These characters are the property of Anthony Zuiker and many other people who are making a profit from them.  I don't happen to be one of them.  No copyright infringement is intended.  In fact, AZ and company should be pleased, as imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Thanks, as always, to my betas Alison and Margaret, without whom I'm not sure I would have tried my hand at a WIP (when it was one).  Their wisdom also convinced me to have the entire fic completed before I began posting it – definitely a smart move considering how long this has taken.  You two are the best!

~*~*~

Shortly after returning to Vegas Monday afternoon, Sara and Grissom went their separate ways.  She left to run errands and do laundry while he decided to get some sleep before work.

Sara took a brief nap before leaving early for the lab.  She had been working a murder case with Catherine and Nick before the weekend, and wanted to catch up on whatever progress they had made.  In terms of evidence analysis, their job was nearly complete.  Unfortunately it did not yet yield the identity of the killer.  Sara was hoping her time away would afford her a different perspective on the case.

She was still reviewing the evidence when Nick entered the layout room.  "Hey, welcome back.  How was the weekend?"

"You know how those family things are."  She tried to be vague because despite being willing to do so, Sara did not like lying to her friends.

"Sure, half of them want details on all the gory cases you've caught and the other half want to know why you aren't married with kids yet."

Returning his smile, she commiserated, "Something like that, yeah."

"You done here?  Shift's just about to begin."

"Already?"  Sara glanced at her watch and was startled to see that it was indeed almost time to report for duty.  "Time certainly does fly when you're having fun, huh?"

Arriving in the break room a few minutes later, Sara and Nick heard Catherine asking Grissom about his weekend.

"It was fine."

"Uh-oh.  I know that tone.  That means his roaches got stage fright again," joked Warrick.  "How'd they do?"

Grissom was prepared for this question, "Second, third, fourth, and last in their respective races."  He only hoped Warrick would not recognize the standings as those from the last competition he had attended.

"Last, man, that's got to hurt."  This was from Nick.

"Yes, well, let's just hope that particular cockroach is aptly named: 'I've Got Portential'"

"'Portential?'  What the hell kind of name is that?"  Much as Catherine hated to participate in a discussion about Grissom's racing roaches, the question came out before she could stop herself.

"Ah.  The scientific name for the Madagascar hissing cockroach is gromphadorhina portentosa, thus 'I've Got Portential' and her team mate 'Forrest Gromph'"

Sara and Warrick chuckled, Nick snorted, and Catherine shook her head.

Nick admitted, "I'm almost afraid to ask.  What are the others named?"

With an indignant look on his face, Grissom supplied, "'Black Betty' and 'Madagascar Margaret.'"

"Well those aren't so bad," sighed Catherine.  With a glint in her eye, she asked, "Who are Betty and Margaret?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who'd you name them after?"

"No one."  He tried not to look at Sara.  "They're random names I picked for alliterative purposes."

"Gotta say I'm not buying that, Gris.  Men don't name things like cars and… cockroaches after just anybody."

"You do a study on that, Nick?"  This was the first Sara had spoken since the discussion began.  She wanted to deflect the attention off Grissom without being obvious about it; although part of her did want to know who Betty and Margaret were.

"I'm with Nick on this one.  There's definitely a story here."  Warrick put in his two cents.

"One you won't get because we've got work to do.  In case some of you have forgotten why we're here."

"Oh I'm sure you can expect that in," Catherine checked her watch, "two minutes, when shift actually starts, we'll all be more than ready to work."

This time Grissom did look briefly at Sara, who only lifted her eyebrows in a "You got yourself into this" expression.

He let out a brief sigh.  "Margaret is the name of the girl I had my first serious crush on.  We were lab partners in ninth grade science.  Betty isn't a real person, but the name 'Black Betty' came from my best friend as a child."  He glanced about the room and realized that they expected him to continue.  "Her name is Alison and she and I used to catch insects together.  She always named hers 'Black Betty.'"

"Always?  Not very original of her."  Sara had a feeling there was more to the story.  She made a mental note to ask him another time.

