Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed… I've decided to take the advice of a couple of the reviewers and not say what Grissom did, it isn't really needed and you can all feel free to come up with your own ideas.
Sorry for another really short chapter; it was originally meant to be part of chapter 2, but I wanted to get that up quickly so I split it up. Oh and apparently I spelt Sofia wrong in the last two chapters, sorry.
----------------------------
"Hey Sara," said Nick as he passed her in the hallway outside Catherine's office. She greeted him tiredly, and exchanged smiles with Warrick who was standing just behind him, before making her way in the direction of the break room.
"Wow, I am so glad I am not on the night shift right now," commented Warrick as the two of them walked through the doorway and stood next to Catherine's desk.
The blonde CSI raised her eyebrows at him. "Oh, then I guess you won't be pleased that I've just volunteered you to help out Sara."
Warrick blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Three new cases have just come in, and it's too late for swing shift to officially take them on. Night shift doesn't have the staff to handle all of them as well as the double homicide they're already working on from last night, so I told Sara she could borrow you two. She's clearing it with Ecklie as we speak."
Nick and Warrick looked at each other and sighed, defeated.
"Well, I guess I could use the overtime pay."
----------------------------
Nick and Warrick walked together into the break room where Greg was already standing pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Hey guys… swing shift isn't over yet is it?"
"No; we're joining you guys for the night. Catherine's fault. Apparently you've got more cases than you can handle without us."
"Oh." Greg paused. "Well, you've picked a fantastic time to pay us a visit."
"Yeah, believe me we heard." Both men gratefully accepted the cups Greg passed over to them, and they sat down at the table, looking up to greet Sofia as she entered the room.
"What's going on?" she asked, pulling out a chair for herself.
"Nick and Warrick are being punished for something. Joining our shift for the night."
"Yeah, heard we had some new cases." She took a sip of the drink Warrick had just handed her, and winced at its taste; this evidently was not one of Greg's own stash. "At least, with so many cases, we won't all be working on the same one. Sara and Grissom should have an excuse to avoid each other, and us."
Nick opened his mouth to give his opinion of the current situation, but closed it hurriedly when he saw Grissom enter the room. The entomologist gave a weak smile to everyone in the room and sank down into the sole remaining chair. Everyone gave him quick, nervous glances, and for a minute or so an awkward silence reigned.
It was eventually broken by the arrival of Sara with the assignment slips. She gave a tired grin to Nick and Warrick. "Thanks for helping out, guys. Nick – you've got a DB outside McDonald's just a few blocks from here. Warrick, you have floater out on Lake Mead. Take Greg." She passed them the slips of paper, and then glanced over to the two remaining CSI's. "Sofia, I want you to stay with me on the double homicide. Grissom – decomp in the desert."
Grissom looked at her. "Sara, I really think I should stay on the double-"
Sara shook her head. "No, Grissom… I need you on the decomp."
"Sara…"
"Grissom." Her tone shocked everyone in the room, including herself. She closed her eyes for a second, getting herself together. When she spoke again, her tone was close to pleading. "Please, Griss... don't make me do that."
Grissom looked away for a second, away from her eyes and those of every other person in the room. Then he looked up, nodded, and took the assignment slip out of her hand.
----------------------------
"Grissom."
Grissom was still sitting in the break room, his head in his hand and a box of pills sitting on the table next to him; proof that he was fighting off a migraine. He looked so much smaller to Sara, hunched over like that; he valued his control so much, and it had been ripped so unfairly from him.
He looked up as she spoke, and then quickly got up. "Sara. I'm just going…"
"Griss." Her tone was soft. "I'm sorry… I just… it's a decomp, there'll be bugs. And I need Sofia. She's… easiest to work with, at the moment."
"I'm sorry too. This isn't your fault. And you're in charge. I should've…"
Sara just sighed. She looked away for a second, and then regained eye contact with him. "This isn't your fault either, Griss."
Grissom shook his head. "Ecklie was right, I shouldn't have-"
"Oh, that was your fault. Not exactly the best move you've ever made. You could have been sued." Sara shook her head. "But this? Me? Ecklie didn't suspend you because all the shifts are short-staffed. But he could have transferred you. Or me. Put Catherine in charge of night shift. Anything but this." She paused, and then sighed. "You need to get to your crime scene."
