a/n: Thank you for the reviews. Sorry about the delay in posting but holiday time makes it harder than usual to post. This chapter is shorter than most, but it was the right place to break the chapter at. I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Stand Off

Nick ducked, and beside him Catherine let out a yell. Glass from the warehouse windows sprayed out over the cars and the CSIs.

"Stay down," Brass hissed at them. Even Grissom obeyed at that. From inside, they heard someone yell.

Nick knew the voice.

"That's Lane," he muttered. Grissom stared at the Texan for a moment before turning his attention back to the warehouse.

Officer Rodriguez was already calling for backup when they heard demands through the window.

"You'll let us leave with Jill," Lane shouted, "or you'll have her body to bury!"

Ethan hurried to detach the cables and to gather the computer equipment. Jill's body was tense beneath Lane's grip. He himself was tense as they waited for an answer.

"It's over!" they heard someone shout back. "Let her go and maybe you won't get the death penalty."

Lane rolled his eyes. "As if I would actually go to prison," he muttered. He raised his voice. "Her death is on your hands!"

Outside, someone yelled, a protest of sorts. Jill froze. She recognized that voice.

So did Lane. "Nick Stokes," he said with a smile. Suddenly he whirled Jill around. "I want you to tell them, Jill. Tell Nick to back off."

She started to shake her head when Lane slapped her. The blunt force stung her skin and spun her to the floor as she yelped.

"No!" Kostya protested.

Lane snarled at Jill. "Do it!" His eyes lit up for a second, and he turned to Kostya and fired one shot.

Jill screamed along with the echoes of the shot. Kostya's body jerked with the bullet's impact to his stomach. Blood seeped from the new wound. The Russian's face was twisted with new agony. He closed his eyes as he tried to stem the pain.

"Kostya!" Jill yelled. Lane made a grab for her but she dodged him and fell by the Russian's side.

His eyes barely reopened but he stared at her. A groan escaped his lips and Kostya writhed in pain. Jill found her hands on his body, trying to ignore the blood and trying to stop it from leaving him at the same time.

"Jill . . ." he whispered. Excruciating pain came over him, and he clenched his teeth visibly. His whole neck tightened. He was trying to fight it, trying to be brave, and Jill found her eyes become wet.

"Shh, it's okay," she said, though she knew it wasn't.

Kostya opened his eyes wide and suddenly seemed tightly in control of the pain. He stared directly at her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "If things had been different . . ." Another wave of pain hit him and he groaned.

She opened her mouth to say something else, anything to help or comfort. It was cut off by Lane. He jerked her up and held her tightly against him so she couldn't move.

"I'll shoot him again, Jill, if you don't do what I say," he hissed in her ear. "But if you tell the police to back off, we'll leave him here. Nick will help him."

Jill's legs were shaky, and Lane almost had to hold her up.

"Tell them, Jill," Lane said again. Slowly she nodded.

"Lane," Ethan called out. The younger man came to Lane's side. "We can't just drive out of here and expect them not to follow us."

Lane didn't say anything, so Ethan persisted. "We need something else. We need an extraction." He pressed the older man for some sort of agreement, and finally Lane nodded. He passed Jill to Ethan.

"Get her to tell them to back off," he said, and with that, Lane pulled out his cell phone. He sighed, dreading having to make this call. But Ethan was right. There was no other way out.

"Nick!"

His heart leapt as his name was called.

"Jill!" he shouted back. "You okay? We heard a shot." Beside him, Catherine squeezed his hand. She shot him a reassuring look, but Nick still felt anxious.

"I'm okay, Nick!" came a reply. "Please do what they ask!" Her voice was so polite but it was also desperate. Nick's heart dropped. She was trying to be brave, but she was terrified.

A new voice rang out with demands.

"We will come out and go to our vehicle." The voice wasn't as deep but instead was smooth and cold. Ethan, Nick thought. "No one moves, got it?"

Brass and Officer Rodriguez exchanged looks, and then for some reason looked to Nick. The Texan gulped.

He nodded. It was this way or the bad way.

"All right!"

Everyone was tense, like a wire stretched so taut that it was about to snap. Each cop and CSI had their gun drawn, and Nick's finger twitched over the trigger. How he wanted to pull it when he saw Lane . . .

It was several moments before Lane and Jill emerged. The Brit's gun was pressed to her head. He paused in the doorway.

"Drop your guns!" he called out. Again the cops and CSIs looked to each other before complying. Slowly, one by one, the guns fell to the dusty ground.

Headlights were the only light, and they illuminated the hostage and kidnapper. As Lane and Jill moved towards the SUV, Ethan came out as well.

Nick waited for Kostya to come next, but he didn't. Was he covering the other two? If so, the CSIs might be fired upon, and Nick wasn't thrilled at that. But he'd have to risk it, to get Jill back.

