... part 1, chapter 5 ...
Grissom called Sofia into his office one night when their casework was slow. It had been two months since Sara had left, and although her presence was still missed, Sofia, Warrick and Greg had worked well together to keep things afloat.
But Grissom couldn't help but notice the strain the double shifts were putting on Warrick. It was time for him to actively search for a real replacement. And Grissom had the perfect candidate in mind.
"Please, have a seat," he said as he gestured to his chair. "We haven't had a chance to talk in quite some time."
Sofia smiled politely and sat, eyeing him curiously. "Not since I threatened to leave."
"Are things better now?" he asked.
"I suppose," she said quietly. "Is that why you wanted to meet with me?"
"Although I'm concerned about your well-being, and I need you to stay, that isn't what this is about. I'd like to ask you how you'd feel if you were to take over as acting nightshift supervisor for a few weeks."
Sofia leaned back, slightly surprised. "Why me instead of Warrick Brown?"
"He's exhausted working double shifts. And you have more experience with what's required. You'll need to handle all my work, plus your own, plus supervise Greg on assignments. I don't want him out on his own. He isn't ready yet."
Sofia said nothing, and Grissom felt the chill of apprehension. What if she said no? When she finally looked at him, there was a slightly smug expression on her pretty face.
"You're going after her."
Grissom sighed. "I have to recruit a replacement for Sara, Sofia. That's what I plan to do. I am traveling to scout for suitable candidates."
"May I be candid with you, Grissom?"
He paused. "You may."
"Do I look completely and utterly stupid to you?"
"Uh… no, of course not. You know I respect your intelligence and experience."
"Then why lie to me?"
"I haven't lied to you."
"Okay, we'll be technical, then. Why are you being evasive? I have ears, you know. Fascinating fact for you: most humans do. Another fascinating fact: humans love to gossip. I heard how your staff pounded you when someone, somehow, found out where Sara Sidle went. They all wanted to know when you were going to go after her and drag her back 'home'. I also heard the reason why they felt this was your responsibility, and believe me, that was quite a story."
And that storyteller would be Greg, with his big, broken-hearted mouth. Thanks a lot, Greg.
"Sofia, nothing happened between Sara and I…"
She raised her hand, and Grissom's voice trailed off.
"I'm not going to even acknowledge you said that," she said with a slight snarl. "I respect you, and while she was here, I respected Sara. I didn't agree with her some of her ethics, and I do feel it was best that she moved on. But once I got the whole story, her behavior here made a lot more sense."
She focused on him with a hard stare. "You were an ass."
He blinked in surprise, but said nothing.
"As for your request, I have no problems with taking over as acting supervisor," she stated with pride. "I should warn you that I will do an excellent job."
Sofia narrowed her eyes at him, and he did likewise at her. So that's how it's going to be, hmm?
She continued, "There will be no need to worry while you are away. The lab will be fine in your absence. However, I strongly encourage you to reconsider your actions."
Grissom scowled. He decided to drop the evasive front, as it clearly wasn't going to work with her.
"Explain," he said. "Since we're being so honest with each other."
"'If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it is yours. If it doesn't, it never was.' I used to tell myself this little poem when I was younger, when I had a crush on a guy who didn't seem to be interested. It made it easier to deal with the rejection. Because, as much as I wanted to be with him… if I loved him, I had to let him go. And let him choose."
She frowned. "You gave her no choice; she had to free herself. You didn't let her go. You didn't make her yours, either. And really, she was never yours to begin with. But you toyed with her and her emotions, keeping her here. 'Why' seems to be biggest unanswered question in this lab, as a matter of fact."
She smiled at the thought, and Grissom wondered what else was being said about him behind his back.
She continued, her voice turning solemn. "Now, I don't know why she finally decided to leave, but at least she wised up. Staying here was a continued exercise in futility for her. Don't delude yourself, either. Your lack of action, in either direction, forced her to go."
