Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.I don't make any profits from this.
Author's note: This is the final chapter. I think I hastily wrapped up the case and the story, but I just ran out of time to develop it. Vacation's over for me, but I'll try to edit this when I get some free time. Or perhaps I'll just start a new story.
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
By Moose
Chapter 11
Sara had been watching the security cameras' feedback for over three hours, and so far, the ladies in the ballroom do not appear to have any other agenda besides talking about women's rights and singing pro-women songs. She sighed and leaned back on her chair. This was really starting to test her patience.
Just then, she something caught her attention. In one of the screens, Sara saw what appeared to be a heated argument between Wren and a dark-haired woman. Sara watched intently as the dark-haired woman gesticulated angrily at Wren, who had her hands crossed in front of her. Before long, the other woman left Wren in a huff, and Wren's shoulders visibly sagged.
"Okay, what happened, Wren?" Sara whispered, her eyes still trained on Grissom's daughter.
Wren then looked around her and approached another participant tentatively. Sara could see that this other woman had a baby, and was feeding it. After a lengthy conversation with Wren, the woman put away the feeding bottle and followed Wren, who appeared to be headed for one of the doors.
"Grissom?" Sara called, using the handset that Brass had given her. Brass had told her that anything she says using the handset would be heard by the rest of Grissom's and Brass's team.
"Yes Sara?"
"Wren's going out," Sara reported, watching Wren try to open the door in vain. "But the south door appears to be locked. She's now heading for the west door. A woman with a baby is with Wren."
"Okay, I'm right outside the west door. Catherine's guarding the main doors."
Sara watched as Wren failed to open the door again. "West door's also locked."
Wren and the woman then headed for a small door at the back of the room. "They're going to the fire exit."
"Greg, are you in position?" Grissom asked.
"Yup, but I can't see them yet."
"Jessie and three others saw them," Sara reported, as Jessie and her companions moved across the room towards the door that Wren used. "They're after her."
"Greg, follow Wren and her friend," Grissom ordered.
"I can't see them yet, Griss," came Greg's reply.
"Jessie and company now out of the ballroom," Sara quipped.
"I'm off, Griss!" Greg announced.
"Warrick, you follow Jessie and the others," Grissom said. "Brass, are any of your people close to where Warrick is?"
"I have just sent two officers to that direction," Brass replied. "Jenkins, Henderson, you two go with Brown."
"What are we going to do now, Griss?" Sara asked.
"Nick, go to the manager and inform him that we're not letting anyone from that ballroom leave," Grissom replied. "Then go secure the ballroom's fire exit."
"Okay," Nick said.
"You okay, boss?" Nick asked when he arrived. "Fire exit's closed from the outside."
Grissom smiled at him weakly. "I'll be when Wren gets back."
"Wren, stop!" Jessie's voice rang clear in night.
Wren stopped and faced her friend. She did not see Greg, who had stepped back into the shadows. "Jessie, I can't let you do this!"
"Wren, don't be silly!" Jessie cried angrily, approaching Wren and her companion.
"Why won't you tell me what you are going to do with Mickey?"
"Yeah, go on, tell her," Warrick whispered from where he was. He was crouched beside his vehicle. The two officers were also hiding nearby.
"Fine, I'll give you a demonstration," Jessie replied. She took out a knife. Warrick took out his gun and aimed at her.
"Jessie, I can't let you hurt him!" Wren exclaimed, standing in front of the mother and Mickey.
"Oh, he won't feel the pain, Wren," one of Jessie's companions said. "Hurry up! It's almost time!"
"Jessie, no," Wren said firmly.
"Wren, get out of the way!" Jessie spat out angrily. "If we don't do this, all those women will have given their lives up for nothing! It's not going to hurt, the Power will make sure it doesn't."
"How do you know for sure?" Mickey's mother asked tearfully.
"Because Jessica Morrison never complained or shed a tear when we handled her," Jessie's other companion replied.
