Summary: Strange events in the form of murder leave nothing, but trouble and confusion. Nick and Warrick are pulled into a world they were not ready for. It threatens not only their lives, but their sanity.

Disclaimer: This is all written in fun and trial for something new. Everything CSI is not mine and never will be. It belongs to the creative talent of the actors, the writers, the directors, and producers. I am not making any money off of this. Only meant to offer something new on something already so great. No reason to sue.

Author's Note: It seems that everyone is still with me up to this point. Thanks for all the support and to the new reviewers, welcome! Nothing like a stabbing to bring people out from the wood work. So, take a nice deep breath and read on. Maybe some of your questions will be answered…maybe. Only one way to tell! Don't let me hold you back. Only two more chapters and the epilogue to go! Still enough time to arrange for a funeral….oops, still typing! Bye!

Title: Poisonous Fear

By: duffshel

#22

Detective Vartann never liked to be left in the dark. He had been busy with the day shift so he only just learned about the mess the grave yard shift had gotten themselves into. A growl left his throat as he stalked the lab's hallways looking for Brass or Vega. Neither of his fellow officers was answering his phone and it was getting plainly annoying.

It hadn't been easy, but he managed to avoid Ecklie. Never had liked that man. But there was no way to avoid Sara as she tore across the tiles looking ready to burn him to ash. He didn't even know she was back from her little vacation.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, "You should be with Brass trying to arrest someone."

Vartann held up his hands, palms forward, "And where would you like me to go? I know probably about as much as you seem to Ms. Sidle."

"Oh, don't give me that crap."

She was mad and it was clear as glass. Even a blind, deaf person would be able to tell something was up with this brown haired woman in front of him. He didn't want to remain the man front of her with this situation in place. There was still that promotion he wanted.

"You can call one of them. See where they are, can't you!"

"Sure, I could do that. But only if you calm down," Vartann reached for his phone and hit the speed dial for Brass' phone.

Sara watched him like a hawk as he waited for his call to be picked up. It only took three rings, but it seemed all eternity. The captain was short with him and didn't sound pleased. But he did get the location of Sam and Catherine out of him. He smiled.

"Come on. We have some driving to do."

"Where are we going?" Sara jogged to keep up with his wider gait, "What do you know?"

Vartann turned a raised eyebrow and a grin to her, "Have you confessed recently?"

"What?"

Nothing, but a smirk. Sara scowled after the cop as he walked out of the lab. There were days where she really hated her friends in uniform. Especially cocky detectives and captains.

!#$&()!#$&()!#$&()+

Something was odd about this building. It seemed as if it should be much larger than it was. Vega scratched behind his ear as he thought about this. He would love to have the prints for this place in his hands at that very moment. It would make things so much easier.

He had circled the dungy bricks at least five times now and nothing was standing out. Kehls had nodded at him at every pass. The younger man probably though he had lost it or was simply looking for some good old exercise. Vega shook his head and smiled.

His phone had been oddly quiet. A call from Brass had been expected, but there wasn't one. The 419 didn't sound that complicated and it shouldn't have taken them that long at the scene. It was connected to this mess they were all in.

Sam was about to lap the front door again when his attention was dragged right from his thoughts. Catherine was standing at the top of the stairs now, apparently looking for him. Her eyes lit up when she took in his form and she almost skipped over to stand next to him.

"Find anything?'

He shrugged, "Something is odd about this place. Can't put my finger on it."

"Yeah, I have similar suspicions, but haven't found anything in the office yet. Everyone has left the main room. Needed to take a break and get my head cleared out."

He left that one alone. Sam had worked with the fiery CSI enough times to know when to leave things well enough alone. Her bark was impressive, but the bite was just plain scary.

Catherine took a deep breath, stretching out her spine, "I suppose. Can't have it get to Grissom that I was busy looking at the scenery and not the evidence."

Her steps weren't quite as bouncy on her return into the building, but Sam wouldn't fault her for that. A quick glance skyward, a deep breath. He started another circle, eyes open for anything. It was a car speeding up to him that stopped him this time.

