DISCLAIMER: Don't own it... No money made... Just for fun and enjoyment.

SUMMARY: Sequel to Displacement. The CSI team and their recently hired coroner Stephanie are back to work solving cases, sharing companionship and generally making their way through the dire world of criminal investigation with humor and friendship... This one will show the development of the relationship between Grissom and Sara and there should be some other surprises down the road as well. Romance/Drama/Angst/Mature Situations

RATING: M for Mature - I'm starting this one out at "M", since we won't be waiting quite so long for the smut this time out ;) Also, there is a sprinkling of language throughout the story.

A/N: I am totally and completely exhausted now... Spent all day at the hospital waiting for my nephew, but it was all worth it.:D Dominic James was born 06.05.16 at 7:11PM MDT, weighing 7lbs, 7oz and 20in long with a head full of wavy dark hair and dark eyes (color is not quite finished just yet) that are tracking everything. He's got 10+10 digits and one heck of a voice (we were discussing his dislike of having his hands wrapped up and just how much he doesn't like cold feet). Mother and Child are resting well, unlike his aunt who still had to work last night :p So, here's another chapter, but it might be a couple days before I can get to the next ones (sleep, playing with the little guy, taking care of the sister and brother-in-law, and THE FINALE!). Probably be Friday before I post again. Thanks for the well wishes from the false alarm, and know that I after I finally get some sleep (haven't since the four hours I got Monday afternoon, and it's after 5AM Wednesday) the writing will be flowing!

REVIEWS: I am always looking for ways to improve my writing, and your reviews let me know if I am hitting my mark. Thank you in advance for the time you take to review this story.


Chapter 19

After starting out his shift with that scene in the break room and then learning that all efforts to get any more information or evidence from the university had failed, Nick had reach his ropes end. The problem was, the only person he could turn to had holed himself up in his office and he was afraid of walking into a time bomb situation. He blew out one last long, hard breath and knocked on the door. "What?" was the voice that came from the other side. It was not angry, but it was flat. Nick could only hope he would be well received; Well, that I don't get my head shot off anyway.

Quietly under his breath he said, "Here goes nothin'," and he pushed through the door. "Hey Grissom, you got a couple minutes?"

The man's head popped up upon hearing Nick's voice and gestured for him to step inside and take a seat. "What did you need, Nick?"

Nick shrugged a little, made his way to the chair, and took a seat before answering his boss. Grissom used the time to take off his glasses and cleared his mind of the madness of paperwork that had been holding his attention. "Well, it's this case at UNLV. I've hit a brick wall, and Sofia can't seem to find a judge who'll give us any paper."

Grissom furrowed his brow as he tried to make sense of Nick's statement. "What are you trying to get?"

"Well, when I was looking through the photos, I noticed that there was a void on the table where he was found: about the same shape and size as the other journal books that were on the shelves in there." Nick was trying to explain himself, and hoped Grissom would be able to offer some assistance.

"And you went back to get the journals, but they weren't there, right?" Nick gave him an awestruck look and shook his head.

"How do you do that?" His crooked smile matched that of his boss and he chuckled.

"I just know how possessive the university research system is, at times." Grissom shrugged as he gave his answer. "So, you were hoping I could make a call and see about getting access to those journals, right?"

Nick demurred at the question, but that was exactly what he had been hoping. "Well, you said you had some connections there." Grissom nodded and then looked at his watch.

"Hmmm… Still a little early to be calling Walter, but as soon as the sun comes up, I'll be sure to give him a call." He looked over the desk at Nick before adding his next comment, "But I can't make any guarantees… Adler was a renowned botanist, and his journals are like gold to the university now. None of his research can be saved, but his journals could prove useful to whomever they manage to replace him with. There might even be a bidding war just to view those journals."

It was Nick's turn to screw up his face into a question mark. "I don't get it. Why would they be so valuable?"

"The man dealt in unknown plant life, and with all the money being made in the pharmacology industry from many of these plants, a great deal of money is being thrown around for research right now. Adler was working on a fully funded grant from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world." Grissom paused for a moment when he realized that even if Nick had the journals, he was not entirely certain that the man had the ability to understand the notes. "Nick? What do you want the journals for anyway?"

