For the sake of the story Greg is from TX.

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Noelani Stokes had always been Greg Sander's best friend, always been Nick's cousin, and had always been second best at almost everything. Second best behaved, second place in races, second place in school, and then third to get a job at Vegas Crime Lab.

She hated it, even when there were family reunions she stayed in her room listening to heavy metal, trying to drown out everything. Not letting her emotions show, channeling all of them through anger. She had been nabbed for vandalism, hitting her boyfriends, her own parents had sent her to rehab, and told everyone she had used drugs, though she hadn't.

Nick had pretended to believe her on his monthly visit, but she could always tell he didn't. He never looked straight at her, he had just set himself down on the chair in front of the glass window and fed her all these half written lies.

CSI

Noelani sat in Grissom's office for the fifth time that week, and it was only Tuesday, "You may be Nick's cousin, No, but that isn't going to keep me off your case. You've attacked four suspects on your recent case, this one makes five. Noelani in the past three weeks you've put 12 people in the hospital. What do you have to say for your self?"

"Nothing" She answered, "Except, this is who I am." She stood up and walked out.

"Ana!" Greg ran up, "You'll never guess what happened."

"You solved your first case." She asked monotone, "Without help."

Greg saw she was in a bad mood so after years of training asked, "Do you want to go out for milkshakes, and movies?" Greg loved her to death, but her attitude had often caused problems in the friendship, "They opened an new milkshake stand about a mile from here, right next to our favorite movie joint"

Noelani never turned down the chance to go for milkshakes, and almost never turned down a movie. She smiled and agreed.

CSI

"Grissom, Greg took off again!" Catherine Willows stormed in the room, "He and that cousin of Nick's!"

"Catherine, that's probably for the best, Greg's the only one who can calm her down, and she's been attacking suspects as of late, Greg's just taking her on a cool down trip." He replied calmly

"Why don't you fire her? She has been a trouble maker from her first breath!"

"Cause she's good at what she does" He said in that 'this is over' voice

Catherine rushed out of the door yelling at Grissom and cursing Greg.

CSI

"Ana, you've been more violent as of late, I thought you were getting better" He stared at his best friend, "I'm getting worried about you again"

She inhaled sharply , "I am better" she didn't even look sure of it herself, "I don't want to go back Greg!" She started to cry on his shoulder, "Please don't let them send me back!"

Greg had known Noelani since kindergarten, and this was the first time he had ever seen her cry, even when she was punched and beaten she had only thrown punches back, never did she show pain not even resentment, she showed anger. Anger was all she had ever known, even as a little girl she never let anything make her cry or smile.

Greg had been the only person who had ever let her be her, the only person she had ever know that had never tried to change her. The only person in the world who could calm her down, was the only person who had ever tried. Everyone else had just assumed that she was high or taking something, but never Greg, when ever she lost it he just sat her down and tried to cool her off.

"You're not going back, I promise" He stroked her head lightly. He knew where she was talking about, she had often told him about it when he picked her up from football. Greg had never liked the sport, but went to all of her games, same with her, she hated math, but went to all of his Math and Science team meets.

"I never took anything! Not a cigarette, not even beer!" She was attracting tons of stares by this time, a grown woman bawling her eyes out in public.

"I know, I know" He continued to comfort his best friend, " I believe you, I always have"

CSI

"Nick, your cousin lost it again" Catherine ran up to her co-worker, "Greg had to run off to cool her down" She glared at him, "It was your idea to bring her here."

"This is what she went to collage for, I wanted to make up for where our parents had sent her, I feel like it was partially my fault." He looked at Catherine, "Would you rather have Noelani terrorizing the lab or have Greg go off and make her calm again?"

"I'm happy that Greg can calm her down, but he wouldn't have to if you had, had her locked away in the crazy coo-coo bin when her parents were murdered." Catherine accused

"She's family, Cat!" Nick yelled, "She may be a psycho crazy woman, but I can't do that to her! We couldn't even get her to go to her parents funeral! You know why? Cause they locked her away for something she didn't do! She hated them for the rest of their lives, still does!"

"She got locked away?" Catherine asked quietly, "Her parents locked her away?"