"What she lacked in creativity as a child she obviously made up for as an adult.  She's a novelist now, with at least three published books under her belt."  He paused, in part to shift gears, and in part to let his CSIs get any final comments out of their systems.  When none followed, he continued.

"If we're finished with cocktail hour, I'd like to give out assignments.  Warrick and Sara, you have a possible suicide at the Bellagio."  He handed a slip of paper to Sara since she was closer.  "Nick and Cath, you're going to remain on the Collins case, but you're going to have to put it on the back burner for the time being.  You've got a rape at UNLV that takes priority right now.  I'll be here catching up on paperwork if anyone needs me.  When I'm done with that, I'll review what you've got on Collins."

"You do realize I was on the Collins case too, right?"  This was said in a matter-of-fact manner, with barely a trace of attitude.  Sara did not want to jump down Grissom's throat about it, but at the same time she wanted to be sure he was not being overprotective of her because of their relationship.  Besides, the others would know something was up if Sara just let him remove her from a case with no comment.

"Yes, but three of you weren't able to make much headway in the two days before your time off, and Cath and Nick have basically come to a dead-end since you've been gone.  According to Catherine, it doesn't look like there's enough evidence to make a case one way or the other.  It's not efficient to have three CSIs on it any longer."

Getting up, Sara handed him the file with a wry smile.  "Well then, here it is.  Good luck.  I nearly went bleary-eyed and came up with nothing new anyway."

~*~*~

As the nightshift was getting their cases, Conrad Ecklie thought he was going brain dead.

His wife's sister and her husband were in town for a few days – he was grateful he lived in Las Vegas and it was more appealing for them to stay in a hotel on the strip than in his house – and they were being regaled with stories of the couple's drive from Fresno.

When they offered to show the video they shot along the way, Ecklie inwardly groaned and tried to come up with a half-decent excuse to skip the viewing.  Sure, his wife would probably withhold sex for a month as punishment for being so rude, but he figured anything had to be better than watching Jane and John Boring's travel logs in Technicolor.  Unfortunately, Karen Ecklie gushed about what a great idea it was and led them all into the den, taking Conrad by the arm.

Ecklie had to admit that the footage from the Sequoia National Park was spectacular, for about the first five minutes.  But after you've seen one giant tree, you've pretty much seen them all, he mused.  He had even less tolerance for the video of his in-laws' trek though Death Valley.  He lived in a freaking desert; did he really need to see how one looked with his in-laws in it?

Whiling away the time they spent in Death Valley by ranking the various ways he wanted to kill himself just then, Ecklie's attention was caught when the scenery changed again.  This, according to his sister-in-law, was from a tour at a winery in Nevada's Mojave Desert.  After ten minutes of listening to the tour guide drone on about the history of the vineyard, Ecklie tried to keep himself awake by studying all the people the camera captured and guessing what type of crimes they would be most likely to commit.

When the camera closed in on a gazebo, Conrad Ecklie nearly spilled his drink.  "Holy shit!"

"Connie honey, what's wrong?"

"That's Grissom and Sidle."

"Oh, I think they were at the dance too.  You know them?  Such an attractive couple," piped in his sister-in-law.

"What dance?  You have that on tape too?"

Seeing the practically rabid look in her brother-in-law's eyes, she was now hesitant to answer Conrad.  "The dinner-dance at the winery later that night.  It was part of their annual jazz festival.  We do have some of that on tape."

Grabbing the remote control from his sister-in-law's hand, Ecklie rewound the video to get another look at the two CSIs in what could only be described as an intimate embrace.  Nearly an hour later he had skimmed through all of the video taken at the dance, stopping any time the camera passed over the night shift supervisor and his subordinate.

Turning to his brother-in-law, Ecklie smiled, "Buddy, I'd like to borrow this tape if I could."

~*~*~

"You were up early today," Sara commented the next evening as she washed the lettuce for the salad she was preparing.

Hands busy cutting chicken and vegetables for kabobs, Grissom tilted his chin toward the TTY on the counter next to his phone and replied, "I wanted to catch my mother before she left for the gallery tonight.  She's showing a new artist and she always gets a little nervous before a premiere."

