Beginnings

by LissaJane1121

The team has two cases. One involving a hit and run and the other a possible suicide. N/S G/C W/OC

Warrick was in his bedroom getting ready for his date. He had called Jasmine earlier to see if she wanted to have dinner with him, Nick, and Sara. She had accepted. He stood in front of his mirror making sure he looked good enough. He was wearing a long sleeve gray shirt with black pants. After making a few minor adjustments, he walked in his living room and grabbed his keys. He told Nick that he and Jasmine would meet them at the restaurant. Warrick walked out of his apartment and locked the door. He got in his car and made his way to Jasmine's. He arrived within fifteen minutes. He pulled up in her driveway and hopped out of his car. He was about to knock on the door when it opened. "Warrick, hey." Jasmine said smiling at him.
He smiled back. "Hey, you look beautiful." Which was true. The black dress she had on was simple, but elegant.
"Thank you. I must say you look very handsome."
"Thanks, are you ready?" She nodded her head yes. Warrick took her hand and led her to his car. He opened the door for her and then closed it when she got in. He then got in on his side and then pulled out of the driveway.

Nick and Sara were already at the restaurant and had a table reserved for the four of them. They were waiting at the entrance. Nick leaned against the wall and smiled at his companion. "You think he's nervous?" He asked.
Sara grinned at him. "It's his first date with her, but then of course this is Warrick we're talking about."
"Yeah, Mr. Cool."
"I'm sure he's fine. Besides it's not like he's going to be alone with her."
"I know. Maybe we should have stayed home."
Sara stepped up closer to Nick and grabbed his hand. "We can't do that to him. Besides if I remember correctly wasn't this dinner date your idea?"
Nick pulled her against him with her back against his chest. He reached his arms around her and held her closely. "Okay, I'm just glad he's finally found someone."
"Me too."
Nick glanced out in the parking and saw Warrick's vehicle pull in. "They're here. I just saw Warrick's car." He released Sara from his grip and she stood beside him. Warrick and Jasmine approached them. Warrick was the first to speak. "Hey guys, this is Jasmine." He turned his attention to Jasmine and pointed to Nick. "I think you've met Nick already."
Nick shook her hand. "Yes, but it's nice to see to you again."
Jasmine smiled at him. "It's nice to see you too Nick."
Warrick then pointed to Sara. "And this is Sara, she also works with us. She and Nick are engaged."
Jasmine shook Sara's hand. "It's nice to meet you Sara. Congratulations."
"Thanks, it's nice to meet you as well."
Warrick grabbed Jasmine's hand. "Okay, now that we've met, let's go eat."
The four walked to their table and sat down for dinner.

Their table was a booth in the back. Nick and Sara were on one end. Warrick and Jasmine were on the other. The waitress came and took their order. "So Jasmine, what do you do for a living?" Asked Nick.
"I work at a doctor's office." She answered and took a sip of her water.
Warrick turned to look at her. "How long have you lived in Vegas?"
"A couple of years."
"Where did you live before?"
"Colorado."
The waitress came out with their food and they began to eat. A cell phone rang and broke the silence. They each pulled their phones out to check. "It's mine." Sara said. "Hello."
"Hi Sara, it's Catherine."
"Hey Catherine. Is something wrong?"
"I hate to do this to you, but do you think you could watch Lindsey for tonight. I know it's your night off, but my sitter just called and she has the flu."
"It's no problem really. I would love to keep her."
"Thanks Sara, you're a life saver. Lindsey thanks you too."
"You're welcome. Just bring her over when ever you get ready."
"Thanks again. I'll see you later. Bye.
"Bye." She hung up the phone and sat it back in her purse. Nick turned to her. "Babysitting Lindsey?"
"Yeah, the sitter's sick with the flu."
Warrick looked at her. "That's been going around a lot lately."
Jasmine nodded. "Tell me about it. The office has been packed lately with people that have the flu."
They finished their meal and paid for it. Warrick and Jasmine followed Nick and Sara outside. They stopped at Warrick's car. Nick looked at Jasmine. "Thanks for going out with us. We had a really good time."
"Thank you for inviting me."
Nick turned to Warrick. "I'll see you at work."
"Yeah, see you later man." He smiled at Sara. "Have fun with Lindsey tonight."
"Thanks." She turned her attention to Jasmine. "It was nice meeting you. We'll have to do this again sometime."
"That would be fun. Bye Sara."
Sara and Nick both said their good-byes and headed for Nick's car. Warrick and Jasmine got in Warrick's car and headed back to Jasmine's.

Warrick pulled up to Jasmine's and turned to her. "I had fun tonight."
"Me too." She looked over at her house and then back to Warrick. "Have a nice night a work."
"Thanks, I'll try." He said.
"Maybe this will help." She leaned over and kissed him softly but passionately on the lips. She then pulled away leaving Warrick breathless. "Um, yeah, that will defiantly help."
"Goodnight Warrick." She got out of the car and walked to her door. Warrick waited until she was inside and then pulled out of the driveway.

Catherine and Lindsey walked up to Sara's apartment door and knocked. Lindsey had her backpack and a pillow. "Now remember Lindsey, tonight is a school night. I don't want you up all night."
"I know."
Sara opened the door and gave them a smile. "Hey."
Lindsey ran up to Sara and hugged her. "Hey Sara."
She hugged the little girl back and then looked at Catherine. "I know what you are going to say, don't let Lindsey stay up all night."
Catherine grinned at her. "You're good."
"Actually I heard you from the other side, but I can settle for being good."
Catherine leaned down and held her arms out. "Okay Linds. Give me a hug."
Lindsey hugged her mother and then went back inside. After telling Sara bye Catherine headed for work.

Grissom was sitting in the break room waiting for his team to come in. From the looks of things, it was going to be a slow night. He was grateful. Lately they have been doing some very tough cases. Catherine was the first to come in. He smiled at her and she came over and kissed him. "Hey Gil."
"Hey Catherine."
Warrick and Nick came a few minutes later. Grissom was about to ask where Sara was but he remembered that she had the night off. Grissom passed out assignments and they split up. He was working with Catherine and Nick and Warrick were working together. Catherine looked at the assignment she was given. A man had been mugged at an ATM machine. "Grissom, you do realize that this case could be handled by cops. Why do they need us?"
"Actually it was a cop case, but since things are slow I thought we could help them out."
Catherine only shook her head. "Okay. Let's get this over with then."
They arrived at the ATM and checked around. They got the security tape from the machine and decided to talk to the victim. He was at the hospital being checked out. Grissom and Catherine arrived at the hospital to find out that the victim had already been treated, questioned, and released. Catherine looked at Grissom. "Now what do we do?"
"I guess we go back to the lab and watch the tape."
"I think we should just hand this case back to the cops and let them handle it."
"Maybe you're right. We'll find out who questioned the man and give them the tape. Then you and I can go back to the lab and do some paperwork."
Catherine frowned at the mention of the word paperwork. "Oh well, it could be worse." She said trying to make herself feel better.
She and Grissom got back in the car and headed for the lab.

Warrick and Nick also had a simple case in which they were able to finish right away. So the two of them were back in the break room waiting for Catherine and Grissom. Nick flipped on the television and began to channel surf. Warrick sat down on the couch beside him and drank some coffee. "So did you have a good time at dinner?" Nick asked him.
"Yeah, it was good."
"What happened when you dropped her off?"
Warrick looked at him. "Not much." Warrick said trying to play it down a little bit. He couldn't though, he was way to happy.
"Come on War. Spill it."
"Okay, she kissed me. Are you happy?" Warrick reached over and grabbed the remote from Nick's hand.
"Not as happy as you are."
Warrick just laughed and channel surfed until he found something to watch. Soon both men were watching a football game on television.

At Sara's, Lindsey and Sara had just finished watching a movie and Sara was helping Lindsey get ready for bed. Lindsey was in the bathroom brushing her teeth and Sara was pulling the blankets down on her bed. "Where are you going to sleep Sara?" Lindsey asked in between brushing.
"The couch." Sara walked over to her closet and pulled out some blankets and a pillow.
Lindsey finished brushing her teeth and walked in the bedroom. "You don't have to I can sleep there."
Sara shook her head. "Come on, hop in the bed." She patted the mattress and the little girl jumped in it. Sara pulled the covers over her and sat down beside her. "Do you want me to bring you a glass of water?"
"Please. I get thirsty at night and sometimes the sitter forgets to leave me a glass of water, so I have to get out of bed to get some."
Sara smiled and got up. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass and poured water in it. She walked back into the bedroom and set the glass down on the dresser beside the bed. "There now you won't have to get up."
"Thanks Sara."
"You're welcome. Now you better get some sleep. You've got school tomorrow."
"Goodnight."
"Night Lindsey. Sleep tight."
"Don't let the bed bugs bite." Lindsey said finishing the rest of the rhyme.
Sara got up and turned the light off. She left the light in the hallway on just incase Lindsey needed it. She walked in the living room and made herself comfy on the couch and soon she drifted off to sleep.

The sun's rays cascaded along the buildings in Vegas presenting a new day. Warrick and Nick just got off work and were heading for their vehicles. "Man, I can't wait to get home." Warrick said as he opened the door to his car. "You going to Sara's?"
Nick looked at him. "Not yet. I have a meeting to go to first."
"What kind of meeting?"
Nick smiled at him. "It's kind of a surprise, but I will tell you later."
"Okay, but you better tell me." Warrick waved at Nick and got in his car and drove off. Nick watched him leave and got in his own car and made his way downtown. He drove for a while until he reached his destination. He got out and smiled at the woman standing before him. She walked up to him and extended her hand. "Mr. Stokes. You're right on time."
"Mrs. Eller. I'm glad you agreed to see me this early in the morning." He said as he shook her hand.
"It's my pleasure. Why don't you come in?" She led him inside a house. "As you can see this place is fairly new. The previous owners didn't stay very long, maybe a year."
Nick took his time and walked around the house. The living room was very spacious and the furniture looked to be brand new. He walked in the kitchen and noticed that it had a table, and a bar area. He left the kitchen and went through the living room to the other side of the house. Mrs. Eller followed him. She showed him the bathroom and the master bedroom. Nick couldn't believe how much space this place had. She then took him upstairs. Upstairs, there was another living room area with a television and computer area. To the left, led a hallway to two more bedrooms and a second bathroom. Nick was highly impressed and commented on it. "This place is amazing. I'm surprised the previous owners gave it up."
Mrs. Eller led him back downstairs. "I think they missed their family and moved back to where they came from."
"When does the house go on the open market?" Nick asked.
"I was going to put it in the paper tomorrow. So if you are serious about buying, you might want to bring your fiancée down to have a look for herself."
Nick knew that Sara would love the house. Neither one had mentioned where they were going to live after they got married, but Nick knew he didn't want to stay in his apartment and he felt that Sara didn't really want to stay there either. Plus the apartments were small, if they decided to have children, they wouldn't have enough room. "I know she'll love it. I want this to be a surprise for her. I can go get her now and bring her back if you don't mind staying here a little longer."
"Mr. Stokes, I really don't mind. I would love to see you buy this house. I think it would be perfect for you and Ms. Sidle."
"Thanks Mrs. Eller. I'll be right back with Sara. Who knows by the end of the afternoon, Sara and I might have a new house."
Mrs. Eller grinned. "Let's hope so."
Nick told her bye and walked out of the house and got in his car. He backed out of the driveway and headed for Sara's.

