Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to, I do not own CSI or anything related to it. Just for some outside information, The Las Vegas Reentry Program mentioned in this chapter is actually a project. The Nevada Division of Parole and Probation and Nevada Business Services launched it in March of 2000. I received this information from the Internet. Enjoy!
Nick awoke with a start to find himself staring at a ceiling that was not his own. His breathing became quicker as he looked from side to side and realized that he was not in his own home. Where had he been taken? The note, yes he remembered the note…and falling asleep.
Nick was able to relax as the events of the previous day came rushing back to him. He remembered clearly now finding the second note, the arrival of the other CSI's, and being taken to Warrick's house in order to get some uninterrupted sleep. Even though he remembered taking the sedative earlier, Nick was surprised to find that he'd been asleep so long. Dusk had set and the lights of Vegas were shinning brightly preventing any stars from making an appearance in the inky, black sky above.
Once he'd realized where he was and why, Nick began to wonder how it was possible that he'd been allowed to sleep this long. He was after all in Warrick's bed. If he'd been sleeping all day, where was Warrick? And for that matter, how could Nick – who'd become a very light sleeper – have slept through Warrick's coming home? These issues were tugging at Nick's mind as he stood up from the bed, fully clothed and headed into the bathroom.
Shortly after leaving the bathroom and entering the kitchen, Nick began to realize that Warrick was not with him in the house. Either he'd come and gone already or he hadn't come home at all. Both situations made Nick wary. He didn't like thinking that it was possible for someone to have come and gone while he slept, completely oblivious to the situation. The idea made him worry about what else could happen without his noticing.
Nick was about to open the refrigerator and grab himself something cold to drink when he caught himself. Even if Warrick was his best friend, something in his upbringing told him that taking food from someone else's fridge while they weren't even there was the wrong thing to do. Sighing, Nick went into Warrick's living room and sat on his couch. He was just beginning to wonder what he could possibly do with his time and wondering whether Warrick had left him any mode of transportation, when he noticed something on the counter that made his blood run cold. There next to the phone was a small, white piece of paper. Another note.
Nick's pulse quickened as he stood up and crossed the room without a thought. He bent down to look at the paper that had filled him with so much dread, and was forced to laugh out loud at himself and the empty room. Immediately after inspecting the note Nick recognized Warrick's printing and all of the tension he'd felt just moments before evaporated into thin air.
Nicky,
Hey man you must have been tired, you passed out on my bed!
I'm going back to the office (in the one and only vehicle) so it looks like you're stuck at my place until I decide to come home – might be a while. Gimme a call on my cell and I can update you on what's going on.
- Warrick
Ps. Help yourself to anything in the fridge if you get hungry.
Nick laughed at himself again but he was also deeply concerned about what had happened. When he saw Warrick's note on the counter, he'd switched immediately into full panic mode. Was that all it took to set him off now? A piece of paper? And how was he ever going to get back into the field if he was flipping out so easily. There were a lot of things he was going to have to resolve, and soon.
Nick forced all of these new concerns to the back of his mind. He decided he would grab something to eat, and give Warrick a call as soon as he could. Who knows, maybe the case was already solved and the suspect was already behind bars. Despite the fact that Nick knew this was unlikely, especially if Warrick seemed to have pulled a double shift, he managed to make his way into the kitchen anyways.
Still reeling from the way Grissom had decided to treat him, Greg had found it hard to concentrate on his work. From the computer where he was sitting he could hear that there was a conversation taking place in the break room and he desperately wanted to be a part of it. As the newbie to the CSI scene, he felt that it was his responsibility to keep updated on what was being discussed and it bothered him that he was being kept out of the loop. By Grissom of all people! Am I really such a substandard CSI that Grissom doesn't think me capable of doing this job? Needless to say, with thoughts like these chasing themselves through Greg's skull, it was taking a while to get anything accomplished.
Finally Greg was able to hit something that should be useful. It appeared the man he was searching for, Jonah Mikler, had been previously arrested once before for drunk and disorderly conduct in a public place. The arrest had been made over ten years ago, and Greg knew it was weak, but still, it was better than nothing. He was also able to find his address and, armed with this new information, he left the desk where he'd been sitting for far too long and headed toward the break room where the rest of the team was assembled.
