Specters of Crimes Past

by kyrdwyn

Three years after "Ghosts" and "Shadows", Jana finds herself at the heart of a murder investigation

'Specters of Crimes Past'

By kyrdwyn

Rated: R

Spoilers: My stories 'Ghosts of Crimes Past', 'Shadows of Crimes Past'

September 5, 2001

CSI, Gil Grissom and company, and places and etc are all property of Anthony Zuiker, Alliance Atlantis, CBS, and other companies. They did not condone this fic, and I am not getting paid for it. I write because I want to. All other characters not appearing on CSI in any way, shape, or form that appear in this story are my property. If you have any comments - good or bad, feel free to e-mail me at: toxicrev@yahoo.com

            Written and posted to my website a few weeks before the start of Season 2.  This takes place three years after "Ghosts of Crimes Past" and "Shadows of Crimes Past". 

            The insistent ringing of his cell phone brought Grissom out of the dream he was having.  Blinking away the fog of sleep still clouding his mind, he reached for the phone and flipped it open.

            "Grissom."

            "Gil, it's Catherine.  Look, I know it's your night off, but would happen to have any idea where I could find Jana?"

            He frowned.  "Jana?"

            "Yeah, Jana.  Jana Stevens, former CSI, now PI, two of you are often seen together outside of the job.  That Jana."

            "Why are you trying to find Jana?"

            Catherine sighed.  "I need to ask her a question about something, and it really can't wait."

            "Did you try her house?"

            "Yes, I did.  I also tried her office, her private office line, and her office manager at home to see if he knew where she was."

            "How about her cell phone?"

            "I didn't try that.  Do you have the number?"

            He rattled it off to Catherine.  "Cath, can you tell me what this is about?"

            "Not right now - kinda busy.  See you tomorrow!"  She ended the call and he closed the phone, frowning thoughtfully.

            The ringing began again five seconds later.  Grissom picked up the second cell phone that sat on his bedside table and handed it to the blonde woman who was lying on top of him, her hair spread out across his chest.   She glared at the display and hit the talk button.

            "Jana Stevens."

*          *          *          *          *

            Eight months earlier . . .

            The candles on the tables in the restaurant gave it a highly romantic atmosphere.  She followed the maitre 'd across the room, feeling a little uncomfortable.  After all, this was not another midnight meeting over chicken fried steak at the diner.  This was a real date, their third in the past two months. They had left their pagers and cell phones at home, wanting to just enjoy each other's company without interruption.  Jana was actually dressed up in a black dress that clung to her torso and fell in gentle pleats from waist to knee, with heels.  Her blonde hair was pulled up and she was wearing the pearls her mother had given her. 

            He stood up to greet her when she arrived at the table, his dark blue suit a startling contrast to his silver tinged hair and blue eyes.  He smiled at her, admiration in his gaze.  He courteously held her chair for her, and she blushed.  He sat back down across from her.

            "You look wonderful, Jana."

            "Thank you.  So do you."  She picked up her menu and smiled at him.  "You picked this place just to see me in a dress, didn't you?"

            "Yeah," he said with a sheepish shrug and a small smile

            She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and he chuckled.

            Their waiter came, and they ordered.  When the man had left, Grissom picked up his wine glass and held it up in a toast.  "To another dinner with a beautiful woman."

            Jana blushed again, but clinked her glass with his.  "And a handsome gentleman."  Now he looked embarrassed.

            Conversation was awkward for a while, both of them feeling out of place.  When the silence continued to stretch out, Jana started giggling.

            "What?" he asked with a slight smile.

            "Oh, the two of us.  Put us in a smoke filled diner or at a body filled crime scene and we're fine.  Put us in fancy clothes in a fancy restaurant and we're fish out of water."  She shook her head. 

He laughed at her description.  "I guess we are.  Neither of us have a personal life outside of our jobs either.  Well, except for our diner dates."

She groaned at his play on words.  "That was terrible, Gil."

"Thank you."

Their dinners arrived, and they both frowned at the fancy arrangement of the food.  They looked at each other and barely restrained laughter.  Finally, Jana managed to speak.

"So, how was that seminar you gave last week?"

He smiled.  "I think it went well.  You should have come."

"I would have loved to, but work kept me busy.  We've got more cases than I think we can handle sometimes.  I need to hire a new investigator.  Feel like going into the private sector?  No politics, less paperwork, though the boss is a real bitch to work for," Jana said teasingly.

He smiled again.  "No, but you could always come back and work for me."

"No way.  I like getting to pick my own cases.  Besides, if I worked for you we couldn't do this," she said, gesturing around the room.  "You know the sheriff would frown upon it."

"True.  I don't want to stop seeing you, Jana."

Jana smiled, a little thrill running though her.  "I wouldn't want that either," she said softly.

Conversation turned to other matters then, the rest of the dinner passing as if they were two normal people out on a date, their history forgotten in the moment.

Once back outside in the noise and bustle of the Strip, Gil tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and led her down the sidewalk.  She followed him, not really caring where they went.  She was enjoying this night, with him.  She smiled, remembering the night three years ago when he had asked if he could see her more often.  She knew he was romantically interested in her, but she'd still been too raw from wounds she had blamed him for causing to even consider a romantic attachment.  But he was patient, taking what she offered and not asking for more.  Gradually, her fears had diminished, and they had begun to date like any other couple.

She looked up to find him smiling at her, and she smiled back.  "What are thinking?"

"Me?"

"Don't give me that innocent look - I know you.  I've known you for ten years.  You're planning something."

"Actually, I was thinking since we're here…" he gestured with his free hand to the building across the street.  Jana looked and knew exactly what he hand in mind.

"You want me to ride a roller coaster in this dress?"

"Why not?"

"Let me see now, short, billowy dress and fast speeds.  Laws of physics dictate that my skirt will not be preserving any modesty."

"And the problem with that is?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes.  "Okay, but if every male under seventy on the ride is leering at me, I warned you."

*          *          *

            Several hours later, Jana kicked her shoes off before sitting down on Gil's couch, sighing.  "I swear, a man invented high heels."

            Gil, coming back into the living room with two glasses of water, raised an eyebrow.  "Why a man?"

            "Because no woman in her right or wrong mind would have willingly subjected her sisters to such torture."

            "Interesting theory."

            "Thank you," she said, her eyes reflecting her smile as she took the glass from him.

            Gil sat down next to her and tilted his head.  "Don't you wear heels at the office?"

            "Not dress heels.  These are a good two inches higher than usual, hon."

            "So why did you wear them?"

            "Because they went with the dress."

            He laughed, and she joined in at her totally female reasoning.

            Setting his glass down on the table, he reached down to pick up one of Jana's feet.  She looked at him with a quizzical expression, but didn't stop him.  She was curious as to what he was doing.

            Gil was a little surprised by his temerity.  But the restaurant tonight had been his idea, and he wanted to make it up to her if her shoes had bothered her feet that much.  Slowly, he began rubbing the bottom of her foot with his thumbs, alternating between light touches and hard pressure as he worked his way from the soles of her feet to her toes.  He kept his eyes on his hands, a little afraid to look at Jana to see her reaction.  Finally, he snuck a glance and was gratified to see her eyes were closed; her head resting on the back of the couch.

            He kept massaging her feet, working around to the front.  He was still amazed that Jana had agreed to these formal dates.  For three years, they'd kept their relationship on a mostly platonic level.  It had been frustrating for him, because he had really started to care for Jana as more than just a friend.  And yet he understood her reluctance to become involved, and acknowledged the part he'd played in creating that hesitancy.  So he'd waited, not always patiently.  Catherine had noticed his attraction to Jana a few months ago and warned him to go slow.  He thought she'd be stunned to find he'd been going slowly for three years.  But he didn't mind.  He firmly believed in the old parable about the tortoise and the hare.  Slow and steady would prevail over a more hasty approach.  His hands trailed lightly down to her ankle, working around the joint before sliding back to the sole of her foot and then to the toes.  He glanced again at Jana.  Her eyes were still closed, and she had a slight smile on her face.

            Jana sat there, letting his hands work on her feet, feeling her entire body relax.  She smiled, thinking that if she'd known Gil was this good at foot massages, she would have let him do this years ago.  His hands left her foot, and she opened her eyes, about to protest.  But he merely put that one back down and picked up the other foot, giving it the same careful, thorough attention.  She closed her eyes again, letting him relax her other foot.  Sometimes she wondered why Gil continued to put up with her.  The last time she'd dated had been right after she'd started her business.  She knew now she'd been too raw from what happened to be in a relationship, but at the time she was trying for a semblance of a normal life.  She couldn't even remember the guy's name, but he'd stopped calling after their third date when she wouldn't sleep with him. After that, she'd kept away from romantic entanglements.  But Gil was different.  He didn't pressure her, didn't play games, and didn't accuse her of sending out mixed signals.  He took what she offered.  Sure, he would suggest things, but it was always just a new place for them to meet - like dinner tonight.  Coming back to his house had been her idea.

