Disclaimer: Hasn't changed; I still don't own this!
A/N: Sorry that it took me so long. I have two excuses 1) very important course work and 2) this was a very challenging chapter to write. But thank you for bearing with me. And a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Sprinkles143, MissyJane, Elle9, The Madhatter2, cRaZyPiXiE, SisterBear and gilcathlover. You guys are amazing (pure and simple!)! Well we have both the return of Jenny and finally Brit in this chapter. I shall remind you that I don't have a forensic degree, limited psychology knowledge, nor am I a trained CSI, so I apologise for any mistakes. Well I bet you're fed up with the waffle and just want me to get on. R&R and ENJOY!!! - Bex :o)
"Here you go." Greg handed another cup of coffee to Nick, as Warrick took a sip from the one he'd just received. "You guys get some sleep?"
"A bit," Warrick replied. "You realise Grissom's gonna be pissed when he wakes up."
Greg shrugged at this. "More than before? But come on, you all need it. None of you were going to be any help if you were about to collapse from exhaustion."
Nick said nothing. He continued to nurse the mug between his fingers and stare endlessly into the dark liquid. "Nick, what is it?" Warrick inquired gently.
"Tonight's Sara's third night," He whispered hoarsely. "And we've gone over ever case so many times now, putting all our efforts into getting somewhere and we find nothing. It's going to take a miracle to find her in time."
"A miracle, Sinclair or Warner," Greg pointed out, trying his best to sound hopefully.
"Then I hope I'll do." They all turned towards the voice. In the break room doorway stood Jenny Sinclair. Her clothes were crinkled slightly and her hair had been pulled up into a clumsy bun, allowing strands of hair to fall out. She looked like she got there in a rush. In her arms, she cradled Melissa.
"Jenny," Warrick said and, without thinking, hurried over.
"Hi," She greeted unsurely.
"How are you?" He asked gently, wishing to ease her awkwardness around him.
"Better," She answered quickly, holding tightly onto Melissa as if using her to create space between herself and Warrick. "Grissom in his office?"
It only took a nod from Greg before she was off down the corridor, leaving Warrick to watch her go. Splitting his barely healing heart open once more.
~*~*~*~*~
Grissom stared at the black box clutched in his hand. Its very presence stirred tormented thoughts about loosing Catherine. Never before had the nightmare been so close to becoming a reality. He was too lost in his own world to hear the knock on the door. It wasn't until a voice spoke, did he realise that someone else was in the room with him: "That's for Cath isn't it?"
He looked up to see Jenny before him looking worse for wear. She gave him a sad smile, holding her daughter closer for comfort. Grissom answered her question with a curt nod and placed the box away. "Where have you been?" He asked quietly, "We needed you."
"I'm so sorry Grissom. What else can I say?" She replied, guilt and sorrow haunting her voice. "I'm here now and I promise you that you're going to be able to give that to her." She nodded towards the draw with the box in and a weak smile managed to touch Grissom's lips at her look of determination. A look that gave him hope.
"We've set out everything we have in the layout room," He informed her.
"Ok then," She said with a small smile, "If you take Melissa for a bit, I'll get on."
Grissom led her to the room, took her baby from her and went to join the others in the break room. There they sat and waited.
Every so often, Grissom would restlessly leave the others to walk to the layout room and peer in. Jenny would always be sitting there; either biting her lip out of habit as her eyes analysed the case files and hand furiously taking notes, or drumming her pen against the table as she mumbled things under her breath like 'what are you trying to prove?' or 'what are trying to tell me?'. How the sight reminded him of all the times he'd seen Brit work.
Gris would observe her for a few minutes, before heading back; this pattern continued for over two long hours, 'til she emerged in the break room doorframe. Her eyes flickered nervously at the expectant faces. "I think I have something," She began slowly, but cut the others off before they could speak, "But I need to check it with Brit to be certain. We haven't got time for mistakes."
Understanding her reasons, even if the others didn't, Gris nodded. "Fine. We're taking my car and I'm driving."
