5

Officer Clark Jennin hadn't worked with CSI for very long. He had been assigned few cases that didn't involve ticketing jay walkers since he graduated from the academy and wanted to make an impression. With the victim home for the night Jennin felt he had an obligation to insure the young mans man's safety not only from his attacker but from the nightmares that would haunt him.

Making a seep sweep of the perimeter Jennin covertly set up wards like his grandmother had taught him to do. She had been one of a long line of Jennin witches and since Clark was an only child she had taught him everything she knew. The wards wouldn't keep a human out, but would tell him if one with ill intent stepped on the grounds or if a ghost or other such spirit happened to pass.

What Officer Jennin didn't know was that while he was setting up his wards the very thing he wished to protect Jon from had already slipped onto the grounds and into the house.

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Jon sat idly on the couch flipping channels and contemplated the will to get up and find a movie on the rack that house d his DVD's. He didn't want to sleep, not without Nick there to protect him. He had spent many hours in Grissom's office contemplating why Nick had not crossed and why the thing that haunted his bed every night had not come. It had never been chased away by another ghost, in fact it seemed to enjoy lording over the dead that it could touch and they couldn't. He figured that reason was because Nick wasn't meant to cross; he was destined for greater things in death.

He started to nod off around the second infomercial he came across and jerked awake with a shiver. There was something in the room with him he knew it.

Unwrapping himself from the blanket he reached over and flicked on the table side lamp to illuminate the room. He looked around with his senses finding nothing out of the ordinary in the living room. Slowly he got up and walked the other rooms leaving his bedroom for last. Each room he passed into he felt a shiver as if something were standing behind him always waiting for the right time to strike. He had an urge to summon the officer waiting outside, but felt it useless as there was nothing a normal person could do.

With dread he stopped at his bedroom door. He bit his lower lip lightly debating if he really wanted to open the door; all of his nightmares were in that room. For this to end once and for all he was going to have to confront that nightmare, but that didn't mean he would survive.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves he reached out for the door handle that seemed to turn on its own.

"Don't," Nick said appearing beside him.

From the entrance way Officer Jennin burst into the house. "Mr. Brendan?" he called alerted by the wards going off.

Jon looked at Nick and stepped away from the door toward the living room. "I'm fine." He told the man breathing a little hard. "I just thought I heard something, its nothing."

The officer looked directly at Nick then at Jon. "Right," he said slowly. "Why don't I take you back to the lab? It's safer there." He started to reach out to carefully take Jon's arm.

Jon stepped away. "I told you I'm fine." He said narrowing his eyes a little.

Jennin backed off, "Alright, just stay here and let me check."

Jon blocked his path. "No," he said jumping at his own tone of voice. He flushed. "I mean if you don't think I'm safe alone then keep me company, I'm watching TV see?"

The officer looked that at the TV, it was shut off. Jon frowned at that too, he didn't remember turning it off. The lights flickered and turned off as well leaving the room dark. Behind them they heard doors being slammed shut.

Jon went still looking around for any sign of at least two occupants in the room. He couldn't call out to Nick but he hoped he could see him. However the room was completely light free which was strange since the moon was full and should pour in some light from the windows.

"Mr. Brendan?" Jennin asked turning on a flashlight illuminating the room a little.

Jon gasped. "Behind you." He said pointing at the shadowed figure behind the officer that he knew wasn't Nick since the ghost was beside him.

Jennin whorled whirled around holding out his free hand. Almost as if by magic the shadow moved away toward the kitchen. Jennin took careful steps to Jon still holding out his hand. "Your attic, go there, it's the safest place in your house." He said his eyes never leaving the entry way. "Go now."

Jon ran feeling the presence of the creature his rapist had become follow him. Quickly he snagged the cord for the attic panel knowing the way blindly from adventures in the dark when he was a child. He cried out when the thing touched his back burning into his flesh causing him to lose his grip on the cord and the panel to slam back into place. He grouped groped for the cord wildly shying away from the feel of the burning icy cold finger tips caressing his skin. Nick barreled into the being giving Jon enough time to find the cord and pull on it hard and ducked out of the way as the ladder came crashing down off its hinges. To his horror he realized it wasn't the crash of the ladder opening but the whole panel falling to the floor.

"I can't get up!" Jon cried knowing he would never see m to be able to jump and it was too high for anything he had on hand to stand on. He didn't get a reply but that could have been because of the struggling noises he heard from the living room.

Suddenly the light came back on and the front door banged open for a second time. "Jon!" Greg called running into the house with Grissom right behind him.

"Stay back." Jennin shouted his hand still thrust in front of him. A golden halo could be seen around the outstretched appendage holding back a shadow that should have vanished with the light.

"What is that thing?" Grissom asked.

"This thing is what gives the dark a bad reputation." Jennin said as the light around his hand went black and silver. "Get Mr. Brendan in the attic; in fact I would suggest going there yourselves."

Greg looked at Grissom and tilted his head in silent order to do as asked. Grissom being an intelligent man knew when it was safer to leave the dirty work to the ones who knew what they were doing. Quickly he rounded the hall on the other side coming upon Jon where the young man stood trying to reach the gaping hole that led to the attic.

"Here let me help." Grissom said kneeling down and grasped the young mans slender hips. "On three, one two three…" he lifted Jon surprised at how light he was but got the desired result when the young man reached up and grasped the ledge. He pushed Jon up until he was sure the boy was safely inside then turned to jump himself hoping to catch the ledge.

"Look out," Greg called just as something touched Grissom causing him to fall heavily to the floor among the broken panel and ladder. His back burned as if a hot pan had touched his bare skin and his wrist hurt from where he had fallen, but not enough to think it was broken.

"Mr. Grissom?' " Jon asked looking out from the attic opening.

"Stay in there." Grissom ordered sitting up carefully.

"Are you ok Gris?" Greg asked slipping something from around his neck and put it over the man's head. Almost as soon as his fingers left the object the blond was thrown back several feet. Grissom could see the outline of the shadow thing reaching up for Jon who screamed in terror.

True to Jennin's word the moment those fingers touch the opening it sprang back its visage smoking as if it had been burned.

"It's protected." Jennin said lifting Greg to his feet and dragged him toward the opening. "Help me get him up there, he gave you his protection." Grissom just nodded not questioning how the officer knew these things. He repeated the steps he did with Jon on Greg lifting the blond as far into the attic as he could Jon pulling him the rest of the way in.

Jennin nodded to Grissom. "If I had known I would have set different wards. We need to get that thing out of the house. I can't destroy it but I can keep it out."

"What do you need me to do?" Grissom asked watching the thing try to get past the protections to the young man just beyond its reach.

"Just watch that thing, I need my attention elsewhere." Jennin said once again holding out his hand.

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"Greg?" Jon asked patting the blond lightly on the cheek. He had moved them farther away from the opening just incase the thing could get a hand through to drag him out. "Greg please wake up."

The blond moaned a little his brow furrowed in pain. Slowly he blinked his eyes open but still looked dazed.

"Nick?' " Jon called out in a panic. Never before had his tormenter shown it self itself in the light, it had always been at night when he was alone in the dark.

"I'm here." Nick said suddenly kneeling on the other side of the fallen blond. "You'll be safe here, nothing evil can get through, and only what you want can come in here. I'm needed out there."

Jon nodded fearfully. "Be careful, don't let it suck you into itself, you'll become one of them."

"Everything will be ok." Nick said vanishing again.

Jon leaned back on the hard wood floor silently crying for another friend he feared he was going to lose.

Black out/ cut to commercial