Disclaimer: Shakespeare, Jodi Picault, business executives. Must I repeat myself?

A/N: It's getting harder and harder to find chapter names for these things! And sorry it took so long. School wants my juicy brain-marrow.


8:59 am.

Nick came into the AV room and found Val and Archie chatting to each other.

"I prefer something a little smaller. Features are pretty sweet, though."

"I know," Val agreed, "But I got it as a present, you know? Sometimes, I'd like to get one with a little more space, a bit more detail, but I just can't justify the expense. Besides, I spend almost all my money on plane tickets."

Archie grinned. "It is a nice camera, though. But why do you travel so much anyway Val?"

Val shrugged. "I just do. Kinda my hobby. I always wanted to see the world, and I'm almost completely there…" She noticed Nick. "About time! What took you?"

Nick shrugged, coming forward. "Greg again. He wanted to chat for a while." He looked at the display screen. "What am I looking at?"

"Clouds, mostly," Archie said. Valerie's camera was linked to one of his computers. The screen was filled with ever-changing masses of clouds, in various colours, shapes and sizes.

"Why are we looking at clouds?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

Val smiled, but didn't take her eyes off the screen. "Remember when we were out at the crime scene, and I was taking photos?" She paused, then her voice went business-like. "Archie, stop here."

The clouds on the screen were peach and orange, and framed almost poetically in-between the fingers of several skyscrapers.

"Pretty," Archie noted. "So what are we looking for?"

"Go to the third shot after this one." Val was frowning at the screen. Archie clicked a button, and the image shifted slightly. In front of the black finger of the centre skyscraper was a white figure, suspended in space.

Nick and Archie both stared; Val herself looked a little surprised.

"Nice shooting," Archie commented, impressed.

"Thanks," Val said, giving a smile before concentrating again.

"So, now what?" Nick frowned. "We have the picture of the jumper. What does that prove?"

Val frowned. "Does that look like the kind of way someone would jump out of a building to you?" The figure was on his side, facing the building as he was falling.

Nick treated this as a trick question. "You mean, if he was conscious?" He gave a smile as Val turned back to raise an eyebrow. "With all those drugs in his system, he couldn't have been operating properly, right?"

Val put her fingers to her lips and frowned. "Go back one more, Archie."

The white figure was higher up the building now, but was still falling sideways.

"One more."

"What exactly are we looking… oh."

Val's eyes flew open, and she grinned in triumph. "Magnify that!"

The figure in white was halfway out an open window… sideways. Someone had him in both arms and was about to throw him.

"I don't believe this." Nick stared. "You knew that he didn't commit suicide because of a photo you took?" Amazing!

"Yeah," Val said, a grin in her voice, "I know I should have told you, but this way was so much more fun."

Nick felt a presence behind him and turned. Ecklie stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips, staring at the screen in a predatory manner.

"Who's bad?" Val cheered, punching a fist in the air. "See? What did I tell you?" She turned to Nick, grinning, then saw Ecklie in the doorway. She sobered at once. "Oh. Ah, good morning, sir."

Ecklie inclined his head at the screen. "What's this?"

Nick cleared his throat. "This is the case you gave us this morning. The jumper case."

"Only," Val added, gesturing to the screen, "He's not exactly a jumper, as you can see."

Ecklie nodded, his eyes hard. "What evidence have you gathered so far?"

Nick frowned, but Val answered: "Clothing, personal ID, stomach contents…"

"Have you logged it all?" Ecklie asked in his usual manner.

Val frowned, as though personally insulted. This time, Nick fielded the question. "Of course we did. Why?"

Ecklie gave a small cold smile to the two of them, then turned his attention to Archie. "Find out what floor that murderer is on."

Archie turned back to his computer, and zoomed and cropped until he had narrowed down the possibilities to three floors.

Val frowned again, looking between Archie and Ecklie, "Ah, sir, what's… what are you doing?"

Ecklie looked at Val in a way that was borderline arrogant. "My team's free. They need another case. And, seeing how this was Day Shift's case in the first place, I think you have done enough work so far. Besides, doesn't Grissom need your help with some case already? The kind of case which the Mayor said to take care of? We'll take this one from here." He almost smirked. Val's jaw dropped, and Nick looked stunned. Ecklie ignored them both. "Archie, I want printouts of all the photos, and backup copies. They may not be admissible in court, but they've sure helped this investigation." The he walked out of the room without even a backwards glance.

"You've got to be kidding me." Nick clenched his fists. "You have got to be kidding."

Val ground her teeth and said nothing. Archie handed her back her camera with an apologetic shrug.


Wise men say nothing in dangerous times.

- John Selden, Table Talk


9:06 am.

Grissom didn't like the way Ecklie was smirking to himself. Or the way he was heading towards his office so fast. Ecklie was looking for him. Grissom turned the corner and headed in the opposite direction, hoping to avoid that weasel for at least five minutes or so.

Unfortunately, Sara was coming around that same corner. She looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak.

"Grissom, can I have a word?"

Grissom winced, and turned around. "Of course, Conrad. How can I help?"

Ecklie looked even more smug than usual. "One of your CSI's, along with the temp from Seattle, have been working on a case for the last hour or so. They've been working hard, and that's very commendable. You wouldn't believe the headway they've made on the case."

