A/N: Apologies for being a week late with this chapter. It is, of course, a response to an Unbound challenge, but not the current lines. Next chapter probably will take a week or more, as well. First and last lines provided, just over the 1000 word limit. Thank you, everyone, who has been sending me feedback for this story, it's been very helpful. Thank you Cybrokat for the beta.

An upside down photo lay tattered on the floor. Grissom nearly tripped over it as he brought his breakfast into the break room. He bent down to retrieve the snapshot and tossed it idly to the table next to his pancakes and sausage. Grissom's eyes strayed toward the photo as he lifted his fork to spear a bite of his late meal. His eyes narrow at the visage of Sara flanked by Warrick and Nick, with a very obvious thumb in the frame. Frowning he laid it back on the table and reached for his crossword before going back to the picture. Sara was holding a party hat, but both Nick and Warrick sported them on their heads, their goofy smiles evidence that the apparel might not have been quite their own choosing. He might have thought it was a left over snapshot from the holidays, but he recognized the teal jacket on Sara was as one she'd only lately begun wearing, and had been dressed in the previous shift. He returned to scratching an answer in his puzzle when something else about what Sara was wearing drew his eyes back to the picture.

A smile.

Seeing the expression on the girl in the picture, he dropped both pen and fork, and lifted the photo gently into his hands. How long had it been since he'd seen a smile on Sara's face?

Before he could come up with an answer, the woman in question slipped back through the door. "Hey Grissom, I was looking for…"

He glanced up at her, for once not censoring his words as he watched her
walk into the room. "You've changed."

"I…what?"

His eyes sought refuge in the photo, and he realized his unplanned words were an unintended double entendre, "You changed. You…were wearing something else last night. I didn't think your case would…" He paused, taking a quick breath, and then plunging into a question, which, like the statement before had layers of meaning. "Everything all right?"

"Oh." She stared at him for a moment, and then glanced down at the blue t-shirt she now wore, "Oh. Greg got cake all over the blouse I wore last night. And…"

At his perplexed look she just shrugged, "They uh…gave me a surprise birthday party."

The puzzled look only intensified. "Your birthday was in September."

A hint of a smile passed over her face at that, "Yes…I…I mean, Greg…and Warrick and Nick. They felt like…we were... Since the shift change, we haven't had a lot of time to get together, and I guess…" She shrugged; the fact that none of the other three had remembered her actual birthday was uncomfortable enough that none of them had even broached the subject. She couldn't imagine talking about it with Grissom. "It was just…" It was then she saw the picture, "There it is. I wanted to keep it, it's funny."

Grissom smiled, handing it over to Sara, "Greg's thumb, I take it?"

Her own smile widened as she nodded, "Yeah. He wanted to be in the picture too. Thanks Grissom, I'll see you tonight." She was halfway to the door when Catherine's advice resurfaced. "I…you know Gris. I…there was something I wanted to…I mean. Do you have some time?"

Grissom watched Sara for a moment, indecision warring with something else in his features. Finally he shoved his breakfast aside and stood. "Sure. Let's…let's get out of here. "

An hour and a half later found them with McDonald's bags clutched in their hands, sitting on a bench on the observation deck of the Stratosphere. Their conversation on the drive over, in line at the restaurant, and through the security checkpoint at the tower had been incidental. They chatted about little things, Catherine's adjustment to being supervisor, Nick's new girlfriend, Greg's first court appearance. It was this that brought the conversation to more serious footing.

"Sara…" Grissom dropped his breakfast burrito onto the bench next to him, "You've been doing…you've been doing a great job with Greg. I wanted you to know that."

"Thanks." Sara paused, glancing down into her coffee. "Grissom, I…" Mimicking his actions, she set the coffee aside. "Listen, I never said, the other day…I never apologized for what Ecklie….for how I came across to Ecklie. The guys…it was obvious that the guys aren't happy with this shift change, neither is Sophia. And I can't help but think…"

"Sara," Grissom's voice was low as he interrupted her, "Sara stop. This whole thing…this has nothing to do with you. No matter what you said, or didn't say, when Ecklie was…" he grimaced as he continued, "interrogating you…it didn't matter. He would have used whatever any of you said to break up the team. Not because of you, but because of me."

"Grissom…"

"No, Sara. I haven't been the best supervisor, I know that. But," he paused to shrug, flashing that little half-smile that always seemed to set Sara's heart fluttering,

"No, Grissom. You're three times the supervisor Ecklie could ever be."

He smiled, shrugging. "You know Sara, I don't think that would really matter. Ecklie has his issues with me. I don't do…office politics well. It's my failing, not yours, that cost us the team. I'm the one who should be sorry. For a lot of things."

Sara's only response was a frown as she lifted the coffee back to her lips. For a moment, neither spoke. As the moment dragged on, Sara shifted, opening her mouth to say something, anything, to end the discomfort for both of them. Only Catherine's words stilled her own.

Finally Grissom sighed, "When we talked last week. You…you mentioned our…complicated relationship. And," he stopped again, staring down at his second uneaten breakfast of the day. Sara's hands were clenched in her lap, her knuckles white; he moved his own hand to cover hers, but at the last moment let it drop next to her thigh. "It wasn't all you either, Sara. I…I made a lot of mistakes…too. I was…" He stopped, finally looking up at Sara's shocked expression, "Confusing."

Her laugh emboldened him, and he grinned, "My mistakes are coming home to roost."

Sara smiled, letting her hand drop from her lap onto his, "That's the best place to deal with them."

"So it would seem."