I stood and let out a heavy sigh at the front door of Nick's… err OUR house. He kept stressing the word 'OUR' to me once we retrieved the rest of my belongings from my dorm room. Although I appreciated the sentiment, I still had a hard time thinking that anything here belonged to both of us. He was the one with the mortgage on this place and had paid to furnish it, so it only felt right to think of it as his home. He had worked hard to create this home for himself, but apparently it would cause a fight if I point that out… again. No really, we actually ended up in a screaming match one afternoon because I 'argued' that point to him. Of course, I wasn't able to explain my rationale properly because I was tired and hungry, so me being nice in my head turned into me being a bitch out loud. After we finally ate the dinner I had ordered in, I was finally able to get my thoughts in order and explain what I had meant properly. We then spent the rest of the night 'making up.'

After that I tried harder to be mindful with my words and actions. Now that I had everything for school wrapped up, I had a bit of a break before the internship frenzy. And I intended to use that time to REALLY show Nick my love and appreciation, every second that we spent together.

Before I could get my key in the lock, I had to take a step back because the door was opening. I stood there in a shocked silence as Nick slipped my messenger and laptop bags off each of my shoulders. After he had them hung up by the front door, he noticed that I hadn't moved, so he took both of my hands in his and guided me over the threshold. He then closed the door and locked it before pressed me against it so he could ravish my mouth with. Man, I would never grow tired of the way he kissed me.

Once he felt me go limp in his arms, he leaned out of the kiss to place his forehead against mine to say, "I made us a celebratory dinner."

"Celebratory?" I asked in a bit of a daze.

He huffed out a laugh against my lips because he knew he was the reason I was in this state. "You handed in your last assignment today, right? I figured that meant we should be making the most of your short break together."

He had picked me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist while he carried me deeper into our home. He randomly kissed my lips, jaw, and neck during his explanation, so I honestly+ didn't really hear every word he said. I mean, I wanted to pay attention to what he was saying, he more than deserved that much from me but his expertly placed 'attention' kept me completely distracted.

"Well, Baby Love? Don't you think so?"

"YES! Absolutely yes!" I eagerly agreed as I lowered my lips to his and worked at unbuttoning his dress shirt. At first, Nick kissed me back, but when he felt the fourth button from the top open on his shirt, he completely detached our lips. "Nicky? Nick, what's…?"

"You know I love you, Nicco and EVERYTHING about you, but…" He paused to put me down and turned me to face the dining room table. When he spoke again, it was in a low, husky tone against my ear. "But I know how you forget to eat when you're on campus. Plus, I want you fueled up for our first free night together."

"Nicky, you didn't…" I replied from behind the hand that was cover my mouth.

He heard the tears looming in my tone, so he dropped his previously seductive tone ask he asked, "Nicco, I… err… What's…?"

I turned to look up into his beautifully earnest face and answered, "I was going to surprise you with a steak dinner tomorrow night. How dare you steal my idea."

"Well, Baby Love," he countered as he picked me up and carried me over to my seat. "I guess that means great minds really do think alike."

Even though I knew I really couldn't be of much help at the lab, I couldn't bring myself to leave. I didn't want to admit it out loud, mostly because I knew everyone was probably already aware of it, but I really didn't want to be alone at home. Being there knowing Nick wasn't going to be walking through the front door any time soon made me feel so nauseated that I couldn't even think about resting, let alone sleeping or eating. At least there were sleep rooms at the lab and more than enough people to remind me I needed to eat once in a while, so I could pretend that's what kept me here.

"How are you holding up, Nicco?" Warrick asked as he passed me a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese on it.

I placed them both on the table in the break room where I was once again seated at the table before I answered, "I actually managed to get…" I paused to check the time on my phone. "Shit. Six hours of sleep. FUCK! What have I missed while I was sleeping?"

"Not much. We checked out a couple of leads, but they've all been dead ends."

"ALL of them?!"

"Yeah… Oh…! Oh no! Not THAT, Nicco. The webcam seems to be the only thing that's not been a lie. Nicky is alive and so is the feed."

"So, Nicky… He… he-he re-really is…? Is…?"

Warrick shushed me into silence as he hugged me into his chest. "We WILL find him, Nicco. I promise you that we will, no matter what."

"I know you will, Rick. Knowing you and the team are working on the case is the only thing keeping me out of the Psych Ward."

"Good. Now make sure to have some water after the cup of coffee so you don't get sent to the ER for dehydration."

I sat down and took a bite from one half of the bagel. "I might even eat to keep from becoming malnourished too."

"Good to hear. I'm gonna head back to see if I can find something… anything."

"Thanks, Rick. I appreciate… EVERYTHING."

There was a folder left on the table close to where Warrick had placed my meal, so I figured he had left it there for me to read. There wasn't much in it that I didn't already know, just details to explain those points. The envelope had been picked up by a courier who cared more about money than he did about the people for whom he moved packages. No wonder drug dealers had no issues finding mules for them. Money definitely did speak louder than pretty much anything else, like common sense.

They also figured out that the web cam had to be a live feed. At Warrick's urging, they kept the video playing to watch Nick in case they would see something of value. Even though I loved the thought of watching Nicky to make sure he was actually alive, that same thought also bothered me enough that I immediately lost my appetite.

Oh Sugah, have you gotten a wink of sleep to escape your horror?

That thought made me feel beyond guilt for the six uninterrupted hours of sleep I had gotten during the day. I was sure that no one from the team had been afforded such a luxury. They were single-mindedly focused on finding my boyfriend and wouldn't waste any of their time on anything like sleep.

