A/N: I am so sorry it has taken so long to update this story, but I now have a new computer and I will be able to update much faster! Now then csiaddict2 gets one and a half cookies and SuzSeb gets two whole cookies. Just a quick reminder, this story takes place after Leave Out All The Rest, the episode with Lady Heather, but before 19 Down, so Langston isn't in this story, nor is Sarah, and Warrick is dead(sob!). Now then, on with the story!

Nick walked into his kitchen and paused, smiling as he watched Verity yawn deeply, her head leaning into her palm. In the three hours since Reyslin had been declared brain dead and Verity had complied with the orders in his living will, Nick had learned that Reyslin appeared to be a victim of the same person who killed a young woman, but he also knew that Brass wasn't buying the random victim theory. Nick set the file down on the table and kneeled down next to Verity.

"When's the last time you had a decent night's sleep?" he asked softly. She blinked her tired eyes at him.

"What year is it?" she asked sleepily. Nick shook his head and scooped her up, carrying her to his bedroom and setting her down on the bed.

"That's what I thought. First thing you learn as a CSI, if you're too tired to see straight, you'll miss important evidence. Get some sleep, and we'll start fresh in a few hours." he said. Verity just gazed up at him for a few minutes, before closing her eyes and leaning her head against the pillows, too tired to argue. Nick chuckled and headed out to his living room to lay down on the sofa.

"Damn, Nick. When you fall, you fall hard." Nick opened his eyes to see Warrick standing in the middle of his living room, still wearing the clothes he died in, though thankfully, sans blood stains.

"Hey, man. What the heck are you doing here? I mean, why haven't you moved on or something?" Nick asked. Warrick shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I'm not really sure. I mean, I know you guys got the under Sherriff for my murder, so it can't be that, but there's just something telling me I need to be here. I gotta say it's good that you can see me at least. I think it was driving me nuts not having anybody to talk to but Archie. I mean, Archie's a great guy and all, but he tends to be a little jumpy."

"Archie too? You're kidding me man, he's a magik?" Nick asked, sitting upright to face the ghost of his best friend. Warrick shook his head.

"At least. Look, I came to tell you that at least three bodies in the morgue have a connection to some nightclub called Masquerade. I did some poking around, and I heard that it's a magik heavy spot. I also managed to get a word with one of the vics before she crossed over, and she told me there's a Hunter in Vegas. Maybe your new girlfriend will know what she meant?" Warrick said, then he turned and walked out through the wall. Nick stared at the wall for a moment, before laying back to get a little rest. He could tell Verity about Warrick's visit when they woke up.

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"Nick. Nick. Wakey wakey, Tex." Verity cooed in Nick's ear. He mumbled and shifted around, trying to avoid the sound dragging him from sleep. Verity laughed softly and leaned over, pressing a heated kiss to his lips. After a second, Nick kissed her back, his arms sliding around her waist to pull her down on top of him. She laughed as she pulled back to look down at him.

"I could get used to waking up like this." Nick said softly. Verity kissed him quickly and got up, pulling him to his feet.

"Thank you for letting me sleep, but now we have work to do. First, I need to hunt through all these names and see if any of them are magiks, then I have to talk to them, and so on and so on." Verity said, sitting down at the table where she had set up her laptop and the file.

"That reminds me. I had a little visit from Warrick. He talked to one of the vics before they crossed over, and she said that there's a Hunter in Vegas." Nick said, leaning against the door frame. Verity's head shot up and she stared at Nick, a flash of fear in her eyes.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice tense.

"That's what he said, word for word. Why, what's a Hunter?"

"A Hunter is a very, very dangerous person. Hunter's are normals, who can sense magiks. They are usually people who are heavily indoctrinated, and most are mentally unstable. Hunter's believe that all magiks are evil, no exceptions, and that their mission is to hunt us down, one by one. Now, four times out of five, the police catch them, and they are put into a mental hospital, but sometimes, we come across a Hunter who can avoid the police. The ones who are smart, calm, methodical, they are the most dangerous. This guy will not stop until he is caught, and even then, he might go down fighting. " Verity explained. Nick sat down and sighed.

"Okay, so assuming that the three bodies, your friend Vincent, Reyslin, and this woman Bernadette, were all killed by a Hunter, how do we stop him?"

