Dedication: Michele Grahn, who still rocks my world!
A/N: This is a really short little chapter that I just wanted to go ahead and get cranked out. And btw, I'm SO not done with my Christmas shopping, so you may actually have to wait for an update, for once. I don't want to hear any whining, ok? ;) After all, I've managed to crank out 36 chapters in a little over a month, so I think I'm doing okay here. Just don't get so impatient that you quit reading, ok??
Grissom was digging out his sleeping bags when the phone rang. A quick glance at the caller ID gave him pause. "Ecklie," he said to the other six with a raised eyebrow.
Catherine sprang into action. "Brass, don't say anything; I don't want you dragged into this. Everybody else, get loud and act like you're having the time of your lives! Grissom, give me the phone." Sara, Greg, Nick, and Warrick sprang into action, each of them grabbing another beer. They quickly turned the stereo on and nudged the volume up. By the time Catherine hit the "talk" button on the fifth ring, it sounded like a major party was going down.
"Hello?" Catherine shouted over the noise.
"Catherine? I thought I called Grissom's house." Ecklie sounded confused rather than angry. Catherine stifled a giggle.
"Yeah, you did! We all headed over here after we went to that new nightclub at the Mirage!" she yelled, winking at Warrick, who was dancing with a very drunk Sara.
Now Ecklie sounded pissed. "Well, I'm glad you're having so much fun at 4 in the morning on a work night, but if you don't mind, I need to speak to Grissom."
"Sure thing! GIL!" she yelled as if he wasn't standing three feet away. "PHONE FOR YOU!" Nick, Greg, and Warrick were flat-out laughing at her antics now, but to Ecklie's ears, it just sounded like everyone was having way too much fun.
Grissom took the phone, rolling his eyes at Catherine. "Grissom," he said. "Oh, hi, Ecklie. How's the lip?" he queried, causing Sara and Catherine to howl in delight.
"Sure thing, just let me get away from all this noise," Grissom said. He nodded his head toward the bedroom, and the entire team followed him. Once inside, he closed the door on the noise coming from the stereo, and proceeded to continue his conversation.
"Gil," Ecklie said. "I need you and Sara to come by the lab tomorrow night to return your badges, sidearms, cell phones, and the keys to the Tahoes."
"Conrad," Grissom spoke earnestly. "If you want me gone, that's fine. But don't take Sara down, too. She's done nothing wrong, and you're taking your hatred of me out on her. Don't punish her for something I did."
"Aww, how sweet, Gil," Ecklie sneered. "Your concern is heartwarming, but not nearly good enough, I'm afraid. And you're incorrect—she did do something wrong. She said she had the flu when she did not, and she took unauthorized leave."
"Conrad," Grissom's voice took on a pleading quality as he stared straight into Sara's soft brown eyes, stunning the six people crammed into his bedroom. "It's not her fault. I exerted undue influence on her. As a matter of fact, I didn't give her much of a choice. I ordered her to take a vacation," he lied, "and I'm the one who called Catherine and told her that Sara was sick with the flu." Sara held his gaze, her heart wrenching at the despair in his eyes. He was obviously going to do everything in his power to get Sara's job back for her, even if it meant degrading himself to the man he hated.
"Nice story, Gil, but again, not nearly good enough," Ecklie said, a tone of finality evident in his voice. "I need your stuff. Tomorrow night. And tell Catherine and the others that if they don't show up tomorrow night, they're all fired. They're not union, so they can't strike."
"Fine, Conrad. By the way, thanks for the phone call. Not many people would be considerate enough to call at 4 in the morning," Grissom said sarcastically.
Defeat evident in his features, Grissom punched the "off" button on his cordless. Then, in a rare emotional outburst, he threw the phone across the room and watched as it shattered. Everyone in the room jumped at his actions, and he turned to them with a sheepish look, muttering, "Sorry. I feel better, though." He looked sadly at Sara, and said, "Honey, I'm sorry. I tried, but Ecklie isn't backing down."
Before Sara could respond, Catherine spoke up. "Look, guys, let's just get some sleep for now. As soon as we wake up tomorrow, we're all getting dressed up in our court clothes to go have a little interview over at the Sun. And for good measure, a lawyer will be meeting us there."
Grissom stared. "A lawyer?" he asked incredulously.
Catherine looked at him as she would a child. "Yes, Gil, a lawyer." She snorted. "Certainly it has occurred to you that you were dismissed without due process. Hasn't it?" She smirked. She knew Grissom would never think of it from such a legal standpoint.
A glimmer of hope shone in both Sara's and Grissom's eyes. A slow smile spread itself across Sara's face.
Catherine laughed as the light dawned on them. "Surely you didn't think old Catherine was going to let you down, did you, guys? Truth be told, we don't actually need the reporter for this. The lawyer will be able to get your jobs back in no time. The reporter is just for publicity. I'll be damned if Ecklie's not going to lose his job over this."