            Sometime over the past few months, Jana realized that Gil was more than just a friend to her.  She couldn't say when or how it happened, but it had.  She was just unsure of what to do about it.  She knew he was interested in her, but she was scared that she was reading the signals wrong.  She didn't want to lose him as a friend because she was deficient in her interpersonal relationships.

            Slowly, Jana became aware that his hands were just resting on her foot, his hands warm on her skin.  She opened her eyes to find him watching her with that intense gaze.  Desire was flickering in his eyes, and Jana felt an answering response go through her.  She let a slow smile cross her lips, and his gaze grew more intense, his eyes darkening.  Slowly, his hand slid up her leg.  Jana shivered at his touch. 

            Gil leaned closer to her, his hands resting lightly on her hips.  He was watching her face carefully, looking for signs that Jana was uncomfortable.  As much as he wanted to make love to her, he would stop if she asked.

            Jana sensed his hesitancy, could see the questions in his eyes.  He was being so gentle with her, as if he was afraid she would stop him at any moment.  Yet because he was being so gentle, Jana didn't want him to stop.  She reached out to run a finger across his lips, smiling when he gently kissed it.  Her hand slid around to the back of his neck and pulled him to her, bringing his lips down to hers.  It was a soft kiss at first, lips just barely touching.  Then Jana let her lips part underneath his, pulling him closer.  He deepened the kiss, letting his tongue slide into her mouth.  Jana let out a soft exclamation and he drew away, his hands leaving her hips.  He looked down at the floor as he spoke.

            "I'm sorry."

            "For what?"  Jana was confused.

            "I didn't mean to push you, Jana."

            Jana took his hands in hers.  "You're not."

            He looked up at her then, hope written on his face.  He brought their joined hands up to his mouth and kissed the backs of her hands.  "Are you sure?"

            The low, silky voice he used sent shivers down Jana's spine.  She licked her lips and nodded, not trusting her voice.  He stood, still holding her hands so that she stood with him.  He drew her to him and kissed her, a deeper kiss than before.  Jana leaned into the kiss, slipping her hands out of his and letting them rest against his chest.  His arms came around to pull her to him.  Jana leaned back against them, her knees weak.  Gil broke off the kiss and led her to his bedroom.

            Once inside, he carefully undressed her, still half-expecting her to stop him at any moment.  She never pulled away though, undressing him and unerringly finding the most sensitive places on his body.  He groaned and pulled her back to him for another kiss, letting three years of longing come through.  Jana wrapped her arms around him and let herself fall back onto the bed, bringing him with her.  Their hands explored each other and soft sighs and murmurs were the only sounds in the room.  Bodies entwined and passion built until it could no longer be contained and they found themselves exploding together.

            Afterward, the room was quiet except for their breathing.  Gil was too emotionally drained to move, unable to recall if he'd spoken aloud or just thought the words when he came.  He hoped he hadn't said them aloud.  Yet with his face next to hers, cheeks almost touching, he felt the need to whisper I love you.

            Whether he would have or not became a moot point when he felt a teardrop sliding down Jana's cheek.  Alarmed, he lifted his head to look at her.  Her eyes were closed and tears were slowly tracing down from under her lids.  He gently wiped them away from one cheek with his thumb.

            "Jana…." He said her name softly.

            Her eyes opened, fastening on his.  What he had feared he would see - anger, accusation, hate - wasn't there.  Instead, she looked at him with something he couldn't name, but understood nevertheless.

            "Oh, Gil…." She whispered.

            He smoothed a few stray hairs off her forehead and leaned down to kiss her gently.  He rolled over onto his side, taking her with him and cradling her in his arms as she continued to softly weep.  When dawn broke over the desert town, it found them still in each other's arms, lost in the dreamless sleep of new lovers.

*          *          *          *          *

            Present day . . .

            Jana hung up her cell phone and sighed.  Catherine wanted her to come down to the crime lab for some reason.  Jana was tempted to tell Catherine to take a hike, but knew she wouldn't.  She leaned her head against Gil's chest for a few moments, trying to gather the mental energy needed to leave his arms.

"What does Catherine want?" he asked softly.

"She wants me to come down to the lab.  She wouldn't say why."

"I suppose you ought to go, then."

"Yeah."  Jana made no move to leave.  They lay there for several more minutes.

"You know, she might send Brass after you if you aren't there soon."  Gil finally said with a smile in his voice.

            Jana chuckled as she sat up, pushing her hair away from her face.  "Well, he'll know where to find me when my house is empty."  She sat on the edge of the bed to gather up her clothing before standing. 

            "Are you saying you think Brass suspects something?"

            "No, I'm saying he knows," she said as she fastened her jeans.

            Gil looked a little stunned by this news.  "How does he know?"

            Jana shrugged into her shirt.  "It's not like we've really tried to keep this secret, Gil.  I'm surprised you didn't hand me the phone when Catherine called you."

            "I thought we agreed to keep it low key.  And I don't talk about my personal life at work."

            Jana shook her head.  "Low key and secret are two different things."  She finished pulling on her boots and stood up.  "I'll call you when I'm done at the lab, okay?"

            He smiled wryly.  "Isn't that my line?"

            "Yes."  She leaned down to kiss him hard, leaving them both a little breathless when she finally pulled away.  "A promise for later," she said with a wink as she left the room.

*          *          *          *          *

            Catherine was waiting for Jana inside the reception area of the lab.  She tossed Jana a visitor's pass without a word and started walking back in the direction of the morgue.  Eyebrows raised, Jana followed her down the hallway, nodding at Sara and Nick as they passed by.

            Catherine didn't speak once they entered the morgue.  She merely pulled back a sheet from a corpse on an autopsy table and watched Jana's face.

            "Son of a bitch," the PI said.

            "So you know him."

            Jana gave a mirthless laugh.  "Alexander Wilson, Esquire.  Marcus Jackson's defense attorney."

            Catherine stared at Jana, clearly not expecting that name.  "Are you sure?"

            Jana shot a look at Catherine.  "Oh yeah, I'm sure.  Bastard grilled me for hours at the trial.  I don't think I'm likely to forget him.  What happened?"

            "Someone shot him, fifteen times.  Overkill."

            "And considering the scum he liked to defend, you've probably got a zillion suspects in Las Vegas alone.  Including me," Jana added, staring straight into Catherine's eyes.  The other woman nodded solemnly.

            "Including you."

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana sipped at her coffee in the interview room and waited for Catherine to return.  A sheriff's deputy stood in the corner of the room, keeping an eye on Jana.  Not that Jana was going to try anything stupid.  Being a former CSI had its advantages - she knew what not to do around the police station.  This included not calling Gil.  He was her alibi, and she wanted to be sure that his veracity wouldn't be called into question.  If she called him now, before the police talked to him, they could always claim she asked him to lie.  Not that Gil would lie for her or anyone.  He had too much integrity.  Part of what she loved about him.

Jana looked up when the door opened, surprised when Brass walked in.  He nodded at the deputy, giving him permission to leave the room.

            "I hear Marcus Jackson's attorney was killed tonight," Brass said as he sat down across from Jana.

"Apparently so.  Catherine asked me down to identify the body."  She frowned. "Why me though?"

            "She didn't tell you?  Your business card was found in his pocket.  That was the only identification found on him.  AFIS just confirmed your ID."

            Jana looked at Brass, blinking in shock.  "My business card?  How would he have my business card?  We've never done business together."

            "Well, you did know him."

            Jana rolled her eyes.  "Honestly, Brass, the last time I saw him was at Marcus Jackson's sentencing hearing."

            "What about the execution last month?"

            "It was stayed again, remember?  Anyway, I wasn't going up there - he was dead to me the moment the jury pronounced sentence.  I bought three bottles of Glenlivet that day and I've kept them in my pantry.  I plan on getting very, very drunk when the state executes Jackson; but I don't plan on being there to watch it."

            Brass raised an eyebrow at Jana's plan for commemorating the execution of the man who had killed her parents and nearly killed her, too.  Then he cleared his throat and looked Jana in the eye.  "I have to ask this, you know.  Where were you tonight, Jana?"  Brass opened his notebook to take down her answer.

            "I worked until 6, then went over to Gil's house for dinner."

            "And after dinner?"

            Jana leaned forward.  "Do you want the play by play, Brass, or will a simple 'we went to bed' do?" she purred.

            Brass stared at Jana, blinking.  Jana chuckled.  "Sorry.  Bad timing, I know.  To be blunt, we went to bed and we were still there when Catherine called."

