Disclaimer: Not mine. They are the property of CBS.

Spoiler: No Humans Involved

I want to say thank you for the wonderful feedback I have been receiving. The story will be moving into a new direction soon. As I am trying to keep them in character, the later chapters are difficult as I am trying to successfully negotiate some GSR without jumping the shark.

Hope to keep you with me,

Sheila

Chapter 10

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"Viktor!" Dolly yelled again. "I want that bitch out of the laundry room in one hour, do you hear me?"

"Shut up, Dolly. You open that door again, and I'm going to pound you!"

Dolly dropped her head back and closed her eyes. Sara watched her, breathless. Dolly was changing the rules, and Sara didn't even know the game.

The woman finally pulled her head up. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "He's going to kill me one of these days. And I'm tired of holding my breath. I can't take it anymore."

Sara nodded. Dolly got up and put the baby carefully in his crib. Then she turned to Sara. "I got a ton of laundry in the closet here. Let's pull it out and bury you underneath."

Sara crawled over to the closet, and helped her take dirty, baby clothes out of the closet. The sharp smell of dirty diapers didn't even register for her. She crawled into the corner, and let Dolly pile clothes on her. Finally, only her face showed.

"Okay," Dolly said. "He discovers you are missing, and I play dumb. When he starts running around the neighborhood with his head cut off, I sneak you out the back. Got it?"

"Thank you." Sara tried to put her heart into those simple words.

Dolly smiled. "Idiot thinks I only know how to whore. Next week, I get my real estate license, and a job at an realty office downtown. I'm going to show that bastard just who needs who."

All of sudden, bellowing erupted down the hall. Sara grimaced. "He knows I'm gone."

Dolly started throwing more diapers on top of her. "Lay down!" She hissed.

Sara crouched helpless in the corner of the bedroom closet. Images of Hannah curled up like this came to her. She wondered if what happened next would be another thing that she and Hannah had in common. The screaming and yelling filled the house. Doors were opened and then slammed. Furniture was pushed over. Sara clutched the scissors tight against her thigh.

Then she felt the bedroom door fly open. She held her breath. The sound of feet pounding into the room. Then a scream, and Viktor yelling. "Bitch, tell me where she is."

There was choking and then, "Stop it, Viktor. I don't know anything! Please!"

Sara shifted under the clothes. She prepared herself to jump. Leaving Dolly to this monster was not an option. If this was going to be her last act, she was going to do it right.

"Vikt--" She heard something fall to the ground.

"Lay there, Bitch. I finish with you when I find the other whore." The terrible sound of him disappeared down the hall.

Sara crawled out of the closet, and headed to Dolly. The woman lay sprawled on the ground. An image of her mother blinked in her eyes, but she squeezed them shut and kept crawling. She put her hand over Dolly to feel for air. Her hand were too sweaty to register. She ran her hand down her arm until she found a wrist. Pushing firmly, she felt for a pulse. A solid beat pounded against her thumb. She let out a sigh of relief. She sat back on her knees for a moment. Behind her, she heard a noise. Wheeling around, she found Viktor standing in the doorway, arms folded, a grin stretching his face. She gasped and pedaled backward until she hit the wall.

Viktor laughed. "Pretty girl. You are so crafty. Why? You don't want to miss the party, do you?"

Sara blinked and looked about the room. The baby had woken, and was trying to pull himself up by the bars of his crib. She wondered how much the boy was going to understand about the atrocities happening around him..

Viktor leaped forward suddenly, and grabbed her arm. He pulled her to her feet. She resisted, but he jerked her forward. In an instant, her hand appeared, and she stabbed Viktor in the chest with her scissors. He howled, and dropped her, stumbling backward, the scissors sticking out of his chest. Viktor swayed against the doorframe, blocking her way out of the room. She willed him to fall, but instead he steadied himself, and then reached over and pulled the implement from his chest. This set off more yowling. In frustration, he threw the scissors against the wall to her left. She watched the scissors, and prepared to lunge. Viktor came barreling at her. He picked her up and slammed her to the ground. Everything went dark for a moment, and she struggled to stay lucid. She was on her stomach now, and Viktor had crawled on top of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied the scissors and reached out her arm. Strained, her arm still stopped short of the prize.

Viktor saw her arm stretch and laughed. "So you want to feel the cold steel. Okay, whore." His long arm reached beyond her, and scooped the scissors. He straddled her back and held her down. For a moment, neither moved. There was only the sounds of their labored breathing.

"Ready?" She felt his body lunge upward as his arm stretched. She closed her eyes and waited for the explosion of pain. A loud noise erupted, and Viktor fell on top of her. She felt her life slide away from her.

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Grissom stepped back as a spray of red splattered the room. For the first time, Blood spatter patterns moved beyond the theoretical. Nothing moved. He wasn't sure if he could make out 2 or 3 bodies. Most prominent was the large man lying in front of him. A large portion of his brain matter littered the ground around him. Suddenly, he felt the warmth of the gun in his hand. He regarded it with curiosity. Then he returned his attention to the scene. There was definitely a form beneath the man. An outstretched hand caught his attention. The long, slim fingers, nails cut close. It was Sara's hand, and it didn't move. He let out something that sounded like a whimper. He took a step forward, and felt the room turn. He back stepped to catch his balance, and his legs folded beneath him. He landed in a sitting position with a thump. He turned his head, and found someone standing beside him. Brass lowered his gun, and blinked.

"Is she under there?"

Grissom shook his head. "I can't…."

"It's okay." Catherine moved past both of them. She knelt next to the exploded man, and reached for Sara's hand. She picked it up gently and held. And she turned her head, her eyes moist, and smiled.

"It's weak, but she's got a good rhythm."

Grissom tried to return the gesture, but his face felt numb. He wanted to get up and help, get the ugly corpse off of her, but he felt completely devoid of strength. It seemed all he could do to keep his head upright. Brass knelt beside him, and carefully put his fingers around the gun. He nodded at Grissom, and slowly coaxed the gun out of his hand.

The room was crowded now. Warrick stepped around him delicately, pausing to squeeze his shoulder. Nicky positioned himself on the other side of the corpse. A discussion began, but it felt hollow and distant. Grissom watched with a detached interest as Catherine organized the scene. Brass began arguing with people out in the hallway who wanted to come in. Lieutenant Monroe leaned in and gestured to Grissom. Brass reached over and pulled him back into the hall. He blinked at them, and then returned his attention to his CSI's.

Grunting, Warrick and Nick lifted the big man, and moved him to the side. The body crumpled to the ground. There was another noise, unexpected, and Nick moved toward it. Grissom focused his attention on Sara's body. He questioned Catherine's conclusions. Sara looked deathly still. He felt a chill run down his spine. He mumbled something about his doubts, trying to get Catherine's attention. Her head came up, and she assured him that Sara was okay. He furled his brow, reasoning that a healthy person would be able to get up by now. He thought about challenging her again, but she was no longer paying him any attention.

Catherine started barking commands, and people starting shifting out into the hallway including Warrick and Nick. Grissom wondered where Nick acquired the baby he carried in his arms. Paramedics swarmed in, carrying their large boxes of equipment. Without ceremony, they pushed him back and unpacked their gear. Grissom felt hands pull him to his feet, and he was led out of the room.

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TBC