"I'm sorry," Cath apologized again as Nick gave her the evil eye. She turned her attention to both Greg and Warrick who weren't exactly happy with her either, but were making an attempt to understand the position she was in. She sighed before addressing them all. "It was Kepplers idea. The Undersheriff agreed, so Brass and I had to go along with it. I said that I didn't think it would work because I didn't think you could be fooled. I had no idea that McKean wasn't going to give the DA all the details, I would've gone to her myself so that we could've gotten the convinction for Zamesca."
"How long have we known each other, Catherine?" Nick asked, finally speaking after what seemed like and eternity of silence. "Ten years or so?" She nodded her head in agreement. "The four of us should've been told. You could have called a private meeting -- just us. You have our cell numbers. No one would've known, but at least we - I - wouldn't have felt like you didn't trust us."
"I'm sorry, Nick. I know you're disappointed," Catherine poured herself a cup of coffee and muled over how to tell them the latest news.
"What're you holding back?" Warrick questioned, looking her up and down.
Again, she sighed with a heavy heart. "The DA reported the fake crime scene to Ecklie and told him about how she hadn't been fully aprised of the situation. He came to me and Keppler to get the details. We had to tell him the truth. All of it. Including how the four of you investigated without my consent. He had to tell Grissom, and now Grissom has to talk to you all. Probably me and Keppler too."
"Great," Sara muttered. She'd been standing in the doorway to the break room and listened to Catherine's news.
"Sara, I -"
"Save it, Catherine," she said sharply. "I'm really not in the mood to go a round with you."
"Where were you last night?" Greg questioned. He, Warrick, and Nick had gone out for drinks and had called and left a message for Sara to join them, but she never showed.
"Sorry," she tried to force a smile, but it was tight and obviously not genuine. "I was busy taking care of something."
"Anything we can help with?" Nick asked.
"Nope, I just . . . took control, finally," she smiled genuinely this time.
"Of?" Warrick asked.
Catherine felt like a third wheel because she knew that it would be a long while before she could join back into the banter that they all shared.
"My life," she shrugged. She saw all four pairs of eyes eyeing her curiously. She just shrugged it off as she took a seat beside Nick. Both of them were still furious with Catherine and all though they'd been close before, the hurt and disappointment they shared for their co-worker was bringing them closer.
"Hey," Grissom said nervously as he entered the break room. Before he could hand out assignments, he had to have a team meeting about the Zamesca deal.
Everyone offered a greeting of "welcome home" except for Sara. She just stared at the table.
Grissom looked at Sara briefly. It didn't take long for him to realize that she was not going to acknowledge him at the moment, so he turned his attention to Catherine. "I've talked to Keppler already. Then I sent him home. He starts Day Shift tomorrow."
The three guys all felt relieved. None of them had really liked the man. It wasn't because he wasn't a part of their team -- just because upon meeting him, none of them trusted him. He seemed slimy and not the type who would be honest and lay his cards on the table -- not like them. And they were right. The Zamesca case proved it.
"I need to speak with you first before I pull them in," he nodded his head towards the four collegues.
"Alright," Cath said, standing up and pouring the remainder of her coffee down the drain. She rinsed out the mug and then hung it back on her coffee mug hanger. Silently, she followed Gris out of the room, but turned around to the team and offered an apologetic smile before mouthing 'good luck, guys.'
Silently, the four sat in the break room for twenty minutes while Catherine and Gris had their meeting. Finally, Catherine poked her head into the room and told them it was time to go to Gris' office. She then left the door way in search of Bobby who had some ballistics evidence for her in regards to the new case she and Warrick were working on.
Warrick and Greg filed out of the room first.
"I guess we should go," Sara said dryly as she stood up.
Nick reached out and grabbed a hold of her hand, stopping her from leaving. He stood up too, released her hands and then placed his on her shoulders. He gently kneaded her flesh while looking into her eyes. "It's going to be OK. We're all in this together. Besides, I took the lead and assembled you guys to go behind Catherine's back -"
"She deserved it," Sara cut him off.
