To Whom It May Concern

by duffshel

Sequel to Poisonous Fear. There’s evil once again in the city of sin. Whatever happens in Vegas…might just kill ya. Now Complete!

18. Chapter 18

Summary: There's evil once again in the city of sin. Whatever happens in Vegas…might just kill ya.

Timeline: Sequel to Poisonous Fear (recommended that one is read first), Early/Mid Season Six

Spoilers: Grave Danger, Bodies in Motion, Shooting Stars, Gum Drops, Daddy's Little Girl, several references to other episodes

Disclaimer: This is all written in fun. Everything CSI is not mine and never will be. It belongs to the creative talent of the actors, the writers, the directors, and the 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.

Title: To Whom It May Concern

By: duffshel

Author's Note: I really wanted to get this out over the weekend, but of course, my internet didn't want to work with me. But, here it is, better late than never. Hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend if you're in the U.S. And if you're not, hope you still enjoyed your weekend as well. Glad to hear everyone is still liking the story. Going to be a long one! Yeah, longer than even I planned on. And as ever, review and say hi. Be back with more soon! Bye!

Chapter 18:

You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.

Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

There were only a few things that used to be able to surprise me beyond words. It was those simple, kid things. Well, until age nine. Then a few more came into play, but nothing about what I fear now.

What I fear now could make Hitler scream and cry. Well, maybe not, but sounded good. I always want to sound smart, but I guess sometimes it can be made out to sounding stupid. Grissom would have raised an eyebrow at that one in question on my sanity.

But, that moment…I really guess words are hard to put to it. It's been awhile since it happened and I'm sure I've changed a few things here and there. Kind of necessary if I want to stay asleep longer than ten minutes.

Warrick was always a statue of strength to me. He rarely let his emotions get away from him. Sure, we fought and bitched a lot at each other, but that's what brothers do. Nothing big. It was those other moments, like after they freed me from my coffin that scared me the most.

So, hearing him across the line in so much pain, losing control, I admit I was freaked out. It wasn't how Warrick was supposed to be. He was supposed to be strong, a pillar of manhood. That call made him sound like a lost child. Someone I didn't even know.

And of course, Kelly just had to kill herself in front of me at the same time. Talk about a soul buster. I don't know of many people that would have handled it any better than me. Especially right after another person killing themselves in front of me, on that damn highway.

Well, maybe Grissom. He would probably mention how the blood splatter fell at a precise angle to form some bug shape on the cement instead of what I did.

Have I mentioned that I hate bugs?

Looking back, my actions to that call were out in left park. I was really glad no one could see me at that moment. Though, oh yeah, there was a video camera in the corner of the garage looking down on what was going on. Caught on candid camera once again. My luck.

Though, I guess I did what could be said as correct. I did lose contact with the only source to my brother. But, it all worked out in the end.

Didn't it?

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

The blood was warm as it ran down into the corners of his mouth. It always looked so thick, but it ran smoothly over the pores of his face. Like little streams of mortality. Nick didn't know what to do.

It almost seemed to be in super slow motion. Kelly's body didn't really drop to the ground. Her limbs twisted and turned in a perverse erotic dance as gravity took its course. She rolled backwards, what remained of her head connecting with a clear snap. Both eyes were closed. There was less blonde hair to spread out against the grayness of the cement.

Nick could feel his body begin to tremble, his knees went weak. Everything around him seemed to focus on the dead body in front of him, nothing else mattered. Kelly had brought him here. She killed herself in front of him before he could even blink or comprehend what she was about to do. Two suicides in too little time were too much for his brain to think through.

He could feel something in his hand, knew it was important in some way. A distant sound told him to pay attention to it. But all he could hear was the gunshot. All he could feel were the small trails of blood on his face. The dripping from his chin to his shirt almost seemed to weigh his torso down too much.

She had brought him here. Just so she could show him what she had done. And to show him what she wanted to do to herself. So he was now there wearing her death. Nick lost his gag reflux. Bile rose in his throat and Nick turned his head to the side as he bent in half. He vomited onto the floor of the parking garage, white and yellow splatters.

