Thanks to my betas, Marlou and Nessa.

Thanks to those who have read and reviewed – you guys are amazing.

Disclaimer in prologue.

"What have you got?" she asked sharply, making her way towards Brass. Days like today helped her understand Grissom's aversion to supervisor duties. Cases were piling up, which meant paperwork was piling up and damn … her shift just kept feeling longer and longer.

"Hello to you too, Catherine. Remember when the greeting used to be 'hey Jim' or 'how's it going'? I should've known not to take those days for granted …" he trailed off wistfully.

"You get no sympathy, Jim – I'm tired, our case load doubled overnight and with three hours left of my shift, the last thing I want is a DB."

"I'll put a moratorium on crime, how does that work for ya?" he joked, leading her over to David, who was examining the body.

"Just long enough for me to find the top of my desk, okay. I still want to have a job."

"I hear ya. Here he is. Someone kicked the shit out of him and then shot him – or they shot him them kicked the shit out of him. Whatever. He's a mess."

Catherine winced at the sight of the body, all bruises and blood. "Ouch."

"Hi, Catherine," David said, looking up from the body.

"David. So … what's going on with this?"

"Well, liver temperature indicated that he's been dead about eight to twelve hours. There is a bullet hole here," he pointed to the left temple, "and it exits just below the ear on the other side. He's in pretty bad shape; multiple contusions."

Catherine shook her head as she crouched and opened her case, pulling out a set of gloves and camera. Looking up toward Brass, she asked, "Who reported it?"

"Anonymous call. Some little kid – twelve or thirteen - crying, scared because he wasn't supposed to be that far away from home. Kept asking us not to tell his dad."

"Did you guys get anything from him?"

"He said he didn't touch anything – just that he saw the body and ran. This does look like the primary crime scene. There's lots of disturbance around the body, he's dirty – I guess from the struggle."

Adjusting the camera lens, Catherine snorted in disbelief. There was no way that kid didn't contaminate the scene. She sighed and began documenting the scene, minding David and the body.

"So, uh … Nick's back, huh?" Brass asked, following her movements.

"Yeah."

"How's he doing?"

Catherine dropped the camera to her side and faced him. "I don't know, really. He seems fine but … he just needs time, I think."

"He's a brave guy."

"The bravest," she said. Something caught her eye and she crouched to get a better look. "I have two sets of shoe impressions over here. Could be the perpetrator's – could be the kid's."

Catherine got up and walked back over to the body. "You know, this guy wasn't just beaten up – he was bludgeoned. This kind of damage couldn't have been done by hand. Look, his hands are clean - no defense wounds."

"Who is this guy's enemy? This is pretty excessive, don't you think?"

"Overkill."

"There he is."

They stood just a few feet outside the A/V lab observing Nick. Watching him scan through video footage, going about his job as usual, was oddly surreal. The last time they saw Nick was in the hospital, sedated and riddled with welts from ant bites. Not too long after that he was sent to Texas and all updates and correspondence were filtered through his parents.

Grissom began to make his way towards the room when he noticed his companion was no longer with him. He turned to see Sara rooted in her spot and her arms crossed over her chest.

"You coming?" Grissom asked, puzzled by her hesitation. All they had talked about for the past week was Nick's return and he knew she was just as anxious as he was.

"Why don't you go on ahead," she said, tipping her head toward the lab, "I'll catch up with him later."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. He probably doesn't want to make this a big deal. We should try to make things as normal as possible, don't you think? I'll see him before he leaves tonight." Shrugging, she rocked back on her heels and continued, "Besides, I know that you've been waiting for this – go see him."

Everyone took Nick's ordeal to heart, but no one – not even himself until just recently – knew the depth of Sara's feelings over it. She had kept those cards close to her chest but finally opened her heart about it when he had woke up one night to find her crying in the bathroom. The balance of her strength and sensitivity was one of her most beautiful traits.

Scanning the hall to make sure the coast was clear, Grissom walked back toward her and swept aside a strand of hair from her forehead. He ignored her warning glare and brushed her worried brow with his thumb. "I love you," he whispered.

