Chapter 1

Wednesday May 5th, 2010
CSI Lab
10:08 p.m.

"Happy Wednesday!"

Looking up from her magazine Sara raised an eyebrow at the bouncy voice in front of her, and it's owner. "Greg, now I know that you are a grown man, hell I remember being your mentor when you first started becoming a CSI and look at you now, a CSI Three...so do I even ask why you're bouncing around the hallway like it's the fourth of July when it's only Wednesday, another Wednesday mind you, and no reason to be acting like a ten-year-old on the biggest sugar high of his life...or did you buy out the local Godiva again and proceed to destroy all the evidence before coming to work tonight?"

"No! That was a one time only thing!" Greg protested

"Ahh, well just checking," Sara smiled back. "So, what does have you so happy?"

"Mia said yes."

"Mia said yes?"

"Mia said yes!"

"Mia said yes?" Liz Fabrey asked as she joined them.

"Mia said yes." Greg and Sara chorused as they looked over at blonde woman.

"Mia said yes?" Jacqui poked her head out of one of the labs, Archie's head following her's.

"Mia said yes!" the now three smiled.

"Mia said yes." Jacqui and Archie told each other before hugging.

"Mia said yes?" Hodges asked from behind Sara, Greg, and Liz.

"Mia said yes, and now the entire lab knows."

Turning, all six looked rather sheepishly at the woman in question, who was watching them with a smirk.

"All right, all right. Break up the party," Warrick smiled as he joined them. "Mia, Greg, congratulations. Sara, we have a new case, BPKC."

"Damn," Sara muttered before looking at the others in the hall. "We'll call."

"And reality just stole back our happy moment," Mia sighed before going back into her lab and to work. The remaining group watched Sara and Warrick walk away before heading back to their own work.

Thursday May 6th, 2010
CSI Lab
3:49 a.m.

"Want help?"

Glancing up from the form in front of her, Sara smiled at the man in the doorway. "Always, but shouldn't you be heading home?"

"Too quiet," Warrick shrugged as he entered the room and moved over to read over her shoulder. "You okay?" he asked softly as they worked through the paperwork relating to the case that interrupted their moment earlier that evening.

"Frustrated. But otherwise I'm alright," she answered after a moment. "I wish we could figure out who this guy is."

"You and me both," he agreed with a sigh. "Heard talk from Phi, the Sheriff has a plan. Maybe things will work out."

"Perhaps," Sara agreed after a moment and she continued on with her work.

Friday May 7th, 2010
Office of Clark County Sheriff P. Jackson
11:15 a.m.

Letting the Sheriff explain his theory on how they should handle the case, Jim Brass moved his attention to looking at the other people in Pete Jackson's office. All three supervisors were there, along with A.D. Perna. Jackson had pulled everyone in for the meeting.

Tony was idly twirling his pen as he listened to Pete talk. No doubt the other man's mind was at least partially occupied with the ramifications of Pete's plan. He knew his own mind was...

Moving his attention from the Assistant Director, he looked over at the three CSIs who were sitting in a row, Day, Swing, and Night. That order even. Even as they listened, he could see the camaraderie between them. Something that hadn't been there nearly six years earlier when Conrad Ecklie was made A.D.

Then again, there had been a lot of changes in the five and a half years since Atwater had made Ecklie head of the lab. First being the split of the then nightshift. Then Curtis left, and the Blue Paint Killer Copycat had struck. After his third victim in September of '05, everyone had been through the ringer, a few times at least. Sara never talked, then again neither did Grissom. But at least there was still fire and life in his eyes; the same couldn't be said for the woman Jim considered a daughter. And Catherine had gone off the deep end in her quest to prove she deserved the promotion, had lost touch with why she became a CSI, and her daughter.

Grissom had gone first, only a month after Diane Haisly's murder. He left without a word, Warrick hadn't been surprised...neither had Sara. Nick was gone a month later, no word as well. Though the general consensus among those left behind who were still around today was he couldn't deal with working under Catherine as she continued down the dark spiral her life had become. He returned to Texas they later learned...

Only after he left did they learn Catherine had applied for a position in Miami and had been trying to leave since July. Lindsey had refused to leave Vegas, the only home she ever knew, just to go to some place in Florida. The first the two had talked in months was when Lindsey begged and pleaded for Catherine to reconsider. In the end, she went to her grandmother and Sam Braun. Catherine had been fighting her mother over Lindsey out of court for months, the only reason anyone learned anything was when Catherine's mother filed for custody of Lindsey and it became public knowledge. They never knew what exactly happened, but after the holidays things were decided, Catherine left in February. And her daughter remained in Vegas with her grandmother. And that was only the beginning.