Sara had just got back from taking Lindsey to school when her phone rang. "Hello?"
The voice on the other end belonged to Catherine. "Hey Sara, I was calling to see how things went last night."
Sara sat down on the couch and flipped the television on. "It went good. I just dropped Lindsey off at school. She didn't stay up late last night and I really didn't have that much trouble getting her out of bed."
"Thanks so much for watching her. I hope the sitter is better tonight, because I really can't afford to stay home with Lindsey."
"I would watch her again for you, but I have to work. Is anyone off tonight?"
"Not that I know of. I know Warrick is off tomorrow and I'm off Thursday night."
"Well, I'm sure everything will be fine."
"Thanks Sara, I'm going to go take a shower and crawl in bed. I'll talk to you tonight."
"Bye Catherine." She waited until Catherine said bye and hung up the phone. She turned her attention to the T.V. when she heard a key going in the door lock. Nick walked in and smiled at her. Sara got off the couch and greeted him. "Hey, I didn't know you were coming this morning." She said and kissed him.
Nick savored the kiss for a few moments and then put his arm on her shoulder. "I need you to come with me for a minute."
Sara's face began to frown. "Is something wrong?"
Nick noticed her worried expression. "No, I just need your help." He watched her face relax and then grabbed her hand. He walked her to the car and made sure that her apartment door was locked. Then he got in the car and began driving. Sara looked at him. She knew something was going on in that head of his, but she had no idea what. "Are you going to tell me what this is about?"
Nick smiled at her. He knew that her curiosity was going into overtime. "You'll understand soon."
Sara let that slide and sat back and watched the road. Soon they pulled up to this fancy but nice house. She had no idea why they were there. A woman came out and greeted them. "Mr. Stokes. Hello again." She turned her attention to Sara. "And you must be Sara Sidle. It's a pleasure to meet you." She shook Sara's hand and led them inside.
Sara looked at Nick. "What's going on?"
Nick grabbed her hand and showed her around the house. After looking the entire house over, the three stood in the living room. "So Sara, what do you think of the house?"
"I love it Nick. It's beautiful."
Nick put his arm around her and looked her straight in the eye. "It's ours. That is if you want it."
Sara couldn't believe what she just heard. Did he say ours? She thought. "I don't know what to say."
"Say you like and you want it, or say you don't like it and we'll find another place."
She looked at Nick. "You're serious?" She looked around the house. "Nick, it's wonderful. Of course I want it, but it must be expensive. Can we afford it?"
Nick smiled and took her hand. "Yes we can."
She kissed him right then and there. She pulled away and slightly blushed because she had temporarily forgot that they weren't alone. Nick only grinned even more. "So when do you want to move in?"
She laughed. "Anytime Nick, anytime."
Nick turned to Mrs. Eller. "Well, it looks like you've sold your first house for today. We'll take it."
Mrs. Eller shook Nick's hand. "It was a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Stokes. I will have all the papers you need ready by this afternoon. Once they are signed you and Ms. Sidle can move in whenever you are ready."
"Thank you." They all walked out of the house and got into their cars. On the way back to Sara's, Nick looked over at her. "I'm glad you liked it. I've been dying to show you this house for a week."
"I love it Nick. Thanks." Sara looked out the window and back at him. "So are we going to have Warrick and Greg help us move?"
"We could or we can do it ourselves and have a party at our new house and tell them there."
"Okay, but won't it seem a little strange telling them that the party is at a house they've never been to?"
Nick nodded. "Maybe unless we tell them a friend is letting us use it."
"They are going to kill us when they find out the truth. I mean look how they found out about our engagement."
"It's different this time. You're not being a human sacrifice."
Sara laughed. "Okay this is true. So we move stuff after we get off work and then throw a huge party when we're done."
"Yep."
Nick pulled up in Sara's driveway and they both got out. As soon as they walked inside, Sara began getting boxes together to pack her stuff.

Warrick woke up around one that afternoon. He went into his kitchen and began to fix himself something to eat. He decided to call Jasmine. He walked over to the phone and picked it up. He dialed her home number and waited. He got the answering machine. He figured that she was at work so he left a message. "Hey Jasmine, it's Warrick. I was just calling to see if you had plans for tomorrow evening. I'm off work and I was hoping you might want to do something. Give me a call if you can. Bye." He hung up the phone and placed it down on the table.
An hour later, his phone rang. "Hello."
"Hey Warrick, it's Jasmine. I just got your message. How are you doing?"
Warrick smiled into the phone. "I'm good. How are you?"
"Fine."
"That's good. So would you like to do something tomorrow?"
"I would love to. Are Nick and Sara going as well?"
"No, they have to work. So it's just going to us. Is that okay?" Warrick began pacing back and forth in his living room. He wasn't nervous; it was just a habit he picked up when he was on the phone at home.
"That's fine. I can't wait to see you."
"Me too. I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Good-bye Warrick."
"Bye." He hung up the phone and decided to go back and get some more sleep before he had to go to work.

Grissom and Catherine arrived at work together and they made their way to the break room. They walked in to find Greg sitting on the couch. Grissom looked at him with curiosity. "You're here early. Something wrong?"
Greg looked up at him. "No, I was wanting to talk to Warrick or Nick or even Sara before shift started. But none of them are here yet."
Catherine gave him a concerned look. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"
Greg got up off the couch and smiled at her. "I'm sure. I just wanted to ask one of them something. It's no big deal." Greg looked past Catherine and stared into the hallway. "I guess I better get to the lab and see what fun stuff I get to do tonight." He walked out before the others could comment.
Catherine turned her attention over to Grissom. "I wonder what that was all about?"
Grissom poured himself and her a cup of coffee. "With Greg, it's hard to tell. I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about." He handed her a cup of coffee. She gratefully took it and took a sip. They sat down on the now vacant couch. Grissom put his arm around Catherine and pulled her closer. "Have I told you how much I love you?" He asked her.
"Yes, but you can always tell me again." She said and snuggled closer to him.
"I love you Catherine. Very much."
"I love you too Gil."
They fell into a comfortable silence sitting together drinking coffee. Nick and Sara walked in. "Hey guys." Nick said and sat down at the table. Sara sat down across from him also greeting the others.
Both Grissom and Catherine told them hello. Nick pulled out two envelopes. He handed them to Catherine and Grissom. "Here these are for you." He told them.
Catherine opened the envelope and read the note. It gave an address, a date, and a time. "What's this for?" She asked.
"Sara and I are throwing a party for everyone. Lindsey is invited as well."
Grissom looked at Nick. "I don't recognize this address. Where is it?"
Sara answered for Nick. "It's in downtown Vegas. It's a really nice place."
"We'll be there." Catherine said.
"Be where?" Asked Warrick as he walked in the break room. Nick handed him an envelope. Warrick took it, opened it, and read it. Nick smiled at him. "Bring Jasmine okay."
"Sure, we'll come." Warrick said.
"Good. It's going to be fun. We're having a cook out and everything." Nick replied.
Sara looked around the room. "Has anyone seen Greg? We've got one for him as well."
Catherine glanced over at her. "He was in here earlier. In fact he was wanting to talk to one of you."
"What about?" Nick asked.
Grissom got off the couch and threw his cup away. "He didn't say." He replied and then looked at the group. "Well since we are here, let's go see what Vegas has in store for us tonight."
They all followed Grissom out of the break room and walked with him to his office. There was a note attached to Grissom's door. He took it down and read it. Grissom's face was expressionless. Catherine was the first to notice. "What's wrong?"
"Eckley was released."
The rest of his team stood shocked. Warrick shook his head. "How did that happen?"
"I don't know. From this point on I want you all to forget about it. He can't come back to work here and if he knows what's good for him, he won't try anything." Grissom said trying to get his team to focus.
Nick looked Grissom straight in the eye. "He better not try anything or I'll make sure he's not a threat to anyone again." Nick's voice held an icy tone that didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the group. Grissom glared at Nick. "You are not to go near Eckley." He glanced that the others. "That goes for all of you, do I make myself clear. If I find out that one of you breaks this rule, I will personally suspend you. Understood?"
They all nodded. "Good, then let's get to work." Grissom turned around and walked in his office. He grabbed the two slips of paper on his table. He briefly glanced over them and tried to decide how he wanted to divide his team. He knew he needed to keep Nick with him but he didn't want Warrick and Sara together either. That's how they were tricked the last time. "Okay, Catherine and Warrick, you two have a possible murder or suicide." He handed them the slip of paper.
Warrick grabbed it and read the information and handed the slip to Catherine. After she read it, she glanced back to him. "Let's go." They said their good-byes and walked out.
Grissom turned his focus back on Nick and Sara. "We have a hit and run case." Nick nodded and began to walk out with Grissom. Sara followed behind. "Oh, wait guys. I have to get something out of the locker room. I'll meet you in the Tahoe."
"Don't take to long." Grissom replied and continued walking with Nick. Sara walked down toward the locker room. She opened the door and walked in. She went over to her locker and opened it. She reached in and grabbed an ibuprofen bottle and took two pills out. She was putting the bottle back when she heard a noise coming from the back. "Hello?" No answer. She was starting to get worried. She quietly approached the area where the noise was coming from. She began to recognize the sound she heard. It was crying. What she found shocked her. It was Greg. She walked up beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Greg?"
Greg jumped up startled. "JEEPERS SARA! You scared the crap out of me!"
Sara was instantly sorry and worried. "I'm sorry Greg. I just heard you and I wanted to see what was wrong."
Greg's heart rate slowly began to return to normal. He looked at her and noticed that she looked upset. "It's okay really. Sorry I yelled at you."
"You're not going to answer my question are you?"
"What question would that be?"
"The reason why you are upset. I heard you Greg, so you can't get out of it." She knew that the others were waiting for her, but she couldn't leave him like this.
"Don't you have a case to work on?"
"Yes, but that's not important right now. You are. So talk to me. Grissom and Catherine told us you needed to talk to one of us. So talk."
He looked at her and began to open his mouth when Sara's phone rang. She took it out and answered it. "Hello." Pause. "Yes, I know." Another pause. Greg knew it was Grissom on the other line telling her to hurry. "I'll right there." She hung up the phone and stared at Greg. "Don't think I'm going to let this drop. We'll talk later. Besides I have something to give you."
Greg's red eyes perked up. "Really."
"Yes really, Nick and I are throwing a party and we want you to come. I'll give you the details later okay. I have to go or Grissom will be in here carrying me out."
Greg smiled. "Okay, thanks. Bye Sara."
"Bye Greg." She said as she walked out and all but ran out to the Tahoe. She noticed Grissom's expression. "I'm sorry. I had a personal problem I needed to attend to."
If he didn't believe her, he didn't say anything. Instead he started the car and they made their way to the crime scene.

