Disclaimer: Nothing has changed!
A/N: Ok, I'll apologise for taking a while, but I did warn you. Finally, I managed to finish writing this on the side of coursework. I have a draft copy to be in on Monday about Euthanasia and it still needs a lot of work. Anyhow, thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter: Stokes-CSI3, The Madhatter2, cRaZyPiXiE, spikes-storm, MagentaLee, Charming-Storm, MissyJane, gilcathlover and SisterBear. You guys are great! I don't have the time to keep waffling and I'm sure you'd rather read the story then hear it; so on with the plot! R&R and Enjoy!!! - Bex :o)
The second Grissom got back; he headed straight for the lab. Nick, Warrick and Greg were all in there as he burst through the door. "What have you got?" He asked, ignoring the bleak looks.
"Nothing," Greg said numbly.
"Nothing!" Grissom repeated. "Well that's just great, isn't it?!"
The other exchanged a look, but Gris didn't bother to acknowledge that he'd seen it; instead he let out a sight as if releasing some of his frustration. "Where's Lindsey?"
"The officer took her to you office," Warrick replied.
"Good."
He took the photo from his pocket and placed it down in front of them. "What's this?" Greg inquired, seeing the picture for the first time.
"A visual list of his next possible victims. I want you to find out everything you can about these woman," Grissom ordered, failing to stop a yawn as he turned to march back out.
"Where are you going?" Nick questioned.
Grissom looked back over his shoulder. "To get a coffee before I pass out and then try to figure out what we're going to do next."
He left before anyone got a chance to say anything else. Heading straight for the coffeepot, he grabbed a mug beside it and paused. The carelessly washed mug still had traces of lipstick on it; lipstick he recognised as Catherine's. Slowly, he placed it back down as he tried to burry the fear which told him that he might never see her again. "Gil Grissom, just the man I wanted to see."
Grissom turned to find Ecklie skulking in doorway. He managed to hide his annoyance at the other man's unwelcome presence. "What do you want Conrad?"
"I heard about Catherine. I'm sorry, must be hard to loose two of your own," Ecklie said without sympathy. "Anyway, that's why my team's taking over the case."
Gris scoffed dryly. "You're coming no where near it."
"You see that's where the Sheriff and I disagree with you."
"Well you can tell him that I disagree with the decision and, whether either of you likes it or not, my team's still working this case," Grissom replied firmly.
"Oh come on Gil, do you really think you can catch this guy in time?" Ecklie stated coolly. "Five women have died and your team are no where nearer to stopping it happening again. Then you lost Sara Sidle. I admit that it was a shock to me at first, but I've always thought she was too squeaky clean to be a member of your shift. And Stokes has slept with a hooker once, what's to say he isn't again?" Grissom could barely manage to contain the intense anger mounting within him, but it was the next comment that set his rage free: "And I always knew that Catherine's past would catch back up with her. Really anyone in that kinda work had it coming sooner or later."
Something must have alerted Brass and Warrick to the argument in the break room, because the second Grissom's fist collided with Ecklie's face, they were in there like a flash. Together, they held Grissom back, but both men struggled to keep him restrained. Ecklie gingerly touched his cheek, whilst a trickle of blood oozed from his mouth. "The Sheriff's gonna hear about this," He threatened angrily.
"Yeah, and I'd bet he'd like to know your opinion on the victims," Grissom shot back.
"Well you know I'm right."
It was obvious that if he could, Grissom would have taken another swing at him. Brass glared at Ecklie as he held his friend back. "Just get out Conrad."
Sulkily, the head of the day shift left, cursing under his breath as he went. When he was out of sight, the two men let go of Grissom and stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell was that about?" Warrick demanded.
"It doesn't matter," Grissom muttered.
"It doesn't matter!" Brass echoed in shock. "Gil, it matters when you loose it like that and punch a guy you work with - no matter what an ass Ecklie is."
"Look, it doesn't matter," He snapped back. "All that matters right now is that we find Sara and Catherine. So just get me Warner or Sinclair, I don't care which, I just want one of them here now!"