He entered to room to find Grissom, Sara, Warrick and Catherine sitting around the table in the center of the room. Little was being said, they had already been over everything they had in the means of evidence several times and now they had nothing to do but wait for Greg's findings. From where he stood Greg looked down at Grissom and was filled with an emotion he'd never before associated with his role model. Dread. Here he stood, findings in hand, and he was afraid to give them to the man he'd always looked up to. Fortunately it wasn't long after he entered that Warrick noticed his presence and goaded him onto speech.
"Hey, Greggo…find anything good?"
"Yeah, you were gone for quite a while." The words uttered so simply from Grissom's mouth and received so innocently by the ears of everyone else present, cut Greg deeply. He went against ever outgoing trait within him and simply handed the folder with his findings to Catherine before taking a seat at the opposite end of the table. She opened it and read the results.
"Hmmm," she said aloud to everyone gathered around her, "Well he's got an arrest here…but it's flimsy I doubt it means anything."
Warrick glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah, who doesn't have a drunk and disorderly these days?" he joked.
"I don't." Grissom decided to point out, of course forgetting that Warrick was not serious.
"Well either way," Catherine interjected, "We should check this out. Warrick, Grissom, go talk to this guy. Hopefully he'll be co-operative about this." And with that, Grissom and Warrick left the room and headed out the building's front doors. Grissom walked purposely towards Warrick's car; he was in no mood to drive.
Grissom spent the journey to the suspect's house contemplating what he'd done in the past day. If he was still a religious man, his actions in the past 24 hours would have been fairly damning evidence. He shuddered to think of himself trying to explain his actions at the Pearly Gates…But it was for their own good. The words sounded lame even in his head. There was no way for Grissom to deny how much he was hurting those he cared about the most in his life. Only the knowledge that he was saving them from greater pain in the future kept Grissom from going back on his plan completely.
He recounted over how much he'd accomplished. It was unlikely Catherine was soon going to forget the things he'd said to her. He knew her well enough to know that insulting her leadership and her independence was the sure-fire way to eliminate himself as her 'father figure'. Likewise he knew that suggesting Greg, who was in fact showing great promise, was an inept CSI was the surest way to lower his standing in Greg's opinion.
Grissom felt like some horrible cliché from an old sci-fi movie. He was using all his knowledge of the friendships he'd formed over the past years against the people he'd grown to…love. He was almost ready for someone to begin calling back from the dark side of the force. But that's not going to happen he was forced to admit no happy ending this time…just a broken family. Even so, there was no denying that Grissom had to break the family sooner rather than later and, as such, decided to continue on with his plan.
They arrived at the house of Jonah Mikler after about twenty minutes of driving. It was getting dark and the city's lights were bright in the sky. They found the house to be an average building in the middle of the suburbs. There was nothing suspicious at all about the house, or the neighborhood in general. But of course that was no guarantee of the situation. Warrick and Grissom walked towards the front door with caution and knocked on the door.
A man in his mid-forties opened the door. He had short blonde hair and brown eyes and he was grinning as he addressed the men waiting for him on his front step.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" He asked amicably.
"Mr. Mikler?" Grissom asked.
"That's me!" He smiled again.
"We're from the Las Vegas Crime Lab," Grissom continued gesturing towards the vests both he and Warrick were wearing. "Could we have a word with you?"
"Uhhh, sure." The man's forehead wrinkled in concern but he moved aside and gestured Grissom and Warrick into his living room. "Umm can I get you gentlemen anything to drink?"
"No thanks," Warrick spoke up. He was trying to decide whether or not he trusted the man who was now taking a seat in front of them. He was obviously flustered, but was that because he was thinking fast in order to hide something, or simply because he was startled by the arrival of two unexpected police officers this late in the day?
"So…you two are from the, the crime lab?"
"Yes," Warrick continued. "And we came here to ask you about your relationship with a woman named Kelly Gordon."
"Kelly?" The man's face suddenly became a bit paler. He was clearly very concerned about the turn this conversation was taking. "She's not in trouble is she?"
