A/N: Hey! I hope I still have readers out there :/ I've got to admit I have lost a little bit of interest in this story, but I'm still going to finish it to the best of my ability and then I plan on going back and polishing it up. So here you go, second to last chapter ( I think) and then an epilogue (which is my favorite, it's already written). The only reason why I think I've lost interest is because I havent watched CSI: Miami in a while and I feel like I've lost my sense for the characters and I'm worried about making them seem OOC, because there not supposed to be. I'm sorry I don't have a better reason for my hiatus :( but please try to review.

Eric hastily got out of the Hummer, closing the door quietly with shaky hands to retain whatever element of surprise they had. Alexx began to open her door when Eric rounded on the other side of the truck.

"Look, Alexx," Eric said, shooting an anxious glance at the unwelcoming house in need of repairs behind him. A dark grey car sat in the driveway. The wound caused by a grazed bullet tingled as Eric remembered that whoever owned that car had shot at him. "You don't have any training, please just stay out here unless we call you."

Alexx opened her mouth to protest and Eric interrupted. "Please." He begged.

She nodded. "Don't do anything stupid, Eric." She told him, passing him an armful of the vests she had taken from the department.

Eric gave her a tight look, accepted the vests and took off toward the house. The door wasn't kicked in, and no windows were broken which indicated that Horatio and the others hadn't entered the house yet. He lowered his loaded gun into a defensive position and skillfully moved around the corner of the house.

There were sun faded tricycles on the side of the house and it made Eric's stomach turn slightly. A few limbless dolls were discarded in the overgrown grass, and a kiddy pool was up turned and sunken in. Swallowing bile, he pressed on, his heart beating painfully against his ribs.

He raised his gun slightly as he was about to round the corner of the house, into the backyard. Turning quickly, he came face to face with another human. He automatically raised his gun, breathing heavy.

Horatio stood, numbly staring down the barrel of Eric's department issued gun. Carefully, he put his hand on top of the gun and lowered it, Eric complied and dropped the gun back into a defensive position, his heart beating even harder.

Horatio's face was grim as he pressed a finger to his lips and motioned with his head for Eric to come around the back of the house.

Natalia and Ryan were speaking in hushed tones and gesturing out attack maneuvers hurriedly. Eric and Horatio approached them, Eric passed each of them a vest and pulled his own over his head.

"What's the plan, H?" Eric asked, tightening the Velcro straps on the vest.

"We checked the windows, there's no motion, but the basement windows are blacked out. Were going to go through the back." He said, already walking toward the ancient backdoor.

Eric followed closely behind him as his right hand man with Natalia and Ryan bring up the rear. Horatio tried to doorknob quietly with no luck. He looked at Eric and Eric nodded. Backing up, Eric kicked in the door and Horatio responded quickly, running down the steps.

"MDPD!" He yelled, his voice severe.

The steps down to the basement were wooden and dirty, cobwebs hung from the ceiling, but a faint light was coming up the steps.

Eric pounded down the steps after Horatio, gun raised. Everything that happened next took place in flashes.

Eric caught sight of the basement. A bare room with grey cement walls, lit by a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling and giving off orange light. A mattress was pushed against one wall and on it sat Ella. Her light brown curls tangled and her eyes puffy. Standing up next to the mattress was Calleigh.

"Horatio! No!" she shouted, her head snapping to look at something.

On the opposite side of the room was another set of steps, steps leading up to a doorway that most likely opened into the house. On top of those steps, surrounded by light was a figure. Coming from the figure was a laser light that landed lightly on Ella's skull.

A gunshot sounded and Eric watched Calleigh jump in front of Ella. Horatio shouted something and his gun fired three shots, followed by additional shots from Natalia, Ryan and to his surprise, Eric. He hadn't been aware of what was happening, despite being trained to react quickly, sometimes you brain just didn't comply. The figure in the doorway fell forward down the stairs.

Horatio jumped forward, skipping the last two steps and rushing toward Calleigh and Ella. Eric followed, his breathing erratic as he watched Calleigh's dirty white T-shirt turn black with blood.

"Daddy!" Ella cried, her arms turned upward. Tears were spilling out of her big blue eyes.

Horatio ran to the little girl, picking her up and burying her head into his shirt to shield her from the horror that surrounded her in the basement.

Eric knelt next to Calleigh, his pants soaking to the skin with blood that was pooling around her. He was aware of Ryan shouting into a walkie-talkie. Her eyes locked on his, they were pooling with tears. He looked down and saw the burnt bullet hole in the stomach of her shirt.

"Eric." Horatio said softly from above him, Ella still buried in his shirt.

Eric looked up, "Get her out of here. Send Alexx in. Now." He said sharply.

"It's going to be, OK. Calleigh, your going to be fine." Eric told Calleigh, placing his palm over the wound and pressing down firmly. She cried out and then placed her hand over Eric's.

He started to ramble, trying to reassure her. "It's going to be fine. It's going to be fine." He told her over and over again.

Calleigh never looked away from his eyes, and he never stopped looking back. Not even after her eyes had started to flutter close.