"How could she, you took away her tongue and eyes," Warrick asked loudly, stepping out of the shadows and pointing the gun at Jessie. "Drop the knife."
Jessie and her companions whirled around in surprise, and Greg used this opportunity to grab Wren and pull her away. Wren struggled briefly, but upon recognizing Greg, she calmed down.
"Who are you?" Jessie asked, still holding the knife.
"Warrick Brown, LVPD," Warrick replied. Before he could say more, three squad cars screeched to a stop with their lights on the women. "Give it up. Gig's over, ladies."
Before they could get back to interviewing the women, Brass walked up to Grissom and said, "They're back."
Grissom immediately shot out of the room, and ran outside. His eyes scanned the area for Wren, and when he found her, he rushed to her.
"Wren?"
Wren turned around and saw a very worried and breathless Grissom before her. Without saying a word, she broke down and allowed her father to hold her tight. Grissom himself had tears in his eyes.
"You were right," Wren said softly.
"I'm so sorry, Wren, I'm so sorry," Grissom whispered. He pulled back a little and looked into her eyes.
"I was just angry this morning," Wren replied. "And hurt. But I don't want us to not to see each other again. And I want you to go to my wedding."
"I'll be there," Grissom assured her. "Did they hurt you?"
"No, but I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't sent the police after them," Wren weakly answered. She looked at him with haunted eyes. "They were going to kill the baby, Dad," Wren whispered. "That's why I tried to get him to safety. They were also planning to kill their 'guests' and try to pass it off as a mass suicide."
"Wren," Grissom couldn't hold back his tears. He had been so close to losing her. Wren hugged him back.
"Dad, I didn't mean those things I said this morning, okay?" Wren said. "I want you in my life."
"Thanks, Wren," Grissom smiled through the tears. "I want to be in your life. And you in mine."
Wren smiled back. "Good. I'm starting to look forward to Christmas again."
"Your big day," Grissom said.
"I know," Wren nodded. "Merry Christmas, Dad."
"Merry Christmas, Wren," Grissom returned. He smiled. It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Author's note: This is the final chapter. I think I hastily wrapped up the case and the story, but I just ran out of time to develop it. Vacation's over for me, but I'll try to edit this when I get some free time. Or perhaps I'll just start a new story.
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
By Moose
Chapter 11
Sara had been watching the security cameras' feedback for over three hours, and so far, the ladies in the ballroom do not appear to have any other agenda besides talking about women's rights and singing pro-women songs. She sighed and leaned back on her chair. This was really starting to test her patience.
Just then, she something caught her attention. In one of the screens, Sara saw what appeared to be a heated argument between Wren and a dark-haired woman. Sara watched intently as the dark-haired woman gesticulated angrily at Wren, who had her hands crossed in front of her. Before long, the other woman left Wren in a huff, and Wren's shoulders visibly sagged.
"Okay, what happened, Wren?" Sara whispered, her eyes still trained on Grissom's daughter.
Wren then looked around her and approached another participant tentatively. Sara could see that this other woman had a baby, and was feeding it. After a lengthy conversation with Wren, the woman put away the feeding bottle and followed Wren, who appeared to be headed for one of the doors.
"Grissom?" Sara called, using the handset that Brass had given her. Brass had told her that anything she says using the handset would be heard by the rest of Grissom's and Brass's team.
"Yes Sara?"
"Wren's going out," Sara reported, watching Wren try to open the door in vain. "But the south door appears to be locked. She's now heading for the west door. A woman with a baby is with Wren."
"Okay, I'm right outside the west door. Catherine's guarding the main doors."
Sara watched as Wren failed to open the door again. "West door's also locked."
Wren and the woman then headed for a small door at the back of the room. "They're going to the fire exit."
"Greg, are you in position?" Grissom asked.
"Yup, but I can't see them yet."
"Jessie and three others saw them," Sara reported, as Jessie and her companions moved across the room towards the door that Wren used. "They're after her."
"Greg, follow Wren and her friend," Grissom ordered.
