A/N. Sorry for the wait!!! Well...Here goes my super duper chapter numero 20! I AM aware that I have broken my New Year's Resolution about a thousand times already...But things have been unbelievably busy! Sorry again. Okay well...ENJOY Love csi-addicted!

The heat of the bullet burned her flesh as it skimmed her thigh, and a whimper barely escaped her at the notion of that projectile being one millimetre closer. Tearing her gaze off the singed material of her pants, she met the chocolate orbs of a panicked Eric attempting to calm him down through her emerald eyes.

"Next time I won't miss," Hagen bellowed, tensing with apprehension as the fire behind the Lieutenant's piercing swirls of blue was visible.

"Calleigh, sweetheart, are you okay?" Horatio asked kindly, but his tone betrayed his worry, echoing the feelings of the other men.

She nodded slowly, head pounding and slowly started to sit up, only to have Hagen's foot meet her chest in a ruthless attempt to keep his power over her, alive. A whimper and a flinch escaped her, as the shoe on her body worsened already painful bruises, a wince that was echoed on Eric's face, his feeling of helplessness evident on his handsome face.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Leave!" Hagen yelled, with no sign that his escalating fury would halt, cocking the gun once more and pointing it towards the dusty ground.

"We can't do that, John," Horatio coaxed, daring to use the first name of the already volatile officer. "Just put the gun down and everything will be okay. Put the gun down, John. Do it for Calleigh. Do it for Raymond. Don't let yourself make the biggest mistake of your life, and let us leave with Calleigh. Put the gun down."

Hagen sneered, "Do it for Raymond? Why would I do anything for your beloved brother? He was dirty, Caine, just accept it. He was less than half the man you thought he was. Just a dirty cop who abandoned his family for some junkie."

Horatio's face hardened visibly and the hand on his gun clenched tightly, as he willed his strong morals to prevent him from ending Hagen's life within seconds.

"Do it for Calleigh? This little slut is the reason we're all here. She humiliated me in front to the entire precinct. I lost the respect of my fellow officers. She played around with my emotions! The bitch deserves everything she gets, don't let her pretty face fool you, Delko. Isn't that right, Calleigh?"

She just nodded numbly, the mental torture becoming apparent as she lost her will, optimism, and spirit, before the shocked eyes of the CSIs. She didn't think she could, she didn't want to hold on much longer. The strength she once had was wearing thin, both emotionally and physically as doubt filled her own mind about her value, courage, character. Doubt infiltrated with by John Hagen. She was never one to lose hope and she wasn't sure she had it in her to not give up. Her will was weakening. It had been five days. 120 hours, 7200 minutes of relentless, merciless attacks. Those times alone in the dark weren't relief. They let her destroy herself with the time to question her choices, motives about everything she was previously sure about.

"I said it once. And I'm not going to say it again. If you don't leave now, your precious Calleigh won't be the only one getting hurt."

Calleigh felt a strong kick to her back, and she curled up tighter into the foetal position and Calleigh nodded her assent

"Leave. Please, leave. He's going to kill me anyway," Calleigh murmured, as always putting the safety of the ones she loves above her own. She wasn't going to make it out alive, no matter what happened.

"Calleigh," Eric whispered. He wasn't going to leave. Not without her, by his side.

"Take me instead," Eric pleaded.

"What the hell would I want with –"

"No Eric, don't! You don't want him, John," Calleigh argued, shooting daggers at her boyfriend's eyes. What the hell is he thinking?

"Shut up, bitch. Maybe it'd be even more pain for you. Watching him die. Slowly. Knowing every moment of his pain is absolutely your fault."

"No one has to die here, Hagen," Horatio soothed, again trying to calm him down.

"I want Caine and Wolfe to leave. Delko stays. Now!" Hagen roared.

The tension was palpable, and Hagen was escalating. Attempting to appease him would be futile, so the three CSIs had to decide how to carry forward. Do they retreat and leave two of their friends almost family in the line of fire? Or do they stay and put Calleigh in even more danger? Ryan and Horatio looked at each other, trying to read the expressions on the other's face as some sort of guide as to what to do.

Horatio and Ryan backed up slowly, about five feet. The fingers on Hagen's left hand were fidgety in anxiety and anticipation. He beckoned Eric forward and Calleigh frantically shook her head, before watching Eric cautiously move towards her, fists clenched around his gun, finger barely touching the trigger. The idea of killing Hagen was tantalizing, but the Latino knew the possibility of Calleigh hurt, wasn't worth his personal satisfaction.

Eric was standing diagonal and to the left of Calleigh, who was now sitting up, Hagen preoccupied with the change in plans. She felt herself being hauled roughly to her feet by her hair, gun once again pointed to her head. She watched Eric move steadily towards her until he was about 10 feet away, still diagonal.

The game had gotten tougher, more intense. Two lives hinged on the decisions of one angry, vengeful man. Numerous hearts would be impacted by a loss of either person. People they had saved, families they worked tirelessly for, victims whose lives ended too soon. The people they love, the people who love them.

She wishes she could call her brothers and tell them she loved them. Plead her father to stay sober, forgive him for his many mistakes. Tell Horatio he was an amazing man, a true hero. Remind Ryan not to work too hard, to stay out of trouble, and never let someone take advantage of him. Confess to Alexx, she was more of a mother than she had ever had and is a beautiful, strong woman. And look Eric in the eyes and tell him he was everything she ever wanted, ever needed, to be brave for her, to never lose that fire that burned within his heart.

She felt the cold barrel of the gun leave her ringing head. And slowly the spinning started to slow, and her dazed vision once again focused. Eric once again filled her field of view, even closer this time. Only about seven feet away. She felt like if she reached out her tired arm far enough, her fingers would graze the sea green cotton of his shirt. She always liked that shirt. It took her a minute to realize where the gun had deserted her for...Eric's chest.

She heard Hagen cock the barrel, the sound echoing loudly in her ear, her worst nightmares about to come true before her eyes. She couldn't believe how he put himself in the line of fire. It was brave, it was sweet, but it was stupid. She was almost sure that Hagen was going to kill her no matter who stepped in front and tried to dissuade him. Whether with their lives, or words or threats.

Hagen's finger taunted the CSIs as it played with the trigger of the gun. Doubt never crossed his mind, rationality had long since abandoned his crazed mind. It was too late to back down. Too late to simply apologize. Too late to run. It had to end now.

Exhaustion, injury and fear amounted to nothing, as adrenaline surged through her veins.
An animalistic instinct took over. Fight or flight had been debated, and tension slivered up her body, running through her blood wildly struggling to be released. Like a tiger watching its prey she waited silent and still for the time to strike.

Her internal alarm rang, and the battle began.

His focus on Eric, Hagen unintentionally loosened his grip on Calleigh, allowing her to wrench her arm out of his grasp. Her aching feet spun into gear, as if electric shocked. Her green eyes zeroed in on Eric, her destination locked and determined to reach it.

The second shot went off. This time with the intention to kill.

A/N If you're still reading this, I owe you one. Big time. Read and review!! 3 THANKS! I LOVE YOU GUYS!

THE END.