TITLE:  Darkness Falls

AUTHOR: Amanda Hawthorn

RATING: PG-13/ maybe R when finished

PAIRING: Grissom/Sara Romance Nick/Sara/Warrick friendship Cath/Sara/Lindsey friendship

CATEGORY: Angst/eventual romance

ARCHIVE: Sara and Grissom and my site

FEEDBACK: Love it, but no flames please I'm fragile!!

EMAIL:  [email protected]

SPOILERS:  Lady Heathers Box, Crash and Burn, and could be an alternative Playing With Fire

SUMMARY: When tragedy strikes in the lab, Sara's maternal instincts leap into motion.

DISCLAIMER: CSI belongs to CBS and Alliance-Atlantis Productions. No
infringement intended.
AUTHORS' NOTES: This is for my huge online family at the Grissom and Sara Yahoo group. Your support and encouragement means the world to me, as do you all.

As always for Niff, Phon, Geena, Rosa and Shroedy, my wonderful friends.

Also for Dutchie, who never fails to leave her words of encouragement in every review. Thank you…

Ó Amanda Hawthorn August 2003

The lab had been quiet for the last few hours, giving the night shift some time to go over some of the cold cases that remained unsolved. Grissom and Catherine had been called out to a homicide in one of the casino's leaving Nick, Warrick and Sara to their own devices. Sara, for her part was quietly going over an old case that had been bothering her for some time.

Opening the file folder, her eyes scanned over the pages, the old information from Eddie Willows' murder leaping out into her heart, once again screaming of her failure.

Time had moved on since then, and as much as Catherine tried to reassure her that she held no blame, it didn't help the feelings of failure that ate away at her constantly. With a heavy sigh, her eyes fell to the large package that had arrived a few hours ago for Catherine. The unique scrawl captured her attention as she moved a little closer for a better look.

" Hey, what you doing?" Nick asked from the doorway, causing her to pull her eyes away from the package and back to the file on the table. When she didn't answer him, he stepped into the room, walking in slowly to look over her shoulder. He'd noticed how quiet she had seemed lately, and not all of it was attributed to the recent knowledge that her relationship with Hank had been nothing but a farce on his part.

Closing the folder, Sara let out a slow sigh as she sat back into the chair, inclining her head to try and free the knot in her neck. Stepping closer, Nick shifted to stand behind her. Moving his hand, he touched her shoulder gently as he leant over to open the folder on the table, his eyes scanning the name on the pages.

" Sar," he sighed ", stop doing this to yourself, you did all you could."

" Try telling that to little Lindsey," she muttered ", she's lost her dad and I couldn't even put the bastards away."

" Honey you did put them away."

" Yeah," she scoffed ", child abandonment, that'll really keep them behind bars won't it!"

" Ok, that's enough," he moaned, turning her around in her chair so he could look into her eyes " Look Lindsey's here visiting Cath, why don't you go and say hi?"

" I don't think so Nick," she said softly, shaking her head ", kids don't like me."

" Of course they do," he laughed, " what about that little girl Brenda Collins, she liked you. Come on, it's time you started to mix a little around here."

" I…"

" No," he told her sternly when she started to protest. Taking hold of her hand he pulled her up from the chair and lead her out of the break room and into the corridor, pulling her along with him towards the lobby just a few feet away.

Sara's heart and mind fought a raging battle with every step she took. How could she look into the eyes of the little girl whose father she had failed to help? As they neared, she started to drag her feet, slowing the pace.

" Sara," Nick scolded, holding tighter onto her hand as they came into the open space of the lobby to see Lindsey sitting quietly with Warrick, giggling at something he had just whispered into her ear.

" Hey Lind's," Nick grinned, pulling Sara next to him, " I brought Sara to say hi," he turned his head to offer Sara an encouraging smile.

" Uh, hi Lindsey," she offered, trying to keep the uneasiness in her voice from escaping. Letting go of Nick's hand, she dropped her arms to her side, searching for something else to focus on other than the child who was staring in her direction.

