

Nick smiled. He could feel Sara's presence close to him. As a cool breeze blew by, he could smell her fragrance. So this is what Greg meant by "Sidle Scent", he though as he recalled Greg talking about it when he was recovering from his injuries. It smelt exactly how Greg described it, making him grin. He listened to the rustling of the trees around them as he waited for Sara's instructions.

"Picture yourself in a dark room…" She began. Nick tried blocking out all the sound around him, focusing on Sara's voice. "…You're sitting in the center of that room… the four walls around you are closing in." Nick imagined his surrounding getting smaller and smaller. He twitched in discomfort.

"Sara… this is ridiculous. I'm not going to—" As he tried to open his eyes, Sara quickly placed both her hands onto his face, obstructing his vision.

"Shh…don't open your eyes yet." She said gently. "Don't you trust me?" Nick smirked and nodded his head. "Now… the four walls surrounding you are closing in." Sara felt Nick's eyes closed tightly under her fingers. He shifted his weight uncomfortably on the hood of the car, as if he making sure he's still able to move around. Sara smiled at his response. "If you feel uncomfortable, raise your hand." Nick's shaky hand rose up slowly. It looked clumsy and unstable, almost like it didn't belong to him at all. His breathing sped up a little, Sara could tell that he was getting nervous. As his hand rose higher and higher, she took her left hand from his eyes and grabbed it, holding it tight. "Think of a word that makes you feel safe." She said as she looked at Nick, visualizing the gears in his mind working away. "Say it out loud."

"Cisco." He said, as both his and Sara's hand moved down slowly, back towards his side. He began to relax a little. His breathing had returned to normal and his hands were no longer shaky. Sara took her hand off his face, waiting for Nick to open his eyes.

"Whoa…" Nick blew out his breath slowly as he said that, "Where did you learn to do that?"

Sara thought about it for a while. "I'll save that story for another time." She gave him a smirk. "So… whenever you feel uncomfortable in a small, confined space, just say your 'safe' word and breathe in and out, slowly and deeply. That should help you relax a little." She said as she looked at her watch. "Hope that helped… I got to go. See you tomorrow?" She waved as she walked passed his car towards hers as Nick watched her leave…

15 minutes left...

He opened his eyes as the memory disappeared…

What should he do? Should he do it? Could he do it?

The clock's ticking… Time is running out

TBC

What Sara did to Nick actually does work. It's called systematic desensitization and it can used to treat anxiety and phobias. (Just in case you're wondering). Smiles

Hope you guys are having/had/will have a wonderful V-day.