Privacy by SLynn

Disclaimer: It's all mine, because yeah, this is what I'd do with my free time if I actually owned these characters.

Notes and Such: Thanks for all the reviews. Honestly, they make my day! GottaGetGreg, Duckie, BeyondMyStar, Miss-Andromache, fwe (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!), white rose01, Em, Vanessa, Jen, and BlondeNeko (yes – I'm so glad it wasn't just me imagining that!)

Chapter 10: Falling for the First Time

Marsha Jones was on her way to the hospital.

Greg had already, as discretely as possible, pulled off and bagged his clothes, changing into a spare set of coveralls. Nick was quiet. Angry even. They were both now waiting for Grissom and Catherine outside the house. Brass had already arrived and was talking across the yard to a very animated Detective Ortega.

Grissom wasted no time getting both of their stories. Catherine had gone in to process the scene alone.

"So you didn't see David at the scene and you went in anyway?" Grissom asked Nick.

"Yes, but it's not like that. Ortega said it was clear so we went in. I assumed he'd cleared it, that he'd been here first before heading to Sara and Warrick's scene."

Grissom nodded but his silence spoke his opinion. They should have gotten confirmation first. Ortega was new and they had to treat her that way.

"Come on," Nick argued seeing it already on his face, "she should know protocol; she's a detective not a rookie. She cleared that scene, gave us the okay. If we have to wait for written word from the coroner on every case, if we can't trust that the officers don't know what the hell they're doing, we're never going to get our jobs done."

"I'm not disagreeing with you Nick."

"You're not backing me up either."

Greg said nothing. This was so bad. If Marsha Jones lived they'd never prosecute her now, assuming she wasn't in a permanent vegetative state and got a half decent lawyer. They'd get ripped apart on the stand.

"Go back to the lab," Grissom ordered and without another word turned and headed towards Brass.

Nick stared in his direction for a few seconds before heading off towards the SUV. Greg followed in silence.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Greg asked on the way back.

"Case is ruined. I'll probably get suspended."

"What about me? I was there too."

"I was the lead," was the only reply he made. Ultimately it was his fault.

Greg made his way to the locker room where he'd had some spare clothes stashed. He knew that he should change in the bathroom since the locker room was co-ed, but didn't care at the moment. He just wanted out of the coveralls, they itched.

"You're not supposed to do that in here."

The voice, although familiar, made him jump. He'd just gotten his pants on but that was it.

"I'm too lazy to walk to the bathroom," he said with some humor to his voice.

"Well, I really don't mind but lets not make a habit of it," Sara said sitting down beside him. "Get messy at the scene?"

"In more ways then I care to comment on."

Sara looked at him clearly puzzled so he related to her what had happened.

"That explains Nicky's mood."

"Yeah, he was pissed. Actually he still is."

"What about you?"

"Me," Greg said finishing retying his shoes, "I'm just freaked out. Got something new to have nightmares about now."

Sara took his hand in hers and rubbed her thumb just over his knuckles. She knew he didn't need this on top of everything else.

"Hey Greg," Warrick interrupted opening the door, "Grissom wants to see you."

"I'll be right there," he said without turning around. Warrick nodded to Sara and left them alone.

Sara took the opportunity to kiss him. He looked like he needed it and they were never alone like this at work. It was brief but Greg looked back at her smiling when she'd moved away again. He didn't say anything else just got up and left.

It wasn't a surprise to find Nick there waiting.

"Shut the door Greg," Grissom told him.

He obliged and then pulled up a chair to join them.

"I'll make this quick. You're both suspended for three days without pay."

"Grissom, come on. Don't punish Greg for my mistakes," Nick said, most of the anger from earlier was still there just better masked. He'd had time to cool off some.

"This comes down from Ecklie. He feels, no matter who was lead, you were both fully qualified and should have asked for documentation if nothing verbal was given directly from the coroner."

"What about Ortega?" Nick asked, not liking this at all.

"She's also been suspended, same as you both."

Grissom didn't mention that she was the one who had gone to Ecklie after being suspended. That she was in fact the reason they were getting anything more then the verbal counseling he'd planned.

"Go home for the night, be back in on Tuesday."

"That it?" Nick asked.

Grissom just nodded and they both stood to go.

"I'm sorry man," Nick said as they walked down the hall towards the locker room.

"For what?"

"You shouldn't be getting suspended too."

Greg just shrugged. He didn't know how to feel about the whole thing. Part of him was relieved to be going home. He felt drained. The other part of him was worried. This whole thing could get very bad very quick.

