The handcuffs were chaffing his wrists. He knew that they would leave a nasty welt and considered asking if they could be removed. However, from experience, he knew that they wouldn't allow that, even if he did promise not to do anything. Police officers were not very trusting. Much like the women he had been with.

"So what's your name?"

He hadn't paid much attention to his travel companion since he got in the vehicle, but now he awarded him with a sidelong glance. Officer Clark who was in the front passenger seat glanced at them in the rearview window while Officer Finch, who was driving, seemed to ignore that he heard anyone speak at all.

"Howard," he said, after contemplating for a moment whether or not the man was worthy of a response. The man wasn't like the previous inmates he had met. This one seemed too well-groomed to be categorized as a felon. He was handsome and clean shaven, with tousled brown hair and piercing blue eyes - the man's appearance was that of a banker or a business executive, not of a hardened criminal.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Howard. My name's Nathan."

When Howard didn't say anything, Nathan continued. "I'm on a murder charge in San Diego. That's why I'm being transported. You?"

Clark who had been watching them in the rearview mirror opened his mouth slightly as if to bid them to be quiet, but stopped, as if suddenly deciding that it didn't matter.

"There was an incident with a woman."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "In Nevada?"

Howard curtly nodded.

"But why are you being transported?"

"It wasn't just one."

Understanding flickered in the other man's eyes, and he smirked. "Women- you really do have to put them in their place sometime don't you? I can understand that."

Howard didn't respond to the comment, choosing instead to focus his attention on the never ending highway before him.

"You from Vegas?"

"Seattle actually."

"Small world. Me too. Went to school at there - University of Washington. I received my business degree."

Howard was mildly interested in this fact, not having expected the man beside him to have anything higher than a high school education.

"Seattle Art school," Howard said, deciding to play along a little longer with the small talk. It was going to be a long drive, and he felt willing to make small talk.

"Are you a painter?"

"Photographer."

"Maybe I've seen some of your work. I've been to a couple art shows in Vegas that showcased photography."

Howard shook his head. "My work was mostly advertising and models."

Nathan smirked. "Models? I bet you got a lot of action."

"There have been a few."

"I bet. You probably set the bar high now. Any normal woman probably fails to measure up to those models."

Howard allowed himself to smile. "You could say that, but there has been one or two that have piqued my interest.".

"Former girlfriends?"

"One was and now someone I'm currently seeing since I've been arrested."

Nathan whistled. "Does she know about your problem with the former girls?"

"Oh yes. There are no secrets between us."

"Glad to hear it. It's rare that men like us find someone who can understand them," Nathan said as he gazed out the window. He opened his mouth as if to continue but stopped when a sign caught his eye. "Hey!" He called up to the driver. "I need to go to the restroom. Can you stop at the next exit?"

"You can hold it," Clark said turning around to face the two prisoners through the wire mesh fencing that separated them in the van.

"Not if you want me to piss all over the seats and leave a nice smell for you two when you return back home."

Finch and Clark exchanged looks. "Well," Finch said slowly. "I could also use a stop."

Clark nodded. "Fine. Take the next exit." He sent a death glare toward prisoners sitting at the back. "But you two better behave yourselves."

Nathan tilted his head toward Howard and winked, as if sharing a private joke. "You don't have to worry about us."

Howard had a feeling that Nathan knew something that he didn't - but he was sure he was going to find out what that something was.

She and I would never be best friends. This I knew from day one of meeting her. We were too different - in lifestyle, personality, and thought processes. Sometimes I even wondered how we functioned together at all. There were times that I was sure she felt threatened by me. I think she was worried that I would somehow wedge myself between her and her boys - as if that could ever happen. She could do no wrong in their eyes, and in especially in his. I sometimes despised this fact. Everything I did was scrutinized and criticized, but with her everyone looked the other way.

However, although I really wanted to dislike her, I found myself envying and admiring her. Her strength and toughness was something I wished would rub on me.

"I've been where you've been," she had said to me. "But you'll get past it. You'll eventually learn that you were far too good for him."

I drank my vodka down, pretending to agree when all I had felt was loathing and hatred of myself and how stupid I had been. She gently touched my hand. "Hey, I mean it. Men are a dime a dozen, trust me on that. But we are far and few between."

She smiled at me, and it was the first time I realized that she was really in my corner.

If there was one thing Catherine wanted more than anything else in the world at that particular moment, it was a nightcap and at least six hours of solid sleep.

"Rough night?" Sarah asked, slamming her locker door shut.

"Another body dump at the landfill. Warrick and I spent all day today basking in city trash."

