A/N: Another great big thank you for the encouraging reviews and even more thanks to Alison and Alicia the beta work!

Chapter 6

(11:55 PM)

Sara arrived at the Quickee mart and distracted to storeowner, who introduced herself as "Martha Goddamnit," while Warrick finished processing the scene. Martha was pausing for breath mid tirade when Warrick tapped Sara on the shoulder.

"All done here." She turned to look around and discovered that he had already loaded everything into the SUV.

Sara turned back to the woman in front of her. "I'm very sorry that this happened to you. Again. We will do everything possible to find the person that did this and I want to thank you for being so calm and patient with us." Sara said, resisting the urge to address her as Mrs. Goddamnit. The woman glared at Sara and Warrick as they left the store. They were both trying not to laugh out loud.

"Can you believe that? What a vocabulary."

Warrick chuckled as they climbed into the Denali. He told her what he had found at the scene and updated her on the case as they drove back to the lab. Walking down the corridor, they noticed Grissom sitting in his office. It seemed to them that he was staring into space. Warrick nodded his head toward the open door and asked, "What's with him?"

Sara shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know." They continued down the hall to process their evidence.

An hour and a half later they were finished processing and had a suspect in custody. It was the same kid that had been responsible for the first two robberies. Sara and Warrick were walking back into the lab when they saw Nick and Catherine standing in the hall laughing.

"You guys are pretty chipper for working on a DB," Sara commented.

"Blow-up doll."

"Yeah, I was just telling Nick that maybe she's available but he thinks that she's out of his league." Catherine and Sara laughed.

"Don't sell her short, Cath. I bet she could do better." Warrick slapped Nick on the shoulder.

Grissom came out of his office and spotted the group in the hall. He walked over to them. "How are your cases coming?"

"Our DB was a blow-up doll," Nick shot Catherine a warning glance and she smiled innocently.

"Our robbery is wrapped up."

"Good. Work on your other cases until something else comes in. Sara, I need to speak with you." He turned and disappeared back to his office. Her co-workers looked at her questioningly and she shrugged.

"I have no idea." She gave them a wave and trailed after Grissom.

"Sara, close the door please." She did and took a seat on a chair across from his desk. He picked up a plain manila folder and came around to sit in the chair next to hers.

"Am I suspended? Fired?" She blurted out the question that had been running through her mind.

Grissom looked up in surprise. "No. Sara I told you it wasn't bad."

"You also said 'nothing is wrong…yet.'"

He winced. "Sorry. It's about my meeting was with Carvallo and Ecklie." He paused. "Sara they want to offer you a position on the day shift. You would be second in command to Ecklie. There would also be a raise…" He trailed off unsure of what to say.

Sara just sat there shell-shocked. "They are offering me a promotion?" Grissom nodded silently. "Why not Nick? He was recommended for the Lead CSI spot."

Grissom cleared his throat. "Ecklie…didn't agree with my recommendation. He wants you." He watched her closely trying to figure out what she was thinking. He didn't have to wait long to find out.

Sara returned his stare. "Does he know why you recommended Nick?"

"No."

"Did you really choose him because he didn't want it?"

"No."

She nodded slowly. 'That's something I guess,' Sara thought. "Are you going to tell me the real reason?" He rubbed his eyes tiredly and for a moment Sara considered leaving well enough alone but she needed to know. "Grissom I'll make it easy for you. Is my performance lacking? Am I doing something wrong?"

"No, your job performance is exceptional as usual. Both of you are more than qualified for the job so it was a hard decision to make. Sara this job isn't about our personal gain, it's about finding the truth and using it to bring justice to the victims."

"You think I don't know that?"
"Sometimes you forget. We all do."

Sara digested this information. He was right. She had caught herself caring more about how a case could help her career and less about the victim a few times. "And of course none of this bothers Ecklie because he's all about his career."

