Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and never will be.

A/N: Just a little warning. Those who have read my other stories know by now that I'm not one for neat wrapped up endings. I always have a semi open/closed ending, so just be prepared that this might end that way as well. Also, some may find my stories confusing. I know they are and I try to be as clear as possible, but my way of building stories and angst is by letting things left unsaid/unwritten. If you have any questions let me know and I will try my best to answer you.

Fade to Black

Warrick

Silence. Frightening silence surrounding us. It seems life came to a halt and it doesn't take us long to realize it really has.

From the corner of my eyes I can see Nick is frantically searching the crime scene with his eyes. The confidence with which Catherine is leading us to the crime scene diminishes with each step she takes. And I silently pray that things aren't as bad as they look from a distance.

Slowly we approach the group of people who are currently forming the night shift. Nick is falling behind and when I turn around to see what is wrong I catch a glimpse of what is displayed on the television monitor. Before I can react my eyes meet Nick's and utter despair becomes apparent on his face. He falls on the ground and I just stand there and watch him fall apart in a way I have never seen before.

Greg

Soft sobs which are becoming louder by the second make me lift my head and look over to what is happening behind me. I shift my gaze to the two people who are standing beside me. It seems like no one knows what to do and thus we keep staring and for a microsecond we forget about the images on the screen behind us.

I can see a myriad of emotions pass across Grissom's face: anger, jealousy and finally compassion. I don't think he knew. Come to think of it we still don't know and suddenly I'm scared. Scared to lose so much more.

Sara created a safe haven for me. She has tried so hard to keep me away from the lies surrounding our jobs and now it feels like that in itself was a lie.

I try to focus, I try to decide what to do, I try so many things, but all these trials falter.

Finally, after what seems like hours, but in reality are mere seconds Sofia walks over to Nick and crouches down next to him.

Against all odds Sofia actually started to like Sara. Against all odds Sara started to tolerate Sofia and against all odds Sofia is the one who does something about the situation which is keeping all of us paralyzed.

I remember someone once told me that things happen for a reason, but when the night shift got split up a little over a year ago I thought that just was a big lie to make horrible situations bearable. At this moment I think I need to reconsider that opinion. I think Sofia may have been that reason.

TBC