~*~*~*~*~
"Look, it's a whole new day," Cath whispered, as she saw the sunlight beginning to seep in through the crack in the wall. She looked over at Sara, just making out the fearful expression clinging to her face. "What is it Sar?"
"Tonight's my third night," She croaked on tears. "My time's almost up."
"Don't be so sure," Cath countered, "I don't think he's planning on killing you. I mean, he treats you differently to me, you weren't taken on the third night and you hardly fit his profile. Looks like the odds are in you favour."
"Then what does he want?" Sara cried. "Why am I here?"
Catherine could shake her head. "I have no idea," She confessed quietly. There was an empty pause that lasted for what seemed like forever. Finally Catherine broke it: "Next time he brings you some food, eat it ok."
Sara looked at her. "What about you?"
"I'll be fine. There's no need for you to starve yourself. Anyway, I'll be able to eat as soon as the others get us out of here," She finished with a forced weak smile.
"Yeah," She heard Sara murmur, unsure by her tome whether she was reassured or not. Catherine hoped she was.
Out of some sort of suborn ignorance; she yanked at the chains, which turned out to be still as secure as before. Catherine turned her head away to make sure Sara couldn't see the tears of despair that trickled down her face, as she tried to stop her hope fleeing completely. One of them needed to stay strong. 'Please Gil,' She begged silently, 'Please find us soon.'
~*~*~*~*~
Grissom slowly opened his eyes and looked at the clock in his office. The last thing he remembered was closing them for a second, after he'd failed to reach Brit or Jen again and was considering what he was going to do about Lindsey; that second had been over four hours ago.
He looked over to where Lindsey was still sound asleep in the same chair as when he'd come in. Gris recalled walking in to find the officer, Debbie, sitting beside the sleeping girl. She had made a comment about how surprised she was that the child could sleep at all surround by all these bugs. He'd thanked her and she'd left.
Lindsey stirred from her sleep and looked up at him. "Hi sweetheart," He greeted softly, "How you feeling?"
"Better," She replied quietly. "Have you found mom yet?"
Grissom felt a sting of pain as he shook his head. "Not yet, but we will."
The girl nodded slightly, but Gris could see her spirits were dampened. She's already lost a father, and he's be damned if she lost a mother as well. Then there was the problem about where she could go. He couldn't send her back to the house with a babysitter whilst it was still a crime scene.
As if giving an answer to his problem, there was a knock at the door and Jacqui poked her head in. The lab tech gave Grissom a nod. "Hey Grissom." Then she beamed at Lindsey. "Hey honey. I was wondering if this one might want to have breakfast with me and then hang out in the lab?"
"What do you think Lindsey?" Grissom asked, the plan sounding heaven sent to his ears.
"Sure," She nodded. The girl scooted off her chair to hurry over to Grissom to give him a hug and kiss, before leaving with Jacqui.
"Come on kiddo," Jacqui said brightly, "There's this place nearby that makes the best pancakes in the world."
Grissom watched them go. One dilemma had been resolved, but many still remained. Once more, his hand reached out for the phone and he dial the familiar number. Finally the ringing stopped: "Hi this is Jenny Sinclair. I'm not here at the moment, but if you want to leave a message, then I'll get back as soon as possible. Thanks. * BEEP *"
"Jenny," He snapped down the phone, "Jen, I know you're there. Just pick up the goddamn phone."
Quickly, the other line was picked up. "What's wrong Gris?" Jenny inquired cautiously, obviously concerned by his tone.
"Did you and Brit go on a holiday for the past two days and not tell anyone?" He demanded angrily.
"No, why do you say that?"
"Because no one's been able to reach for the past 48 hours." There was a guilty silence. 'I don't have time for this,' He thought impatiently.
He took a breath to calm himself and soften his tone. "He's taken Sara and Catherine, Jen. The killer's got them both."
"What?" She gasped.
"I need your help. Please."
"I'll be there in 15 minutes, I swear," She promised before hanging up the phone.
