Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't intend to make any profit with this. CSI:Miami and its characters belong to the geniuses who created the show. Would that were me, though. "Nothing in the World" belongs to Atomic Kitten.

Rating: PG-13, just to be safe

Pairing: H/C

Spoilers: None

A/N: It's miracle! I updated. Sorry, it took me so long. Please don't hate me for the cliffhanger, but it really didn't work out any other way. I am going on vacation for a few weeks, but I will definitely try to write and I will try to update the story once or twice as well. Please continue sending review. I am always looking forward to reading them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Watching everything around us disappear..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Quickly they had searched the entire CSI-building, but Calleigh was nowhere to be found; she remained missing. Her car wasn't in the garage, she hadn't left any messages and she still wasn't answering her cell phone.

The whole team was now waiting in the building's lobby, staring at their cell phones, mentally willing them to ring, but not a sound broke the silence. The only noise was the raging storm outside.

Horatio was the last to join his colleagues. He had double checked the shooting range and the fire-arms depot, but like before there had been no sign of the bulletgirl.

Now he was trying to hide his own fears, trying to create a reassuring presence for his team, but as he found himself avoiding eye-contact while giving out instructions, he knew that Calleigh's disappearance affected him on a deeper level than he had thought possible. He now admitted to himself that Calleigh was not only a part of the CSI-family and a friend, she was the one person he would trust with his life.

Horatio knew that they all wanted to find Calleigh as soon as possible. The CSI-team shared a common bond; they were closer to each other than many blood-relatives.

"Eric, go to her apartment and see if she's there. Alexx, call the hospitals and check if anyone matching her description has been admitted. Speed, get a hold of Detective Hagen. Maybe she went to see him for some reason. I'll backtrack the way she took to the suspect's house. Keep me updated!"

As the all started to leave, Horatio added:

"We'll find her!"

His voice carried a certain amount of conviction, but at this point it couldn't betray the fear he felt that something had happened to Calleigh.

Eric, Speed and Alexx nodded solemly. They hoped and prayed that he would be right.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Horatio could barely keep himself from sprinting to his Hummer. Quickly he walked down to the garage, but as fast as he walked, his feet weren't able to keep up with his mind. Thoughts and emotions were running through his head and they were all connected to one person: Calleigh.

He felt responsible for her diappearance, he had sent her out to the suspect's house, knowing that the storm was about to hit Miami. His blind determination to solve the case had put Calleigh in danger. Cursing himself for having her go alone, but most of all for not listening to her when she had needed him to. All of a sudden the thought struck him that now it might be too late, but he didn't allow the scenario to play out to the end.

Finally he reached the Hummer and got in. As he sped out of the garage he vowed that they would find her. Still, the cold hand of fear that had gripped his heart only loosened slightly. He had never been consumed by a case to the extend that he had put the life of one of his CSIs on the line. And he had been so distracted that he had not been there for Calleigh. Of course he had noticed that there was something wrong with her, even though she was trying to hide it. She was a good actress, but she couldn't fool Horatio. Calleigh was one of the people who knew him best and he knew her just as well in return. She brightened his days, made him laugh and allowed him to catch a glimpse of the happines and content that he felt were missing in his life. There was a connection between the two that ran deeper than friendship; a connection that could fill the entire room with an almost palpable energy. They flirted and sometimes Horatio had wondered if things could progress further than that, but being afraid of rejection, he had never taken the first step. Then Hagen had stepped on the scene and Horatio had given up hope. Still, Calleigh remained special to him. She was the woman he would always love.

Horatio was now driving through a deserted Miami. It was pitch black outside, the stars and the moon were all hidden behind a thick layer of dark clouds. A curtain of pouring rain fell from the sky, making it almost impossible to drive. Horatio could barely see what was ten feet in front of him; his headlights seemed be be swallowed by the rain. He was glad that nobody else was out on the streets.

In rapid succession his cell phone rang three times. Neither Eric, Speed nor Alexx had been able to track down Calleigh. There wasn't so much as a trace of her.