            Catherine had entered the room during Jana's last sentence.  Since she hadn't heard the name of the person Jana was giving as her alibi, she asked her, "Who were you with?"

            "Gil Grissom," Jana said. 

Catherine's eyes widened with shock.  "Wait, then why didn't he just give you the phone when I called?"

"We wanted to keep our relationship low key.  I guess he thought that handing me the phone was not a low key thing."  Jana shrugged.  "It's Grissom, you know how he loves to talk about his private life," she added.

Catherine nodded slowly, her eyes showing doubt in the way she kept glancing at Brass.  Brass was making notes, not looking at either of the women, though he had a small smile on his face.

"Look, Catherine, if you don't believe me call Gil.  I haven't spoken to him since I left his house - you know I didn't call him, and the deputy can tell you the same thing."

"Jana, you do have a good motive for killing Alex Wilson, and he was found with your business card."

The blonde P.I. sighed.  "I know - he was Marcus Jackson's lawyer, he got Jackson two stays of execution and on the stand he called me a slut and tried to insinuate I was merely out for revenge because of my parents, so I compromised evidence, blah blah blah."  Jana pushed her hair out of her face and sighed.  "As for the business card, I don't know what to tell you.  I never did business with the guy.  But I do business with a lot of attorneys and other people - he could have gotten my card from anywhere."  What Jana didn't say, but knew Catherine and Brass were also thinking, was that if she had killed Wilson, why would she leave something that tied her to him?

Brass and Catherine looked at each other before getting up.  "We'll be back in a minute," Brass said.

"I'll be here," Jana replied with false cheer as the deputy came back in.

*          *          *          *          *

            "Catherine, what is this about?  First you call Jana down to the lab, and now you want me to tell you what I did tonight?"  Grissom's voice was a mix of confusion and frustration.

            "Look, Gil, I really can't tell you about it at the moment.  Just, trust me, please," she said softly.  She hated having to keep Gil in the dark on an investigation, but she needed him to tell her what happened without prevarication.  She could hear his sigh over the phone.

            "I had dinner with Jana Stevens, she came over to my place around 6 tonight."

            "What time did she leave?"

            "When you called her down to the lab.  She was here when you called me."

            "So why didn't you give her the phone?"

            "I didn't give her the phone because that's not the way our relationship works, Catherine.  We're trying to keep our personal lives separate from our professional."

            "Well, they're about to run into each other head on."

            "What do you mean?"

            "Marcus Jackson's attorney was murdered tonight."

*          *          *          *          *

            Gil heard Jana's car pull up and opened the front door.  She got out of the car and came up the front walk, her face unreadable.  He stood back to let her in, shutting the door behind her.  Jana walked into the living room and turned to face him.

            "Catherine called you?"

            He nodded, noticing the lines in Jana's face.  He went to her and put his arms around her.  She leaned against him.  "I didn't do it, Gil."

            "I know."

            She leaned her head back to look at him, blue eyes staring into blue eyes.  "You are the only person who hasn't doubted my innocence tonight."

            He kissed her forehead.  "You're not a cold blooded killer."

            "Self defense," Jana pointed out.

            His lips moved to her ear.  "You would have called the police and stayed.  You don't run from your problems."

            "What did I do to deserve you?" Jana whispered.

            Gil pulled back and cupped Jana's face in his hands, surprised to see tears in her normally jaded eyes.  "Jana…."

            "Catherine and Brass both thought I did it, you know.  Almost as if the past eight years hadn't happened and I'm just another victim out for revenge."  The pain in Jana's eyes was more than Gil could take.  He pulled Jana back to him, holding her.

            "It's their job, Jana, you know that.   I doubt they really thought you did it."

            She didn't respond, just stood there with her arms around him.  He stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head.  Finally Jana looked up at him, the unshed tears still there. 

            "Thank you."

            "Anytime," he said, leaning down to kiss her lips.  Jana leaned into the kiss, her hands sliding into the waist of his slacks to pull out his shirt and run her hands up his back.

            "Is that a hint, Jana?" he asked with a slight smile.

            "Shut up and take me to bed."

            "Yes, ma'am."

*          *          *          *          *

            "Does Jana have any enemies?"

"What?"  Gil looked over his glasses to see Sara standing in the doorway.  The brunette wandered in and dropped into a chair in front of his desk.

            "I was thinking about the Wilson case.  Jana's got a solid alibi for the time of the murder," Sara's face didn't even twitch as she said this, "so why would her business card be on the body?  It doesn't make sense - unless someone wanted us to think Jana did it."

            "By planting her business card to throw suspicion onto her," Gil mused.

            "Exactly.  If you think about it, it's not a bad plan.  Jana's often working alone late at night, out where people can't see her, and therefore no verifiable alibi.  The killer drives by Jana's house, sees that her car is missing, and kills Wilson."

            "Not knowing that Jana wasn't working last night."  Gil looked at a spot over Sara's shoulder as he considered the possibilities.

            "Exactly."  Sara shifted in her seat.  "So, who would plant evidence framing Jana and why?"

            "Hence the question about her enemies."  Gil sat back, taking off his glasses and chewing on the ends.  "To be honest, Sara, I don't know.  I don't ask Jana about her business often because of her confidentiality policy."

            "Really?  I thought the two of you were so close."

            Grissom just stared at the young woman until she blushed and dropped her eyes.  "You'll have to ask Jana about her enemies," he finally said.  "The only people I could think of would be the Edgecombe family, assuming they found out Jana was the P.I. on that case."  He referred to the case that had brought Jana back into the crime lab after 5 years of blaming Grissom and Brass for why she had left.  He smiled, thinking that he had Walter Edgecombe to thank for bringing Jana back into his life.

            "What's with the smile?"

            "Oh, just thinking about coincidences.  So, are you going to talk to Jana?"

            "I guess I have to.  Just so you know, Catherine still isn't convinced."

            Grissom shrugged.  "That's Catherine."

            "You're not worried that she's going to try to pin this on Jana?"

            "I know Jana didn't do it."

            "Man, wish I had someone who had such faith in me," Sara said on her way out.

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana was in her dark room, processing pictures, when Timothy let her know that Sara wanted to see her.  Jana asked one of her techs to take over and headed out into the reception area.

            "Sara.  What can I do for you?"

            "I wanted to talk to you about Alex Wilson."  Sara watched as Jana's smile faded and her eyes clouded over. 

            "Let's talk in my office," Jana said, the warmth gone from her voice.  Sara sighed as she followed the P.I. into her office.  Jana sat down behind her desk, a classic defensive position for suspects.  Jana was on edge.  Sara sat down in one of the leather chairs across from her and tried to smooth over the rough beginning to this conversation.

            "Jana, I'm trying to figure out what happened."

            "Someone took a gun and blew Alex Wilson away."

            "Right.  And somehow your business card ended up on the body."

Jana rolled her eyes.  "I told Catherine and Brass - I don't know how it got there, I've never done business with him."

            Sara leaned forward.  "Can you think of anyone who would want to see you go down for his murder?"

            Jana went still and stared at the brunette woman.  "Are you saying someone is trying to frame me?"

            "I'm just trying to consider all the possibilities."

            Jana sat back in her chair and looked beyond Sara to the Las Vegas skyline outside the windows.  "It's always possible.  There are the people I helped put away as a CSI, clients who weren't happy with the results of the investigations, spouses of clients who weren't happy being caught cheating, even family members of Marcus Jackson could want to see me go down for something."

            Sara nodded, her mind wheeling with the staggering possibilities contained in that list.  "Grissom mentioned the Edgecombe family."

            Jana raised her eyebrows.  "I hadn't considered them.  I suppose they could want revenge."

            "You sound like you don't think so."

            "I don't.  I wasn't the one who leaked the story, I was merely a P.I. hired by Jeffery Michaels.  Besides, three years is a long time to wait - they're connected enough that if they wanted their revenge they could have gotten my license pulled long ago.  Why have another murder taint the family name?"

            Sara nodded, jotting down notes.  Jana tore her eyes away from the skyline and fastened them on the younger woman.  "Sara, I did not kill Alexander Wilson."

            Sara looked back at Jana.  "You couldn't have if Grissom says you were with him."

            Jana smiled wryly.  "Funny, I guess if Gil wasn't my alibi, I'd be the number one suspect.  No one seems willing to believe in my innocence besides him."

            Sara didn't know what to say.  She had a feeling Jana was right.

*          *          *          *          *

            If you didn't do it, Jana, what are you so afraid of?

            Her attorney's question kept repeating in Jana's head as she drove home from his office.  She'd gone to see him after Sara had left her office, needing someone to talk to.  She couldn't tell him what she was really afraid of - that she was being set up, and that the evidence planted to frame her would overcome the truth.

