The pounding in his head was worsening with every little thought. It had started as a small ping like a drip of a faucet hitting the stainless steel below. The ping had gradually increased to a bounce like that of a child dribbling a basketball. It had now escalated so far that he felt like the drum in a school marching band. He willed himself to rid his mind of all thought and drift into a peacefully quiet sleep, but for some reason, his emptiness filled his brain.

In an effort to ease the tired muscles in his eyes, he twisted his blinds shut, turned off the only lamp that cast shadows in the room and eased back down onto his sofa. After a quick swallow of refrigerator temperature bottled water that washed down another migraine pill, he toed off his loafers and laid back. The cool of the leather felt almost like ice against the back of his hot neck. Placing an arm over his face, he shielded his eyes from any source of light and tried to squeeze the pain away. For a brief second, the pounding stopped, but after he released pressure it all came flooding back like water from a newly opened dam.

Still blocking the light and sound with his arm, he again willed himself to sleep. For once, thinking and work were not his top two priorities. Instead, he wished to just forget. Forget the eager-to-learn college student whose arm stayed in the air at his seminars more than the Las Vegas sun on a hot summer day. Forget the gapped-tooth smile he'd gotten when he asked if they could keep in touch and the midnight emails and early morning phone calls that were the reason he woke up every day. Forget the warmth of the blanket and taste of the coffee she'd brought him while he performed that experiment only for her and the shudder he felt deep in his soul when she'd brushed chalk from his face. Forget that his heart stopped beating when she was trapped with a madman threatening to cut her throat and when it broke in two as she revealed her past to him and shed long-overdue tears in her living room. Forget the hurt in her eyes when he pushed her away every time she got close to breaking down the walls he'd built around his heart.

The latest hurt he caused was what brought him home tonight to the cold, dark hell he called his townhouse. As his breathing evened out and mellowed, he finally drifted off to sleep and into his dream world, a world that normally cheered him, but this time only brought back the painful memories of his day.

The team was gathered in the break room: his team. As he looked around at the familiar faces, he reminisced. Nick, his secret favorite, never disappointed him. His strong determination and ability to stand up for what he believed in, no matter what the cost, made being his supervisor a gift rather than an obligation. Warrick, despite his flaws, was a good CSI. Greg, his newest addition, was his polar opposite. Deep down, he thought Greg should be doing what he did best; lab work. But seeing the dream and drive in his eyes that mirrored his own at a younger age, he'd moved him to a CSI 1. Even with his mistakes Grissom was proud of how far he'd come.

Next, he moved to Catherine, probably his closest female friend. Working side-by-side had drawn them closer just as much as it had pushed them apart. Knowing her past made it easy for him not to want to get romantically involved and knowing how much drama she had in her life with a teenage daughter and her father, Sam Braun, made it even easier to keep his distance. He had to admit that they'd grown apart over the years. His disappointment in decisions she'd made was obvious to both of them. His major disappointment, though, was her inability to be a good leader. He'd spent years knowing she was the one that could take his place when he was gone. The change he'd seen in her when she became swing shift supervisor made him realize he'd been wrong. Everything had turned from work to personal and she'd morphed into a female version of Ecklie.

Moving on, his eyes settled on Sara, the female version of himself. From the outside people would say that they were every different, but every opposite anyone could point out, he could explain. Outwardly, she was more emotional than he. But truthfully, he'd just spent years bottling his emotions up while she'd let every tear fall. Her intelligence was equal to his, even though she'd disagree, and her drive and need to work matched his. They shared the same passion for science and justice and the same love for solving puzzles. Their one difference was her ability to give in to her emotions for him. He'd tried, but failed miserably. He'd hurt her over and over again but, strangely, she always came back to him. He was afraid, though, that today he'd push her away for good.

He took a second to clear his head before he got everyone's attention. He cleared his throat and everyone looked up. "I have an announcement to make before I hand out assignments." After a short pause to be sure he had everyone's attention, he continued, "I know this will be a shock to all of you, so I ask that you let me finish before jumping to any conclusions." He took a deep breath. Tonight will be my last night at CSI, at least for a while." He looked around at the wide-eyes, open-mouthed faces, but as he requested, no one said a word. "I am going to teach a course at UNLV. It's only one class and I'm only on the schedule for one semester on a trial basis. If I enjoy my work, I will stay and my responsibilities and classes will increase. If I don't wish to continue, I'm told I will still have a position here in the lab." He stopped to give everything a chance to sink in.