Training told him to calm down and wait. Lane and Jill still moved to the car, only a few feet away.

Ethan strode along confidently, seemingly unconcerned about the police or that he had no human shield. He held a gun in his hand, just casually hanging at his side. He took a few quick steps to catch up with Lane.

Suddenly he reached the older man and knocked his gun hand away from Jill. Nick gasped as Ethan pushed her forward so she fell to the ground. The young Brit kicked Lane behind the knee and raised his gun.

The two shots rang out with almost no pause in between. The CSIs cringed, especially the wet smack as each bullet embedded itself in Lane's head. No one moved for several moments as the leader bit the dust, literally.

Nick tore his eyes away from the dead Brit and fixed his gaze on Jill. She stared at the horrific mess.

Suddenly everyone leapt for their guns.

"Hold it right there!" Brass yelled, his gun now in his hands and aimed at Ethan. Officer Rodriguez echoed the command, and even Grissom and Catherine raised their guns at the young British man.

Ethan smirked at them and raised his hands, dropping his gun in the process.

"Calm down," he said, his accent and voice suddenly more soothing than cold. "There's a man bleeding out in the warehouse. You might want to help him."

"Kostya!" Jill said, suddenly getting to her feet and running inside.

"Jill!" Nick yelled. He followed quickly, with Grissom behind him. Brass and the officer started to cuff Ethan and read him his rights.

When Nick ran inside, he immediately saw the Russian on the floor. Sure enough, blood trailed off his torso and onto the pavement. Jill knelt by Kostya's side and grabbed his bound hands.

"Kostya?" Jill's voice trembled with his name. She put a hand to his face, almost caressing it. But the Russian didn't move. His eyes were open, just slightly like before. Nick noticed immediately that his eyes didn't follow anyone's movement.

He gulped and quickly went down on his knees by Jill. He brushed by Jill as he leaned over Kostya and put an ear over the man's face. He listened for breathing as he watched the Russian's chest.

Nothing.

Nick bit down on his tongue. His eyes surveyed the bloody mess and Nick quickly took off his outer shirt, leaving him in a dark t-shirt.

"Hold this to the wound," Nick ordered, thrusting the shirt in Jill's hands. She sniffled but complied. Nick tilted Kostya's chin up and administered CPR.

Breath alone didn't work. Nick started compressions. As he did, he heard someone behind him.

"Let me." It was Catherine. Nick moved aside and let her do compressions as he gave air at appropriate intervals. Jill just watched them as she held the shirt in place. Her eyes were wide, fearful but not abandoning hope.

Nick's eyes connected with Catherine's. She swallowed. There wasn't much hope to be had.

"Let him die, for all I care," someone said from the doorway. It was Officer Rodriguez. Jill's eyes flashed and she looked like she would pounce on him if it weren't for the blood on Kostya.

"Get out," Nick said between breaths. He didn't have time for idiocy.

"He killed a cop," the officer continued.

"No he didn't," Jill said hotly. "That was Lane." She looked back to Kostya. He suddenly coughed, and Nick and Catherine almost jumped back.

"We need to get him to a hospital!" Nick yelled out.

Jill's heart soared as she watched. Kostya's eyes were closed now, but she could see the rise and fall of his chest, even if it was irregular.

"He protected me," she whispered, though Officer Rodriguez wasn't listening. Her eyes flickered to Nick as he snatched a blanket from a kit that someone else brought in. He fumbled with it, almost like he couldn't get it open and over the Russian quick enough.

Suddenly his eyes met hers, and she felt . . . confused. She swallowed and offered him a grateful smile.

Kostya coughed again, this time sputtering hard. It was a wet cough and some spots of blood fell on his mouth. Then his body stilled.

Nick swore and listened for the man's breath.

"What else can we do?" Catherine asked. Nick just shook his head and tried to breathe life back into the Russian.

"Kostya."

It came meekly from Jill, but held no effect. Catherine started compressions again.

They stopped after a few minutes. The blood pool around the Russian made it clear that their efforts wouldn't change the result. Jill choked on a sob. She bit it back even though a tear ran down her face.

Nick sighed heavily and looked from the Russian's body to Jill. His eyes were red and moist as well, which surprised him even. But one look at Jill made him feel a dull pain within him. She was hurting more now.

"He's dead?" came a voice. Nick was prepared to tear off Officer Rodriguez's head, but it wasn't him who'd said it. At the doorway stood Ethan, cuffed but casually leaning against the frame. The British man swore. "He was a good man, beneath it all."

Nick just blinked. Jill stared. Catherine found her voice.

"Who are you?!"

Ethan just smiled coyly, as Brass and Grissom entered the scene.

"We have a lot to go over," Brass said.