A/N: So what do you think? I promise I'll try my best to update sooner, but school may get in the way * shakes angry fist *. But please leave a review and tell me what you think, I need something to smile about. :O)
A/N: Ok, I'll apologise for taking a while, but I did warn you. Finally, I managed to finish writing this on the side of coursework. I have a draft copy to be in on Monday about Euthanasia and it still needs a lot of work. Anyhow, thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter: Stokes-CSI3, The Madhatter2, cRaZyPiXiE, spikes-storm, MagentaLee, Charming-Storm, MissyJane, gilcathlover and SisterBear. You guys are great! I don't have the time to keep waffling and I'm sure you'd rather read the story then hear it; so on with the plot! R&R and Enjoy!!! - Bex :o)
The second Grissom got back; he headed straight for the lab. Nick, Warrick and Greg were all in there as he burst through the door. "What have you got?" He asked, ignoring the bleak looks.
"Nothing," Greg said numbly.
"Nothing!" Grissom repeated. "Well that's just great, isn't it?!"
The other exchanged a look, but Gris didn't bother to acknowledge that he'd seen it; instead he let out a sight as if releasing some of his frustration. "Where's Lindsey?"
"The officer took her to you office," Warrick replied.
"Good."
He took the photo from his pocket and placed it down in front of them. "What's this?" Greg inquired, seeing the picture for the first time.
"A visual list of his next possible victims. I want you to find out everything you can about these woman," Grissom ordered, failing to stop a yawn as he turned to march back out.
"Where are you going?" Nick questioned.
Grissom looked back over his shoulder. "To get a coffee before I pass out and then try to figure out what we're going to do next."
He left before anyone got a chance to say anything else. Heading straight for the coffeepot, he grabbed a mug beside it and paused. The carelessly washed mug still had traces of lipstick on it; lipstick he recognised as Catherine's. Slowly, he placed it back down as he tried to burry the fear which told him that he might never see her again. "Gil Grissom, just the man I wanted to see."
Grissom turned to find Ecklie skulking in doorway. He managed to hide his annoyance at the other man's unwelcome presence. "What do you want Conrad?"
"I heard about Catherine. I'm sorry, must be hard to loose two of your own," Ecklie said without sympathy. "Anyway, that's why my team's taking over the case."
Gris scoffed dryly. "You're coming no where near it."
"You see that's where the Sheriff and I disagree with you."
"Well you can tell him that I disagree with the decision and, whether either of you likes it or not, my team's still working this case," Grissom replied firmly.
"Oh come on Gil, do you really think you can catch this guy in time?" Ecklie stated coolly. "Five women have died and your team are no where nearer to stopping it happening again. Then you lost Sara Sidle. I admit that it was a shock to me at first, but I've always thought she was too squeaky clean to be a member of your shift. And Stokes has slept with a hooker once, what's to say he isn't again?" Grissom could barely manage to contain the intense anger mounting within him, but it was the next comment that set his rage free: "And I always knew that Catherine's past would catch back up with her. Really anyone in that kinda work had it coming sooner or later."
Something must have alerted Brass and Warrick to the argument in the break room, because the second Grissom's fist collided with Ecklie's face, they were in there like a flash. Together, they held Grissom back, but both men struggled to keep him restrained. Ecklie gingerly touched his cheek, whilst a trickle of blood oozed from his mouth. "The Sheriff's gonna hear about this," He threatened angrily.
"Yeah, and I'd bet he'd like to know your opinion on the victims," Grissom shot back.
"Well you know I'm right."
It was obvious that if he could, Grissom would have taken another swing at him. Brass glared at Ecklie as he held his friend back. "Just get out Conrad."
Sulkily, the head of the day shift left, cursing under his breath as he went. When he was out of sight, the two men let go of Grissom and stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell was that about?" Warrick demanded.
"It doesn't matter," Grissom muttered.
"It doesn't matter!" Brass echoed in shock. "Gil, it matters when you loose it like that and punch a guy you work with - no matter what an ass Ecklie is."
"Look, it doesn't matter," He snapped back. "All that matters right now is that we find Sara and Catherine. So just get me Warner or Sinclair, I don't care which, I just want one of them here now!"
