Title: Shattered

Author: innocent choir girl shannyfish (From Out of the Lab)

Summary: Someone is out to get Las Vegas' CSIs and Sara Sidle is their first victim. What happens when there are no leads to a suspect? Takes place during Season Seven.

Category: Ship Ahoy! Gil/Sara

Genres: Angst, Character Study, Drama, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense

Characters: Jim Brass, Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders

Warnings: Adult themes

Rating: R

Chapter: 5 "In Your Hands"

Author's Notes: none

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"How ya feelin'?" he asked concerned as he stared down at Sara. Thankfully, their captor had left them alone, which gave Nick time to assess Sara's injuries and their current surroundings. The surroundings weren't helpful. Sara's lower back was cut up and her wrists wore a dark crimson crusted ring of blood. He knew that it was good though that it was crusted; it meant that she wasn't bleeding out of that wound anymore… He was already afraid of how much blood she might have lost.

She gave him a weak smile and lifted her hand up to touch his cheek, "Fine…" she whispered. Sara was lying, of course, she didn't see any point in telling Nick that her back hurt like hell or that she was freezing when neither could do anything about it. He had moved her, so that her head was in his lap and her face was upward. "Thanks…"

"For what?" he asked running his hand along her hair that was hanging over his knee. It was an unconscious soothing action, comforting in a way to them both.

"Taking care of me," she responded making her smile tight.

He tilted his head, "Tell me the truth."

Sara frowned and looked up at him trying to figure if she could still lie. After so many years of working together it sometimes was annoying that they could see through each other so easily. "My back hurts really bad," she admitted. "And since he's taken off with half of my clothes, I'm freezing." Before she could say anything, he pulled her up onto his lap, so that her head was under his chin and held her close. Sara could feel the warmth right away. "Thanks…"

"Did he…?" Nick asked, but couldn't bear or take in the thought of his friend being violated.

Sara shook her head against his chest and closed her eyes. "I thought he was going to…but instead he decided to give me a lecture on how I'm ugly and then carved into my back," she mumbled against the fabric of his shirt.

Anger shot through him, he had felt better after getting to Sara, but now this? Was the man just trying to completely torture her on all fields? "You're not ugly," he told her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You're one of those people who are beautiful inside and out," he said with a smile. He may not have thought of Sara as someone he'd date, but he wasn't blind. "Maybe a little obsessed with your work…" he said and his smile brightened.

She smiled, and for a moment forgot about the pain. Though the pain had worn her down, her body was fatigued. "I'm just dedicated," Sara told him after thinking up the right way to phrase it.

"Too dedicated," Nick told her.

Sara's body immediately tensed up when she heard footsteps. "He's coming," she whispered. Though, she liked to consider herself tough, she wasn't sure if she could take anymore of what she'd already been put through.

Nick held her close, but was mindful of her lower back. He wanted to promise that he'd protect her. That he wasn't going to let her get hurt… But he knew very well that he couldn't make that promise, no matter how much he wanted to do so. He watched as the door opened and the man that stood before them was dressed all in black and was wearing a ski mask.

"Move away from her."

"No," Nick said defiantly and moved so that her body was more protected by his in case the man tried anything. So far, Nick knew that he'd do anything he damn well pleased. If he could, he was going to protect Sara from any further harm. "She needs medical attention," Nick told him. "You have to let her go."

"Oh, do I?"

"Nicky," Sara whispered weakly.

He watched as the man just stood there studying them. He could see his dark eyes, and they seemed empty… "What do you want with us?"

"Perhaps I will return Sara to the CSIs…"

Nick listened to the tone of the man's voice and couldn't quite tell if it was sincere. "I'm all you need. She's lost too much blood. She's weak and she's able to go into shock," he tried to rationalize, his Texan accent thick. "Sara needs to be taken to a hospital. Please…" He wasn't sure if begging would help, but he figured he could give it a try in order to help Sara. "Please let her go…"

"No, this has to be more than us just handing her over…"

Frowning, Nick looked down at Sara and saw that her eyes had closed. It wasn't good. He wanted to check her back, to see if the blood had soaked through what had been his shirt, but he wanted to continue negotiations. "What do you want then?"

"We have to give Grissom something to do… Perhaps we should drive her out to the middle of the desert and dump her."

"No!" Nick said quickly thinking immediately what would happen. Sara would die. She'd bleed out, and it would attract insects and animals who would feed on her while she was still breathing. The cold night temperatures could kill her alone, and if they didn't then once it reached noon the exposure to the sun in the middle of the desert would. "Something else…"

"It has to be something good."

He wanted Sara to be safe. Why couldn't they hide her in a hospital? Of course, Brass would have probably already distributed photos of Sara to hospitals and surrounding police agencies and states. She would be spotted immediately and CSI would be contacted.

"I'll tell you what Nicky Stokes…I'll leave it in your hands… She can't be visible from the roads… And it can't be being dropped off in a hospital. And you can deliver Grissom the clue."

Nick's eyes widened slightly as he watched the man leave. Looking down at Sara, he wondered what he was going to do… Moving his hand, he inspected the makeshift bandages…they were completely soaked in blood. Maybe it was from all the moving? He didn't know for sure.

"Her life is in your hands."

Looking up quickly, he watched as the man slammed the door shut. Her life…was in his hands… How could he put her in the middle of nowhere, but have her protected? He'd need to put her inside of something…but she'd need air… His mind immediately pushed to when he had been buried alive. Of course that had been a horrid experience, but…it could be rigged so that Sara was comfortable and Grissom would be able to find her. Right now all that mattered was saving Sara…

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TBC…