Grissom's eyes were steel. Sofia was painfully correct, but this was personal, and she wasn't a close friend like Brass or Catherine. His tone was sharp. "Your point?"
"As much as you may want to run to her, and say or do whatever it is that you are planning, she may not want to listen. And honestly, I don't blame her."
"So you feel it would be an exercise in futility," he stated, somewhat mollified.
"If it were me, and I had made up my mind to move on, I would move on. Close the doors behind me, and open new ones up ahead. Sara's closed the door on her life here, and opened a new one elsewhere. You are behind her closed door. For me, no matter what was behind that door, I wouldn't want it anymore. I closed it, and opened another, for a reason."
Grissom considered this, and in a way, it made sense. There were things, and people, from his past that were better left there. He liked his skeletons locked tightly inside their closet, where they belonged.
Sofia seemed irritated at his lack of a response. "Is there anything else you need to discuss with me?"
Grissom sighed. "No, and I do appreciate your honesty. I hope that you won't…"
She held up her hand again. "I won't blab your personal life across this lab. You know, you nightshift guys really need to get out more. You live so vicariously through each other, it's almost painful to watch." She chuckled to herself, and Grissom felt again, and not for the first time, that Sofia shared a mentality that wasn't theirs. She belonged back on the day shift. Her family was there, not here.
"But seriously," she said as she stood in the doorway, "you should think long and hard before you go traipsing off to rescue her. She may not want to be rescued."
oooooooooooooooooooooo
Despite Sofia's words of warning, Grissom still continued with his plan. Since he had her approval to appoint her as temporary nightshift supervisor, he filled out the required paperwork, and was waiting for the right moment to approach Ecklie.
Ecklie couldn't really say no without causing a stir with his superiors, namely Atwater, and Grissom knew he had an advantage over the man.
The perfect opportunity presented itself when a high-profile congressman had his very expensive Jaguar stolen, and the nightshift had recovered the vehicle and captured the thief. It wasn't like it was a difficult case, the man's stepson had gone joyriding with the thing, and somehow damaged it. It had been abandoned in a low-end long-term parking lot near McCarren.
Ecklie was just returning from a press conference, clearly pleased he could take the credit for the find.
"Conrad. I need for you to sign these forms." Grissom followed him to his office, and handed them to him as Ecklie sat down.
"What are these? More requests for supplies?"
"No. Just standard forms to handle my search for a replacement. I'll need to be away from the lab for a couple of weeks, but Sofia has agreed to run the shift while I'm gone."
Ecklie stopped his signature halfway, and focused hooded eyes on Grissom's face. Grissom was calm despite the glare from his adversary. "You can't just leave for two weeks, Gil."
"I'm afraid it's necessary. I need to recruit a replacement, and the department can't afford to fly candidates from all over the country to Vegas, let alone shack them up in a hotel, rent them a car, and feed them. I am doing this on my own time; I have plenty of paid leave on the books." Grissom paused for dramatic effect. "Like I said before, the lab shouldn't suffer because of my mistakes."
Ecklie was too high on himself to bat more than a couple eyelashes at Grissom's statements. Most likely, he heard "afford", "my own" and "my mistakes", and was again feeling superior.
"This is truly above and beyond for you. Atwater will be impressed. He had siphoned off a portion of this quarter's budget to support recruitment." Ecklie smiled slightly as he continued to sign the forms. Grissom was sure Ecklie was going to take credit for his "cost-saving" measure. It was unfortunate that Ecklie didn't realize he was signing an expense voucher permitting Grissom with unrestrained use of his corporate card. Nor was Ecklie aware that a first-class airline ticket to Bradley International was charged to that card.
Grissom's smile was sincere as Ecklie handed the forms back to him, for forwarding to accounting. "Thank you, Ecklie. I will be in contact with Sofia periodically, and she knows how to reach me if it is an emergency. I am quite confident that she'll do fine in my absence. She assured me she would do her best."