"Such a good son."  She patted his face with her wet hand.

"Not to hear my mother tell it.  When I mentioned we'd gone to Pahrump for the weekend, she wanted to know why we didn't come visit her instead."

"She's in California, and we only had the weekend."

"My point exactly.  To which she responded that a flight to L.A. is barely more than an hour."

"Except that when you factor in how early we'd have to get to the airport and how long you'd drive around LAX before finally following my directions to get us out of there, it's much more than an hour's travel time you're talking about."  He flashed her a look at the comment about his driving.  She smiled and continued, "Anyway, you know we couldn't go to California without visiting my folks too, so a weekend would never be enough."

"I told her that as well."

"And?"

After washing his hands and wiping them on a towel, Grissom kissed Sara on the nose.  "And she asked what's the use of being the boss if I can't arrange a week off for us."

"I've wondered that myself.  You know, where are my perks for sleeping with the boss?"

"I thought sleeping with the boss was a perk in and of itself."

Grissom's cell phone rang, saving Sara from coming up with a witty reply.

"Grissom… No Conrad, you didn't wake me.  What can I do for you?... How early?..."  He glanced at his watch and let out a sigh.  "Yeah, I suppose I could make it…Fine, bye."

Closing the phone, Grissom looked at Sara.  "That was Ecklie."

"So I gathered.  What does he want you to come in early for?"

"He says he's got something he wants me to take a look at."

"Some kind of bug?"

"I imagine.  What else could he want with me?"

~*~*~

"Gil, thank you for coming.  Sorry to drag you in an hour before shift, but I had a feeling you'd like to see this.  I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."  Ecklie directed Grissom to a chair.

Not one to sit and chat with Conrad Ecklie, Grissom moved him along.  "Don't worry about it.  So where is it?"

"Right here."  He indicated the television cart, complete with VCR.

"You have a video of an insect?  Where's the actual sample?"

"Oh, no, Gil, you misunderstand.  This isn't work-related."

Getting pissed that he had given up time with Sara for this nonsense, Grissom responded sarcastically, "Home movies Conrad?"

"As a matter of fact, yes.  But as I said, I thought you'd find this interesting."  Fiddling with the remote control, Ecklie continued, "My in-laws are in town, visiting from California.  They nearly put me in a coma with their footage of Death Valley and other national monuments."  He paused to look at Grissom as he found the Play button.

"Can we please get to the point here?"

"Did you know there's a winery in the Mojave Desert?"

Momentarily stunned and instantly suspicious of where this was going, the best Grissom could think to say was, "Excuse me?"

Ecklie smiled as he explained, "In a little town called Pahrump.  Seems they have a jazz festival and dance every year.  My in-laws are into that ballroom dancing shit."  He feigned a look of concern and said, "No offense, of course, if you happen to enjoy that kind of thing yourself.  Anyway, this is from a tour they took at the vineyard."  He started the tape.

Grissom had a moment's relief as he thought that Ecklie's in-laws had been in the same tour group with him and Sara.  They held hands throughout the tour, but Grissom estimated the chances to be slim that someone would have caught that on tape.  If all this showed was the two of them at a vineyard together, it could be easily and innocently explained away.

It was when he did not recognize the tour guide that Grissom's heart began to sink.  He forced himself to watch the tape, occasionally glancing at Ecklie to gauge his reaction.  Grissom thought bitterly that he would love to get the man into a game of poker – he was easier to read than shoe prints tracked through paint.  Seeing the grin on the bastard's face begin to spread, Grissom turned his attention back to the screen.  In the background, he could see the gazebo.  Apparently, whoever was filming noticed it as well, because the camera zoomed in on it.  From a distance, Grissom could tell that he and Sara were its only two occupants, and his pulse quickened in anger at the thought that Conrad Ecklie was in any way privy to that particular moment with Sara.

When the camera operator finished closing in on the structure, anyone who knew them would have recognized Gil Grissom standing behind Sara Sidle, his arms wrapped around her.  Closing his eyes for a few seconds, Grissom muttered, "That's enough Conrad."