Nick saw the look on Grissom's face and immediately knew that his boss was concerned that he did not have the smarts to be able to read those journals. Nick just laughed at the notion before answering, "No worries, Boss… I was gonna process them, just in case they might have the agent itself, but Stephanie was gonna read through 'em for any leads on the agent."

Grissom nodded his head with his understanding. He knew that Stephanie had been dabbling in botany since she was a little girl, and he knew that she was probably better suited to help Nick, quite possibly more than anyone else. "So, Stephanie has time to help you out on this one?"

"Yeah, it's been kinda quiet in the morgue this week, and with them losing another coroner, she's been working a bunch of hours. And she said she's got some experience with the whole plant thing." Nick knew that Grissom did not need anything else to worry about, so he kept his concerns about Stephanie's unusual interest in the case to himself. He almost thought she had become a little too fixated on the case, but with Grissom's outburst earlier, Nick decided that he would talk to Catherine or Warrick about it later. He thought that if she could just get those journals, she might be able to finally get some closure on the case.

"Well, you could not have a better resource on the topic." Grissom smiled with the memory that bubbled to the surface of his consciousness. "If you could see the garden at her mother's house, you'd understand. In the fifth grade, she did a Mendelian genetics experiment with Sweet Peas for the science fair. She spent nearly a year, cross pollinating Sweet Peas, and recording all of her techniques and results. In the process, she managed to create a new variety of the flower."

Nick listened to Grissom go on, and realized just how proud he was of the young woman. Nick knew that the two appeared to have a strong relationship, but he had always wondered about the dynamics of it. Listening to Grissom, he knew that not only were they close, but there was also an admiration there. "After that, her mother's garden became her laboratory playground. It is still one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon." The corners of Grissom's mouth turned up for the first time that night.

Nick smiled at the man's obvious pride. "Good to see you still got some of that left, Boss."

Grissom raised his brow at the remark, "What do you mean?"

Nick was instantly self-conscious of his words. "Well, I ah… I mean, after, uh, ya know, earlier."

Grissom nodded once he understood Nick's frame of reference, "Ah… That."

Nick pursed his lips and nodded his head as well. "So, is it really that bad?"

"No…" He paused and Nick relaxed for a moment, until Grissom added, "It's actually worse." That statement made the air in the room seem to disappear for Nick. Grissom did not joke about things like that, so he knew the man was being serious.

"The word around the building is that Ecklie wanted to fire them both… Is there any truth to that?"

Grissom sat back in his chair and let a deep sigh escape his mouth. "I'm afraid so."

Nick could tell the man was still struggling with the realities of the situation. "Man… Is that guy trying to kill the lab or what?" Nick just shook his head in disbelief.

Grissom scratched at the beard on his chin, as though he was struggling with that answer, "I honestly don't know, Nick."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Nick was trying desperately to make sense of the whole thing, but the only thing that kept coming to mind was that Ecklie was a completely incompetent asshole. "So, what stopped him this time, Boss?"

"The last of my credibility." Nick felt the sting of the air as it left his lungs. Grissom had never been that open about anything before, and he knew if the man had let that slip, his meeting must have been even more intense than any of the rumors had let on.

"I, ah, um… Grissom what happened?" Nick was truly worried at that point.

"I called in some favors with the director at the farm… Made some promises to the Mayor… Gave some assurances to the director… Pretty much sold my soul to the devil." Grissom's voice was a total monotone throughout his vague explanation.

Nick was having a hard time digesting all the information coming at him. Grissom had put his neck on the line to save the careers of his friends and teammates. Grissom had risked his own career for their benefit and yet he had not thrown that into their faces earlier. In that moment, Nick realized there were probably a great many things Grissom had done to protect the people who worked for him. With all the things that he and the team had been through and yet none of them had really had to pay for over the years, any questions Nick ever may have had about Grissom's dedication to the people on their team were instantly washed away in his mind.