IDEAS for title: Through Dark Places, The Things You Choose To Be, Something To Hold On To.

By Becki.

Summary: Gil gets personally involved in a case when his God-daughter is stabbed.

Comments: Okay, it's my first CSI fan fic. I wanted to start posting it sooner but I had to watch a couple more episodes so I could try my best to make the characters just right. I hope I managed it â€" even partially. Comments would help thanks.

Disclaimer: CSI characters you recognise aren't mine. Anything you don't recognise it mine.

If you want to post it anywhere please ask for permission from moi. Cheers.

Background: It's 1997. Sara hasn't joined yet but she does make a small appearance, and they have a woman, Sam, who's been there for five years. Greg hasn't been there for long and Warrick's only been there for about a year like Nick. None of this probably matters but it gives you an idea.

1.1.1.1.1.1.1

1.1.1.1.1.1.2 Prologue

Pulling up outside Mr. Williams house, she turned the engine off and jumped out. She took a quick look at her watch and sighed as she quickened her pace. The door opened as she neared and a black fluffy blur bolted from the door and down the path towards her. She smiled and bent down to greet the small cocker spaniel.

"Hey Sparky."

She ruffled his ears and stood and headed towards the elderly man standing as tall as ever in the doorway.

"Sorry I'm late â€" work ran over."

"That's okay Jade. But I think Sparky was getting frantic!"

Jade laughed. She'd been walking George Williams dog for a few months. He's was in his 80's now and still relatively full of life. She'd met him while studying in the park â€" Sparky had just about ran into her while chasing his ball and her and Mr. Williams had got talking. Sparky had taken a liking to her immediately and after a few afternoons bumping into each other he asked if she would walk Sparky for him in the late afternoons. He said that he was getting a bit too old to walk Sparky twice a day. Jade jumped at the chance. She loved dogs but her aunt and uncle had never let her have one and finally, at 22, she had the chance to walk a dog who was so loyal and trusting.

Jade looked down at the dog yapping around her knees and took the lead from Mr. Williams. She noticed the ladder in the hall.

"Need any help?"

"No, the bulbs just gone. I'll have to go and get one from the shop â€" it won't take long. You get going and I'll have some pie waiting for you when you return."

Jade wasn't going to argue about the ladder. She knew how annoyed he got when people figured he was too old to be fixing things.

"You spoil me you know! I'm gonna start getting fat with all this pie you give me â€" not that I'd say no of course!"

"Good. Because who would I spoil if I didn't spoil you!"

She smiled. Sparky barked and she looked down.

"Okay, okay, we're going."

She hooked the lead to his collar and let him lead her out the gate and down the road.

*****

"What's going on?"

Gil Grissom asked stopping in the doorway of the break room. Nick, Warrick, Catherine, Greg and Samantha, his team, were all gathered round the table. They stopped bickering when Grissom spoke.

"Greg figured it out."

Nick replied sounding annoyed.

"What; I can't have information sometimes?"

Greg looked indignant.

"It's just somewhat unprecedented."

Gil replied walking over to the fridge.

"So, what was it you managed to figure out, Greg?"

He asked as he grabbed a coke and closed the fridge. He turned round opening the can with a fizz.

" (some random word)"

Gil stopped, the can halfway to his mouth.

"Excuse me?"

"A clue in the crossword."

Catherine explained.

"We've been stuck on it."

Samantha continued.

"Then Greg waltzed in and gave us the answer."

Nick finished. Gil smiled at the bored expressions on his teams faces.

"Slow night, huh?"

"That's for sure."

Warrick said.

"You know, I could really do with some help with my new bugs."

Catherine suddenly stood up.

"You know â€" come to think of it I've got some paper work to do."

She walked out quickly.

"Me too."

Samantha followed suite.

"And I've got some emails to send out â€" real important."

"I'll uh â€" help you type them."

Nick followed close to Warrick's heels. Gil looked at Greg.