"Never the less," he continued as if Sara's outburst hadn't happened, "it was my idea. I'm taking responsibility."
"I'm a big girl, Nick. I make my own decisions. As do Warrick and Greg. You may have suggested it, but we all had our suspicions. It's as simple as that."
Nick nodded his head, knowing that what she was saying made sense. But, still, he knew it had been his idea. And he'd lay his own job on the line before he let Sara be punished. "Your tense."
"I don't want to do this," she concluded.
Nick saw the tears welling up in her eyes. "Hey, hey," he said, pulling her into a tight embrace. "It's OK. You're not going to face it alone."
The steady beat of his heart comforted her slightly. She willed the tears away before they could fall.
"I just don't know how to do this, Nick."
He gave her a weak smile before dropping his hands from her shoulders. One of his hands found hers as he laced their fingers together in a show of support. He gently squeezed her palm before they slowly made their way to Grissom's office.
When they arrived, the office was silent. Greg and Warrick had sat down in the four chairs that lined the front of the desk, while Grissom sat in his chair. The three were staring at each other, not really knowing where to begin, and waiting for Nick and Sara to join them.
Grissom glanced down at Nick and Sara's joined hands and Sara saw a flash of something. Jealousy? She surpressed a smile at that thought. The past few days had included in a number of personal discoveries for herself. Gris had never been one to show any kind of emotion, and now that she'd made the decision to create her own destiny, rather than wait around for someone to give it to her, he was starting to seem somewhat human. Too bad it was too late.
"Have a seat," he motioned for the two of them to sit in the two remaining chairs, side by side.
Nick noted the hint of anger in his voice. An unframiliar look had settled in his' bosses eyes as well. It had taken a moment after he and Sara had settled into the chairs for him to realize that their hands were still joined. He felt a small smile tugging at his lips. It only grew when he felt Sara tighten her grasp on his for a moment. He glanced over at her and noticed that she hadn't really realized that she'd done that. His smile got a little larger as he realized that maybe, just maybe, she needed him. And would draw strength from him.
"Ecklie told me about what happened. And Keppler and Catherine gave me their sides of the story. I want to start off by saying that neither of them feel like you four should be reprimanded. If Ecklie hadn't told me, I doubt Catherine would've ever mentioned a thing."
The four sat there, waiting for him to continue.
"I understand why you did it though," he continued. "I'm not sure I would've done the same thing though. And I am disappointed. In all of you. Including Catherine. She should've told you. And you should've trusted her to do her job. She was between a rock and a hard place."
"It was all my idea," Nick blurted out. He hated being the reason why his friends were sitting in the bosses office, facing possible suspension for insubordination.
"I understand you broke the seal on Catherine's car," he noted, looking at Nick.
"It was the fake car, Grissom," Warrick pointed out.
"Still, it was Catherine's car on an investigation that Nick had nothing to do with. Had you been the one to break the seal, since you were working the case, it might've looked a little better in Ecklie's eyes. She may have had it taken to impound, but you still could've said that you were checking out a possible new lead."
"I was going over the evidence that Catherine and Keppler had collected with Sara," he sighed, rubbing his hands over his eyes. This was going to be a very long shift.
"Ah, yes," Grissom said, anger taking over his whole body. "Evidence which had been locked up in the storage locker. Only Supervisors, or Acting Supervisors in Catherine's case, have the key. The lock wasn't picked, nor was it cut. So how did you get access?" He looked over his glasses pointedly at Sara.
"Me," she raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue.
"How did you get the key?" He knew.
"Took it from your desk drawer," she shrugged, pointing to the top right drawer beside him. Her voice was flat and she was surprised at how casual she was being. Her job was possibly on the line and she realized that she just didn't care what Grissom thought anymore. She didn't care at all.