When Horatio hung up after the last call, the cold grip of fear tightened again. What little hope they had all clung to was now gone. Still, he kept on driving, determined to find her.

Finally, he reached the small road leading to the suspect's house a couple of miles outside of Miami's city limits. He made a sharp turn and headed towards the few single family bungalows barely visible about a mile down the road. All of a sudden, he slammed his foot on the brake and the Hummer came to a screeching halt on the wet road. Just in time, lightning had illuminated a tree that had fallen across the road. In the headlights of the Hummer Horatio was able to make out the reflection of light on a metallic green material. Inching closer, he realized in shock that that he had found what he had been looking for. It was Calleigh's car that had crashed into the tree. Without a second thought, Horatio jumped out of the Hummer and sprinted towards the car.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Drifting in and out of consciousness, Calleigh was blinded by the headlights of a big vehicle. She wasn't able to hear the engine; the noise was drowned out by the wind that hit her full force through the broken windshield and the deafening thunder that seemed to come closer with each minute that passed. When she tried to move, the pain in her right knee and ribcage intensified and everything went black for a moment before she was hit by yet another wave of pain radiating from her forehead. Tears started to stream down her face and mixed with the rain that soaked her hair and clothing. Then, in the distance, there seemed to appear the silhouette of someone moving closer, but to Calleigh it was nothing more than a hallucination resulting from the pain. She closed her eyes and drifted back into unconsciousness again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Reaching the fallen tree, Horatio climbed over it as fast as possile driven by the fear that he might have found her too late. He pushed back the branches, ignoring the splinters that scratched his hands and face.

On the other side, he could now clearly see what had happened to Calleigh. In an attempt to get around the tree, she must have steered the car to the side of the road. At that point she must have lost control on the wet pavement and the car had crashed into the tree, narrowly missing the ditch.

For a second he stood in the pouring rain frozen in shock as he took a first look at the remains of the car. Calleigh was still belted into the driver's seat. She was soaking wet and blood had seeped from a wound on her forehead and cuts on her hands and arms. He wasn't able to see any more injuries, but he knew that her condition was probably worse than it seemed. Years of experience working accidents like this one had taught him that most of the victims suffered from dangerous internal injuries, usually the cause of death.

Without success Horatio tried to open the door on the driver's side, but it didn't budge an inch.

All of a sudden Calleigh shifted in the seat and a cry of pain escaped her lips.

Hporatio rushed to the other side of the car, relieved that she was still alive, but at the same time worried that he might not be able to help her. This time, the door opened. He climbed inside and tried to free Calleigh from her seatbelt.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When she opened her eyes for the second time, Calleigh saw Horatio bending over her. She had known that he would find her eventually. Now she felt safe, no matter what happened, she would trust Horatio with her life. Swept away by all kinds of emotions: love, fear, helplessness and pride, Calleigh didn't know whether to smile or cry. Pain still seared thorugh her whole body, but she fought back the tears. Pulling all her strength together, she slightly turned her head.

"Horatio. I am fine."

She didn't give him a chance to answer, but instead she moved sideways, trying to work her way out of the car wreck.

Seconds later she was overwhelmed by the pain the sudden movement had caused her. She tried her best to remain conscious, but the pain proved to be too strong. Locking her eyes on Horatio, she lost her grip on consciousness yet another time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Finally Horatio managed to free Calleigh of her seatbelt. He could only shake his head at the stubbornness of this woman. Trying to get out of the car on her own was typically Cal. Unfortunately, he now saw his fears confirmed that she really did have internal injuries and if not that, at least some broken ribs. She needed to be taken to the hospital.

Slowly he eased her out of the driver's seat and picked her up to carry her over to the Hummer. He was surprised by how light she felt in his arms. He laid her gently down in the back of the vehicle in a stable lateral position. Then he climbed into the Hummer as well, pulled out his cell phone and called for an ambulance.

Horatio covered Calleigh with a blanket and pulled her closer to him. The storm outside had died down a little, but it was still raining. He lost all sense of time as he held Calleigh in his arms thinking and waiting for the ambulance.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

To Be Continued...