Hey! Sorry sorry sorry for the delay! Blame my mum for banning my laptop and power cuts and holiday packing. (which may slow updates but will not stop them, I swear!) Review please and I promise I will update throughout the summer. If you don't review, I may be forced to become very busy, which means mega slow updates. Is that what you want?

Read. Enjoy. Review.

Chapter Eight

"Aw, man!" Nick cried as Warrick killed Nick for the fourth time on Call of Duty.

Warrick laughed. "I told you, man. Don't mess with the master!"

"Dork." Nick snorted. Warrick looked across at him and caught Nick's teasing smile.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that one!" Warrick laughed.

"NO!" Nick cried as he died for the fifth time. "That's not fair, we hadn't even started!"

The phone rang in time with Warrick's laugh.

"I am going to win one round if it is the last thing I do!" Nick growled playfully.

"Warrick!" his grandma called, passing Warrick the phone. As usual he kept the game controller in one hand.

"Hello?"

"Yes!" Nick cried as he defeated Warrick. "Oh, yeah! I rule! I...Warrick?"

Warrick looked at Nick with a slack jaw and a horrified look in his eyes.

After a second he swallowed. "Yeah. I'm still here. Is he...okay...no, I get it...Sure...We'll be there in five...You want me to call anyone?"

Nick frowned.

"No...Okay...See you in a few, Tali." Warrick hung up the phone.

"What's going on?" Nick frowned, perching on the edge of his seat.

Warrick struggled to think about how to put it. "It's about Greg..."

Nick stood up, studying the look on Warrick's face. "What?"

Warrick tossed Nick his jacket. "He's been in a car crash."

"Car crash?" Nick's mouth popped open. "Is...is he okay?"

"I don't know."

"Where is he? We...we gotta go, I mean-"

"Outside school." Warrick raised his voice. "Gran! We need to go!"

"Where and why?"

"Greg was in a car crash."

Warrick's grandma's face crumpled. "Go, go."

The two boys ran out of the front of the house. "That your bike?" Nick asked. Warrick nodded.

"Get on the seat."

Warrick obeyed and Nick stood up on the pedals, his adrenalin pushing his legs as fast as they could go. Warrick held on to the seat for dear life as the air flew past his face.

They reached the school in less than two minutes.

Sara was screaming uncontrollably at a young man in his late teens or early twenties who was being led away by two cops. Tali was trying to pull her away, but Sara was hysterical. A gurney was just visible with a bloodied body on it being loaded into an ambulance. In an ambulance next to it was Greg's mother, tears pouring down her cheeks, straining to get to her son. However the paramedics were trying to keep her in the ambulance.

"Ma'am, we have to get your son to the hospital as soon as possible, you also need treatment."

"No, I...I wanna go with Greg! GREG!" she screamed.

Nick's eyes filled with tears at the sight but he blinked angrily. High school kids don't cry. Especially not boys.

He ran to Sara and Tali and began to hear what Sara was saying.

"You asshole! You stupid drunk bastard! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! I hate you!" she dissolved into tears in Tali's arms.

"Sara! Tali! What happened?" Nick cried.

Tali's tearful eyes met Nick's. "The other driver is Tyler, Sara's brother."

"I hate him." Sara sobbed into Tali's chest. "I hate him, I hate him..."

"He came to pick her up, drunk out of his brains."

"Mind." Warrick said softly. Tali's tell tale sign of being upset was when she messed up English idioms. Normally it was only her sister that did that.

Tali rolled her tear filled eyes. "Whatever. Sara told him that she didn't want a lift, said that he shouldn't drive drunk. I watched him push her out of a moving car." Tali shook her head, hugging her friend tighter to try and comfort the both of them. "We were in the parking lot. We heard the tyres...and the crash...and Greg, screaming."

Warrick stared at the mangled cars in shock.

"Oh my god!" A soft voice cried. It turned to sobs as the girl came closer. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

As Morgan stumbled closer Nick automatically pulled her into his arms. Living with four sisters had taught him what to do when faced with crying or hysterical girls, unlike Warrick, who looked like he was still in shock.