"But that's not even the good part, Gil."

"I said enough!"  He raised his voice, but did not have the energy to get up and walk out the door.

After his brief outburst, Grissom remained silent.  "No comment, Gil?"

"I have nothing to say to you about this."

"Aren't you the least bit interested in what else is on this tape?"  When no response came, Ecklie kept talking.  "There's some footage of the dance, with you and Sidle looking awfully…cozy.  Oh, and I must commend you on the song you requested; seems you're quite the romantic."  Disappointed that the entomologist did not react, he offered, "I have to say, Gil, I never pictured you as the dancing type.  But then again, I never thought you'd fuck a subordinate, either."

Jumping up from the chair, Grissom hissed, "Not one word, Ecklie.  Not one more word from you."  He shut the TV off and moved to leave.

"Grissom, wait!"  The entomologist stopped, but did not turn around.  "Don't you want to know what I'm going to do with this tape?"

"Take it to hell with you?"

"Oh now Gil, you've hurt my feelings.  I know what I should do with the tape.  I should take it to Director Carvallo and let him deal with the fact that the night shift supervisor is engaged in an inappropriate relationship with one of his CSIs.  The same CSI that said supervisor brought to Las Vegas - "

Grissom faced Ecklie.  "This has nothing to do with my hiring Sara."

"I'm sure it doesn't, Gil."  His tone was clearly placating now.  "But you must be aware that's exactly how it'll look.  In fact, every move you've made regarding CSI Sidle, every evaluation you've given her, every achievement she's earned will be suspect once this gets out."  The look on Grissom's face would have made a lesser man change his mind; but Ecklie steeled himself for his coup de grâce.  "But maybe it doesn't have to get out."

"What are you talking about Ecklie?"

"I'm talking about the fact that we can maybe help each other out a little here.  I can 'forget' all about this tape in return for your support and a letter of recommendation when Carvallo's job becomes available."

"Carvallo's leaving?"

"Nothing's official yet, but word has it he won't be around after the New Year."

"You do realize this is blackmail, don't you?"

"Tomato, tomahto, Gil.  I'd describe it more as 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.'  So what do you say?"

Grissom just stared at him.  He was loathe to do anything to help Ecklie become Lab Director, but sometimes it was better to work with the devil you knew.  Maybe he could guarantee some kind of job security for Sara, if not himself.  "What happens to me and Sara if you do become Director?  I mean, either way, the director knows about us.  Why shouldn't we just take our chances with Carvallo now?"

Ecklie grinned.  Gotcha.  "Because you have my word that once I'm Lab Director, as long as you two keep it from interfering with the job, I'll see no reason to make an issue of your after-hours…activities."  Conrad Ecklie was no fool.  He knew that Grissom and Sidle were a large part of the reason the night shift had the highest clearance rate.  He was also pretty damned sure Carvallo would look the other way if it meant keeping that team intact and successful.  Hell, Willows blew up the DNA lab and all she got was a five day vacation.

Offering his hand, Ecklie pushed.  "So do we have a deal, Gil?"

Grissom thought for a few moments.  There was no way he was going to agree to anything with Ecklie until he discussed the situation with Sara.  Looking at his watch, he saw that he had about a half hour before shift started.  Sara was probably somewhere in the building already, maybe he should tell her about this now.  "I'll have to get back to you on this, Ecklie."

As Grissom stormed into the hall, Ecklie called after him.  "Consider this time-sensitive, Grissom.  Twenty-four hours and this will be a moot point."

Ecklie closed his door and took a deep breath.  Reaching for the phone and dialing, he mentally applauded himself for his performance with Grissom.  He considered it a trial run, however, for his next meeting.

~*~*~

Sara was in the break room flipping through the latest volume of The Journal of Forensic Sciences when her pager sounded.  "What the hell?" she muttered when she saw the text message requesting her presence at Ecklie's office.