His hands clutched at his knees as he tried to stay on his feet. Distantly he had heard the thunking of the object he held in his hand, but closed his eyes against everything. His ears hummed and hissed. Everything was wrong.

A noise, almost like a mosquito buzzing finally caught enough of his attention for Nick to attempt to clear out his ears. There was a voice. Distant, but there. His eyes slowly opened and Nick looked down at the ground by his feet. The phone almost seemed to smile at him.

Nick prayed that he wouldn't fall as he reached down for the thin machine. It slipped from his fingers twice before he was able to fully grasp it. The weight was enormous and almost painful. But someone was calling to him through it.

The cool plastic crushed his ear as he tried to focus on the person. He remembered Warrick from earlier on this, "Warrick?"

"Not quite, Mr. Stokes. He is currently taking a nap. But, you can come see him. In fact, I would love for you to come see him."

His blood turned to ice, frozen to his vessel walls. Breathing became harder, vice grips on both of his lungs. Nick body began to work completely independently from his brain. His hand took charge of the battle.

Before he could even begin to think about it, his hand slammed the phone closed. Nick's wide eyes tried to focus on the phone in his hand. It was almost as if he was waiting for it to reach out and attack him. He quickly realized why there looked to be three different phones. His hand was shaking that hard.

But he quickly thought of what he had just done, "Fuck! Stupid!"

Nick screamed out, tension heavy in his voice. He had hung up on the one connection to Warrick. No matter how painful if had been to hear that voice, he should have listened. But no, he hung up. Like a complete and utter moron.

Quickly, he flipped it back open and his fingers dove in to check over his menu. Nick found the received calls section and looked at the data. The last number that had called him was restricted. No way to get it now, without the help of super Archie,

Taking a deep breath and trying to clear his head, Nick attempted to think of something to do. There had to be a way to get that phone number. Or maybe that voice would call back and yell something at him. Maybe he already killed Warrick.

Suddenly that was all he could see in his mind. Warrick having his head shot off like Kelly had just done to her own. His brains would be like strawberry ice cream with pink swirls of brain all over the floor. And Nick would have to pick them up and put them all in individual little baggies.

Nick suddenly gagged again at the thought. This time not just from the images, but from the words that had taken that moment to come out of the locked safe in the back of his memory. It was not something that was supposed to happen.

Another voice entered his head and guided his fingers to the number that would help the most. Well, Nick hoped it would be able to help the most. And it wasn't long before the call was picked up.

"Brass."

"Oh thank god! Jim, I need help."

"Nicky! Where the hell are you? I'm at your house, but you're not here. Where the hell are you?"

His heart felt like it was trying to break out of his chest. Someone he trusted was on the phone with him. Brass would know what to do. The detective always knew what to do.

"Nicky?"

"Jim…" Nick couldn't suddenly get anything else out of his mouth. His throat closed up and his vision got narrower by the moment. He wanted nothing more to start crying.

It seemed that Brass was able to pick something up from that one word, "Hey, calm down Nicky. Take a deep breath. Just tell me where you are and I'll come to you. No problem."

That made things much better. It wasn't much, but it was more than Nick could have ever asked for from the older man. His throat opened and his thoughts came back together. And somehow Brass was able to understand the address of the garage when he mumbled it off.

"Alright. You sit tight and I'll be right there. Don't worry about it."

"Just hurry," Nick sighed out as the exhaustion and stress finally took their toll, "I'll be waiting."

The phone disconnected and Nick was alone again with the empty garage and the dead girl on the ground in front of him. He suddenly needed to sit down and rest. Nick wobbled his way to the truck and pulled himself into the driver's seat. Looking in the mirrors, he was glad there was nothing he could see from those angles.

His head leaned back against the top of the seat. Both eyes became heavy and fell shut. There was no way he was going to relax any more than that though. Something might happen. And knowing his history, Nick wouldn't have been too surprised if Kelly walked over, brains missing and all, to plant a big kiss right on his lips.

