To Love Is To Suffer Chapter 1: Prologue, a csi fanfic

Author's Note: I'd like to thank Witch Girl who inspired me to write fan fiction. Summary: Ever since Warrick died the team has been falling apart. Ecklie hires a new CSI and the team only drifts further apart. But when two of their CSIs are injured, one critical, will they learn to open up to each other and to the new CSI. Team friendship, Greg/Riley, slight GSR and Yo Bling. Time line: Season 9 right about the time Sara leaves Disclaimer: If I owned CSI Greg would get more screen time. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 1

Grissom sighed, for the last few days he had been feeling slightly paranoid. That every case he assigned was going to go wrong. He had started to think of the worst case scenarios, and he refused to believe it was because of Warrick's recent death.

Grissom ignored his hesitation and left his office to hand out the assignments. He found the team in the break-room. Other than Nick and Catherine, who were talking quietly on the break room couch, the room was silent. Riley was at one end of the table reading a magazine. Greg was at the other leaning back in his chair, his head tilted towards the ceiling. From what Grissom could tell he looked half asleep.

"Nick B&E at the strip," said Grissom, handing Nick his assignment."Riley 419 in Henderson, take Greg with you," he continued.

Greg and Riley left while Grissom and Catherine departed to a local store for a robbery turned homicide. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greg needed desperately to be alone, and so thought up an excuse. "It is a 419 so maybe we should take two cars, in case there's a lot of evidence"

Riley was certain that they would not need two cars, but, sensing some ulterior motive behind Greg's words, she agreed.

"Meet you at the scene then, "said Greg, trying to hide his delight. Riley nodded, before turning away. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fifteen minute drive gave Greg enough time to think. He had called Sara again that night, just before coming to work. As usual, she did not pick up. Greg had tried calling her multiple time but all his attempts proved unsuccessful. He had begun to get irritated. He had thought that since she had returned to Vegas once and had met everyone, she would communicate with them again. Greg knew for a fact that, when she first left, she and Grissom were in contact; Greg had in fact received her new number from Grissom. Greg wondered if Sara talked to Grissom now. He thought vaguely of asking Grissom but decided against it. Greg was not sure why he felt so reluctant, but somewhere in the back of his mind, something held him back.

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Riley walked up to Detective Brass, holding up her ID as the stepped under the crime scene tape. "Solo?" asked Brass, after seeing Riley walk up to him on her own. "No. Greggo's on his way,"

"Huh, well three victims, nine year olds," said Brass consulting his notebook, "They've been identified as John Pierce, Benjamin Darse and Charlie Nickels. Ben's mother, Miss Darse, found them," Brass looked up and he looked more serious than Riley had ever seen him, "They were tied up." Brass swallowed hard, and continued "And naked."

Riley swore softly and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Child abuse cases never got any easier, and Riley often found her self becoming too empathetic.

"Miss Darse said the boys came over around three o'clock yesterday. They stayed the night, and this morning at around ten Miss Darse left to pay the bills said she was at the bank for about thirty minutes came home and found the boys dead," said Brass.

Riley sighed and continued into the house.

"It's a sad, sad world," whispered Riley. She stood in the doorway and stared at the victims, as if expecting them to agree.

Thirty minutes later Greg stepped into the room startling Riley who was situated with her back towards him.

What happened?" asked Greg, and, for a second, Riley felt like screaming at him. She wanted to say "What happened? What happened is that three nine year olds are dead. That's what happened."

Riley almost did say it, but stopped herself. "Stop it Riley. Greg didn't kill those kids, it's not his fault they're dead."

"Riley?"

"Uh… yeah… three victims, age nine, they were having a sleep over, the mother went to the bank early this morning came back to find them tied up and naked.

Riley watched as Greg reacted similar to her. To just about anyone he would look relatively normal, a little sad maybe; but not devastated, not angry, not the way he was now. Riley was a CSI; she was trained to see the tiniest of details, and so she saw past Greg's facade, she saw his anguish.

Greg's lips were a thin white line, and Riley saw the muscles in his jaw tense, his eyes were a dark brown, as if the milk chocolate colour of his eyes had suddenly changed to dark chocolate. Bitter, bitter dark chocolate. Riley used to love dark chocolate but at that particular moment she hated it, and the satisfaction of knowing that Greg was just as upset about the ordeal as she was disappeared.

Riley felt even more bitter than the dark chocolate of Greg's eyes.