Title: So Deserved
Author: Battus philenor
Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own CSI or its characters.
A/N: This is a response to an elemental challenge on UTB
They drove down the dirt road in complete silence, both remembering what transpired between them earlier that day. Him trying to keep his eyes on the twists and turns of that lonely isolated road, and her staring blank faced out the passenger door window chewing mindlessly on a thumb nail. Neither really sure where things stood between them.
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She had blown into his office with her usual high octane vigor, "Grissom, you just can't leave it at that. I need to know why you would think somebody deserved a promotion solely because they didn't care if they got it. That doesn't make any sense. Please tell me the real reason?"
He had known she wouldn't let him get away with that answer. He was surprised she didn't call him on it immediately. That was a testament to how much she'd matured over the years.
"Sara, I'm sorry, but that was the main reason." He was hoping she would just let it go at that.
"And that is a good reason to promote somebody?" She managed to ask a little more calmly this time.
Sighing loudly, he resigned himself to the fact that she was indeed going to make him tell her. He feared this all along, but hoped like all other unpleasant things in his life, that he could just avoid it.
"My decision to recommend him was based not so much the fact that Nick didn't care if he got it, as much as for the reason you wanted it."
"Not good enough. Explain."
"Sara, why did you want the promotion?"
"That shouldn't matter."
"It does matter because it was the basis for my decision. It was just a competition for you."
"What's wrong with that Grissom? Competition gives me something to strive for."
"Sara you know as well as I do that position was a farce. The raise that would have been involved would barely be noticeable in your check. The extra duties were nothing that would have intrigued you. And it would have lessened the time you spend in the field."
"If I was the better qualified person for the job, it should have been mine. Those were not reasons to deny me a promotion based on performance, give me reasons as to why he deserved it more."
"Sara, don't you see? It wasn't a matter of who deserved it more. The whole reason for the position was to give it to somebody who needed an ego boost. Somebody who might have been the weakest on the team. It was a position to encourage better performance."
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Finally pulling up to the secluded crime scene, they silently got their gear together and made their way towards the body.
"This the girl from the tape, Jim?" Grissom asked while taking in the scene.
"Hey Gil, yeah it appears she's Jennifer Sands. She looks like the one we watched trying unsuccessfully to enter her room. Whoever snatched her probably messed with her key card."
"Did you find her purse out here?" Sara asked from the edge of the road while looking for tire and foot prints.
"Well, it looks like there's one mostly tucked under her body there, but I figured you two would have a fit if I touched it." Brass just smirked as they both glared in his direction.
"Let's see if there's ID in there, and maybe a hotel key card to help your theory along." Grissom reached down rolling the girl gently to remove the purse. Opening it, he could see the sparse contents quite easily.
"There is a hotel key card Jim, and a few other items, but no wallet or ID. I'm going to bag this all together. We'll dust the key card for prints and then we'll check to see if it's been demagnetized. You're probably right though. The guy gets a hold of her card for a few seconds, rubs a magnet over it, and then waits for her in the stairwell when she can't get into her room. Just like the other two."
"I don't always enjoy being right." Brass sighed turning around, leaving the CSIs to do their thing.
"Grissom, what's that over there by your foot?"
Looking down he saw nothing among the dirt and dry looking weeds.
"Where, I don't see anything?"
"It's right by your foot. There's a glare. Here, I'll get it."
She kept her eye on it while making her way, knowing at some point the glare would disappear for her too. Bending down to where the item had been reflecting the light, she grimaced as she realized what that item was.
"Well, what is it Sara?" He tried to prod her gently after seeing the squeamish look she was trying unsuccessfully to shake.
"It's a glass eye, Grissom."
"I see." He couldn't help his grin as she shot him an amused look.
"It doesn't look exposed to the elements. You think it rolled away from our killer, Gris?"
"I guess we'll just wait and see…"
Watching her; she shook her head trying to suppress a grin as she bagged the eye, he thought back to earlier in the day.
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"So, basically you're telling me that the position that you recommended Nick for, was a pity promotion, not based on performance at all?"
"I wouldn't put it quite that way, but yes, I guess that's what it was."
"Why couldn't you just tell me that before? If it's the truth, why make me think you were retaliating for personal reasons?"
"I also had Nick's feelings to consider in this, Sara. I may not have handled this whole thing in the correct manner, but this came down from above. I don't have any regrets. Doubts about what I've done, but no regrets. Not about this anyway."
Looking up at him quickly she caught the mournful expression in his eyes. Moving closer towards him she grabbed his hand giving it a small squeeze.
"Most things can be fixed as long as you come clean with your reasons, Gris."
"So, I should have hope?"
"You may have a lot of explaining to do for… other things, but I wouldn't give up hope."
He squeezed her hand before she let go and walked out of his office.
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The vibration on his hip snapped him back to the present, reaching down he removed the offending piece of equipment.
With one eyebrow raised he looked at her. "Sara, why aren't you returning Greg's pages?"
"Damn it, I forgot my pager's broken, and I turned my phone off earlier for our conversation."
"Looks like I'm not the only one with some explaining to do." With that said he winked at her and turned around to finish processing the scene.
End
Battus philenor