A/N: As always thanks for the reviews, and thanks TangledPencils for the beta reading.

Fire and water

by Nicol Leoraine

Chapter 10

He'd just finished his call to Jim when Grissom levered himself into the passenger seat and closed the door. Nick threw him a quick look as if asking for permission to start the car and get on the road. Grissom gave him a curt nod so Nick turned on the engine. They drove in silence for several minutes, Nick concentrating on the directions Travis gave him earlier and Grissom probably fuming.

"I called Jim," Nick finally spoke, unable to bear the tense silence anymore. He saw from the corner of his eye that Grissom pursed his lips and turned toward him, waiting.

"He said we should find Travis and keep him in the car until he comes." Nick snorted. "Jim sounded like he thought I would allow Travis to simply jump the guy and get his revenge." He looked pointedly at Grissom. "You think that too, don't you?"

"You are a criminalist, Nick." Grissom replied, as if it answered everything, and Nick frowned. "No, I don't think that, Nick," Grissom said with a sigh when he saw the unsure look on his colleague's face.

"Okay," Nick looked somehow disconcerted and this time around it was Grissom who broke the silence.

"So, you've known Travis for a long time?"

Nick blinked, startled by the question. Up until now Grissom hadn't wanted to know anything about Travis that didn't concern the case.

"High school," Nick replied, unsure if the criminalist next to him was asking because of the case or because he simply wanted to know how far Nick was ready to go for the man. "We had a few classes together, played football, went out for drinks. The usual."

"So he was the partying type of a guy?"

"What are you doing Griss, interrogating me?" Nick barked, already nervous enough because he didn't know what would they find.

"No, I merely want to know what we can expect to find." Grissom voiced his disapproval of Nick's outburst with the simple raise of his eyebrow and suddenly Nick felt incredibly stupid. With a weary sigh he rubbed at his face, while they waited on the red light.

"I'm sorry. I just haven't had much sleep from the moment this started, and I'm kinda tired. I just want to find Travis before the jerk does something stupid – like trying to beat the crap out of a possible serial killer. To answer your question – spending time with Travis meant you got into a lot of fights, but that was High School and we were all acting up a little on testosterone. I don't know what to expect from him now, after Jamie's murder. I'd say he will do something stupid and just hope it won't get him killed or behind bars. Is that enough of a reply?"

Once again there was a silence in the car but this time it wasn't uncomfortable as much as nervous. They'd just reached the street Travis said he was waiting for them on.

"We're here," Nick said quietly and kept looking around, searching for a familiar red GMC that belonged to Travis, but he soon realised no such car was there. Cursing his old friend, Nick pulled to the curb and took out his cell. It took the man on the other side four rings to pick it up and even then his breathing sounded strained.

"Travis, we're here, but where the hell are you?"

"Uh, sorry, but the guy decided to take a ride so I'm trailing him. They're in a dark blue Ford, one of the older types and they're heading out of the city limits."

Nick clenched his jaw and hissed in frustration, shaking his head.

"Damn it, Travis. Of all the stupid things-"

"Look Nick, you know I had to do this. I'm behind them but I'm keeping my distance. I don't wanna lose the bastard."

"It may not necessarily be him, Trav, you know?"

"Yeah, but what if it is?"

"Exactly. What if it is and he realises you're following him?"

"I can take care of myself, Nick. Now do you want to know where we're going or do you want to keep on having a go at me?"

With a sigh and not a small dose of frustration, Nick listened to the directions, automatically nodding.

"If you think that they see you, turn the car and get as far away as you can, do you understand, Travis? A creepy feeling, whatever... you get the hell away from them."

"Aren't you a little bossy," Travis asked and Nick heard the slight grin in his voice, some of the tension abating.

"Just when it's needed. Keep me posted," Nick said and after another warning ended the call, giving his cell to Grissom before pulling off the curb.

"They're heading out of Vegas, to Red Rock Canyon. They have ten minutes lead on us, but we should be able to catch up with Travis before they leave the Interstate. Do you think Jonah is trying to flee the county? Maybe they're heading for California."

Nick waited for a reply but it didn't come and he threw a look at Grissom, only to find the criminalist watching his face intently.

"What?" Nick frowned.

"Nothing," Grissom replied and Nick could've sworn he heard a stutter, but when he took another look at his boss, Grissom was once again composed and trying to get hold of Jim Brass. With a frustrated sigh, he shut the cell.

"I can't get a hold of Jim, it looks like his cell is acting up. I left a message at the station, they'll try and reach him through the radio."

"So right now we're on our own," Nick mumbled while his foot pushed down at the accelerator. "Just perfect," he thought.

ooOOoo

Red Rock Canyon was only twelve miles west of Las Vegas and at this time of the year was usually a rather popular tourist attraction. Due to the sudden onset of the killing heat however, it appeared common sense had prevailed even among tourists, and there wasn't a soul to be seen anywhere, even the road was deserted.