~*~*~*~*~
The three men, one woman and child now stood on the worn steps in front of the small house. Holding Melissa in one arm, Jenny used the other to reach out and knock on the door. "I don't care what the hell ya trying to sell," A loud bark came bursting from behind the shut door, "I don't want to buy it. And you have got three seconds to scram, before I open this door and introduce your face to my shotgu-" He cut himself off abruptly when he saw who was standing on the other side of the door. "Jenny!" Then he eyed the other men standing with her and raised an eyebrow. "And company."
Maybe it was just paranoia, but Warrick swore that Brit's eyes narrowed into an icy glare upon seeing him. Nervously, he shuffled back, thankful that the old man's attention went back to Jen when she started talking: "You don't really have a gun with you, do you Brit?'
The arm that was still half concealed by the door moved slightly and a clutter followed this action as something hit the floor inside. "No," He denied innocently and Jen gave him a look. "Not that it's not good to see ya, but why are you here?"
She glanced quickly behind her at the others before answering, "I think we need to go inside."
He stepped aside, allowing them to file in. As Warrick entered the threshold, he was sure he spotted something long and silver hidden under a small table; but Brit stepped in front of it the second he spied him looking and gave him a menacing glare. Quickly, Warrick decided that it was probably safest to follow the others into the living room. Brit was the last to enter. "Sit down all of you and tell me what this is all about."
Jenny remained standing whilst the others found spaces to sit. "You heard about the guy who's killing the prostitutes and strippers?" Jenny asked. Brit nodded and she continued, "Well, he's taken Catherine and Sara."
The old man's orbs widen in shock and recollections of the time he went through the same ordeal, looking from Grissom to Nick with a look of empathy. "Oh god, that asshole," He breathed, "I'm so sorry."
"I need your help," Jenny told him, handing over the files and her notes. "We have to catch him Brit. We have to get them back."
Brit sat down heavily in his armchair and started to scan through her notes. "You have," He murmured and looked up to meet Jenny's expectant gaze. "All you need to know about him is here. All you need to know to catch him is here," He stated, tapping the paper in time to his words. "To find him, you have to stop thinking about him. You need to start thinking like him. You need to become him."
A scared look covered Jen's face and Warrick got to his feet. He remembered what happened last time Brit got her to do this. He remembered the nightmares that haunted her for weeks afterwards. "I'm not sure if that's the be-" He began, but Brit cut him off with a dangerous glare.
"When I want your opinion, which I sincerely doubt I ever will, I'll ask for it," He snapped; Warrick hastily sat back down and shut his mouth firmly. Brit's expression softened as he turned back to Jen and tenderly took her free hand in his. "Remember what I taught you; from the brain and the brain alone, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and jests, as well as our sorrow, pain, grief and tears..."
"The brain is also the seat of madness and delirium, of the fears and terrors which assail by night or day," She finished the quote off and nodded slightly. "I know, I know. To stop him, first we must understand his way of thinking. And to understand him, we must become him." She paused and held her daughter closer to her chest, as she tried to fight the fear from her face. "I'm just scared Brit," She confessed softly.
He nodded in understanding and squeezed her hand. "I know. But to save all we must risk all. You can do this Jen; I know you can. I'll be here to help you. I'm gonna take good care of you, I promise."
After she nodded again, he took Melissa from her and handed the infant over to Grissom. The child gurgled, unaware of what was happening around her. The men watched intensely as Jenny took a deep breath to try to regain her composure, whilst Brit sat down in front of her. "Now, tell me what you know," He commanded.
Jen took another breath. "He-"
"No," Brit cut in, "Not him. He is you and you are him."
"I'm sorry," She muttered and Brit gently touched her arm.
"It's ok, let's just start again."
"I...I..." Jenny Stuttered, as she shut her eyes tightly. "I'm a male. I'm single, living alone."
"How do we know that?" Brit questioned.
"Because of the type of crime. Who my victims are and how I treat them."
"Your victims? Do you really see them as that?"
She hesitated. "No. A victim must be innocent. I'm punishing them."