Warrick and Catherine arrived at their scene and stepped out of the car. They looked at the scene before them. Two police cars and an ambulance were already sitting in front of the house. They walked up to the house and a red haired woman came out and greeted them. "Right this way." She led them to the bathroom and stepped away letting them get their first glimpse of the scene. The teenager was slumped between the toilet and the sink beside it. His wrists were sliced in a north/south direction. His back was against the wall and the blood was only located in the area he was in. Catherine took her camera out and began taking pictures.
"Hey guys." David said as he came in. "It's a shame really. Teenagers killing themselves because they think there's no other way."
"Hey David." Catherine said. "Yes it is." She moved back so he could take the body out. Once the body and David were gone, they were able to focus more on the area. Warrick bent down and began searching around. He looked behind the sink. "Hey I found the instrument he used." He took out a pair of tweezers and an evidence bag. He used tweezers to get the razor blade off the floor. He showed it to Catherine before bagging it. Catherine only shook her head. "This is looking like a suicide more than a murder."
"Yeah." They began looking around for more evidence. They got some prints off the sink and the toilet. "I wonder if anyone's talked to his parents." Warrick replied as he finished lifting the last print he could find.
"I don't know. I guess we should find out." Catherine began walking to the door and noticed that Warrick wasn't following her. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"We need to learn more about this kid if we're going to find out why he killed himself."
"I agree. I guess we should start in the bedroom." They walked around the house until they came to a room in which they figured could have been his. There was an enter at your own risk sign on the door. Warrick opened the door and walked in. Catherine followed in behind him. "I'm guessing we're in the correct room." Catherine said as she scanned the area. The room was painted black and the walls were full of posters of Marilyn Manson. Warrick walked over to the computer desk at the far end corner of the room. There was post it notes stuck along the computer with different quotes on it. "Hey Catherine, you might want to look at this." He said. She came over and read the quotes. They were all quotes from Marilyn Manson. One said Death is an angel death is our God killing us all. Another we are all dead we are all damned. Another said today I'm dirty I want to be pretty tomorrow I know that I'm just dirt. Catherine couldn't believe what she read. "No wonder he wanted to kill himself."
Warrick pulled off one of the notes and handed it to her. "Read this one." She took it and read. It said they'll just cut our writs like cheap coupons and say that death was on sale today. "I've heard this one. I know this one." She thought for a minute and then it struck her. "Greg. He was listening to this song in the lab one day."
"Yeah, he has the C.D. In fact I bet all these quotes are from his songs." Warrick said and began to collect them all and put them in the evidence bags. "I'm going to show these to him and find out for sure."
Catherine nodded. "I can't believe I'm about to say this but maybe we should listen to them to see if that's what really made him commit suicide."
"I don't think the music made him do it. I think there is something else going on we just don't see." Warrick replied. "Maybe we should talk to the parents and find out more about his home life."
"Good idea. I'll go talk to the parents if you want to take the stuff back to the lab."
He grinned. "You just want to get out of listening to his music."
"That too." She said and smiled and left the room leaving him to gather the rest of the stuff.

Grissom pulled the Tahoe up to the side of the road and stepped out. He took in the scene. A woman was crying frantically and a cop was holding her back. Nick and Sara walked over to stand beside Grissom. "Okay, Sara take pictures, Nick as soon as the cop cars and ambulance leaves I want you to check for skid marks and glass fragments. Be as thorough as you can."
Nick nodded. "I'm on it."
Sara got her camera out and walked over to the body. She froze in her tracks. She had no idea who was hit but she didn't realize it was just a little girl. Sara glanced back over at the woman. She figured that was the girl's mother. Sara felt her knees began to shake. Hank came over to her. "Hey Sara. Are you okay? You look a little pale."
She waved him off. "I'm fine." She said a little bit more coldly than she had wanted but she didn't need to lose her emotions right now. Especially with the mother a few feet away. She took a deep breath and began taking pictures. The girl couldn't have been more than four. She looked over at Hank. "You can take her now." She told him hoping that her voice held some sort of apology in it. Hank nodded understanding and took the little girl away.
Grissom was with the mother. He tried to get her to calm down for a minute to find out what happened. "Ma'am please, I just need you to tell me what happened."
The woman looked at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. "I live up the street. We were coming back from the park. Cassie kept running ahead of me. I told her to stop." The woman began to shake and her tears flowed down faster. Grissom placed his hand on her shoulder. "Take your time. What happened next?"
She inhaled deeply. "Cassie was playing with her ball. She dropped it and it went across the street. I told her that I would go and get it and for her to stay put and not to move from the sidewalk. I walked across the street and began searching for the ball. It had rolled behind those bushes." She pointed to the bushes on the other side. "I bent down and crawled under them to get the ball. She must have got scared because she couldn't see me but I told her that I would be right back. The next thing I hear is a car's radio blasting and I heard a loud bang. I looked up to see my daughter." She couldn't finish. She didn't have to. Grissom knew the rest. The car hit the girl and kept going not even looking back. "Did you happen to see what kind of car it was?"
"No, I only saw my little girl. I ran over there but it was too late."
"Mrs...."
"It's Miss actually. Wanda Caldwell."
"Ms. Caldwell, I'm going to have someone come over here and make sure you are taken care of. I'm very sorry for your loss. I promise you that we will do our best to find out who hit your daughter."

Warrick arrived back at the lab and went in search for Greg. He found the younger lab tech right where he thought he would; in his lab. Warrick walked in and placed the evidence down in front of Greg. "Hey Greg, I need you to test the blood on this razor and I also need you to read those post it notes."
Greg reached over and looked at the notes. He smiled. "Marilyn Manson. I have the C.D. these song lyrics are from."
"I was hoping you would. The teenager that committed suicide had these taped on his computer."
Greg only nodded. "Hey, it's not Manson's fault the kid killed himself."
Warrick shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I guess it could depend on what kind of mood your in at the time."
Greg shook his head. "Look, I listen to Manson and you don't see me jumping off buildings or slicing my writs."
"I agree that there is more to than just the music. I also think that the music helped out in some part though."
Greg took the razor and began to gather blood samples from it. While those samples were running he went over to his radio and put on the Holy Wood C.D. by Manson. "I'm assuming you wanted to listen it to get a better idea."
Warrick nodded. He had Greg turn it up so he could hear it in the next room while he ran the prints he pulled. He listened carefully to the lyrics, which wasn't hard because Greg sang right along with the music. Warrick smiled and watched as AFIS went began to sort out the prints.

Catherine finally found the teen's mother. She was working in an all night diner. Catherine walked up to her. "Mrs. Lang?"
"I'm not married. So call me Tori." Tori was in her mid thirties but looked older. She had her brown hair pulled back in a bun. "What can I get you?"
"I'm Catherine Willows. I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Your son Joel was found dead tonight."
Catherine didn't know what kind of reaction Tori would have but the reaction she got surprised her. Tori just looked at her. "What happened?" She asked emotionless.
"He committed suicide. I'm really sorry."
Tori just laughed. "Why should you be sorry? He wasn't your son. Let me guess, he either jumped off a building or slit his writs."
"He slit his writs." Catherine couldn't believe the cold vibes she was receiving from her. "How did you know he would do that?"
"He's been threatening for years that he was going to kill himself. I guess he finally got the courage."
"As his mother, you don't seem to care. What was your relationship with him like?"
Tori took a drink from her soda. "Joel was a dysfunctional kid. He had problems. He would listen to his music and say that the only person who cared about him was that rock star. That only he understood Joel."
"You're talking about Marilyn Manson."
"Yeah, Joel worshiped the ground that man walked on." Tori laughed. "I didn't care what he listened to really. You know when I was growing up I listened to Ozzy and Alice Cooper. So I really didn't see a difference."
"You still haven't told me about your relationship with him."
Tori looked at Catherine. "I hated him. I was raped when I was a teenager and I got pregnant with him. I had no help and I couldn't do anything. Every time I looked at Joel I saw my attacker."
"You could have given him up for adoption."
"I could have but you know what. I didn't. In fact I used him to get free stuff. We always fought. We had a fight tonight. I told him that he needed to get a job and he said he didn't have to do anything I told him to. So I told him how he was a bum and that he needed to get his ass kicked."
Catherine looked at her. She could feel herself becoming angrier. "Well, I guess he took care of that for you. He killed himself probably to get away from you." With that, Catherine walked out the door and hoped she never saw this woman again.