            Jana knew that the CSI unit wasn't going to cut her any slack just because she used to work with them.  If anything, that would work against her - it could be argued that she knew how to hide evidence.  Not to mention she knew how Catherine worked.  Once she got an idea into her head, it took a lot of evidence for her to change her mind.  If Grissom couldn't convince Catherine that Jana had been with him at the time of the murder, Jana wasn't sure what would change the older woman's mind.

            Opening the door to her condo, Jana was greeted by Tilly and Evie, her two dogs.  They jumped all over her, and she knelt down to hug them and let them lick her face.  At that moment, Jana felt like there were three people in the world who believed in her innocence - and two of them had four feet and fur.

*          *          *          *          *

            Catherine was out at the crime scene again with Nick.  The night cleaning crew for the building had found Alex Wilson's body in a vacant office, slumped over the desk where he had died.  Several slugs had been embedded in the leather chair, some going through into the wall behind the desk.  There were very few prints in the room, and Catherine and Nick were now re-examining and re-dusting in the hopes of getting something new.

            "I still don't get why Jana's card would be in this guy's pocket."

            Catherine shot Nick a look.  "She got careless, maybe."

            Nick stopped dusting and turned to look at Catherine.  "Come on , Cath.  This is Jana we're talking about.  You honestly think she'd go to all this trouble to clean up a crime scene just to leave her business card?  We've got almost no prints here, and the ones we've run are either the victim's or the cleaning staff's.  No hairs, no fibers, no prints on the slugs.  Yeah," he said to forestall Catherine's interruption, "that could mean that Jana wore gloves, covered her hair, and cleaned the place.  But anyone who's ever  read a crime book or watched TV could have known to do that.  I still don't buy Jana as the killer.  What would it gain her?"

            "Revenge?  Wilson had a habit of getting Jackson's execution date pushed back for various reasons.  Maybe she was tired of that and wanted him out of the way."

            Nick shook his head.  "I still don't buy it."

            "You're just saying that because she used to work with us."

            "And you're jumping to conclusions based on a business card that could have come from anywhere and the fact that he represented Marcus Jackson.  And you're ignoring her alibi."  He turned back to dusting the doorframe.

            "I'm not ignoring her alibi, Nick.  It's just that…"

            "Just that what?  You don't trust Grissom?"

            Catherine sighed.  "How many times have we dealt with lovers who were willing to lie for each other, Nick?  I tend to doubt those alibis.  And you know Grissom's always had a soft spot for Jana.  Even if they weren't sleeping together, I'd still doubt her alibi."

            Nick stared at Catherine, his eyes wide and jaw slightly dropped.  "Are you saying that Grissom would fabricate an alibi for Jana?  Oh, I don't believe this.  How long have you two worked together?  You can't honestly believe that Grissom would lie for anyone.  It's not his style.  He's been in law enforcement too long.  He knows what would happen if he lied about this.  It could kill his career."

            "When the heart is involved, Nick, people often ignore the consequences of their actions."  Catherine began turning over the cushions of the couch in the office.

            Nick turned to the wet bar in the corner.  "All right, assuming for the sake of argument that Jana's alibi is false - how did they get time to concoct it?  You called Jana right after you hung up with Grissom.  She didn't call him from the crime lab. The deputy you had babysitting her hasn't been here long enough to have known Jana so he has no reason to lie when he says she made no phone calls."

            "She could have called him on her way down here.  Or maybe they're just lying about the time that Jana got to his house."

            "You check their phone records?"

            "Brass is working on it."

            Nick peered at the glass sitting in the sink.  He photographed it before picking it up to dust it.  "Catherine, if your boyfriend showed up at your house at 8 o'clock and then asked you to tell the cops that you showed up at 6, what would you say?"

            "I'd want to know why."  Catherine stopped and looked at Nick.  "Are you saying that Grissom knew Jana killed Wilson?"

            Nick let out an explosive breath of air and restrained the urge to throw the glass in his hand at Catherine.  "No, what I'm saying is that Grissom would have asked her why.  If there was something fishy about her story - and you know how Grissom can sense suspicious stories - he would have told us, not covered for her."

            "Nick, Grissom's not infallible."

            Nick, however, wasn't paying attention to her.  "We've got fingerprints," he said in his Texas drawl.  He held up the glass from the sink.  "Looks like two fingers and a thumb."  Catherine came over and smiled.

            "Lift the prints and run them through AFIS.  Looks like someone wasn't as careful as she thought."

            Nick rolled his eyes as he knelt to get the cards from his kit.  "You know, if you're wrong you are going to owe Jana, and Grissom, one hell of an apology."

*          *          *          *          *

            Grissom was worried.  Catherine was still set on Jana as the prime suspect in Alex Wilson's murder, based on the business card.  Nick was running the prints found at the scene through AFIS.  Sara had been interviewing family, friends, and clients of Alex Wilson, trying to determine if someone else wanted him dead.  Warrick, away at a conference in Tennessee, was the only CSI not working on this case.  Grissom wondered what Warrick would think when he heard about this case.  He hoped Warrick would be on Jana's side, given how close the two of them had been.

            As for himself, he had to stay out of this case.  As Jana's alibi witness, he had a conflict of interest.  So while Catherine did keep him up to speed on what was going on, he had her put it in writing and copy the memos to the sheriff.  Grissom didn't make any suggestions and stayed away from the evidence.  If he tried to interfere it could make things worse for Jana.  But it was hard not to get involved in such a complex puzzle.

            Sara wanted to talk to Marcus Jackson.  Grissom wasn't sure if that was a good idea, or if it would be helpful.  But Brass and Catherine thought they might be able to get something out of it, so Sara was on her way up to Ely while Grissom was on his way to Jana's house, hoping to reassure her that she wasn't going to be charged with a crime she didn't commit.

            Tilly and Evie greeted him at the door when he opened it with his key.  He leaned down to scratch behind their ears.  "Where's Jana?" he asked them.  The two raced up the stairs into the living area and he followed.  Instead of leading him to Jana, the two went into the kitchen and parked themselves in front of the cupboard where Jana kept their treats, looking back at Grissom expectantly.  He smiled and shook his head, opening the door and giving one to each of them.  As they raced back into the living room, Grissom took a quick look around that floor of the house.  Not seeing Jana, he climbed up to the third floor where Jana's bedroom and home office were.  She wasn't in the office, and she wasn't in the bedroom.  Frowning, he was about to go back downstairs when he heard a noise from her bathroom.  Walking over to the door, he smiled.

            A shimmering landscape of bubbles floated across the surface of Jana's Jacuzzi bathtub.  Her head rested against several folded towels that were on the small ledge between the tub and the wall of the shower stall.  She had pulled up her blonde hair into a haphazard bun and her eyes were closed.

            Gil stood in the doorway, watching her.  Though he couldn't see below the cloud of bubbles, he knew every curve and inch of skin that lay underneath there.  He also knew what was going on in her mind - her fears, her anger.  He quietly turned and went back into the bedroom, undressing. 

            Despite the tough as nails façade she showed to the world, Jana was just as vulnerable as anyone else.  Maybe even more so, given what happened to her.  But showing that vulnerable side to anyone was something Jana never felt she could afford to do.  When she had to, it made her mad - usually at herself.  It was humbling to know he was one of the few people Jana would let her guard down for.  It was to him that she had told her secrets and her fears, her worries about her job and her life.  She'd even cried in front of him, and Jana hated to cry.  Even during one of the worst points in her life, right after Marcus Jackson, she'd barely cried.  Anger was more Jana's style.  He could deal with Jana's anger, but this depression that she'd sunk into after having to ID Alex Wilson's body scared him.  He didn't know how to bring her out of it.

            He walked back into the bathroom to find Jana's eyes were open, watching him.  She smiled tiredly as he approached the tub, sitting up and moving forward.  He stepped into the tub behind her and sat down, wincing a little at the heat of the water.  He stretched his legs out on either side of Jana and she rested her back against his chest.  Leaning back, he settled himself against the fiberglass and let his arms encircle Jana.  Her sigh made him look down to see her eyes closed and she turned her head so that her cheek rested against his skin.  He lightly kissed the top of her head and was rewarded with a small smile.

            He rested his head against the towels and closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of her and the bubble bath.  Jana felt so small in his arms, as if her indomitable spirit had fled her body, leaving just a shell.   He wanted to make it better for her, make Catherine and the others believe in her innocence, but he couldn't.  All he could do was support Jana, be there for her.  The way she had been there for him so many times. 

            Jana murmured something sleepily against his chest.  "Hmm?" he asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

            "I don't deserve you," she said quietly.

            His eyes opened at that, and he lifted his head and looked down at her.  Her eyes were still closed.

            "Why do you keep saying that, Jana?"

