A/N First, let me apologize for how late this chapter is. I'm about 4 Unbound challenges behind now. We've had some major family stuff going on, which kind of muted my muse for a while. First and last lines provided, as always. I think ti made exactly 1000 words this time. Thanks to Cybrokat for the beta, and for demanding I do some explaining of Sophia's actions.

"Okay, I may be missing something, but... what's with the bubble wrap?"

Sophia stood near her locker, as Swing shift ended and Grave began. Warrick was near his own small space, pulling out a large roll of everyone's favorite stress reliever, bubble wrap. He struggled with it a moment, but managed to pull the roll out without disturbing too many of his belongings. He let it fall to the floor as he slammed his locker shut.

"Rough case?"

"What?" Warrick turned to Sophia, his eyes crinkling in puzzlement. "Nah. Two Smash and Grabs, no luck there, but not much missing either. Why?"

"Well," Sophia glanced at the roll on the floor, then let her eyes climb very slowly back to Warrick's. "That's a lot of bubble wrap…thought it might mean that you're very…frustrated. Anything," she paused, her eyes locking with the black man's, "I can do to help?"

He just stared at her another moment, rolling his eyes at the somewhat sultry tone of her voice before shaking his head. "Nah…it's for Greg."

"Greg is frustrated?" Something about her tone cooled then, and she turned back to spin the lock on her locker.

Warrick's brow furrowed as he shook his head, "Nah. But I figure this way, he won't go so ballistic the next time he wants to wrap a birthday present." Warrick flashed a quick grin as he hefted the roll under his arm. "Figure I got him covered till he's about ninety now."

"Oh." Sophia turned back to place her purse in her locker, "I uhm…I heard about that…party." Her shoulders stiffened as she tossed her blonde hair behind her, "Not from anyone who was actually there, of course."

Warrick stared for a moment, and then moved toward the door. He wanted to find Greg and give him the wrap before he headed out with Nick for a few beers. Nick, he was sure, would want details of Greg's expression when presented with the windfall of little plastic bubbles. His hand was on the door before he stopped, and reconsidered. "What did you really expect, Sophia?"

"Excuse me?"

He sighed, letting the roll fall back to the floor. "I'm serious. Did you expect an invitation?"

"If this is about the paint again, I did apologize."

"Because Griss made you." He stood for another moment, glancing several times toward the door. Finally he sighed, and straddled one of the benches. "You really don't get it, do you?"

"I guess not."

"We had a team, Sophia…"

"And I had a job!" Sophia's voice was more strident than Warrick had ever heard it as she interrupted him. "As a supervisor, Warrick. A team that trusted me. You aren't the only ones who lost something."

"I know that, Sophia." Warrick ran a hand over his face, unconsciously imitating Grissom as he paused to consider his words. "We trusted…trust…each other. It's never been about being trusted…it's about having someone to trust. People you know have your back. Always, you know?"

"Yeah. I knew that, once."

"See, that's the thing." Warrick shook his head gently as he watched Sophia slump against her locker, "Did you really? Because…I don't know. That stunt with Sara? Doesn't really give any of us confidence that you know how to be part of a team, ya know? And doesn't make those of us who care about Sara really want to get to know you, to trust you. I don't think any of us know who you really are, Sophia."

"The thing with Sara!" Sophia growled and threw herself to the floor, "God, I'm sick of hearing how wonderful Sara is! Even Hodges hasn't been able to resist singing her praises, and to be honest, I don't think he even likes her!"

"You channeling Jan Brady over there, Sophia?"

She let her head drop back against her locker, "What?"

"You know…'Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" He grinned, "You do a good impression of her. And for the record, Hodges doesn't like anyone."

For a moment, Sophia just glared at him, and then finally shrugged, "You think I'm jealous of Sara?"

"Aren't you?"

"Warrick," Sophia sighed, "I was supervisor of my own shift. And suddenly, I find myself on Graveyard. With no one trusting me because I investigated them. Do you know how lonely that is? How isolating? Only Grissom gives me the time of day, and then only in random intervals. Do you know how much that screws with a person?"

"Nope." Warrick paused, and then grinned, "Sara does, though."

"Sara?" Sophia jumped up, looming over the Swing shift CSI before she began pacing the locker room. "The lab's golden girl? How would she understand?"

Warrick just shook his head. For someone as smart as Sophia had to be, someone who was supposed to be so good at office politics, she sure did miss the back-story, didn't she? "You really don't know that Griss brought Sara in to investigate another CSI, who she recommended be fired? And then he hired her to work with that CSI? Then, turned around to ask her to investigate him again? And she suggested, again, that he be fired? Grissom didn't…as far as I know; ever explain to her the reasons why he didn't follow her recommendations."

Sophia stopped. "Sara? Came in as an internal investigator? You're screwing with me, aren't you?"

"Nope. Every word is true."

"I…I'm surprised." She paused, leaning against her locker again, "Did the CSI she investigated leave?"

"No. What makes you think that?"

"I…it's just that, every CSI seems to…I don't know…really," She paused then, considering her words. "Work very well with her. I don't see how the CSI could still be here."

"That's because you don't understand what it means to be on a team Sophia. A real team. You can't just think about yourself, you know? Sara doesn't." He stopped then, his voice softening, "And when she's wrong…she really admits it."

"It was you?"

"Yup."

"Jan Brady, huh?"

"Oh yeah."

She laughed as she threw herself to the floor again.