Nick was at the scene taking pictures of the skid marks. He found some glass on the road earlier that he bagged up. He found the little girl's shoe on the opposite side of the road. He couldn't imagine how horrible it would be to have your child taken from you like that. He hoped he never found out. He glanced over at Sara. She was helping him search the area. He knew she was probably taking it just as hard as he was. She walked over to him. "I found some more skid marks up the road, but I don't think they were from our driver."
"Yeah, hopefully we can match the glass to a certain car and find him."
Sara walked over and hugged Nick. She needed to be held. She finally pulled away from him. "Nick if or when we have children remind me not to leave their sight."
Nick leaned down and kissed her. "That's one of the reasons I like our new house. It has a nice fenced back yard for them to play in. They won't be running out in the middle of the road."
"The only reason she did was because she was scared. I mean it was dark and for a four year old, this is a creepy place."
Nick pulled her back in his arms and held her. "I promise you that our kids will be well taken care of. I won't let anything happen to them."
"Thank you."
He smiled and gently pulled away from her. "I think we better finish up and go back to the lab. Maybe Grissom will have something new for us."
"Maybe. I love you Nick."
"Love you too Sara." They began working silently and soon they were done and were headed back to the lab.

Back at the lab, AFIS finished pulling up the prints. "Man." Warrick commented aloud. Of course, his companion couldn't hear him over the loud rock music. He stepped over to the stereo and turned the music off. Greg looked up. "I liked that song."
Warrick just grinned. "The only prints that came up were Joel's."
"I guess that means Joel killed himself."
Before Warrick could comment, Catherine came in. "I wouldn't blame him for it either." She said and continued to tell them about her conversation with Tori. Warrick looked repulsed. Greg just looked at her. "So, Joel killed himself because of his mother's lack of caring?"
"No, I don't think it's that simple." Catherine stated staring back at Greg.
"Whoa, you're not going to say that listening to Manson killed him, because if you are." He wasn't able to finish. Warrick placed his hands up as if in retreat. "Ok Greg, you've made your point." Warrick decided to turn things around. "Joel was unhappy, that much is true. So his mother wouldn't give him attention and he buried himself in music to help him deal. We're missing something. These two facts are only pieces of the puzzle. We need to know more about him."
"I agree. I think we should see if he has any friends." Catherine suggested. Warrick agreed and they began to head back out. Greg called out to them before they left. "You need some driving music?"
"NO" They both responded.

Nick and Sara walked in as Catherine and Warrick were heading back out. They stopped for a minute and exchanged information. "Man, I don't know whose case is worse." Warrick said. Nick nodded. "Yeah, it's tough when we have to deal with kids and teenagers."
"Good luck guys." Sara said.
"Thanks, you too." Catherine replied and she and Warrick left. Nick and Sara walked to the lab to get the piece of glass checked out. Once they reached the door they heard music blaring. "We're the nobodies we wanna be somebodies when we're dead they'll know just who we are." Greg was singing right along.
Nick and Sara watched as Greg worked on the razor while singing. Sara decided to surprise him by singing the next lines with him. "Some children died the other day we fed machines and then we prayed."
She didn't know who was shocked more, Nick or Greg. Greg walked over and shut the music off. His mouth was still hanging wide open. "Okay, first how did you know that?"
"I see you are feeling better." She responded avoiding his question. "I was going to see if you could run this glass for me, but you look pretty busy. I'll go do it myself." She walked out leaving both men stunned and speechless for a moment. Nick looked at Greg. "Don't look at me that way, she's your girlfriend, you go figure her out." Greg replied.
"Have you been sick?"
"No. Why?"
"Sara said you looked like you were feeling better. I just thought maybe you had been sick."
"Nah, I'm fine. She just worries too much. So how's your case?"
Nick explained the case to Greg. Greg seemed to space out. He began to walk past Nick. "Um, I need to go to do something." He told him and walked out of the room. Nick was now alone in the lab, feeling even more confused than he was before.

Grissom made his way through the halls searching for Nick and Sara. He found Nick in the lab. "Did you find anything at the scene?" He asked Nick.
Nick came out of his trance. "Um, we found some glass. Sara is checking it now."
Grissom nodded and looked more closely at Nick. "Are you okay?"
The younger man smiled. "I'm okay. I was just thinking about some things."
"Until the glass is determined, there's not much we can do right now. The mother never saw the make of the car. What about the skid marks?"
"I'm fixing to go do those." Nick said. "I'll let you know when I know something."
"Good." Grissom and Nick both left the lab and went in separate directions.

It was early the next morning, Warrick and Catherine decided that they should visit Joel's school and see if they can learn anything more about him. They were sitting in one of the empty classrooms when a teenage girl was brought in. She was medium height and had blonde hair. Catherine smiled at her. "Hi, my name is Catherine and this is Warrick. We need to ask you some questions if that's okay?"
The girl nodded and sat down in the chair across the two investigators. "My name is Addie. Joel was my friend. We've been friends forever."
"I'm very sorry. I know this is hard for you."
Addie glanced up. "I never thought he would do it. I mean he used to tell me all the time that he was going to kill himself." Tears began to slowly run down her face. Warrick handed her a tissue. She took it and wiped her face. She took a deep breath and continued. "Every time something would happen to Joel that wasn't good, he would tell me that he was going to go home and kill himself. That he couldn't take it anymore. He hated fighting his mom and he hated it here at school."
"Did he mention that he was going to kill himself last night?" Warrick asked.
Addie nodded. "Yes. We had a major test yesterday and Joel failed it. A lot of people don't like him because they think he's a freak and that he's evil."
"Because of the music he listens to?" Warrick commented trying to get a better understanding.
"I listen to it as well. A lot of students do, they just won't admit it. Anyway after we got done with the test we went to lunch. Joel and I got our lunch and sat down at our usual table. Of course Jason had to come over and harass Joel about him failing the test."
"I take it he was picked on a lot." Catherine said.
"All the time. Joel would tell me that he was going to go home and end his suffering. He never did though, well until last night. He told me yesterday that he wanted to die and that he didn't won't to go home and face that mother of his."
"We know that Joel and his mother didn't get along well. Addie, what do you think is the real reason that he committed suicide?"
Addie took a deep breath and held it. She had finally stopped crying, but she wasn't sure how long it would last. "I blame his mother for it. She wasn't even a mother to him. She only gave birth to him and then he was forced to depend on himself if he wanted anything. His music was his escape. It made him happy. I. I made him happy." Tears fell down her cheeks and she could no longer keep control. Catherine reached over and held her hand. "I'm very sorry." She didn't know what else to do and there was nothing she could say to make the girl feel better.
After talking to other students, Catherine and Warrick decided to head home. Warrick was off that night and he had a date with Jasmine. Catherine said that she would finish the paper work. Once they arrived back at the lab. They went to the locker room and gathered their stuff. They said goodbye and left.

Sara had been working all night trying to figure out where the glass she found came from. She had run it through different tests. She finally found her answer and she wasn't very happy to get it. She left the lab and went in search for Grissom to tell him the news. She found him in his office doing some paper work. "Hey." She greeted him.
He looked up and saw the defeated look on her face. "What's wrong?"
"The glass we found at the crime scene didn't come from a car. It actually came from a broken bottle."
"What about the skid marks?"
"I have no idea. I think Nick's working on those."
"I've finished them." Nick announced as he came in the room and stood beside Sara. "Grissom those marks are very old. I don't think the car even slowed down after it hit the girl."
"The mother confirmed that." Grissom told him. He took a deep breath. There wasn't any more evidence for them to process. "Okay, you two go home. Tonight we will have another case."
"Wait, what about this one." Sara asked. "We're not done here."
"Sara, there is nothing left for us to do. We didn't find any trace of evidence to point us to the car. The mother didn't even see it. I don't need to remind you about how many cars there are in Vegas. We would never find the right one."
"So that's it. We're done. That little girl's murderer is out there somewhere." Sara's voice got higher and Nick placed his hand on her shoulder. "Sara, Grissom's right. We don't have what we need to move forward. I'm sorry."
Sara looked at Nick. "Don't tell me that. Tell it to Cassie's mother. Explain to her why her daughter was run down and the driver got away." She turned and left. Nick was about to go after her when Grissom stopped him. "Nick, give her some time. She'll be okay."
Nick just looked at him. He knew better than that. "I'm going home. I'll see you tonight." Nick walked out of the room and tried to find Sara.

Greg was in the locker room getting his stuff together when he heard the door open and then being slammed shut. He saw Sara come in and sit down on the floor near the corner of the wall. He knew something was wrong and he had to help. He walked over to her and sat down beside her. "Wanna talk about it?" He asked her.
She looked up at him and tried to smile. "Sometimes I hate this job."
"You too huh?" He saw her face break out into a grin. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll tell you what was wrong with me earlier if you tell me what's going on now. Deal?"
She nodded and began to tell him about the case and how they had no evidence and no leads. Greg sat back and listened. When she was done, she turned to him. "Your turn. Why were you so upset?"
Greg took a deep breath. "Do you ever feel that no one likes you?"
"Greg, everyone likes you."
"Humor me."
"Yes, I have and sometimes I still feel like that."
Greg nodded. "I got a phone call yesterday from an old friend of mine. He was in town and said that he needed to talk to me. Well I went to meet him and he told me that all this time we were friends that he was just using me. That he couldn't live this lie anymore."
Sara looked at him. "How long have you been friends?"
"Since high school. I really should have known that he wasn't my true friend."
"I'm sorry, but I don't think you're telling me everything. You wanted to speak to one of us about something. So tell me."
"Sara, what do you think about me?"
She gave him a confused look. "How do you mean?"
He tried to clear it up for her. "I mean when you see me, what do you think? Do you think I'm just some stupid lab geek?"
"Greg, you are not some stupid lab geek. You're a great guy. You shouldn't let anyone make you feel down about yourself. You're funny, smart, nice, sensitive, and I'm really surprised you don't have a girlfriend."
"Well you would have said no." He said causing her to look down. "I'm sorry. I'm glad you and Nick are together. I just miss not having anyone to come home to and to tell my problems. I miss my family."
"Greg, We are your family. Nick, Warrick, Catherine, and yes even Grissom, are here for you. We all love you Greg. If you ever feel depressed just come to one of us and talk about it."
He leaned over and hugged her. "Thanks Sara. The same thing goes for you."
She pulled away from him and got up off the floor. The door opened and Nick walked in. He saw Greg and Sara and went over to them. He looked at both of them. "You two okay?"
"We are now." She said and went and hugged Nick. Nick held her closely and looked over toward Greg. He knew that the younger lab had said something to calm her down. He mouthed the words thank you to Greg. Greg smiled and mouthed back you're welcome. Nick pulled away and looked at Sara. "Did you Greg his invitation yet?"
"No, not yet. I did mention it to him though." She walked over to her locker and grabbed the envelope with Greg's name on it and handed it to him. He looked at it and read the directions. He glanced at both of them. "Where is this place?"
"Downtown Vegas. Don't worry it's not hard to find." Nick said.
"Why aren't you having it at one of your apartments?"
"Because we don't have enough room. We wanted to go somewhere where there was enough space." Sara answered.
"Cool, I'll be there." He looked down at his watch. "Well, I need to go. Talk to you guys later. Bye."
"Bye Greg." Nick and Sara both replied and shortly Nick and Sara left to go and continue packing.