"It's gonna be okay. It's okay, it's okay. Greg'll be okay. He's a strong kid. He'll be okay."

"I...came as...as soon as...I could." she gasped between sobs, and Nick rubbed her back gently.

"I know, I know."

"What happened?" Morgan sobbed.

A couple of police officers came over, a tall greying man and a shorter, younger man.

"That's what we want to find out."

Sara looked up nervously.

"We want to speak to the two of you, you are the best witnesses. What are your names?"

"Tali David."

"Sara...Sidle."

"As in Tyler Sidle's sister?"

Sara sniffed and wiped her face. "Yeah. I...I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"I'm sorry, Miss Sidle, but your brother was very drunk. The DA will be filing charges."

Sara sniffled. "This is all my fault. If I had just stayed in the damn car then we would have left and-"

Tali pointed to the wrecked passenger side of Tyler's car. "And you would be in a worse position than Greg."

Sara shook her head, pulling herself together. She was stronger than this, she was.

"Can we go to the hospital?" Nick asked the tall policeman.

The man shrugged. "I don't see why not. I will have to talk to Ms. David and Ms. Sidle, but afterwards they may join you."

"Tali!" Ziva ran through the parking lot to her sister's side. "Officer? What is going on? Is my sister in some sort of trouble?"

"Greg was in a car crash." Tali said quickly. "Sara and I heard it."

"Your friend Greg?" Ziva frowned. "The small, excitable one with the funny hair like a spiky porcuswine, no, porcupig, no, a...um...'"

"Porcupine." Tali corrected. "And yeah, it is him."

Ziva looked at her sister sympathetically. "Will he be okay?"

"We're going to the hospital as soon as the officers are done, right?"

Everyone nodded and Ziva made a quick head count. "I can give you all a lift." Tali looked up in fear for opposite reasons to the officer.

"How many seats does your care have Ms..."

"David. Ziva David, Tali is my younger sister. My car is in the store-"

"Shop-" Tali hissed.

"So I am borrowing my mother's seven seater." Ziva finished.

"That is fine." The younger officer looked at Ziva appreciatively, and she smiled slightly.

The police were done with the girls fairly quickly, and within four minutes.

"Let's go, let's go!" Morgan urged as they got into the car. The two boys got into the back two seats, and Sara, Tali and Morgan slid into the middle three seats.

"Zee?" Ziva turned to look at her sister. "Get us there quickly, but please don't kill us!"

Ziva rolled her eyes, but the strain in her sister's voice told her that the younger girl wasn't joking

CSIVCSIVCSIV

"Cath?"

Catherine looked up at Don. "What?"

He smiled wanly at her as they sat on her sofa watching a film. "What's wrong? You've been real quiet recently. Should I be worried?"

Catherine smiled, shaking her head. "Nah..."

"I thought you were happy with this, Eddie guy?" Don asked, referring to her boyfriend, Eddie Willows. They had been dating for a couple of weeks, and a couple of nights ago she had stayed over at his.

"I am." She said softly.

Don frowned. "Cath? Did the bastard hurt you? Do I need to kick his ass?"

"What? No, no!" Catherine laughed. "No! He's great, he hasn't hurt me."

"So what's wrong?" Don urged gently. "Anyone who's ass I can kick?"

Catherine sighed. "I just...I feel...after the other night, I kinda feel like my mom, y'know? Like I'm easy...a slut..."

Don shuffled up and stuck an arm around his best friend. "You're not a slut."

She snuggled into his friendly embrace. "So how's it going with you and Jess?"

"Well, Miss Lets-Change-The-Subject, its going great." Don rolled his eyes

"How would she feel if she could see you now?"

"Ah, she'd get it. She knows we're close, she's your friend, too."

Catherine laughed. "For a smart guy, Don, you are clueless when it comes to girls."

"What?" Don frowned.

Catherine sighed. "If Jess was looking through my window right now, she would interpret this as cheating."

Don's frown deepened. "Cheating?"

"Well, she'd suspect it. The fact that I'm her friend would only make it worse." Catherine chuckled.

"Well, I'm sorry, Cath. You're gorgeous of course, but I'm happy with Jess. I love you but I'm not in love with you."