Although it wasn't unusual for young couples to take a ride there before the sunset, Travis had trouble coming up with any good reason why the two men would so suddenly head in this direction. He didn't give it a lot of thought though; he just hoped that Nick would be able to find him before he was forced to confront the strangers.

It was only minutes later that Travis realised he should've thought about the reason. By then though, it was already too late.

ooOOoo

Jonah was surprised that the Master let him drive his own car, even more by the direction they'd taken. Sure, this wasn't the first time the Master had taken him out: he still remembered how they'd practiced shooting out in the desert two weeks ago. But then there wasn't any black Landrover following them and his stomach didn't feel as if someone dropped a bomb there.

Jonah silently followed the directions that took them off the main trail, onto one of the less used back roads that led to the mountains. They just reached a rather tricky curve on the hillside. Jonah kept to the hillside on the left, not liking the steep cliff. He didn't think the old Ford was the right car to drive on this kind of road; this was more for a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

"Stop here!" a stern voice ordered and Jonah startled, almost letting go of the steering wheel. He blinked and looked at the Master with wide eyes. Was the man crazy?

"B-but we're just behind the twist. We can't park here."

"Oh yes, we can. Now stop the damn car!"

One look at the man in the passenger seat made Jonah stamp on the brakes and for a second he wondered if the Master had lost his mind.

"Now get out." The curt words were met by immediate action. Jonah had never seen his Master this pissed but he suddenly realised that he didn't want to disobey him again. He stepped out of the car and looked around, unable to suppress the shudder that ran through him when he looked around. It was wonderful scenery. The sun was just going down, colouring it all in orange. The already red rocks were now crimson and it all had an eerie feeling to it. The stifling heat only deepened the urge to leave that his body had fought for the last few minutes.

"What are we doing here, Master?" Jonah managed to ask without a stutter and was quite proud of that, until one look toward his master made him swallow nervously. The man that was standing before him was no longer the man that saved him from the streets; that gave him a roof and food. This was someone much more dangerous.

It was almost funny how Jonah didn't fear his Master when the man told him to kill, how he obliged, even enjoyed the act. Now, when that deadly stare was concentrated on him, he was truly scared.

"We need to take care of the mistake you've made."

Before Jonah could ask for a more specificreply, the Master held up a hand and slightly turned his head, listening. Jonah frowned and in the next second looked wildly at his Master.

"That's the car! We have to move, or he'll hit us-" he panicked and this time the Master nodded.

"Get behind our car. He should have enough space to stop." With that both men took cover behind the car and waited.

ooOOoo

Travis was just talking with Nick on the phone, telling him which road they took, when he drove around the curve. His mouth was still open, but no sound came out. For a moment everything froze.

"Travis?"

The sound of his name pulled him from his stupor and he dumped on the brakes in much the same manner as Jonah, the curse flying out of his mouth even as he realised that there was no way to stop the car. He was driving too fast.

Without thinking, Travis reacted and turned the wheel, hoping to pass by the car. He didn't realise that there was no safety railing that would keep him on the road, until he was heading right down the steep side of the hill. He managed to let out a half terrified, half angry scream, before he saw the ground coming to meet him and everything went black.

ooOOoo

"Travis!" Nick shouted into the phone when the scream went silent and the connection was lost. He almost hit the brakes too, but knew they had to find Travis as soon as possible…if it wasn't already too late.

"Nick? Nick!" he heard the concerned voice calling his name and he blinked, taking in a deep, calming breath, before turning to glance at Grissom.

The older criminalist didn't like the sudden pallor on his face, nor the frantic grip the younger one had on the wheel.

"What happened?" Grissom repeated his question for the third time, concerned when all he got was a grunt as the vehicle accelerated.

"Nick."

"I think Travis had an accident. It sounded-" but Nick couldn't continue, he just shook his head. "I knew it was dangerous, damn him. I just knew something would screw up," the CSI mumbled and Grissom let out a sigh.

"We don't know what happened yet, Nick," he said and the criminalist fell silent. They didn't drive more than half a mile, when they arrived at a sharp turn. Nick slowed down, frowning when he saw skid marks on the ground but no car. He stopped the car about ten yards away from the curve and turned off the engine. He opened the door and got out, Grissom following. They both saw two sets of brake marks, but to Nick's horror one of them led off the road. He looked at Grissom with apprehension.

"These look quite fresh," the CSI commented and the two men followed the trail to the steep hill, stopping only a few feet from the edge.

"My God. Travis?" Nick breathed out as they saw the car at the bottom, wrecked. Nick looked up at Grissom and the older man jerked at the guilt he saw in those eyes.

"We must help him," Nick said and Grissom could only nod. He headed back towards their car to call it in and maybe look for some rope, when something whizzed past his head. He stopped, confused and looked around. He didn't hear the warning Nick shouted at him, only felt the impact when the other man sent him sprawling to the ground. He'd barely come to a stop when his hearing returned and he become aware of the sound of flying bullets. Someone was shooting at them.

TBC

Aaah... should I stop it here?

Evil grin.