2- "Greg Gets Fired"


Grissom continued on, living as usual. He had lived through worse... he had always been better.

The hardest was letting the rest of the team know. The shock was all too familiar, the faces that fell, and the familiar feeling of pushing Sara aside as he handed out assignments.

Catherine had stayed behind, after everyone exited silently.

"Yes?" He asked quizzically, hoping to his agnostic inner soul that he wouldn't cry.

Catherine knew he was hurt. She hurt too, and felt slightly betrayed.

"We are minus a CSI," she stated, "What are you going to do?"

Grissom smiled sadly, "I thought it was obvious."

Catherine followed his gaze to the inner lab, where Greg was standing, ignorant of the CSI meeting, dancing to some music as he fell on the floor to unsuccessfully try to do "The Worm."

"Oh." Catherine whispered.


Grissom had remained silent about his plans of promoting Greg out of respect of Sara, but he knew if there was anyone to replace her it would be Greg. You just can't really be mad at Greg.

Two weeks after her resignation, Grissom thought it would be the perfect time, so, at the beginning of shift, he called the usual meeting, starting with just the CSIs.

They were idly chatting, drinking coffee, when Grissom said, suddenly, "I have found a CSI replacement."

That shut everyone up. All heads slowly turned to look at Grissom, who said, "I just thought you would like to know. So, anyway, today we got a breaking and entering over at..."

"Wait!" Nick said, "Who is it?"

Grissom smiled an impossibly evil smile and said, "Don't be angry at me."

Everyone stared, and Grissom stood there smiling and said, "Well, I figured..."

Warrick caught on really quick, "Greg. Oh God, Griss! You chose Greg!"

He nodded, and every head of the four remaining CSIs turned to look into the Lab, where Greg spun around, caught the odd looks on all of their faces, and immediately froze like a spiky haired deer in headlights.

"Remember when you said to me: 'Hey, leggo of my Greggo, he's a CSI wannabe?'" Catherine asked Nick, who nodded, trying to hide a smile.

"Well, he now has to prove it." Grissom finished, as Greg, out in the Lab, began to look awkwardly uncomfortable while he acted like he was doing something important. Of course, everyone knew this wasn't true.

Grissom smiled that evil smile again and gestured at Greg to come over to the meeting. Greg pointed at himself, and then looked behind himself to check if Grissom was motioning to someone else. He shot a nervous look around to see if anyone was watching, and then walked, slowly, over to the break room.

His inward smile dropped as he crept into the break room, where all of the CSIs were waiting for him, grave looks on their faces.

"Yes?" Greg asked, using his total "I-Swear-I-Didn't-Do-It" face.

"Greg," Nick, not wanting to miss such an opportunity to scare the daylights out of the practical joker, jumped up before anyone else could say anything. He was totally somber.

Warrick slowly stood up too, knowing exactly what Nick was doing. "Greg, we're sorry we have to tell you this... but you have been at the LVCL for awhile now, around five or four years, correct?"

Greg became visibly uncomfortable, "Yes."

Grissom and Catherine slunk behind Greg so he couldn't see their smiles.

Nick continued, "We were all talking, and we agreed: as a Lab Technician to the Las Vegas Crime Lab, we are going to have to let you go. It was a congregational decision: totally unanimous."

"You're fired." They said in perfect unison, as if they had rehearsed.

Greg wasn't a stupid person, but Nick and Warrick pulled it off so well that he started to look slightly worried, especially when Grissom walked up behind him and said, "I'm sorry Greg, but Nick and Warrick are right. There is no more room for you as our Lab Tech."

He lifted up the object he had been carrying behind his back and, from behind, stuck it over Greg's (who was still facing Nick and Warrick) neck.

"Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, we do have room for you as a CSI Level One. What do you say, Mr. Sanders?" The badge hung over his lab coat and reflected the light.

He exhaled sharply, "Holy hell, you guys... I... you... was so scared... I thought... but..."

"Gregory Sanders: speechless. This is the biggest compliment of all." Catherine said, smiling.

"So... the entire time... all I had to do was kill Sara? Then I could have gotten the job?" Greg said, sardonic smirk back on his face, as everyone broke into laughter and came over to congratulate him.

"So, who does Greg tail along with?" Grissom asked, and at once everyone fell silent. Greg coughed nervously.

Suddenly, Nick yelled, "Nose goes!"

Instantly, Grissom, Warrick and Nick touched their noses with their fingers and smiled at Catherine, who looked at Grissom as if he had just betrayed her.

"Nose goes? Oh please, people. I thought we were supposed to be mature crime fighters."

She shot a look to Greg, who winked back at her and she said, "Or perhaps not."

Greg winced, "Ouch."


A/N: Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Sara.

"Prepositions are something you should never end a sentence with."