" Where's my mom?" Lindsey asked quietly, turning to Warrick as she spoke.

" Uh she'll be back soon," he told her ", she had to go out, but she asked me to watch you for a little while."

" Ok," she nodded, her eyes turning towards Sara again, watching her carefully before looking back at Warrick, " I need to go to the bathroom."

Both men gave each other a startled look and then turned their eyes onto Sara. It took her a few moments to realize that they were staring at her, their eyes pleading with her. Taking a deep breath she forced a smile onto her lips, " Uh, I'll take you," she nodded, then a little more quietly " if you want me to. I mean I know you're not a baby, I'm.." Nick leant in close to her and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her shaking to subside " sorry, I'm rambling."

Lindsey took a moment to answer, her confusion evident in her eyes. She had only met Sara a couple of times but she seemed nice enough, so offering Sara a small smile she nodded " Ok." Standing, Lindsey walked over to take Sara's hand before turning around to offer Warrick a smile, " see you later War."

" Later Lind's," he smiled.

Sara waited quietly, not knowing what to do with her arms as Nick offered her an encouraging smile " You girls have fun ok?"

Ignoring his remark, Sara held the door open for Lindsey, only then looking back to glare at Nick who found the whole thing amusing.

" Hey what's up with her?" Warrick asked when they had disappeared through the door.

" You know Sara, she's having doubts about herself again," Nick sighed ", she's blaming herself for something she couldn't have prevented."

Warrick's eyes melted into the now closed door which the two girls had just vacated " Ah," he sighed " Eddie Willows."

" Yeah," Nick started " the one and only. Hey that reminds me, did you notice that package that came for Catherine? It's pretty big."

" Yeah I did," Warrick grinned ", either she has an admirer or.." his words died on his lips, his voice cut off by a huge explosion that burst through the doors that Sara and Lindsey had only seconds earlier walked through, sending pieces of wood, concrete and glass flying in all directions flooding the whole lab into chaotic darkness.

" NICK," Warrick choked his name through the smoke and darkness flooding into the lobby, bathing the walls and occupants in a thick cover of billowing dust. Warrick struggled to hear over the roar of the fire alarm as well as frantic screaming from the shocked staff that scrambled towards the exits only to be hit by flying rubble. " NICK," Warrick called out again, stepping carefully over the fragments under his feet as he staggered, trying to keep his balance.

" Here," came the weak reply ", I can't see."

Warrick held his hand over his mouth and nose, trying to breath through the dense air as he sought blindly through the darkness to find his friend ", NICK?"

" Here," he spoke again, his voice closer until Warrick stumbled over some strewn chairs that had been mangled amidst the dust and confusion. Bending down, Warrick's eyes scanned the rubble, the darkness starting to ease a little so he could see through the debris. Trying to focus, he saw Nick pinned between the wall and a mangled piece of rubble that had caught around his legs. Even through the darkness, Warrick could see the deep red pooling blood that had started to ease it's way out of the wound in Nick's legs. " Jeeze man," he swore as he took a deep dust filled breath only to cough heavily afterwards.

" I know bro," Nick nodded, his own breath ragged as he spoke " this is bad."

The whole building had seemed to fall into an eerie silence, the fire alarms the only sound to break through the walls with a piercing shrill.

" What happened?" Warrick asked, looking around as he spoke " There wasn't a warning, nothing."

" Don't know man," Nick coughed, pushing his hand up over his eyes to clear his vision until realization stabbed inside his heart ", Oh god, Sara and Lindsey."

" Oh Jeeze," Warrick groaned, looking for the exit ", damn, I can't see anything through this dust."

" Go," Nick nodded, pulling himself up only to gasp in pain as the wire entangled around his body dug deeper into his thigh.

" You ok?"

" Fine, go, find the girls," Nick muttered as he reached down for his phone only to find it smashed at his side ", My phone's totaled, what about yours?"