Warrick was the first to speak, "Can we talk now?"

"Yeah, Warrick, go ahead."

"What brought this on?"

"UNLV has been asking me to consult with a few professors on writing a new textbook. I've been declining because I thought I'd be bored just sitting in a room with other guys who probably already know most of what I know. But, recently, they added teaching a course to their offer. I enjoy doing seminars," he turned to Sara, "and watching young minds blossom. I feel like this will be a good opportunity for me."

Catherine spoke her mind and Grissom turned his attention to her, "So that's it? You're just leaving?"

"I'm sorry, Catherine, but I've thought about this for a while." After a few silent moments, Grissom continued on to his next touchy subject. "Now, since I'm leaving, my position as shift supervisor will be open."

Catherine spoke up again, "Great! So who's Ecklie sticking us with?"

"Actually, Conrad, in his infinite wisdom, has made my last task as supervisor choosing my replacement."

"So how long is that gonna take?", Greg asked.

"I've already decided." He looked at Catherine and saw the expected look in her eyes then watched it turn to shock as he said, "I've chosen Nick." When he turned to Nick, he saw the shock on his face.

"Me?"

"Yes, Nick, you."

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but why me?"

"Because I think the team could use fresh, young leadership. I recommended you for a promotion a couple years back and, unfortunately, the position was cut. You deserved that promotion then and you deserve this one now. I feel that your strong will, drive and determination will be an asset to this team and its effectiveness." He looked around the room to see everyone's reactions, then back to Nick, "So, congratulations, Nicky."

Greg was the first to join in, "Yeah, way to go Nick. Or should I call you Boss?"

After a chuckle from Nick, I'll settle for Sir, or maybe Sir Nick!"

A few laughs followed the Warrick spoke up, "Congrats Nick."

"From me too, Nicky," Catherine added.

Grissom looked to Sara for her input, but all he got was her continued silence and a look that could slice him in two. Then, like it was just another day, "Okay. Sara, you and Greg have a b&e gone bad in Henderson and Catherine, you and Warrick have a 419 at McCarran Airport in the trunk of a car. Could be that missing pilot. Nick, you're with me." Sara stood and, without a word, snatched the paper from his hand and walked out of the room. He wanted to give her time to settle down. He'd talk to her later in the shift. Greg followed her out and Warrick left after telling Catherine he'd meet her outside.

With a look from Catherine saying that she was not leaving until she spoke her mind, Grissom told Nick to wait for him in his office. Then to Catherine, "So, you wanted to talk?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

"Mmm. I think you owe me an explanation."

He knew what she wanted, but played dumb, "I do?"

"Yes, Dammit! I was demoted from shift supervisor so we could get the team back together! I thought you and I had an unspoken agreement that I'd take over if you ever decided to leave or step down. What the hell happened?"

"So, you're not upset that I'm leaving, only that you're not taking over?"

"Just answer the damn question!"

"Well, you're correct. At one point we did have an 'unspoken agreement' about you taking over. But things have changed. I got to see your leadership abilities first hand and I feel that you didn't handle the responsibility the way I expected. Frankly, I think choices you've made in your life are not those of a good leader. I know that I'm nowhere near perfect, but I do know that a supervisor must set a good example for his or her team."

"And you don't think I set a good example?"

After a slight hesitation, "No."

"But you think Nick will?"

"Catherine, I'm not going to compare the two of you. You and I both know that we haven't agreed on a lot of personal choices you've made. On top of that, I didn't appreciate the person you became when you were a supervisor. This was my team for a long time and I want to make sure they have the best leadership possible when I'm gone. I feel that the best person for the job is Nick. I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings, but that's my decision."

"Well Gil, now we can disagree on a personal choice you've made, because THIS is a wrong decision." She stood and walked out without looking back. The female population in the lab was definitely not happy with him tonight.

After a shift in the lab with Nick, showing him the ropes and filling him in on all the open cases, Grissom was tired. He's kept an eye out for Sara all night, but never saw her. Even after Greg appeared in the lab, she was still nowhere to be found. He finally got the nerve to ask Greg where she was and the response cut him in two.

"She said she was done being hurt and that she'd seen you for the last time then she went home. You two were pretty close, huh?"

Without a response, Grissom retreated to his office and shut the door. He didn't know what hurt more, the fact that he'd pushed Sara to the point where she never wanted to see him again, the fact that she'd revealed such personal thoughts to Greg or the pounding that had started in his head. Deciding he wouldn't figure it out if his office, he left the lab early and went home.