One Big Happy Family
Warrick, Grissom, Gunn, and Angel climbed out of the Tahoe in front of a very familiar apartment building. Familiar for Warrick anyhow. He had a pit in his stomach. Brass and the Sheriff had followed in Brass's unmarked police. The pit in Warrick's stomach grew more painful as they climbed the stairs up to apartment 4B. There were some sobbing women sitting on the steps to the third floor. A uniform met the group at the door.
"Victim's inside, name is Tiana Rondell."
"Let me through!" Warrick demanded as he pushed passed the uniform into the apartment. There Tiana's battered, naked body lay on the living room floor. Warrick gasped and knelt down beside her.
"Oh no," he whispered softly. "Why didn't you get out of here?"
Angel and Gunn stared at the body. From the two small holes and the lack of blood, this had to be the work of a vampire.
"There isn't a sign of a struggle, this is the work of someone she knew," Angel offered.
"Warrick, do you know this woman?" Grissom asked tentatively. He didn't want to have to pull Warrick off the case, the last time he did that it proved disastrous.
"Yeah, I knew her from way back. I saw her yesterday. She promised me she would get somewhere safe."
"What do you mean?"
"Her boyfriend went missing a few nights ago. Gunn figured that he must have been turned into a vampire too. I told Tiana to get herself and the baby somewhere safe. She said he would." Warrick stood up and looked around, now he was angry. "Dammit why didn't she listen to me?"
"Hey, this only happened a few hours ago. Why don't we find out where the baby is."
One of the uniforms tapped Grissom. "A neighbor said the baby was at the victim's mother's house. Elsa Rondell, here is the address." The uniform gave a slip of paper over to Grissom. Angel snatched it away.
"Come on Gunn, let's go."
Brass was pissed. "Hey, where do you think you're going?!"
"Look around you. Candles, soft music CDs by the stereo. This girl came back here to reconcile with her long lost boyfriend. Now he's done with her and is on his way to Grandma's house. We have to get there before he turns them into one big happy family." Angel looked at Tiana's body, then at Gunn. "What are we going to do with this?"
"Well, I guess I could go back and get my axe"
Warrick was horrified. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Whoever did this probably turned her into a vampire. I know that's what I would have done. We need to cut her head off to prevent her from…"
Whack! Angel fell backwards as Warrick's fist made contact with his face. Grissom and Brass grabbed Warrick as he struggled to go after Angel. Angel stood up and rubbed his jaw.
"Warrick, stop right now. Do I have to remind you, that this is a crime scene?" Once Warrick was controlled Grissom turned back to Angel. "I can't let you dismember a body, it's evidence."
Angel and Gunn both laughed at Grissom.
"Listen Grissom, evidence of what? I can smell that a vampire has been here. What are you going to do? Put him on trial? This needs to be taken care of, and taken care of now or in two days this woman will rise again and if there is no one around to stop her, the death toll will just keep getting higher."
Grissom was about to protest, but the Sheriff stepped in.
"Grissom, let these guys do what they have to do, this girl is already dead, and they can't hurt her anymore."
Warrick looked at Tiana's body, defeated. Then something snapped.
"Hey, we need to get to her mom's house now!"
Gunn stared at Warrick, "We?"
"Do you know where it is?" Angel and Gun shook their heads. "Well I do. Come on, let's move."
Angel spoke to Grissom and Brass, "Take the body back to the morgue, we will have Wes take care of her," he paused and looked at Warrick, "I'm really sorry about your friend." Warrick just nodded.
"Wait a minute, two days? That body from the other night is in the crypt now, it's been dead about two days. What if…" The blood drained from Grissom's face. "Oh my god, Al!"
"I'll call Spike and Wes." Angel called as he rushed out the door behind Gunn and Warrick.
Lucky for Angel, Gunn, and Warrick Tiana's mother lived only a couple of blocks away. The guys had raced there as Angel called Wes on his cell phone. The rest of the gang was still at CSI Headquarters so Wes and Spike took off for the morgue immediately. Warrick was the first to reach the small, quaint house. Warrick knocked on the door while trying to catch his breath.
"Why Warrick Brown, how nice to see you again," said the kind older woman as she answered the door.
"Hello Mrs. Rondell, may we come in?" Warrick asked politely and motioned to Gunn and Angel behind him.
"Sure, you boys come in from the cold."
Warrick and Gunn stepped in easily. Angel hesitated, not sure if that was a true invitation. He stepped forward and through the doorway. He was glad he didn't have to ask for a second invite.
"Mrs. Rondell, have you seen Rodney tonight?"
"Yes, he just got here. I thought he was with Tiana, but he came over to pick up the baby."
"Where?!"
