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: Another quick one to set the coming scene... Enjoy!

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 23

05:00 – 2006.12.11

CSI Lab: Reception

When Nick finally lifted his head away from the mound of maps spread out on the Layout Room table he realized that he had been going at it for hours and not eaten in even longer. Technically, he was taking Warrick's advice and hiding out, but he was also determined to find some kind of closure for his case.

He stood up, rubbed his eyes and stretched before ambling out of the room to exit the building. He was going to grab a quick bite and then head back, trying to see just how much progress he could make on the case before noon.

Just as he was about to walk passed the reception desk, Judy, the pixie-like receptionist, called out to him. "Nick!"

"Judy, I'm just going out to catch a bite. I swear, I'm not logging out yet." Nick tried to continue past the woman, but she was persistent.

"No… I just took a call from some woman with a French sounding name… A doctor somebody… Anyway, she says you're supposed to meet her at eight AM sharp at the Lost Gringo Mountain Trailhead, not the research site, because she has some info for you about your case." Judy read off of a sheet of paper that she had obviously written the conversation down on. She frowned at the paper and then held it out for Nick to take. "Not very friendly, is she?"

Nick took the sheet from her and shook his head. "I think that may be the understatement of the century." He looked down at the writing and then shoved it into his shirt pocket before thanking the receptionist, "Thanks, Judy. Appreciate it."

He turned back for the lab and headed straight for the Locker Room. His thoughts were turning even blacker than they had been since the bomb was dropped the night before. Leave it to the Doc to turn the screws.

Shoving his stuff into his backpack, Nick grew more and more irate at the woman's assumption that he was at her beckon call. Who does she think she is anyway? And yet, there he was, packing up to head out to meet her. He supposed it only showed his desperation in trying to close the case, but it still bothered him that he was willing to go out there.

By the time he got to his truck he had finally analyzed the situation enough to understand why he was going out there; it was just how he was raised. Never keep a lady waiting, Son, echoed in his ears. With that realization came the knowledge that he had no idea why that was true. They certainly did a good job of making the guys wait, so why was it important for the men to be punctual? When the answer came back to him, he was a little surprised at how often that was the answer he received growing up, Just because, it's always been that way.

"Just because" seemed to have been a mantra of sorts in his house growing up, and "it's always been that way" must have been the Stokes family motto. As he traveled down the highway out of town, Nick realized it had taken him more than thirty years to question those facts, and he started to wonder if he really was a slow learner after all.

The other thought occupying his mind as he rolled down the road was that he was going to have a talk with the Doc. It was one thing to be rude to him for the stupid stuff he had done, but being summoned to the middle of the desert at a moment's notice went far beyond the bounds of decency. She was going to get a piece of his mind on the matter. He just hoped she was not going to hand him another piece of his own ass in the process, again.