Author Note: I'm trying something new here, I've never done a story with the supernatural involved, but I think I got a good thing going here in this one, but I am always open to suggestions for continuation.

For people who enjoy the pairing of Grissom & Catherine (Grillows)

This story is set about 3 years after the plot of "Second Chances", which was just updated so go check that story out if you are interested!

B.

Updated 19-June-2019 - major updates

-10-

Catherine was at a loss. She was now alone, standing in a decrepit main salon with no indication of what to do next. She wanted to return to Gil, to see if he had recovered from whatever had took hold of him, but something was stopping her. There was a sense that by her returning to Gil would only make matters worse. However possible that was. Instead she decided to dawn her investigator persona once more and try to figure out what or who did this to begin with.

She cautiously continued down the hall, leading away from the main stairwell. There was what remained of a wooden door to her left. Catherine stepped towards it, shinning her flashlight in the dark room before entering. The door was stuck as Catherine pushed her shoulder against the rotted wood to force it open. She caught her balance before face planting to the floor, her foot getting caught on the leg of an upturned table. This was the main dinning hall that was once beautiful. She stepped further into the room, scanning the floor with her flashlight as the dirt tiles suddenly became pristine. Catherine stopped in her tracks, bringing the light up to the far side of the room as the crumbling pillars and overturned tables were transformed back to their original look. Her flashlight was acting like a fairies magical wand where only the items touched by the beam of light would be restored.

Suddenly soft music flowed through the room as she turned her flashlight to the remains of a stage that was about twenty feet ahead of her. The figure of a beautiful red head appeared with her backing band. She was tall, dressed in a silver sequence dress that shimmered in the light. Her eyes were trained directly on Catherine as she sang lyrics to a song that were in French. Catherine wished she knew what she was saying. The three piece band that was behind her were all young, clean shaven men dressed in black tuxedos. Each played a different instrument, one a violin, another a cello and the third a trumpet. Catherine felt herself getting lost in the song, the raw emotion and passion behind the woman's voice was powerful.

Soon couples materialized on the dance floor around Catherine. They were ghosts, their bodies transparent and their feet five inches above the ground, floating in sync to the music. Catherine stayed where she was as the feeling of cold draped her body each time one of the couples danced right through her.

"It was a party," Catherine whispered to herself, entranced by the scene before her.

"We were celebrating the halfway mark of our voyage," the young girl replied. She had re-appeared on the edge of the stage by the singer, sitting over the side like a doll on a shelf.

"Where were you?"

"Here for some of it. The Captain had come to my room earlier that evening to formally escort me to the ball. At least, that was why I thought he had come."

Catherine was getting a bad feeling once more. The singer and the couples disappeared, leaving her and the young girl alone in the remnants of a once beautiful room. She had word enough scenes, seen enough abused children to know that what happened to this young girl was not pleasant.

"Did he hurt you?" Catherine asked.

The young girl looked up, tears in her eyes, "He was a nice man, always made sure I was well taken care of being the only child aboard, but when we entered her world everything changed."

"Do you mean the Bermuda Triangle?"

The girl nodded her head, "The man who came to see me that night was not the Captain. She had taken hold of him, and everyone else she could aboard this ship. We did not stand a chance."

Catherine was finally getting a sense of what happened. She had heard many stories about the Bermuda Triangle, most of which were just lore and urban legends mainly because most of the people who enter it don't make it out alive. Just how Gil had thought he was avoiding the triangle with his navigational equipment, the Captain thought he was clear of the fabled spot on the ocean, but he was wrong. Whatever happened to the crew and passengers aboard was not natural, and now that same entity was trying to take Gil away from Catherine.

"I want to show you something." The girl replied as she got up from the stage, heading back towards the main hall.

Catherine followed obediently, finally feeling that she was getting to the root of all this. The girl led her down to the far end of the hall were a metal door creaked open revealing a stairwell that led further into the ship. She was apprehensive at first, fearing that this young girl was in face leading her to her death instead of towards more answers.

