A/N This is the chapter where I add the other CSI's. Thank you for the reviews. Also thanks 'The Madhatter2' you didn't guess the original pairing right, but you gave me an idea for one in a future chapter! hope you enjoy this one. Please read and review.

The next night Catherine sat with the other CSI's waiting to be assigned their cases/ She'd been unable to sleep after Ellie's revelation. Her face was pale and black rings circled her puffy eyes. Distractedly she chewed on her fingernails. She barely noticed her colleagues beside her. Their faces were filled with concern as they looked on a Catherine none of them had ever seen before. She jumped when her cell phone rang, and then scrambled to answer it.

"Willows"

"Cath?" Her sister's small, worried voice was on the other end.

"Laura? Is everything okay? Oh god. Ellie."

"She's gone. When you brought her back I thought I saw a change, but she's gone again, just like before. I thought you should know. You can't help her. She'll never change."

"Thanks Laura. I'm sorry." Catherine's voice cracked.

She placed her cell phone down beside her, torn between rushing out to search for Ellie or basking in her failure. She wasn't given a chance to decide.

Grissom came flying into the room, gasping for breathe.

"Grab your things. We're all together tonight. There's a massive gang fight down town. They need all services there. Collect evidence as you can, but be careful. It's not been settled yet. We're all in danger. Let your lives be the first priority, not the evidence."

As they rushed to leave the lab, Sara, Nick and Warrick looked alive with the thrill of the situation, but apprehension haunted their eyes. They were well aware of the dangers they faced. Grissom's face was unreadable, his gaze stony. Catherine looked ill. She didn't need to see the scene to know that Ellie was involved. She feared that despite her promise, she had already lost her.

Tonight Vegas was a war zone. The night was lit by the flickering flames of many unattended bonfires. Shouts, screams and gunfire echoed through the darkness. Ruined bodies lay among the debris. Most were lifeless, battered and broken beyond repair. Some twisted and groaned, clinging desperately to the last threads of life.

The five CSI's pressed on through the terrible destruction, making no pretence of any bravery. Nick and Sara clung to each other, seeking protection in their love for one another. Warrick took Catherine's hand as a gesture of support. Even Grissom appeared shocked to the core. The scene was truly horrific.

Close by the harsh crack of a gunshot rang out, followed by heart wrenching scream. In the shadows of a nearby building a young girl fought fiercely with a tall, muscular lad. Unarmed combat. Strength and power against speed and skill. Finally the girl caught her attacker in the left temple with a deadly accurate roundhouse kick. He crashed to the ground and she ducked with him, smashing her fist into his nose, rendering him unconscious. Stealthily she moved away from the body, out of the shadows, unaware of the hulking figure creeping up behind. As her face was lit up by a flaming bonfire, Catherine recognized her and yelled a frantic warning.

"Ellie!"

Too late. The huge man grabbed her with a great, hairy arm across her throat. Ellie's hands shot up, her fingers clawing at her attacker. Choked by his grasp she tried to call out.

"Catherine."

Fear danced in her eyes along with the firelight.

Before Catherine could move to help her, someone rushed past, shoving Catherine to the ground at Warrick's feet. He reached down to help. No one noticed Sara break free of the group until it was too late. She was off and running towards the trapped Ellie before anyone could stop her.

Still gripping Ellie with his left arm, the man reached down with his other hand. With amazing speed for someone so big he snatched a gun from the holster at his hip. Stretching out his arm he shot at Sara. A single bullet sliced into her chest and she dropped to the floor with a strangled cry. Nick screamed her name and began to charge towards her.

Basking in the glory of his hit, the man accidentally loosened his grip on Ellie. Big mistake! In an instant she was moving like a whirlwind. The gun was knocked from his grasp and it flew unseen into the darkness. She grabbed the arm around her neck and twisted out of his hold. In one fluid movement she swung her leg, sweeping his feet out from under him, then using his own momentum to smash him tot he ground. He landed flat on his back. She slammed her toe up under his jaw, bringing blood to his lips. Turning slightly she stamped all her weight down into his stomach, then bending she finished him off with a strong right hook to the side of his nose.

Then Ellie too was rushing to Sara's side. She knelt in the dust opposite Nick. Nick had met Ellie a few times when she was younger. Kneeling in front of him now, filthy and bleeding, she bared little resemblance to the sweet happy twelve year old he had first met. He clung desperately to Sara's clammy hand, softly muttering her name through his tears.

"Sara. Sara."

"Sara," whispered Ellie, as though tasting the name of her saviour for the first time. She took Sara's other hand.

Sara was still clinging to consciousness. Her face was twisted with pain. Her voice croaked as she gasped for breath.

"Nick, it hurts. I'm so cold."

"Hush. Don't try to talk." Nick stroked her hair. "Just hang in their baby."

"Baby!" Sara gasped. Panic flashed across her face. "My baby. Nick. My baby."

"Oh shit." Catherine caught Sara's last comment as she came to rest at Sara's head. "It's gonna be okay honey. You can get through this."

Warrick and Grissom arrived with the paramedics. Quickly and efficiently the loaded the injured Sara onto a stretcher and rushed her into a waiting ambulance, accompanied by a distraught Nick. Sirens blaring, they disappeared in the direction of the hospital.

Grissom and Warrick stood there, frozen to the spot, torn between doing their job and rushing off to the hospital, after Sara.

Ellie fell into Catherine's arms. She was near hysterical. "Oh god. I'm so sorry. I killed your friend."

"Listen." Catherine placed a comforting hand on Ellie's cheek. "Sara isn't dead. You didn't kill anyone." She caught sight of the two guys Ellie had taken out. One groaned and the others leg twitched. "You didn't kill anyone," she repeated more firmly. Ellie was unable to speak. Catherine just held her, rocking her backwards and forwards, like a child.

Locked in their own little world of mourning, they didn't notice that the chaos had ceased. Deathly silence had fallen on the hellish scene.

Picking his way through the rubble, Brass approached Grissom. Gently he placed a hand on Grissom's shoulder, causing the stunned man to jump.

"It's under control. We can manage without you. Go to Sara."

They didn't need telling twice. Warrick and Grissom practically ran to the Tahoe, closely followed by Catherine and Ellie.

A/N Some of my self-defence training from my karate came through in that chapter. I think I can understand if you hate Ellie after this for being so selfish and getting Sara hurt. Now you'll have to wait for the next chapter to discover Sara's fate! Thanks for reading and please keep reviewing.