DISCLAIMER:Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it.

RATING: T – Teen (language and adult issues)

PAIRINGS: GSR & Yo!Bling pre-established in previous fics of this timeline.

SPOILERS: Sequel to "Displacement" and "Transitions"

SUMMARY: Everything is changing around Nick Stokes. Can he deal with it, and how it will affect him in the end?

A/N: Anyone curious about what happened to the Lab's #2 weasel?

REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

Chapter 11

21:00 – 2006.12.06

CSI Lab: Breakroom – Assignments

Nick was busy nursing his third cup of coffee since managing to drag himself out of bed, when everyone else began to descend upon the Breakroom. Warrick and Sara were busy talking as she tried to explain to him about some math equation Lindsey had been struggling with, but it was so far over his head, Nick felt like his eyes were glazing over. Greg was deep in conversation with Catherine, and he figured it had to do with their case, since Greg was supposed to be presenting it to the team during assignments. Nick was still having a hard time keeping the images of Hodges trussed up in a hotel room out of his head, so he pushed the sounds of that conversation out as well.

By the time Grissom finally arrived for the night's briefing, the caffeine had finally started coursing appropriately through his veins and his mind.

"All right, let me get a run down of where everyone is at, please?" Grissom carefully sat down in the seat at the end of the table. "Warrick… Where do we stand on the sex assault in Sunrise Manor?"

Warrick shrugged him off and said, "Slam dunk… DNA on epithelials, blood and semen were a match, witness statements have him running off, photos show the bruising and the arresting officers got his clothes from the trash in the alley… And the final three pointer? Her DNA on him at the time of arrest. Dumb ass hadn't even taken a shower yet."

Sara shot him a disgusted look and said, "Wish they were all that easy."

"Tell me about it…Makes me sick thinkin' about those guys runnin' the streets with regular folks." Everyone in the room gave their own audible agreement to his statement.

"Okay then… Nick, Sara… We're getting some real pressure from the Mayor's office to get this DB in the desert case closed before the press gets involved. Where are you at?"

Sara looked over at him, and he knew that meant she was letting him take the lead. While he was grateful for her confidence in him, he wished she would have taken control and saved him the embarrassment. Clearing his throat, he forged ahead, "Ah, well, Trace is backed up right now, so… We're ah, waitin' on the analysis of the materials we found at the site. We're definitely looking at a dumpsite instead of a crime scene, but the elements have probably destroyed any hopes of finding the original site. As it was we almost got washed away ourselves."

Grissom cocked his eyebrow and shot Nick a dangerous look. "I heard about that." Nick stiffened at the implication that he had put them in danger, but Grissom let him off the hook. "And I heard you did quite a number taking control of the situation… Don't worry, Nicky. I'm fairly certain any one of us would have done the same thing."

Nick knew there was a "but" in that statement, so he just waited for it. "Though I would hope it could have been done with a touch more sensitivity."

Nick shrunk down in his seat a little when he answered, "Got it."

"So, what's your next step?"

"Well, we plan on going through our notes and putting all the photo evidence together in the hope we can get a general direction for the primary crime scene." Sara gave him a firm nod and held up the additional disk she obtained from Sandi, as he explained.

"That's only going to get you so far, since neither of you are familiar with the area. And you're going to hate this…" Grissom gave him a worried expression as he continued, "You are going to have to make peace with Dr. Desmaiseaux, seeing as she is the only person capable of helping you locate the primary scene."

Nick visibly grimaced and asked, "Can't I just go down to the USGS and talk to them?"

Grissom chuckled, took his glasses off and then smirked, "That would work… If she wasn't also the person who surveyed that park before it was to be commissioned."

"You've GOT to be kidding me?" Everyone in the room laughed at Nick's reaction.

Once their laughter subsided and Nick buried his head in his arms on the table, Grissom continued. "And now… For the moment we've all been waiting for… Greg, what about your case?"

"FINALLY!" Greg's enthusiasm was a plus on this case, and everyone had been dying to find out what really happened on his "trick roll."

"Calmly, Greg… While your second first case, might be thrilling, we need to give the victim the proper respect." The giggles spread out over the room, because everyone knew who he was referring to in this case.

"Fine… Okay, our trick roll, wasn't really a trick roll, after all… Seems the victim, had acquired the assistance of a certain professional and while their arrangements were being carried out the victim made an unwelcome overture and she bailed on him, mid-act, and thus leaving him incapable of removing himself from the room in time. The housekeeping staff called PD upon finding the victim, and since they spoke little English, the victim was unable to enlist their assistance before they called PD. All charges have been dropped." Greg was practically vibrating after giving his official statement.

Grissom was not about to let him suffer, so he gave him leave. "Okay, now that the official report is out of the way… How about the real story?"

"THANK YOU!" Greg was practically bubbling over with enthusiasm by that point. "So, looks like Hodges hired a pro to indulge in some jam-slash-leather-slash-bondage fetish he's got. Paid her five hundred bucks to truss him up and pour the stuff all over him, and then some. I guess she laid out some ground rules before hand, about no funny business. Like THIS didn't count? Anyway, I guess he crossed the line and she totally bailed! But, she left him with his wallet and all his personals AND the keys to the cuffs!"

Greg was laughing right along with everyone else at that point, so it took him a moment to recover long enough to finish. "Anyway, seems he could've reached the keys himself, IF he'd have been paying attention. Instead he waited there like a bonehead until housekeeping showed… Insult to injury, when Sofia got there, she called the locksmith, because she didn't see the keys either! So, when Catherine and I got there we spotted them right when this great, big, burly locksmith guy got there. He wasn't exactly happy being called out that late. But when he found out he wasn't even needed, that's when he really let loose. It was SO AWESOME to see that weenie get taken down a few pegs!"

Warrick chose that moment to make his own interjection, "Or at least down from the wall." And his comment got their laughter going all the more.

They were just starting to get back to normal when someone poked their head in the room carrying a report. "Nick, they said this material was a rush…"

As soon as they heard the voice, the stifled laughter was too much for anyone not to notice. "Yeah, so you'll ah, have it tomorrow." And with that, Hodges quickly left the room, just as the laughter erupted again.

"Okay, on to business, please?" Grissom waited for the last vestiges of the laughter to die down. "It's not a busy night, but looks to be a logistical nightmare." Grissom was running his hand over his chin and Nick knew that signaled there was something frustrating him.

"Don't worry, Gil…" Catherine held out her hand for the slip in his hands and said, "I'll take the aggravated assault out near Nellis. That should put me far enough away from the Pike for everyone's comfort."

Grissom gave her the slip and looked at her from over the top of his glasses, "Thanks, Catherine…" He flipped through to the next slip and said, "Warrick, you're going to have the B&E in Henderson. Sara and Nick, you've still got your case to work, and Greg…" The youngest member of the team looked up with hope. "You're with me tonight." Shrinking away from the thought, Grissom looked quite pleased at having changed the mood. "Suspicious circs at the Pike." Grissom handed Greg the slip and got up from the table.

"Oh, and one more thing…" Once he was sure he had everyone's attention he continued, "Let's try to keep things on an even keel around here, please? I know there will be a great pull towards certain jokes and pranks being played, but we do still have to work together, so try your best, please." Grissom turned and left the room with his last words.

With him safely out of the room, Sara took the initiative to say, "Well, he didn't say we couldn't do anything, right?" The evil glint in her eye was enough to make everyone start laughing again as they headed out for the night.

Warrick shook his head with a sly grin on his face and said, "Girl, you been spendin' way too much time with Steph."