Warrick and Grissom were both surprised by the question. If this man was in on what was going on he would already of known the answer to that question. Furthermore if he'd been hired to kill several people, it was unlikely that he'd be too concerned about the welfare of the person who hired him. Either this man was completely innocent of what was going on, or he was a very good actor. Unfortunately both options were equally as likely.
"We haven't determined that yet." Warrick decided to inform him. "But we need to know why you've been in to visit her so much lately."
"Oh, uh, of course." The man continued, and as he kept talking his voice became more even, his demeanor more relaxed. "Well I'm actually an employee of a project called the Las Vegas Reentry Program. I work with Kelly in order to help her make sure she's ready to reenter society when her sentence has been served. We usually talk over the phone but a few weeks ago…Well, that's confidential you know…"
Warrick and Grissom were both blown away by this news. Their only suspect in a multiple homicide case was a public servant, a counselor! It was at this moment that Warrick's cell phone began ringing. He checked the caller ID and, seeing that it was his own home number, apologized to Grissom and Mr. Mikler and left the room to take the call.
Grissom continued his conversation with the man in front of him. "Mr. Mikler I understand that your conversations are confidential but this is important to the investigation of a very important case. I promise the specifics will remain confidential."
"Ok, I guess there's a loophole for the police. Well a few weeks ago Kelly got a visit from someone…umm Mitch, or Mick or something…anyways she wouldn't tell me what he said to her but it really impacted her. She said it made her think a lot about what she was doing with the time she had…she became much more involved in the program after that and she agreed to face-to-face counseling sessions. As opposed to over the phone I mean. That's why I've been visiting her."
"Oh," Grissom said after sitting in silence for a few moments. It was becoming clear to him that this man had nothing to do with the case he was investigating. "Well thank you for your cooperation."
Grissom shook hands with the man and left the house. He saw Warrick standing on the sidewalk near his car and heard him say "okay man I'll talk to ya soon," before he flipped the phone closed and turned towards Grissom with an inquisitive look.
Grissom saw the opportunity before him. He desperately wanted to let it slip. Every part of him regretted what he was about to do…but he saw no other choice.
"Placing a bet?" He asked Warrick in as casual a tone as he could muster.
"No I … What? Gris, you know I got out of that…" Warrick was blind sighted by the question, especially coming from someone who knew so well what he'd gone through as a result of his gambling in the past.
"Well, of course I'm going to wonder. I mean, you leave the middle of an interrogation to take a call…wouldn't be the first time."
Warrick opened and closed his mouth several times but couldn't find the words to describe his disbelief at the words coming out of Grissom's mouth, but he wasn't finished yet.
"I mean, you know what they say…" Grissom's heart was breaking at the thought of his next words. "Once a gambler, always a gambler right…you'll always be on the radar."
"Grissom," Warrick's voice was weak with incredulity as he gestured toward his phone, "it was Nick."
"Oh," was all Grissom said before climbing into the passenger's side and waiting for Warrick to get in behind the wheel. Warrick stood for a moment staring at the darkened sky. Part of him was wishing that he could slap himself awake and escape from this bad dream but the other part of him was already trying to figure out where this opinion of Grissom's had come from. He'd never before voiced concerns that Warrick might be back into gambling…it'd been years since he'd gone near it! With no solution coming to him he had nothing to do but climb into the car, start it, and begin the silent journey back to the lab.
When they arrived back at the lab Grissom and Warrick were told that both Sara and Greg had gone home for the night. Catherine informed them that they were clear to leave too, once they'd left their report on the situation with Mikler. She didn't want anyone to have to pull a triple shift if they didn't have to and, after all, there was only one case going on at the moment.
As Grissom informed Catherine the man they'd found was not linked to the case, he thought he noticed that she was avoiding his eye. She kept her gaze slightly over his left shoulder and refused to look him in the face. Grissom grew more and more frustrated by it as his report went on, which was irrational because it could only mean that his plan had worked; Catherine wasn't even willing to look at him anymore.