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

Jim was frantic as he drove the city streets. He had his cell phone in one hand, the police radio in the other. Trying to keep track of what could and should be said on both, he tried to drive. No one would question the city if they took his license away at that display.

But he needed to get to that garage and knew other people would have to be there. He wasn't qualified to administer aid if it was needed. And Brass had no idea what sort of condition the CSI would be in when he got there.

At least he knew Nick was alive. It had been a bigger relief than he thought it would have been. Just more proof that he was in probably too deep with the crime lab. It wasn't something that would work out in the end.

Catherine had answered her phone as soon as he rang. He could have just seen her starring at the phone, waiting for it ring. Everyone would have crowded around her. She would have sighed in relief, probably almost falling out of her chair. They would all be there soon enough as it was.

There was a sharp right turn at a set of stop lights. Jim swore as his sedan shuttered at the sudden action. It held on and nothing happened to anything. The address was getting closer. Only a few more blocks up.

His foot depressed a little more on the accelerator, adding a few more steps of speed to the engine. The car roared in response, but did as he asked. Sweat was collected on his forehead and upper lip, but Jim didn't waste any time or effort on removing it.

The number jumped out at him and slamming on the breaks, Jim swerved his car right up to the guard booth with the arm across the drive. He turned bodily to look at the guard who looked like he had been sleeping.

"Can I help you?" the man asked through a yawn.

"Yeah, you can lift this damn gate and let me in. And I would recommend you do it quickly if you want to keep your job past midnight tonight."

This was enough to wake the man and he bristled at the treatment, "I don't know who you think you are, but you're not my boss. I don't have to let you in."

"Look," Jim wanted nothing more than to pull his gun on the man, but was able to restrain himself enough when he reached for his badge, "I'm Captain Jim Brass with the LVPD. I need to get in this garage now. I have a man on the inside and I need to get to him. It would be best to not ask any more questions."

Looking quickly at the badge, the man nodded and lifted the arm. Jim didn't bother with any other words, just the exhaust from his tailpipe. He gunned it around the curves and turns, all while keeping his eyes open for a familiar truck or person.

He found one at the top level. And what else he saw made him break hard. His body was thrown forward against the seat belt, but Jim barely felt anything from it.

Two dead people. One pinned up by a car, another bloody on the ground. And Nick's CSI truck parked on the other wall. No Nick to be seen.

Jim climbed out of his care, suddenly breathless. He walked quickly towards the truck. Subconsciously he watched where he was walking, but didn't put too much effort in it. His first responsibility was to the people in the scene no matter what was ruined in the process. And being completely bias, Nick was his first concern.

The other man didn't even open his eyes as Jim walked over. But the detective could see movement in his chest and felt better already.

"Nicky?" he asked quietly, but Nick reacted as if he had set off an atomic bomb by his head. The Texan jumped straight up and somehow managed to slam his head into the top of the truck.

"Ahh…" Nick hissed out, hand rising to rest on the top of his hair. He turned to look at the disturbance, eyes wide to make sure it wasn't Kelly looking back at him. A few tears rushed to the surface as he took in Jim's face.

"Jim. You made it."

"Of course kid. Never let ya down," Jim whispered, reaching out to take one of the trembling hands, "What happened Nick?"

Again Nick chocked up as he looked forward through the windshield, "She brought me here. Said…said she had… to show me something. Woman was already dead."

"Who?"

"…Kel..Kelly," Nick sputtered out as he wiped at his face, "Met her. Came here. She…she killed herself!"

Jim turned to look back over his shoulder and suddenly could see Kelly in the corpse on the ground. Her blonde hair was the same as ever even with half of it missing. Several sirens filled the air and Jim knew the squad was almost here. He turned back to the shaken man in front of him.

"Alright. I'm here for you Nicky. The team is coming as well."

It was the wrong thing to say, though Brass couldn't understand why at first. All he could do was squeeze Nick's hand while the CSI gagged and retched. "Hey, its okay. Everything's going to be okay."