"Why?"
"Because of who they are. The immoral things they do. I'm saving them. I'm cleansing them."
"Cleansing?" Grissom asked before he could stop himself.
Jen spun around, her eyes glazed and an expression he never seen her ware before. This wasn't the Jenny he knew; this was someone else. "The white dresses - purity. Starvation - repenting. The water - cleansing."
"Rape?"
"Punishment."
Warrick was sure that they all felt the same chill running up and down their spine seeing her like this. Everything recognisable about her had vanished to be replaced by some sort of evil: a killer's mind. "Why did you use a condom? With the last girl, why did you use a condom when you didn't before?"
"Because I didn't rape the girls before," She blurted out to everyone's amazement, including herself.
"The guy with no hands," Warrick muttered to himself, but everyone heard. "Rick Tarantino; the crime scene was as clean as the others, he was killed after Portia and his DNA wasn't on record. He was your partner wasn't he?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you kill him?"
Jenny seemed to break free of the spell for a moment. The old her was back, trying to find the missing pieces of the puzzle. "Because he was getting greedy," She stated and looked round at the others. "He raped Portia twice, not once. Once is punishment, twice is enjoyment."
"What about Sara? Why did he take her?" Nick asked desperately.
Jenny scrunched her eyes tightly and held her head between her hands. "As a distraction," She said after a long pause. "To gain more time. So you'd become more focused on finding her and not the next girl."
"So she's safe? He's not going to kill her?"
"Yes."
"What about Cath," Grissom questioned, praying for the same answer. "She gave up stripping."
"That means nothing," Jen spat, her voice rising with every word, "She still degraded herself. She's still as bad. No one can be forgiven until they're punished for their sins. Until they are judged. She must b...."
Jenny chocked on her last words as she collapsed to the floor in hysterics, the last minutes taking their toll on her. Brit cradled her head in his lap, as he stroked her hair whilst she sobbed against his knees. "Shhh," Brit soothed. "It's alright now. You're safe. That wasn't you."
"But...but it felt like me," She sobbed, only barely audible above Melissa screams for her mother. The infant had seemed to sense something was wrong and had started to wail; much to Grissom's awkwardness as he tried to unsuccessfully calm her. "I know why he killed them. I began to understand why he killed them. It was as if I had done it inste-"
"But it wasn't," Brit insisted firmly, holding her head in his palms and staring straight into her eyes. "You have hurt no one. You couldn't hurt anyone, 'cause you don't have that in you. You're a good person with a good heart, remember that."
She feebly nodded and roughly brushed away her tears. Lovingly, Brit kissed her on the forehead. Warrick took Melissa from a panicked Grissom and gently rocked the baby 'til she settled again. "You did a great job, Jenny. I'm proud of you. Now go and fetch some coffee, it'll make you feel better," Brit told her with a smile.
She nodded obediently. She cast a glance at Warrick to make sure Melissa was all right and their eyes locked as they exchanged a faint smile.
The second she was out of earshot, Brit's face darkened and he strode over to Warrick, holding his cane out before the CSI's legs to block his retreat. " I don't know what the hell you did," He growled viciously, "But if Jenny ever comes here again in tear because of you, you're a dead man. And I could shoot you from LA and make it look like suicide. Do I make myself clear?'
Even though he couldn't see it, Warrick was certain that Grissom and Nick were staring at him questioningly, realising they'd found the reason behind Brit's and Jenny's disappearance. Warrick barely managed to nod in response; the old man's rage was petrifying and he had a sinking suspicion that this was only the eye of the storm. "Good," Brit snapped and backed away, just as Jenny walked back in carrying a tray of coffee.
She looked at each man's face in confusion. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Brit reassured her with a wide kind smile. "Nothing at all." He took the tray from her. "Coffee anyone?"