"And I've got...something." He stood. "Later."

He rushed out, head down. Gil smiled slightly to himself, sipping his coffee, then sat down to finish the crossword.

*****

Jade returned 15 minutes later than she would have done originally and by this time it was dark. As they neared the gate Sparky started to whimper and slow down.

"Come on Sparky, I know you want a longer walk."

She bent down and stroked him but he kept whimpering. She picked him up and he seemed to calm until she was halfway down the path to the house where he started to whimper louder and tried to jump out of her arms. She put him down and tried to get him to the door but he wouldn't budge. She frowned and just let him sit there while she headed to the house. She'd never seen him like that before and as she neared the door she realised why. It was ajar. Cautiously she opened it fully and stepped inside and into the dark hall. She tried the light switch but it didn't work. He hadn't fixed the light bulb. She stepped through into the living room and stopped dead. The place was a state â€" it had been ransacked. Knowing that the burglar was probably long gone she checked the kitchen and dining room but couldn't find Mr. Williams anywhere â€" before she continued she went back into the living room and went to where the phone was still on the table. She picked up the lamp and turned it on. She decided to phone the police, then she would go and find Mr. Williams. She hoped that Mr. Williams was at the shop still.

The woman on the end of the phone asked what emergency crew she required.

"Police and possible ambulance. We've been burgled. I don't know where Mr. Williams is."

"Okay. I want you to stay calm for me. Can you tell me the address."

Jade took a calming breath to slow her heart.

"Sure it's â€" "

A sudden noise stopped her mid-sentence.

"Miss? Excuse me miss?"

"He's still here..."

She said frozen to the spot. She knew if it was Mr. Williams he would have heard her voice and would have spoken. She lowered the phone from her ear slowly still hearing the woman's voice. Jade tried to recall everything she'd learnt in the self-defence classes as she turned around slowly, her breathing forcibly calm.

Someone suddenly grabbed her and shoved her into the table, knocking the lamp and phone down and winding her. The bulb broke plunging the place into darkness. Before she could regain her breath or footing he grabbed her again and she managed to elbow him in the ribs as hard as she could. He hardly gasped as he pulled her around she realised why as she frantically tried to take in all the details she could. He was at least 6' and was dressed all in black including a balaclava. She did notice that he had really distinctive eyes. One was a piercing blue...but the other was a deep brown. She also knew the look in them and it sent shivers down her spine. It was enjoyment...pure and simple...she knew he was crazy. At that point all rational thought went out the window and she started kicking and screaming. Anything to get away from this maniac before he really did hurt her. She kicked him in the shins and pulled on his black polo neck â€" she managed to scratch his neck with her fingers, drawing blood. It distracted him enough for her to knee him in the balls and he gasped and loosened his grip on her. She tried to charge past him to get out of the living room and out onto the street but at the last moment he grabbed her wrist, using her momentum to propel her round and into him. She suddenly stopped dead, inches from him, her eyes wide and her breathing suddenly gasping. He looked down, then back up at her smiling â€" the crazy glint in his eye. She looked down and realised what had caused the strange numbing feeling in her side. He laughed as he released her. She staggered back staring at the knife in his hand, clutching at the wound in her side, her eyes going fuzzy. She felt her legs give way beneath her and she dropped to her knees, her right hand hovering in the air, the left arm pulled into her side, her fingers unable to grip. She was level with the knife and she could clearly see her blood on the blade. Her breathing became hitched and she started to shake, from the shock. He grabbed her top and bent down to whisper in her ear.

"See that tunnel of white light yet? You will. Give my regards to St. Peter."

He laughed again as he released her. She fell to the right and ended up on her back. She glanced down at the red patch pooling out on her light blue top, then looked back at the man as he moved away slowly. The numb feeling started to disappear giving way to the pain radiating throughout her. Black specs started to swim infront of her eyes and she couldn't stop shaking. She could still hear his laughter even as the blackness overcame her and she succumbed to unconsciousness.