By April, everything had gone to hell in a hand basket to use a saying his mother had often used. Half the lab was gone; replacements brought in by Ecklie were in their place. The lab had dropped to number eight, and continued falling. But Atwater had finally realized that he needed to do something, so in May Ecklie was 'let go'. And Antonio Perna was hired. It took years for them to get back to where they were today, and a lot of work on Tony's part.

Even with Tony, Atwater knew he needed help to get things back right, so he asked Jim to take over as Director, he hadn't been so sure of it, then he had looked around him and realized that he could help make things right. Help make Sara smile once more, Warrick laugh, and Greg dance around to his own beat again. And so he'd taken it. Starting the following year, they were able to get four of the lab techs back who had once worked for the lab, Jacqui, Bobby, Archie, and Mia. Immediately the four along with Sara, Warrick, Greg, and Hodges had joined together. Forming a close-knit group, that once you were in, you were family. But it was hell getting into the group. They were afraid to trust, to let people close after what they went through with Ecklie. Loosing Grissom, Catherine, and Nick like they had. Never a word of goodbye, not a word since even. Then there was the fact that the majority of those that Ecklie had hired were just like him...

Even with all that, they had found a way for themselves, the small family that was born from the number two lab in the country, and those they brought into the fold. They had all been together for Sara's thirty-sixth birthday, Jacqui, Archie, Bobby, Hodges, Mia and Greg, Dave and his girl Danielle were there with Doc and Simone Robbins and Liz, the new girl from Swing were there, Warrick...they even had him and Katrina there, Zoë even...and of course there was Linds...it was a fantastic night. Until Archie's girl at the time had flipped on the TV and they watched the ten o'clock news take their world and turn it upside down once more with the scandal about the shift supervisors.

He and Tony went through hell thanks to that, luckily it didn't take much to refill the positions, a phone call, a compromise, and within three months the positions were all filled, and the lab was that much better off for it. November saw Atwater lose his first race in years, and January saw Pete sworn in as Sheriff. Then he set to work to make sure that the lab continued on its upward climb back to number two. Found funding Atwater had never been able to come up with, and supported the staff of the crime lab like Atwater never had.

To be honest, there were two families in the lab, almost one large family. The family that had started out from the lab they once were, letting a few people in, and the family that was the hierarchy of the crime lab. Pete and his wife were determined to make friends with everyone they worked with. Once upon a time, Nicole Jackson was a CSI herself. She never went beyond level one, finding her calling instead in her family. But she remembered what it was like to be one of them, and she was determined to get to know the people that worked behind the scenes. And low and behold, she found friends in them that she was more comfortable with than the powers that be she had to help her husband schmooze around town.

In the two years since Pete was hired, the lab had continued to climb. The bonds that were formed solidified as they got the right people in and got those that Ecklie had brought out, at least those that weren't right for the lab. But at the same time, the original group...clic as they were called in the lab, remained to themselves; sure they let a few people in, fellow CSIs from their shifts, but for the most part...the remembered feeling of being hurt never left. They couldn't let themselves open up to the majority of the lab for fear of being hurt once more. At the same time, some of them would probably not survive being hurt again. One Sara Sidle being at the front of that line.

And at the same time, things had been going great during the two years. Until this past February when they had a new serial killer strike, one they quickly linked back to being the Blue Paint Killer Copycat that had struck after Curtis left so many years earlier. The seventh victim in four months had come in the day before, and now they found themselves in the familiar office of the Sheriff.

"...So, to bring this all to a point," Pete spoke and Jim finally turned his attention back to the man. "I've decided to bring in some help for the case. Starting tonight, the BPKC will be handled by a combined team from Swing and Night Shift. Swing and Night supervisors will have co-supervision of the case. I need a list of members you want to work with the project, Days will be the main shift, but you will be temporarily in charge of the members of night and swing not working the case."

"Fair enough." came the expected answer from the woman. "But I can't be at that lab twenty-four hours a day, it's not physically possible," she pointed out softly.

"Which is why I've asked Jim here if he would consider splitting the day with you. Twelve hour shifts, you in the morning and afternoon, Jim afternoon and night."

