When Nick leaned forward, his warm hands dripped hot water off the sides of the sink and down the drain to join the rest of it's companions.

Nick watched a single drop slide down real slow, like his thumb had shed a tear. He closed his eyes and put one foot behind him and his head lowered closer to the sink. He was sad that he had no chance now.

Langston opened the door and stopped to lean on the wall nearby. "So, do we let him fall to his knees? Or give him wings to fly?"

Nick shook his head. A sob escaped him.

Langston was suddenly worried. He stepped forward. "Nick?"

He shook his head again and slapped away Langston's hand on his shoulder. The motion turned him and the waterworks were going. He hit the bathroom stall's outside wall and slid to the floor. He let his hands fall at his sides. Looking up he seemed to ask before words escaped. "What do you want me to say?"

Langston pulled a towel out of the dispenser and knelt in front of Nick. He offered the brown material to Nick. "All we can do is offer our help. Lowly humans do things to make themselves bigger. Once upon a time, we were awesome creatures that were fair and just. We've since-"

"-Risen from the ashes to beasts." Nick looked at the paper towel. "We can let those who are just and fair to fall to their knees. Or we can give them strong wings to lift them from the darkness and set them free to fly." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the first tear fell. "Greg used to write that in an e-mail for me."

Langston smiled. "He sent me an e-mail this morning." He pulled out a paper from his pocket. "Here. I think you should read it while we wait for Greg's diagnostics to finish." He got to his feet and dusted off his knee. "Nick, get up. We've got to decide. Sara wants to give Greg wings. I haven't talked to Catherine. But the Lab Rats are here. They're ready to testify in Greg's favor after their done torturing him."

Nick nodded and took a deep breath. He started when Langston offered him a hand up. "Thanks." He let Langston pull him up just enough. He looked at the hot water running down the drain. He leaned over the sink and splashed some on his face before turning off the faucet and using several towels to wipe down his face before he turned to Langston. "Let's go sit outside. It's nice out."

-Greg-

His eyes darted open and he heard that familiar voice.

His nurse touched his arm. "It's okay. He's chained down."

Greg still grabbed her hand. "I wish they'd blindfold me so I couldn't see him." His head slowly dropped and he breathed as Alexis and Ivan were walked passed him to prepare themselves for the reentry into the courtroom. When he heard them close the door he exhaled loudly and leaned back. He stared at the fluorescent lights behind their fancy acrylic plates. He looked down at his hands.

A heart monitor had been attached to his chest and his finger held a pulse monitor. The arm band for the blood pressure was slowly easing up. The oxygen tube was starting to make his nose feel funky. The hiss of the machine pumping a small bit of pain killers into his system was unnerving, but not quite as much as the pace of his monitors.

She released the arm band and began to manually compare pulses. "You shouldn't let them provoke you so much."

He chuckled. "I kind of got worked up. They went through my personal things. I can't just lie down and take that, even if I do work with them."

"Oh?"

Greg blinked and his head snapped towards the entrance. "Hoges! Mandy! Mia!"

They all waved.

Greg's eyes turned to the one who'd spoken. "Henry!"

Henry leaned forward to see what the monitors were saying. "We came for our turn on the trial box." He stood back up. "Since it involves a CSI, we have to come and put our own two-cents in." He grinned from ear to ear, as it was.

Greg's face softened and he gave off his usual, lop-sided, goofy smile. "Good to see my old lab buddies still got it." He shook their hands as they passed by. When they were gone, his face became emotionless again. "Do you think I should tell someone?"

She shook her head and began to remove the pulse monitor. "Greg, that's not a good idea. You're in the gray. There's no way of telling if you're dying or living. I just hope I'm right in saying you're getting better."

Greg was still staring at the door when his phone went off. His nurse had kept it so it wouldn't go off while he was in the box of terror. "Is it him?"

She nodded and handed him the phone.

Greg opened the text message and then closed the phone. "Thank you." He inhaled the pure oxygen going into his lungs before he handed her the phone again. "Am I fit for another round of torture? Or should I call it quits?"

"They want you to stay until the end of the trial today." She sat beside him and touched his wrist, ever so gently. "I want you to know that I believe you're a lot stronger than you put on. I've seen you suffer for two weeks and still pull through with shinning colors."

He sighed and smiled at her. "Thanks, Elizabeth."

She gave him a hug. "Now, we need to wait for your pulse to come back up. It's just a bit under your norm."

Greg nodded and closed his eyes to keep himself calm.

His mind started racing through pictures. Images flashing and things blasting through him. Sounds swirled through his head. Voices whispered and spoke and screamed and sang to him. Gentle hands gave him hugs and high-fives and playful smacks on his head. Harsh nails dug into his skin and pulled at his hair and ripped away warm blankets. Breath sent chills down his spine.

But it was one voice that rang clear in his ears as his thoughts grew dark.

"My little boy, you've got to be careful! You don't know what's out there!" she would say. Her gentle lips would kiss his forehead. Her gentle hands would press the bandaids on. Then she would say; "Don't ever let the bullies win. You're smart. Use your wits to get them. My little baby is so strong. My Greg is smart. But please be careful."

Greg whispered her next wisdom he'd passed to Nick through all the trials and trying times. But the piece that helped both him and Nick overcome Warwick and his passing.

"If this is all the time we've got, be strong. Rise to the occasion." He opened his eyes. "Outshine the bad guys and make sure you're the smartest before they are."

Elizabeth laughed. "You sound like a fortune cookie." The judge called her attention and she spoke to him before turning back to Greg. "Time to take your own advice and 'rise to the occasion', Mr. Greg Sanders." She patted his arm and helped him to his feet.