"Yes, her parents sent her to rehab, and told everyone that she had been on drugs, Meth Amphetamine. They literally told the whole state that their daughter was a Amphetamine addict! She was starting to get better before they locked her up, and when she got out she was worse, much worse, she was arrested 32 times her first month out, eventually Greg and I started to mow neighbor's lawns to pay for her bail. Soon, her parents stopped helping us get there, we had to walk our mowers to our next clients house. Later our clients wanted us to charge less, we did, then summer ended and the lawns were gone, so we had to clean up our community center every day for minimum wage, Greg bagged groceries on the side, and I picked up messes in the store." Nick yelled at Catherine, "I didn't believe her when she was in rehab, and she hasn't forgiven me yet, so I can't lock her away again, unless she becomes a murderer, Noelani Marie Stokes will not find herself behind bars, or talking on a phone next to a glass window"

Catherine stared at Nick, she had wondered why Noelani had never said anything nice, or anything at all to Nick, "Nick, I'm sorry" She muttered and walked away.

CSI

Greg had soon fixed his best friend up and they were walking down the hallway to the lab, "I'm not perky." Noelani stated randomly

"I know, Ana, it doesn't matter to me though"

"But Greg, I wanna be!" She tried to smile, it looked like a homicidal maniac's grin, but is was a smile none the less.

"Ana! You just smiled!" Greg cheered, "Didn't it feel good?"

"It hurt" She whined, "I don't like smiling, it hurts."

"It hurts? It shouldn't hurt."

"Greg, Noelani, case" Catherine Willow walked up, "Grissom told me to give it to you"

Greg took it and read it to Noelani, "16 year old girl, found dead, multiple stab wounds, bullet shot to the thigh, and five cracked ribs. This is a douse"

CSI

"Why would he put two Level 1 CSIs on a case, with no supervision?" Noelani asked as she searched the body in extreme detail, "Greg, there's absolutely no evidence around this body what so ever, it's even been vacuumed so there are no footprints, no strangulation marks, nothing!"

"Noelani, we have to do good on this case, this is the only Grissom will ever let us do anything. If we do good, Grissom might actually trust you."

"I'll call for the coroner"

CSI

"Ok Al, Greg and I know who she is, we know how she died, we know when she died, all we need to know is if the man left any evidence on the girl's body" Noelani stormed in to the coroner's work place.

"Well she died from bleedin…"

"We know how she died Al!" Noelani screamed, "We want evidence, not information on the girl!"

"Fine, the bullets are from a .45-70 Winchester rifle." Dr. Robinson growled, "And the broken ribs are from some one performing CPR on her three days before death."

"A .45-70? My Lord! Why would they use a rare gun like that one?"

"Maybe they stole it trying to frame someone." Sara Sidle walked in the room, "I heard that Grissom put you and Greg on a case, without any supervision, so I thought I'd come help, seeing as that he didn't give me a case or anything"

"I didn't do it I swear!" Everyone stared at her, "Before things got bad, my dad would buy guns for me, for my birthday, I was a hunter, he placed them under my name, so when I was found with one they would know it was mine. The last one was a .45-70 Winchester rifle, it was originally my granddaddy's, but he changed the name under it so I could keep it. It got really bad after that, and he stopped giving me stuff, or looking at me, even acknowledging my life. Ask Greg, and" She started to sneer, "Nick"

"I never did any of that crap they said I did!"

"What are you talking about?" Sara asked, "We never said you did anything."

"Nick didn't tell you? He told me he did." She whined, "I am going to rip out his spleen and eat it!" She ran off

"Is she serious?" Sara asked

CSI

"Come on Ana" Nick tried to reason with his cousin, "Why are you going psycho on me?"

"You lied!" She chucked a vase at him, "It's just a little skin!" She ripped her nails across his cheek, "See Nick not too much pain." She ripped again grabbing more skin off his face.

"Ana, I'm sorry, I should have believed you, I didn't though."

"I can't forgive all of the lies, I can't ever, no matter how many years go by every year on the exact same day, all of the memories come back, September 20th when I was sent away. I was getting better, and then I got worse, I want to be better, Nick, please." She started crying again, just this time she was in Nick's arms, safe at his house, "I want to smile, laugh, dance, sing, I don't want to be angry any more!"

"Ana, it's been seven years since you got out, do you remember how Greg and I would always bail you out? Well we earned all that money, ourselves. That was our way of saying sorry, me for not believing you, and Greg for not being there for you when you needed him most" He had blood dripping down his face on to her hair, "Ana, you can be happy, you need to try."

"Nick!" Sara busted in gun first, "Get away from here!" Sara brought the entire police as she put Noelani in cuffs

"Just like old times, isn't it?" Noelani asked Nick sort of laughing, he nodded.

"I'll have the money tomorrow" He laughed, "That is if you even go. But first let's ask why you are under arrest."

"Yeah, why am I in cuffs?"

"For trying to kill Nick" Brass walked in

"Does he look very murdered? Does he even look slightly almost murdered?"

"Not really"

"It's just a little blood" Nick stated calmly, "She got a little angry, we fixed it though"