Author's note: Just a small re-write. Thanks to Lanta for pointing out my error. I forgot that Catherine shot Syd Goggle! Added a little to the Epilogue too.

Chapter 22

As soon as Greg heard about what had happened, he dropped everything and left the lab. When he got to Alex's apartment, she was still holding onto Nick. Her sobs had lost their sound, but were still shaking her body. He was startled at seeing Alex hugging Nick so tightly, feeling a slight twinge of jealously. He knew, though, that Nick had just saved her life.

Greg cautiously made his way past the corner tending to the dead body, and kneeled down on the opposite side of Alex from Nick.

"Alex," Greg said softly, putting his hand on her back.

Alex turned and looked at him. Then she removed her arms from around Nick and threw them around Greg. Her actions were so quick; it startled Greg and almost knocked him over. Her sobs started again.

"Shhhh," he whispered in his ear. "It's alright." He pulled her close. "I'm here."

Nick felt a pang in his heart the moment she left his arms. He stood up and turned around, not wanting to see them hold each other. He knew they cared deeply for one another. He just couldn't help but think if only he'd met her first.

He walked into the living room and sat on the couch. He took a deep breath, not realizing that Alex had been holding him as much as he had been holding her. He started to shake a little now that he was by himself and tears started to form at the corners of his eyes.

I-I just killed a man¸ he finally realized. It was something he had never done before and now hoped it was something he would never have to do again. I didn't have a choice, he rationalized. It was him or me. Or her. Nick squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight off the tears and took a few more deep breaths.

Back in the hall, Grissom and Catherine had shown up, just minutes apart. Both had been careful moving down the hall to where Alex and Greg sat. Alex's sobs had again subsided and just the shaking remained. Catherine and Grissom both held grave concern over the earlier events.

Greg looked at Grissom, his face full of anguish. "She hasn't moved since Nick shot him."

"Where is Nick?" Catherine asked Greg.

"I didn't see where he went," Greg responded.

But Nick had heard Catherine's question from the other room. He stood, wiping away any trace of tears, and walked back into the hall. "I'm here," he said.

Catherine went and stood next to Nick. "Are you ok?" She, too, had shot someone in the line of duty. She knew, criminal or not, taking a human life was not easy.

"I'm," he hesitated. "Shaken, but ok," he finished.

"If you need to talk," Catherine offered.

"Well, I know I'll have to," he said, trying to make a slight joke. He was referring to the department's policy on shootings. He knew he would have to see the department's counselor.

She smiled and then, sensing his emotional turmoil, she hugged him. Her display of affection had caught Nick off guard and his eyes started to tear up again. He pulled away, quickly wiping away the evidence hoping it went unseen. But Catherine had already noticed. She didn't say anything; she knew that's what he would want.

Between the four of them—Greg, Nick, Grissom and Catherine—they calmed and comforted Alex enough to where she would move. They helped her to the couch where she was convinced to give her statement to the agents handling the case. The case was pretty clear-cut. Everyone had already been looking for Thompson.

Nick's gun was taken for evidence and he was assigned to lab duty. Grissom offered him a few days off if he'd while the department handled the shooting and he took them. He needed some time to think, to get his feelings in order. So much had happened to him recently, it was overwhelming.

The other three all reiterated their offers of a temporary place to stay to Alex. She was again grateful and this time, she was going to take one of them up. She couldn't stomach the idea of staying in her apartment for a while. The blood would take forever to clean up.

"So, it's really ok if I stay with you?" Alex asked.

"Yes, it's really ok," Catherine reassured her. "We've got plenty of room at the house and Lindsey will love having you there."

"You know, I haven't seen her since we were supposed to go out. She's not mad at me is she?" Alex knew it was silly to think this, but Lindsey was a teenager.

Catherine gave her a disbelieving look. "What! Lindsey was never mad. She's glad you're ok."

Alex found enough strength for a slight smile. "Ok, well, I need to go pack some things then," Alex said as she hobbled to the bedroom to find her suitcase and some clothes.

Greg followed her into the bedroom. Being mindful that Grissom was there, he left the door open. "You sure you don't want to stay with me?"

She turned to look him straight in the eye. "Greg, it's not that I don't want to. It's just..." she was trying to think of the best way to put it.

Greg nodded, he knew what she was trying to say. "The not rushing it thing," he finished her thought.

"Yes," she agreed and gave him a quick kiss. Then she went back to packing.

AS they were leaving, Catherine noticed a couple magazines on Alex's coffee table that she had read. "Do you want me to bring these too?" Catherine asked as she pointed at the magazines.

"Yeah, I haven't had a chance to read them yet," Alex replied.

Catherine gathered a few in a pile, not noticing the manila folder between two of the magazines. She helped Alex with her bag and they left for her house. They made plans for Grissom to come over for dinner. He hadn't seen Lindsey in a while either.

Greg headed back to the lab. There was still a lot of evidence that need to be processed. He knew Alex was being taken care of by Catherine. He would see her soon enough.

Later that evening, dinner was over and Alex had finally finished unpacking. Lindsey was asleep and Catherine was at work. She plopped down on the bed and closed her eyes.

Her mind wouldn't stop racing. Twice in less than a month her life had been in danger. Twice in less than a month, her life had been spared. How lucky can one girl get? She mused to herself.

And then, thinking about luck, she thought about finding Gil. In an odd way, she had Thompson to thank. If he hadn't killer her grandmother, Alex never would have found the letter that led her to Vegas. And if she'd never come to Vegas in search of Gil, she never would have met Greg. Or Nick.

With the threat to her life over, she could now start living.

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Epilogue

Catherine got home sometime after the sun rose, but she wasn't tired. She decided to read for a little while and remembered seeing an interesting headline on one of Alex's magazines. As she picked up the stack, the manila folder fell and its contents spilled out.

"What the?" Catherine quietly exclaimed bending down to pick up the scattered papers.

She noticed they were newspaper articles but didn't pique her interest until she saw someone she recognized in one of the pictures. That looks like Alex, she thought, studying the picture more thoroughly.

After reading the articles, Catherine just shook her head. Everyone has a past, some just a little more interesting than others, she thought as she tore the pages up and threw them away. She knew she had no right to judge anyone's past.

Nick ended up taking more than a few days; he took almost two weeks. He had stayed around Vegas for the first part, while the shooting was being cleared. The last half he went to visit his parents in Texas. He hoped his dad might be able to offer him some clarity on the whole situation. When he got back to Vegas, life was back to normal—well, as normal as it could be.