AN: Thanks for the support, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 43: Change is in the air

After Grissom made it to the lab, he gets out and headed for the entrance, and after making a quick stop to the locker room, he headed for the break room, where three of the members of the team was, level 3 CSI Dennis, a 35 year old, Caucasian, who had blond hair, blue eyes with an athletic build and a little over 6'0, and when he had joined the lab two years after Sara did, she was his mentor, so she taught him everything he knew.

Then there were the two younger ones, level 2 CSI, 27 year old Kevin, an African-American, who was also athletic with short black hair, brown eyes, and the rookie, who just started a few weeks ago, 23 year old Janice, who had brown hair (usually in a pony tail), hazel eyes, and around Sara's height and weight. She was also a fan of entomology so she was always ready to ask questions when she sees Grissom. Of course she reminded herself to put a limit on how many questions she asks a day so she doesn't feel like she's bothering him too much, knowing she could get extremely enthusiastic and it can annoy people at times, and although she didn't think Grissom could get annoyed quickly, especially when it's a subject he's so passionate about, she also didn't want to test that theory out, wanting to stay on his good side.

Grissom smiled at the team as he walked into the room, then asked as he walked towards the counter to get some coffee. "Ok Janice, question of the day?"

And while she does try to limit her questions per day, Grissom has been giving her a free one to start the day, causing her to smile each time as she goes over her notes to see what one she wanted answered more, while the guys good natured teases her, but she doesn't pay attention to it.

By the time she found the right question within her notes, Grissom was sitting down a few seats away from her, and about halfway through her question, which she was looking down, ready to take notes on what he'll say, something happened, her voice sounded muffled to Grissom's ears, and he shook his head slightly before asking after clearing his throat. "Can you look at me while you speak?"

Feeling a little flustered that she did something wrong, even though his tone was calm, she nodded. "Of course, Dr. Grissom."

When she started her question over, it sounded fine at first, but like a moment ago, it become muffled and he realized he was reading her lips, a trait he slowly picked up as he was growing up, just in case he might...

He stopped his train of thought while he looked down, slightly giving his head another shake before his hearing came back just in time to hear Janice's concerned tone. "Are you ok, Dr. Grissom?"

He looked up to see the team's eyes looking at him in concern, so he stood up with a nod. "Yeah, excuse me." Then he rushed out of the room and headed for the nearest restroom.

High School

(1st class of the day)

When Billy made it to his high school, after dropping his siblings off their school, he did his normal morning routine, switched out his afternoon books for his morning ones, hung out with his friends, talking about girls and sports, well the girl talk was mostly from his friends since he didn't have that much experience when it came to them, not that there hasn't been any potentials.

In fact, between him and his three good friends, he got most of the attention from them, which he didn't fully understand why that was because it wasn't like he was a jock or even that popular, there was just something about him that they seemed to be drawn to, and while the attention was cool and the girls, then young women as they grew up, were beautiful, they just never gave him that feeling when you know something was right between the two of them, even after he started to look at girls differently.

Of course he got teased a lot by his friends for having the least experience, which wasn't saying much honestly. But he didn't care, he didn't want to be with a girl just to be with her, he wanted to share his many 'firsts' with someone who really gave him butterflies in his stomach and made his heart race like no other.

The first school bell rung, indicating it was the start of their classes, so the four friends parted and Billy headed for his first one, Home Economics. That's right, this was how much he loved cooking, and while some guys would see this as an opportunity to meet the ladies or to get an easy "A", he took the class as serious as if he was in math or science.

He gets to his cooking station that was on the left side of the room, 1st satiation in the second row, and as he patiently waited for class to start, while the class was filling up with the other students (All girls), something suddenly happened that had never happened to him before, his first butterfly feeling in his stomach, and did he just feel his heart skip a few beats?

Grissom turns on the faucet, hearing the water coming out as clear as day one minutes before hearing another muffled sound the next while splashing water on his face a few times, then placed his hands on the sink and looked down with his eyes closed, hoping that whatever was going on with him, isn't what he thinks is going on.

Before his thoughts could continue, he actually hears a knock on the door and the running water, before Nick's voice. "Uh, Griss, everything ok in there?"

He turned the faucet off before looking towards the door. "Yeah, everything is fine." He grabs a few paper towels to dry his face off before walking towards the door.