"I can't see them yet, Griss," came Greg's reply.
"Jessie and company now out of the ballroom," Sara quipped.
"I'm off, Griss!" Greg announced.
"Warrick, you follow Jessie and the others," Grissom said. "Brass, are any of your people close to where Warrick is?"
"I have just sent two officers to that direction," Brass replied. "Jenkins, Henderson, you two go with Brown."
"What are we going to do now, Griss?" Sara asked.
"Nick, go to the manager and inform him that we're not letting anyone from that ballroom leave," Grissom replied. "Then go secure the ballroom's fire exit."
"Okay," Nick said.
"You okay, boss?" Nick asked when he arrived. "Fire exit's closed from the outside."
Grissom smiled at him weakly. "I'll be when Wren gets back."
"Wren, stop!" Jessie's voice rang clear in night.
Wren stopped and faced her friend. She did not see Greg, who had stepped back into the shadows. "Jessie, I can't let you do this!"
"Wren, don't be silly!" Jessie cried angrily, approaching Wren and her companion.
"Why won't you tell me what you are going to do with Mickey?"
"Yeah, go on, tell her," Warrick whispered from where he was. He was crouched beside his vehicle. The two officers were also hiding nearby.
"Fine, I'll give you a demonstration," Jessie replied. She took out a knife. Warrick took out his gun and aimed at her.
"Jessie, I can't let you hurt him!" Wren exclaimed, standing in front of the mother and Mickey.
"Oh, he won't feel the pain, Wren," one of Jessie's companions said. "Hurry up! It's almost time!"
"Jessie, no," Wren said firmly.
"Wren, get out of the way!" Jessie spat out angrily. "If we don't do this, all those women will have given their lives up for nothing! It's not going to hurt, the Power will make sure it doesn't."
"How do you know for sure?" Mickey's mother asked tearfully.
"Because Jessica Morrison never complained or shed a tear when we handled her," Jessie's other companion replied.
"How could she, you took away her tongue and eyes," Warrick asked loudly, stepping out of the shadows and pointing the gun at Jessie. "Drop the knife."
Jessie and her companions whirled around in surprise, and Greg used this opportunity to grab Wren and pull her away. Wren struggled briefly, but upon recognizing Greg, she calmed down.
"Who are you?" Jessie asked, still holding the knife.
"Warrick Brown, LVPD," Warrick replied. Before he could say more, three squad cars screeched to a stop with their lights on the women. "Give it up. Gig's over, ladies."
Before they could get back to interviewing the women, Brass walked up to Grissom and said, "They're back."
Grissom immediately shot out of the room, and ran outside. His eyes scanned the area for Wren, and when he found her, he rushed to her.
"Wren?"
Wren turned around and saw a very worried and breathless Grissom before her. Without saying a word, she broke down and allowed her father to hold her tight. Grissom himself had tears in his eyes.
"You were right," Wren said softly.
"I'm so sorry, Wren, I'm so sorry," Grissom whispered. He pulled back a little and looked into her eyes.
"I was just angry this morning," Wren replied. "And hurt. But I don't want us to not to see each other again. And I want you to go to my wedding."
"I'll be there," Grissom assured her. "Did they hurt you?"
"No, but I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't sent the police after them," Wren weakly answered. She looked at him with haunted eyes. "They were going to kill the baby, Dad," Wren whispered. "That's why I tried to get him to safety. They were also planning to kill their 'guests' and try to pass it off as a mass suicide."
"Wren," Grissom couldn't hold back his tears. He had been so close to losing her. Wren hugged him back.
"Dad, I didn't mean those things I said this morning, okay?" Wren said. "I want you in my life."
"Thanks, Wren," Grissom smiled through the tears. "I want to be in your life. And you in mine."
Wren smiled back. "Good. I'm starting to look forward to Christmas again."
"Your big day," Grissom said.
"I know," Wren nodded. "Merry Christmas, Dad."
"Merry Christmas, Wren," Grissom returned. He smiled. It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.