A/N: I don't own any of the CSI Miami characters and I am not making any money from writing this.

Please forgive any minor spelling or grammar mistakes, English is not my native language.

This chapter is really action packed. No crime solving or mystery. I know that I told there will be just two chapters next but there will be two more chapters after this one.

As soon as he heard the gunshots, Eric pulled out his gun and crouched, and Horatio did the same thing, their eyes centered at the door. They heard screams and people running outside, but nothing concrete. John quickly hid under the table.

"What the hell?", he screamed, still in shock.

"Stay right here!", Horatio screamed before stepping toward the door and grabbing the door knob. He glared at Eric. "You ready?", he asks.

Eric's heart was racing, cold sweat rolling down his back. He didn't see this happening, nobody did. He knew how dangerous this could be and that making just one wrong move would cost him his life. He would never see his mother, friends and, the worst of all, Calleigh, again. But he also knew that he needs to help his colleagues, so he just nodded his head and tightened his hand around the gun harder.

#

When she heard the first shot, Maxine screamed and jumped off her seat, but it wasn't until she saw the commotion outside and heard all the noise that she realized that something serious is happening.

She knew that she had no gun and no real experience in self defense, so she hid under her desk. The commotion didn't end: it just kept getting worse with every second. She was scared, confused and alone. She tried to use her Iphone to inform others about the danger or phone for help, but her battery was low. She desperately wanted that commotion to end, to be safe again, still not quite able to wrap her mind around all that, but the shooting can't seem to end. The only thing she could do was to hide under the table.

That's... that's where Ryan lifted her up when they made love last night.

#

Horatio gave him a brief, but compassionate look and took a deep breath before turning toward the door and, in the next moment, opening the door and running outside, to face the danger no matter how deadly it may be. Second later, Eric did the same thing, closing the door behind. They both started looking around, with their guns aimed, by they didn't see the shooter: just bunch of scared people running around and screaming and police officers and security guards doing the same thing they did.

Soon enough, a gunshot was heard, causing even more running, screaming and gun pulling. Seconds later, second gunshot is heard. Within moments, Eric and Horatio managed to pin point the location from where the gunshots came from: Natalia's lab. They looked toward it's glass door and see Natalia lying motionlessly on the floor.

Eric felt his blood running cold upon seeing that. The mere thought of Natalia being dead causes him to chill. Sure, he is no longer dating her, but he still cares about her, like for all team meambers. And Calleigh... Oh my God, what about Calleigh?

Before he was able to do anything, Horatio already rushed into that lab, bending over Natalia. Eric, still looking at Natalia like he is frozen, heard a commotion just few feet behind himself. He turned around, only to see a gunman trying to run toward the back door, with shotgun in his hands. He was tall and slim, and he wore black jacket, blue jeans, white sneakers, black ski mask over his face and black leather gloves over his hands.

Eric pointed a gun at him, feeling his heart thuddering against his chest.

"Stop! Miami police!", he yelled. Gunman turned around and, without any sort of hestiation, pointed a shotgun at Eric and pulls a trigger. Eric managed to jump few feet to his left and avoid getting shoot: a bullet hit the glass door, without injuring anyone and seemingly distracting gunman for a moment-just enough time for Eric to hide behind the near by soda machine. Gunman was still looking for him, so when he walked close enough, Eric jumped out of his hiding place, aimed a gun at him and fired a single shot. He only managed to graze a gunman's shoulder, enough to distract him a little, but not enough: gunman saw where he hid and started walking toward him, shotgun aimed.

Eric took a deep breath and aimed at the man.

"Stop!", he yelld, his heart beating so fast that he could barely hear what he said. Gunman just continued walking toward him.

In the next moment, another shot was heard, and gunman fell face down on the floor, dead due to a gunshot wound to a back of his head, fired by Horatio.

#

Seconds after the commotion finally seemed to start coming to an end, Maxine heard the sound of her lab door opening and someone walking toward her desk. She felt cold shivers running down her back. Was that the shooter?

A person crouched down, looking under the desk. "Maxine..."

Her heart skipped the beat when she heard Ryan's voice, when she saw his face clearly; she felt warmth rushibg up her chest when he grabbed her right arm and helped her get back on her feet. In the very next moment, she pressed her body against his, wrapping them into a tight hug, pressing her face against his shoulder in an attempt to muffle the sound of her sobs, for reasons she didn't quite understand: he didn't return the hug until the seconds later, until he made sure that she wasn't injured: at least not in a physical way.

#

Horatio sat on the floor next to Delko in the very next moment.

"Are you OK, Eric?", he asked.

"Yey", Eric whispered, nodding his head. "But... Calleigh... Natalia... Ryan..."

"Natalia will be fine. She was just knocked unconsciousness. I called an ambulance. And Calleigh..."

In the next moment, Calleigh ran toward Eric and wrapped her arms around him, doing her best not to cry. "Oh my God, Eric! Are you OK?"

"Yes... Yes, I am", Eric whispered, feeling his muscles relaxing and his heart beating less fast, smell of Calleigh's hair and warmth of her body sending warmth spreading through his chest. "Are you?"

"Yes", Calleigh answered, shivers evident in her voice.

"How did you manage to get here?"

"I was in balistic's lab. Immediately after hearing the shots, I grabbed my gun and ran outside, trying to find the shorter, but I couldn't spot him anywhere. Luckily, I spotted you."

"There were two shooters", Horatio sighed. "One ran away."

A/N: Who was the second shooter? Why did all that happen? Thoughts, ideas?