Catherine laughed again. "You're not exactly my type either."

"Aw, you don't think I'm sexy?" Don pouted.

"No, I think you're ugly as hell." Catherine said with a straight face.

"Damn." Don sighed. "You wound me, Flynn."

"Oh, really, Flack?"

"Yeah, I'm bleeding out."

"Oh, baby." Catherine said sarcastically.

Don flashed her a blue eyed grin. She smiled back.

"I like Jess. She's good for you." Don looked at his friend, confused, and she elaborated. "You're always grinning at the moment. I mean, more than usual. She makes you happy, and she's a great person."

"What's bringing this on?" Don asked, playfully nudging Catherine. "You're going all sentimental on me, you sound like my mother."

"Everyone gets sentimental when they're watching Titanic." Catherine sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"It's not even the sad bit!" Don protested.

"I've seen this film about five times. They're all going to die soon, it's all emotional!"

Don just shook his head. "So, a happy bit in a sad film makes girls sprout sentimental stuff that they usually wouldn't say."

"But always think." Catherine added, giving Don a watery smile.

"I will never understand girls."

"Nope. You won't."

"Thanks, Cath. I love it that you like Jess." Don said softly.

Catherine snuggled further into her best friend's embrace.

CSIVCSIVCSIV

The waiting room at Desert Palm was filled with fear that was all too familiar to Tali. She was tucked up in a ball on a chair, her chin on her knees, holding Sara's hand with one hand and Ziva's in the other. It was unusual for the older girl to show emotion in public, but Tali remembered when Ziva's best friend died in the terrorist bombing. She knew what it was like to wait in a hospital to find out if your friend lives or dies.

Sara's sobs had long since ceased. She was rocking softly backwards and forwards, tears trailing down her cheeks as they waited.

Nick was sitting in a chair, staring at his hands as if they held all the answers. Warrick was next to him, holding his head in his hands.

Morgan paced up and down the waiting room, wringing her hands.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

"Stop that blasphemy, child." Warrick's grandma entered with a sad smile on her face. "I brought you all something to eat if you want it." She placed a box of muffins onto the table. "If you don't want them, I get it."

Morgan looked at her. "You know what it's like, right?"

"Yes, I know what it's like." Warrick's grandma sighed. She placed two gentle hands on Morgan's shoulders, gently stopping the frightened girl's pacing. "It is the worst feeling in the world."

Morgan's lower lip trembled and she fell into Warrick's grandmother's arms.

"Why?" Morgan sobbed. "Why Greg?"

"There is no reason, honey. Drunk drivers have no reason."

"Was he drunk?" Warrick asked huskily.

His grandma sighed. "Yes. He was. Your parents were not, but...he was drunk. They were not. He got a scratch and they...it's not fair, it never is."

Everyone fell silent. Warrick cursed. He had always suspected the man who killed his parents to be drunk. Now not only were his parents killed by a drunk driver, but one of his best friend's lives was hanging in the balance because of one.

"Family of Greg Sanders?" Greg's dad stood up - they had had to sedate his mom.

"Yes." His voice was throaty and dry. The doctor spoke quietly to the man, whose proud eyes filled up with tears.

Sara covered her mouth with her hand as Andrew Sanders pushed past the doctor. "He killed him. He killed him..."

Tali ran to the leaving doctor. "Sir! Sir! Doctor?"

He stopped and looked at her. "Yes?"

She clutched her Star of David hanging from her neck with fear and hope. "My name is Tali David, I am friends with Greg Sanders. Is he...is he dead?"

The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you anything, as you are not family." He glanced at the five distraught teens staring at him desperately. "However, off the record, I will say that Mr. Sanders is in a stable condition."

Tali fell to her knees, fingering her necklace, her lips moving in a silent prayer of thanks.

"He's okay?" Nick laughed disbelieving. The doctor nodded with a wan smile.

Warrick whooped, leaping up to high five Nick. Sara gasped in relief, and Nick dragged her into a huge bear huge, much like the one that Morgan was sharing with Warrick's grandmother. Ryan and Archie who had been quietly sitting in the corner laughed in unison, high fiving each other happily. They left shortly afterwards.