"You won't hurt me will you?" Catherine asked, taking the metal staircase further down into the ship.

"No, I need your help, and to do so, I need to show you exactly what we are up against."

The metal door at the foot of the stairs opened slowly, the stench of death was stronger here than anywhere else on the ship. She stepped over the threshold and stood in service hallway that was once used by the crew of the ocean liner. Catherine could feel her stomach turn from the stench as it overpowered her nostrils. She looked at the walls and noticed they were not covered in rust like the rest of the ship. When she pressed her fingers to the wall it was wet still and her finger tips were stained red. It was blood that covered the walls of this hall like a coat of paint. Catherine looked and saw the young girl was standing in front of a door way to the right. She looked above the door and saw that the name plate said Galley.

Catherine pushed open the door, the porthole at the top covered in a thick coat of grime and blood obstructed her view of seeing what the place was like before she opened the door.

"They poisoned the food and drinks to eliminate as many of us as possible."

When Catherine stepped into the kitchen is was back to its original condition. The cooks were walking around the kitchen, their arms overflowing with large canisters of rat poison. She watched, horrified as they mixed the poison in with the food that would be served to the guests for the celebratory dinner. She paid particular attention to their hands, noticing that the same burn etched in her husband's palm was burned into theirs. That was not the only thing that looked 'off'. There eye were dark, almost black with red spindles pulsating around their eyes and along their hairlines. There was something or someone, controlling them.

"Is that how you died?" Catherine asked as the image of the past faded and she was standing in a dark and empty kitchen.

The little girl frowned, "No, unfortunately, I met a very different fate."

Catherine went back into the hall, following the girl further, noticing that the walls were not only stained red, but had large, thick vines crawling across them. If she didn't know any better, she thought they resembled arteries. When she reached out and touched one of them a thick slime coating stuck to her fingers.

They turned and once more, the young girl was standing at the end of the hall as four crew members dressed in navy blue uniforms walked down the hall, each carrying a pistol bearing their teeth like rabid dogs. Catherine stopped as they approached her, but continued through her and disappeared behind her.

"Where are they heading?" Catherine asked.

"These men were sent on a mission to eliminate anyone who was left alive, including the Captain. She made sure this ship would stay trapped with her."

"Jesus,"

"Come, there is one more place I want to show you."

Catherine followed the girl deeper into the ship, turning down a twist of corridors until they had reached the engine room. The roots that were spreading across the walls had completely wrapped themselves around the door to the engine room. It was almost like they were protecting it from harm.

"What's in here?" Catherine asked.

"Her." The girl replied. "As I'm sure you have realized, she is using this vessel as a body. This is her weakness, this is where you will destroy her."

Catherine widened her eyes in shock, "Destroy her?"

The girl nodded, "It is the only way we can all be set free. She needs to be stopped."

Catherine did not know the first thing about destroying a supernatural creature. She stared at the door that was dripping with blood, petrified of what was behind it. At this moment she wished Gil was here with her. She felt stronger with him at her side.

"I feel it is my obligation to tell you that you are not the first person I've brought." The girl paused, looking down at her feet, ashamed.

"What do you mean?"

"Over the years, I have been able to convince others, like yourself, to help us. All have failed, falling under her control and becoming another soul trapped upon this vessel. I always found men who were strong, who seemed capable of doing what was needed, but they always fell for her."

"I-I don't understand..." Catherine stated.

"When I saw you, you had this bright aura that I had never seen before. It was then I realized you already had the one thing that she would always use to turn them. Love."

Catherine could feel the tears welling in her eyes as the door in front of her slowly opened, revealing the chest cavity of a human being. She suddenly felt like she was inside one of Doc Robbin's cadavers. The walls were coated in thick layer of brown vines that slithering across the walls. The smell of blood was almost nauseating. Catherine looked at the young girl, noticing she did not move closer to the room as the door opened. She had a sense the girl wanted her to enter the room, that this was where she could destroy the spirit that controlled this ship and free Gil.