Grissom seethed quietly. He pinched the bridge of his nose trying to calm himself. He trusted Sara completely. Never in a million years did he think that she would take something from his desk that she shouldn't have. Never in a million years did he think they would ever get to a point in their relationship that they were at at that very moment. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Sometimes the end justifies the means," she offered. "You taught me that," she concluded.
Greg sucked in a breath. He'd remained silent, wanting to stay as small as possible. But he knew from the look in Sara's eyes that things could get very ugly between her and Gris very quickly. It was only a matter of time.
"That act in an of itself is grounds to be fired," he stated.
"So then fire me."
Nick, Warrick and Greg turned to look at her. They were absolutely shocked.
"Sara," Nick drawled, grasping her hand tightly in his own. She glanced over at him.
"No, I mean it," she forged on. "I hate being lied to. I hate being kept in the dark." She turned her attention back to Gris. "I hate when people don't think it's important to be honest from the second they have a piece of information that can effect the people around them. I can't live like that anymore." She let go of Nick's hand and stood up.
"What're you doing?" Greg asked, his eyes wide.
"What I should've done a long time ago," she answered, heading for the door.
"This isn't over, Sara," Grissom spoke harshly.
She laughed a little, but she wasn't sure why. Her hand was firmly on the door knob. She turned around and faced him. "Yeah, it is."
"No," he shook his head, standing up and walking around his desk towards her. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he thought better of it. "We'll talk about this later."
"There is no later," she said quietly. "I'm done."
"Done?"
"Done."
Nick, Warrick and Greg cast each other wondering looks. They also felt incredibly awkward like they were witnessing something they shouldn't be privy too.
"I don't understand."
"Didn't you get the hint? It's gone, I'm gone. I thought that would be pretty clear to you. It's not a branch and cocoon, but I thought it was pretty obvious."
"Well I guess that you're going to have to explain it to me," he said sharply. "Now."
"You don't want to get me started," she challenged, releasing the door handle. She took a step forward and looked him square in the eye. "Because I won't stop for anything." She threw a glance over at Nick, Warrick and Greg who were all nervously looking at the floor. They knew that something else, aside from the Zamesca case, was going on.
"Sit down, Sara," he commanded, pointing back to the chair that she'd vacated. "This meeting is not over."
"I get that you're disappointed," she continued. "That we didn't fall in line like good little soldiers. But we knew something was up. Sorry to put you in an awkward position, Gil. Oh, wait -- if you'd been in town, this probably wouldn't have happened," she motioned to herself and the other three.
He got the message loud and clear that the other thing -- well, he got the message that there was no avoiding it.
"Ecklie has ordered me to suspend you four, without pay. He recommended a week. I'm going with the minimum - 3 days."
The three scrambled to their feet, irritated that they followed their instincts, like they'd been taught to do as CSIs. The evidence that said the cases were linked, and they were being punished for it.
"Starting immediately," he finished. "You're free to go." He watched as they all started for the door. "Except you. Sara."
"Whatever," she fumed.
"This isn't Sara's fault," Nick said quickly, hoping that her telling Grissom to fire her wasn't going to bite her in the ass. If it was, then he'd follow her out the front doors and never return.
"Relax, Nicky," Sara said calmly to him.
Grissom noted the softness in her voice when addressing him. He didn't like it.
"This isn't about that," she finished.
He looked at her curiously, but decided that he'd find out later what was really going on. If she wanted him to know.
"Nick?" Grissom raised a pointed eyebrow at the door, where Warrick and Greg were waiting. They would stand tall together, and leave the building with their heads held high. They hadn't done anything wrong.
"We'll see ya in the locker room, Sara," Greg offered.
She smiled at them, but shook her head no. "This could take a while. We'll talk later."
"You sure?" Warrick asked.
"Mmhm," she nodded. As Nick walked through the door, Gris shut the door loudly behind him. Obviously, he wasn't happy. She smirked, trying to hard to supress laughter that she didn't know where it had come from.
