-Crime Lab-

Break Room

Nick and Warrick had sat together waiting for news from Brass on Grissom's whereabouts. It came about four hours after the man had stormed out and a good ten calls of which both men ignored to their cell phones from the Tangiers. Neither felt like dealing with Sam Braun at the moment and so were ignoring that. Instead when Betty Grissom stopped by before heading to her son's house to pick up what ever was left behind they almost laughed. She let them know, using a sheet of paper as both had no idea how to sign, that Grissom had returned home to his twins. She was headed that way after picking up what he left at the lab as Lily had contacted her about his last whereabouts.

"Stokes," Nick finally answered his phone with a yawn as Brass entered with no update on either case. Greg followed flopping down on a couch with a grown. They'd been up for at least a day now and still had nothing. "Mr. Braun I'm sorry but I don't really understand what I have to do with Catherine's life … no I didn't threaten her … I see and where exactly are you supposed to do this at … very well, come to the lab please Mr. Braun and we will figure this out."

"What was that?" Brass spoke a cold glare on his face. Nick looked at him terrified of talking realizing everyone actually thought he was responsible now for what ever Catherine's life threat was.

"Sam Braun got a call threatening Catherine's … uh demise to be completely different if he doesn't hand me over."

"Why would Braun have you?" Greg frowned confused.

"Because who ever took them knows that Nick won't leave this lab unless it's because we found Sara. It's to big a risk now if they are taking couples for him to be out in the open. Sam Braun is the only one able to get a hold of him if given proper motivation."

"Which apparently this individual did as he was threatening to kill me himself if his daughter has one scratch … apparently he wasn't told about the shot." Nick sighed and looked to Brass. "Tracer on me? Something? Anything."

"Greg tell Archie to do what he can with Braun's phone. Maybe he can back trace it. Nick sit tight. Brass come with me," Warrick spoke and walked out with the man coming up with an idea he knew was beyond risky.

-Unknown Location-

Room 2

"Excuse me?!" Lindsey hollered lightly opening the door but not daring to embark beyond it. "Can … can I see my mom?!"

"Linds!" The cry shocked her and she sprinted down the hall and yanked on the only door that was shut. The other was opened and empty. The door didn't budge and she dropped to her knees whimpering. "Linds!"

"Mommy … I'm scared … they … Mr. Hodges he's with us!" She looked around terrified their captor would appear. "He brought me and John these close from Romeo and Juliet! I … I don't want to be Juliet mommy. Please …"

"She, baby, it's okay." Her mother's calming tone eased her into leaning against the door as John watched the hall for her.

"Lindsey," Sara's voice shocked her and she looked up. "Can you get out? Escape?"

"But … how … you … leave you?"

"Yes, Lindsey, listen to me. You and John can leave your room but we can't. Find the door out. Leave." Catherine spoke her commanding tone strong. Lindsey swore she heard pain in it but as she looked towards John she let out a cry of shock.

"You shouldn't have left your room!" Hodges whispered holding a tray of food. "Come on Linds, get back in please. He will kill me if he finds out that I never locked your door."

"Are … are you trapped like us?" She asked slowly pushing up.

"David?" Catherine called. "David please, please help my baby. She's just a child."

"I … Back in the room please," Hodges eyes watered and Lindsey nodded understanding he really didn't have a choice. For him to not even be able to answer her mother was enough of a confirmation for her.

Room 1

Catherine wanted to kill the little weasel for not answering her. For putting her daughter back into the room she couldn't be in with her. Sara rushed too her catching her as she staggered a little. Looking at her leg she saw the shirt was no longer use fool as it was becoming covered with dirt from the floor. The door opened and Hodges entered lowering the tray of food he had been holding. He looked to two women he held deep respect for and tried to smile. Seeing the tears Catherine pitied him. Something wasn't right and she sensed it.

"Hodges … what happened?"

"She left him … and now love is wrong. Eat … you'll need your strength. Nick … he'll be with us soon."

"No," Sara looked terrified as she sunk to the bed.

"It's better … he won't … suffer …" Hodges struggled to speak. "My brother … he wants one to suffer as he is. One who he sees as him self. One out casted … rejected."

"No …" Catherine's eyes widened as Hodges looked to his hip and quickly shut the door leaving them alone. "Oh God … no … no …"

"Cath … Catherine what is it?"

"Romantic tragedies. It is … Lindsey and John will die as Romeo and Juliet … you and Nick some sort of science fiction characters and … and then me. I'm … god I don't know who I am supposed to be but Grissom gets to find all of us and have to live with it. He can't even … the twins will force him to stay alive."

"Well get out of this," Sara pulled her into her arms no longer concerned about dying with Nick at her side. No longer concerned about any of them trapped but the one who was going to be left behind to find them all. To suffer and see his wife dead.

"If … if I never married … he … this …" Catherine tried not to cry as she realized a simple rejection would have saved Grissom from this.

"He would have lived watching the women he love every day beside him and that be torture enough. This … this way he knows you loved him back," Sara spoke hating how they were speaking. Hating that they gave up simply because Hodges told them what his brother planned. "Who knew Hodges had a brother?"

"Really?" Catherine looked at her shocked but then laughed a little. "Good point … I mean … we thought one was bad," Both started laughing unable to stop the insanity of it.

-Grissom Residence-

Nursery

"Now, Jr., don't make me call your …" Grissom faded off in the threat realize he couldn't just call Catherine to come handle the screaming infant as he normally would when he was having one of his moments. Giving him the teething binky and ensuring he kept it in his mouth this time he put him against the teddy bear his sister was sharing with him. "Want a story?"