Later that evening, Warrick and Jasmine were sitting down at a table at the restaurant that Jasmine picked out. They were at a table on the far end of the room. The place was packed but it didn't seem to bother them. They were able to spend time together. Jasmine had been telling Warrick about her day at work. She stopped when she realized that he wasn't paying very close attention. "And then aliens dropped out of the sky and wanted to take me back to their mother ship." She told him to see if he was really zoning out. He was. He didn't even blink at the comment.
She placed her hand on his. "Warrick, what's wrong? You seem so far away."
He finally looked at her. "Sorry, it's just my mind is still on the case."
"You want to talk about it."
Warrick told her everything and she squeezed his hand. "You did your job. There was nothing else you could have done."
"One thing I don't get though?" He told her.
"What's that?"
He smiled. "How did you get away from the aliens?"
Jasmine laughed. "You were paying attention then."
Their food came and they ate in a comfortable silence. After dinner, Warrick took her back to his place. They were in the living room watching television and drinking some wine that he had around the house. Jasmine noticed a card lying on the table in front of them. She picked it up. "What's this a letter from one of your girlfriends?" She teased.
He laughed. "Oh yeah, I was meaning to tell you about that. Nick and Sara are throwing a party and inviting everyone. They wanted you to come."
"Sounds like fun."
"Yeah, just one thing I don't understand about it. Nick said that the place was in downtown Vegas. Where in that part of town is there a place to have a party?"
"I don't know, but he obviously knows."
"Yeah, he's defiantly keeping a few secrets. Don't worry though, I intend to find out what they are."
She placed the envelope back on the table and turned around to face him. "And how are you going to do that? He's not going to tell you anything."
"I know, but I'm not going to him."
"Oh I see, you think you can get the information out of Sara. I don't know her that well, but I'm willing to bet that she's not going to tell you either."
He gave her a big smile. "I know how to handle Sara."
She leaned over and kissed him. "Well, don't come crying to me when you don't get your answers."
He kissed her back. He then pulled her toward him and held her closely. He glanced over at his phone hoping that it wouldn't ring. He didn't want to leave for anything.

Sara and Nick were at their new home unpacking the rest of their stuff. "I can't believe we got everything here." Sara said as she finished taking the bathroom stuff out of a box. Nick helped her carry the stuff in the bathroom. "Me neither. I thought the furniture would have been the hardest, but it really wasn't."
"I know, it's the dishes and the glasses and every thing else in the kitchen that was such a nightmare."
They walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. Sara looked around the cabinets for food they might have left. She couldn't find anything. "Hey, we're going to need to go to the grocery store."
"Yeah, we need to get stuff for the party too."
"I can't wait to see their faces when we tell them this is our new house." She went over and hugged Nick. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Besides our apartments were too small. Our kids wouldn't have been able to play outside."
She smiled at him. He had been mentioning children a lot lately. Ever since they had to let Riley go. Sara had found the baby at one of the crime scenes alone. She took care of him until his grandparents came to get him. She wondered how he was getting along. She missed him. "I'm done in here. You want to go to the store?"
Nick nodded his head. "Yeah, let's go. We can pick dinner up on the way back home and eat it before we go back to work."
"Okay." They walked out of the house and Nick locked the door. They got in their car and headed toward the grocery store.

Grissom and Catherine were together at Catherine's house. Catherine and Lindsey were in the kitchen making supper. They were making soup and sandwiches. Lindsey was in charge of making sure everyone got what they wanted on their sandwich. "Mommy, do you think I can have four dollars?" Lindsey asked as she placed the cheese down on the piece of bread in front her.
Catherine looked at her. "Why do you need four dollars?"
"Because I wanted to buy some extra snacks tomorrow."
"Lindsey, you don't need four dollars worth of extra snacks." Catherine turned back to the soup cooking on the stove.
Lindsey gave her a pitiful look. "I wasn't going to eat it all by myself. I was going to share them."
Grissom smiled at her. "What kind of snacks are they?"
She turned to look at Grissom and decided that maybe she could get the money from him instead. "They are special snack cakes the school makes. I wanted to get one for me, one for Stacie, and one for Adam."
"All that's going to cost four dollars?" Grissom asked. He was amazed that school food was getting so high.
Lindsey shook her head no. She walked over to Grissom and tugged on his shirt making him come down to her level. Once he was bent down she whispered in his ear. "I was wanting to buy mommy something from the book store at school."
Grissom smiled and got up from the floor. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a five-dollar bill and handed it to her. "I think that should be enough."
Her face lit up and she gave him a big hug. "Thanks Mr. Grissom."
Catherine looked at Grissom. "Gil, you didn't have to give her money to feed her and her friends."
"Oh, I don't mind. Besides I think it's nice that Lindsey wants to share with her friends."
Catherine couldn't argue there. She was glad her daughter wanted to share. "Oh Lindsey, guess what I forgot to tell you?"
Lindsey turned her focus back on her mom. "What?"
"Nick and Sara are having a party and they want you to come."
"WAHOO!!!" Lindsey shouted. She danced around the table like she had won a lifetime supply of toys.
"Okay calm down. Supper is ready and you better eat it young lady."
"Is Uncle Warrick going to be there too?" Lindsey asked as she sat down at the table beside Grissom.
"Yes and Greg."
"Cool. When is it?"
Catherine looked to Grissom. Grissom thought about it for a minute. "I think it's this weekend. I will have to look on my invitation."
"Good, cause I want to see them. Can I spend the night with Sara again?"
Catherine set the soup and sandwiches down on the table and sat down. "I don't know honey. The party isn't at Sara's or Nick's."
Lindsey's started to say something but stopped. "Can I spend the night with Uncle Warrick?"
Grissom laughed. Catherine just shook her head. "Eat your supper. We'll wait and see about you spending the night with someone."
"Okay." Lindsey began to eat causing the room to become silent while they ate.

At the grocery store, Nick and Sara were in line waiting to check out. Nick was checking the cart to make sure he had everything he needed. "Okay, I think that's it."
Sara laughed. "I sure hope so, it looks like we are feeding an army."
Nick smiled. "Yeah. I'm glad you found something to make yourself at the party since it's going to be mostly meat on the menu."
She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry about me. I won't starve."
The cashier got to their cart and began scanning the items. After she finished, she gave them their total. It was close to two hundred dollars. Sara pulled her debit card out and paid for them. She and Nick were going to open up a checking account as soon as they were married, but for right now they split everything. Nick pushed the cart out to his car with Sara right beside him. They got to his car and started putting the bags in the back. After the last bag was put in, Nick took the cart back. Sara stood outside and watched as a woman and her little boy were walking toward the store. The boy kept running ahead of the mother. The boy didn't stop though. Sara began to walk toward the mother when a car came flying through the parking lot heading toward the boy.
Nick came out of the store and the first thing he noticed was a car coming very fast and the second was a little boy right in its way. Nick ran as fast as he could and pulled the boy away before the car could hit him. The car never slowed down. The boy in Nick's arms started crying. His mother ran up to Nick and grabbed her son. "Timmy, oh thank God, you're alive." She was crying and holding the boy tight. Sara ran up to Nick. She gave him a hug. Nick held her but kept his eyes on the mother. The mother looked at Nick. "Thank you so much for saving my son. I owe you so much." Sara pulled away from him and the mother hugged him.
Nick held her. "It's okay ma'am. I'm glad your son is fine."
She pulled away from him and turned her attention back to Timmy. "You know better than to run ahead of me. You could have been hurt. Thank this nice man for saving you."
Timmy began to cry but he thanked Nick.
Nick bent down to his level. "It's okay, but next time listen to your mother. She loves you very much."
Timmy nodded. The mother thanked him once again and went inside the grocery store.
Sara grabbed Nick's hand and they walked back to the car. "Give me the keys. I'll drive." She told him.
"I'm fine."
"I know, but you're still shaking and you need to calm down."
He squeezed her hand. "Can you believe these people? I mean what kind of idiot drives that fast in a parking lot?"
"I don't know, but we're going to find out."
He looked at her and noticed the grin on her face. "How exactly?"
"I got his license plate number." She said pretty satisfied with herself. She could tell that Nick was too. He leaned over and kissed her. "Have I told you how much I love you?" He asked.
"Yes, but I never get tired of hearing it." She kissed him one last time and then they got in the car and drove toward their new home.

