I own nothing belonging to CBS and the respective CSI owners. I own only my original story and characters.

IronAngel 240

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Nick Stokes buried his head deeper into his pillow with a sleepy groan. His arm stretched to the side in search of the warm, soft body he knew should be occupying his bed, but all he felt was cold sheets. He opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of bare, dark grey bedding.

"Good Morning," said a low, soft, sultry voice.

Nick sat up and looked towards the window. What he saw made his heart clench.

She sat in his high backed chair, her knees drawn up to her chest and her soft hands clasped a cup of coffee. Her hair was a mass of un-brushed dark curls that fell in waves around her face. How could bed-head look so damn sexy? Nick met her smoldering brown eyes and held her gaze for a moment before his eyes began a trail down her body. A strong, shapely nose led down to full, kiss swollen lips. Her chin pointed to a long, slender neck; the usual tanned skin was marred by light red marks, evidence of Nick's lips and tongue that had lavished the area.

Nick bit his bottom lip as his eyes lowered to her chest. She was dressed only in his light blue button down shirt (only the middle two buttons were done, giving him a tantalizing view of her braless cleavage and toned stomach) and a pair of white lace panties. Her legs seemed to go on for miles before they tapered off into graceful feet that were perched on the chair. Nick's eyes flicked back up to her angelic face. The early morning light that streamed through the window set her aglow and brought out the reddish streaks in her brown locks.

He felt the lust fill his gaze as his eyes once again found hers.

"Griffin," he breathed.

Griffin smiled in response. The kind of smile that she rarely bestowed on anyone; the one that showed her single dimple and made her eyes crinkle in the corners. The young girl set her coffee cup down before getting up and gliding across the room towards the bed. Nick's eyes followed her progress with a smile plastered on his face. He shifted his position so that his back was rested against the headboard and his long legs were stretched out underneath the sheets.

Griffin wasted no time when she reached Nick. She crawled up the bed; never taking her eyes off Nick's, she straddled his hips and slipped her arms around his neck.

"Good Mornin," Nick finally answered with a smile as he wrapped his hands around her waist. Griffin returned his smile before lowering her head and capturing his lips with her own.

Nick sat up and moved his hands up her waist, over her ribs, feathering over the sides of her breasts before they continued up to grasp her face as he deepened the kiss.

He moaned as Griffin allowed his tongue access into the heat of her mouth. She gasped and began to gently rock her hips in a distracting rhythm against Nick's. Nick tangled his one hand in her softer-than-silk hair as the other one trailed down her neck and collarbone to gently caress her breast through the thin material of her shirt.

Griffin's arms tightened around Nick's neck as she rocked her hips harder against him. Nick's hand then traveled lower until they grazed the white lace of her panties. He could already feel the heat coming from her; he pushed her underwear aside and grazed her bare flesh with a single finger. Griffin broke their kiss and threw her head back with a whimper as she rocked over Nick's hand. Nick started to gently nibble on her neck as he continued to move his hand in a slow, sensual rhythm.

Griffin suddenly grabbed his head and yanked him up to claim his lips roughly. She growled into his mouth and gave his bottom lip a playful bite. Nick chuckled as he broke the kiss and licked his lip, tasting iron.

The little minx had actually drawn blood. He looked up at Griffin with adoring eyes and saw a small smear of blood on her own lip. Nick chuckled again and shook his head. Griffin also smiled and gave a giggle; as she did so though a strange look came to her face and the giggle turned into a cough.

"Griffin?" Nick asked in concern as he brought both hands up to cradle her face. Griffin frowned and coughed again, but this time blood spurted from her mouth and coated her chin, dripping down onto her chest. Nick flinched back slightly as a spattering of the red liquid hit his face.

"Griffin!" Nick shouted in panic as the young girl collapsed. He tightened his hold on her and gently lowered her to the bed as blood continued to spew from her mouth as she tried in vain to breathe.

"Griffin?!" Nick shouted again as he searched her body for injuries. His eyes widened in horror as he saw a pool of red spreading through the material of the pale blue shirt on Griffin's abdomen.

Nick applied pressure to the wound with one hand and he used the other to cradle Griffin's face.

"Griffin, please," Nick begged in a broken whisper as he watched her struggle to take a breath. Her eyes begged him for help as spasms wrenched at her delicate frame.

"Stay with me," Nick whispered.

But it was too late. He watched as her body stopped its frantic spasms and the light faded from her beautiful brown eyes, leaving them dull…and dead…

Nick woke with a start, drenched in sweat. He looked around his dark room searching for Griffin. His eyes landed on the digital clock.

21:00 pm.

An hour before his shift was due to start. Nick collapsed back onto his bed and rubbed a hand over his face. It was just a dream.

Just a dream…

Nick groaned in frustration and rolled over onto his stomach and buried his head into his pillow.

The dream was still vivid in his mind. The feel of Griffin's body pressed against him, the taste of her lips, the sounds of her whimpers… and the warm feel of her blood soaking his hands.

Nick sat up and swung his legs off the bed and rested them on the floor. He rubbed the back of his neck as he recalled his dream. Seeing the light going out of Griffin's eyes had been devastating. Nick got up and walked into his bathroom. He started the shower and stepped into the warm spray.

Nick wasn't sure what haunted him more; the image of Griffin's lifeless eyes… or the image of her lust filled eyes. Suddenly, his shower felt to warm. He quickly adjusted the temperature to cold. How did this girl manage to do this to him? How did she manage to make him feel like a hormone crazed teenager?

Nick had never felt the softness of her lips, the warmth of her tongue or the swell of her breast. The closest he had come was a gentle brush of his fingertips against her cheek. So why this sudden…craving for Griffin? He couldn't understand it. And why did she suddenly die in his dream? Was it a premonition of what was to come? Some ill omen warning him against pursuing a relationship with the barely legal CSI?

Please, God, no, thought Nick. Just the thought of not being able to see Griffin was enough to make his throat close, making it difficult to breath. He had never felt this way about anyone before.

Turning the shower off, Nick stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist. He proceeded to shave and brush his teeth before he re-entered his bedroom and got dressed. As he pulled a maroon t-shirt over his head Nick glanced at the clock.

21:30 pm.

The sudden desire to see Griffin was so overwhelming that Nick grabbed his keys and rushed out of his house without even thinking about breakfast, or coffee for that matter. He had just inserted his keys into the ignition when his cellphone rang.

Warrick.

"What's up, Rick?" Nick said as he cradled his phone between his shoulder and his ear and put the car into gear. He still wanted to stop and get some coffee for himself and Griffin, as had been their tradition for the past three weeks since becoming partners.

"Where you at, Nick?" Warrick asked.

"I'm on my way in. Just gonna stop and get some coffee. Did you need something?" Nick asked as he began to back out of the drive way.

"Forget the coffee. Get your ass over here, it's all hands on deck," said Warrick abruptly, "Griffin is missing."