Looking down at his waist, he reached for the cell phone still cradled at his hip. Unclipping it, he rubbed it against his shirt trying to brush some of the dust away before turning it on. " Damn," he groaned.

" Yours wrecked too huh?" Nick winced, the dust in his throat causing him to swallow hard.

 Warrick nodded ", No signal." Kneeling down next to his friend, he placed the phone in his hand " keep trying to call out ok?" Giving his friend a final look, he moved towards the wall that once housed swing doors ", I'll be back as soon as I can."

" Ok, now go."

Inside the women's washroom, the lights sparked and hissed as dust filled the room. Sara opened her eyes slowly trying to focus on her surroundings, at first uncertain where she was. She tried sitting up, but the pain that ripped throughout her body pushed her back down with an audible gasp.

" Sara?" a small voice spoke through the darkness, unleashing into sobs ", Sara?"

" Lindsey," she croaked, her eyes desperately searching the dust filled room, trying to see through the debris that littered the walls and floor, " where are you honey I can't see you."

Sara strained to hear through the shrill of the fire alarm, her eyes trying to see through the dark swirls of dust that floated around the room. She turned her head when something moved beside her, and only then did she see Lindsey shuffling closer towards her, the tears streaking down her face to mingle with the dust and dirt creating a slick stain down her cheek.

" I thought you were dead," she sobbed " you wouldn't move when I called you."

Lindsey's sobs caused something to stir inside her heart spurring her decision to make a conscious effort to ignore the pain that raged rampant throughout her body as she pulled herself up to sit against the wall. As she moved, raging fire soared through her thigh, alerting her to the wetness that seemed to pool down beneath her legs. Sara's hands trembled as she moved down to feel the cause of the pain, only then, her fingers coming into contact with the jagged edge of a large piece of the bathroom mirror protruding deeply into her thigh. Taking a deep breath, she tried to pull it out, groaning in agony as her fingers slipped on her blood, to at last remove the object to fall with a clatter onto the floor.

" Sara?" Lindsey whispered through tears " What's the matter?"

" S'ok sweetie," she muttered through clenched teeth, fighting her way through the agony that tried to claw her back down     ", you're gonna be ok."

Lindsey crawled over towards her, her sobs turning into small sniffles as she curled into Sara's side ", I'm scared."

Sara opened her arms, pulling Lindsey into her embrace as she looked around the wreckage with bleary eyes ", Me too," she admitted softly, placing a small kiss into Lindsey's hair. " Are you hurt?" she whispered worriedly, " are you bleeding?" Lindsey shook her head against Sara's chest, as she tried to bury herself deeper into the security of the older woman's arms. Moving her arms around Sara's waist, she touched something wet and pulled her hand away to see a deep red stain on her fingers " Sara," she gasped, her voice rising a notch into near hysteria "it's blood."

" S'ok," Sara mumbled, the pain in her body numbing her senses as she tried to stay focused for the child she had silently vowed to protect ", my blood."

" But you're bleeding," Lindsey cried, holding onto Sara's body creating a wave of mind numbing agony to rip throughout Sara's lower body. She gasped in pain, her hand coming up to lie across Lindsey's shoulders as she tried to block the pain out of her mind.

" Bet you wished you'd stayed with Warrick," Sara joked, instantly regretted it when the wall beside them rumbled, bringing rubble tumbling down. Ignoring the pain, Sara pushed her body over Lindsey's, shielding the child from the falling debris that threatened to tumble down on them at any second.

" I want my mom," Lindsey whimpered as she clung to Sara, her eyes darting fearfully around the room.

" I know honey," Sara said softly, pulling herself to sit up again, taking Lindsey with her " I'm gonna get you back to her ok?"

" But you're hurt."

" Doesn't matter," Sara gasped as a wave of pain washed over her body causing nausea to rise up in her throat. Letting go of Lindsey, she hunched over onto her side, giving in to the nausea that emptied whatever little it could find in her stomach.