When he opens it, he sees a worried looking Nick, and he tires to reassure him. "Really, I'm fine. So, what do you have for me?" There was a slight pause, before Nick nodded as he handed him an address to an abandoned warehouse.

Grissom took it with a head nod before asking. "It's just me, right?"

Nick nodded again. "Yeah, but if you want, you can have..."

Grissom cuts the other man off quickly, not wanting to endanger anyone else if his hearing decides to cut off again. "No it's ok, I want to do this alone."

"Ok, good luck, and be safe."

After Grissom nodded again, Nick gave him a smile before walking away so he could join Kevin and Janice on their case.

Grissom looked down at the piece of paper, took a breath before heading towards the locker room so he could get his CSI kit.

45 minutes later

While Nick, Janice and Kevin where at their crime scene, Nick's phone rings, so he pulls it out of his pocket and answers it. "Stokes."

"Yeah, this is detective Watkins, and I've been here for 45 minutes and none of your CSI team members haven shown up yet."

"What do you mean no one has shown up?"

"I don't know how clearer you want to me to be, no one's been here."

Nick started to panic a little after hearing which crime scene the detective was at, so he took a breath before replying. "Ok, I'll send someone else by."

After they hang up, Nick grabbed his notepad and a pencil out of his bag and started writing as he walked towards the back of the house so he could walk outside, then when he got there, he spoke. "Hey Kevin?"

Kevin, who was kneeled down looking down at the grass, looked up at Nick. "Yeah boss?"

"Can you work another scene?"

Always willing to do whatever he had to make his bosses happy, he nodded while standing up, and after closing his kit, he walked up to Nick and took the piece of paper from his hand while Nick spoke with sympathy. "Thank you."

Kevin shook it off with a smile. "No problem." He then started walking as he looked down at the address, but lost his smile and stopped before turning back to look at Nick, who had his back turn towards him. "Uh, isn't this where..."

Nick cuts him off. "Yes."

Now with worry on the man's face and in his tone, he asks. "You don't think anything happened, do you?"

Nick turned around and sighed while his finger hovered over speed dial number 2. "I don't know, let's hope not, and can you not tell the others?"

Kevin nodded with a serious look. "Absolutely, but will you keep me updated?"

Nick hits the button with a nod before bringing the phone up to his ear, and after Kevin turned around, he started walking away, but before he was too far, he heard Nick's voice. "Hey Sara, I uh, I think we have a problem, call me back when you can."

Before the end of class

Once the cooking stations were cleaned, the students were free to move about the classroom, so most of the girls where in their little circles, giggling and laughing, except the new girl, Vanessa, an African-American who had an athletic build with dark, long curly hair and brown eyes, and to say Billy was having a tough time concentrating during class was an understatement because he almost burnt the food of the day, and even when he was first learning how to cook himself, he never came this close to burning anything.

Billy shook his head, then he took a breath and walked up to the cooking station that was in the front row and diagonally from his, and once he was near, he cleared his throat and said. "Excuse me."

The 16 year old girl turned around, then she shook her head and smirked. "Oh no, which guy are you?"

Billy looked at her with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, are you here so you can pick up girls, or did you think you would get an easy 'A'?"

Billy couldn't help but flash that 'Grissom' smile as he shook his head, feeling the ice was broken at this moment. "Neither actually, I really know how to cook, I take this skill very seriously."

Not really believing him, she raised an eyebrow, all though she couldn't deny her heart did skip a beat or two with the smile he was giving her. "Really?"

Still with confidence, Billy nodded. "Really."

There was a pause before Vanessa shook her head with a polite smile. "I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can buy it."

He then replied with a smile. "Well, you can buy it or not, it doesn't change why I am in this classroom."

Challenging his confidence, Vanessa grabbed her backpack as the bell rung, indicating class was done, and said. "Then prove it."

Billy raised an eyebrow. "Prove it?" After she nodded, he continued. "How?"

She smiled with a shrug. "I don't know, you're the one filled with so much confidence, think of something."

She then turned and headed for the door while he watched her every move with a smile beginning to show on his face, yep something was definitely in the air. He's waited 16 years to have this feeling, and he wasn't quite ready to give it up just yet, so it looked like he had to think of something to prove that he wasn't just one of those guys, that he was something special.

AN: Thanks for reading, and please review. Stay safe and have another good weekend.