A/N: Just wanna say thanks to all who reviewed, sorry if I wasn't able to reply you. I realy appreciate your words 'grin'.

I should probably say that this fic is set right after the season 3 episode High and Low.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fire and Water

by Nicol Leoraine

Chapter 2

Nick wasn't sure if he should feel apprehension or rather enjoy the fact that he got a solo case. He was glad that Grissom trusted him with it, but there was the weird nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him think that perhaps this case wouldn't be one of the easy ones. Driving out of the city limits, he started paying more attention to the road. It was pretty dark and he knew that the locationBrass had given him was easy to miss.

He still couldn't keep himself from wondering what was behind Grissom's sudden departure from most of the case scenes. It looked almost like the criminalist was afraid to leave the office, an occurrence Nick would've never before associated with the entomologist.

Nick blinked and pulled at the wheel, when he saw the lights of a police cruiser and realised he hadjust passed the side road. He turned the car, thankful that the road was clear.

He hadn't gone very far before he saw several people standing near the police car, staring. They looked like campers, some of them wearing only swimsuits. Most of them were young, most probably students enjoying the weekend. A young cop was talking to them, probably trying to send them away but apparently not having much luck. Nick smirked at the scene, just as the cop saw his car.

Nick put on the brakes and pokedhis head out of the window.

''You need to turn around, sir, I am sorry but this road is closed.'' The cop walked up to him, looking a mite nervous and irritated by the fact that he was sweating here, instead of enjoying the A/C in his car.

Nick gave him a sympathetic smile and pulled out his ID. The cop frowned, then nodded.

"Sorry sir. It just looks like every damn tourist heard about the body, so now when they see a police car, they automatically come to take a look.''

"They giving you any trouble?" Nick asked sympathetically, but the cop quickly shook his head.

"Nah, just annoying. They're all from the camp two miles down. I think one of them found the body earlier, so they're a little edgy. Sure wouldn't want to sleep outside in a tent if there's some sicko killing people."

"I highly doubt the killer is still there," Nick said with a frown, getting only a shrug and a half smile in reply.

"You know how it goes."

"Yeah, I know. Can you tell me where Captain Brass is?"

"Just follow the road, you'll find a small parking lot. You shouldn't miss it, what with all the lights and people around,'' the cop mumbled and Nick wanted to thank him but there was another car coming their way and the cop was already walking toward it.

With a slight shake of his head, Nick left the small crowd behind and followed the young cop's directions.

Jim Brass was already waiting for him and by the frown on his face and the tense looks coming from the other cops, Nick had a feeling he wasn't in his best mood. With a sigh he climbed from his car, grabbed the kit and headed right for the detective.

"About damn time someone came," Brass mumbled and brushed the sweat from his face.

"Hello to you too, Jim," Nick replied with a slight grin, hoping the older man wouldn't bite off his head. Brass grumbled a 'sorry' and turned away, heading for the car they had found.

"Did Doc Robbins say anything useful?" he asked, even as Nick pulled out his camera and started taking photos.

"Just that the victim had probably drowned, before being stabbed. But it's not official…he still needs to do the autopsy. What happened here, Jim? I didn't really get the chance to read the report."

"In short, two teenagers went for a midnight swim. It was quite dark and they got separated. The boy, a sixteen-year-old student, found the body, floating head down in the water. At first he thought it was his girlfriend but then she appeared from behind him. He got scared, and they both started screaming. Some people heard them and called the Water Safety Patrol. By the time they came the kids were already on the shore, spilling their guts to some campers. The guys from the patrol turned on the spotlights and started the search. Found our Jane Doe."

"So, you still don't know who she is?" Nick asked, a little disappointed. He really wanted to know who that woman was…why she was so familiar to him.

"Yeah well, we had an APB out on this car, as well as its owner. It's a thirty-one-year-old Jamie Collins. She was reported missing three days ago by her husband. Still I want to take a look inside the car before contacting the guy. Was waiting for you, because of those footprints." Brass pointed at the trail left on the ground. For once, Nick was glad that the parking lot wasn't really paved with concrete, just a square of bare dusty ground. Not the most ideal place for footprints either, but at least he now knew the size of the unknown suspect's feet and probably would be able to calculate his weight too, by the depth of the print.

"Okay, give me a minute to take some shots of those footprints and to check the ground around the car."

Brass gave him a nod and watched as the CSI started working.

"So, a busy night?" Brass asked after several minutes of silence and Nick looked up at him a little puzzled.

"It could be worse. Grissom is still at the office. The others are all working some case."

That brought a frown from the detective.