Nick shook his head hard, eyes tightly closed, "No, not okay. Warrick is gone. Not okay, not okay."

"How?" Jim was at a loss of words. He didn't know of anyone that would have told Nick, "Who told you?"

"He did," Nick's face suddenly turned harsh and cruel with those two words. It was a look that didn't right in any means on the normally collected man's face.

A truck squealed closer and Jim knew he had only a few more moments alone with Nick, "Who Nicky? Who is he?"

Nick turned cold, hard brown eyes on the detective, "Tenner."

"Nick!"

Two female voices screamed in unison over the sound of opening doors. Jim stepped back and allowed Catherine and Sara to take his place. He watched as Greg ran up only to hop from foot to foot behind the two women, trying to see over them at his friend.

"Jim?" Grissom asked from his spot by the end of the truck.

"He's alright. A little shaken, but he'll be fine."

"What happened here?"

Jim shrugged, lifting his hands, "Hell if I know. Just know Kelly brought him here, killed herself in front of him. And…he knows about Warrick."

Grissom frowned, "You told him?"

"Wish."

It turned uncomfortable between the two. Jim kept his eyes on the ground while Grissom studied the detective the best he could. The lead CSI didn't like how this was going one bit. And there was something Jim wasn't telling him about Nick.

Rolling his eyes and gaining his strength, Jim looked Grissom straight in the eyes, "He got a call. That was how he found out."

"But who would call him? We were all at the lab together. I would have seen if someone made a call to him, heard them talking. No one did."

"It wasn't from the lab. It was an outsider call."

"Enough games Jim. Who was it?"

"Gil, he got a call from Tenner. The man has Warrick again."

If there was a correct response to that question, that wasn't it. Grissom walked around the detective and actually pushed his way through his team to reach Nick. Some emotions got through onto his face as he took in the Texan.

Nick had begun to cry even more under the watch of Catherine and Sara. He was still trembling and was now gasping for small amounts of air. His skin was completely washed out except where blood still clung to him.

Grissom reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handkerchief for the man. He held it up for a moment, but it was clear Nick didn't notice it. So Grissom leaned forward and pressed the white cloth to the pink on Nick's cheek. It was enough to get Nick to look up at him.

Those brown eyes were filled with fear and confusion behind the tears. Nick was not totally with them anymore. It finally had been too much and the man was beginning to show it. Grissom was now worried Nick was going to pass out on them soon.

"Hold on Nick. We're going to get you some help. Just stay with us," Grissom tried to instruct his CSI as best he could.

Nick's eyes lit up for a moment, "Not for me. Help Warrick. Not me."

His voice got softer with each word and Grissom gripped his shoulder when Nick started to sway. Nick's eyes closed and his body went limp. Grissom laid him down the best he could across the front seat so he couldn't hurt himself.

"We need the paramedics. He needs to be checked."

"Already on their way," Catherine said as she looked around, "What do you want us to do here?"

Taking a deep breath, Grissom looked at the remaining members of his team, "It's a scene. We work it like all the others. And Catherine, I want you to go with Nick so he gets checked out. Don't let him leave until a doctor makes sure he's fine."

Nodding, Catherine took Grissom's place by the unconscious man, "Oh, I'll make sure he doesn't leave without a clean bill of health. Probably nothing, but stress. But better safe than sorry."

Sara and Greg looked undecided about what they wanted to do, but didn't dare say anything about staying with Nick instead of working the scene. Both scattered in different directions, Sara walking to Kelly. Greg didn't mind one bit, heading for the car crashed into the wall and the woman.

Only Jim had the nerve to stay standing next to Grissom, "You sure about this?"

"Only thing we have right now. Nick needs to stay guarded. He isn't to be left alone."

"You think he'll go after Warrick?"

Grissom was silent for a moment, eyes distant, "Or Tenner will get a hold of him by some other means. But Nick won't stay away as long as Warrick is missing. And I won't lose both of them to that man. Not again."

TBC…