Catherine stepped into the room something in the centre of the room started to rumble. She noticed that her flashlight had died, the light dimming and finally going out as she stepped further into the room. She looked back, seeing the young girl standing the hall, watching her every move. A loud rumble happened as the whole room shook, the chest cavity opened allowing a bright, blinding light to escape into the room. Catherine shielded her eyes, bathing the entire room in a red glow. She opened her eyes noticing that the bright light was coming from inside the cavity. Catherine stepped closer as the light dimmed, allowing her to see that the source of the light was a human heart. It was pumping the blood into the veins on the walls in a slow rhythmic pace.

As she got closer she noticed something wrapped in black vines was laying on the platform in front of the heart. Catherine's heart started to race as she could see the wedding band on the hand that was draped over the platform. When she was a couple feet away the black vines started to slither away, revealing the unconscious body of Gil. His skin was pale with black streaks, thick like veins, flowing across his legs and arms.

Catherine turned back to the girl, "You said he was safe in your room!" She screamed.

"I-I needed you to come here, no matter what. You can end this and save him, save all of us."

Catherine turned back to Gil, her body shaking with rage as she reached out with a trembling hand and touching his cheek. She jumped at the sharp pain that struck her finger tips, as if she had touched dry ice. She looked around, seeing what exactly needed to be done in order to destroy whatever it was that was killing her husband. She had to start thinking of this place as a person instead of a ship, and if this was a person, the quickest way to kill them would be the heart. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves.

"Okay Catherine," She whispered, "You can do this. You need to destroy the heart of a supernatural creature to save your husband and free a bunch of ghosts." She paused, shaking her head, "Saying it out loud does not make it sound any less crazy."

She reached out with her hand, feeling heat emitting from the heart suspended inside the chamber. Her fingers were inches away when an unseen force pushed her away. It had such force that Catherine hit the back wall, her head cracking off the wall and blurring her vision for a moment. Catherine tried to stand, but she stumbled, her head woozy from the impact. A black mist appeared in front of her, morphing into the shape of a woman. She was naked, her jet black hair whisking over her breasts. Her eyes were jet black, lips dark red like blood with pearly white fangs on display when she smiled. Any of this would resemble a beast in a horror movie, but none of those ghoulish characteristics were what Catherine was focusing on. Instead, her eyes were focused on the gaping hole in the centre of her chest. A hole where, if she was alive, her heart would be.

"Rise" She hissed, her tongue shaped like that of a serpents sneaking out between her lips.

Catherine tried to stand, but her legs felt like rubber. Impatient, the woman lifted her hand, using her powers to force Catherine to stand. She felt her body floating, her feet now hoovering a couple of feet above the ground. Suddenly she felt her throat being crushed as she started coughing, struggling for breath.

"Don't fight my child, soon you will join him."

Catherine could feel her vision fading as she looked beyond the woman and to Gil's lifeless body. It was then she realized he was dead, the latest soul taken aboard this ship. She remembered what the little girl said, that love was this woman's weakness as she forced her mind to drift to happier memories. Flashes of when she and Gil first met, when they got married, to when she shared the news she was pregnant with Caitlin crossed in front of her eyes. She could picture Gil's face, how excited he was to realize that his dream of being a father was finally going to come true.

The grip on Catherine's throat relaxed as she dropped to the floor, choking and coughing to catch her breath. The woman let out a scream as her shadowed body started to brighten like a starburst.

"It's working!" The young girl exclaimed from the door way.

Catherine looked past the woman who seemed to be fading into bright light to see the heart suspended in the chamber was cracking, beams of light shooting out from it. She knew this was her chance and staggered to her feet, advancing towards the altar. The woman saw what Catherine was trying to do and when she went to grab Catherine's arm she let out a howl, her fingers burning to ash.

"It's not possible." She hissed watching a golden glow wash over Catherine's body, like a protective suit.