The others stayed in the hospital waiting room for another couple of hours, but the atmosphere was different. Hopeful.

Nick's parents were both in court on various cases, but Rosa turned up, and was very relieved to find that Nick's 'funny young amigo' was okay. Morgan's mother also came to the hospital to be there for her daughter. Ziva called her mother to tell her about the situation, and that she would bring Tali home. She convinced her mother not to come.

No one came for Sara. Her mother phoned and tried to get Sara to come to the police station, but Sara point blank refused. She would be staying at the David's that night.

Andrew and Elise Sanders walked into the waiting room and the teens stood up again. Andrew smiled tiredly. "Greg is asking for you guys."

"He's awake?" Sara said, not quite meeting Greg's parent's eyes.

"Yes." Elise nodded, still drowsy from the sedation. "He's...well you can see for yourself."

"Five at a time." Andrew clarified. "Fourth door on the right down that corridor." The five leapt up and ran to Greg's room.

They found him sitting up in bed, a neat row of stitches in his head, his left arm in a cast and a sling and a huge smile appearing on his face.

"You're still here? I thought you'd of all left..."

Nick, Warrick and Tali grinned, and even Morgan let out a watery smile.

"How you feeling, bud." Nick asked gently.

"Epic!" Greg's smile was huge. "They gave me painkillers."

"Oh, hell no!" Warrick cried in mock horror.

"So were you worried?"

"I would hit you if you weren't in a frickin hospital bed." Morgan choked. "Of course we were. Nobody told us anything, I...we thought you were dead."

Greg's smile softened. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

"It wasn't your fault." Tali smiled, ruffling Greg's hair gently.

"You'll mess up my hair!" He stuck out his tongue. Tali laughed softly. Then he bowed his head.

"What's wrong?" Nick said quickly.

When Greg raised his head there was an alien look in his eyes. The goofy, happy-go-lucky, grin was gone. His eyes shone with an unreadable light. "Nothing. I...it's eight o'clock. I got hit at half three. My dad said you guys practically followed the ambulance. That means you've been here nearly five hours..."

"What you gettin' at Greg?" Nick murmured softly. "You didn't leave me. You stayed...thanks."

Almost everyone smiled. "Oh, Archie and Ryan were here for a bit but Ryan's mom took them home a few hours ago, when the doctor told us you were stable. They didn't wanna go." Morgan explained.

Greg nodded and smiled. A head popped around the door. "Nick? Tenemos que ir ahora." Rosa smiled apologetically at Greg. "I am sorry, Greg. I have to take Nick home now, and I offered Warrick's grandmother a lift home. I hope you feel better soon, bebé"

"Thanks Rosa." Greg smiled at Nick's familiar nanny. Warrick and Nick put their hands on Greg's shoulders.

"See you tomorrow, man." Warrick grinned.

"Yeah, we'll drop by after school to check that you haven't driven all the nurses insane." Nick teased.

"Awesome." Greg grinned. The two boys left the room as Morgan's mom popped her own head around.

"Ah, Greg. How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Morgan, we have to go sweetie. Jonny made dinner. Two hours ago."

Morgan sighed, and gave Greg a quick awkward hug. "See you tomorrow." She planted a quick kiss on Greg's cheek and flounced out of the room.

As Morgan and her mom left, Greg grinned excitedly at the remaining two girls. "She loves me!"

Tali rolled her eyes. "Dream on, G. I'm just gonna go check that Ziva hasn't killed any of the guys in the waiting room for checking her out." She looked pointedly at Sara and squeezed Greg's arm. "I will be only a couple of minutes."

As she left the room, she took Greg's smile with her. Sara hadn't moved since they entered the room. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her chest as if she was holding herself together. She looked as if she was about to cry, and she refused to meet Greg's eyes. "Sara?" His voice lowered into a small, sad, whimper-like sound. "Sara? Did...did I do something wrong?"

Sara burst into tears. Greg pulled himself up, wincing slightly in pain and feeling slightly guilty for the guilt trip. "Sara? Don't cry, don't cry..."

She gasped, trying to control her sobs. "I...I'm...sorry!"