"I'm not really sure. I can talk to a few local sources I have, see if there is any way to connect them in the mundane world." Verity said, her fingers flying over the keys of her computer.

"Okay, I'll call my buddy Archie at the lab. According to Warrick, he's a magik too, so he'll know to keep quiet." Nick said, picking up his cell phone.

"When you talk to him, remember to say you know about the Veil. He'll know that means you can talk." Verity said, still focusing on the screen in front of her.

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Catherine and Greg were standing in the layout room going over their crime scene photos when Brass walked in.

"Okay, Reyslin Jones was taken off life support this morning, as per his living will, so this just became a double homicide. I got the file on his employer, Kayson Investigations, it's a private security firm that's based out of New Orleans. Owned jointly by Kaileena Kayson and her adopted brother, Nios Nileby. No record on Nileby, but two arrests on Kayson, both for carrying a concealed weapon. Both cases were dismissed."

"Gun?" Greg asked, looking at the DMV photos from the file.

"No, get this, a sword, concealed beneath a leather duster." Brass replied.

"You're kidding." Catherine said, missing the brief look of realization on Greg's face.

"Nope. This woman has quite the history. Parents separated when she was eight, mom was murdered when she was seventeen, she lived with her grandmother until grandma died when she was twenty-four, then last year, her father dies and she inherits his empire. Ever hear of Firestone Pharmaceuticals?" Brass said.

"Yeah, they hold the patents on like, seventy-five percent of the latest medical breakthroughs. They're also the leading supporters of research into curing cancer, AIDS, and supplying the third world with medicine to treat malaria and TB." Greg said.

"Yep, and little Miss Kayson owns it all. I also did a little more checking, and Kayson also has a share in Masquerade, through Daddy's money. There are also monthly calls on Bernadette Saeto's phone records to a number in Louisiana, registered to a Tanis Xiao, another former employee of Joshua Firestone who is on the payroll for Kayson Investigations." Brass said.

"So all our victims have some connection to both Masquerade and Kayson Investigations. Either our killer has a beef with the company, or Miss Kayson personally." Catherine said.

"Let's go back to Kobiyarow's place and check out his files, see if they had any disgruntled customers lately." Greg said.

"Take Riley with you. I'm gonna talk to Doc Robbins about something." Catherine said. She headed down to Autopsy, her nose buried in a file. When she got there, she found Doc Robbins talking to a woman with fiery red hair and green eyes. The woman wore a black turtleneck sweater and jeans, with a red jacket hanging open over it. She stood near the table that held Reyslin Jones' body, and her hands rested on the edges of the table.

"Doctor, I understand that this is a homicide investigation, but he was thoroughly examined at the hospital before he was declared dead. His religious beliefs dictate that his body remain untouched and he must be prepared for burial within two sunrises of his death. I am asking you to respect his wishes." she said.

"I can understand you desire to adhere to the deceased's wishes, but I have to perform an autopsy to confirm COD. I can do my best to have the body released within forty-eight hours, but that's the best I can do." Robbins replied. The woman sighed and looked down.

"Very well. May I just have a moment?" she requested, her green eyes seeming to swirl with different shades of color. Robbins nodded and moved away to give her privacy.

"Next of Kin?" Catherine whispered. Robbins nodded.

"The emergency contact called her from the hospital. She flew here from New Orleans the second she heard. Apparently, Mr. Jones followed a rather obscure religion that requires his body be washed, wrapped in furs, and buried at sunrise two days after death, with his head facing north. Miss Kayson was trying to adhere to his beliefs, and I can certainly understand that." Robbins said. Catherine looked at him in surprise.

"Kayson? Kaileena Kayson?" she asked. The redhead looked up at the sound of her name.

"I'm sorry, so we know each other?"

"Miss Kayson, I'm Catherine Willows from the crime lab. Do you know a Vincent Kobiyarow, and Bernadette Saeto?"

"Vincent was an employee of my company, but he was killed in a drive by shooting a few days ago. I believe Miss Saeto is a distant cousin of my late father's personal physician, Tanis Xiao. Tanis works with me since my father's death." Kaileena replied, her brow furrowing.

"Miss Kayson, would you come upstairs and talk to Captain Brass? We just have a few things we need to clear up." Catherine said. Kaileena nodded, and with a final motion over the body, calmly followed Catherine out the doors.