"You mean that Grissom stayed at the office rather than take this case?"

"What, I'm not good enough?" Nick asked with a smirk, but Brass saw the hurt look behind it.

"Hell, you know I didn't mean it like that, Nick. Just curious. Not like Grissom to stay behind if he's not forced to."

Hearing his own thoughts out loud, Nick could only agree with the detective.

"Yeah, looks like something is bugging him," he said, trying not to smile at the light pun. Brass wasn't as careful though and grinned.

"Someone should talk to him," he noted and Nick couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Are you volunteering?"

Brass only winced in reply and pointed at the car and their surroundings.

"Does this look like a place where a woman would go alone?" the detective asked, bringing their attention back to the case. Nick took a quick look around and shook his head.

"Not unless she was having an affair she didn't want anybody else to know about."

"So it could've been a pissed off lover?"

Nick shrugged. "Or she was kidnapped somewhere else and the car and the body were brought here to cover it up."

"In that case though, there should be some evidence of the kidnapper in the car."

"Well then, we should take a look inside," Nick said as he got up, stretching his back.

"You done?"

"With the footprints, yeah. I still have to take a look around here, check out those bushes over there and see if I can't find any tracks of another car. But I think we can look inside."

Even though the scene was well lit by the portable floodlights the Water Safety Patrol had provided them with, Nick pulled out his flashlight and leaned over to take a better look at the door.

"Doesn't look like someone had to break into the car. Either he had the keys or the victim was still alive," Nick mumbled to himself, observing that there were no scratches on the door or around the handle…though there were also other ways to get into the car, less invasive ways.

"It isn't locked," Brass noted when Nick easily opened the door, not even setting off the alarm system.

"Nope. Lucky we still found the car here."

Brass didn't comment, only took a careful step closer, watching as Nick looked through the interior of the car, pointing at the keys still in the ignition with raised eyebrows. He checked out the compartment in the centre console and eased himself out of the crouched position he was in.

"Well, whoever did this sure wasn't in it for the money. There's a one hundred bill and several credit cars." He showed the open wallet to Brass, carefully pulling out an ID and a driver's license.

"I think we can say we have a positive identification on our victim," Nick uttered after he saw the photo on the ID. There was no doubt the woman in the autopsy room was Jamie Collins. And eyeing the other photo stuffed in the wallet, he also got an answer to his question of why did she look so familiar to him.

"Damn it," he mumbled, shaking his head dejectedly as he eyed the other person on the photo.

"Nicky? Do you know her?" Brass asked with a frown, taking in Nick's unhappy demeanour.

"I met her only once," Nick said with a sigh, putting the wallet into an evidence bag, scribbling down the details of the found.

"And?" Brass pressed, fervently hoping that Nick wasn't involved with the victim. As if reading his thought, Nick shot him a bewildered look, before elaborating.

"And we had lunch. In her house. With her husband present," he added pointedly, earning a scoffing snort and a grin at the same time.

"So you know her husband?"

"Yeah," Nick replied, his voice lower than before, as he realised what that meant. His mind was already conjuring up a picture of Travis, standing in the doorway and listening to Nick telling him that his wife was dead. Another picture popped into his mind though, one where Travis stood in the morgue and had to identify his wife, the wound on her forehead exposed before his eyes. Suddenly, Nick felt slightly sick to his stomach.

"Yeah, I know him," he said quietly and took a deep breath, his look straying to the dark surface of the lake, trying to calm his insides.

Brass waited a minute, knowing that Nick needed a moment to get hold of himself, but when the silence continued, he spoke.

"Nick, is this case too personal for you? I can still call Grissom and let him take over."

"What?" That brought Nick back to reality rather quickly. "No, I'm okay," he said shaking himself and Brass saw the resolution clearly written in his eyes.

"I know Travis from Texas, he's an old buddy, but... it's not like I spend much time with him anymore. And I didn't really get to know his wife too well. It just..."

"Sucks?" Brass supplied, and Nick waved his hand, frustrated.

"Yeah, you can say that again," he said after a moment. "I don't want to be the bearer of bad news," Nick added.

"You don't have to, Nicky," Brass quickly assured him, but Nick shook his head.

"No, I have to do it. Travis has a temper, but I don't want him to hear this from a stranger."

"You can still change your mind. I won't call him until morning. No sense in waking the man."

'I doubt he's sleeping', Nick thought to himself, but didn't speak. Instead he turned to the car.

"Okay, we still have some work to do."

TBC

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Liked? Hated? Have some questions?

Just review, folks, and the next chapter will be up at the start of the week, 'grin'