            "After everything I put you through all these years, you still believe in me.  You courted me for three years because I wasn't ready for a relationship.  I don't know of any other man who would have done that."

            He hugged her tighter.  "Oh, Jana.  I don't deserve you, you know."  He smiled as she made a noise of protest.  "I don't.  I put you through hell, yet you forgave me and allowed me to court you, as you put it."

            Jana tilted her head back to look up at him.  "Hmm."  She smiled and sat up.  He dropped his arms as Jana turned around to face him, kneeling astride his legs.  "I guess that means we're perfect for each other, huh?"

            He gave her a lazy smile.  "I guess so."  He reached out to cup her face in his palms and pulled her to him for a long, thorough kiss.  Her hands traced random patterns across his chest as his hands slid down her neck and shoulders. 

            Nothing in his life had ever felt so right, Gil thought.  He ended the kiss and slowly worked his way down her throat.  Having Jana in his arms, in his life, was like filling in the final block of a crossword puzzle.  It made him feel complete.

            Jana sighed as he made his way back up for another kiss.  Her hands had slid around to his back and she was slowly trailing her nails downward, causing him to shiver.  They were so involved in the moment that the barking of the dogs failed to register.  He could hear his heart pounding as his hands followed the curves of Jana's body below the water line.

            Suddenly Jana pulled away from the kiss, her hands pushing against his chest.  "What was that?" she whispered, her blue eyes wide in apprehension.

            Before he could ask her what, he heard what she had from downstairs.

            "Las Vegas Police Department!"

*          *          *          *          *

            Brass made his way up the stairs to the living area, the warrant posted on the door behind him.  Catherine and Nick followed.  A routine search through the permit database had discovered Jana's permit to carry a concealed weapon, specifically a Glock 9mm - same caliber as the gun used on Wilson.  Coupled with the business card and her history with the deceased, it had been enough to convince the sheriff and Judge McSwain that they needed to search Jana's house.  Personally, Brass thought it was a waste of time - Jana's alibi was solid and she wasn't going to shoot Wilson with her personal weapon.  Jana was too smart to make a rookie mistake like that.

            He noticed that Jana had rearranged her furniture since the last time he'd been at her place - which was also the last time he'd had a warrant for it.  Her dogs were still the same fluff balls, darting around everyone and barking.  Catherine headed into the kitchen while Nick stayed in the living room.  Brass pulled on his own gloves and idly picked up a double photograph frame from an end table.  One side was a picture of Jana's parents, their arms around each other and both smiling at the camera.  Jana looked like her mother, though the glint of steel often seen in Jana's eyes was in her father's as well.

            The other side of the frame held a picture of Jana and Grissom, something Brass hadn't expected to see.  The two of them had apparently been to the beach at some point, judging by the sand and the water behind them.  They were both in jeans and t-shirts, Jana leaning her head against Gil's chest and his arm around her shoulders.  The smiles on their faces held the hint of a private joke between them.

            A noise on the staircase leading to the next floor made Brass turn.  He nearly dropped the pictures when he saw Jana standing there, watching him.  Her hair was in an untidy bun, and her UNLV t-shirt was sticking to damp skin.  That, plus the cut-off jeans and bare feet, made Brass uncomfortable - like he'd interrupted her in the middle of something.

            Jana looked from Brass to Nick with an icy stare.  Her eyes moved beyond the two men and narrowed.  Brass heard Catherine come up behind him.

            "Well?"  Jana asked.

            "We've got a warrant to search your house for evidence pertaining to the Alex Wilson case, Jana.  We also need to see your gun," Catherine said unapologetically.

            Footsteps sounded on the stairs before Grissom came into sight of the three investigators.  He, too, was barefoot, wearing jeans and a UCLA t-shirt - which was also sticking to his skin.

            "Where's the warrant?" he asked.  His voice was quiet, but the tone firmly established whose side he was on in this matter.

            "It's on the door," Nick said, moving towards the stairs.  No one said a word as Nick retrieved the warrant and handed it to Jana.  She read it through, Grissom reading over her shoulder.

            "My gun is upstairs in my end table," Jana's voice was as soft as Grissom's had been, but Brass heard a disquieting note of hurt in her voice.  Grissom must have heard it also, for his hand came up to rest on Jana's back.  It was a simple gesture of support, but to Brass it spoke volumes about the depth of their relationship.

            Catherine, though, either missed or chose to ignore tone and the gesture.  "I'll come with you to get it," she said, moving toward the stairs.  Jana pivoted on the ball of one foot and walked stiffly up the stairs, letting her hand gently rest on Grissom's shoulder for a second.  Grissom turned his head to watch both women disappear before coming down to confront Brass and Nick.

            "What the hell is this about, Jim?  Jana's got an alibi - she was with me the entire time.  That wasn't in the warrant.  Crunching evidence to fit a theory?"

            Brass saw Nick back away from Grissom out of the corner of his eye.  He stood his ground.  "I didn't get the warrant - the sheriff did," Brass paused, then sighed.  "At Catherine's request," he added, bracing himself for the inevitable explosion.

            Grissom's eyes narrowed and his jaw moved.  "Catherine left out the alibi," he stated.  Brass nodded.  "Did you even try to tell the judge about the alibi?"

            "I didn't know about the warrant until Catherine called me to come serve it."  He looked up as he saw Jana coming back down the stairs.  Catherine was behind her, the evidence bag with Jana's gun in one hand, another bag with ammunition rounds in the other.  Jana walked over to Grissom, and Catherine handed the bags to Nick, who took them as if he was afraid they would bite him.

            "We need to finish searching the rest of the house," Catherine said pointedly.

            Jana turned toward the stairs leading to her front door.  "I'm going outside to wait.  I need a cigarette."

            Grissom raked his three friends with his own icy stare before turning to follow Jana.  "I'll join you.  I could use one myself."

            "You don't smoke," Nick protested.

            "Now's a good time to start."

*          *          *          *          *

            Outside, under the watchful eye of two officers, Jana and Gil sat on her front lawn.  Despite what they had said, neither was smoking.  Jana was cross-legged, pulling out a blade of grass and tearing it into tiny bits before starting on another.  Grissom had his legs pulled up and his forearms resting on his knees, staring off into the distance.

            "Will they find anything?"

            Jana shook her head.  "I don't have anything in the house about the murder.  Nothing about Jackson either.  A few pictures of my parents, but that's not incriminating."  Jana's head suddenly popped up and she looked at him, mischief twinkling in her eyes.  "Did we forget to drain the bathtub?"

            Gil looked taken aback, then his tongue flickered between his lips before he laughed.

*          *          *          *          *

            Inside, Catherine and Nick were carefully searching though Jana's bedroom, noticing the clothes Grissom had worn to work were tossed casually on Jana's bed.  Neither of them said anything.

            Nick walked into Jana's bathroom and stopped when he saw the bathtub was full of water and bubbles, with wet footprints on the tile leading from the tub to the bedroom.  Towels were lying on the vanity and the floor.  Catherine came up behind him and took in the scene.  Nick turned and walked out of the bathroom.  "You can drain the tub if you want to check it for evidence," he said, moving on to the office.

*          *          *          *          *

            Gil and Jana watched from the lawn as the investigators left, taking several evidence bags with them.  The two went back inside and locked the door behind them.  Up in the bathroom, Jana frowned when she saw the tub had been fully drained.  "This thing takes too long to fill," she complained, going back into the bedroom and flopping facedown on the bed.

            Gil lay down next to her, his head propped on his hand.  When Jana finally looked at him, silent tears were running down her cheeks.  Gil reached out to pull her to him, holding her and silently cursing his inability to fix this problem for her.

*          *          *          *          *

            The next evening found Sara slamming her locker door shut, wanting nothing more than to go home and take a long, hot shower.  Marcus Jackson was a repulsive excuse for a human being.

            "Hey, you all right?"

            Sara jumped and turned, seeing Warrick standing a few feet away, looking concerned.  She smiled.  "I'm fine.  I just had to go up to Ely yesterday."

            "Ely, huh?  How come?"  Warrick opened his locker and started unbuttoning his shirt.

            "I needed to interview Marcus Jackson."  Sara shuddered again at the thought of facing the rapist/murderer.  His black eyes, a startling contrast to his pale skin and white hair, had openly assessed Sara as a potential victim.

            Warrick turned, surprise on his face.  "Why would you need to do that?"

            Sara blinked at him, then suddenly realized that Warrick had been away at a conference for the past week and didn't know about the case.  She ran a hand through her black hair.  "I think you need to sit down."

            Warrick looked puzzled, but he sat on the bench.

            "Marcus Jackson's attorney was killed a few days ago.  Jana Stevens' business card was the only form of ID found on the body."

            Warrick shook his head.  "Wait a minute - you can't be saying Jana killed him."

