The two CSI's ducked under the police tape and entered the house, flashlights guiding the way through the velvet darkness. Re-visiting the site for further evidence was never going to be easy, especially when the cluttered house was engulfed in pitch black with no working source of light.
"Split up?" Megan sighed, shining her flashlight on Nick.
"Seems like its going to be the quickest way." he agreed.
"Right then, I'll take upstairs. Shout me if you need any help" she smiled, carefully heading to the open staircase at the other side of the room.
Nick nodded an ok and gave her a wink, watching her all the way up till she disappeared from his sight. Smiling to himself, he started what seemed like a never ending hunt for an apparent piece of bloody clothing that the other evidence suggested had been missed the first time round.

This was Megan's third assignment and as luck would have it, Nick had been posted with her. She'd transferred from another state a month or so ago and had found herself in Grissom's office, being congratulated on her new start at LVPD crime lab. Nick had looked out for her on her first assignment, even though she'd been in the industry a long time, and knew her way around a crime scene. He still saw her as the newbie. As far as he was concerned, Megan was his reponsibility and a great friend. Somehow, she reminded him of Sanders' in his first few weeks in the field. Bubbly, bright, always up for a laught but always knew when to be serious.

The floorboards creaked as Megan made her way around the top floor of the house, the narrow light casting shadows onto her surroundings. She paused to open a wooden chest against the wall in one of the bedrooms, gripping the flashlight under one arm as she tried to open the varnished chest. It looked expensive, "probably an antique" she thought to herself. The lid was stiff, but was definitely moving. Something was jamming it from the inside. She tried to shift it again but it wouldn't budge so she opened her mouth to yell for Nick, obviously the muscle of the duo. Before any sound could escape her mouth, she was halted by the sound of one of the floorboards creaking behind her. Subconsciously, her hand flitted to the gun on her belt.
"Nick?" she asked quietly.
Before she managed to turn fully something hit her in the centre of her back and a firm hand covered her mouth, ramming her down to the floor with strong force.
"Don't. Scream." a deep voice whispered calmly as he pinned her to the floor.
The flashlight had fallen to the ground and was creating a pattern of shadows on the opposite wall as it rolled on the bare floorboards.
His face was sickeningly close to hers and as he started to stand up over her, she slowly and steadily moved her hand to her gun, attempting to unclip it without making a noise. Come on Nick she silently thought to herself.

But Nick was blissfully unaware downstairs, searching everywhere he could think of. A thud disturbed him from his thoughts. Megan could have just dropped something right? he wished to himself, but something deep in his gut told him it was something much more sinister. He drew his gun and crept towards the stairs, flashlight held steadily over his handgun. Nick's heart thumped loudly in his ears as he set his first foot on the stairs.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE!" He heard a man's voice yell from above followed by a thunderous bang.
He started to run, not caring about the noise he made. The gunshot still echoed in his ears.
Then there was another bang, making the floor shudder. Nick momentarily stopped breathing as he reached the top landing. The bang had come from the bedroom furthest from where he was stood, and he began to shimmy his way across towards the open door, back firmly against the wall. He edged his way into the room, gun pointing straight out, fear pumping through his veins. The sight of two bodies hit him. Still and bloody.

"Megs!" He shouted, sprinting over. He didn't need to bother checking the other body for life signs. Half his head was blown away and coating the wall. He was dead.
He set down the flashlight, leaving its glow illuminating his bloody partner.
"Nick..." she whispered, letting out a shuddery breath, groaning.
He forcefully unzipped his stab vest and gently placed it underneath her head.
"It's gonna be ok Megs." He said, pushing on the wound with one hand, grabbing his radio with the other before calling for backup and an ambulance.
Her eyes were looking up at him, glistening with tears.
"It's gonna be ok." He repeated, not sure if he was trying to reassure Megan or himself.
"Nick" she started again.
"Shhh"
"Nick, how bad is it?" she panted, sweat beading on her forehead.
"It's not that bad, they're gonna patch you up just fine." He swallowed as her warm blood flooded between his fingers, feeling her wide blue eyes searching his ghostly white face.
"Truth."
"Megan, i-"
"Nick. Tell me the truth." she slurred, heat draining from her body.
"It's...I can't...There's a lot of blood. But help's on it's way. You've just got to hold on."
He couldnt let her die, not tonight, not this way. How would he tell the team? How would he tell her family? How could he look another new recruit in the eye again after letting Megan down like this? He accounted himself responible, he shouldn't have left her. It should be him lying there, not her.
Coughing racked her body as she struggled onto her side, blood staining her lips and dripping onto the bare floorboards.
Wheezing ensued as she tried to catch her breath. "Not that bad..." she whispered and Nick thought he heard a ragged chuckle escape her lips.
Megan fought against Nick's strong arms as she tried to sit up, looking around the shadowed room.
"You have to stay still. You're just gonna bleed out faster." Nick pleaded.
Megan, stubborn as usual, was about to tell him where to stick it and if she wanted to sit up, she would. However, with one look into Nick's teared eyes and panic stricken face she obeyed, laying flat on her back. She rested her hand on top of Nick's bloodied one, with which he was pushing hard to stem the bleeding.
"Ok Nick. It's gonna be ok remember." She swallowed, heat draining from every limb.
"It's gonna be ok" she repeated in her head.

Minutes passed as Nick tried to keep Megan conscious, sweat was beading along her forehead, and he was sure there must be more of her blood flooding the floor around them than in her body at that moment.
Nick grabbed his radio with his free hand, demanding to know how long back up was going to be along with the ambulance, reminding them how one CSI was in critical condition.
He let out a shuddered breath as they explained to him that back up was on it's way but they would be delayed by the jammed roads. They were going as fast as they could. Megan's hand clamped down harder on his, and he knew she didn't have long. Her ragged breathing caused him to slam down his radio and grasp her other shaking hand.
"They're...stuck..." Megan breathed hard reiterating what Nick had just been told, fighting to get the words out. Her heart was racing and the room was shrinking around her. "They're stuck...traffic...Nick, they're not...they're not gonna be here...in time..." She swallowed and let out a whimper.
"Shh. They'll be here. They're going to get here."

Tears rolled down Megan's cheeks as she swallowed back the metallic taste in her mouth. All at once, the scene had become all too real, the team weren't going to be their in time.
"Don't leave me." She choked out as he let go of her hand, her vision blurred by tears.
"I'm not leaving. I promise." He whispered, placing his hand on the side of her head and pressing his lips firmly against her forehead.
A choking cough racked through her body and her breath caught in her throat. Her chest wheezing, attempting to force the icy air in and out of her lungs.
A bang was heard downstairs and Nick's head shot up.
"LVPD!" echoed through the frail house as various doors slammed open against thin walls.
"Up here!" Nick yelled towards the familiar voices. "They're here" he smiled, turning back to look at his partner. All that met his gaze was the still, frail, broken body of Megan.
"Megs. Hey, come on. Help's here. Megan..." He shook her gently only to receive no response, to which he shook her harder.
Two shaking fingers pressed against her neck, failing to find a pulse.
"No... Megan, please." He begged for her to open her eyes, to talk to him as tears rolled down his cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her and held her body close to his chest. He'd failed to protect her. He'd failed Grissom. He'd failed his team.
The room flooded with police and paramedics finding two CSI's curled on the floor.
The alive cradling the dead.