Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: or Nick Stokes. The whole episode 'Grave Danger' isn't mine either. I only own the idea and Morgan Lynn Rodriguez (She is mine).

shadysgurl15 - Thanks. Here it is. Sorry I made you wait so long.

Samsara Dallire - Yep, she was. But now things will get better, believe me. -smiles-

Giuli Miadi Black - Dear, thanks a lot for your review. Here's the so promised chapter. Hope you like it.

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A/N: I want to dedicate this chapter to Giuli Miadi Black for all the help and support she's been giving me. Thank you, my dear! This one is for you!

Facing Grave Danger

Chapter 35

"Alex, I called you here just to confirm what you wrote in your report of Hank Peterson's detention and interrogation."

Vartann nodded, as he stood beside Morgan. Ecklie was sitting behind his desk, Grissom in front of him. "We're just following the protocol here. In these situations, we have to analyse the report of the moment where the supposed aggression took place and confirm it personally with the Detective in question… it's standard procedure, Alex, you know that right?"

"Yes, yes, Ecklie. I'm familiar with the protocol and I confirm everything that I wrote in there." Vartann said. Ecklie got up and stretched his arm to Morgan, "You have to read it too, to see if there's anything that Detective Vartann wrote in there that you disagree or think that didn't happen exactly that way…"

Morgan grabbed the document and quickly scanned it. "Yeah, everything sticks to what happened… Don't worry, Vartann's not covering me. He wrote everything that I did in there." she said, in a dry, low tone. Ecklie took the document back and sat down again.

He coughed, clearing his voice, before speaking again. Grissom, on the other side, didn't move or say a word, "So, me and Grissom, your active supervisor, had a meeting this past shift, to discuss your… how do I call it?... 'situation'…" – Ecklie started, his sarcasm getting on Morgan's nerves. She was bouncing her right leg up and down, a reflective reaction she had always had, since she was a little girl. "Spill it right away and leave the damn pretty talk, come on…" she thought to herself.

"Well, we exposed both our points of view of this… 'situation',", Ecklie continued, "and reached a conclusion, after pondering what's the best for the Lab and, more important, what's best for the city."

Morgan nodded, as if it would make the man speak faster, but it was useless. "You gotta be loving torturing me this way, Conrad…"

"I'm forced to agree with Grissom that you are a great crime scene analyst, despite everything that we both know, everything that you do that I don't approve. Despite all that, since some of it doesn't really matter to this subject now, you are indeed a great CSI, Rodriguez, and all of us have our bad days. All the good and the bad measured up, the point is that we decided not to fire you."

It was like the weight of the world… no, the weight of the Universe had been lifted off Morgan's shoulders. She hadn't been fired! "You must have done something right somewhere down the road, Lynn..." she thought.

"But…", Ecklie went on, "of course that, once again, both of us reprove your action and there's consequences that you'll have to accept, for this to be a one-time situation, not to repeat again. The main thing here is, Rodriguez: if you do this again, there are no meetings, no second chances, nothing… You get fired, immediately. Understood?"

Morgan nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed on her throat. "You could use some anger management classes, Lynn, if you don't want to end up killing this guy, someday."

"So, we've decided that you'll be suspended for a week, without pay, counting down from today on. It wouldn't be good for the good service of the Lab to have the graveyard shift be kept off one of his elements for much longer; it has already been hard enough on everybody with CSI Stokes out of the team, for… for the reasons we all know too well."

Vartann shifted his weight from one foot to another. He was wondering why only one week… If their were giving her only one week of suspension, that meant that there had to be another way they were going to punish Morgan.

The office remained silent for some seconds. If Ecklie was expecting any comment or any reaction by Morgan, he didn't get one. "Well, but I think it's obviously clear that this is not the only thing… I could never just suspend you, after a situation like this."

"Oh, you really couldn't…"

"So, I decided that all the cases you've summoned up until now that were counting for your opportunity to be promoted to CSI Level 3 will be ignored. You'll go back to square one, Rodriguez."

"What?"

"Since you've been a CSI Level 2, you've summoned up a certain number of solved cases that were counting for your CSI Level 3 promotion. When you reached one hundred cases, you were probably going to be promoted. Now, all those cases will remain on your record but will be ignored for the matter of the promotion.", Ecklie explained.

Morgan's gaze moved from him to Grissom. Her supervisor's face was closed; she couldn't make up what was on his mind. He was almost always like this, really mysterious about his thoughts. Then, when Ecklie started speaking, she looked at him again.

"And also, all the cases you work on, and hopefully solve, in the next three months will be ignored for the matter of the promotion. Only in November 13th 2005 will your cases start counting for the Level 3 promotion, as if you were just promoted to Level 2 that moment."