A/N: They're getting closer! I'm not sure how long it'll take me to write the next chapter, but I'll promise to do it ASAP. (But reviews are always encouraging!) But right now I want to know what you think; so hit that button NOW! Go on, you know you want to! :o)
A/N: Sorry that it took me so long. I have two excuses 1) very important course work and 2) this was a very challenging chapter to write. But thank you for bearing with me. And a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Sprinkles143, MissyJane, Elle9, The Madhatter2, cRaZyPiXiE, SisterBear and gilcathlover. You guys are amazing (pure and simple!)! Well we have both the return of Jenny and finally Brit in this chapter. I shall remind you that I don't have a forensic degree, limited psychology knowledge, nor am I a trained CSI, so I apologise for any mistakes. Well I bet you're fed up with the waffle and just want me to get on. R&R and ENJOY!!! - Bex :o)
"Here you go." Greg handed another cup of coffee to Nick, as Warrick took a sip from the one he'd just received. "You guys get some sleep?"
"A bit," Warrick replied. "You realise Grissom's gonna be pissed when he wakes up."
Greg shrugged at this. "More than before? But come on, you all need it. None of you were going to be any help if you were about to collapse from exhaustion."
Nick said nothing. He continued to nurse the mug between his fingers and stare endlessly into the dark liquid. "Nick, what is it?" Warrick inquired gently.
"Tonight's Sara's third night," He whispered hoarsely. "And we've gone over ever case so many times now, putting all our efforts into getting somewhere and we find nothing. It's going to take a miracle to find her in time."
"A miracle, Sinclair or Warner," Greg pointed out, trying his best to sound hopefully.
"Then I hope I'll do." They all turned towards the voice. In the break room doorway stood Jenny Sinclair. Her clothes were crinkled slightly and her hair had been pulled up into a clumsy bun, allowing strands of hair to fall out. She looked like she got there in a rush. In her arms, she cradled Melissa.
"Jenny," Warrick said and, without thinking, hurried over.
"Hi," She greeted unsurely.
"How are you?" He asked gently, wishing to ease her awkwardness around him.
"Better," She answered quickly, holding tightly onto Melissa as if using her to create space between herself and Warrick. "Grissom in his office?"
It only took a nod from Greg before she was off down the corridor, leaving Warrick to watch her go. Splitting his barely healing heart open once more.
~*~*~*~*~
Grissom stared at the black box clutched in his hand. Its very presence stirred tormented thoughts about loosing Catherine. Never before had the nightmare been so close to becoming a reality. He was too lost in his own world to hear the knock on the door. It wasn't until a voice spoke, did he realise that someone else was in the room with him: "That's for Cath isn't it?"
He looked up to see Jenny before him looking worse for wear. She gave him a sad smile, holding her daughter closer for comfort. Grissom answered her question with a curt nod and placed the box away. "Where have you been?" He asked quietly, "We needed you."
"I'm so sorry Grissom. What else can I say?" She replied, guilt and sorrow haunting her voice. "I'm here now and I promise you that you're going to be able to give that to her." She nodded towards the draw with the box in and a weak smile managed to touch Grissom's lips at her look of determination. A look that gave him hope.
"We've set out everything we have in the layout room," He informed her.
"Ok then," She said with a small smile, "If you take Melissa for a bit, I'll get on."
Grissom led her to the room, took her baby from her and went to join the others in the break room. There they sat and waited.
Every so often, Grissom would restlessly leave the others to walk to the layout room and peer in. Jenny would always be sitting there; either biting her lip out of habit as her eyes analysed the case files and hand furiously taking notes, or drumming her pen against the table as she mumbled things under her breath like 'what are you trying to prove?' or 'what are trying to tell me?'. How the sight reminded him of all the times he'd seen Brit work.
Gris would observe her for a few minutes, before heading back; this pattern continued for over two long hours, 'til she emerged in the break room doorframe. Her eyes flickered nervously at the expectant faces. "I think I have something," She began slowly, but cut the others off before they could speak, "But I need to check it with Brit to be certain. We haven't got time for mistakes."
Understanding her reasons, even if the others didn't, Gris nodded. "Fine. We're taking my car and I'm driving."