Her smile was blinding. It was the same smile she always gave in response to that statement. Those forty-three muscles, used to produce that most beautiful sight, expressed happiness, love and even a hint of surprise. He'd suspected she wasn't told that she was loved much in her life. Now that he had the chance, he would make sure he'd tell her everyday. Telling her in a hallway when anyone could pass by and see him - it was a risk and one he thought he would never take. He hoped she noticed the importance.

Their moment was cut short by a pair of lab techs turning the corner and passing them by in the hall. Grissom's hand quickly retreated and Sara stepped away from him, working on hiding her smirk.

"Yeah." Grinning like a fool, Sara dipped her head and took a few more steps back before turning and making her way to the break room. She was only a few feet away when she tossed over her shoulder, "Same here, Griss."

"Hey man, I thought I heard voices out here," Nick said, coming up beside Grissom to watch Sara walk down the hall.

Nick's appearance surprised him. As much as he wanted things back to the way they were, never did he expect him to look as good – as normal – as he did at this moment. "It's good to have you back, Nick."

"Good to be back. You have no idea how much my mother coddled me."

"Ah, a mother's right."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get me wrong, it was great to be home but I …" Nick broke off nervously and began to show the signs of a man who had seen too much. "There just wasn't any space."

Grissom found it funny that he never once thought what to say to Nick once he came back. He just wanted him here. He wanted to see for his own eyes that he was okay. It shamed him that he had no words of comfort and he didn't know if the reason for that was ignorance or selfishness.

Or was he just too busy enjoying his newfound life?

With a nod of his head, Grissom silently asked Nick to walk him to his office and retreated to his old stand-by conversation topic – work.

"What are you working on?" he asked.

"You checking up on me?" Nick countered tersely.

"No."

Nick bowed his head and sighed. "I'm sorry man. I'm on light duty - stuck in the lab – and Ecklie wants me to take my procedure manual with me everywhere I go. I know how to do my job."

"I know you do. Nick, you'll be back in the field soon, I'm sure of it." Grissom knew that words did little to comfort when your competency was in question. He could only hope that Nick was able to prove his ability. In the meanwhile he couldn't fault Ecklie's precautions.

As they approached Grissom's office, Nick slowed down to a stop. "Yeah, I know. Listen, I'm going to head back and finish my work. And uh, thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"For getting me out of that hole in the ground."

Grissom nodded, not voicing his thanks at Nick for not blowing his brains out before they found him and, not for the first time, wondered if he could have survived that situation. God, it was just too close. Looking at him now, he was reminded of Nick's tape and his worries of disappointment. Second chances were given for a reason.

"Nick … one of my greatest achievements has been the development and growth of my CSIs." It was the closest he could get to telling him how he felt without embarrassing them both and, judging by the appreciation on Nick's face, his message came across clear.

"I'll see you later, Grissom."

"Later, Nick."

Turning, Grissom nearly collided with Catherine as she was exiting his office. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you," she answered exasperatedly, following him back into his office.

"What can I do for you, Catherine?" He tried, he really did, but his question carried tiredness and impatience that didn't go unnoticed by her. He knew he upset her with his tone but he still couldn't get over the fact that anytime she came to him, it was for a favor.

"Are you guys busy tonight?" she asked, tapping a folder against her leg.

"Sophia's off, Greg has his B&E from yesterday and until something else comes in, Sara and I are free."

"You want to take one of ours? We've had more cases come in the past couple of days than Warrick and I can handle. The guy that we were borrowing from days went back to his old schedule and with Nick in the lab …"

Grissom cut her off with a wave of his hand. "What have you got?"

"DB. We did the preliminaries - here's the file."

He took the file and immediately began flipping through it. This could be just the kind of case he was hoping for.

"It's pretty brutal. No identification, called in anonymously - he should be on Al's table any moment," Catherine continued.

"We'll get on it."

He looked up at her then. Her mouth was opened as if to speak but then, after a few moments, she closed it with a resigned sigh. Grissom wondered, not for the first time, if they were ever going to be able to mend the rift that had been created.

"Thanks Gil." And with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, she turned and left.

To Be Continued …