"Where are you going?" Warrick asked as they passed the break room. "We've narrowed down the leads on where that blowfish came from. Thought we were going to go through it? Do some work?"

Nick and Greg kept walking, Warrick keeping pace now just behind.

"I'm going home," Nick said without turning round.

"What? He didn't suspend you for that scene did he?"

"Sara already told you?" Greg asked as they go to their lockers.

"Nah, Catherine did. Said it was crap, Ortega's fault completely."

"Tell it to Grissom," Nick said grabbing his things.

"Okay, so where are you going?" he asked Greg instead.

"Home. I got suspended too."

"For how long? We're swamped here; we can't be down two people."

"Tell it to Ecklie," Greg returned. "We're both out of here till Tuesday. His orders."

Instead of heading back to her condo that morning Amy went to Nick's place. She'd heard what had happened, had been at work that night when Sara came in to vent to her about it, but was surprised he hadn't done so himself.

She knocked several times and when she didn't receive a response found his spare key, hidden in the nearly dead plant on his stoop, and let herself in.

Amy made her way to his bedroom and only upon sitting down beside him did he stir in his sleep.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing her arm.

"I came to check on you."

"Sorry I didn't stop by and tell you I'd left, I wasn't exactly sociable."

Amy shrugged, she wasn't sure she wanted to see him mad again. She'd seen it before and it wasn't pretty. It didn't suit him at all.

"Wait," he said fully alert now, "Aren't your parents coming today? Aren't you supposed to be at the airport?"

"Not for a few hours," she answered, leaning back against the headboard.

"Isn't Jennifer waiting for you?" he asked with a small smile, the first he'd managed in hours.

Amy laughed.

"Probably. Doesn't matter. I wanted to see you."

"So when's dinner?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Seven o'clock at the Top of the World."

"So I should probably get out a suit and tie."

"It wouldn't hurt," Amy said with a smile and a nod of her own. "We're meeting them there. I'd hoped you could come by and get Jennifer and me around six."

"I can do that."

Amy smiled at him again, bigger this time.

"Tell me what they're like, what do they do?" Nick asked wanting to be prepared. It was too late with Jennifer, he had to get on her parents good side immediately.

"Oh, well my mom's a doctor. She's the head obstetrician at Washington Hospital in Fremont. And my dad's a lawyer, mostly corporate stuff. He hardly ever goes to trial anymore. Jennifer's Mark works in the same firm as him, like his protégée or lackey."

Nick nodded and thought that gave him a bit of a better understanding. Her family probably wanted her here as much as his did.

"What does Jennifer do?"

"Mostly she shops," Amy answered rolling her eyes, "she went to school for business administration. She wants to open her own boutique. One week it was shoes the next purses; she kind of goes from thing to thing. Honestly, I don't think she knows what she wants and it pisses her off that other people do."

Nick nodded. That he definitely understood.

"Did you always want to be a chemist?" he asked, feeling stupid for never having before.

"No. I wanted to be a doctor. A pediatrician."

"What changed your mind?"

"I actually started some pre-med courses. I did a double major in chemistry and organic biology, so I was ready. My parents really wanted it for me. They were so proud. But, I went to my first course, just an introductory course designed to weed out the serious students from the not-so-serious ones. Turns out, I fell into the second category."

Nick couldn't believe it.

"I, uh, panicked when they brought in the cadaver," she continued haltingly. "Actually, I vomited when the brought in the cadaver. Everyone else saw an opportunity to learn and I just saw some woman whose family probably missed her."

He squeezed her hand gently as she blinked rapidly a few times looking away.

"But I loved the science of it. I wanted to work here because it still let me do what I'd been training to do, just without the faces attached to it. Lets me stay detached and focused on what I need to do. Stupid right?"

"No," he said shaking his head. "It's not Amy. It really isn't."

"But you can all do it. I can't. I was serious when I told you before that I didn't want to go out in the field. I had nightmares for months about that woman from the morgue. The worst part was she really only looked like she was sleeping, like she might wake up and just restart her life, but I knew she wouldn't."

Nick kissed her on the forehead as a few tears slipped down her face.

"I'd have made a terrible doctor anyway. I'm too blunt," she tried with a laugh. "And I have no bedside manner. I'd be telling people more then they'd want to know and I'd probably get sued every other day."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't become a doctor because then you wouldn't be here now."

"Where's that?" she asked sarcastically. It's not like she was blazing new trails in the field of DNA analysis.

"Here," he said seriously. "With me."

Amy felt herself blush, really blush. She'd never thought of that before. Never felt like this before.

"I'm glad too."