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Chapter 14

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Not fifteeen minutes later, the apartment was buzzing with activity. Federal agents and members of LVPD filled the front room, asking questions and trying to bully Carlton into talking. By the time Grissom had managed to leave the back room without waking Sara, Catherine and Nick were already searching him out.

"There you are," Catherine exclaimed. "What's going o-Why are you bleeding?"

"I'll explain everything in a minute," Grissom said quickly. "Just follow me."

Pushing his way through the crowd, he searched for Carlton. He didn't make it very far before he bumped into someone he would've much rather avoided.

"Grissom! So glad you could make it to our litle powwow."

The egocentric grin of Rick Culpepper turned his stomach upside-down. Pasting a smile on his face, Grissom asked as politely as he could, "What are you doing here, Culpepper?"

"Well, I heard that our little star Agent Sidle bagged The Widower. I came to congratulate her... and of course, try to put some order into this little circus of yours."

Grissom grimaced. "Of course you did... Wh-"

"Where is the little spitfire, anyways? You'd think she'd want to enjoy such a triumph with those who supported her..."

Grissom's face reddened and his hands balled into fists. It was all he could do not to respond to that...but then he remembered who he was looking for. "If you'll excuse me," he said quietly before pushing past Culpepper and towards the large crowd surrounding Carlton.

When he found him, he pulled him aside, away fom the others. "What the hell is going on here?"

Carlton shook his head. "I called for backup when you went for Agent Sidle. I didn't know the whole damn department would show up."

Looking around, Grissom sighed. The group was getting louder and more impatient by the minute, and f it got any worse, Sara would be woken. He was going to have to say something.

Damn it, he thought. He hated people...

Pulling out a chair from the nearby table and pushing three people out of the way to do so, he stood on it and looked out over the heads of the crowd. Clearing his throat, he vied for their attention. Eventually, heads began to turn and the room began to quiet.

"Thank you," Grissom managed. "As you all most likely know, backup was called to this apartment 30 minutes ago in regards to another attack by the Widower, and-"

He was interrupted as the room erupted with questions.

"Where is he?"

"What happened?"

"Why are we here?"

"Did Sidle catch him?"

Grissom held up a hand to quiet them. "If you'll hold your questions, I'll explain the situation." Silence once again returned, the air thick with curiosity and tension. "You're here because the attack happened in the apartment upstairs. You've all been informed of Agent Sidle's progress with the case, as well as the many struggles, and I'm sure that you're all eager to help, but right now what I need is not for you to go upstairs and trample on the scene. I need my CSIs to be able to go up and process undisturbed."

Culpepper struggled his way to the front. "What do you mean, your CSIs? This is a Federal case! I'm in charge here!"

"No, you're not, Culpepper," Grissom challenged, a look of satisfaction crossing his face. "Agent Sidle is. This is her case, and she is sharing juisdiction with the Las Vegas lab, which means my CSIs process the scene."

Culpepper's face burned with anger. "But Sidle caught him! Why does the scene need to be processed at all?"

A voice rose from behind the crowd. "Because he's dead."

The crowd began to part, and Grissom watched as Sara made her way toward him.

Culpepper stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean, he's dead?"

"I killed him," she stated flatly. "After he threw me into my nightstand, it became clear that simple negotiation wasn't going to work, so when he tried to shoot us, I unloaded four bullets into his chest."

At this, Carlton spoke up. "We have most of the encounter on tape, sir."

Culpepper looked from one to other, not sure how he should respond, clearly not used to being out of the loop. Finally, his anger boiled over, and he shouted, "Why the hell wasn't I involved in this?"

Catherine smiled from behind Grissom. "I guess they didn't want to bother you while you were so busy on Ecklie's case."

Snickers rose from around the room as Culpepper's face flushed, staring at Catherine and Nick as they headed out the apartment door and up the stairs to process Sara's apartment, leaving Culpepper standing in the middle of the crowded room staring after them. Hethen turned, awestruck,towardGrissom and Sara, who now were level on the floor with him.

Sara spoke up. "You're no longer needed, Culpepper. You and your croonies can leave... Oh, and that's an order."

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A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers! This story has been a blast to write, and now that it's almost done, I really feel like I've accomplished something... All of your comments have been a tremendous help and a great encouragement!

Kasey: I couldn't open the link you sent me, but just print them out and I'll get them from you when I see you next... Hope that's soon! You know I love you! You've been such a great help... Thanx for everything! The Sisterhood wouldn't be the same without you!

Transylvanian: You have no idea how much it means to have a regular reviewer like you... You're honest, and honest reviews help to make a story great. Thank you for everything.

Lanta: I'm glad you found the chapter satisfactory... I must have rewritten it a dozen times to make it perfect! Sara is a strong woman, but even she isn't invincible, and I think that I wanted to make that as clear to her as to my readers.

Thanks again to everyone. Your comments have been a great help, especially since I haven't finished writing yet! So keep 'em coming! I hope the end turns out as well as the rest! Toodles till next time!

-Fayre