That got me thinking even more about what I might have missed during my slumber. I pulled out my phone again to check for any missed calls and I was surprised that there were none. I had left messages for a few people before I fell asleep and was sure at least one of them would have had a chance to call me back by now.

If at first you don't succeed, I thought as I dialed the first of the list of numbers I had called previously. They were men with busy schedules, so I had never reached any of them on the first try, so I wasn't surprised or bothered by that today.

When my fifth call was answered with a curt, "Hello," I tried not to squeal out an embarrassing noise of celebration.

"Mr. O'Neil! Hi, I'm not sure if you got my messages, but…"

"Ms. Stokes," he interrupted without a moment of hesitation. I know I had told him about my name change because I had a stack of forms to sign at his firm due to my surname changing, but it didn't seem to have sunk in with him. Again, not a huge surprise since he is my parent's… Nick's parent's financial advisor as well. "Yes, I did. However, I'm afraid that I can't be of any assistance to you."

"What? Why not? It's my money. I haven't touched a dime of it because I've been at school on scholarship, so I know it would more than cover it. Why can't you help?"

"Yes, that's all true. But… Ms. Stokes… Surely you remember sitting in my office with your father while we locked the vast majority of that money into long term investments to ensure you would have financial stability for your retirement, not just for after you finished your bachelor's degree or Graduate studies."

"I do. But I NEED that money now. Without it, Nick WILL die. Do you really want to be considered an accessory to murder?"

"Ms. Stokes, I don't respond well to idle threats."

"I promise you, Sir, it isn't the least bit idle."

"Alright. Then, I would be compelled to remind you hat YOU signed paperwork stating that you would not be able to withdraw any amount of money, no matter how small the sum, from that trust without at least one other guarantor."

"Okay… FINE… I DID agree to that, but I never expected to need it to save the… to save someone I love from a gruesome death." That shocked the investment banker into silence, so I continued that train of thought saying, "Alright… How 'bout this? Can you at least get the transfer in order so that when I get the second signature that we won't face any delays int retrieving the funds?"

I'm sure he didn't mean for me to hear it, but he let out a soft scoff before he answered, "Yes, Ms. Stokes, I can do that. But I assure you that you will NOT be able to touch a single cent of it without that second signature."

He promptly hung up his phone then, so when I let out my retort it was to a dial tone. "And fuck you very much, Mr. O'Neil."

I quickly finished the half of the bagel I had started and washed it down with the cup of coffee. The coffee didn't help it settle in my stomach, so I drank nearly the entire contents of the bottle of water Warrick left on the table. That didn't help me to feel any less queasy, so I knew that it wasn't the food or drinks that were causing my stomach to churn. I was nervous because I knew that I had the means to give into the madman's demands, but I wasn't sure that I had any modes to make it happen.

I need to find Catherine, I thought to myself. And Dr Grissom. If anyone can convince them that this is the best way to get him home, it would be the two of them.

Now that I had a new, clearly defined plan of action, I left the break room in an effort to find one or both of the CSI supervisors. Surprisingly enough, I had gotten to know the hallways here well enough that I could navigate them with almost an expert ease. I'm sure that would come in handy during my internship, but I was hoping it wouldn't make me look like a weirdo right now.

Although I didn't relish the thought of watching Nick trapped in his plastic hell hole, that was the room where I was headed to now. If Dr. Grissom or Catherine weren't there then I was sure someone there would know where I could find them. Plus, right now seeing Nicky stuck in a makeshift casket would maybe ease my feelings of guilt at being such a jerk to one of his parents' friends.

You can apologize to him and send him a bottle of his favorite scotch when Nicky is home safe. Until he's found, NOTHING else matters.

With that new resolve, I turned the corner to make my final approach to the one lab I was trying to avoid at all costs. Right after I was around the corner, I froze in my spot at the sight before me. As I slowly took a step forward, I quietly called out a hesitant, "Daddy?"

The lean man in the well fitted navy suit turned around to face me with a sad smile on his face as he replied, "Kitten?"

"Daddy!" I sighed out in absolute relief as I ran into his arms. "I'm so glad you're here."

He squeezed me in his embrace and replied against my hair, "There's nowhere else we'd want to be right now, Kitten."

"I know… I know…" I started to push gently against his chest so that I could look up into his face as I replied, "I know that, but it's still a complete relief to see you here. I've really missed you."

"I…"

His response was promptly silenced by an incensed woman's voice asking, "What is she doing here?"

I shrunk back and my dad instinctively tried to shield me by pushing me behind him. Although I was happily an independent, strong-willed woman, I didn't make any attempt to stop him. He was acting as a human shield between me and the scariest feminist I had ever met, so I appreciated him giving me cover and the illusion of protection.

"Jillian," Dad started in a placating tone.

"NO!" She shouted in anger. "No, she isn't family. Why is she here?"

By this time, we had accumulated quite the audience, but mom's… uhh… Mrs. Stokes' words seemed to be direct to only one person. At first, I thought it was Dad, but then I noticed she wasn't looking in our direction. Instead, her angry gaze was focused on Nick's supervisors.

Catherine seemed so surprised by Mrs. Stokes reaction that she was at a complete loss for words, so it was Dr. Grissom who answered, "I apologize that Nicco being here aggravates you, Mrs. Stokes, but since she and Nick are living together we felt it was only fair to keep her appraised of the continuing investigation. Plus, were it not for Nicco's assistance, we wouldn't have been able to get a hold of either of you this quickly."

I had tried to increase the square footage between myself and everyone else until I heard Judge and Mrs. Stokes cry out, "Since they are WHAT?"