            "No, Jana has an alibi."  Sara was surprised to see Warrick grin.

            "Grissom."

            "How'd you know?  None of us knew they were dating."

            "I saw them out having dinner a few months ago.  They looked pretty intimate."

            "And you never told us?"  Sara complained with good humor.

            Warrick raised an eyebrow.  "Yeah, the same way I never told anyone about you and the coroner's assistant."

            Sara blushed.  "Okay, I know when to stop pushing my luck.  Anyway, I've got a theory that someone is trying to frame Jana, so I thought I would go up and talk to Marcus Jackson.  It was her testimony that really put him away."

            Warrick nodded.  "And?"

            "Oh, he made all the appropriate noises about being sorry his attorney was dead, but…"

            "You didn't believe him."

            "There was something in his eyes…" Sara's voice trailed off.  Warrick didn't interrupt her.  He knew what she meant - those black eyes of Jackson's had creeped him out too.  He stood up and pulled out a clean shirt from his locker.

            "Let's think this through, Sara.  If Jackson has his attorney killed, what does that gain him?"

            "Longer delay before his execution.  The stay last month was due to Jackson's catching the flu.  Apparently the state doesn't believe in executing people who aren't healthy."

            Warrick gave a snort.  "So with his lawyer dead, Jackson can appeal his next execution date, saying that he isn't represented by counsel, etc."  Sara nodded.  Warrick frowned thoughtfully.  "I wouldn't put it past Jackson to try something like that - and then pin it on Jana."

            "You know, if Jana was convicted of killing Wilson, Jackson might be able to appeal his sentence," Nick's voice sounded from behind them.

            "What do you mean?" Sara asked.

            Nick came forward and sat astride the bench.  "Okay - Jana was the CSI on the case that put Jackson on death row - as well as the only victim to survive his attack.  Without Jana's testimony, Jackson gets away.  You weren't here then, Sara, but Wilson made some pretty nasty accusations about Jana's impartiality on the stand."

            "Because of her parents."

            "Right," Warrick said.  "The jury chose to believe Jana."

            Nick nodded.  "But if Jana goes down for Wilson's murder, Jackson's new attorney could argue that Jana killed him because Wilson had proof she was lying on the stand and Jackson's conviction was invalid.  Ten to one someone's planting evidence to that effect right now."

            "An interesting theory, young Nicholas."

            The three CSI's turned as Brass wandered into the locker room.  "And the best one I've heard so far for explaining why Jana seems to be the only viable suspect."

            "Brass, Jana didn't do it," Warrick said.  The homicide captain looked at the dark CSI with amusement. 

            "You've been back from Tennessee for what, a day?  And you know this?"

            "No, but I know Jana." 

            Nick nodded his head in agreement.  Brass looked at Sara.  "What do you think?"

            The young woman sighed.  "I don't know Jana as well as you all do, but I do know that something isn't right about this investigation.  Too many holes."

            Brass nodded  "I agree.  The problem is that Catherine is sold on Jana and she's got the sheriff convinced."

            The four friends looked at each other, all uncomfortably aware of the fact they might have to choose sides between the other two members of the unit - Catherine and Grissom.

            "So what do we do?"  Sara's quiet question broke the silence.

            Brass looked at her.  "We keep following the evidence."

*          *          *          *          *

            "I can't believe you."  Catherine's strident voice echoed throughout the morgue.  Grissom and Dr. Robbins looked at her, and then at each other. 

"Let's talk outside," Grissom said, nodding at the doctor and heading toward the door.  Catherine followed him and slapped a folded sheet of paper against his chest as soon as they were in the hallway.

            "You put her up to this, didn't you?"

            "Put who up to what, Catherine?" Grissom asked with genuine puzzlement as he took the paper from Catherine and read it.

            "Your girlfriend: Jana."

            "She's filed a complaint against you for harassment."

            "Yes, she has.  You put her up to it, didn't you?"

            Grissom gave her a disgusted look.  "You honestly think I would do that?"

            Catherine sighed, blowing her hair out of her face.  "Gil, you've always had a soft spot for Jana - even before the two of you started dating.  It's not out of the realm of possibility for you to take her side in this."

            Grissom crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall.  "So you think that I would lie for her, and then encourage her to file a complaint against you."  His voice reflected his disappointment in Catherine.  "Yes, I'm on her side because I know she's innocent.  I'm staying out of this case because I am her alibi witness.  I'm sorry if that isn't to your liking.  And Jana's decision to file a complaint against you was just that - her decision.  I can't say I'm surprised.  Jana can read a warrant as well as the rest of us - she would have known that you left out a vital piece of information to get that warrant."

            "I did what I thought was right, Gil."  Catherine's voice was defensive.

            "Well, then I guess you will have to live with the consequences of your actions.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an autopsy to get back to."

            He stalked away from her and back into the morgue.  Catherine watched him, her face in lines of dismay.

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana and Warrick sat in a diner down the street from the crime lab.  Jana was idly toying with her food, using her fork to draw lines in ketchup.  Warrick was watching her.

            "I hear you filed a harassment complaint against Catherine."

Jana smiled, a little sadly.  "Yeah.  Probably not the smartest thing to do.  Gil will chew me out for it, but I can't just sit and do nothing." She let her fork drop onto her plate.  "She deliberately omitted evidence from the warrant application.  I can't let that slide by, you know.  If I do, then I might as well confess.  And I didn't do it."

            "I know."

            Jana looked up at him and smiled.  "Thanks.  You and Gil seem to be the only ones who believe in me."

            Warrick shook his head.  "Nick doesn't think you did it.  Brass and Sara think something's fishy."

            "But Catherine isn't listening to any of you."

            "Nope.  She's set in her ways."

            Jana sat back.  "If I didn't know her better, I'd say Catherine was in league with whoever is setting me up - but I know Cath wouldn't do that."

            Warrick stayed silent for a bit.  Finally, he asked Jana, "What are you going to do?"

            "Keep my mouth shut from now on, I guess.  If Catherine wants to talk to me, she can go through my attorney.  Not much else I can do.  I can't investigate."  Jana ran a hand over her face.  "God, I feel so helpless."

            Warrick leaned forward to take Jana's hand.  "Look, Jana.  Three years ago you helped us out when Grissom was kidnapped.  We're doing the same for you.  Don't think that you don't have friends in CSI."

            Jana smiled again, gratitude shining in her eyes.  "Thanks, Warrick."

*          *          *          *          *

            Catherine stopped at the door to ballistics, amused by the sound of two Texas accents discussing guns.

            "What do we got?"

            "Jana's gun doesn't match the murder weapon.  Rifling and twists are all wrong, and the ammunition is different."  Nick reported.

            Catherine looked over at the ballistics tech.  "Bobby - you sure?"

            He nodded.  "I'm sure - I've gone over it a half dozen times.  I even checked the gun for signs of tampering.  No signs of tampering on the barrel, or the serial number - which does match her permit."

            Catherine sighed.  "So much for that, then."

            "Catherine, we do have to consider the possibility that Jana is being set up."

            Catherine was already out the door, though.  Nick looked over at Bobby and shrugged.

*          *          *          *          *

             Warrick joined Sara and Nick in the break room.  Nick was picking at a burrito and Sara was reading a file.

            "What's that?"

            Sara looked up at Warrick.  "The fingerprints from the glass Nick found at the crime scene belong to a Jason Davis.  This is his police file - very interesting reading."

            "Oh yeah?"  Warrick grabbed a soda from the fridge and popped it open.  "What's Mr. Davis been up to?"

            "Assault, aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon - twice, a parole violation, and several stints in juvenile hall."

            "Nice guy.  We know why he was at the crime scene?"

            Nick shook his head.  "No, but Brass is on his way to bring the guy in."

            Sara sat up.  "Oh here's something interesting."

            "What?" both men asked at the same time

            "One of his assault arrests.  He was arrested with another man - Marcus Jackson."

            All three CSI's looked at each other with knowing smiles.

*          *          *          *          *

            Gil was surprised to find Jana asleep in his bed when he got home from work that morning.  He had planned on calling her later to see how she was holding up.  He knew Sara was going to be calling her, seeing what she knew about Jason Davis.  If they could establish Davis' connection to Marcus Jackson and to the crime scene, they could blow Catherine's case against Jana out of the water.

            Gil quietly undressed and slipped into bed next to Jana.  She instinctively moved to curl up against him.  He carefully put his arm around her and listened to her breathing.    He was worried that he might lose her to Marcus Jackson, again.  Losing her 8 years ago had been bad enough. 

Catherine had been right to accuse him of having a soft spot for Jana - he pretty much always had.  Jana's determination to solve cases and frustration with silly protocol had amused Gil even as it bothered him.  He'd taken her under his wing, the way he had with Warrick.  He'd seen something in her that reminded him of himself - and he'd wanted to nurture that quality.  He'd felt so guilty after she'd left CSI - like it was his fault alone.