Catherine ignored her and continued towards the altar, glancing down at Gil once more. She could hear the demon woman howling behind her, yelling anything in order to get Catherine to stop. Her voice was her only weapon as her body was unable to move, limbs slowly disintegrating into ash. Catherine still had her flashlight in her hand as she raised the end of it to the cracking heart, meeting the demon's eyes.

"No!" She screamed as a final plea.

Catherine swung once, twice, three times as the heart shattered like glass and sprinkled onto the floor like confetti. Within seconds the bright light vanished, returning the room to darkness. All that was left of the demon was a neat pile of ash in the middle of the floor. Catherine looked at the young girl in doorway, her eyes dancing with excitement that she was finally free.

"You did it!" She exclaimed.

Catherine smiled, triumphant in her victory over a supernatural demon. When she looked down at her hands she noticed they were still glowing, her whole body acting like a night light. She turned to Gil on the altar, the black vines that cocooned him were gone. He was still pale, but the black lines under his translucent skin had disappeared. The only evidence of the demon was the burn that was still etched into his palm.

"You can save him," the young girl said, startling Catherine. She was now standing beside her in the room, the spell that kept her away now broken with the demons death.

Catherine cupped his cold cheek in the palm of her hand. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Within moments she could feel his heart starting to beat once more. The colour returned to his skin as his eyes slowly opened, bringing him back from the dead. She pressed her hand against the burn on his palm as Gil let out a scream in agony. The burn dissolved, removing any trace that his skin was burned to begin with. The golden glow that coated Catherine had disappeared.

"Catherine," Gil breathed as he looked at his wife, "W-What happened?" He asked.

"It's a long story," She replied and nuzzled her nose against his before giving him a kiss on the lips. "I love you so much," She muttered, crying freely now.

Gil reached up with his hand and stroked her hair, "I love you too."

The young girl smiled as she reached out to touch Catherine on the wrist, catching the woman's attention. When Catherine turned to look at the young girl she noticed that something was different. Her skin that was once blue and pale was now glowing, as if her body was being bathed in sunlight.

"I will never forget what you did for us." She replied with a soft, kind smile.

Catherine nodded as Gil sat up, slowly regaining his strength. A loud rumble shook the room as if they were in the middle of an earthquake. Catherine turned to the girl as she saw the look of horror on her face at the sudden movements.

"You must hurry, this ship is going to sink now that it is no longer under her control."

Catherine wrapped Gil's arm around her shoulders as she braced herself for his body weight. The whole room continued to shake as they made their way back towards the hallway, avoiding the fallen debris. The young girl led them down the hall in the opposite direction from where they came. Pipes fell from the ceiling as cold ocean water started to wash over their feet. The door at the end of the hall opened, leading them into the cargo hold. The young girl was standing in the threshold, waving to the couple to follow her.

"it's not much farther, I promise."

"Where are you taking us?" Gil asked.

"To the quickest way out of here."

The ship started to groan and list as Catherine and Gil lost their balance and fell against the wall. Mesh bags filled with passenger belongings swayed overhead. Catherine looked at Gil, seeing the exhaustion in his eyes and knew that if she didn't get them out of here, neither of them was going to survive.

"Over here," The girl called as Catherine looked to see the girl was standing in front of a large wooden crate.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." Catherine whispered as the water was now up to their ankles. Gil wanted to protest, but nodded, leaning against the wall to keep him upright.

Catherine trudged through the water to the box the girl was standing at. When she approached, she realized that it was a pile of C-4 explosive.

"One of the men I lured here was a demolition expert. All you have to do is pull the trigger." The girl stated.

Catherine picked up the trigger as the boat groaned loudly, the water level steadily rising. She looked at the girl, seeing the the golden glow around her was fading, along with her body.

"Wait, where are you going?" Catherine asked.

"It's time for me to join my family,"

She tried to grab the young girls hand, but it had disappeared as she vanished. Catherine wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and went back over to Gil who was fighting to stay awake.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Our way out of here. I love you," Catherine said, priming the trigger.

Gil kissed Catherine, "I love you too."

Everything went silent as Catherine pressed the trigger.

T.B.C