"In the back bedroom…" Angel and Gunn rushed back towards the bedroom. "Warrick Brown, what's going on here?"
"Mrs. Rondell, Tiana has had an…well," Warrick struggled to find just the right words. He drew a deep breath and blurted it out. "Tiana's been killed and we think Rodney is responsible."
Before Mrs. Rondell could say anything she was cut off by a crash, the baby crying and an otherworldly screech. Warrick stopped Mrs. Rondell from rushing back to the bedroom. Angel came out carrying the infant in their arms. Gunn was behind him.
"Oh my Lord, what happened?!" Mrs. Rondell demanded. She rushed passed Angel and Gunn into the bedroom. There was nothing but a pile of dust on the floor. She turned and went back into the living room.
Angel started to explain, "Mrs. Rondell, I know this may seem hard to believe but Rodney was a…"
"Drug dealer," Warrick interrupted. "He was a dangerous drug dealer. He must of escaped out the window, right Angel?"
"Umm…right, he did, he jumped out the window, said he'd never come back."
"Warrick Brown!" Mrs. Rondell said sharply. "Don't you be lying to me!" She paused and stared at Warrick. "I have raised six children. I am not a fragile old lady. I have eyes you know, I see what's been going on around her, heard the stories. He was a vampire wasn't he?"
"How do you know about vampires?" Gunn asked suspiciously.
"My oldest daughter, from my first marriage, Nikki Wood, she was a vampire slayer. She was killed in New York in 1977. A vampire got her on a subway. I told her not to ride that thing, it was too dangerous. Her son Robin still fights them."
"Robin Wood?"
"I know I tried to talk her out of it…so now a vampire has claimed another of my children." Mrs. Rondell sat quietly for a moment. "Can I have my grandson now?"
Angel forgot he had been holding the sleeping infant. "Oh, yes of course." He handed him back to Mrs. Rondell. She sat down and rocked the baby. Warrick realized how old she looked and didn't know if she could take care of a baby.
"Mrs. Rondell, is there anything I can do for you? Are you going to be alright with the baby? Is there someone I should call?"
"Warrick, I've lost three of my children now. But I am a strong woman, I will be okay. I may not be as young as I used to be, but I still know how to raise a child." She paused and smiled at Warrick. "We'll be fine."
Warrick, Angel, and Gunn all nodded. Mrs. Rondell thanked them for coming. The guys headed back to CSI Headquarters to meet with the rest of both crews.
Warrick, Grissom, Gunn, and Angel climbed out of the Tahoe in front of a very familiar apartment building. Familiar for Warrick anyhow. He had a pit in his stomach. Brass and the Sheriff had followed in Brass's unmarked police. The pit in Warrick's stomach grew more painful as they climbed the stairs up to apartment 4B. There were some sobbing women sitting on the steps to the third floor. A uniform met the group at the door.
"Victim's inside, name is Tiana Rondell."
"Let me through!" Warrick demanded as he pushed passed the uniform into the apartment. There Tiana's battered, naked body lay on the living room floor. Warrick gasped and knelt down beside her.
"Oh no," he whispered softly. "Why didn't you get out of here?"
Angel and Gunn stared at the body. From the two small holes and the lack of blood, this had to be the work of a vampire.
"There isn't a sign of a struggle, this is the work of someone she knew," Angel offered.
"Warrick, do you know this woman?" Grissom asked tentatively. He didn't want to have to pull Warrick off the case, the last time he did that it proved disastrous.
"Yeah, I knew her from way back. I saw her yesterday. She promised me she would get somewhere safe."
"What do you mean?"
"Her boyfriend went missing a few nights ago. Gunn figured that he must have been turned into a vampire too. I told Tiana to get herself and the baby somewhere safe. She said he would." Warrick stood up and looked around, now he was angry. "Dammit why didn't she listen to me?"
"Hey, this only happened a few hours ago. Why don't we find out where the baby is."
One of the uniforms tapped Grissom. "A neighbor said the baby was at the victim's mother's house. Elsa Rondell, here is the address." The uniform gave a slip of paper over to Grissom. Angel snatched it away.
"Come on Gunn, let's go."
Brass was pissed. "Hey, where do you think you're going?!"
"Look around you. Candles, soft music CDs by the stereo. This girl came back here to reconcile with her long lost boyfriend. Now he's done with her and is on his way to Grandma's house. We have to get there before he turns them into one big happy family." Angel looked at Tiana's body, then at Gunn. "What are we going to do with this?"
"Well, I guess I could go back and get my axe"
Warrick was horrified. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Whoever did this probably turned her into a vampire. I know that's what I would have done. We need to cut her head off to prevent her from…"
Whack! Angel fell backwards as Warrick's fist made contact with his face. Grissom and Brass grabbed Warrick as he struggled to go after Angel. Angel stood up and rubbed his jaw.
