Summary: Four months after Nick and Sara found each other, a life-altering, career-changing opportunity presents itself at the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Will this chance bring the Graveyard shift closer together, or tear them apart?
Author's Note: La La La… well it's twenty-two hours until the deadline… let's read on and see, shall we?
Disclaimer: No, I do not own CSI stuff. I do own Anisha, Maile, Dylan, All of Nick's family, Haylie and her family, and all the other characters you don't realize, k?
Rating: PG-13
Request: Read and review!
Music Credits: Sugarhigh by: Jade Anderson, Hero by: Chad Kroeger feat. Josey Scott
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It was seven a.m. - twenty-two hours until Grissom had to turn in his choice for the promotion. He was sitting at his kitchen table looking over the lists he had made for Nick and Sara. Both of them were terrific CSIs - this was the most difficult decision he had ever had to make. His thoughts, however, were interrupted when the phone rang. He got up quickly to answer it before it awoke his family.
"Hello?" He asked.
"Grissom, it's Brass," Brass said, "Listen, we've got twenty-two hours until the deadline, right?"
"That's right," Grissom said, "Five a.m. tomorrow morning."
"Maybe not," Brass said, "You, me, and Catherine have a rendezvous with the entire promotion board at noon."
~x
"Hey beautiful," Warrick said as Anisha walked by his table.
"Hey!" She said kissing his cheek, "What are you doing here alone?"
Warrick pulled out a heart shaped box and a single rose, "Valentine's Day, my dear."
"Oh, Warrick!" She said, "That is so sweet!"
"Plus I wanted to know if you're free Friday night?"
"For you I will be," she said, "Are you on call that night?"
Warrick nodded and she smiled.
Warrick grinned at her, "I'll pick you up at seven."
She winked at him, "Deal. See you then."
~x
*Once I loved someone so deep it hurt to leave his side. He was wonderful, lovable, he was truly just so beautiful I feel so blessed he came my way.
Sugar sweet how sugarhigh,
Sweetest taste I'll ever try. Your love is one I can't deny (I love you, I love you, I love you)
Sugar sweet I've realized that just one look into your eyes slowly gets me hypnotized (I love you, I love you, I love you)*
Sara awoke early - it was only six-thirty in the morning when she leaned over and looked at her alarm clock. She felt Nick's hard, toned body against hers when she lay back in her place. She smiled at the freedome she felt; she had no more worries. She didn't have to hide herself from the man laying next to her. He was there. He was with her. As she ran her fingers gently up and down his forearm, she passed the time by thinking of all the words and phrases that described him. Sweet, polite, kind, compassionate, friendly, funny, loving, sensual, devoted, honest, hard-working, passionate. It blew Sara's mind of how many there were. Sure, he had some bad quirks, but the good things in him outweighed the bad.
*His love was far beyond wealth and gold. So much from one would I learn. He was a delicate morning rain that fell to wash away my pain and bring me warmth in return. He was magical, mystical, simply irresistible, this love I can't convey. Oh so wonderful, lovable, he was truly just so beautiful I feel so blessed he came my way.
Sugar sweet how sugarhigh,
Sweetest taste I'll ever try. Your love is one I can't deny (I love you, I love you, I love you)
Sugar sweet I've realized that just one look into your eyes slowly gets me hypnotized (I love you, I love you, I love you)*
As she lay still just enjoying his presence, she thought of all the things he was to her. He was her friend, colleague, boyfriend, confidant, other half, soul mate, lover. He was her life. Her entire world revolved around the one man beside her. It blew her mind how her life had changed since that time last year. She felt the tight but gentle grasp his arm had around her. His skin was smooth and warm on her skin, and his gentle even breathing was comforting. She smiled at how incredibly lucky she was.
*Your love feels so amazing, never thought I would have found you, baby. To hold you, just to be near you (I love you, I love you, I love you)
Sugar sweet my sugarhigh
Sweetest taste I'll ever try. Your love is one I can't deny (I love you, I love you, I love you)
Ohhh.. oh so wonderful, lovable, he was truly just so beautiful
Sugar sweet how sugarhigh
Sweetest taste I'll ever try. Your love is one I can't deny (I love you, I love you, I love you)
Sugar sweet I've realized that just one look into your eyes slowly gets me hypnotized (I love you, I love you, I love you)*
Sara tried to carefully climb out of Nick's embrace, but the moment she made a movement away from his body, Nick's arm tightened around her, pulling her back next to him. Sara laughed quietly as a smile graced Nick's lips, but he didn't open his eyes.
"Would you really miss me that much?" She asked teasingly.
Nick grinned, opening his eyes, "Yes, I would."
"Aww, that's sweet, but I need caffeine," Sara said, trying to pull away, but Nick's grip tightened even more so she was pinned between his very strong left arm and his very toned, hard body.
"Oh," Sara said, leaning into his embrace as he held her closely, "If you told me this is where I'd be rather than in the kitchen, I would have given in immediately."
Nick laughed as he held her close to himself, "Well, you're always welcome here, darlin'," he replied as she turned over to face him.
