Disclaimer: All rights reserved for CBS.

A/n: I'm so sorry this took so long. First I was laid off, and then I went out of town on vacation, then when I got back, I was sick, and trying to find a job in the really great economy we have, but I finally got this written. I hope it meets your expectations. :D:D Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Your comments have lifted my spirits. Thank you very much. :D:D

Nick

Nick slammed the door of his locker closed and sat down on the bench. He shook his head and ran his hands down his face. He was at the end of a long double shift, and his eyes felt like they had been rubbed with grit. He sighed and stood up, but lost his balance and sat back down.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for him to be driving. His head shot up suddenly. He could have sworn he heard Warrick's voice. He shook his head again… "I definitely shouldn't be driving", he mused aloud.

Then he heard it again. Warrick's voice and he could swear it said, 'Grissom'.

Maybe his subconscious had taken the form of Warrick's voice. That would make sense. He'd never paid attention to what that little voice in his head sounded like when it warned him of things he shouldn't do. Instinct, that's what it was. And any psychiatrist would tell you that it was normal for that voice to take on the characteristics of a close friend who had passed away. It was the minds way of compensating.

His trusted friend, the one who always told him when he was working too hard was gone, and therefore his subconscious took the voice of that friend. Nick smiled. "Heh, maybe I should take some psychology courses," he said with a crooked grin.

Obviously his brain was telling him he was too tired to drive, and therefore he should find a ride, and Grissom was the only one from the night shift still around, he had seen him just before he'd come to the locker room, he'd been sitting at his desk, surrounded by files.

Nick left the locker room, and started down the hall, mulling over just how many times Grissom had been sitting at his desk, in that same position, when Nick left for the day. Or, for that matter, how many times he'd been in that same position when Nick had come in for the day.

He approached Grissom's door and watched as he looked at something on his laptop. The office was dark, so Nick figured he had to be done with whatever paperwork he'd been doing.

Nick stopped in the door way and leaned on the door jamb, leaning in to knock on the door. Grissom's face jerked up, and for a second there was a smile on his face, but it faded as soon as his saw Nick standing there.

"Do you need something, Nick?" he asked, closing his laptop.

"Yeah, I'm just getting off shift, and it's been a long one," he glanced at his watch, "nearly twenty hours, and my brain is mush. I'm in no condition to drive and I was hoping I could catch a ride with you."

Grissom was silent a moment, then nodded. "Sure, just let me straighten up in here." He stopped and looked up. "But how will you get to work tomorrow?"

"Oh, I'll just get a ride from War…err, I mean Catherine or Greg." He looked down and smiled. "Guess I am out of it, happens when I get this tired, I forget…"

Grissom watched him a moment, "I guess it's been pretty hard for you." Grissom looked down, appalled not to have noticed before.

Nick shrugged. "I guess you don't really realize how much you love someone until they're gone. He was… he was like a brother, and I don't know that he ever knew how much I cared. One thing's for certain, I'm not going to let that happen again. I want everyone I care about to know how much I care, before it's too late." The big hearted Texan grinned. "And I think that if you have the chance to be with the one you love, you should take it." He shrugged and turned, "I'll wait for you in the lobby."

Grissom watched him go. He looked down at his laptop and for the first time in weeks, he smiled. Nick was right. "I've been a damn fool," he sighed.

Two weeks later, as the team gathered in the break room, Grissom announced that he would be leaving. Through his shock, Nick watched as Grissom headed down the hall, and he heard Warrick's voice in his head once again. "Good job, Nicky."

The End