Disclaimer: Nope don’t own them and I never will. But I can dream can’t I? CSI is the brainchild of Anthony Zuiker and all those associated with him. Damn they were smart to think up a show as awesome as this.

Authors note* Thanks to everyone for reviewing this fic. Thanks to Marita for being a die- hard Catherine fan with me and for reading everything I’ve written. She gives me ideas without even knowing it and makes writing so much more fun. Please let this chapter not be evil like chapter 5 was. Thanks to Kim for praising my writing and to Stephanie for being totally cool. Jennifer- you know you rock; Go team Catherine go! Karin- lots of love to you for having so much faith in my writing.

Chapter Six- Paranoia

Emotions were running high throughout the CSI office. It had been hours since Catherine’s disappearance and they were no closer to finding her then when they started. Grissom had also gone mysteriously MIA in the last few hours and the rest of the team was beginning to worry. Warrick had volunteered to search the building high and low for him, while Sara worked, if you could call it working. Much of it included frustrated sighs and angry grunts. Greg was running blood samples when he saw her heading towards the lab.

“Oh, great. Sara the barbarian” he blew out exasperated. By the look on Sara’s face as she entered, she was not in a good mood.

“Sar, what’s up?” he asked knowing pretty well what kind of response he was going to get from her.

“Greg, let’s stop the mindless banter all right? We don’t exactly have time for it. Do you have my results yet? We are losing our time window here.”

“I know Sara, I am not stupid. I am worried about Cath too, you know? You’re not the only one around here that’s praying to god that she’s okay, we all have been doing our fair share of that.” Greg hissed as anger began to boil slowly in his veins.

“I know.” she said growing quiet. Greg had never talk to her that way before. It was almost frightening.

“Now, I have fifteen samples from the locker room; door knob, walls, ceiling, lockers etcetera. Most of what I found was Catherine’s, matching it with the samples she mandatory gave when she first started here. But the blood on the lockers came up male blood, probably your kidnappers.”

“Not exactly Mr. Clean is he? And now we have his DNA. Our only open lead in this whole case.”

“Just give me something to run it against.” He said as he handed her the report.

“Will do.” She replied as Warrick rushed into the lab.

“ Warrick I was just going to come find you…we have a lead. Killer’s blood on the lockers. Definitely male.”

“Well....” He said as he tried to catch his breath. “I found Grissom.”

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Catherine gazed around the room, in utter fear of her surroundings. The walls seemed to climb in on her as the drugs took affect. She could sense her brain becoming fuzzier by the minute. It was a slow process, trapping her within her own incoherent thoughts. Rationality and sensibility turned into panic and primal fear.

*Grissom, focus on Grissom* she thought to herself as images of him began flashed in her mind. Memories of their friendships cutting through the fog in her brain. At first they were pleasant, almost calming; and she was beginning to relax. Soon however, dark disturbing images began to seep into her thoughts. Gruesome, frightening thoughts sent her mind reeling. She saw pictures of Grissom writhing in agony and screaming in pain at the hands of her kidnapper. His blood seeping out of him as he lay, dying, at her feet. She could almost feel the dark, sticky fluid on her hands.

“GRISSOM!” she shrieked loudly, pulling violently at her bonds.

In complete hysteria, she forced her hands in the air and pressed them against her ears, in an attempt to drown out the noise in her head. But it was deafening and she could not escape it. Catherine could take it no more.

“STOP IT! PLEASE, STOP!” She cried, shaking uncontrollably on the cold stone floor.

She could feel no pain as her head connected with the floor. *Free I must break free* Her delusional mind screamed as it clicked into survival mode. Blood ran slowly down her arms and legs as the panic increased. Clawing at scratching at anything in an effort to release herself from the handcuffs that bit into her wrists and ankles. Her heart beating at rapid pace; the only goal was to get free. If only she could get free.

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Nick and Sara sat nervously in the emergency room awaiting news on Grissom’s condition. Doc Robbins had gone into the morgue freezer only to find him lying half frozen on the floor. They had immediately called an ambulance and Nick and Sara had agreed to ride with him to the hospital; while Warrick stayed behind to work on finding Catherine.

“Damn Gris, I hope you’re alright.” Nick muttered to himself. Things weren’t looking up for the CSI’s. In a span of one shift they had lost two crucial members of their team.

“Hmm…Nick? What’d you say?” Sara asked vacantly

“Nothing…” he shrugged deviling back into his own thoughts.

In truth, Nick was worried; no take that back, he was scared shitless. How in the hell did Grissom end up in the freezer anyway? The wheels in his brain began turning as Nick thought over the possibilities. It took him a moment before he had the event pieced together in his head.

“Sara”

“Yea Nick?” she replied cocking her head in his direction

“ I think…” he started but was cut off as a tall, stern looking doctor approached them.

“Are you the family of Gil Grissom?” he asked, chart in hand.

“ We are the closest thing he’s got to one” Sara retorted, clearly she was already irritated with the man.

“He suffered from some mild hypothermia, but with a few days rest and plenty warm fluids he should be fine. He’s been asking for some woman named Catherine. You wouldn’t happen to be her would you, Miss?”

“Sorry, no.” she said flashing a pained look in Nick’s direction. The exhaustion on her face was a clear sign that this was getting to her more than she let on.

“Would you like to see him?”

Before they could say a word he swiveled around and began to lead them to Grissom’s room. Grissom was resting peacefully when they entered. It struck Nick as odd seeing as he was normally as stubborn as a mule about avoiding hospitals. They knew how much he hated them.

“Hey Gris. You trying to put in for some vacation? Because there are easier ways to do it than this.” Nick greeted as Grissom began to wake up.

“Hey, Nick… Sara.” He rasped.

“You gave us a pretty damn big scare.” Nick sat down, eyeing Sara out of the corner of his eye. She had backed into the corner, making herself as small as possible.

“Cath…Where’s Catherine?”

“Grissom you can’t see Catherine right now.”

“Why, is she back at CSI? Nick. I’m a grown man, tell me what the hell is going on?” Grissom demanded, raising his raspy voice as loud as it could go.

“Something’s happened. Catherine, she, well, she’s been kidnapped.”

To be continued…

Grissom’s reaction next on Invisible Assailant… You know what I want; Reviews! Please send me some feedback and tell me what you think of this chapter.