This chapter is slightly dramatic and REALLY long, so be aware of that. You didn't think I wouldn't put any challenges in Warrick and Sara's relationship, did you?! I swear the next chapter will be a little more uplifting.

"Damnit!" Grissom yelled into the phone. "Damnit!"

We all stared at him in confusion. Everyone was in his office, called in for a group meeting. Before an incredibly grumpy looking Grissom could get any words out, his phone rang. He mumbled a few things, and then had that outburst. It was startling - Grissom never had a temper tantrum, especially not in front of all his employees.

He slammed the phone down and then turned to look at all of us, Catherine, Nicky, me and Warrick. We were all just one happy family lately. Warrick and I had been together for almost 6 months now, and things were getting pretty serious. When we were together outside of work, we made a pact never to talk about work. My promotion was STILL a sore subject in our relationship, and I tried not to talk about it much. Catherine and Nick were even more serious than we were - it looked like an engagement was on the horizon.

"I've had enough of this from my team! I put up with all of you getting all cuddly together because it didn't affect your work, and you were all doing a fantastic job of keeping it a secret. And frankly, when all of you are happy, I'm happy too. I admit, I've really been slacking as a supervisor. I shouldn't have allowed this. I should have transferred some of you to the day shift or something. This has gotten out of control."

He stared at us, waiting for some kind of response. I didn't say anything because I didn't think it deserved a response. Why did I have to defend my relationship with Warrick? Nobody else said anything, either. I think we were all just so shocked that Gil was shouting profanity at his phone.

"None of you have anything to say for yourself? I guess you're all so happy and in love that it really doesn't matter that the real world is going on around you. Well, guess what? We're all fucked."

Every single one of us gasped to ourselves. This must really be bad if Grissom was cussing.

"That was the sheriff on the phone. He was calling to tell me about two different cases, the murder at the Palms and the dead basketball player and his wife.. they're being turned over in court because of contamination. He didn't tell me all the details, but I can guarenfuckingtee you that all of your actions will be called into question when he gets here. He's on his way now. I could lose my job over this. If anyone knows that I've allowed this to go on for so long, I might not ever get a new job. My credibility is shot. I-"

"Grissom! Calm down!" Catherine said worriedly. "First of all, and I know I speak for all of us, we will all testify to the fact that you had no idea that this was going on. Why should you know? We hide it well."

We all nodded. Anything to protect Grissom.

"Second, even if our relationships were questioned, what's the big deal? Why is it so wrong-"

"Stop right there, Catherine Willows. You know exactly what "the big deal" is and don't try to pretend you don't. I swear.. you must be so in love right now that it's clouded your professionalism. I thought these relationships weren't getting in the way of work, but I don't think I'm right about that anymore. I can't believe I've let this go on for so long."

We all looked down at our hands, probably pretty ashamed of ourselves.

"I have your assignments here. Don't plan on going home after shift, you have the sheriff to answer to. It's not going to be pleasant or fun. Try to get your stories straight. Get out of here, you're all making me sick."

Grissom sent Catherine and I out to a car accident scene and Nicky and Warrick out to a high school football practice gone wrong. I was relieved that I didn't have to work with Warrick today so we couldn't talk about what might happen. But inevitably, Catherine and I got to talking while we were processing the scene.

"Grissom's right," I told her. "We really have been skating by, and one or two of us should have transferred by now."

She didn't say anything. I didn't push her.. I knew she was thinking about how she dropped the ball. How her normally strong character had been imploded by falling head over heels in love with Nicky. I knew the feeling. How could two normally sane women be so blindsided by love? It wasn't like us, and I knew we'd have to pay for it.

Near the end of shift, Catherine finally blew up. She had been storing it inside her all day, and it finally came out.

"I can't fucking believe this, Sara! Can you comprehend that all five of us are in serious trouble here? I think this might be the end for us. I think we're going to have to pay more than you think. And I think we might deserve it."

"Cath, come on. You don't know-"

"I do know. The sheriff is going to out for blood. We fucked up, Sara. And now we're going to have to pay the price."

We rode back to PD in the big black Denali and said nothing. I tried to block my impending doom out of my mind by thinking pleasant thoughts of Warrick. As one might suspect, this wasn't working too well.