"Sara your presence on the day shift would increase their solve rate and you could teach the other CSI's how to do their jobs properly." She smiled at this. "I don't want to lose you." He swallowed hard. "I only see you at work and if you change your shift…"

"That was your choice Grissom! Remember? Besides, we rarely work together anymore and when we do -" she stopped herself from losing her temper and took a deep breath before continuing. "How long do I have to decide?"

"Carvallo wants an answer on Thursday morning." Grissom was disappointed that she didn't immediately say no but relieved that she didn't immediately say yes. He handed her a folder. "Here is the information about the position." She took the folder and started to rise from her chair, but stopped when he placed his hand on hers. "Sara there is more that we need to talk about but this isn't the right time or place."

The door to his office opened and Catherine poked her head in.

"Sorry to interrupt but a call just came in. Franklin Elementary School just exploded."

Grissom pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. You guys get over there. We'll follow you." He waited until Catherine had closed the door. "Will you have breakfast with me after shift?"

Sara hesitated. "How long do I have to decide?" She repeated her earlier question with a small smile.

He smiled back. "End of shift."

"Okay. I'll let you know."

(2:00 AM)

Grissom and Sara pulled as close to Franklin Elementary, or what was left to it, as they could. Fire trucks and police cars seemed to be everywhere. The school was in a shambles. Luckily there weren't any other structures close to the burnt building but several trees were on fire and the firemen worked quickly to put them out.

They spotted the others entering the building as the bomb squad left after having cleared the scene. They walked over quickly to catch up.

All of the windows were blown out from the explosion and the walls were charred around the frames. They looked around as they stepped inside. Debris lay everywhere and the smell of burnt wood and plastic permeated the air.

"Do you want me to take the perimeter?" Sara asked.

Grissom looked around taking in the scene. "No I want you in here. Warrick!" He called over to the man crouched next to an overturned desk. "Take the perimeter and keep an eye on the crowd. Nick take the rear of the building, Catherine take the front. Sara and I will take the inner part of the school and work our way out." Everyone nodded and set out to start their tasks.

"The blast probably came from somewhere near the center of the building judging from the lesser amount of damage around the outer rooms." Sara observed as they walked down the hall. Grissom just looked back at her with a smirk. "Oh." She smiled a little and then focused on the scene.

Evelyn Richardson sat very still watching the people moving around the room. While the three men had been taping them up she had been evaluating them. Obviously the one with the gun was the most ruthless of the three. The man standing next to her was the one that had woken her up. He seemed non-violent but she couldn't be sure. She decided that since the third man had been given very little to do and seemed to be wary of even holding the bag he was the most harmless. He was also younger that the other two if she wasn't mistaken.

Evelyn was trying to be calm and not think about what the men were going to do to Michael and it wasn't working. Tears filled her eyes as the man with the gun pulled her husband into a standing position.

"You stay with her. We'll call when we're done." The gunman propelled Michael toward the door and she could make out a muffled "I love you" come from behind the tape. The tears she had been holding back overflowed down her face.

Michael took one last look at the woman he had loved for over half of his life before he was shoved through the door and into the hallway. He prayed that her anguish filled eyes and tears would not be his last image of her. The Gun, as Michael had come to think of him, pushed him forward and he started down the hall with his hands bound together in front of him. The three of them went down the stairs and to the front door.

"Where are the keys to the bank?" Michael gestured toward the table next to the front door. The Gun picked up the keys and turned back to him. "If you try anything, Mrs. Richardson is going to die." Michael nodded his understanding and they stepped outside. The Gun held his weapon low and close to Michael's body hiding it from the view of any passerby. They walked down the sidewalk and crossed the street to his captor's car.

The Gun opened the door to the backseat on the driver's side. He motioned for Michael to climb in. Once he was in the backseat the Gun sat next to him while the silent one got in behind the wheel. The drive to the bank was silent and tense. They parked half a block away and got out. When they got to the front door of the bank a dark figure stepped out of the shadows toward them.

TBC…