CSI

Hollow

Disclaimer: wails I DON'T OWN CSI! whimper Though I wish I had Greggie. But at least I can make a story with Quinn.

Around him Warrick was flashing pictures and Grissom was examining the contents in the bathroom cabinet. The sirens and the low murmur of policemen seemed to echo around him distantly. Even Catherine, Sarah, and Nick were here, questioning the family and neighbors, searching rooms, the usual. He should be doing something else, he knew that. But he couldn't draw his face away from the body.

Two knives had been gouged into the victim's eyes. His throat was slit open, a thin bleeding line of blood oozing down his chest. Around his neck hung a sign, with letters and numbers that hid some secret clue. Jeremy Blake was only thirteen years old when his mother had found him at 11:30 this cold Saturday night. He was leaned like a puppet against the wall, a smile upon his pale lips and his arms wide apart.

"You want to head back to the lab?"

Looking away from the boy's corpse, he turned to see Grissom giving him a questioning glance.

"Na, I'm fine, really."

Grissom looked back to the corpse, his gaze never flinching or revealing any emotion.

"Whoever did this didn't hesitate. It's a clean cut. And this is the 2nd murder this week, a family of four, the eldest child killed and staged exactly like this."

He gazed unwavering at Greg at shook his head.

"It looks like we have on our hands a serial killer."

Greg sighed and ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. He had already had a tough week and it had taken its toll on him. The murder of a millionaire for three days, and then the suicide of a 31-year-old mother.

"Hey you guys, this is the same as the last case." Sarah Sydol walked up behind them, empty handed. "The whole place was wiped down. Not a print to be found."

Catherine Willows entered the already crowded bathroom and grimaced. "The mother was going to get Tylonol when she saw him. She screamed and her husband called 9-1-1. They don't think anyone suspicious was around, so we don't have any leads."

Outside the bathroom, Nick Stokes was dusting the doorway for prints. But all he gave was a frustrated groan when he finished. "Grissom, we've searched this place inside and out but we got nothing. I don't think Eckly is going to like this."

Warrick Brown put down the camera and shook his head as he fixed his gaze on the boy.

"Can anyone make out what that's saying?"

Everyone turned to look but only Greg and Grissom didn't wince at the sight. The boy's emotionless smile leered tauntingly at them. The blades shone dangerously in the light and the blood trickled down his face like tears of mirth.

Warrick, with his head turned away from Jeremy's face, gently lifted the note from around his neck and turned it over in his hands. It still made no sense to him. Finally, after studying it for a few minutes, he handed it to Grissom, muttering under his breath.

"I can't make head or tails of this thing. All it is a buncha mumbo jumbo."

Grissom gave him a knowing look and replied, "This mumbo jumbo is the only piece of evidence we have. Bag it and send it to the lab, Greg. We need an autopsy report just to be certain that he died of a slit throat."

With that, he passes it to Greg and gave his team members a defeated glance.

"Until then, we should all go back to the lab. We've been here for hours, and we need a little break."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"I'm being transferred."

"WHAT?"

Mia's simple statement caused Greg to cry out at once.She could only shrug her shoulders helplessly.

"My mother, she became injured in New York. I'll be moving over there to help her out."

The expression on Greg's face was pure shock. If she was leaving the lab, that meant-

"Sorry Greg, but until you can train a new lab worker, you can't go back into the field."

Grissom's words struck home.

"We're going to need you on the case!"

"From what I see, you don't even have a print for me to take a look at."

"Well, when are you leaving?"

Mia gave a sad smile.

"Tonight."

Greg gave a look of pure horror and banged his head against the wall just for effect. Sarah and Catherine rolled their eyes, while Nick and Warrick just stood there, dumb-struck. Grissom just shrugged and went back to examining a new specimen of dung beetle.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Greg spun around on the swivel chair, bored stiff. Everyone else had already left to go back to the Crime Scene, leaving him to try to decode the note. So far on every search site he got nothing. He yawned, rubbing his eyes depressed and dreary. Outside, it was raining. Not his favorite weather. And now that he couldn't go into the field, his life was meaningless. Well, not really. Just boring and stressful, wondering when the next death would occur.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

She grinned from ear to ear as she heard the announcement."Las Vegas flight willbe landing in five minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and turn off all cellphones and laptops at this time."

Finally, almost there. Ever since a month ago her uncle called to say they needed a new CSI member for his lab, she had been cleaning out her apartment and packing her bags. And now, after eight years, she could work alongside her favorite uncle.

She tightened the seat belt around her waist and looked eagerly out the window. The rain pitterpatted across the window but the weather didn't bother her. Rain was calm and soothing. And soon she would see him again.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Gil, where are you going?'

Catherine turned to Grissom, a frown on her face.

"We have to get to work. If we don't find one piece of evidence soon-"

"I know, Catherine. It's just that I need to be somewhere right now, and you're currently stopping me from doing so. You'll have Nick and Sara with you."

He walked away, slipping off his gloves and whistling softly. Catherine glanced at his retreating figure, thinking to herself.

If he's whistling at a crime scene, something really good must be happening.

Yays! The first chapter is completed! Please leave reviews...please!