Happy claps was his answer so he sat before them on the floor and started off unaware he had an audience behind him. His tale was about a beautiful butterfly who was afraid of what she could do. She was so afraid she hide away in a horrible kingdom with a horrible prince. Until one day, a good prince came along and saw not just her beauty but also the amazing sole within. The good prince had so much faith in her that the butterfly decided to come out of the horrible kingdom and help the good prince in his quest to brighten the horrible. So amazing and beautiful was this butterfly's soul that the bad prince tried to squash her and ruin her chance of making the kingdoms better for all. She flew to safety and away from the bad prince until one day he succumbed to the horrible kingdom he rain and perished. She wept for her lose but in time the good prince helped her heal and they brighten the world with more beautiful butterflies.

"Nice way of telling them their sisters father is a complete ass." Lily spoke moving her hands so Betty would know what she said. Grissom spun shocked at their presence.

"Well … you said share stories of their mother and sister."

"Not like that," Betty signed moving forward and sitting down The three adults gathered ready to listen. Lily smiled as Betty spoke as she rarely did. "My little grandchildren let me tell your about the first time I meet your mother … I hated her."

"Mom!" Grissom spoke shocked.

"What they need the truth," She signed with a wink. "She wore short shorts and a skimpy little shirt. Your father had brought her to visit along with her child, your sister Lindsey. Now Lindsey I adored and told your father his daughter was beautiful but the mother a whore. She corrected me and I found my match. Time and time again that women came back with something to say. Your Grandma Lily raised a mouth on that one."

"I had nothing to do with that. That is courtesy of her father. I tried to stop the talking back."

"It's what I feel in love with. No women Gil brought home had the balls to tell me I needed to fix my garden and get over my sons hobbies."

"You still didn't listen."

"And you still play with bugs."

"And my children are asleep." He looked amazed at the two sleeping infants he'd been trying to get to nap. Looking to her mother she gave him the sign for I told you so and he smiled moving back to his rocking chair.

-Crime Lab-

Front of Building

"Should we tell Grissom?" Warrick wondered curious and Brass just shuck his head. "Only if it works … alright then. So, now to just convince a prior mob boss to let the police force wire him up and place trackers on his vehicle."

"My vehicles already have GPS trackers," Sam Braun approached. "And you may be given their current information as I'll just replace the encryptions after this. As for a wire … anything to keep my Mugs safe. This man threatened to hang and torture her. I will not see that happen. Why would someone want to do that?"

"Why do they want only Nick?" Brass asked confused. "First Lindsey and John. Now, Sara and Nick. You'd think with Catherine he'd want Grissom."

"Unless Grissom is meant to suffer the loses." Nick spoke approaching them. "Archie's working on setting up some sort of GPS device on my cell, my watch, hell anything he can think of."

"So kill of couples but leave one behind to grieve?" Brass asked frowning. "Makes no sense."

"Kinda does," Greg spoke as they joined him inside where he was preparing the wire for Sam. "I mean you have Lindsey and John, about sixteen years old. They are young and in love for the first time. No true experience really. Kinda like Romeo and Juliet. Nick and Sara are new. I mean we all saw the flirts but no one ever suspected they'd actually get together and make it. Their love is that fresh, new kind you see in television shows that tend to either end happily or dramatically. Cath and Gris … well they are that old fashioned kind. Boy meets girl, girl rejects boy, boy loves girl until girl falls for him and they live happily ever after. Only typically those go differently in stories."

"Like Hunchback." Warrick grinned a little. "Quasi never had a chance with such beauty. Or Beauty and the Beast for the happy one."

"Exactly. If our guy is trying to recreate romantic love stories based off of us well … hell he's got the perfect sets. Ellie and I don't really fit into any of it and sorry Warrick but nor do you and Mia."

"Yeah, but John and Lindsey aren't from rival families."

"No but their parents are from rival worlds." Greg shrugged. "I've had a lot of time to think about this. The Marshall's work for Sam Braun, one of the few still living and definitely most well known Vegas crime boss of all time. The Grissom's work for the crime lab and have even gone up against the Braun estate multiple times. For their children to get together and neither family have a problem with it, plus the families are actually friends. That's just unheard of. It's the same with you and Sara, Nick, I mean more often not in television shows and fantasies there is some 'tragic' rule or event that keeps the lovers apart. Be it a soul that returns if true happiness is meet, protocols, or marriage to another. Something prevents it and yet you two managed to avoided such a thing and go for it. Even get over your own prior inclinations towards others and come together."

"We should never leave you alone again," Warrick spoke as Brass nodded in agreement finishing up the wiring of Sam Braun, which they were all still trying to believe was happening.

"Catherine and Grissom are … well a miracle as well. Bugboy and cheerleader. Football star and science geek … though that's more you and Sara again Nick but you were also a science geek. The two fit right in on that one. Catherine is the social queen and Grissom is the social out cast. Their love story would typically be her rejecting him and going for … well … Eddie."

"That did happen," Sam Braun spoke and all eyes turned to him. Brass glared and he shrugged. "She married Eddie despite Grissom telling her how much he cared for her and was worried she was acting rashly. Eddie and Mugs had been dating when Grissom came into their life and he always suspected Eddie's true side. If I recall correctly she rejected you and Ecklie as well, Jim."

"You let her marry him." Brass snapped coldly. "Greg what does this have to do with anything?"

"Well if we can figure out what 'character' Catherine is meant to represent via the hanging then we can get Grissom to appropriately respond. I don't think who ever is planning all this is going to do anything until he has Grissom exactly how he wants them. As for Hodges … no idea his role but if what we saw at his place is any indication I'd say his life is in as much danger as any others. Possible he plays in Catherine's scenario."