Grissom and Catherine arrived at work together and immediately headed for the break room to get some coffee. They hadn't been in there three minutes before a woman came in looking for Catherine. She spotted her at the table and walked up to her. "Catherine." The other woman called out to her. "There is a young lady at the desk wanting to speak with you."
Catherine gave Grissom a confused look and got up off the couch. She followed the other woman out and walked with her to the front desk. Catherine recognized the young woman waiting for her. "Hey Addie, what's wrong?"
Addie walked over to her. She had a letter in her hand. "I got this in the mail today from Joel." Tears began streaming down her face. "It's a suicide note. I thought you might want to look at it."
Catherine nodded and took the note from her. She noticed that the handwriting was very neat. It said: "Addie, I'm very sorry I didn't tell you good-bye. I knew you would you would just try and talk me out of it. But, I can't deal anymore. My mom is so uncaring and this world is so cold. You were my best friend, and I love you. Never forget that. I'm very sorry, but death is the only way out for me. It's the only peace that I will know. Take care of yourself. I love you forever. Joel."
Catherine could feel tears begin to form in her eyes. She handed the note back to Addie. "I'm very sorry."
Addie smiled at her. "He's finally at peace. At least I hope so." Addie turned around and headed for the exit. Catherine watched her leave. She took a deep breath and headed back toward the break room. When she got back, she noticed that Nick and Sara were there with Grissom. Grissom walked over to her. "Are you okay?"
"That was Addie, Joel sent her good-bye letter."
"I know that must have been hard."
"Yeah, but I also think that it gave her some kind of closure."
Grissom held out his arms and Catherine fell into them. He held her tightly both of them forgetting they were not alone in the room.
Nick turned to look at Sara. She knew what he was thinking. That they should leave and let Grissom and Catherine be alone for a few more minutes. As soon as they were about to leave, Grissom pulled away and called to them. "Where are you two going? We've got work to do."
Nick smiled. So much for leaving them alone, he thought. "No where." He answered.
"Good, because we've got work to do."
They all followed him out and into his office for their new cases. Grissom quickly read them over and decided that tonight was going to be a very simple and easy night for them. "Nick, Sara, I'm electing you two to finish up the paper work that needs to be done around here."
Nick and Sara both frowned. "What did we do to make you punish us like that?" Nick asked.
"I wouldn't look at it as punishment. You two are getting to work together and it's not that hard."
Sara smiled. "He's right Nick, besides we better enjoy it. This might be the only time we get to work together."
Nick nodded. "Okay." He looked over at Grissom. "But if it is hard, just remember who's fixing your food at the cook out."
Catherine and Sara laughed and Grissom gave him a weak smile. "And who is that Nick, you are Sara?"
"You know I should be offended by that remark, but since we are talking about dead meat, I'm keeping my mouth shut." Sara replied.
"Come on Sara, we better get to work." Nick responded and led her out of the room. Once they were gone, Catherine turned to Grissom. "And what do we have?"
"A simple robbery. The police are requesting crime scene investigators to gather the evidence."
"Sounds like fun." She said hoping that he would notice the sarcastic tone she carried.
"Well, it's better than paper work." He replied.
"True."
He smiled at her and they both walked out of the office and headed for the crime scene.

Sara was in one of the offices talking on the phone. "The car had the license plate FWM-1121. Yes, that's correct. I couldn't see the driver but he or she was going very fast in the parking lot and almost hit a small child."
Nick was sitting across from working on paper work and listening to her as well.
"As soon as you come up with the driver's name could you call me at the LVPD crime lab? My name is Sara Sidle." Another pause. "Great, thanks very much. Bye." She hung up the phone and turned to Nick. "They're going to give us the driver's information as soon as they get it."
Nick nodded. "Good, but Sara we're not cops. We can't go and bust this person."
She sighed. "I know. Once I find out who it is, I'm going to inform Brass. He can do something about it."
"Sara, tell me something. What are you hoping that will come out of this?" Nick knew that she was still upset about Cassie and he was beginning to think that she was somehow trying to combine the two together.
"I just want this person to know just how close they came to killing someone. Nick, if it wasn't for you that boy could have been killed." She walked over to him and sat down on the desk in front of him. "You could have been killed."
Nick grabbed her hands and held them. "I'm fine and so is the boy. I agree that the driver should be made aware of their actions but honey we can't save everyone."
"I know, I'm sorry. Its just life is so unfair."
Nick pulled her down onto his lap and held her. "I know. I love you Sara."
"I love you too." She leaned in and kissed him. She pulled away and smiled at him. "I guess we better get started on that paper work."
"I guess so." Sara got off his lap and sat down across from him. Together they began working.

Thursday morning finally arrived, way too fast in Warrick's opinion. He was still in bed. He felt a movement to his right and glanced down. Jasmine turned around and faced him. She smiled. "Morning."
"Hey, how did you sleep?"
She leaned up and stretched. "Good, how about you?"
He reached over and put his arm around her. "I slept very well."
Jasmine leaned over him and kissed him. She pulled away and looked at the alarm clock. It read 7:45. She frowned. "I've got to get ready for work."
Warrick nodded his head. He got out of bed and pulled some pants on and a shirt. "I'll make you some breakfast."
Jasmine smiled. "Breakfast sounds good. Do you mind if I use your shower?"
He smiled back. "Not at all."
She got up and walked over to him and kissed him again. "If I forget to say this, I had a wonderful time with you."
"Me too. Don't forget Nick's cookout is Saturday."
"Do I need to bring anything?"
"Nope, just yourself."
She nodded and walked toward the bathroom. "I won't take to long."
"I'll have breakfast for you when you come out." He watched as she shut the bathroom door. He stood there for a moment then went into the kitchen to fix something to eat.

Grissom and Catherine were in the break room getting a cup of coffee for the ride home. The robbery case had been a lot easier than they thought. The robber was quickly apprehended. So, they decided to help Nick and Sara with the rest of the paper work. A woman walked in the break room. "Mr. Grissom, have you seen Sara?"
"She was in the locker room with Nick the last time I saw her." He answered.
The woman nodded. "She has a phone call."
Catherine looked at the woman. "I'll tell her." Catherine walked out and began looking for her.
The woman was about to leave when Grissom stopped her. "Do you know who is on the phone?"
She looked nervous. "Some one from the Highway patrol."
"Thanks." The woman quickly walked out of the room leaving Grissom alone and wondering.

Catherine found Sara and Nick coming down the hall. She walked up to them. "Sara, you have a phone call."
Sara looked from Catherine to Nick and back to Catherine. "Thanks." Sara went to the front desk and grabbed the phone. "Sidle." She said in a way of greeting.
"Sara, this is Lt. Dobbs down at the highway patrol."
"Thanks for calling me back. Did you find out who the driver was?"
"Yes, the owner of the car is Wayne Allan."
Sara smiled and thanked the officer again and hung up the phone. She turned to Nick. "The owner of the car is Wayne Allan. I'm going to have Brass talk to him."
Nick knew there wasn't much Brass could do about it. He also knew that Sara wouldn't let this go either. "Okay, I'll go with you."
Both had forgot that Catherine was still standing there. "What's going on?"
Nick turned to her and explained everything. "We know that Brass can't really do anything but it's worth a try."
Catherine only nodded. "Well, good luck you too. I'll see tomorrow tonight."
"Have a good night off." Sara said.
"Thanks. Bye." Catherine walked away and Nick and Sara headed for Brass's office. He was sitting at his desk when they came in. "Brass, could we talk to you for a minute?" Sara asked.
He looked up from his stack of papers. "I guess, what's going on?"
Nick looked at Sara and through an unspoken decision, he began to tell Brass what had happened.
Brass listened and when Nick was done he responded "There's not much I can do, but I will try and talk to him."
"Thanks, that's all that we're asking." Sara replied and she and Nick walked out of his office.

Nick and Sara were at their new home, when Nick's cell phone rang. Nick got off the couch and walked toward the kitchen where his phone was sitting on the table. He picked it up and answered it. "Hello."
"Hey Nick, it's Brass."
"Hey, did you talk to Mr. Allan?"
"Yes, we did. We also need you and Sara to come down to the station. We have something you two may want to look at."
Nick wasn't sure what's going on but it had to be big if Brass wanted them both down there. "Sure, I'll get Sara and we'll be down there soon."
"Good, Grissom will be here as well. Bye."
Nick hung the phone up and went in search of Sara. He found her in the bathroom fixing to take a shower. "Hey Sara, you might want to wait for that shower. Brass just called and needs us back at work."
Sara looked at Nick. "Did he say why?"
"Not exactly but I think it has something to do with Wayne Allan. He said that Grissom was going to be there as well."
Sara turned off the water from the shower. "Okay, let me get straightened up and we'll go."

Thirty minutes later, Nick, Sara, and Grissom were standing outside waiting on Brass. Brass walked up to them. "Follow me." He said, and they followed him to a car. It was the same car that was in the parking lot. Only this time, Nick and Sara got a better view of it. It was a dark Camry and the right side had a huge dent and the windshield had a very large crack. Grissom looked at the car very closely. "Looks like he something."
Nick nodded. "That's for sure, the question is what."
"Or whom?" Sara put in. Grissom turned to look at her. "Sara, hand me the luminol." She handed it to him and he sprayed around the dents. Soon the car became fluorescent indicating that there was indeed blood splatter. Grissom looked at them. "I guess we better talk to Mr. Allan." He looked at Sara. "I want you to see if you can get anything off this car." She nodded and watched as the three men walked off to talk to Allan.

Wayne Allan was a very nervous man. He was sitting in an interrogation room waiting for someone to come and talk to him. He looked up when he heard a door open. Brass, Grissom, and Nick walked in. Brass sat down in front of him and Grissom sat down to the left of Brass. Nick stood in the back behind them. "Mr. Allan, we noticed that you have some damage on the front right side of your car. Care to explain to us what happened?"
Allan looked at him. "I hit something. A deer I think."
"When did this happen?"
"A couple days ago. Why?"
"You didn't stop to see what you hit, did you?"
"No, I don't stop my car if I hit an animal. Besides hitting an animal isn't a crime."
"No." Grissom said. "But hitting a person is."
Allan's face paled. "I...I don't know what you're talking about."
Grissom frowned. "Do you drink Mr. Allan?"
"Sometimes."
Brass stepped in. "Do you drive afterwards?"
"Look, I don't see what this has to do with anything."
Brass leaned in closer. "Let me tell you what I think happened. You were at some bar drinking and they probably kicked you out. You didn't have sense enough to call a taxi. You figured that you weren't that drunk and you could drive home. Well on the way home you were speeding and had no idea how fast you were going. And then you see something flash in front of you, but you don't stop. You just keep going because you're so drunk, your mind isn't registering anything. You feel your car slam into something and instead of stopping and checking what it you hit, you just keep driving. How did I do?"
"Look, I hit an animal. Big deal. Who cares?"
Grissom stared hard at him. "You didn't hit an animal. You hit a little girl."
Allan's face became white. "You can't prove that." He head a door open and saw a woman come in.
"Actually we can." She said. Sara gave a folder to Grissom. "I found hair on your vehicle and I had a rush done on it. It belongs to a little girl named Cassie Caldwell."
Grissom handed the folder to Brass. Brass looked it over and than at Allan. "Mr. Allan, you're under arrest." Grissom, Nick, and Sara left the room while the cops and Brass read Allan his rights. Grissom looked his two CSI's. "Good work guys."
Nick smiled. "Thanks."
"Now, why don't you two go home and get some rest. I'll see you tonight."
Nick and Sara both said good-bye to Grissom and walked hand in hand back to Nick's Tahoe and headed back home.

