The following paragraphs refer to the MK repeatedly as "the killer" this is to avoid referring to gender until the last possible moment for suspense, although it makes me want to hurt something to say "the killer" every other line (so please bear with it). This story is AU from a point Pre-"Lab Rats," and is probably not as mean or as scary (definitely not as scary) as "Living Doll".

Reason- Chapter 3

May 2007- less than one month before the end…

The miniature was done. The design was simple but so was Grissom's home. The killer didn't match all of the colors and furnishings exactly, it didn't matter that much with this miniature since it would be the last one. The model was of Grissom's living room, with a doll of him lying on a sofa.

The killer packaged the model in a simple cardboard box, and carried it to the car where it was placed on the back seat. Then the killer drove carefully through the dark, pre-dawn streets of the Las Vegas suburbs. It was drizzling, so the miniature builder drove even more cautiously, trying to avoid any trouble in delivering the package.

A block away from Grissom's house the killer stopped the car and took several deep breaths to remain steady. Then the killer got out of the car and took the package from the backseat before walking down the street to his door. Grissom wouldn't be home for a few more hours but the killer was still nervous, after all, there would be no turning back after this. A simple, typed note on the top of the box said: To Grissom, From The Miniature Killer. After setting the box down on his front steps, the killer walked quickly back to the car.

Once inside the car, the killer breathed slowly and deeply, trying to stop racing of their heart. Then the killer, who was dressed in all black, pushed back the hood of the shirt that was covering her head. Her hair fell around her neck, and she rested her head on the steering wheel for a moment. She knew that there was no turning back from that point and capture was certain because of a few details that had been built into the model. Yet even though she knew her capture was inevitable, she was strangely relieved.

That morning when Grissom returned from work, he saw the package on his steps. When he saw the label, he called it in. Within the hour Brass, Sofia, Catherine, and Sara were all there. After several moments of looking at the box on Grissom's porch, Brass spoke up. "Are you certain it's another model?"

"I haven't looked," Grissom replied. "But the writing is similar to the other note."

Catherine crouched down next to the box. "And it's signed Miniature Killer." She opened her kit and dusted the box for fingerprints. "No prints." She paused thoughtfully, examining the box to see how it could be opened. "Does anyone have a knife?"

"How do we know it's not a bomb," Brass cautioned.

"I don't think that's our killer's style," Sofia commented before handing Catherine a pocket knife.

Catherine then carefully cut the box, cutting through the two ends of the tape and one side of the box so that the tape would be preserved. Then she opened the box. Her eyes widened, and when she spoke her voice was strained and worried. "Grissom… you should look at this."

She backed away from the box to allow everyone else to see the new miniature. One by one they all looked at the model, and then at one another. "That's my living room," Grissom stated in shock.

"How could the killer know what your home looks like," Sara questioned.

"I don't know," Grissom replied. "Let's get this back to the lab to see if there's anything we can find."

Everyone realized that Grissom was trying to act like the miniature wasn't bothering him, so they also tried to act as normally as possible too. The model was taken back to the lab, and the area around Grissom's home was processed in the hope that some evidence of the killer could be found.

TBC…

Thank you to those who read and reviewed.

The story only gets more interesting from here ;)