"I was wondering what that stench was earlier," Sarah said wrinkling her nose.

Catherine gave her a crooked smile as she pulled on her shirt. "You should smell Warrick. He slipped and fell into a hole at the site. I think he's going to have to burn the clothes he was wearing."

"Thanks for letting me know who to avoid today. Speaking of which, what are your plans tonight? I'm thinking of planning a little something for Nick's birthday. I know you get the next two nights off, but I thought you'd want to be here."

Catherine paused momentarily before saying, "Yeah, I think I can do that. Lindsey's at camp for the next couple weeks, so I'm basically free. What did you guys have in mind?"

Sarah grinned. "We were hoping you'd volunteer to do a little exotic dancing for him tonight. You know - as a birthday present."

"Fat chance of that happening. You guys couldn't afford me," Catherine said snorting, although for a moment she briefly entertained the idea, just to see the look on her co-workers' faces.

"Well, if you could use some of your connections-"

Catherine held up her hand to stop Sarah before she could say more. "You serious? You know Grissom would kill us if we had a strip show in the office."

"It was his idea!"

Now that, Catherine had trouble believing. "Has Grissom been inhaling chemicals around the lab?"

Sarah shook her head. "In his very own words he said "As long as it's during break time, I see no reason why we can't celebrate Nick's birthday."

Catherine was amazed. Grissom was surprising her more and more these days. But then again, everyone had been extremely wound up the last few weeks. Sara, especially, seemed a little more withdrawn than usual. Maybe this was Grissom's method of relieving everyone's tension.

After feigning contemplation, Catherine finally relented to Sara's pleading eyes. "All right, I'll call around today and see who I can get. I'm sure there are a few people out there who owe me some favors."

"It would be better if you danced," Warrick said coming into the locker room. Sarah wrinkled her nose once again at the smell that followed him. He gave her an apologetic look.

"Only in your dreams Warrick," Catherine said standing up and running a hand through her still slightly damp hair. "This is one dancer who has hung up her shoes in retirement."

"You wore shoes?"

Catherine slammed her locker shut. "And that's about all I wore." She heard Warrick let out a loud whistle as she headed out of the locker room, and the smirk remained on her face until she got into her car. She shut the door and sat back in her seat, rubbing her eyes gingerly. The sun was just coming up and she was now finally able to go home. Sometimes she wondered why she didn't take day shift, but then she would think of Ecklie and shudder.

The thought of the day shift supervisor faded away her good mood. She slipped her key into the ignition, ready to go home and enter a deep slumber, when she felt a cold wash run over her body. She whipped her head around to see what was behind her when she felt a hand clasp around her mouth and yank her so hard against her seat that she felt the car move from underneath her. Catherine barely had time to look into the rearview mirror to see her attacker before the chloroform set in. As unconsciousness set in, she heard only the words "I'm sorry."

When Warrick entered the break room, he found Sara staring hard at her cell phone, as if willing it to ring.

"You looked absorbed," he said, as he grabbed a drink from the fridge.

"Catherine hasn't called me back. She knows Nick's thing is tonight."

Warrick furrowed his brow. It's not like Catherine to not return a phone call, even if she wasn't on call. "You try her home phone?"

Sara nodded her head. "Twice. I even swung by her house before work to see if she got a hold of anyone yet."

"Anyone for what?" Nick said as he entered the room.

"Anyone to - uh - babysit Lindsey while she and I would be going to that CSI conference next week." Warrick said quickly.

"Uh - Warrick, I thought Lindsey was at camp for the next few weeks."

"Did I say we were going next week? I meant the week after that. Didn't I Sara?"

Sara nodded feverantly. "Oh yeah - I was totally thinking of taking in that conference myself."

Nick laughed. "You two are great CSIs, but you make the worst liars. You all planned on surprising me with something for my birthday didn't you?"

"Well, it's not much of a surprise if you know about it," Sara said sourly.

"C'mon guys, you know I hate surprises. I just want my birthday to pass on as if it were another day."

"We just want to do something special for you man," Warrick said slapping Nick on the shoulder playfully.

"Well, we wanted to. But unfortunately because I can 't get a hold of a certain CSI that plan was destroyed," Sara said glumly.

Nick was genuinely touched and he placed his hand on Sara's shoulder. "I'm glad at the thought Sara, but all I really want for my birthday is for you guys to go out and have a drink with me after work. How about it?"

Sara brightened up a little. "You got it Nick." She grabbed her cell phone off the table and slipped it into her pocket. "Let's hope Catherine calls before the shift is over. "