Chapter Rating: PG13
Chapter Title: Something Kinda Funny Going On
AN: Usually when I get beyond the intro...I'm all good. But, a poll for my readers...which criminal should I bring back? Paul Millander or Nigel Crane...or both maybe? Review me with your thoughts...I have a plan, I just need an accomplice for the criminal. Enjoy...

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"And once again, Greggo is left alone at six thirty in the morning, probably to get called again at eight or so. Maybe I should go home, and process the fact that I have two hours to sleep, rather than the usual fifteen minutes..." he then laughed at himself. "Sleep? Now that's a luxury you can't afford...with the dreams you've been having? No way...I think sleep will be the last thing from my mind tonight..." he sat down in his crappy little blue Ford Focus. "Everyone else gets a beastly new Tahoe, but good 'ol Greggo gets his little car that he's had for God knows how long...and he doesn't even get paid enough to buy a new car!" he started the car, and Slipknot came blaring out of the speakers. "Am I even in the mood for music tonight? Not really..." he turned the volume knob on the radio all the way down, and pulled out of the parking lot. As soon as he turned the corner, though, he was met by a huge shadow. He thought he was going to hit whatever it was, so he swerved, and slammed on the breaks, almost hitting a telephone pole. "Damn!" he complained. "What was that?" He looked back to see if it was still there. It wasn't so, he sighed, putting the car into reverse, and backing away from the telephone pole, then putting it into drive, and driving away. "You're probably just tired..."

After the initial shock from the close call had worn off, Greg went back to moping and complaining. If there was one thing that Greg Sanders could always do, it was complain. "And who gets Sara? Grissom as usual. Nick and I both like her, and we're both pretty amiable guys...not to sound gay or anything. But man, Grissom? He's about three times her age...ok...so, only about her age and a half...but still!" Greg didn't even know or care who he was talking to. All he knew was that he was talking. Yet another shadow. Another swerve, and almost hitting a tree this time. "What the hell is going on here?" Greg asked, not wanting to step out of his car. "You're just tired. About five nights without sleep will do that to a guy..." he nodded and laughed to himself. "You'll be fine..." he backed away from the tree, and finished the journey home.

Arriving at home, he saw that he actually had a new message on his answering machine. "Wonder who that could be..." he pushed the playback button, as he unzipped his sweatshirt, and threw it on the coat hanger, being too tired to do much more.

Nick's voice came through the machine. "Damn it, you're not home...I had the weirdest thing happen to me. On my way home, I almost crashed into two...well, two of something..." he sounded panicked. "Call me, dude...unless you get home at six thirty again...then wait until whenever you wake up. If you sleep that is...see ya."

"Just for that..." Greg picked up the phone, and dialed Nick's number. "I'll call you!"

Nick grumbled and picked the phone up. "Hello?" he groaned.

"Nick?" Greg asked, with a slight snicker.

"Greggo! I told you not to call at six thirty!" Nick complained. "Damn you!"

"Hey...it's about that answering machine message..." Greg nodded, a little freaked out.

"Oh, yeah...what about it?" Nick asked, looking at the wall.

"Same thing happened to me...I almost hit a telephone pole and a tree..." Greg explained, worried that the same thing had happened to Nick.

"Really? Warrick and Griss, too..." Nick was beginning to worry.

"Ok, whoa...this is kinda..." Greg shook his head. "Not Sara?"

"No, not Sara...maybe it's her trying to trick us..." Nick sounded hopeful.

Greg shook his head. "That's not very Sara..." he discarded Nick's idea.

"That's true...you should get some sleep, man...you sound like you need it..." Nick told Greg, knowing of his sleep deprivation problem.

"Maybe I will..." Greg shrugged. "I'll see ya tomorrow, Nicky..." he told Nick.

"See ya, Greggo..." Nick hung up the phone. Now he was up. He wasn't tired in the least. Worry overcame him. Maybe it's...no way! He couldn't...no, Nick you're losing it...he told himself, shoving the blankets from his body, and going into the bathroom. Just get up, live your life and get over it. That's not gonna happen, and you know it. I wonder what Griss has in store for me today...

Now freshly showered, Nick felt a little better. He sat on the couch, tying his shoes, and watching some lame 'your mother is my uncle's cousin's sister's aunt' talk show. Ricki Lake, he assumed. How can women watch this crap? He asked, quickly changing the channel to CNN. Griss has we work whipped...even when I'm not there...I'm watching the news to look for anything! Damn him! He stood up, and went to the kitchen, taking the coffeepot out of the coffeemaker. "Wake up time..." he poured himself a glass, added some milk and sugar and took a sip. "And now, we leave..."