Ecklie's tone was off as he replied abruptly to Grissom's praise of his old teammate. "She'll do fine. She's an expert on controlling others."
Grissom raised an eyebrow at that unexpected statement. What was that supposed to mean?
"Still," Ecklie stated, returning to his normal slime-coated demeanor, "I'm sure all will be well. Good luck on your search."
"Thank you, Conrad."
As Grissom was almost through the doorway, elated at his good fortune, Ecklie called to him. "Oh… Gil… there is one more thing. I do hope you don't have plans to bring back Sara Sidle. I know she's on the east coast now, and I did read in your itinerary that you were headed that way." He paused before muttering, "And I know about the wagers surrounding your 'relationship'."
"Conrad, I have no intention of recruiting Sara as her own replacement."
"That's good, Gil, because if you step one foot into this lab with Sara Sidle at your side, you're fired. Are we clear?"
Grissom's temper soared, and he couldn't hold back the hostility in his voice.
"Crystal."
"Good. Have a nice trip."
oooooooooooooooooooooo
Two days before he was scheduled to leave, he had an unexpected visit from all of his old team, plus Brass. They actually cornered him at assignments.
Catherine, of course, was their spokesperson. "We all wanted to let you know that no matter what happens, we're still be here for you. You've been there for all of us, more than once. We are just returning the favor." Everyone nodded in agreement, with big, goofy smiles on their faces.
Grissom thought now would be a perfect time to impersonate a cockroach. Or maybe a turtle. Or a snail.
"We figured you might need some help, so first, here's a card from all of us to Sara. Make sure she reads it."
"Don't open it," Greg blurted. "It's for her."
Catherine laughed, while Nick, Warrick and Brass simultaneously rolled their eyes in annoyance.
"Second, you need to get a clue. So here's your new bible. Read it. Learn it. Love it."
She handed him a large paperback. He almost choked when he read the title. "Dating For Dummies".
Nick started coughing lightly, most likely to hide his sniggering.
"Wow. Gee. Thanks." Grissom didn't hide the embarrassed sarcasm in his voice.
"Third," Catherine continued, unperturbed, "We took the liberty of chipping in to get you something that might push the odds into your favor."
She handed him an envelope, and he opened in cautiously. Inside he found two pieces of paper. The confusion on his face was apparent as he unfolded them cautiously. One was a confirmation of a tuxedo rental. The other was a confirmation of dinner reservations at "The Olde Lyme Inn".
"It's all paid for," Catherine said. "All you have to do is tell them when you'll pick the tuxedo up, and just call the restaurant to schedule the dinner. Order whatever you want, it's all set up to charge to my account. Enjoy yourselves. And if it goes well… well… it's an inn." She gave him a bawdy smirk, and Grissom wished frantically for the magical ability to disappear. But apparently, everyone could still see him, and the embarrassed look on his face.
"Wine and dine her, Gil," Brass said with a smile. "Women can't resist a man in a tux."
"That's the truth," Catherine replied. "You looked good at Ecklie's dinner. That is until you left me holding the napkin while you sauntered off to a crime scene." She shot him a condescending look, and he couldn't help but grin back at her. He got her good that night.
"And I hope you haven't put on any pounds since then," Catherine said, eyeing him intently, "since I used the same measurements that you had then to place the order."
"No," he said a little hesitantly. "I don't think so."
Suddenly the weight of what they'd done, and what he was doing, hit him. Grissom didn't know what to say. He felt strangely sad and happy at the same time. He couldn't define what it was. And everyone was still looking at him with Cheshire Cat grins, and he was at a loss.
"I… I really don't know what to say." Grissom looked down at his shoes, ashamed that he couldn't thank his friends properly.
"We all wish you well," Catherine said. "And we're ready for the melodrama to end. We're okay with whatever you decide to do."
Grissom raised his head in mild surprise.
"It's okay, Grissom," Nick said lightly. "We're all okay with it. So go do what you've gotta do. Go get her."