"Warrick, stop right now. Do I have to remind you, that this is a crime scene?" Once Warrick was controlled Grissom turned back to Angel. "I can't let you dismember a body, it's evidence."
Angel and Gunn both laughed at Grissom.
"Listen Grissom, evidence of what? I can smell that a vampire has been here. What are you going to do? Put him on trial? This needs to be taken care of, and taken care of now or in two days this woman will rise again and if there is no one around to stop her, the death toll will just keep getting higher."
Grissom was about to protest, but the Sheriff stepped in.
"Grissom, let these guys do what they have to do, this girl is already dead, and they can't hurt her anymore."
Warrick looked at Tiana's body, defeated. Then something snapped.
"Hey, we need to get to her mom's house now!"
Gunn stared at Warrick, "We?"
"Do you know where it is?" Angel and Gun shook their heads. "Well I do. Come on, let's move."
Angel spoke to Grissom and Brass, "Take the body back to the morgue, we will have Wes take care of her," he paused and looked at Warrick, "I'm really sorry about your friend." Warrick just nodded.
"Wait a minute, two days? That body from the other night is in the crypt now, it's been dead about two days. What if…" The blood drained from Grissom's face. "Oh my god, Al!"
"I'll call Spike and Wes." Angel called as he rushed out the door behind Gunn and Warrick.
Lucky for Angel, Gunn, and Warrick Tiana's mother lived only a couple of blocks away. The guys had raced there as Angel called Wes on his cell phone. The rest of the gang was still at CSI Headquarters so Wes and Spike took off for the morgue immediately. Warrick was the first to reach the small, quaint house. Warrick knocked on the door while trying to catch his breath.
"Why Warrick Brown, how nice to see you again," said the kind older woman as she answered the door.
"Hello Mrs. Rondell, may we come in?" Warrick asked politely and motioned to Gunn and Angel behind him.
"Sure, you boys come in from the cold."
Warrick and Gunn stepped in easily. Angel hesitated, not sure if that was a true invitation. He stepped forward and through the doorway. He was glad he didn't have to ask for a second invite.
"Mrs. Rondell, have you seen Rodney tonight?"
"Yes, he just got here. I thought he was with Tiana, but he came over to pick up the baby."
"Where?!"
"In the back bedroom…" Angel and Gunn rushed back towards the bedroom. "Warrick Brown, what's going on here?"
"Mrs. Rondell, Tiana has had an…well," Warrick struggled to find just the right words. He drew a deep breath and blurted it out. "Tiana's been killed and we think Rodney is responsible."
Before Mrs. Rondell could say anything she was cut off by a crash, the baby crying and an otherworldly screech. Warrick stopped Mrs. Rondell from rushing back to the bedroom. Angel came out carrying the infant in their arms. Gunn was behind him.
"Oh my Lord, what happened?!" Mrs. Rondell demanded. She rushed passed Angel and Gunn into the bedroom. There was nothing but a pile of dust on the floor. She turned and went back into the living room.
Angel started to explain, "Mrs. Rondell, I know this may seem hard to believe but Rodney was a…"
"Drug dealer," Warrick interrupted. "He was a dangerous drug dealer. He must of escaped out the window, right Angel?"
"Umm…right, he did, he jumped out the window, said he'd never come back."
"Warrick Brown!" Mrs. Rondell said sharply. "Don't you be lying to me!" She paused and stared at Warrick. "I have raised six children. I am not a fragile old lady. I have eyes you know, I see what's been going on around her, heard the stories. He was a vampire wasn't he?"
"How do you know about vampires?" Gunn asked suspiciously.
"My oldest daughter, from my first marriage, Nikki Wood, she was a vampire slayer. She was killed in New York in 1977. A vampire got her on a subway. I told her not to ride that thing, it was too dangerous. Her son Robin still fights them."
"Robin Wood?"
"I know I tried to talk her out of it…so now a vampire has claimed another of my children." Mrs. Rondell sat quietly for a moment. "Can I have my grandson now?"
Angel forgot he had been holding the sleeping infant. "Oh, yes of course." He handed him back to Mrs. Rondell. She sat down and rocked the baby. Warrick realized how old she looked and didn't know if she could take care of a baby.
"Mrs. Rondell, is there anything I can do for you? Are you going to be alright with the baby? Is there someone I should call?"
"Warrick, I've lost three of my children now. But I am a strong woman, I will be okay. I may not be as young as I used to be, but I still know how to raise a child." She paused and smiled at Warrick. "We'll be fine."
Warrick, Angel, and Gunn all nodded. Mrs. Rondell thanked them for coming. The guys headed back to CSI Headquarters to meet with the rest of both crews.