He walked down to his Chevy Tahoe, with a semi-concerned look on his face. "No shadow jumpers, got it..." he shouted to his surroundings. "This car may be great, but dang...I dunno how much it can handle..." he shook his head at his triviality and got into the car, slamming the door almost on his leg. "Smooth move, man..." he sighed. "Ah, a day in the life of Nick Stokes..." he turned on the radio, hearing 'Symphony of Epiphanies' by Pekinpah, and started softly singing. "Na, na, na, na, na, na, na calling, calling..." he grinned, as he passed Greg's house, seeing him leaving already. "GREGGO!" he stopped and rolled down his window.

Greg jumped almost a mile, and sighed. "Damn, Nick...give me a heart-attack!" he complained.

"Skittish today? Race ya to work..." Nick revved the engine of his SUV and grinned.

"Right, and lose?" Greg shook his head. "See you there, Nick..."

"Come on, not up for a little challenge?" Nick teased Greg.

"I didn't sleep, and I'm afraid I'll crash into everything that gets in my way...so..." Greg explained with a little laugh. "Talk to you at work..."

"If you're that tired, do you want a ride?" Nick asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Are you sure? Because I really don't trust myself driving..." Greg shook his head. "I'm like, half asleep as it is..."

"Come on...you can take a nap in the break room until Griss gets there..." Nick nodded.

"Thanks, man..." Greg crossed the street, and entered Nick's car. "You're a lifesaver...literally..."

"You look like Pacino in Insomnia so I figure, I'll do the world a favor..." Nick laughed as Greg shut the door.

*

Marah was singing a Hoobastank song as she ran a brush through her long sandy-blonde hair. "Even though I'm far, I'm close to you within..." she stopped singing, and looked to her right, seeing Amaya tapping her foot.

"Listen, Miss CSI," Amaya complained. "You need to stop leaving your clothes strewn around the bathroom! I slipped and fell onto the floor, over a pair of unmentionables..." she narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry...I just...ooh...that's my cell, I have to get that..." she grabbed her phone, and looked to see who the call was from. "Paul? Ok..." she pushed the 'send' button and tilted her head in curiosity. "Paul?"

"I had a James dream too..." Paul sounded angry. "He had you and Rose, and was threatening to send you to some foreign country..." he sighed. "And I was being held back by some two guys that I don't know..."

Marah felt terrible. Right now, if she were back in Oakdale, she and Paul would be hugging and showing each other that they'll always be there, but all she could do was say, "You know what, Harmony's probably right, though, Paul..."

"What'd she say?" Paul asked, sitting down.

"She said that James is probably still halfway across the country in prison, and that we're getting ourselves worked up for nothing..." Marah was trying to convince herself of this, for Paul's sake.

"Marah, have I ever told you that the only reason I fell for Rose is because she reminded me so much of you?" he asked, with a smirk.

"Don't let Rose hear that..." Marah smiled. "Call me later if you need anything, ok?"

"Ok..." Paul nodded. "Love ya sis..."

"You too, Paulie..." she nodded and hung up the phone.

Neleh entered the room. "Hey, Marah...can I borrow this shirt?" she held up a black t-shirt of Marah's that she had always loved.

"Be my guest..." Marah nodded, and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Neleh sat beside her, and shoved her with her shoulder.

"Paul had a James dream, too...if you ask me, this seems all too weird..." Marah shrugged.

"You and Paul both had traumatic experiences involving James...what can you expect? He caused us all a lot of stress, even Harmony and I..." Marah nodded. "Remember? He took our Aunt Carly captive, too."

"Must you remind me of these things? Paulie says we have some of James in us, and I never, ever wanna do that to anyone I know..." Marah sighed, shaking her head.

"It was mainly your mother..." Neleh tried to comfort Marah, only making matters far worse.

"So, really, there's no escaping the hideous Stenbeck genes..." Marah wanted to cry. "I hate James, I really do..."

"You know," Neleh put her head on her best friend's shoulder, as Harmony walked into the room. "We're all gonna be CSI's, and we can take James down if he ever comes back to the US..."

Harmony sighed. "James talk again?" she asked. "That guy haunts everything we do..."

"Oh, did I tell you guys that Barbara wants to visit us here?" Marah said in a singsong voice. "I told her the only way she'd ever get near me again was if Paul was there, too..."

"Marah, she's your mom..." Harmony explained. "Give her a break...she did give birth to you..."

"Oh, must you remind me of these things?" Marah fell to the bed. "Oakdale, Illinois is the most disturbing city in the USA!"

"Even worse than..." Neleh began.

"Yes, even worse than Hollywood," Marah nodded, knowing what Neleh was going to say.

~~

AN: So...what do you think? I need to know these things, people. Also, don't forget to tell me which criminal I should bring back. Nigel Crane, Paul Millander or both? Some of you may already know what I'm gonna do with him. Anyway, ciao for now!