A/N: I got the soundtrack to Ladder 49, and was listening to 'Shine your light' by Robbie Robertson when I wrote this…I swear I almost cried…

Disclaimer: I do not own…yet….

They stood in a group not far from a hole in the earth. Five all together, but they felt as if one was missing; which is technically true, and that person would be missing forever more. They all wore black, and all were crying, with no comfort for their pain except that of time. An older man with salt-and-pepper hair, beard, and mustache with bright blue eyes stepped away from the group of five, and looked down into the hole. He still couldn't believe that this had happened. It all seemed…surreal, to say the least. But it had, and Gil Grissom had to deal with the loss the same as everybody else. He opened his mouth to say something, but his voice had deserted him. A strawberry blonde woman with blue-green eyes stepped forward, and placed a comforting hand on her supervisor's-and best friend's-shoulder. He still couldn't say anything; it was all just too much, and this life hadn't deserved to be snuffed out as it had. Gil closed his eyes and remembered that fateful day that he lost one of his best CSIs.

Flashback

"Nicky, we have a 4-19 over on Monroe." A tall brunette woman said as she passed her Texan colleague in the break room. He smiled and nodded.

"Evening to you too, Sara." Nicholas Stokes replied before he dumped his coffee out in the sink and put his mug on the counter. He followed her out and sat in the back seat of Grissom's Denali, while the supervisor drove and Sara rode shotgun. They arrived, Brass meeting them at the front door of a little one story ranch-style house.

"Hey Brass." Nick greeted, knowing that the grim look on the homicide detective's face meant that it was bad. James Brass nodded in reply, then began giving the details.

"Maryanne Karnes, late thirties, and a single mother of one. One shot to the chest. She was getting ready for bed when she died. Nothing was stolen and her daughter wasn't harmed. She got a good look at the suspect, and called 911. The girl is over with Sofia. Oh, and Gil? Careful, it's messy in there." Brass warned, and Grissom nodded.

"Sara, I want you to get the perimeter, I'll take the inside. Nicky, I want you to talk to the girl." He said, and entered the house. Sara patted Nick's back.

"Good luck, cowboy." She said before heading over to the front door to begin checking the perimeter. Nick shook his head, put his kit down by the Denali, and walked over to where Sofia and a little redheaded child with slate grey eyes sat. Nick smiled at the girl, and crouched so that he was eye level with her.

"Hey there. My name's Nick Stokes, and I'm here to help figure out who hurt your mom. What's your name?" He asked gently as she regarded him with guarded eyes.

"Lauren." She stated simply after several minutes.

"Lauren, that's a pretty name. I have a sister who's name is Lauren. Do you know who hurt your mom?"

"No." was the curt reply. Nick was slightly taken aback.

"Did you get a good look at the person? Like, could you tell if it was a man or a wo-"

"A man, slightly taller than you, with black hair with a matching black mustache. He looked younger than Mom, and he wore a red shirt that read 'A Bread Crumb and Fish' with holey blue jeans and work boots. His eyes were green, and Mom called him Carl." Lauren said, somewhat sharply. "Mom was taking me to bed when he appeared in front of us. He said that Mom owed him, but she laughed and put me in bed. There was a bang not long later, and a thud, then the sound of running, so I called 911." She said, and Nick nodded.

"Thank you, Lauren. That'll help a lot." He said, and slowly stood. Sofia looked exasperated.

"She's been like that ever since we got here." She murmured, and Nick nodded, thinking. He turned, looking at anything and everything. By the corner of the house, about 150 feet from where he stood with Lauren and Sofia, was movement. It was dark by that corner, and something didn't feel right. Sara was at the opposite corner, still visible, and Grissom was inside, visible through some windows where he was taking photographs. Brass was interviewing the neighbors, and Sofia was still by Nick's side.

"What is it?" the blonde asked, seeing him looking at the house.

"Somebody's over there." He replied, and took a few steps toward the dark corner. The movement ceased as suddenly as it had started, and the bad feeling in Nick's gut worsened. Sofia had turned on her flashlight, and began shining it around that area. A man with black hair, a mustache, with a red shirt and holey blue jeans froze in the beam of light.

"That's him!" Lauren shrieked, running up to Nick's side. "That's the man who shot my mother!" She yelled, louder. 'Carl,' he had been called, knew he couldn't escape with so many cops around. He pulled a gun, and fired in the trio's direction. Sofia dropped, and Nick did the first thing that came to mind, and swung around as he crouched, grabbing Lauren's shoulders so that she swung around with him, and placed his body between the girl's and Carl. Sofia was returning fire, three shots in quick succession. The crowd which had gathered behind the yellow Caution tape dispersed wildly, terrified. Sara had dropped to the ground, and was peering around the corner in attempts to figure out where the shooting was coming from. It didn't take very long. Brass was hunched over as he ran over to where Sofia was laying, unsure if she had hit her target or not. The homicide detective glanced back at Nick, and then did a double take.

"Oh God no," he said loudly. Sofia looked back as well, and then scrambled over to where the criminalist was with the child. Nick, when he had placed his body between Lauren and the shooter, had taken the bullets meant for the child. He lay on his stomach in the yard, Lauren by his side in shock. Sofia immediately began to assess the situation. The Texan had been hit twice, once in the left side right under the ribcage, and once in the back. His eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving.

