It was the end of the night shift and Grissom drummed his fingers on his desk, staring at the stuffed monkey he'd just received. He needed help, but he couldn't risk it. Gemma, Jessica and Warrick all depended on his discretion. Archie was first choice in skill. He knew the man was friendly with Warrick, he was deeply concerned with the well-being of his coworkers, he'd proven that during Nick's ordeal. The only drawback was Archie was a notorious gossip. Gil didn't think he could be trusted not to say anything.

His thoughts were interrupted as his night shift crew came down the hallway. He looked up and watched the gang. Sofia gave a little finger waggle in his direction, a tight smile to the others and hurried off on her own. She was a bright woman, a great scientist but Gil was still leery of her devotion. Sure, she was angry at Ecklie for her unjustified demotion, but she was still considered one of Ecklie's team. Even after nearly a year on the night shift, she stuck to herself and chose not to socialize with the team.

He knew her relationship with Warrick was touch and go. They had mutual respect for one another on the job, but their personalities clashed. No, Sofia wouldn't be a good choice for this job.

The team stopped in the hall, just before the elevators, giving him the opportunity to observe them. Catherine had the most experience, but he wouldn't want to take her away from her daughter any more than she already was. Sara would jump into the fray with her normal hard-headedness. He crossed her off the list, sometimes, her intensity got in the way of the wanted results. She would throw herself into the fray without thinking of the long term consequences. No, Sara's intensity was not what was needed.

Greg was an immediate no. Discretion was definitely not his forte. The first thing he did after the call from Warrick was tell Nick. He was still wet behind the ears when it came to the field. Gil could see the kid was going to be a great CSI, but he still had a lot of maturing to do before diplomacy could be added to his list of skills.

So that left Nick. Nick had been his immediate choice, but being the scientist he was, he had had to weigh all his options. Nick was Warrick's best friend. Gil knew the two were as close as brothers. Nick was also a great CSI, even though he often let his emotions get the best of him. Gil had considered that a fault of Nick's in the past, but he had come to the conclusion that sometimes it helped to be empathetic to the people you were dealing with.

Yes, Nick was his only choice. He knew that Warrick would agree. "Nick? Can I speak with you?" Gil called out into the hall as the group began to head towards the elevator. All but Nick of course, he would be making his solo jog down the stairs.

"Yeah Boss?" Nick turned towards the office. He cast a nervous glance towards the others. "Help me! That's what he said to Warrick, and then the man disappeared!" Nick whined jokingly. The others chuckled and walked off.

"Nick!" Grissom demanded.

"I'm coming!" Nick called with a annoyed sigh. Head down, he headed towards the office.

"Sit down. Close the door." Grissom ordered as the man entered.

"Sure….but I'll do it the other way around. My arms not that long." Nick joshed, but only succeeded in earning himself an over the glasses glare from Grissom. He was immediately contrite, "Sorry boss."

"Nick? I need you to do a little overtime in the lab." Gil began, studying the man. Never one good at hiding emotions, Nick's reluctance was easy to see, but the man didn't say a word.

"I thought our cases were coming along fine?" Nick finally countered.

"This isn't an official case." Grissom admitted. "This is something you couldn't mention to anyone."

"I don't think I've ever heard you talk about breaking the rules. We're not supposed to use the lab for anything other then our case. Look what happened when Cath used-"

"I know, but this is really important. Peoples lives are depending on the information we can get."

"Whose?" Nick looked up with concern. Gil saw it when it dawned on Nick. "What's Warrick gotten into? I thought I was the only one that got into trouble."

"What makes you think it's about Warrick?" Grissom wondered aloud.

"Warrick goes on vacation, and disappears, but only after you have a private meeting with him. He was due back today, but you say he's taken another week off. He doesn't answer his phone or his cell. Greg says he got a weird call from Rick a couple of days ago. I've been to his pad, he hasn't been there in days. Now, you're asking me to work overtime on a secret investigation." Nick listed his evidence. "Warrick's not like that, man, at least not with me. He doesn't keep secrets from me."

Grissom could see the hurt in the mans face. He was worried and hurt that his friend had shut him out of his life. "You are an extremely good investigator." Grissom admitted with reluctance.

"So….This is about Warrick? Is he in trouble?"

"Yes…..he is." Gil concurred with a nod. "I got him into a mess and I need your help to get him out."

