Disclaimer: Chapter 1

AN: I knew where I wanted to go with this one. Wasn't sure how to get there. But I think I managed it. Thanks to you all for your words of encouragement it means the world to me. You are the best readers and reviewers for that matter. Sorry it's a little short. IF YOU GET A SECOND NOTIFICATION FOR THIS CHAPTER its because I popped back in and corrected a few things... and of course the sytem treats it like a new chapter.

Chapter 10

The sun was already in the early morning sky by the time Nick Stokes arrived. He recognized the area of town as being one of the seedier places off strip. They generally pulled at least a body a month out of the surrounding neighborhood. Not a lot by big city standards, even Vegas standards for that matter, but it was enough.

Up and down the street, shopkeepers and fast food places were turning off the outside lights and fresh employees were beginning to wander in before the start of a new work day. Most of the closest shops were twenty-four hour places. The only stores that actually having closed being the T-shirt and souvenir shops scattered in amongst the restaurants, variety, and liquor stores.

"You look like the sunset, Buttercup, beautiful to gaze at but sinking fast." Nick leaned in the Denali window and couldn't help but smile at his friend.

His comment actually brought a grin to Sara Sidle's drawn face. She'd been sitting; eyes closed doing her best to rid her mind of the image of the tiny newborn, and simply allowing the queasiness to wash over her. It was easier than fighting it, and no one cared if every once in a while she had to stick her head out the window and add to the pile in the ditch. "You might want to watch where you're stepping, cowboy… otherwise your spurs might get a little mucky."

"So I see…You sure know how to make a mess…" He'd noticed the gastric disaster upon his approach. He reached out wiped away a small gathering of dampness at the corner of her eye. "What's with the tears?

"Hormones, tough scene, frustration..." She was angry at herself, and her body for betraying her and preventing her from doing something she would have been perfectly fine with less than a month earlier.

"I take it, it's a bad one." Nick cast a glance towards the alley.

"Yeah," was all she said, preferring not to dredge up the image that elaborating would bring with it.

"Decomp?"

The slim brunette nodded. "That's part of it." She shook of the memory. "It was just…" Her voice broke. "It was just really horrible."

The Texan shook his head a spark of anger igniting in his belly. "Why did Gris bring you? He knew you weren't feeling well."

"No one else available." She laid her head against the back of the seat and tamped down the bile in her chest.

"That's bullshit, Alicia was sitting in the breakroom drinking coffee and reading some fashion magazine when I left." The look in Sara's eyes told him his words had hurt. "Sorry." He reached in the window and squeezed her arm.

"He said he couldn't bring her to the scene." The young woman didn't elaborate. To do so, would mean treading into an area best left un-traveled.

"Why the hell not?"

Sara was set to tell her friend to drop it, when she lost the latest battle against her stomach. A soft moan was her only warning as she stuck her head out the window and let go of whatever was left in her stomach.

Nick dropped the subject, deciding that getting his sick friend home was more important arguing about something that wasn't really Sara's fault. "Here…" He passed her a stack of saltines from his pocket.

She gazed at him through liquid eyes. "Do you have shares in the company?"

Nick shook his head. "Began carrying them around once I discovered I got you knocked up."

Despite being ill, Sara's punch was quick as lightening. The tall Texan let out a soft oof, as her fist hit his shoulder. "I told you I HATE that term, it's very derogatory."

"Ouch, man you have boney little fingers." Nick was still rubbing his shoulder when Jim Brass joined them.

The detective, who'd been unsuccessfully canvassing the nearby shops, wandered up from his latest interrogation. "You here to pick Princess up?" He watched as Sara ripped open a package of crackers and popped one into her mouth.

"Yeah… I'm going to go talk to Gris a minute and I'll be back. Come on." He drew open the truck door and reached in to help, Sara out. "Let's get you into my truck."

The young woman's mouth dropped. "Jesus Nick, I'm not an invalid." She waved him off and climbed out of the vehicle, barely missing the pile of vomit she'd left behind.

"I know honeybunch." It was Brass' mouth that dropped this time. "Just trying to take care of you."

With a huff Sara shook her head and stomped over to the other Denali, a trail of Nick's laugher following her as she slammed the door behind her.

"She's so damn cute when she's pissed." He threw the comment casually in Brass' direction, and didn't stay to see the look of utter shock on the man's face. Instead he turned and headed down the small passage in the direction David had just walked.

The alley was much like any other in Las Vegas, disgusting, fetid, and littered with waste. Nick could see the two men up ahead crouched over a half open garbage bag. It sent a chill down his spine, his investigator's radar setting in. In his experience, that had to be bad; either dismemberment, or a child.

He realized he was right with the latter as he approached and found himself turning away at both the smell and the vision of the tiny infant swaddled in cold black plastic. Sara had been right, it was horrible.