"For crying?" Greg looked confused, and Sara shook her head.

"It...was...Tyler...in the...other car...he was...drunk..."

Greg's face went blank. "Your brother is the one that hit us?" Sara nodded. "I'm so, so, sorr-"

"Are you okay?" Greg started to panic. "Were you-"

"I wasn't in the car. He was drunk so I got out. If I hadn't...he would've missed you!" Sara sniffed.

Greg started shaking his head. "No, no, no...Sara. This isn't your fault."

She glared at him. "Don't look at me like that, Sara. I don't blame you." When she didn't respond, he gestured her over with his good arm. "Sara."

She reluctantly came a little closer, and he grabbed one of her hands. He knew that he could deny it all day and all night and it wouldn't make a little bit of difference. He had never seen so much guilt in a person as he saw in Sara Sidle. So he said the one this that he hoped would make her feel a little better.

"Sara? I forgive you." She turned and looked at him. "I forgive you. It's okay, I'm okay. And I forgive you."

She smiled tearfully and gave him a big hug. "When are they letting you out?"

"Tomorrow evening." Greg smiled. "I. Am. Fine."

Sara's eyes closed, but the smile lingered on her lips. "Okay."

Tali slipped back into the room. "Hey. Zee is fine to wait for a little longer." The two girls sank into the chairs next to the bed.

"So, I'm guessing that you two are the ones who are deeply in love with me then?"

"Dream on, Greg." Sara snorted. Her voice softened as she glanced at Tali. "We heard it. Brakes, tyres, screams."

Greg's face fell. "Oh."

"If it makes you feel any better, I screamed my head off at Tyler."

"The full Sidle rage?" Greg's lip twitched.

"The full Sidle rage." Sara nodded, and all three started laughing. Greg's parents came back accompanied by a nurse.

"I am very sorry," the nurse said, "but visiting hours technically ended hours ago. I am going to have to ask you two to leave. Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, you can have ten more minutes. Then young sir, you need some sleep."

"But I'm not sleepy." Greg pouted. Sara and Tali laughed.

"Bye Greg, you big baby!" Sara smiled, hugging Greg again.

Tali copied and they headed for the door. "Bye Greg!" They called in unison, smiling and waving.

"What no kisses?" Greg called. The girls stuck out their tongues. "Bye guys. See you tomorrow!"

"How is he?" Ziva asked as they came into the waiting room.

"He's joking." Tali rolled her eyes.

"He was in a car crash and he is joking?" Ziva frowned.

"You don't know Greg like we do. I would almost be worried if he didn't." Sara smiled half heartedly.

Ziva stared at her sympathetically. "We should get you home." Tali wrapped an arm around Sara and they left the hospital.

Sara snuggled under the covers on the sofa bed at the end of Tali's bed after a home cooked meal and long shower, feeling drained. However, she also felt safe. She was afraid of going home the next day. She would be blamed somehow for Tyler being in trouble, she knew it. It had been one hell of a day. As she drifted in and out of sleep, a question popped into her mind.

"Tali?" She breathed.

"Yeah?" Her friend whispered back.

"Have...have you ever lost a friend before?"

Tali was silent for a moment. "A couple. Ziva lost her best friend when they were twelve. Suicide bombing. The catalyst for my mother leaving my father and taking us away."

"Where'd you go first?"

"Russia. It was the easiest to get to, my mom had connections. And it was a language we all knew. Then we moved to Spain the next year. Sara, you need sleep."

"And you don't?" Sara retorted quietly.

"I do too. But you're tired. And you won't let that amazing mind of yours turn off. Just sleep."

Sara sighed, pulling the covers up under her chin. "Tali?" Her voice was barely audible.

"Yeah?" "Thanks. For letting me stay."

"No problem. Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"Night."

"Night." Sara traced the latest bruise all the way up her arm as she was finally dragged into sleep.

NOTE: In chapter one I called Greg's dad Andrew, but in chapter five or something I called him Peter. Sorry bout that, will change it when I get a chance. From now on I'm going with Andrew. (assuming I get reviews and go on :P) also Cath will have more to do later, I swear!