Disclaimer: Don't own CSI. If I did, there would be no GSR, ever.

Notes: Once, again, thanks Impulse for your support, ideas, and beta work! Way to go, genius!

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Chapter 2

The house loomed dark and silent before her as Alex padded quietly through the darkness. This was the primary crime scene, where Nick had been headed. She just hoped he hadn't actually arrived yet.

There was a lone officer at the front door, keeping watch over the scene, and the requisite crime scene tape surrounded the perimeter, keeping civilians out. Nick should be inside.

And so was whoever was going to shoot him. Alex swallowed hard.

Now the question was, what could she do?

Sneaking in proved surprisingly easy, partially because the officer on watch was a newbie, and Alex was particularly skilled at sneaking into places. She'd done plenty of creeping in to her bedroom as a teenager.

Now, she focused once more on the vision, ignoring the migraine that was threatening to make its presence felt in her head. The images swirled and danced in her mind, but all she wanted were the details. She needed to see where the perp would be hiding, where it was Nick was shot, what exactly happened.

- The perp exploded out of a closet in the bedroom, shooting his way free, and surprised Nick, who was using a pair of tweezers to retrieve something from under the bed…

- Gunfire lit the room, and Nick fell forward, his blood soaking into the carpet before his entire body jerked once, then went completely still…

Alex gasped as the vision ended. The migraine that had been lurking now hit with the force of a ten-ton weight in her mind, and she staggered towards the stairs, gripping the railing and practically dragging herself upstairs with only one thought in her mind – to save Nick.

The bedroom door was open, and Alex closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and went for it. She stumbled in on a startled Nick, who was kneeling by the bed with a pair of tweezers in his hand.

"Nick, duck!" she yelled, moving to the closet and flinging the doors open – only to have what felt like a cement mixer slam into her, knocking her down. Alex's mind barely registered a sudden pain in her ankle, then everything was a blur of motion and confusion, and suddenly Nick had his gun out, aimed straight at the skinny kid who had been hiding in the closet, and who was aiming a gun right back at Nick.

Alex winced, her head really felt like it was splitting now, but under the circumstances, it didn't look like she would be getting any relief anytime soon.

She took a moment to study the kid. He had spiky black hair, wild eyes, and looked a little like her kid brother back home – except for the .22 in his hand.

She glanced over at Nick, whose eyes never left the perp. The hand that was holding his weapon was shaking ever so slightly, and Alex suddenly remembered that Nick had had a gun pointed at his head twice before already… could he handle this? Would he be okay?

Suddenly, the kid whipped his weapon up and fired! Nick reacted automatically, firing in response – Alex screamed as Nick hit the ground, blood soaking into his shirt. The perp hit the ground on the other side of the room, grabbing at a gunshot wound in his stomach.

Alex's head whipped back and forth between them as she tried not to panic. Okay, okay, calm down, she told herself. You can heal them, remember? You can heal them!

Even as she thought it, she knew it would be impossible. Her mind was tired out from using her powers so much. Healing Chelsea, the vision at work, reviewing the vision for details… her migraine was steadily getting worse too. She wasn't Superwoman, she had limits.

Alex stared at both men, and a single tear trickled down her cheek – she was going to have to choose between her friend and colleague, and a man who had killed more than one person before in his life. She would have to choose who was going to live, and who was going to die.

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Should Nick die? Would I be so cruel? (evil grin) The answers in the next chapter, folks, but RK9 wants some reviews before she puts it up. Now, would you be so cruel and not press the pretty purple button below? Don't be so cruel, please! RK9's a review junkie, she needs to know if you like or dislike her fic! Now, if you press the pretty purple button, the shiny little button, RK9 will send George Eads's dog to those who review! Okay?

Shout-outs go to:

Impulse5: You sound like Brennan! Who are you and what have you done with my beta-reader? Or at least her brain cells? (composes herself) And don't worry, I'll corrupt you into liking CSI before long... (evil grin)

Lightheart211: Thanks dear! I'll corrupt you to CSI along with Impulse!

Rebel3134: Glad you liked it, and here's chapter 2. ;)