I don't know if the CSI building actually has 12 floors cause I've been to lazy to research. And I definitely don't know where the rooms and stuff are at…. I'm just making things up as I go…

Oh and I don't own 'Do you really want to hurt me' by Boy George.

And I made up the radio station. Just in case you were wondering.

The grammar issues are mine and mine alone.

Chapter 1

"Just push the button"

She gritted her teeth, expecting the worse as the ceiling inched its way closer.

1…

2…

She smiled in irony. She hadn't meant it literally but she'd always thought she would die at work. And now she was actually here, inching to her death… on an elevator.

3..

4..

5…

'What a way to go.' She told herself, being careful not to talk. She couldn't figure out why, but her throat was burning like hell and she felt as if she had just drank a whole bottle of acid. She figured that it must have had something to do with how she had gotten there and she would have contemplated on it, if it were not for the fact that she was nearing death.

6.

PING!

She breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she heard and felt the elevator come to a stop.

'Break room. Grissom's handing out assignments.' She realized. She heard Grissom and Catherine's footsteps fade. Her eyes widened when she was realized that she was halfway through the top.

The ceiling seemed clearer now and she shuddered at the thought of being crushed into it.

'Can't I just die right now?' She hoped to God that somebody would realize that she had disappeared.

'They realize I disappear and then what? They suddenly decide to go look for me atop an elevator?'

She found it funny that in a way, she had actually escaped death. Biting her lower lip, she made a mental note to thank whoever designed the 12 story building. She had a 1 in 12 chance of dying and 11 in 12 chances of living. With her condition, that was an awful lot of chances.

She knew however that the fact that Grissom's office was in the twelfth floor decreased her chances of living down to zilch. The man spent a lot of time in his office, and she knew that it'd only be a matter of time before he'd finish handing out assignments.

'My whole life hanging in the balance with a button called 12.' She thought sarcastically.

She shook her head when she heard the elevator open up again. The ceiling however, went farther away this time. 'Lucky me.'

5

4

3

2

1

She heard a couple of lab technicians giggling and rolled her eyes. 'Headed for the seventh floor. Laboratory.' She guessed.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

The elevator screeched to a halt on the seventh and she grinned triumphantly. 'I knew it!'

She waited for the next group of people to go inside.

The guessing game only lasted a few minutes. A couple of times the elevator had ran up to the tenth floor which had somewhat freaked her out.

'What the hell happened to me?'

As if by cue a piece of paper fell out of her pocket. A frown spread across her features when she read it.

CSI Sidle,

Your life in the hands of your co-workers. Literally.

I told you not to get in that car but you did. I tried to save your life, did I not? I also told you to stop shouting and look where it got you? And now you're here. Here because you're a stubborn bitch.

If they ever do get you out of this, I will come back for you. If you beg enough, I might even take you with me.

-Charlie.


"Where's Sara?" Grissom asked as soon as he realized that Sara wasn't in the break room. He found it disconcerting that the CSI was not in her usual spot. She was usually the first one there when he gave out assignments and when he'd rung her a few times a couple of hours ago to ask about the case she was working on, the CSI hadn't answered.

"Maybe she's at home? Sleeping? She has worked a double shift. The woman needs a break." Warrick suggested, trying to ease the tension in the air. He shifted in his seat and looked at the rest of the team uneasily

"Her cars still in the lot. I think I saw it."

It was at that moment that Greg barged into the break room carrying a hand held stereo.

"Isn't this your day-off?" Nick started.

Greg ignored the questioning looks from his co-workers and waved Catherine off before she could open her mouth. "Listen to this." He whispered as he pressed play on the stereo.

'Do you really want to hurt me?
Do you really want to make me cry?'

The 80's song by Culture Club played in the background. A minute later, the song stopped and a DJ started talking in the background.

"That request was for the CSIs from a Sara Sidle. Requested by a Charlie.Sara must be a rich girl hiring someone else to do the requests for her." A shuffle of papers could be heard in the background and the DJ started talking again. "Some guy named Charlie wants a Dr. Grissom to stay out of his office because a Sa- What kind of request is this!"

The tape stopped and the rest of the team looked at Greg, confused. "I found a note in my car a week ago. It said to record the 84.3 station at exactly 8 am Wednesday. It sounded weird."

"What does this have to do with Sara?"

"Right after I heard that. I wanted to know what the rest of the letter said, so I went over to the station and asked for it."

He fumbled for the letter in his pocket and showed it to them.

Dr. Grissom,

Stay out of your office.

Follow my orders and Sara might get out alive.

I'll call you soon.

Charlie.

Silence filled the room.

"Please tell me Sara's here." Greg pleaded, somehow he knew from the worried look on their faces that the answer was no. He mentally slapped himself that he hadn't listened to the tape sooner.


"Brass, where are you?"

"CSI. Just got here. I'm about to park."

"Is Sara's car still there?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Can you check it out for me?"

"Sure."

Silence.

"What's going on Grissom?"

"What's going on?"

"I'm going up there. I feel dizzy. Ammonia and bleach. Smelled it in her car. Not a good match-up."