Catherine screeched up to the building site that was the soon-to-be-demolished library and leapt from the car as it was still moving. Nick, Greg and Warrick ran out after her, tearing towards the entrance where Archie had stipulated as fast as they could, catching up with her as she turned the corridor that led to the others. As they raced down the stairs, their breath became short and sweat poured down their sides. It was Catherine who found them.

'They're here!' She shouted, her breath rasping as she tried to catch it and take in the scene at the same time. Sara and Grissom were lying on the floor, hands loosely clasped and no signs of a struggle. Catherine knelt by their fallen co-workers' side and pressed two fingers loosely against Sara's neck, feeling for a pulse. She felt it, weak and stringy, but there, as she moved on to Grissom Sara gave a weak cough and her eyelids flickered slightly.

'Sara?' Greg's worried voice filled her mind and Catherine saw Greg's hand slide behind her back and pull her into a sitting position.

'How's… Gil…?' Her weak voice was little more than a whisper as she tried to speak. Catherine felt for a pulse in her supervisors' neck and grinned slightly.

'He's okay.' Sara let out a soft moan of happiness.

'Oh thank God.' Catherine looked at the five people opposite her.

'Greg, Warrick – stay here and get Grissom and Sara to a hospital, Nick – with me.' She unholstered her gun and motioned for Nick to do the same, heading down the corridor to the darkness beyond.

oOo

Booth flung Brennan behind him in a desperate bid to save her, trying to draw his gun whilst being, irrationally, paralysed with fear. What was wrong with him? He had faced gun-wielding assailants before, but now it was an effort to even try to draw his gun. Brennan pressed herself against the wall and anticipated the gunshot that would splatter her liberally in his blood. It couldn't happen. It didn't, at least not the way she was expecting. As she watched from behind Booth, the assailant turned and shot at the doorway, it was incredible, he was ignoring them. She heard gunshots and the man lurched backward, hands scrabbling on his chest as blood stained the back of his white shirt that was now peppered with holes. Catherine stepped over the fallen man, reaching out a hand to Booth and Brennan as they cowered against the wall.

'Ready?' Then something caught Brennan's eye.

'Catherine?' She raised her arm and pointed, trembling. Catherine turned, her blonde hair flashing in a halo behind her. Her mouth moved soundlessly and she dropped to her knees, wishing Brennan had made a mistake… it couldn't be.

'No… no… No!' She screamed, scrabbling at her colleague, wishing it wasn't happening. Brennan and Booth looked on, holding each other as the pool of scarlet blood spread out underneath the still body of Nick Stokes.

oOo

Catherine sat, catatonic, as the ambulance screeched away, the shrill sound of the sirens splitting the night air. She could feel Sara's arm around her, hear Grissom talking to her, but everything seemed as if it were from the end of a tunnel, where no light would ever penetrate. Nick was rolling away in that ambulance, maybe never to see the sun again or feel the rain on his skin. The thoughts racing through her head were intangible, confusing. She could see, from the corner of her eye, Booth embracing Brennan as if he'd never let her go, and her clinging just as tightly to him than she could have believed possible. Catherine sat on the floor, tracing patterns on the tarmac with her finger and ignoring the tears that were slowly coursing down her cheeks.

'Cath? Coming to the hospital?'

'What?' Catherine replied, looking up at the person who had spoken. It was Greg and he reached for her hand, pulling her up until she was ready to go, ready to run to his side. He led her to his car and watched her apprehensively as they drove, casting worried looks in her direction as though she would suddenly break down. She was stronger than that. They eased up to the entrance and Catherine waited until they were perfectly parked and Greg had slipped a hand inside hers, squeezing reassuringly. They walked quickly, Greg handling all the talking.

'Nick Stokes?' He asked the orderly, chancing a glance at Catherine.

'The OR, he won't be out for a while. You can wait on the observation room.' The orderly told them, leading them to the observation room.

'Will he be okay?' Catherine asked in a strangled voice, a fresh bout of tears threatening to fall.

'We don't know yet. It's too early to tell… it was touch and go when he arrived.' Catherine dissolved into fresh tears and felt herself falling apart.

'I'm sorry…' The orderly said softly.