"Nick! Oh God, Nick…" Sofia trailed off as she felt for a pulse. Sara, hearing the alarm in Sofia's voice, felt her heart jump into her throat and, without any regard for her own safety, ran over to her fallen colleague and the two cops. When she finally reached them, her heart felt as if it had stopped. There was so much blood, and Nick was so pale. Grissom was there by her side in a matter of moments, and she heard him say something, but it didn't comprehend. Two paramedics rushed over, and tried to save him, but it was apparently too late. They then said those two dreaded words.

"He's gone." They packed up slowly, and walked away, heads hanging. Sara hit her knees, Sofia and Lauren on either side of the Californian. For several moments, there was nothing; no sounds, no feelings, nothing. But then Sara burst into tears, her sobs breaking the trance over the area.

"Nicky!" She cried, so full of pain. Lauren sat where Nick had pushed her out from under him as he fell, tears quietly trailing down her pale cheeks.

"He-he gave his life for me…" she whispered, and succumbed to sobs as well. Grissom and Brass stood in shock, and Sofia began to cry softly. A life so young and full of optimism cut short so swiftly. It didn't seem possible. The five remained motionless, in a trance of shock. The press was shouting questions and comments, but the group heard none of it. Not long later, Grissom's cell rang, and he answered it numbly, slowly stumbling away from Nick's lifeless body.

"Grissom," he heard himself say.

"Gil, what just happened?" Catherine Willows asked her voice worried. "The news just said that somebody from law enforcement was shot. Who was it?"

"Nick." He answered, the shock beginning to wear off some.

"No! Is he-?"

"He's…he's dead Cath." Gil managed, his voice husky with grief and his vision beginning to blur with unshed tears.

"No…oh God, it can't be!" he heard her yell, and he heard the sobs coming from her throat. Gil heard voices in the background, and knew Warrick and Greg were there, waiting for an answer. He barely heard her tell them. "Greg, Warrick, it was Nick. He-he didn't make it." She sobbed, harder than ever. Gil hung up, not wanting to hear the response of the other two graveyard shift workers. He looked back at the others, where Sara was gently trying to soothe the young girl, both still crying, but they were no longer facing Nick. David was making his way over to them, obviously still in shock. Once Nick's body had been taken away-as well as Carl's; Sofia's aim having been true-Gil gathered up Sara and gently herded her to his Denali. Once there, he saw Nick's kit, and he just stood there looking at it dumbly. He slowly grabbed it and placed it gently on the back seat. He drove them back to the lab, knowing to expect the inevitable overwhelming grief. Everyone at the lab had loved the adorable Texan.

Gil was right, for everyone was either red eyed, still in shock, or still crying silently. The remainder of the graveyard shift, plus Archie, Bobbie, and Hodges were all in the break room, waiting for the two missing members. As soon as Gil and Sara entered, Warrick and Greg offered up their chairs. Sara sat in Warrick's seat, but Gil waved Greg away, motioning for the young CSI to sit. Sara sat and buried her head in her arms and began to sob again when she noticed the mug on the counter that Nick had used not three hours before. Warrick looked at his boss and only asked one question.

"How?" and with this question, six pairs of eyes were upon their boss, and he slowly and painstakingly explained the events that had unfolded, causing the untimely death of the beloved Nick Stokes.

"The suspect returned to the scene to kill the daughter of the victim; collateral damage. Nick used his body as a shield to protect her. He took two bullets, and one hit his heart. Nick's death was almost instantaneous." Gil explained, and Sara cried harder at the explanation. He noticed the mug, and grabbed it sighing. He then placed it on the table, and everybody knew, it would always be Nicky's mug, and nobody was to drink out of it. "He died a little girl's hero." Gil said quietly before leaving to contact Nick's parents.

End Flashback

So here they all were, in a cemetery in Texas, looking into their beloved cowboy's grave. Gil looked at his co-workers, then at Nick's grieving parents. They had asked him to speak for their son, and now he stood in front of fifty or more people.

"I trained Nicky, and he was one of the best criminalists that I have ever worked with." Grissom began, finally finding his voice. "He was highly intelligent, with a stubborn streak and a heart of gold, which made him excellent at what he did." A few people smiled at the crack of Texan stubbornness. "He didn't want the glory for what he did, only to know he helped somebody somewhere. Nicky gave his life for a little girl. He was a hero that day, but I know he wouldn't have wanted a big celebration for following his instincts. Nick was an everyday man, who did what not many other men have ever considered doing for a complete stranger. He sacrificed himself, and became a hero to Lauren Karnes, my team, the Las Vegas Crime Lab, his family and friends. Nicholas Stokes also became a hero to me, and even though he was young, he lived his life to the fullest extent." Grissom finished, and stepped back to Sara, Warrick, Greg, and Catherine. They all watched as their friend's casket was lowered into the ground, and knew it was the end. Sara sobbed as the first of the dirt was placed on the casket by his nieces and nephews, and the Vegas gang all placed a comforting hand upon her shoulders. They all knew that this was especially hard on the Californian, for the two had been best friends, and now Sara had no one to confide in as she had Nick. After the burial, the spectators left slowly, all still crying and grieving. The LVCL graveyard shift was the last of all to leave, not wanting to be parted from their best friend and, in some cases, confidante. That night, a meteor shower passed, and all five watched with tears in their eyes, and said goodbye to the Texan for the last time before heading back to Vegas for their shift, Nick's empty mug on the Break Room table, and his cowboy hat above Grissom's office door.

A/N: Okay, don't hate me! dodges angry fans But it just seemed so good, and I swear I did almost cry! Especially if you listen with 'Shine Your Light' But, I would really like to know your thoughts! Push that little purple button that says 'go' on it! I know you want to!

Lovie