Sara almost threw herself at him once she was free from the confines of the car, "Where are they?"

"I don't know. Catherine's inside, the office. We're working on it."

A curt nod was all he got as she ran into the church. Vartann stopped next to him and looked up at the building. He knew his fellow detective knew nothing major about this case and probably was ready to learn about it.

"Come on. I'll fill you in on the way."

"Way?"

Sam grinned, "Yeah. We're making laps."

!#$&()!#$&()!#$&()+

There were a lot of empty wooden benches in the large room, but Sara didn't bother with them. She saw the open door and the light on inside. Vega had said Catherine was in the office and that had to be it. Sure enough, the older woman was inside sitting at the desk.

"Where are they?"

Catherine looked up, "Sara? When did you get back?"

"Cut the crap. What's going on?"

"I'm sure you heard about the guys. Sam and I think they are being kept by someone from the church, if not Tenner himself."

"Yeah, Vartann knew a little, but not enough to satisfy me. What can I help with?"

"Just look for anything that looks out of the ordinary. I haven't seen anything, but maybe you will."

Sara shook her head, "Not that I really know what to look for."

The younger woman started to walk around the room, running her hand over the walls as she went. It was an odd office for someone who ran a church. She knew little about this place, but had heard something about a cult being run out of it. If the guys were caught up in something like that, it couldn't be good.

Her fingers jumped off the dry wall. Sara stopped and looked right to the left of her fingers. There was a line running through the wall. Looking up and down, it formed almost the frame of a door. A frown covered her face as she ran her fingers along it some more.

Underneath a poster, there was a handle. Sara glanced at Catherine before she grabbed it and pulled. It opened with a groan and a rush of damp air. Chirps and creaks filled the room. She could sense Catherine walk up besides her as they both looked into the tiny closet. There were plenty of colors from the various frogs inside the little glass cages.

"What's this?"

But Catherine was already fumbling to get her phone. Sara blocked out the conversation she was having with someone as she stepped forward into the small paradise. The creatures were beautiful. Her hand reached out and pressed against the cool glass. The red frog jumped away from her.

"Sara, we need to get out of here now."

Sara turned to the blonde woman, "Why?"

"Because we have our proof of Mr. Tenner's involvement right in this room. He uses the toxin from these frogs to paralyze the victims as they kill them."

"And he has the guys!"

"Yeah. This is why we have to move."

Catherine walked quickly from the room, not waiting to make sure Sara was following her. The sunlight was bright in her eyes as she walked from the church one more time. Neither of the officers were on the sidewalk anymore. She heard Andrew say hi to Sara behind her. They were the only ones in this area.

She pursed her lips as she walked down the stairs and turned left. Catherine knew Sam had been circling the building, watching for anything. It was best to see if she could meet up with them on the way. Maybe they would have found something by now. After all, it was help from Sara that the frogs were found.

The two women's shoes clicked and clanked as they walked on the uneven ground surrounding the church. Its lawn left much to the imagination. There was mostly only dirt and weeds. But they both made good time as they walked swiftly to the back of the building. They stopped dead when they saw the scene in front of them.

!#$&()!#$&()!#$&()+

Jacob Tenner stood tall over his fallen pray. The blood was rapidly surrounding the area around the dagger handle. It almost looked romantic sticking out from Nick's back. But there was no time to quote poetry over this now. Later he would.

He listened to the sobs that ripped from Warrick even as he tried to call his friend back from the dead. The man was shaken, slowly giving into his fate. Tenner wasn't going to kill Warrick as he had planned. He had to leave this place and soon. The toxin would do it for him and leave Grissom alone with two dead CSI's.

Looking over at the lead CSI, Tenner's smile grew. Grissom looked completely shell shocked. He was quiet, mouth open only to help him breathe. Tears had welled up on his lashes, but none had fallen down his pale cheeks yet. But it was clear the pain Warrick was sharing was slowly killing him as well.

"I am afraid your friends have made us cut this short. Maybe if they leave and don't come back by tomorrow, I will come back and check on you Grissom."