Later that evening the team, minus Catherine, were in the break room fixing to get ready for their shift. Brass walked in. He spotted Grissom right away. "Mr. Allan's lawyer wants to see Allan's car and Sara's report."
Grissom nodded. "That can be arranged."
"Good, because Mr. Stewart, Allan's lawyer, is outside waiting to see the car."
"He's here now?"
"Yes."
Grissom nodded and looked over at Nick and Sara. "I think you two should come out with us."
Nick and Sara got up from the table and walked out with Grissom and Brass. Not wanting to be alone in the room, Warrick decided to go with them. They walked outside and met up with Mr. Stewart. Brass introduced everyone. Mr. Stewart was a small man. He only stood about 5' 6". He glared at Grissom. "Mr. Grissom, my client tells me that he's innocent and I believe him."
"I think the evidence tells another story." Grissom responded. They walked over to Allan's car. Mr. Stewart walked in front of it and observed the dents. He stared at them for a few minutes and then turned to Brass. "My client didn't hit a child. He hit a deer. The hair you found must have been planted."
"WHAT??" Sara yelled. Nick grabbed her by the shoulders to calm her down. Grissom silenced her with a stern look. Sara said nothing else. Grissom turned his focus back on the lawyer. "Mr. Stewart, there was no way that the hair was planted."
"And how is that?"
Before Grissom could answer, Brass stepped in. "I can answer that. I was the one that called them out here. They had no idea why until I showed them the car. So there was no way for them to have known to plant the hair."
"What about the blood on the car? Did it also match the girl's?"
"According the chart, yes. But you are more than welcome to take another sample and have it processed if you would like." Grissom said.
Mr. Stewart nodded. "I would like that, but I want someone from another department to analyze it. I don't quite trust your lab techs here."
"Be my guest. Any lab will come up with the same results."
Nick leaned down and whispered to Sara. "Yeah, unless the lab tampers with it."
Warrick heard him and nodded. "We'll never know either."
"Unless the blood comes back different. Than we will know." Sara replied.
Grissom glanced over at his CSIs and saw them talking amongst themselves. He had a feeling he knew what they were discussing. "Mr. Stewart, I would like someone in my department to observe your lab tech to make sure they don't tamper with the evidence."
Mr. Stewart gave him a blank stare. "My client didn't have that option, why should I give it to you?"
"Because we had no reason to tamper the evidence. You on the other hand do."
Mr. Stewart frowned. "Very well, but I will choose whom I want to observe and I can tell you right now, it's not any of them." He said pointing toward Warrick, Nick, and Sara.
"Fine, what about one of my lab techs?"
"Agreed."
Grissom turned to the trio. "I need one of you to go and get Greg for me."
"I'll go." Nick volunteered. He walked back inside and headed for the lab. He found Greg sitting at his desk. "Hey Greg, Grissom needs you."
Greg looked shocked. "What did I do this time?"
"Nothing. It's what you get to do."
That comment didn't comfort Greg in the least. "And what is that?"
"You'll see. Come on. They're waiting for you."
Greg wanted to ask who was they, but he didn't. He just followed Nick back outside. Soon the two were joined back with the others.
Grissom turned to Mr. Stewart. "This is Greg Sanders. He's one of our lab techs. He's very skilled and he will catch on fast if something is wrong."
"Very well Mr. Grissom." Stewart turned to face Greg. "You will observe and that's all. Don't touch anything. Have I made myself clear?"
Greg only stared. "If I knew exactly what was going on than maybe yes."
Grissom explained everything to him. Greg finally understood what he had to do. Stewart had one of his men come and take some samples of the car and pictures. He then looked at Greg. "Let's go."
Greg gave one last look at his friends and then followed Stewart toward his car. After they left, Grissom turned to Brass. "I don't trust him."
"Me neither, but you know how lawyers are. Besides, it's like you say the evidence doesn't lie."
"It will if it's tampered with." Nick put in.
Grissom began walking back inside. "We'll worry about that later, we've got work to do."

Greg had arrived with Mr. Stewart to another lab. Greg got out of the car and watched as Mr. Stewart's men took the samples and pictures inside. Greg followed them into the lab. Mr. Stewart was ahead of him and began talking to a young woman in the lab room. "Sandi, I need to you to be extra careful processing. I need you to check out everything." He turned his attention to Greg. "Greg, this is Sandi Perry. Sandi, this is Greg Sanders from the Vegas Crime lab."
Sandi looked at Greg and gave him a half smile. "Nice to meet you."
Greg smiled back at her. "You too."
Stewart focused his attention back on Sandi. "He is here only to observe. Do not let him touch anything. Once you get the results, show them to him and then bring them to me."
"No problem."
Stewart nodded and left them alone. Sandi began to process the evidence she was given. Greg felt a little out of place, but he continued to watch. He soon found himself not only focusing on the evidence, but on Sandi. She was Greg's age and she was about two inches shorter than he was. She had blonde hair and brown eyes. He could feel his heart beating a little bit faster. Sandi could feel him staring at her. "What did you mess up?"
Greg looked at her confused. "I'm sorry? Mess up?"
Sandi smiled. "You had to have done something wrong if I'm having to re-examine things that have already been processed."
"Oh, that. I didn't mess anything up. Your Mr. Stewart wanted to make sure we didn't alter any of the evidence."
"Did you?"
"No, I didn't. None of us would." Greg was beginning to get a little angry. What did she know anyway?
Sandi could tell he was getting upset. "Hey, I'm sorry. It's just that Vegas is supposed to have one of the best crime labs around. I was surprised to being doing this."
Greg relaxed a little bit. "It's okay. Mr. Stewart is a lawyer and you know how they are."
Sandi laughed. "Tell me about it." She went back to work, occasionally looking over at Greg. She smiled. He's cute, she thought.

An hour or so later, the evidence had been processed. Sandi grabbed the results and showed them to Greg. "Is this what you got?"
Greg looked at them. "Yep, Allan hit the girl. No doubt about it."
Sandi nodded. "Then let's go take this to Stewart."
They found him in an office. He was on the phone with someone, so they waited until he was done. Once he was off the phone, he had them come in. Sandi handed him her results. "The results are the same."
Stewart didn't look too happy, but he couldn't do much about it. "Very well. Greg, I can have one of my men drive you back to your lab."
"Thanks Mr. Stewart."
He nodded and watched as Greg and Sandi walked out. Sandi decided to walk Greg to the parking lot and wait with him until his ride got there. They stood outside for a few minutes not saying anything. Sandi turned to him. "Greg, do you have a girlfriend back home?"
Startled by this comment, Greg looked at her. "No, why?"
"Just wondering. I mean you're such a great guy. I thought for sure you would have someone special."
Greg smiled at her. "Yeah, well, I just haven't found the right one for me yet. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"
"No. I'm like you. I just haven't found the right one."
A man pulled up in front of them and stopped the car. Greg turned to Sandi. "I guess this is my ride. It was nice meeting you."
"You too Greg. I hope you find that someone."
"I hope you do too." Greg turned and opened the door to the car and was about to get but stopped. He looked back at Sandi. "Would you like to go out sometime? You just hang around. Who knows we might find our special someone together."
Sandi grinned. "I would love that." They exchanged phone numbers and Greg got in the car. As the car pulled out, Greg stared straight ahead with a smile on his face.

Greg arrived back at the lab and went in search for Grissom. After several minutes of searching and not finding, he gave up. He figured that they were called out on a case. He went into the break room to get some coffee. He poured himself a cup and sat down on the couch. He drank his coffee and watched television. He finally decided to go see if there was anything in the lab for him to do. He got off the couch and threw his cup away. He walked down toward his lab when he saw Grissom in the hallway. "Hey Grissom." He yelled and ran up to catch him.
Grissom turned to face him. "You're back early. What happened?"
"The test results came back the same way ours did. Allan hit the girl."
Grissom nodded. He knew that, but now they had the evidence to prove it. "Good. I'll go and call Miss Caldwell and tell her."
"I'll go back to my lab and see if I have anything else to do."
Grissom looked at Greg. "Good job Greg."
The young lab tech smiled. Grissom rarely tells him he does a good job. "Thanks."
Grissom watched as he walked back toward his lab. Grissom walked in his office and called Miss Caldwell. "Hey Miss Caldwell, it's Gil Grissom."
"Mr. Grissom, have you found out anything?"
"Yes, we found the person responsible for hitting Cassie. He's in jail."
"Thank you Mr. Grissom. I appreciate what you've done. I feel better knowing that the person that hit my daughter is caught."
"You're welcome. I'm very sorry Miss Caldwell. Your daughter was very lovely."
"Yes she was. Good-bye Mr. Grissom."
"Good-bye." Grissom hung up the phone and sat down in his chair. He knew that Allan wouldn't get out of prison for a long time. He also knew that Miss Caldwell will finally be at ease. Grissom looked at the papers stacked on his desk. He began to some over due paperwork.

It was finally Saturday. The day of Nick and Sara's cook out. Nick had the grill cooking in the backyard. Sara was busy getting plates, cups, drinks, and other stuff together. Nick looked at his watch. It was 5:30. Their guests should be arriving soon. They heard a car pull in the driveway. Sara looked at him. "I'll go see who it is. You just make sure you don't burn the place down."
"Very funny Sara."
Sara went back inside and walked to the front door and opened it. It was Warrick and Jasmine. "Hey guys, glad you could make it."
Warrick and Jasmine smiled. "This place is beautiful." Jasmine commented.
"Thanks."
"Where's Nick?" Warrick asked.
"In the back, cooking the food. Come on, I'll take you back there." Sara led them through the house and outside in the backyard.
Nick saw them. "Hey guys, glad you could make it."
"I don't who you convinced to let you use this place, but man it's nice." Warrick replied.
"Thanks. We like it."
Another car pulled up and Sara went to go greet them. It was Grissom, Catherine, and Lindsey. Lindsey ran up to Sara and hugged her. "Hey Sara, guess what?"
"What?"
"Mommy said I might get to sleep over at your place."
Catherine came up to them. "Lindsey, you know that we haven't decided anything yet." She looked up at Sara. "Hey Sara."
"Hi, hi Grissom."
Grissom smiled. "Hey Sara, this is a lovely place."
"Thanks. Nick, Warrick, and Jasmine are in the back. Go make yourselves at home."
She led them to the back and then walked back inside waiting for Greg to come. She finally saw his car pull up. Greg and a girl got out of his car. Sara smiled. It's about time. She thought to herself. "Hey Greg, glad you could make it."
Greg walked up to her. "Thanks, Sara this is Sandi. Sandi this is Sara."
Sandi smiled. "Nice to meet you. Greg's told me a lot about you."
"Nice to meet you too. Come on in. Everyone's in the backyard."