"What's gotten into her?" Greg asked as they all looked through the windows of Grissom's office. They could see the smile playing on her lips.
Startled, they all looked away when the blinds in his office had been yanked down, giving them privacy against curious on lookers.
"Whatever it is," Warrick started, "she's playing with fire."
"Let's grab some beers and pizza," Greg suggested.
"Shouldn't we wait for Sara?" Warrick asked. He glanced at Greg, who like him, had just noticed how quiet Nick was. "Nick?"
"Lets take it back to Sara's place," he answered. "I doubt she'll want to be out tonight."
"What's going on?" Grissom asked.
"Pardon?" she asked.
He pointed to the door, then to Sara. "You. And Nick. What is going on?"
"Nothing. We're friends," she shrugged. "He's a good guy. And unlike someone else, he isn't afraid to let the world know that we have a relationship."
"Sara, I've already told you -"
"That you could get fired. Yeah, I get it," she nodded. "But, I think that we know all of those guys well enough to have let them in on -"
"Greg can't keep his mouth shut to save his life!"
"Where exactly have you been living?" she asked. "He's older Gris. He's not the same inexperience kid that was eager to please. He's not looking for approval anymore, and he's not looking into building relationships by offering up information that isn't anyone's business but their own."
"What do I need to do?"
"You needed to be honest," she shrugged. "I understood at first why we couldn't let anyone know that we were together. You were nervous because it's not exactly a good idea to be involved with a co-worker. Not when you're a Supervisor. But it's not like this was new anymore. I waited for six years for you to get your head out of your ass. But these people are my friends. My family. Yours too. Do you not know how hard it has been to keep them in the dark? I can't do it anymore. I want more than a hidden relationship. It was exciting at first, but now - I want more. And you can't give it to me."
"I wish you'd been honest with me."
"Yeah, I wish you'd been honest with me, too." She saw his confused look. "Don't give me that 'what're you talking about' look. You know damn well that you kept me in the dark about your trip to Massachusetts. I found out about it through the grapevine at work. Did you know how much that hurt? The man that was saying all these sweet things to me behind closed doors, the man that was sharing his bed with me, having sex with me . . . he couldn't be bothered to tell me himself that he was taking a sabitical. You didn't tell me until two days before you left. But you know what the worst part was? Even after I knew, I waited for you to tell me. I wanted to give you the benifit of the doubt. To come to me. To tell me why you hadn't told me sooner. But you told me only because I caught you packing a suitcase. And then you had no choice but to come clean. A part of me wonders if you would've just slipped out of town without so much as a good bye. That maybe I would've gotten a letter or a phone call . . . explaining your absense."
"Sara, I -"
"Just stop. I don't want to hear your excuses. Your absense gave me some time to think. And I realized something. I realized that I don't love you. That I haven't for a long time now."
Grissom felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He'd never thought that he'd ever be too late with her. He had been pleased with himself when he had finally made a move, and she'd accepted. Though, he hadn't been shocked when she did accept his offer. It just never occured to him that while she had been with him, her heart hadn't been. And he certainly didn't think that if the relationship ended that she'd be the one to end it.
"You're hearts with someone else."
"Maybe," she answered, knowing that he was talking about Nick.
"Do you love him?"
"Honestly? I don't know. I might." She looked down at the floor before meeting his gaze once again. "I think I do."
He nodded. He couldn't tell her that he was happy for her. He was happy that she seemed happy -- well, happier. Lighter. But he wasn't happy that she had feelings for Nick. Feelings that she'd once associated with him. Feelings that he know associated with her.
"Are we good?" he asked quietly. "I don't want to loose -"
"You don't want to loose me because the lab needs me," she rolled her eyes, standing up. "I get it."
He couldn't deny that that is what he was going to say. "And I need you. You're a good person, Sara. I can't imagine my life without you in it. I'll take what I can get. As a co-worker, and hopefully someday, as my friend again."