After we dropped off our evidence to Greg, we painfully made the trek to Grissom's office, our heads hung low and our spirits even lower.

The sheriff and Grissom were both waiting, Nicky and Warrick already there, looking sullen.

"You're all here. Good," the sherrif said, looking at all of disgustedly. "Before I talk to each of you individually, I just want to inform you: we know. We all know about your subsequent relationships, and it's not good, not at all. These two cases that were overturned are going to look horrible for the department. You all worked hard on both of those cases, and because the four of you couldn't keep your hands off each other, two very bad humans will be walking out, free to commit more heinous crimes. I want you to think about that while I talk to each of you."

Grissom and the sheriff took off for the interrogation room, taking Nicky with them. Warrick, Catherine and I didn't dare speak. Warrick and I refused to look at each other, but he did reach over and squeeze my hand once before snapping it back to his side. I was grateful for the acknowledgement.

I forced myself to think about the victims of the two crimes that were now overturned in court. I thought of Bailey Hawthorne, the innocent girlfriend of the basketball player who got shot in a drug deal gone bad. Bailey didn't deserve to die, and she certainly didn't deserve for her killer to walk away, free.

Catherine was called in next, and then Warrick. I must have been sitting there for hours, just staring at Grissom's desk and torturing myself about what was going to happen to me. It was the longest day of my life and it wasn't even over.

"Sara. Come on." Grissom said softly. I followed him into the room, and sank into the chair, refusing to look at the sheriff.

"Thanks for waiting, Sara. We've been talking to everyone else and I'm pretty sure I have an accurate picture of what's going on here. So I'm just going to tell you what's going on, and then I'm going to tell you what we're going to do about it. Do you agree to those terms?"

I nodded.

"Good. On the basketball player case that you and Warrick worked on with Nick, someone spotted you and Warrick in an passionate embrace while processing the evidence. This source said they saw you kissing, and then going back to your house without coming to the station to drop anything or anybody off. Someone else saw you guys here in the station, and I won't go into what they saw, but believe me, it's far from the professional behavior I expect from CSI's, I can tell you that.

I cringed. One day Warrick and I got a little carried away and we ended up in one of the storage closets. I was not particularly proud of this fact, but it happened and there was nothing I could do about it now.

"Aside from that, there's many other things wrong with the evidence. Evidence moved, things left untagged, some pictures missing.. all in all, it's one big mess. Frankly, I'm appalled. I expected more out of all of you. It's not just you, Nick and Catherine have also been messing things up lately, too. I don't know what got into the four of you. Not to mention the countless times the four of you have gone out to lunch or dinner and have been completely oblivious to the fact that other people noticed this."

The sheriff truly looked disgusted. I didn't say anything. I couldn't defend my actions.

Grissom spoke next, and I knew it was going to be painful for him to say.

"If one of you leaves CSI, then this will stay quiet. If you refuse to leave, it will come out in all the papers and well, it just might ruin us."

I finally stammered, "What happens to you, Grissom?"

Grissom glanced at the sheriff.

"Nothing will happen to Grissom. I have looked over the evidence carefully and have decided that he had no prior knowledge of these relationships, although I don't know how he couldn't. He stays. One of you has to go."

"I'll go." I said.

"You'll go?"

"I'll go. I'll go back to San Francisco."

"Great. Thank you for your cooperation."

I was finally dismissed. Grissom looked at me with years of regret on his face, and I had to turn away before I lost it right there in the station.

I knew this was the end of me and Warrick. San Francisco wasn't the end of the world, but we were both going to be too busy to have a long distance relationship. He'd be too busy trying to get his reputation back, me trying to rebuild my reputation back in California. It was going to be too hard for both of us to maintain what we had here.

I collected my things and left the place I called home for so very long. I left the building, taking one last look at it.

I found Warrick waiting by my car.

"I'm going back to San Francisco," I told him.

"I figured."

"I'm sorry it had to happen this way."

"I'm not. At least we had a chance at something we really wanted. At least we found that love hasn't died, and at least we found it in each other. It's okay, Sara. We messed up. But that doesn't mean it wasn't good."

We shared one last kiss before I had to get in the car and drive away as fast as I could. I didn't want him to see me cry.

I was in San Francisco two days later.

The conclusion is coming soon! Sorry this was so depressing. Thanks for reading.