Heading there a few minutes later, Sara wondered what was going on.  It was definitely strange that Ecklie would need to talk to her.  If it had anything to do with the bug he had for Grissom, why didn't Gil himself page her?  Turning into the final corridor, Sara saw Grissom at the other end of the hall, leaving his own office.  He headed for the nearest exit, which took him away from Sara's direction.  Though she could not be sure, Sara thought he looked incredibly tense.  If it would not have drawn unnecessary attention to herself, she would have called out or jogged after him.  Instead, she pulled out her cell phone and began dialing his number as she continued to walk.  Before she could finish dialing, Ecklie stepped out of his office as she was about to pass it by.

"Ms. Sidle, thank you for coming so quickly."

In her haste to get in touch with Grissom, Sara had momentarily forgotten she was on the way to see Ecklie.  Stopping short, she said, "Oh, yeah, right.  Listen, I just have to make a phone call, and then I'll be right back."

"You don't have very long before your shift begins.  I'd really like to get this over before then.  Please, put the phone away and come have a seat."

"This can't wait five minutes?"

"It really can't, no."  He tried to take the sting out of his words with a grin.

She looked at him suspiciously.  The smarmy smile did nothing to ease her concern, and in fact alarmed her more when she considered that Grissom met with him earlier and now seemed to be upset.  With an ersatz smile of her own, she replied, "Fine."  She made a show of hitting a few more buttons on her phone before clipping it to her belt, explaining, "Let me just shut this off so we won't be interrupted."

Following Ecklie into his office, Sara looked around and immediately began a mental inventory of the ways in which this space differed from Grissom's.  While the entomologist's office revealed a great deal about his interests and hobbies, Ecklie's Spartan surroundings said virtually nothing about his personality, except maybe that he did not have one.

"Why don't you take a seat, Ms. Sidle?"

"I'll stand."  She crossed her arms over her stomach in what she intended to be a bored and impatient gesture.

"Well then, let me explain why you're here."

"Please do."

He did not like her attitude.  Why is she already on the offensive?  I'll just knock her down a peg or two, then.  "You know what?  On second thought, let me just show you."   He walked to the television stand and hit Play on the VCR.

As soon as she saw recognized the winery, Sara knew what would be on the tape.  While the specifics would reveal themselves on the screen in a few minutes, Sara understood that whatever she was about to see was incriminating enough for it to have upset Grissom.

Sara remained where she stood and allowed Ecklie to comment on scene after scene of what had been the best weekend of her adult life.  Not a bad way for a guy to spend his mid-life crisis.  I find it interesting that someone as young as you would know those dances.  Who knew Gil Grissom was such a romantic?  I thought you'd be too much of a feminist to stand anyone calling you "his gal."

When the tape was over, Ecklie found himself grateful that looks could not actually kill.  He was certain he would have been a dead man many times over if they could.  He was also surprised Sidle had managed to keep her mouth shut the entire time.

When she finally did speak, it was acidic.  "Where did you get this?"

He did not expect that question, at least not yet.  "My in-laws happened to be there.  They showed me and my wife the video."

"So you didn't send someone out to follow us because you suspected something?"

Misunderstanding why she asked the question, he rushed to assure her.  "No.  I had no idea about you two until I saw the tape.  And no one knows about the video but me."

"And Grissom."

"Yes, Grissom has seen it."

"Why have we been treated to this sneak preview?"

"As a courtesy."  Why was she interrogating him?  When did he lose control of this meeting?

"Explain."

Clearing his throat, he dove in.  "I'm sure you must understand that as a supervisor who is aware of the inappropriate behavior of other employees, it is my responsibility to turn over the evidence of such action to the director of the lab."

"Oh, I see.  You wanted to give us fair warning so we'd be prepared when Carvallo calls us in to fire our asses?"

What the hell is her problem?  You'd think she'd be a little more conciliatory given her position right now.  "Actually, Ms. Sidle…Sara, I'd like to think I have more forethought than Director Carvallo.  Being in the trenches, as it were, I see the forest for the trees in a way our esteemed director does not."  When her only response was to raise her eyebrows, he continued.  "I believe that you and Grissom are assets to this lab; I think it would be foolish to force one or both of you to leave.  That said, it is unprofessional and inappropriate for you to…be involved with your supervisor."