After all the introductions were made, the food was ready. Nick and Sara let everyone else go first. Soon they were all sitting at the table outside eating. "Nick, this is really good." Warrick said, as he got ready to take another bite of his steak.
"Thanks man. I'm glad you like it." Nick responded.
"Can I have another hot dog?" Lindsey asked.
"Sure, hand me your plate and I'll get you one." Nick reached over and grabbed her plate. He got up and grabbed another hot dog off the grill and a bun. He handed it back to her.
"Thanks."
"Don't get too full, I've got ice-cream." Sara told her.
"Yummy."
Catherine watched as her daughter nearly inhaled her food. "Slow down or you'll get choked."
Lindsey chewed a little more slowly. She looked over at Nick. "Do you still have your basketball Uncle Nick?"
"Yeah, you want to play after we eat?"
"Yep." She turned to Warrick. "Will you be on my team?"
"Sure."
Nick gave her a hurt look. "What about me?"
Lindsey laughed. "Sorry, but Uncle Warrick is better. Besides, it's fun to watch him beat you."
Everyone busted out laughing. Nick tried his best to looked offended but he wasn't pulling it off. Warrick clamped his hand on Nick's shoulder. "See, even Lindsey knows who has the best game."
Nick turned to Lindsey. "No dessert for you."
She just stuck out her tongue and laughed.
Greg looked over at Nick. "I'll be on your team Nick."
"Thanks Greg."
"Alright then, we've got a game. Me and Lindsey against you and Greg." Warrick replied.
"You're on. What are we playing for?" Nick asked.
Catherine immediately looked up. "Don't forget Lindsey is playing. So if you're going to bet on something it better not be bad."
"Don't worry, it won't be." Nick said. "How about we let Lindsey decide?"
"Yeah. I want to!" Lindsey got up from the table and walked over to Warrick. "If Warrick and I win, you and Greg have to um." She thought about it for a moment. "You and Greg have to buy me and Warrick something from the mall. If you two happen to win, then Warrick and I will buy you guys something. It can't be too much tough, cause I've only got ten dollars."
"That sounds fair. So the winner has to get something that costs ten dollars." Greg said. "What do you think Nick? You ready to take them on?"
"Let's do it."
Catherine looked at the others at the table. "I should have seen this coming. I should have known that we couldn't have a dinner without Nick and Warrick making some kind of bet."
Grissom leaned over and gave her a hug. "Well, at least it's a safe bet. Besides this game might be pretty interesting."
"Okay we don't want this game to last all night, so why don't you guys play to thirty. Two points for each shot and three pointers count." Sara replied.
"We need someone to keep score." Warrick said. "I volunteer Grissom."
Grissom gave him an odd look. He was about to comment when Warrick cut him off. "It's only fair. Lindsey is Catherine's daughter and the rest of us have our girlfriends present. You're the only one that doesn't have a motive to cheat."
Grissom thought about it for a moment then nodded. "Okay, hurry up and get this game started."
Warrick, Lindsey, and Greg walked out to the basketball goal. Nick ran inside and got his ball. He came back out and met them at the goal. Sara grabbed some chairs for her and the other ladies to sit on while they cheered their teams. Jasmine and Catherine sat together and Sara and Sandi sat together. Nick looked at Warrick. "Wanna flip a coin to see who goes first?"
"Maybe you should go first. It might be the only time you and Greg get a chance to try and get some points."
Nick put his hand over his heart. "Ouch." He glanced over at Greg. "You ready to cream them?"
Greg smiled and nodded his head. "You bet."
"Then let's get this game started. Since Warrick has been so nice as to let us have the ball first." Nick stepped back and began dribbling the ball. Warrick was immediately in front of him. Nick side stepped him and passed the ball to Greg. Greg bounced his way down to the goal. Lindsey tried her best to block him. Greg took a side shot and it went in. "Two points!" Greg yelled.
Warrick got the ball and made his way past the goal. He looked at Greg. "Those were free. You are going to have to fight for the next ones." He then began making his way toward the goal. Nick was trying to grab the ball away from him but Warrick was slick. He bounced the ball through his legs and Lindsey came up behind him and took it. She made her way to the goal with Greg on her heels.
"Go Lindsey!!" Catherine yelled.
The little girl ran right up to the goal and took a shot. SWISH! It went right in! "Wahoo!" She yelled. "Now we're tied."
Nick smiled at her. She might be small but she was fast and she was good. "Not for long."
"That's because we are going to beat you." Warrick replied to his comment.
Nick took the ball out and began his way once again to the goal. This time though Warrick was able to steal it from him and then take it out. He then made his way to the goal and scored two more points for his team.
The game went on with both teams scoring and stealing the ball. The score was now 28 to 27. Warrick's team ahead and Warrick had the ball. He noticed that Greg was paying more attention to him than to Lindsey. He quickly passed the ball to her. She grabbed it, turned toward the goal and threw the ball into the air. It hit the goal and began circling around the rim. Finally it went in. Lindsey began jumping up and down. "We won! We won!" She ran and gave Warrick a hug. She then turned to Nick and Greg. "I want this teddy bear I saw in the mall. He's ten dollars."
Nick nodded. "A deal's a deal." He looked at Warrick. "What do you want?"
Warrick grinned. "Oh, I got what I want. The knowledge that I beat you in basketball."
"Ha ha very funny Warrick. What do you really want?"
"You can just give me the money and I'll be happy."
Greg looked at Lindsey. "What do I have to get you?"
Lindsey smiled. "If Uncle Nick gives Uncle Warrick ten dollars, you have to buy me the teddy bear."
"Okay, one teddy bear it is."
Catherine looked at her watch. It was beginning to get late. "Hey guys, I think that I should be heading home." She looked over at Nick and Sara. "This place is really nice. Be sure to think whoever let you use it."
Nick looked at Sara. She nodded her head. Now was the perfect time. He looked back at Catherine. "Actually Sara and I have something to tell you all."
That got all of their attention. "The reason why we invited you here was to let you see our new house."
Shock filled their faces. "This is your house?" Warrick asked.
"Yeah, we finally got everything moved in." Sara answered.
"Cool, can I spend the night?" Lindsey replied.
Catherine looked at her daughter and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Lindsey, they just got moved in. Give them some time to get everything together. Then maybe they'll let you stay over."
Lindsey frowned but then agreed. Warrick came over to her. "Hey Lindsey, you can spend the night with me if you want to."
Her face lit up. "Really, can I?"
"Sure, if it's okay with your mom."
She looked right up at Catherine and began pleading. "Please mommy."
Catherine sighed. "Okay. But you have to be good for him."
She gave her mom a hug and then grabbed Warrick's hand. Jasmine came over and stood beside Warrick. He grabbed her hand with his free one. He looked over at Nick. "Well, I guess we should go. Thanks for having us over Nick. It was fun."
"No problem. I'll see you at work."
Warrick, Jasmine, and Lindsey said their good-byes and left. Greg and Sandi decided to leave next, followed by Grissom and Catherine. Once everyone was gone, Nick and Sara began to clean everything up. It took them about an hour to get everything washed and put away. They walked in their living room and sat down exhausted. Nick placed his arm around her. She leaned into him and placed her hand on his leg. "Did you have a good Sara?"
"Yeah, I did. Did you?"
"Yep, but next time Warrick isn't going to win."
Sara laughed. She turned to face him. "It wasn't just Warrick. Lindsey played too."
"I know and she's good. I think Warrick has been teaching her behind my back."
"Probably." Nick yawned. "I think I'm going to go on to bed. You coming?"
"In a little while. I think I might see what's on T.V."
Nick leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. "Night Sara."
"Night Nick. I love you."
"Love you too." He got up and began his way toward their bedroom. He stopped halfway there and turned to her. "You know I was thinking. Greg looked very happy tonight with Sandi."
Sara got off the couch and walked up beside him. "Yeah, I'm glad he's found someone. She seems really nice."
"Jasmine and Warrick have gotten closer too."
"Who knows there might be more weddings coming up."
Nick grabbed her hand and walked her to their bed. They sat down on the side. "I guess we should decide on a date."
Sara nodded. "I guess so."
"How do you feel about an outdoor wedding?"
"I guess it's okay, but it would have to be during the spring or summer time. Plus you never know about how the weather will be."
"True, let's keep it indoors."
She smiled. "Good. I would rather it be inside."
Nick turned to her. "Let's get married in the spring. The weather will be nice for a vacation and it won't be so cold for the people going."
"Spring it is. Now we just need a month and a day."
Nick looked at her. "We'll talk about it more tomorrow. I'm getting kind of tired."
She leaned over and kissed him once more. "Then get some sleep. I'll be in a little later."
She got off the bed and went back into the living room. She flipped on the T.V. and began channel surfing. She stopped it as soon as she found a show she liked. She made herself comfortable on the couch and soon she drifted off to sleep.

Greg had drove Sandi home and he was on his way back. He decided to listen to one of his CDs. Once he reached a stoplight he quickly looked at his selection he had in his car. He was in a very good mood. So he wanted to something to emphasize his mood. He finally found his Linkin Park cd. He put it in the player and soon he was jamming. Yeah, he thought, life is good. The light changed to green and Greg made is way home.
He finally found that someone special. They all had. Greg knew that Nick and Sara's engagement was just the beginning of the things to come, and he couldn't wait for the rest.

~Finshed~