"Someone just tossed her out like rubbish." David commented, his hands moving over the small child. "Cause of death is pretty apparent."

"Yeah…" Grissom leaned in and took a photo as David lifted the body into an infant sized body bag… More black plastic. Nick hissed under his breath, partially because in his eyes the child should have been wrapped in something soft despite its lifeless state, and partially because he was picturing Sara's likely reaction to the scene.

A trill ring had everyone reaching for their cell phones. "It's me…" The night shift supervisor announced. Stripping off his gloves, he dropped them into an open baggy and grabbed his phone. "Grissom…" He turned away and dropped his voice but couldn't hide the conversation in the relative quiet of the morning. "You what? No…." He scratched his head aggravated. "I told you I wanted to come…"

David, doing his best not to eavesdrop zipped up the small bag, placed it carefully on the gurney, and nodded in Nick's direction. "Tell Grissom I'll meet him back at the lab." He whispered.

"Right Dave-o." He waved the younger man off, and turned to look in his annoyed supervisor's direction. He was still on the phone. Still arguing too and Nick had a sneaking suspicion of who was on the other side of the line. A moment later and a few decibels higher, and he knew for sure. He still couldn't hear the conversation, but the fact that it was Grissom's newest love interest pissed him off even more for some reason. He wasn't one to outright dislike someone, but Alicia Telis had a way about her that just grated on him.

"Then re-schedule." There was a timbre in his boss' voice that said he knew it was a battle he was going to lose already. "Look I'm at a brutal crime scene. I don't have time for this." Irritated beyond almost anything Nick had seen in a while the younger man watched as his boss slammed his cell phone shut. "You're here to take her home." Grissom turned and looked at an exhausted Nick Stokes. It wasn't a question but rather a point in fact. "I need you back here ASAP." He motioned around him.

"Why don't you call in some more help?" Nick laid it out there. "I'll be right back, but…" His eyes traveled the litter strewn passage from where it was cordoned off at the front to the yellow crime scene tape at the other end. It was going to take the two of them all day to process. He told his boss as much.

"There is no one else. Sara's sick Greg, and Warrick are busy with something else, Lindsay has an x-ray and physio appointment this morning so Cath's not available."

"You forgot your illustrious girlfriend." Nick challenged, his hands going to his hips. He was still angry that Sara, as sick as she was, had been dragged out to the scene while Alicia had been sitting back at the lab doing nothing.

Grissom stared at him looking very much like he wanted to say something other than what came out of his mouth. "She can't process this scene." His stance was very much a defensive one almost guilty, as he squinted at the younger man, and then crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why's that?" The Texan knew he was pushing his luck, but he wanted some answers.

"That's none of you business."

It was blunt and to the point and the edge to Grissom's voice was intended as a warning to back off, but Nick would have none of it. "It is when you drag a sick CSI out to a scene, and your girlfriend is sitting back in the lab drinking coffee and reading a magazine…. All I'm asking for is a little help here. I know days is slammed. If she comes out we can get this put to bed in a few hours."

The graveyard supervisor gritted his teeth, but in the interest of keeping things between them workable he tried to explain without giving any real information. "I'm both her and your boss, and as such I reserve the right to decide who works which case, and I don't want her working this particular one."

"Why?"

Grissom let out a heavy sigh already hating himself for what he was about to say. "I can't it may upset her."

"What?" Nick was incredulous a spike of anger driving its' way into his brain and obliterating all rational thought. He did however maintain enough intelligence to keep his voice low, so as not to let anyone watching from the sidewalk hear their conversation. His words were laced with tension. "She's a CSI for God's sake, we all get upset at some of the shit we see, but we dig in and do our job. It's called professionalism. I've missed dates, appointments, gone home and had nightmares from some of the stuff we've seen and dealt with, and I'm sure everyone else on shift has too. So you'll excuse me, if I don't buy your explanation, and if you want to write me up for being insubordinate go ahead, because frankly this smacks of favoritism. It has for a while now. It's just that no one has said anything to you about it, out of respect." Knowing he wouldn't get anything further out of the man, and also not wanting to get fired, the Texan turned and stomped towards the mouth of the alley. He was halfway there, before he turned around and took a few steps back towards his boss. "And I'm only speaking for her because, firstly she's to sick to talk right now, and secondly she doesn't want to say anything to upset you, but Sara came out here despite the fact that she feels like shit and did her best to do her job, and you let Alicia get away with this crap. It sucks man."

"You'd do best to let Sara talk for herself, Nick…" Was all Grissom said, as he spun and started processing the immediate vicinity.

The younger man, almost livid, was too busy spewing out a stream of curses inside his own head to notice his supervisor cave in the side of a garbage can with his boot clad foot. A minute later he was in the truck and tearing away from the scene leaving behind a squeal of rubber.

TBC