"You got him in a mess?" Disbelief was evident in Nick's frown. Gil wasn't the one who got them into trouble, he was the one that got them out of messes. "How?"

"A friend of mine was in trouble. She needed someone to help her. I asked Warrick. After I laid it all out to him, he offered to help."

"What's he into?"

"The friend of mine…..had a bad relationship. Had a kid with the man. Turns out….he's the head of a crime family. He got killed and she thinks she's free. The family….they don't think that way. They want the kid. They'll kill to get their hands on the kid. She ran, and the family is after her."

"So…..you're saying that Warrick is on the run from the mob?" Nick grimaced.

"Yes."

"He's on the run with a woman and a child?" Nick continued.

"Yes. Jessica is three." Gil tossed the monkey at Nick, who caught it automatically. "That is Bananas, he belongs to her. Warrick found a bug in him. They nearly found them using that tracking device."

"So, the monkey has fleas?" Nick quipped, feeling the hard piece inside the neck.

"He found it a couple of days ago. They were smart, Jessica never goes anywhere without Bananas. He shipped it to me. Most likely, they're tracking Bananas here. The family is probably lurking outside as we speak."

"So, Warrick is…where?"

"I don't know. We decided that it'd be better if I don't know. I do know he was in Texas two days ago when he sent this to me." Gil gave him a half smile.

"Are you in contact with him at all?" Nick needed to know. He stifled the urge to demand to cal him. He needed to hear his friends voice, to make sure he was okay.

"Yes. He's carrying a track phone like this one." Gil took out the new phone he'd purchased during his lunch break. "This one's yours. He called me yesterday. They're holed up somewhere he thinks is safe."

Nick reached for the phone, feeling relieved to know that Warrick was safe for the moment. "So what do you need me to do?"

"Tap into the tracking device. See what you can get from it. Anything you can think of. Warrick can't come back until we get these guys. He won't be safe until these men are behind bars. See if you can pinpoint where these Ba-" Grissom stopped himself. "Scumbags are."

"How deep is he in? What kind of situation is this?"

"They've killed two people who have helped Gemma." Gil admitted. "They'll kill them both to get to the child. They've let it out that Gemma has stolen money from them. Put out a reward for her capture. Every scumbag out there is a potential threat."

"And you willingly put Warrick into this?" You put him in this danger?" Nick snarled, irrational anger surged through him. Unable to sit still any longer, he got up and paced the small room.

"Gemma is….the closest thing I have to family. I knew Warrick was her only chance. He's good at what he does. He'll do everything he can to save her." Gil let out a noise that sounded like a pained whimper. "Or he'll die trying."

"I thought we were your family. We've all known Warrick was your favorite. Teachers pet, as Sara claims. You've treated him like a son all these years, and yet you put this girl's value above him?" Nick was hurt on behalf of Warrick.

Grissom rubbed the back of his neck. He turned so the other man couldn't see the tears clouding his eyes. "I had to make a choice. I don't want anything to happen to either of them. They…..are both…..my family."

"I'll get on this." Nick held the monkey up. "But I'm in on this from now on. Warrick is my best friend; I love him like a brother. I will do whatever it takes to bring him home! From now on, you don't keep anything else from me. Everything you know, I know!"

"Okay Nick." Gil agreed.

"I have one question. Why didn't he tell me? Why'd he call Greg…..and not me?"

Gil was able to smile at the question. He knew Warrick's reasoning. "If these people know who he is, then they know that you are the one he'd go to. They might have you watched." Grissom explained, hating to chance worrying him. Nick had already had his privacy invaded, and it really bugged him. "Besides, Warrick wants you to be safe. He wouldn't risk you on this. You've had a rough enough year."

"Ah, come on Gris!" Nick moaned."

"Nick, think about who we're talking about. It's Warrick, he'll protect you no matter what."

"I'm not a child. I can take care of myself." Nick snarled.

"I know that. So does Warrick. It's just his nature. It's who he is. He protects those he loves, maybe too much, but that's just Warrick's way." Gil shrugged. "He's probably dying to tell you all about it, knowing him."

"Yeah." Nick agreed. "I know you're right. It just kind of hurt….being excluded."

"He'll feel better knowing you're on this." Gil guessed. "He just couldn't ask it of you."