"I've been a Level 2 for two months, Conrad. How many cases have I worked on this time? I don't know for sure, but about what… twenty-five?", Morgan said, trying to keep her cool. "You got to be kidding me; you know that in three months, I'd be halfway through my way to promotion…"

"Yeah, Rodriguez, that's too bad. But you know what? I'm really tired of your attitude. I don't like you. You may be one hell of a CSI, but you get on my nerves and this was the only option that I agreed with Grissom. My first choice was to fire you, immediately, so consider yourself really lucky, because if I was the only one deciding, you'd be cleaning your locker at this moment and searching for another place to work."

From the corner of his eye, Vartann glanced at Morgan. She took a deep breath, trying to keep to herself all that she wanted to say to Ecklie, even if it was just for once. She needed the job and this was what she wanted to do for a living. Of course, what her dad had said was right, there were another Crime Labs all over the country, but she had got kind of attached to Vegas, the city, the environment and all of it. She liked it, despite all the mess that her life had turned into again, the past three days.

"Come on Lynn… You're stuck with it, suck it up and keep it quiet. You'll release it later, not now, not here…", She said to herself, trying to control her emotions and, most of all, her actions. "Listen to him until he's done, then turn on your heels, leave the building and go to the car… Or maybe ask Brass to go shoot some bullets. But now, keep quiet!", She ordered her inner self.

"Are we clear?", Ecklie questioned.

"Perfectly clear.", She answered, biting her tongue not to say anything she shouldn't.

"I'm glad that it is, then.", He said, sitting back behind the desk. Morgan stared at him and Grissom for a few seconds before asking permission to leave. "Are we done?"

"Yes, you can go now.", Ecklie allowed, pointing the door. Morgan turned on her heels, not pronouncing another word, and left the office, Vartann right after her. He hadn't quite understood yet why had Ecklie called him at the same time and made him watch this 'show' but oh well… "It's Ecklie we're talking about, what's more do you need to say?", the Detective thought to himself as he walked outside the office.

"Morgan… wait.", He called her, as her quick steps were leading her to the outside of the building, not even looking back. "Rodriguez!"

She didn't stop or turn back. He ran to catch up with her and held her arm. "Hey… Are you okay?"

Morgan turned to him and shrugged. Her expression was of sadness, defeat. "He's doing all he can to ruin me and lately, I've only been making his job easier and easier… now he's done it. Good Lord, that man is going to have one hell of a celebration today! He finally did it, he ruined my career. Congratulations to him! Now, even Sanders, who's a Level 1, will be promoted to CSI Level 3 prior to me…"

"Hey, you're overreacting, Morgan… It's just a promotion. You're a good CSI, you'll do the one hundred cases in a flash, I know it.", he said, trying to cheer her up. "You can't let it get into you."

"I know, I know… But truth is, that it is getting into me. I just can't help it, Alex, that man gets into me, sometimes I just want to go in there and show him my resignation letter!", She said.

"Okay, okay, let's not start to say things we don't want to, okay?", He proposed. " I'm going back to the Police Station, can I offer you a ride? I can drop you off somewhere, if you want."

The small shadow of a smile appeared in her lips but it quickly faded away. "No, thanks. I brought my car. Thank you."

He shook his head. "Anytime.", he said, before walking away, heading to the outside. Morgan stood there, for a few minutes more, replaying the whole conversation with Ecklie in her mind. After some moments, she snapped back to reality and went to her car, putting back her sunglasses as she exited the building. As she was walking to the place where she had parked the service SUV, Nick came after her. "Morgan…", he called.

She turned around. "Nick… hey.", she greeted, shyly.

"Are you okay? I saw you leaving Ecklie's office with Vartann.", he said, hands on his pockets. "Something happened?"

"Hmm, no… H-He just wanted to talk to me about the consequences of the civil suit.", she answered.

"Oh, okay.", he nodded, feeling uncomfortable. "You… you want to have breakfast? I just clocked out and I was about to go grab a bite at Frankie's before going home to get some sleep. You want to come with me?"

Morgan pondered for a moment, during which Nick's anxiety grew stronger and stronger. She was nervous and all stressed out, because of Ecklie's decision, so this wouldn't be the best time to talk with Nick about them. However, Sofia had made her seen, the night before, that she couldn't run forever. She had to face Nick, to talk with him. And the sooner, the better.

"Yeah, okay. I haven't eaten anything today yet, either. I'll meet you there, in five minutes."

Nick nodded and each one left for their car. Ten minutes later, they were sitting in a booth, each one with a sandwich and an orange juice in front of them. They ate in silence until midway through the meal, when Nick broke the silence.

"Are you coming home with me?", he asked.