~*~*~*~*~
"Look, it's a whole new day," Cath whispered, as she saw the sunlight beginning to seep in through the crack in the wall. She looked over at Sara, just making out the fearful expression clinging to her face. "What is it Sar?"
"Tonight's my third night," She croaked on tears. "My time's almost up."
"Don't be so sure," Cath countered, "I don't think he's planning on killing you. I mean, he treats you differently to me, you weren't taken on the third night and you hardly fit his profile. Looks like the odds are in you favour."
"Then what does he want?" Sara cried. "Why am I here?"
Catherine could shake her head. "I have no idea," She confessed quietly. There was an empty pause that lasted for what seemed like forever. Finally Catherine broke it: "Next time he brings you some food, eat it ok."
Sara looked at her. "What about you?"
"I'll be fine. There's no need for you to starve yourself. Anyway, I'll be able to eat as soon as the others get us out of here," She finished with a forced weak smile.
"Yeah," She heard Sara murmur, unsure by her tome whether she was reassured or not. Catherine hoped she was.
Out of some sort of suborn ignorance; she yanked at the chains, which turned out to be still as secure as before. Catherine turned her head away to make sure Sara couldn't see the tears of despair that trickled down her face, as she tried to stop her hope fleeing completely. One of them needed to stay strong. 'Please Gil,' She begged silently, 'Please find us soon.'
~*~*~*~*~
Grissom slowly opened his eyes and looked at the clock in his office. The last thing he remembered was closing them for a second, after he'd failed to reach Brit or Jen again and was considering what he was going to do about Lindsey; that second had been over four hours ago.
He looked over to where Lindsey was still sound asleep in the same chair as when he'd come in. Gris recalled walking in to find the officer, Debbie, sitting beside the sleeping girl. She had made a comment about how surprised she was that the child could sleep at all surround by all these bugs. He'd thanked her and she'd left.
Lindsey stirred from her sleep and looked up at him. "Hi sweetheart," He greeted softly, "How you feeling?"
"Better," She replied quietly. "Have you found mom yet?"
Grissom felt a sting of pain as he shook his head. "Not yet, but we will."
The girl nodded slightly, but Gris could see her spirits were dampened. She's already lost a father, and he's be damned if she lost a mother as well. Then there was the problem about where she could go. He couldn't send her back to the house with a babysitter whilst it was still a crime scene.
As if giving an answer to his problem, there was a knock at the door and Jacqui poked her head in. The lab tech gave Grissom a nod. "Hey Grissom." Then she beamed at Lindsey. "Hey honey. I was wondering if this one might want to have breakfast with me and then hang out in the lab?"
"What do you think Lindsey?" Grissom asked, the plan sounding heaven sent to his ears.
"Sure," She nodded. The girl scooted off her chair to hurry over to Grissom to give him a hug and kiss, before leaving with Jacqui.
"Come on kiddo," Jacqui said brightly, "There's this place nearby that makes the best pancakes in the world."
Grissom watched them go. One dilemma had been resolved, but many still remained. Once more, his hand reached out for the phone and he dial the familiar number. Finally the ringing stopped: "Hi this is Jenny Sinclair. I'm not here at the moment, but if you want to leave a message, then I'll get back as soon as possible. Thanks. * BEEP *"
"Jenny," He snapped down the phone, "Jen, I know you're there. Just pick up the goddamn phone."
Quickly, the other line was picked up. "What's wrong Gris?" Jenny inquired cautiously, obviously concerned by his tone.
"Did you and Brit go on a holiday for the past two days and not tell anyone?" He demanded angrily.
"No, why do you say that?"
"Because no one's been able to reach for the past 48 hours." There was a guilty silence. 'I don't have time for this,' He thought impatiently.
He took a breath to calm himself and soften his tone. "He's taken Sara and Catherine, Jen. The killer's got them both."
"What?" She gasped.
"I need your help. Please."
"I'll be there in 15 minutes, I swear," She promised before hanging up the phone.
A/N: So what do you think? I promise I'll try my best to update sooner, but school may get in the way * shakes angry fist *. But please leave a review and tell me what you think, I need something to smile about. :O)