             Seeing her again during the Edgecombe investigation had been a mixed blessing for him.  Discovering that Jana was still in Las Vegas and doing well for herself had assuaged some of his guilt, but the depth of her anger and hatred after five years had astounded him.  She'd been determined to fight him on everything in that case, not giving an inch.  Yet he'd finally been able to understand her anger, and apologize to her.  To his amazement, she'd forgiven him.

            Not wanting to lose touch with her again, he'd tried to get their relationship back to a friendship level through casual lunches.  Slowly, though, he'd realized that he wanted more than friendship from her.

            He winced slightly as he thought about the case he'd asked Jana to investigate for him - he'd suspected that Millander was involved yet he'd brought Jana in anyway.  He'd just wanted confirmation.  He'd gotten that, and more.  Jana had argued with him, tried to get him to bring in the police, but he'd been too stubborn.  She'd gone to the police then, behind his back, but she'd done it to protect him.  When he'd opened his eyes at that warehouse after being kidnapped and seen her there, his heart had almost stopped in fear.

            Jana sighed in her sleep.  Gil looked down at her and sighed himself.  The past three years hadn't been easy - they'd argued, called off dates, called each other names, then one of them would call up the other and they'd both end up apologizing.  But he hadn't expected a smooth road - not with his track record in personal relationships.

            "Hey there handsome," Jana's sleepy voice brought him out of his reverie.  He looked down to see her eyes were still closed, her hand lightly stroking his chest.

            "Handsome?"

            "Yes, you are," she smiled, opening her eyes.

            Gil stared into her blue eyes, reaching out to run a finger over her lips.  She lightly flicked her tongue against it.  He moved his fingers to trace down the side of her neck, and he spoke.

            "I love you."

            Jana went still, barely breathing.  Her eyes widened - but he couldn't tell if it was in shock or fear or something else.  "What did you say?" she whispered.

            Mentally he cursed himself for letting that slip out.  He'd known he was in love with her long before they became lovers, but he'd refrained from saying the words, unsure of how she would react.

            "Never mind," he said softly, dropping his eyes from hers.   He started to withdraw his hand, but Jana reached up to capture it.  He looked back up at her, surprised to see tears in her eyes again.  She pulled his hand back to her mouth and kissed it softly, apologetically.

            "I'm sorry, Gil, I just can't…I mean…." 

            He kissed her forehead.  "I know, Jana, I know."  It hurt, but he understood that Jana couldn't say the words.  He tried not to think about the fact that Jana might not feel the same way.

*          *          *          *          *

            Catherine was in the evidence locker, searching for something, when Nick came up behind her and cleared his throat.  She turned to see him standing there, a grin on his face and a folder in his hands.  "What's up?" she asked.

            "Those prints off the glass at the crime scene belong to a Jason Davis," Nick said, handing Catherine the report.  "Aside from several assault convictions, he's also a known associate of Marcus Jackson.  Brass just picked him up and is bringing him down for questioning."

            Catherine gave Nick a sharp look, which he returned coolly, refusing to back down.  He was tired of Catherine refusing to at least admit there could be other suspects in this investigation.  If she didn't like that he was taking the evidence and following it to those other suspects, that was her problem.  He was doing his job.

            "Hm."  Catherine handed the report back to Nick.  "I take it Brass will be asking him about Alex Wilson?"

            "Among other things," Sara replied from the doorway behind Catherine.  "I just gave a copy of this to Brass."  She handed Catherine a stack of papers.  "While I was up at Ely I asked for a copy of the visitor's log for Marcus Jackson.  Turns out that Wilson wasn't the only attorney visiting Jackson.  For the past several weeks, a Thomas Morrison was visiting him.  The reason given was a civil case Jackson was thinking of filing.  I checked - Morrison is a civil attorney."

            "He ever file a case for Jackson?" Catherine asked.

            "Not recently."

"Wait - Jackson's mail is read in and out of the prison.  His attorneys and his family are the only visitors he's allowed.  How would he contact this Davis to arrange a hit?"

Sara grinned.  "Turns out that Morrison has a ton of shady clients in his civil practice.  He seems to specialize in suits against the PD.  I checked the courthouse records - fifteen years ago Morrison represented Davis and Jackson in a civil suit stemming from their joint assault arrest."

"So you're thinking that Morrison was the go-between for Davis and Jackson?" Nick asked.  Sara nodded.

"He's got connections to both men, we know he's been visiting Jackson - I bet if we check his phone records we'll find calls to Davis made recently."

"When's the last time Morrison visited Jackson?"  Catherine was flipping through the log.

"Last Thursday - the day after the murder.  He was there twenty minutes."

"Long enough to let Jackson know Wilson was dead," Nick said with a grin.

"Something else interesting."  Warrick's voice sounded from behind them.

Catherine arched an eyebrow.  "When were you assigned to this case?"

"When Brass asked me to look into something for him," Warrick replied.  "The vacant office where Wilson was shot - it was rented five days before the murder to Glenbriar Incorporated."

"We knew that," Catherine said impatiently.

"Did you also know that Thomas Morrison is the president of that firm?  And that Jason Davis is the vice president - and has been for the past 10 years?"

Catherine blinked in shock.  Nick, Warrick, and Sara smiled.

"So Morrison visits Jackson, gets the info on the hit, recruits his business partner Davis for the job, rents the office, lures Wilson there, kills him, then takes Wilson's ID and plants Jana's business card," Catherine mused.

"And Davis decides to have a drink of water while waiting for Wilson, forgets to keep his gloves on and doesn't wash the glass afterward," Nick added.

Catherine looked up at the three.  "So, maybe someone ought to bring in Morrison as well."

*          *          *          *          *

            Jason Davis slouched down on his tailbone in the interrogation room, insolently popping his chewing gum.  He had waived his right to an attorney, a move which would make Brass' job much easier.  Sara, Warrick, and Catherine stood behind the one-way mirror and waited for Brass to begin the interrogation.

            The homicide captain sat across from Davis.  He appeared to be waiting for something.

            "Whatever it is, I didn't do it."

            Brass raised his eyebrows.  "That innocent, are you?  Two felony convictions, several arrests…"

            "Yeah, so?  That was a long time ago."

            "And you've been a model citizen ever since."  Brass sarcasm was heavy in his voice.

            Davis looked sharply at Brass, but didn't say a word.

            "So, when's the last time you had contact with Marcus Jackson?"

            Davis laughed.  "Jackson's on death row.  You think they let someone like me visit him?"

            "There are other ways of contact."

            "Oh yeah?  Like what?"  Davis folded his arms across his chest.

            Brass regarded the insolent posture of the man in front of him.  "You know Thomas Morrison?"

            "He and I are business partners."  Davis' voice held a note of wary caution.

            A knock on the door interrupted Brass' next question.  Nick poked his head in and handed something to Brass, whispering into the older man's ear.  Brass nodded and took the folder from Nick.  Nick closed the door and Brass leafed through the contents before turning back to Davis.  Nick joined the other three CSI's in the observation room.  He shook his head at their questions and nodded to the room beyond.

            "How about Alexander Wilson?"

            Davis shook his head.  "Never heard of him."

            "Hm.  Ever been to the Westward Center office building?"

            "No."

            Brass raised an eyebrow.  The four CSI's grinned.

            "Even though your business rents an office in the building, you've never been there."

            "That's right."

            "And you've never heard of Alexander Wilson?"

            "You can keep asking me the same questions but you're going to get the same answers."

            Brass made a noise in his throat.  "Can you explain why your fingerprints are in the room where Alexander Wilson was killed?"

            Davis sat there, barely blinking.  Brass went in for the kill.

            "And why your fingerprints are in Alexander Wilson's office?  And on forged documents found in his office?"

            Davis' jaw dropped, along with the jaws of three CSI's in the observation room.  Nick merely grinned.

            "They….they had to have been planted!  My fingerprints, they were planted."  Davis said hastily.

            Brass pulled a photograph out of the folder and placed it in front of Davis.  "And I suppose the security tape at Alexander Wilson's office was planted as well?"

            "What's on the tape?" Catherine asked.

            "Davis walking baldly into Wilson's office, two days after the murder, at 3 in the morning," Nick replied smugly.

            Back in the interrogation room, Brass smiled unpleasantly at Davis.  "Seems to me like we've got you for the murder of Alexander Wilson and for forgery.  Quite a step up from assault."

            Davis sat staring at the photo, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.  Finally he swallowed and looked up at Brass.

            "I want a deal.  I'm not going down for this alone."

            Brass sat back in his chair.  "Oh?"