This got him a look from the other man, "Yes, only you. By then, Warrick will be long gone. Submitted to the poison running through his heart. Then you and I can have another conversation and you can describe to me how it felt to remain in this room with these two dead at your feet. Maybe you will then understand my gods."

Silence was his only answer. He didn't waste anymore time with more words as he walked towards the doorway leading into the room with his other men. They had to leave together and not let the cops know something else was going on down below. Tenner checked his hands and found them clear of blood.

"Sleep tight and don't fight," he pulled the door shut behind him, leaving the CSI's alone within the room.

Grissom shook himself from his trance and looked down at Warrick who was still down on the ground from his previous fall. The tall man was lost in his grief now and had stopped calling to Nick. His air was solely for his cries now.

Nick remained still on the floor, blood slowly trickling to the ground. A red puddle was spreading from the man. Grissom couldn't see his chest rise or fall. A chocked noise escaped him. It hurt. People had died around him before and death was a constant companion. But this was different. This was one of his guys. Dead. Bleeding.

"Warrick?"

He was ignored, but Grissom expected nothing less. Warrick was lost to him at that moment. Whatever grasp his CSI had was gone. Grissom knew there was little chance he would get him back if things kept going in this direction. Death was knocking on that door as well.

The ropes chaffed and ripped at his skin as he fought with them yet again. It was pointless, but it gave his mind something else to focus on. Not the blood, or the tears. But it caused Grissom to do something most people had rarely heard for the second time that day. He screamed out in frustration and anger.

Warrick gasped at the echoes that bounced back at him from the sudden sound. He chocked on a sob and forced his head to crane upward to seek out Grissom. His boss had his head thrown back, eyes tightly shut. It shook him more than it should have.

"Gris?"

The soft call of his name made Grissom shot his head downward, cracking his neck in the process, "Warrick! I need you pull yourself together."

It sounded cold and he knew it. But Grissom was at a loss with words for this. Fighting down his own pain, he focused completely on Warrick. The other man was watching him.

"I need you to calm down. You can do nothing in that state."

"It doesn't matter. Those fuckers took Nick away! I'm as good as dead. It's pointless!" He yelled through his tears.

Anger and rage was something Warrick could deal with. This sudden depression and pain was new to him. It scared him. He didn't know what to do to "calm" himself down as Grissom put it so kindly. So he yelled.

"You can't get us out of this!"

Grissom nodded and collected himself as best he could, "I may not be able to. But don't forget about one thing. There are cops upstairs and Catherine might be with them. She will find us."

The mention of Catherine's name seemed to work. Warrick gasped for another breath and fought down the new round of pain. It was possible they knew they were here and trying to get to them right now. He turned to look at Nick again. There might be hope.

"I'm sorry," it was completely breathless, but Grissom caught it anyways.

"There is nothing to be sorry for. You needed to do that."

"Do you think Nick will make it?"

Grissom bit his lip and looked at the puddle turning into a pool of blood under the Texan, "I don't know."

It was honest and quiet. Warrick could ask for nothing more. From his angle, Nick was as good as dead. He could see the blood. The tears hadn't blinded him. Another sob threatened to break lose, but he swallowed it. Along with the burning pain building in his stomach. The poison was back to play. His eyes fell shut.

Both men kept themselves locked in their own thoughts. It hurt more than Warrick would have ever thought. He loved Nick as a brother. Never had he through they would be separated in such a way. If they were to die because of the job, it was supposed to be together. Side by side. Not like this, never like this.

The creak of the door forced them both to hold their breath. Tenner had said he would be back. It was possible he turned the cops away and was able to stay. Grissom closed his eyes in defeat. With Tenner back, they had no hope. He would die here as well.

Footsteps sounded in the room, but Grissom didn't care. The breathing was soft, the gait smooth. Tenner was taking in the sights. Grissom fought from flinching as a hand rested against the flesh of his cheek. Now his eyes clenched shut. For once, he lost his mask and let all his emotions show on his face.

It was over.

TBC…