As soon as he finished explaining the situation to Catherine (and Warrick who was listening in as well) Grissom turned on his heel and walked back out of the building towards his car. Just before he left he heard Catherine talking to Warrick.
"Do you know what's going on with Greg, he seemed really upset!" she was saying.
"No clue," Warrick answered, clearly distracted by his own thoughts. "I've gotta get home and tell Nick what's going on…I'll be back in the morning."
Grissom felt sick to his stomach at his own success. And it wasn't over yet.
Grissom realized as he drove home that he had inadvertently saved the worst for last. There was one person whom he was least looking forward to hurting; because he knew it was going to be so easy, and that her pain would be the worst.
When he pulled up to his building Grissom walked into his apartment and kicked off his shoes. He walked to the cupboard and poured himself a whisky shot; this was going to take some liquid courage. He downed the shot quickly, remembering as he did why he so rarely drank. The liquid burned in his throat as he picked up the phone and began dialing the number to Sara's house.
"Hello?" Grissom heard Sara's voice on the other end of the line. It was groggy and Grissom realized that he must have woken her. Feeling even more guilt bubbling within him Grissom considered hanging up right now; his plan was close enough to being complete did he really have to do this? But in the next second he knew that he had no choice and so he answered.
"Sara? It's Grissom."
"Aww crap! I just got into bed Gris," Grissom heard the shuffling that was Sara trying to find a pair of pants and realized that she was so used to him calling her in to work in the middle of the night that she'd assumed that situation before he'd been able to explain himself further. God he wished that was why he was calling.
"No, Sara it's not a case." He continued quickly, "I'm calling because…well I wanted to ask; am I too late?"
"Too late?" Sara echoed clearly not catching on.
"I know you said I might be too late. I hope I'm not too late Sara."
"Gris?" Confusion came through the line clearly to reach Grissom's ears.
"Sara, would like to go for dinner tonight?"
"Grissom I… yes, of course I would!" The drowsiness in Sara's voice was long gone. She sounded excited and eager, as if one of her dreams had come true.
"Great," Grissom had to get through this quickly or it was going to kill him. "I'll meet you at the Top of the World in the Stratosphere in an hour!" and he hung up.
Pouring himself another shot Grissom walked back to his couch to lie down and close his eyes, though he knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep.
Sara heard the abrupt 'click' on the other end of the line and was surprised to find herself speaking to no one. Oh well she thought as she hung up her phone as well and jumped out of her bed to flick on the lights. She could hardly contain he excitement.
She couldn't believe this was happening, after so long of dreaming, of wondering whether Grissom would ever build up the nerve…it was finally happening and she couldn't be happier! And he was taking her to the Top of the World! It was so appropriate, Sara decided giggling to herself as she began pouring through her nicest clothes. An elegant, fancy restaurant with the best view in Vegas…she was so excited!
Finally choosing her best dress, a full length black strapless, Sara headed into her bathroom to shower and get her makeup done. She only had an hour before she was supposed to meet Grissom and she hoped she could make herself dazzling in time.
After a short shower Sara did her makeup and tried to decide how she was going to style her hair, there were so many choices! Curly or straight? Curly, she decided after only a moment's thought. Up or down? The immediate choice was down of course, but then she thought again. Had Grissom ever seen her with her hair up? She couldn't remember that he ever had and so, deciding she might as well go all the way, she started crimping and pinning her hair into an elaborate up-do.
Sara surprised herself by managing to finish her hair in only 45 minutes, quite the feat considering how good it looked. Even Sara, who hated wearing her hair up for any occasion, had to admit that she'd never looked better. She slipped on a pair of very painful and therefore very beautiful high heeled sandals, and headed out her front door for the taxi that was waiting there; there was no way she was driving the way she looked. She almost felt ordering a limo would have been more appropriate but decided that that may have been going slightly over the top.
Sara arrived at the restaurant only 15 minutes late, but she was sure that seeing her would push any thoughts of tardiness out of Grissom's mind. She couldn't remember ever feeling more beautiful, or more excited. The long elevator ride to the top of the stratosphere seemed to take and eternity, she couldn't wait to see the expression on Grissom's face when he saw her. She was determined to ensure Grissom would have no way to regret finally taking the plunge.