~*~*~*~*~
The three men, one woman and child now stood on the worn steps in front of the small house. Holding Melissa in one arm, Jenny used the other to reach out and knock on the door. "I don't care what the hell ya trying to sell," A loud bark came bursting from behind the shut door, "I don't want to buy it. And you have got three seconds to scram, before I open this door and introduce your face to my shotgu-" He cut himself off abruptly when he saw who was standing on the other side of the door. "Jenny!" Then he eyed the other men standing with her and raised an eyebrow. "And company."
Maybe it was just paranoia, but Warrick swore that Brit's eyes narrowed into an icy glare upon seeing him. Nervously, he shuffled back, thankful that the old man's attention went back to Jen when she started talking: "You don't really have a gun with you, do you Brit?'
The arm that was still half concealed by the door moved slightly and a clutter followed this action as something hit the floor inside. "No," He denied innocently and Jen gave him a look. "Not that it's not good to see ya, but why are you here?"
She glanced quickly behind her at the others before answering, "I think we need to go inside."
He stepped aside, allowing them to file in. As Warrick entered the threshold, he was sure he spotted something long and silver hidden under a small table; but Brit stepped in front of it the second he spied him looking and gave him a menacing glare. Quickly, Warrick decided that it was probably safest to follow the others into the living room. Brit was the last to enter. "Sit down all of you and tell me what this is all about."
Jenny remained standing whilst the others found spaces to sit. "You heard about the guy who's killing the prostitutes and strippers?" Jenny asked. Brit nodded and she continued, "Well, he's taken Catherine and Sara."
The old man's orbs widen in shock and recollections of the time he went through the same ordeal, looking from Grissom to Nick with a look of empathy. "Oh god, that asshole," He breathed, "I'm so sorry."
"I need your help," Jenny told him, handing over the files and her notes. "We have to catch him Brit. We have to get them back."
Brit sat down heavily in his armchair and started to scan through her notes. "You have," He murmured and looked up to meet Jenny's expectant gaze. "All you need to know about him is here. All you need to know to catch him is here," He stated, tapping the paper in time to his words. "To find him, you have to stop thinking about him. You need to start thinking like him. You need to become him."
A scared look covered Jen's face and Warrick got to his feet. He remembered what happened last time Brit got her to do this. He remembered the nightmares that haunted her for weeks afterwards. "I'm not sure if that's the be-" He began, but Brit cut him off with a dangerous glare.
"When I want your opinion, which I sincerely doubt I ever will, I'll ask for it," He snapped; Warrick hastily sat back down and shut his mouth firmly. Brit's expression softened as he turned back to Jen and tenderly took her free hand in his. "Remember what I taught you; from the brain and the brain alone, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and jests, as well as our sorrow, pain, grief and tears..."
"The brain is also the seat of madness and delirium, of the fears and terrors which assail by night or day," She finished the quote off and nodded slightly. "I know, I know. To stop him, first we must understand his way of thinking. And to understand him, we must become him." She paused and held her daughter closer to her chest, as she tried to fight the fear from her face. "I'm just scared Brit," She confessed softly.
He nodded in understanding and squeezed her hand. "I know. But to save all we must risk all. You can do this Jen; I know you can. I'll be here to help you. I'm gonna take good care of you, I promise."
After she nodded again, he took Melissa from her and handed the infant over to Grissom. The child gurgled, unaware of what was happening around her. The men watched intensely as Jenny took a deep breath to try to regain her composure, whilst Brit sat down in front of her. "Now, tell me what you know," He commanded.
Jen took another breath. "He-"
"No," Brit cut in, "Not him. He is you and you are him."
"I'm sorry," She muttered and Brit gently touched her arm.
"It's ok, let's just start again."
"I...I..." Jenny Stuttered, as she shut her eyes tightly. "I'm a male. I'm single, living alone."
"How do we know that?" Brit questioned.
"Because of the type of crime. Who my victims are and how I treat them."
"Your victims? Do you really see them as that?"
She hesitated. "No. A victim must be innocent. I'm punishing them."