Morgan wiped her mouth clean with the napkin and put it back down on her lap. "Look, Nick… I-I… I have been all messed up and acting like a spoiled teenage-kid and I owe you an apology. I was really confused and for two days, I wasn't myself, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I didn't even think before acting, I just went and did stuff I didn't want to. That got me in trouble with Ecklie, made me snap at Sofia, made me almost hit one officer in the Police Station and also made me fight with you… I'm sorry, Nick."

"I understand, Morgan, you don't have to…"

"Please, let me finish.", She asked, gently. "You made me start talking, now, please, let me say it all, before it makes me blow up."

"In my relationship with you, things always kind of happened in a different way than they usually do for me… In the opposite way, actually. I was living with you before we were even friends. I'm a much closed person and just go living with you when I barely knew you was a bit against my nature. But you tried to reverse that situation and you got closer and closer to me, moving forward almost on a daily basis. I had never wanted to admit it, even to myself, but when you went missing I was almost like 'forced' to do it. You became very important to me, Nick and the angst I lived those two days was indescribable. I know it was nothing compared to what you were forced to bear, but it was pretty much intense, even for me… I'm used to angst but that was way over my limit.", she spoke, calmly, her eyes focused on the glass filled up with orange juice, in front of her. Her right arm rested on the table, her fingers randomly drawing small circles on the wood.

Nick nodded and remained silent, hearing her attentively and not wanting to interrupt her again, allowing her to continue. "When we… when we made love, I freaked out. For me, it was against all the rules of friendship and even work. We're partners and taking things to a different level would only affect our job and I don't want that. I'm already screwed up as I am but I don't want to affect you and your life and your relationships. I've had some issues, even before I got out of Cameron and came here; some issues I haven't been able to solve yet and I'm not good at handling certain situations and I sure handled this the wrong way. I'm really sorry, Nick."

"It's okay.", he said, nodding and smoothly moving his hand to briefly touch hers, trying to giving her some confidence. He sensed she hadn't finished her 'speech' yet.

"But then again, I'm lucky enough to have the one Sofia Curtis around again and she made me see things in a different way. I learned that there are certain things I can't deny… I sure as hell have to admit that you became essential to my life, Nick. But, on top of it all, I just don't want to ruin our friendship cause that is really, really important to me."

"To me too, Morgan."

"And about that night… I didn't want to make you think that it had been awful for me or that you had made me do anything that I didn't want to. You needed me and I must confess that I guess I needed you too. I just… I guess I panicked. You know, I had only shared that kind of intimacy once, with someone that really meant a lot to me and I never knew if I was ready to do it again. But, at that moment, I didn't really think about it, I just let myself go. The whole thinking came later, after you fell asleep and I felt awful. I mean… we're so different, Nick! You're older than me, I ain't no perfect princess, I'm full of flaws and I have scars that will never, ever go away, and I'm not talking about the ones you've seen already. I'm an emotional mess. That's why I've been acting like this. This whole amount of silly reasons has been making me act like a kid."

Nick smiled. "But despite all those reasons, you still have the right to be loved, to be happy, Morgan…"

She smiled briefly, shaking her head. "I'm talking serious. It's my turn to speak now. I don't care if you're not perfect. Perfection is boring. I don't care about the scars. Come on, it's Nick Stokes you're talking with. I was buried alive not even two months ago, who am I to judge other people's inner scars? I can't hide this or deny it anymore. I guess everyone knows it yet. At least, Warrick says it's written all over my face. You are really important to me, Morgan. I guess that it is the fact that we were both royally fucked up that makes us special. I wouldn't be the same person that I am now if I hadn't been in that box and I got to say… You were the one thought that kept me alive that much longer, that made you guys be able to take me out without a bullet in my head."

She shivered when he mentioned the bullet and he took her hand, softly, in his again. "That night meant a lot to me, Morgan, and I wish it would repeat itself many times until the end of my life. That would mean that you're with me and I need you to be. I don't care about anything other than that, right now."

"Nick…", she started but soon got lost in the feeling she caught in his eyes. This time, it was Morgan who started to lean forward. It were her lips that touched his, lightly at first and then a little more passionately. He moved his other hand up to her cheek and stroked it, as she took the initiative to kiss him.

Seconds later, she pulled back, remembering that they were in a public dinner, really close to the Crime Lab. Their hands were still holding each other and Morgan looked at them for a moment, before asking, "Nick… are you sure you're willing to have me, with my scars, my passion for tattoos, my bad temper, my smoking addiction, my ripped jeans and strange t-shirts and my unconditional love for metal and rock music?"

Nick smiled. She hadn't seen him smile that way again ever since the kidnapping. And seeing him smile like that again, was the only answer that Morgan needed.

Okay, this story has gained its own life and my initial plan is completely thrown out of the window. Hope you like it, still. Review please? :)