            "Yeah.  Morrison set it up, at Jackson's request.  Jackson wanted to get the bitch that put him away.  Wilson wasn't getting the job done, so Morrison and Jackson decided that if they could get the bitch set up for Wilson's murder, he could get a new trial."

            "So you killed Wilson?"

            Davis nodded his head vigorously.  "Morrison had me put her business card in Wilson's pocket.  A few days later, he gave me the documents and told me to put them in Wilson's office."

            "Why would you agree to kill for Morrison?"  Brass asked, genuinely curious.

            Davis, however, clammed up.  "I've said all I'm going to say.  I did it.  Now I want my lawyer."

            Brass smiled again.  "Of course you do."

*          *          *          *          *

            When the police arrived at Morrison's office, they found him carrying a trash bag with letters between him and Jackson, and him and Davis, down to the building dumpster.

            "Apparently, the concept of a paper shredder is beyond him," Brass remarked as he joined the CSIs in the break room.  "Anyway, as soon as he realized the jig was up, he started singing like a canary.  Spilled the whole story - though he tried to make it look like the real plotters were Jackson and Davis."

            "Think they were?" Sara asked.

            Brass shrugged.  "I really don't care.  The D.A. will decide who gets the deal and who gets a trial for murder one."

            "What about Jackson?"  Nick inquired.

            Another shrug.  "He's already under a death sentence.  The D.A. might charge him, but he might not live to see the trial."

            "Well, at least we know what really happened," Warrick said, tossing today's paper with the front-page story onto the table.

            "And Jana is vindicated," Sara added with a sidelong glance at Catherine.  The other woman glared back.

            "Hey.  I had my reasons."

            "Sure you did," Sara said as she got up.  The others followed Sara out of the room, Brass lingering.

            "Look, Catherine.  I know you had your reasons, but I think that this is going to cause a huge rift between you and Grissom if you don't do something to explain them to him - or to Jana."  With that the homicide captain left the room, leaving a pensive Catherine sighing.

*          *          *          *          *

            Catherine stood on the walk outside Jana's condo, waiting for the young woman to open the door.  She saw a curtain flicker on an upstairs window, heard the dogs barking a warning.  Then her cell phone rang.  Sighing, she flipped it open.

            "Catherine Willows."

            "If you want to talk to me Catherine, go through my attorney."  Jana's icy voice came through loud and clear.

            "Jana, please.  I need to apologize, but I don't want to do it over the phone."

            Catherine heard the unmistakable click of a phone being hung up, and she closed her cell phone with a sigh.  She was walking away when she heard Jana's door open.  She turned to find the younger woman standing there in a skirt and blouse.  She had obviously just gotten home from work.  Jana's eyes were flat.

            "Come on in, Catherine."

            Catherine followed the younger woman up the stairs into her living room.  Tilly and Evie followed.  Jana stood behind one of her couches, a symbol of the barrier that stood between the women.  Tilly and Evie took up positions on the couch, watching Catherine.

            "Jana, I'm sorry."

            Jana said nothing.  Catherine sighed.  The silence between them stretched.

            Finally Jana broke the silence.  "Catherine, I can understand you suspecting me in the murder.  Hell, that was the point, apparently, to the murder.  But you knew I had an alibi, you verified it, and then proceeded to ignore it.  Even to the point of lying by omission on the warrant application." Jana gave a mirthless laugh.  "If I had pulled something that stupid Brass would have kicked my ass out of the crime lab without a second thought."

            "I know.  But, Jana, the fact that your alibi was your lover…"

            "What?  Makes Gil a liar?"

            "Jana, you hated the man's guts for five years, then suddenly the two of you are lovers?  No one knows about it, but then he's giving you an alibi."

            Jana leaned forward, putting her hands on the back of the couch.  "If you can call three years of dating before sleeping together 'suddenly being lovers', I guess I could understand your logic.  As for no one knowing about it, that was our decision if we wanted to keep it quiet.  What, we needed to flaunt our relationship in front of all Las Vegas for an alibi to be believed?"

            Catherine heard the anger in Jana's voice.  "Jana, I'm sorry.  I was just…concerned that Grissom would let his feelings for you overcome his better judgment."

            "Well, lucky for him his feelings and his 'better judgment' could both be placated with the simple truth."  Jana's voice dripped with sarcasm. 

            Catherine began wringing her hands, unsure of how to convince Jana how sorry she was and what her real worry had been.  Finally, she decided to just say it.

            "I was worried that Grissom would decide that you were more important than his career, so he would lie for you."

            Jana just stared at Catherine, mouth open.  Finally, Jana regained control of herself.  "Isn't that his decision to make?  Lord knows, I never asked him to make any sort of decision like that."

            "I'm his friend, Jana."

            "I though I was your friend, too.  Yet you tried to put me in prison for a crime I didn't commit.  You think I'm that dangerous to Gil?  How do you think he'll feel if he finds out why you did this?"

            Catherine didn't answer.  Jana finally sighed.  "Look, Catherine.  I guess I can understand why you did it, but I don't know if I can forgive this easily.  I'll drop the harassment complaint.  Just, give me time."

            Catherine nodded, and Jana moved toward the door.  Neither woman said anything as Catherine left and Jana closed the door behind her.

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana stood outside the Las Vegas crime lab, watching the sunrise.  Her jeans, leather jacket, and boots drew suspicious stares from the police officers passing by.  One came over and asked Jana if he could help her.  Jana shook her head.

"I'm waiting for a friend."

            The officer didn't look happy with Jana's answer but he continued on his way.  Jana leaned back against the light post and stared off into the distance.

            "Fancy meeting you here."

            Jana jumped and spun around as Gil's voice sounded in her ear.  He was standing right behind her, his hands in the pockets of his jacket.  He looked tired, the lines around his eyes deeper than Jana remembered from the last time she had seen him, three weeks ago.  The night he told her he loved her.

            Jana smiled hesitantly.  "Gil, can we talk?  In private?"

            Searching her face, he nodded.  "You have anyplace in mind?"

            "Your place?  It's closer," she added when he raised an eyebrow.

            Twenty minutes later they were in Gil's house, on his sofa.  Jana found herself unable to speak, the same way she had three weeks ago.  The silence stretched out between them awkwardly.

            Gil sat watching Jana.  Three weeks ago he'd told Jana he'd loved her, then woken up alone in his bed several hours later.  She left a note saying she'd call him, but she hadn't.  She had been cleared of any involvement in Wilson's murder, thanks to Nick and the rest.  Gil still didn't know why Catherine had been so set on Jana, but he didn't want to know.

            Gil reached out and slid his hand under Jana's hair to curve around her neck.  She looked up at him, surprised by his touch.

            "I meant it, Jana."

            "I know," she said softly.  She reached up to rest her fingers on his forearm.  "And I'm sorry for the way I reacted."  She dropped her eyes to the cushions of the couch.  "It's just…It's hard for me, after everything that's happened, to believe in happy endings.  That I'm worth some Prince Charming who will ride up on a white horse."  She said the last sentence with a half smile.

            Gil reached out and cupped her jaw with his other hand, gently lifting her chin so she was looking at him.  "I wish I could make you believe that you are worth Prince Charming, Jana.  Because you are."

            Jana shook her head, her hands gently removing his from her face.  He let them drop into his lap, frustrated by Jana's lack of belief in herself.  At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be the one to push the plunger on Marcus Jackson, to pay the man back for destroying Jana's self confidence.

            Jana got up from the couch and started to walk to his front door.  He went after her, stepping in front of her to block her way.  "Jana, don't let him do this to you again.  Don't let him win."

            Jana looked up at Gil, her eyes reflecting her puzzlement.

            "Marcus Jackson has been haunting you ever since he killed your parents.  You've let him dictate the course of your life for the past 18 years.  He took your family, your job, and your belief in yourself, away from you.  He tried to have you set up for murder.  And now you're letting him kill us.  Don't let him do that, Jana.  Please."

            Jana kept looking at him, chewing on her lower lip.  "Oh god, you're right," she finally said.  She turned from him.  "He's run my life for 18 years.  And I'm not sure how to get him out of it."

            Gil rested his hands on her shoulders.  "Don't let him decide what you do, Jana.   Be selfish.  Do what you want."

            Jana turned back to him, an unreadable expression on her face.  "I don't know what I want, Gil."

            "Then go find out.  I can't tell you how or where to do it," he said, dropping a light kiss on her forehead, "but I can tell you that I'll be here for you if you need me."

            Jana reached up to put her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest.  "I really don't deserve you, but I do love you, Gil.  And I want this.  I want us."

            Gil put his arms around Jana.  "I still think I don't deserve you either, but I love you too."

She looked at him with a smile.  "That makes us perfect for each other.  So, kiss me and try to turn me from a frog into a princess."

"With pleasure."

~~Finis~~