"Which I gladly agree to," Jim spoke up and she smirked at him knowingly. Katrina hadn't been thrilled to say the least. But then again, nighttime was her busiest time at work so...it worked out for them really. The fact that these three picked up on the knowledge that his wife wasn't 'thrilled' was beyond ridiculous in his mind.

"Sounds like a plan to me then," she continued to Pete who nodded before looking at the other two supervisors.

"Who do you want on staff?"

The two glanced at each other for a moment "Pete, if we're going to do this, then we're going to need those who have worked the cases all along."

"Fair enough." Pete began as he wrote on a piece of paper before counting. "So including the two of you, that would give you four CSI-3s, and a CSI-2?" he asked looking up at the two and they nodded.

"Alright," Pete nodded. "What about the lab employees? Are there any that you want to specifically work this case, have it be their first priority? As I said, solving this is our main priority right now."

"Johnson, Dawson, Franco, and Dickerson," Swing's supervisor answered immediately and Jim smiled, who hadn't seen that one coming...

"Alright, well then that's settled. Unless there are any objections?" Pete asked looking around the office. Seeing none he nodded. "O'Riley's in charge of the police side of the Task Force, you three need to arrange a meeting as soon as possible..." he trailed off before they nodded. "All right, then here is the main factor of my plan. We can use all the help we can get, that's no lie. So we have three more CSIs coming in to help on this case."

"What?" Days supervisor asked sitting up as the other two just blinked at Pete.

"One is not exactly an option, our last victim was a Texas Ranger as you know, so they're sending one of their CSIs to help, they want this guy as much as we do."

"And the other two?"

Tony and Jim exchanged a look wondering what the sheriff was up to as the supervisors continued to question the Sheriff.

"One is a Blood-Spatter expert; we don't have anyone here with her expertise. The other works at Quantico. They're all great CSIs based on their records, and I know that some of you might not be happy with my decision, but they have connections to this case, and it's predecessor so..." he shrugged lightly and Jim stared at him in shock. A look that was mirrored on the three supervisors faces no doubt.

Pete had neglected to inform any of them about this before hand. And he just might be tempted to kill the man, Sheriff or not.

"My suggestion now would be to go home and get some rest. Night and Swing has been working either on their second straight shift or third in the case of you two," Pete spoke on, giving the two supervisors a look. "Get your team to go home and get some rest. If they have loose ends to tie up in what they are working on at this exact moment, an hour, no more. Since we're combining the two shift teams to work this, or at least part of them, my thinking is that you'll come halfway through Swing shift and work to the end of night shift. Preferably no overtime after that, but I know that that isn't a likely option so..." he shrugged.

"The three will be arriving tonight and have instructions to meet the team in the break room at seven tonight. I know that technically they have seniority over the two of you, but this is our lab so they will answer to the two of you." Both nodded and Pete nodded back. "Well then, go get your team to go home and do the same. Hopefully I'll be hearing some good news very soon."

Jim watched the three supervisors leave before looking back at the two men. "You think it's wise? Bringing them back here?"

"They know the case Jim," Pete pointed out.

"But could you have warned us?" Tony argued softly.

"We all have to face our demons eventually boys," Pete answered before his phone rang. "If you'll excuse me, Nicole will kill me if I don't answer."

Both men nodded and left the man to his phone call. In the hallway they sighed simultaneously. "I take it I'm in charge while you're getting in touch with your past as a supervisor?" Tony asked glancing over at him.

"Yup, you get to do everything Tony my boy," Jim grinned. "Think of it as an early anniversary present or something."

"Thanks." Tony answered dryly as he rolled his eyes while they made their way out of the building. "So, you ready for this?"

"Am I ready to have Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows and Nick Stokes back in Vegas?" Jim clarified. They were the only people who fit the description.

"Yeah, all things considered. Sidle, Brown, and the rest of their group aren't the only ones they disappeared on without a word basically."

"True. But hey, I was only ever exceptionally close to Grissom and Sara. But am I ready for all three of them to be back and ruin what we've managed to create here? Hell no. Do I get a choice? Obviously the answer to that is hell no as well. So..." Jim shrugged. "May as well get use to it right?"

"Guess so. Well, spread the word, you guys need a mediator, I'm a call away."

"Sure thing Tony. Have fun as the big boss," Jim smiled slightly.

"Will do. Have fun with the wife and being night shift sup again basically," Tony called as he got into his car and drove away.

"Sure, that's going to be a barrel of monkeys," Jim answered as he turned his own car on.