"Why?"
"Because of who they are. The immoral things they do. I'm saving them. I'm cleansing them."
"Cleansing?" Grissom asked before he could stop himself.
Jen spun around, her eyes glazed and an expression he never seen her ware before. This wasn't the Jenny he knew; this was someone else. "The white dresses - purity. Starvation - repenting. The water - cleansing."
"Rape?"
"Punishment."
Warrick was sure that they all felt the same chill running up and down their spine seeing her like this. Everything recognisable about her had vanished to be replaced by some sort of evil: a killer's mind. "Why did you use a condom? With the last girl, why did you use a condom when you didn't before?"
"Because I didn't rape the girls before," She blurted out to everyone's amazement, including herself.
"The guy with no hands," Warrick muttered to himself, but everyone heard. "Rick Tarantino; the crime scene was as clean as the others, he was killed after Portia and his DNA wasn't on record. He was your partner wasn't he?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you kill him?"
Jenny seemed to break free of the spell for a moment. The old her was back, trying to find the missing pieces of the puzzle. "Because he was getting greedy," She stated and looked round at the others. "He raped Portia twice, not once. Once is punishment, twice is enjoyment."
"What about Sara? Why did he take her?" Nick asked desperately.
Jenny scrunched her eyes tightly and held her head between her hands. "As a distraction," She said after a long pause. "To gain more time. So you'd become more focused on finding her and not the next girl."
"So she's safe? He's not going to kill her?"
"Yes."
"What about Cath," Grissom questioned, praying for the same answer. "She gave up stripping."
"That means nothing," Jen spat, her voice rising with every word, "She still degraded herself. She's still as bad. No one can be forgiven until they're punished for their sins. Until they are judged. She must b...."
Jenny chocked on her last words as she collapsed to the floor in hysterics, the last minutes taking their toll on her. Brit cradled her head in his lap, as he stroked her hair whilst she sobbed against his knees. "Shhh," Brit soothed. "It's alright now. You're safe. That wasn't you."
"But...but it felt like me," She sobbed, only barely audible above Melissa screams for her mother. The infant had seemed to sense something was wrong and had started to wail; much to Grissom's awkwardness as he tried to unsuccessfully calm her. "I know why he killed them. I began to understand why he killed them. It was as if I had done it inste-"
"But it wasn't," Brit insisted firmly, holding her head in his palms and staring straight into her eyes. "You have hurt no one. You couldn't hurt anyone, 'cause you don't have that in you. You're a good person with a good heart, remember that."
She feebly nodded and roughly brushed away her tears. Lovingly, Brit kissed her on the forehead. Warrick took Melissa from a panicked Grissom and gently rocked the baby 'til she settled again. "You did a great job, Jenny. I'm proud of you. Now go and fetch some coffee, it'll make you feel better," Brit told her with a smile.
She nodded obediently. She cast a glance at Warrick to make sure Melissa was all right and their eyes locked as they exchanged a faint smile.
The second she was out of earshot, Brit's face darkened and he strode over to Warrick, holding his cane out before the CSI's legs to block his retreat. " I don't know what the hell you did," He growled viciously, "But if Jenny ever comes here again in tear because of you, you're a dead man. And I could shoot you from LA and make it look like suicide. Do I make myself clear?'
Even though he couldn't see it, Warrick was certain that Grissom and Nick were staring at him questioningly, realising they'd found the reason behind Brit's and Jenny's disappearance. Warrick barely managed to nod in response; the old man's rage was petrifying and he had a sinking suspicion that this was only the eye of the storm. "Good," Brit snapped and backed away, just as Jenny walked back in carrying a tray of coffee.
She looked at each man's face in confusion. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Brit reassured her with a wide kind smile. "Nothing at all." He took the tray from her. "Coffee anyone?"
A/N: They're getting closer! I'm not sure how long it'll take me to write the next chapter, but I'll promise to do it ASAP. (But reviews are always encouraging!) But right now I want to know what you think; so hit that button NOW! Go on, you know you want to! :o)