Author's Note: Did you like that last one? I did hee hee but that's just my biased opinion. Anyways….you might not like this one…hence the name of the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 23 – When Everything Goes Wrong

Nick left after a while. They had sat down in Sara's living room and talked. About nothing, really, but they talked. Nick kept her hand in his, telling her the entire time that he had been waiting for the day he could kiss her. He left just before Charlotte was expected home. When she did walk through the door Sara made her lunch and spent the afternoon playing with her and Chester. In Sara's opinion, it was one of the best Valentines Days she had ever had.

When Sara left Charlotte to go to work she was in a much better mood. She hummed a little tune as she walked down the hall to the break room at the start of shift. She greeted Catherine and Warrick and sat down with a smile on her face. They waited for Nick and Grissom to arrive, making small talk. Grissom showed up 5 minutes late and sat down in a huff with a few files and papers askew in his hands.

"Alright, let's get started then," he said, dumping his arm load onto the table.

"Wait…" Sara started.

"…Where's Nick?" Warrick finished.

Grissom looked up. He gave them a blank look. "I thought he was already here."

Everyone looked at each other. "I don't know where he is. I'll call him in a minute," Grissom said, looking down at his papers again.

Everyone shrugged it off and went back to work. When they were finished Grissom took out his cell phone. Sara pretended to be getting a cup of coffee but she listened in on his half of the conversation. But, to her disappointment, Grissom didn't say anything. He closed his phone and tried it again with the same result.

"Hmm," Grissom said to himself.

"What's up?" Sara tried to seem nonchalant.

"He's not answering his phone," he answered.

"Hmm," Sara repeated. She stood up after a second and took out her own cell phone, dialing as she left the room. The phone rang six times then went into his message machine. She tried his home number with the same result.

"Where are you, Nick?" she asked her phone. She walked into the lobby, seeing Catherine sitting in one of the chairs, he head in her hands.

"What's up, Cath?" she asked.

"I…he sent…I got another….another letter," she stuttered.

"What?" Sara's eyes opened wide. "Where?" she didn't see anything in Catherine's hand, but on the floor, a piece of paper and an envelope lay at her feet.

"I can't touch it. I…I can't do it. I can't read it," Catherine mumbled.

Sara searched around in her pocket, coming out with a latex glove. She snapped it on, taking a deep breath and picking up the two pieces of paper. She looked at the letter first.

'I have him. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. I have him. You have a chance to get him back, but it won't be easy. You will wire $1 000 000 to The following P.O.Box if you ever want to get him back. You have 24 hours. This is payback.'

Sara's mood changed in a split second the colorful letter's taunted her consciousness. They swam in and out of focus as she teetered on her feet. She grabbed behind her and her hand met the arm of a chair. She sat down. Catherine was watching her reaction.

"What….what does it say?" she asked quietly.

Sara's voice wouldn't work. Her hearing almost didn't either but she let out a high squeak in substitute of speech.

"What does it say?" a little annoyed this time.

"Oh my God…" Sara whispered.

"What does it say?" quietly again.

Grissom walked by on his was from the break room and saw the two women sitting down. He saw Sara's face and furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's wrong?"

His question went unanswered as Sara mumbled to herself. "Oh my God…Oh….my dear God," she mumbled, tears coming down but she barely noticed.

"What's that?" Grissom asked, indicating the letter in Sara's hand.

"The…the guy...he sent me another letter," Catherine said making a grab for the letter but Grissom got it first. He read it quickly and his head shot up, looking at nothing.

"What…what are we going to do?" Sara asked no-one in particular.

"What does it say?" Catherine asked again, grabbing the letter from Grissom, looking at both people in front of her before reading the letter. Her curiosity had overcome her fear.

"Oh my God," she whispered when she finished. "What are we going to do?" She repeated Sara's question. Grissom whipped out his cell phone without saying anything. He dialed a number and walked away, starting his conversation with Brass as he went.

"We have a problem," he started. Sara and Catherine looked at each other and got up to follow him. Grissom talked to Brass for only a couple of minutes. He didn't acknowledge the girls behind him, but led then to QD. He took the letter from Catherine and Put it on the desk.

"Another letter?" the trainee in QD asked.

"Yes. Print it, run it…everything you did on the other letters. I need this one," Grissom said, taking a picture of it while he spoke.

"Ok," the trainee said, snapping on a fresh pair of gloves.

Grissom turned and left, Catherine and Sara following him.

"Grissom…what are we going to do?" Catherine asked, running up a step to get beside Grissom.

"I don't know. We need to have a meeting. Meet me in the break room in 5 minutes."