She smiled half heartedly at him. She wasn't sure if they'd really ever be able to get back to a solid friendship. But they were both professionals who could, and would, keep their personal lives at home. "I think I moved all of my stuff that had found it's way to your house back to my apartment. But if you find anything -"
"I'll let you know," he said. "For what it's worth Sara," he started, then sighed, "I really am sorry."
"I know," she smiled a little more genuinely this time. "Me too."
Warrick, Nick and Greg were silent again. Only this time, they weren't in Grissom's office. They were in Sara's living room. Nick had them in with the key that she'd given to him a couple of weeks ago when she'd gone to the conference in Reno. Since he lived the closest to her, she'd asked if he minded stopping by to water her plants and take care of Fluffy, the stray cat that she'd taken in.
Nick glanced around the room at a number of plain brown boxes that sat randomly with her belongings inside. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Was it spring cleaning and the stuff in the boxes was to be donated? He doubted it. She loved the sweater and pair of jeans that he'd spied in one. And he knew that the DVDs she'd stuffed in another were some of her favorites. And everytime he called her, he could hear some of the CDs, which had been laying with the DVDs, playing in the background. Had she gotten a job offer at another lab? Was she leaving the lab, Vegas . . . him?
"Meow," Fluffy cried, looking up at Nick as he'd suddenly stopped stratching her behind the ear. When Nick absently started petting the cat again, she settled down and snuggled into his lab, purring softly.
"What you got that we don't?" Greg asked, looking at the cat. Warrick put his hands up in surrender. He wasn't really a cat person. He had nothing against them, but he prefered dogs. When they'd entered the apartment, Fluffy had bolted straight towards Nick, rubbing herself against his leg. Greg had bent down and reached out to pet the animal that he'd never met before, and she hissed at him, swatting her claws at his out stretched hand. In the moment, Greg had sneered and said the cat was the devil. But now, he was just irritated. He loved animals. And they usually loved him.
Before he could answer, they all heard the door opening softly, and a Sara muttering to herself. "I thought I locked the damn door."
"You did," Warrick greeted.
She yelped in surprise, reaching for her gun and dropping her duffle bag that held some personal clothes from her locker. She looked up in the direction of the voice and visably relaxed when she saw them. "What're you guys doing here?"
"We come baring food and beer," Nick grinned, pointing to the coffee table where the pizza boxes sat.
Just then, her stomach growled. "I guess I am a little hungry."
"A little?" Greg smirked. "You stomach sounds like a 747 Airliner." Warrick laughed. "When was the last time you ate?"
She glared at him for his comment, but ended up giggling a little. "It's been a while." She saw the pointed looks from all three, silently telling her that she needed to take better care of herself. She put her hands up in defense. "I was busy." She plopped herself down on the couch between Nick and Warrick. Greg sat in the chair across from them.
"Busy packing?" Nick asked.
Warrick and Greg briefly stopped opening the beers and pizza boxes.
Inwardly, she groaned as Fluffy made her way into Sara's lap. She had forgotten about the boxes. And she really wasn't interested in explaining them. Today had been long and difficult. The idea of having some beer and pizza with the guys, maybe watching a little TV -- it was what she needed.
"Nick, I'm not leaving," she shook her head. "And no, Grissom didn't fire me."
"Good," Warrick mumbled, chewing a piece of Nick's favorite meat lovers pizza.
"Very good," Greg concured, also chewing his pizza noisily.
A relieved smile graced his face. "Good. I don't want to loose you." He leaned over and hugged her. "I am curious about the boxes though." He could sense that she didn't want to get into a drawn out conversation. "You could just give me the cliff notes, if you want to put me out of my misery," he joked. He was still hugging her, her head resting on his shoulders. They were gently rocking back and forth, Nick's hand smoothing down her hair.
Greg and Warrick looked at them, then at each other. They smirked knowingly and continued eating their pizza.
"I'm finally coming home," she said snuggling a little closer into the material of his shirt, inhaling his scent.
Yes, when she was in his arms, she was home. And everything was right with the world.