Grissom focused on the younger man, quite aware of his strong loyalty to Sara. The look in Nick's eyes didn't deny it, and Grissom was almost taken aback by the intensity he found there.
"Do it," Nick said. "Bring her home."
oooooooooooooooooooooo
His last night at the lab was relatively uneventful. He had briefed Sofia on all of the open cases, and she had been mostly running the show for a week now. Grissom had to admit she was very good at doing his job. Seeing her in a supervisory role – it was obvious that was where she belonged. And she relished in it, the same way Catherine relished in high profile cases. The similarities were profound. And mildly disturbing.
Still, that was all irrelevant. He was leaving. Part of him was confident this was the right thing to do, and his heart soared with the feeling. The other part of him was screaming in pure, unadulterated terror. He was trying very hard to ignore that part.
"So, you have everything you need?" he asked Sofia. She looked quite comfortable, sitting in his chair, filling out his paperwork.
"Yes," she said, barely looking up. "Everything will be fine."
"Well, goodbye then. You know how to reach me."
"Yes," she replied. "I do. Just relax and go fetch your girl." She looked up with a smile and a twinkle of affectionate humor in her eyes.
He smiled back at her. "Should I take that as an approval?"
"Consider it a gesture of goodwill."
Grissom left the lab with a light heart. This was the right thing to do. And he was doing it.
Greg stopped him as he was getting into his car.
"Grissom! Wait a sec!"
"Yes, Greg?" Grissom said, slightly annoyed. He should have known Greg would have something to say before he left.
"I just wanted to wish you well. I hope it works out, for both of you."
"Well, thanks Greg."
"And…" Greg said simply, "if I find out you hurt her yet again on this little adventure of yours, well… you'd better watch your back when you return."
Grissom was incensed at Greg's audacity. "That sounded like a threat, Greg. It isn't a good career move to threaten your supervisor."
"It wasn't a threat, boss. It was a statement. Interpret it any way you like."
Grissom watched Greg walk quietly away, and wondered when he went from a scrawny clown of a lab rat, to a confident and serious young man. Something about his behavior made Grissom a little nervous. This trip was about more than just him. It was about Sara, and Sara's influence on this lab. In not so many words, Nick had said almost the same thing. And Brass had made his feelings clear as well when she first left.
There probably was an old western about just this topic. If the hero didn't rescue the errant maiden from unknown peril, and bring her back home, Daddy and her two older brothers would pound the hero into a bloody pulp.
Grissom drove home, wondering how his own version of the western would end. Would he ride off into the sunset, or lie beaten and defeated in the desert, with buzzards picking at his remains…
oooooooooooooooooooooo
Two nights later, when Grissom was most likely flying over a rural portion of Indiana, his office telephone rang.
Sofia picked it up on the third ring.
"Gil Grissom's office, Sofia Curtis speaking."
"Oh?" the voice on the line asked, surprise and annoyance clearly evident through the line. "Is Gil Grissom available?"
"No, I'm sorry. He's out of the office for the next two weeks. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Sofia, you'll have to. This is Sara Sidle. I'm calling about a case I have here… I, uh… I work for the State of Connecticut now."
"Oh?" Sofia said, trying to sound sincere and surprised at the same time.
Sara continued, "Do remember the Cynthia Walker case? The dancer that was found posed like she was praying?"
Sofia paused for a moment, scanning her memory. "Yes… I do. Tangiers hotel bathroom. Unsolved."
"Two more women have had something very similar happen to them out here. I didn't know about the first, and the second just happened last night. Both women were cleaned spotless with a bleach-based solution." Sara paused before continuing. "I'm calling because I'm almost positive that this is out of our jurisdiction. This isn't my case anymore. I think it's yours."
"Actually," Sofia corrected her, "it belongs to both labs. Lucky you, you'll get to work with Grissom again. He's on a plane headed your way right now."
continued next chapter ->