"What's your point, Ecklie?  And make it quick, because my shift starts in about ten minutes."

"I'm willing to withhold knowledge of this tape and your relationship with Grissom if you come work for me."

Sara's mouth dropped open.  "And why on earth would I do that?  Wait, wait.  First tell me why on earth you'd want that."

"Sara, it's no secret that you are the hardest worker on the night shift.  Hell, I don't think it would be a stretch to say you're the most successful CSI we have in the entire lab right now.  I'd be lying if I said dayshift couldn't benefit from your presence on the team.  As for why you might want to make the change, the first reason is the possibility of advancement."  He lowered his voice.  "I can't go into details right now, Sara, but if…situations fall into place for me, I might soon be in the position to select my replacement as shift supervisor.  If you can prove yourself to me on days, I'd have no problem recommending you."

"What if I tell you that being shift supervisor holds absolutely no appeal for me?"

"I'd call you a liar."  He said it with a genuine smile.  "You'd thrive on it, and you and I both know that.  But let's put discussion of your future on the backburner for a minute.  The other reason you might want to switch to days is to spare Grissom the embarrassment of being known as the strange old bug guy who hired his beautiful young student to have sex with him."

For the first time since walking through the door, she let her true emotions show.  Pointing her finger as she stalked across the room to get into his face, Sara nearly yelled, "You're a fucking pig, Ecklie!"

Hands up in a classic stance of surrender, he smiled.  "Now, Sara, I'm not saying I believe that.  As I just stated, I think you're an exemplary CSI, and I know you didn't sleep your way into your position.  But I do think it's safe to say that many people will believe that Gil…traded favors.  And with his national reputation as an entomologist, I'm afraid it will be his name more than yours that will spread like wildfire through the rumor mills of our profession."

Sara paced the room briefly while she clenched and unclenched her fists in an effort to calm down.  She berated herself for letting Ecklie get to her, but fury had been bubbling just under the surface since he started that damned video.

Ecklie, meanwhile, was becoming more and more pleased with himself.  He believed Sara's actions indicated that she was coming to terms with the fact that it was in her best interest to move to days.

"And of course you come out smelling like a rose, with no one knowing that you pulled this off through the use of blackmail."

"Blackmail?  The two of you do think alike, I'll give you that."  Looking at his watch, Ecklie realized he would not get an answer from her today.  Turning on his best "we're friends, right?" charm, he offered, "Why don't you think this over for a bit.  It's a big step, and I'm sure you don't want to rush into it blindly or based solely on emotions.  Come back tomorrow before your shift and let me know your decision then, okay?"

"And if I don't?"

The look in his eye betrayed non-threatening tone of his voice.  "If I don't hear from you by the end of my shift, I'm afraid I'll be forced to keep the appointment I made with Director Carvallo."

Disgust evident in her voice, Sara replied, "Sure Ecklie.  You'll know what I've decided tomorrow."  With that, she left.

Hoping she could catch Grissom before he joined the rest of team in the break room to dole out assignments, Sara strode quickly toward his office while working her phone.  When she found it empty, she kicked the doorframe and muttered obscenities that would make a sailor proud.

Sara took the walk to the break room more slowly, concentrating on evening her breathing and clearing her head with every step.  She was concerned with how she and Grissom would react when she saw him.  He would know by the look on her face that Ecklie had shown her the video.  She was certain his pulse would jump straight to 95, and if she had to be honest with herself, Sara was not sure she could reel in her own emotions anymore tonight.  Maintaining her calm the entire time – alright, most of the time – with Ecklie had taken every ounce of her self control, and she was afraid that she might snap if she could not discuss this with Grissom soon.

~*~*~

"Has anyone seen Sara?"  Grissom was pouring a cup of coffee as Catherine, Warrick, and Nick sat at the table waiting for assignments.  He had been losing a battle with a migraine ever since Ecklie showed him that damned video.  After nearly tearing his office apart in search of his Imitrex, he remembered that he had taken the last one a few weeks ago and had neglected to replace his office supply.