She arrived at the restaurant and asked the host at the front desk to direct her to where Grissom sat. The host politely informed her that no one under that name had arrived yet and asked her whether she would like to sit at the bar and wait for him. Sara was highly surprised that she'd beaten Grissom there – she didn't realize he possessed the ability to be late – but she sat down anyway to wait, eyeing the dish full of cashews set in front of her with mild interest.
After 20 minutes of waiting at the bar Sara began to get concerned. Whether or not he was late there was absolutely no way Grissom would leave her here by herself for this long. He would never hurt you Sara she assured herself again. The only conclusion she could come to was that Grissom had been called into work and hadn't been able to contact her. She extracted her cell phone from her very tiny purse and checked to make sure it was on and working. There were no missed calls.
Sara, only slightly concerned, decided to dial Grissom's house. She could assure herself that he wasn't there and leave a message on his machine. She could imagine how fun it would be to taunt Grissom about having to go to work instead of seeing her like this. She knew he would've been devastated at being called in but, alas, when it came to Grissom, nothing took priority over his work.
Sara was having so much fun rehearsing the scandalous message she planned to place on Grissom's machine that she was completely unprepared for him to answer the phone, which of course he did after only couple of rings.
"Hello?" His voice sounded normal…he didn't seem to have been stabbed through the throat.
"Gris? Umm what are you doing at home?" Sara was very confused.
"Sara." Grissom sounded exasperated, as though Sara was interrupting something very important.
"Grissom…Gil, what are you doing?"
"I was about to go to bed Sara."
"Bed? But…but what about dinner." Sara knew there was something else up. She bit back the tears that were threatening to spill onto her cheeks.
"Dinner…Oh. Haha, you didn't actually think I was serious about that did you?" He let that hang for moment. "I mean, what's changed Sara? Unless you were counting on some kind of pity vote based on your seriously disturbed childhood."
Sara couldn't bear to listen to another word. The tears she'd been trying to restrain poured down her cheeks, ruining her carefully applied makeup. "Gil … how could you?" was all she managed to choke out before she slammed her phone closed and ran as fast as she could in three-inch heels to the elevator.
Grissom sat in his apartment. He stared at the walls covered in specimens of butterflies and other assorted bugs. He had heard the pain in Sara's voice. His heart broke when he realized she was crying. He imagined her, sitting alone in her apartment crying long into the night. He reminded himself that he had no other choice; he had to take the brunt of the pain involved in breaking his only family apart. She can't miss what she never had.
But then why do I hate myself so much right now?
I know I know! This chapter was WAY too late in coming! I hope you'll forgive me, I seem to be taking far too long to update. As some sort of compensation, this chapter is the longest yet and I'll try to update with the next chapter more quickly! I would like to blame my Beta for the delay but I can't. The blame all lies with me. And by the way an ENORMOUS thank you to my BETA!
Thank you all for the fabulous reviews of the last chapter (few as you may be):
Beta: haha very funny (see above for your response)
Nix707: Well, as we've seen Nick has left his house lol. I'd definitely have gotten out of there as fast as I could too. I'm glad to hear you have so much faith in Grissom/Catherine's relationship…but in the world of fanfiction, who knows? Muah ha ha.
Everybetty: (Whose writing I am totally addicted to and loving btw) I'm glad you kind of understand the reasoning behind Grissom's actions and I tried to have a little more of his own deluded self-rationalization in this chapter. As to who's leaving the notes…that must remain a mystery lol. Though I'm not sure yet for how much longer.
Mma63: I'm glad you're enjoying my story. Lol I am also hooked on Nick (or should I say George Eads in general?) haha but who couldn't be? As to the 'who's leaving the notes'…while you'll have to wait just like everybetty lol (though hopefully not for too much longer).
LiluPegasus: I'm honored you think I have talent and I'm thrilled to hear you're enjoying the story. Thanks so much for the review!
I absolutely love reading reviews PLEASE keep them coming. And if anyone cares to offer any advice or take a guess as to who's behind all this…feel free! (I'm curious to see if anyone will figure it out before the next chapter, when I think it will be revealed)