"Nick," she said as her fingers drew patterns on his bare chest, "No matter what happens with the promotion tomorrow-"
"I love you, Sara," Nick interrrupted as he took in every feature of her face.
Sara's worried face relaxed into a smile, "I love you too."
*Your love feels so amazing, never thought I would have found you, baby. To hold you, just to be near you (I love you, I love you, I love you)
Sugar sweet my sugarhigh
Sweetest taste I'll ever try. Your love is one I can't deny (I love you, I love you, I love you)*
~x
"I am so high I can hear heaven. I am so high I can hear heaven. Whoa but heaven, no heaven don't hear me.
And they say that a hero can save us
I'm not gonna stand here and wait
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles, and watch as we all fly away.
Someone told me love would all save us. But how can that be: look what love gave us. A world full of killing, and blood spilling that world never came.
And they say that a hero can save us
I'm not gonna stand here and wait
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles and watch as we all fly away."
Greg hummed along with the tune in his head as he walked through the halls of the lab. It was seven-thirty and he decided to say goodbye to Maile before he left.
"Knock, knock," he said when he reached her lab.
"Hey! What are you doin' down here?" She asked, hugging him.
"Just thought I would say goodbye before I left," he informed her, "And ask you if you had anything planned Friday night?"
Maile thought for a moment, "No, not that I know of. Why, what did you have in mind?"
"What is your favorite band?"
"Creed, why?"
Greg smiled, "You shall see. I'll pick you up at seven and not a minute later."
"All right, get outta here goofball," she said with a laugh as Greg left the lab.
~x
Nick and Sara still had not made it out of bed at seven-fifteen when the phone rang.
"I've got to get that," Sara said, disentangling herself from Nick's embrace.
"Sara!" Nick groaned as he rolled his eyes. It was a rare thing he could just lay in bed and kiss her considering they didn't live together.
Another thing to talk about, Nick made a mental note as Sara re-entered the room.
"We have to get to Catherine's," Sara said as she looked for something to wear.
"Why? Is something wrong?" Nick asked, sounding extremely alarmed.
"Brass and Grissom got a hearing with the promotion committee. They and Catherine are going to try and switch the promotion to dayshift."
"Really?" Nick asked as he climbed out of bed, "And why do we have to be at the house?"
Sara kissed him quickly and winked, "We have to watch Dylan and Lindsey," she replied as she walked out of the room.
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"So as you can see," Grissom said as he stood in front of the nine promotion board members, "If the graveyard shift loses a team member, our operation level would decrease dramatically. It took months for the team we have now to become comfortable and click together the way they do now. If we had to replace a team member, it would take more time for the newcomer to become comfortable enough to work efficiently."
"Conrad Ecklie has more than enough members on his dayshift team to complete any cases they are given," Catherine added, "If one of his members was promoted, there would still be eleven actual team members to complete cases. The graveyard shift has always been shorthanded when it came to team members in the field. Dayshift has always had the upper hand when it came to the amount of people willing to work. It would take more time to find someone willing to work from eleven at night until seven in the morning. Especially with all of the people who have families."
"I think Mrs. Grissom has a very good point," Richard Storbek, the promotion board leader, said, "The graveyard shift we have now has solved cases that other labs in the country have deemed 'unsolvable', isn't that right, Mr. Brass?"
"Yes," Brass said, "That is correct."
"Can you give us an example?" Grant Williams, a surly-looking board member who had voted for graveyard shift to give up a member, said.
"Certainly," Grissom said, "The Valleri case that myself, Sara Sidle, and Nick Stokes worked. That was a case in Washington state in which the woman found murdered had been killed by her thirteen-year old son. The top crime labs in Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho deemed the crime unsolvable. We were sent in an effort to solve the case before the evidence was tampered with or the crime scene became too old for viable trace evidence. We returned within a week with the crime solved."
"Aren't Ms. Sidle and Mr. Stokes the two up for the promotion?" Amelia Meredith, one of the absent board members, asked."
"That is correct. They, however, are key elements in our team. They both work well together and with the other team members."
"Mrs. Grissom, can you vouch for that?" Mr. Storbek asked.
"Yes, I can," Catherine said, "I have worked with both of them on many occassions, and they are part of the team."
"Well," Amelia Meredith said, "I personally would not want to break up the click this team seems to have. They have solved some of the most baffling crimes, and they have made us the top crime lab in the United States."
"That is true," Mika Richards, another absent board member, agreed.
"We will discuss this and call you back in with our decision," Mr. Storbek said to Grissom, Catherine, and Brass.
"Thank you," Grissom said as he left with the other two.
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A/N: Wow – deep stuff. Doesn't this story give you a warm, tingly feeling right in the middle of your chest, or am I just insane? LOL I like my story, but then again, don't most authors?
Next Chapter: We visit the younger CSIs at the Grissoms' house, plus we find out the concluding decision of the promotion board. Read and review and I may continue… (look…there…are…the…ellipses…again…wow…lol…)