"I saw her car in the lot when I came in, so she should be around here somewhere," volunteered Nick.

"Did you check the layout room?" Catherine chimed in.  "She's probably there pouring over the pathetic excuse for evidence we collected in the Collins case."

"Well we don't have time to wait for her.  We've got a person missing from the Mountain View Hospital."

"A patient?" asked Warrick

"A mentally retarded teenager who was recovering from surgery, apparently.  I want all of us working on it.  I'll call Sara from the road."

"No need, I'm here," Sara announced as she came through the door.  "Sorry I'm late."  She looked around the room and noted that everyone was getting up, presumably to get started on their respective cases.  "Grissom, can I talk to you for a sec?  In private."

He regarded Sara for longer than he probably should have.  She looked…out of sorts, Grissom thought.  He knew she had not been late to work, yet she was late to their staff meeting, and she was anxious to talk to him.  Engaging her eyes for a few moments, realization hit him in the gut and nearly knocked the wind out of him.  Yes, they needed to talk.

Noticing that Warrick and Nick had already left the room, Grissom called Catherine's name as she was nearly through the door herself.  "Cath, you take Nicky and Warrick to the hospital.  I'll drive with Sara."

"Sure.  See you there."  She barely turned as she continued into the hall.

"Are you okay?"  Grissom asked quietly.

"I…not here.  I can't do this here.  Where are we heading?"

"A 418 at Mountain View Hospital."

"Well that'll at least give us 15 minutes to talk."

"I think we're going to need more time than that."

Sara offered him a sympathetic look.  "Doesn't look like we're going to get that anytime soon with a lost person somewhere out there.  Let's go."

Once in the privacy of the Tahoe, Sara asked, "What did he say to you?"

"You spoke to Ecklie?" Grissom started at the same time.  "You first."  He put the vehicle in gear and started out of the lot.

"Yeah, Ecklie paged me, right after you left him, I'd guess.  I actually saw you as you were storming out of your office and I was trying to reach you when he caught up to me."

"He showed you the tape?"

"And loved every minute of it, making snide little comments throughout."  She paused for moment, not sure how much she should reveal to him right now.  Ultimately she decided that he needed to know everything that had happened; she knew they would both be thinking about this even as they worked their case tonight.  The more information they had, the better solutions they could develop.  "He wants me to switch to days."

"What?"

"He said he would keep his mouth shut about the tape if I joined his team."

Grissom shook his head in disbelief.  "All he wanted from me was support when Carvallo leaves."

"Ah, so that's what he was talking about.  He hinted at some kind of shift in the administration, but said he couldn't go into detail.  Do you know anything about it?"

"No, I haven't heard a thing."

"You think Ecklie's planning on staging a coup of some kind?"

"I don't know how he could.  Carvallo's not an elected official like the Sheriff."

"I wonder if Ecklie has something on Carvallo.  We know damned well he'd be willing to use it."  Sara massaged her forehead; she was getting a headache.  And if she was getting one, Grissom was probably in the throes of a migraine by now.  "Did you take any medication?"

"What for?"

"Your migraine."

He gave her a wry smile.  "No, I don't have any more at work.  I forgot to replace them when I took the last one."

Reaching behind the driver's seat for Grissom's field kit, she muttered affectionately, "Sometimes I don't know what you'd do without me."  Pulling the case onto her lap, Sara opened it and ran her fingers between the foam cushion and the interior wall, searching out the small manila envelope she had hidden there a few months before.  She poured a pill out into her hand and presented it to him.  "Violà."

Swallowing it dry, he took her hand.  "We won't have to find out, you know."

"Find what out?"

"What I would do without you."  He took his eyes off the road long enough to look into Sara's in an attempt to offer some support.

"I hope you're right."  Letting out a sigh, Sara continued, "We're in for some rough times ahead, Gil."

Squeezing her hand, he assured her, "We'll get through them."

Sitting back in her seat and closing her eyes, Sara wished she could agree with him.

To be continued…