Grissom cleared his throat and tapped his folder in the palm of his opposite hand.

"Anyway," Ecklie forged on, taking the hint, "I'd just thought I'd tell you that you now have two more CSI's to help you on that case of yours. You know, that one the Mayor said you should do."

Grissom's head tilted slightly. "Do I detect a hint of jealousy, Conrad?"

Ecklie looked slightly sour for a moment, but he didn't let Grissom ruin his day. "I just thought I should tell you before the head of the lab decided to give you a call, Gil." He smirked and sauntered off.

"Meetings with Ecklie are always such fun, aren't they."

Grissom turned back to face Sara. They held each other's gaze for a while before Grissom sighed, and motioned to his office with his folder. "Can I have a word with you, Sara?"

Sara nodded, and followed after him, biting her lip.

Once in his office, Grissom retreated to the safety of his desk and sat down. Sara remained in the doorway, arms folded, and waited while Grissom cleared the space between his piles of paperwork. He had to something to do while he gathered his thoughts.

"About this morning…"

"I want to talk about what happened earlier," Sara said at the same time.

They made eye contact for a moment before Grissom knocked a pile of papers over. While he scrabbled to neaten them, he managed, "I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

Sara gave a reluctant smile. "Actually, I just came to tell you to forget about it."

Grissom frowned, and looked up. This time, it was Sara who couldn't meet his eyes.

"It was just me being stupid. I don't even know why I did it. I think it would be best just to forget I said anything."

Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. Her lips formed the words so beautifully it took a moment for Grissom to understand what she had said. Forget it? What? Why?

Sara shrugged awkwardly, and managed a insincere smile. "So… is everything ok between us?"

Grissom tilted his head, frowning. "Since when were things not okay?"

Sara just matched his gaze until she turned to go, leaving Grissom's question unanswered and Grissom himself sighing inwardly. He knew the answer, but he knew that she wouldn't say it. If the shoe had been on the other foot, he wouldn't have been able to, either.

Hell, he'd run away.

With a sigh, Grissom removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on at the back of his skull. He needed sleep. But he couldn't afford that right now. He had an obligation to solve this case, regardless of how he felt.

He got up slowly, as though weighed down by the day's events, then headed to the breakroom to get a cup of coffee.

Nick and the temp from Seattle were having a heated discussion in the corridor. Grissom hung back and watched them as they too made their way to the breakroom.

"… was our case!" Valerie said, indignantly. "He had no right to do that!"

"It's out of our hands," Nick said, trying to calm her.

Valerie snorted. "Does he always do that? Go over your heads and… and screw up your cases?"

Nick smiled apologetically and shrugged. "He's not our favourite guy, but…"

"Exactly!" Valerie said. She shook both fists and growled - a short dramatic movement that captured her irritation eloquently. "I don't even know who he is, and I still think he's a jerk!"

Nick laughed at that one, then looked up. "Hey, boss, what's up?"

Grissom came out of hiding and smiled slightly. "I was just about to get some coffee. What about you?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah. We're both pretty tired. Need a bit of a pick-me-up. 'Specially since Ecklie took over our case." Val just snorted in disgust and looked down the corridor, where Ecklie was talking to a member of his team. He had a ream of photographs in his hands.

"Ah, yes," Grissom said, noticing the direction of Valerie's murderous stares, "Ecklie told me you had willingly surrendered your case to him. Very noble of you to hand it over without a fuss."

"Sarcasm?" Nick smiled, knowing his boss well enough.

Val just sighed. "I hate leaving things half done. I'm going to be a nervous wreck for weeks."

"Not only that," Nick added, "But he didn't exactly ask very nicely."

Grissom only smiled diplomatically. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad to have you two on this case." His smile faded. "There is a lot of work to be done in a very short time, and we're under a lot of pressure." He paused for a moment, and considered the two CSI's. "Perhaps you should take a break for a while."

"Naw," Nick shook his head. "We'll be fine."

Grissom looked at Valerie, and raised an eyebrow. "What about you?"

Val sighed, then managed a weak smile. "Just a ten minute break, maybe."

Grissom nodded. "I want both of you focused on this. I know you're both probably tired, but…" His eyes went hard, "This is an important case. And we are under extreme pressure."

Nick and Valerie didn't even need to answer; Grissom didn't need to wish them good luck. They all knew what they had to do.

Grissom continued on for coffee, while Val cast one last glance over her shoulder at Ecklie.

"It's still not fair," she said, though the fight had gone out of her voice.

"It's okay, Val," Nick said, resting his hand on her arm. "It doesn't matter."

Valerie continued to watch Ecklie. She smiled and nodded at the man when he turned around. Something in Ecklie's eyes was suspicious - surprised? Val looked down and saw Nick's hand still on her arm. When she looked up, Ecklie was looking away. Perhaps it had been nothing…

"I'm going to get a coffee. Want one?" He asked. She shook her head mutely, prompting a shrug and an encouraging smile from Nick before he walked on. Val turned and went in the opposite direction - towards the lockers.

Her arm was burning where he had touched her.


A/N: The Sara and Grissom scene was courtesy a Starbucks C-and-CSI meeting Nerwen and Tinuviel and I had, back when they were still in Singapore. Blame them for that :) Reviews would motivate me to stop doing homework.