Author's Notes: Yay, a new chapter! I spent two long weeks staring at this story, re-writing the same scene a dozen times before deciding to just start elsewhere. Lol. I have a definite plan now, and I hope to not battle writers block anymore.

Thank you for all who are reading, and a special thanks to all who leave me reviews. Please continue to let me know what you think.

My beta's away, and when she left, this idea wasn't what we were brainstorming on...so I had no guidance, editing, or anything on this. All mistakes are mine, and I will admit that I only read over it once, so there's probably a few. That's what happens when you write in only an hour. Lol.

Thanks for reading, don't forget to bribe me with reviews!

Jenny

Chapter Three:

He could feel the tension in the air from the moment he walked in the door. Normally when a pre-shift meeting was called, he could anticipate a twinge of resentment by his team, but this was definitely out of the ordinary.

Grissom paused in the doorway, carefully studying each of his employees before they could notice his presence. Catherine and Warrick sat close to each other on the left side of the table, a sheet of paper resting between them while they whispered quietly, Warrick circling a few lines here and there.

Nick sat at the end of the table, staring straight ahead towards the opposite wall, his shoulders rigid and his hands placed flat on the table. By his posture alone, Grissom could tell he was tense and irritable.

Sara sat on the right side of the table, her hands folded in her lap as she stared at the metallic tabletop, a coffee cup growing colder as it sat in front of her, untouched.

As far away from the brunette as possible sat Greg, who's head was leaned back, enabling him to look at the ceiling in silence. He looked towards the doorway with a slight blush as Grissom made his presence known, but remained silent as Grissom sat at the end of the table.

"I'm sure you know why we're here early." Grissom said calmly, his hands folded over a yellow tablet, "This marks the first time we've all sat together in the last 3 weeks."

He had expected some sort of protest or apology from any of his five CSIs, but received nothing besides a look of appreciation from both Catherine and Warrick. Nick was staring at him, but his expression hadn't changed in the slightest. Greg and Sara both had yet to acknowledge his presence or remark.

"There is obviously a problem here, and we need to get this conflict resolved. I have never been interested in hearing your personal problems, nor do I feel that the workplace is the right place to air your dirty laundry, but we can no longer work under these conditions." Grissom said firmly, pulling his glasses from his pocket to read the notes he had jotted down on his tablet.

"Greg, I understand that returning to work after so long is a very hard transition. I was able to smooth over your disappearance on your first night back, but since then you've refused to work 2 other scenes, one with Sara, one with Nick. Assignments are not suggestions, they are orders. I expect to see you at every scene I give you, no trading, no walking out."

Looking over his glasses at Sara, he continued, "Sara, I don't care what is going on between you and any of your colleagues. When we're working, we're strictly professional. You've used 4 personal days in three weeks, along with 3 sick days. I'm sure you realize that you're not working more than you are working. This is very unlike you, and I have to admit that I'm extremely disappointed in you. I want you here and on time every shift that you are scheduled, unless you're prepared to show a legitimate doctor's excuse as to why you are absent. You guys know I don't like to babysit you, but this is getting ridiculous."

"And Nick..." Grissom sighed, "Your attendance is lacking just as badly as Sara's. The same rules apply to you from this moment forward."

He paused, rubbing his temples, "I don't know what is going on between the three of you, but if you want to keep your jobs, you will resolve this immediately. It is unfair to Warrick, Catherine, and I to work overtime to pick up the slack left behind by three capable CSIs who are too wrapped up in personal issues to do their jobs. When you walk through the glass doors up front, whatever is going on at home stays there. You do not bring that into my office, into the field, into the lab."

He passed a folded sheet of paper to each Nick, Sara, and Greg, "This is the name and number of our new human resources director. You can contact either her or Ecklie if you wish to be transferred to another shift. I wouldn't want to lose any of you, but if that is the only way to get you guys back on track, I won't stand in your way. We have a wonderful department psychologist if you need it."

"A shrink is kinda pushing it, Gris." Nick spoke gruffly, "None of us are crazy."

"You don't have to be crazy to see a psychologist, Nick." Sara snapped in response, "I swear, sometimes you are the most--"

"That's enough!" Grissom demanded, slamming his hand onto the table and causing all 5 of his employees to jump slightly, "Catherine, Warrick, continue with your homicide. Nick, Sara, in my office. Greg--"

"Greg should come too, since he's the cause of all of this crap." Nick snapped, "Well, that and Sara's inability to keep her pants zipped."

"Excuse me!" Sara exclaimed, jumping to her feet, "I know I must have heard that wrong, Stokes!"

"What else do you call it?" Nick snapped, "You act better than the rest of us, but I know the truth! Are you scared everyone else will know how you throw yourself at men just to lure your ex-boyfriend back!"

Sara slammed her fist onto the table, her voice lethally low, "I never threw myself at you, Nick. We were friends, you wanted more. Greg wasn't even speaking to me then!"

"He's not speaking to you now!" Nick yelled, "And you were the one who initiated everything, after you realized that he was having a baby with that backwoods country girl!"

"A baby?" Greg asked, his voice raised slightly, "Who's having a baby?"

Sara spun around, her eyes blazing, "Don't play stupid, Sanders. Angelle told me all about your little bundle of joy!"

"Enough!" Grissom's voice boomed, "The three of you in my office, now."

The moment his door closed behind them, the argument resumed.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about." Greg said with wide eyes, "Angelle isn't pregnant, believe me, I'd know. And if she was, it's not mine. We're not even dating."

Sara's arms were folded angrily across her chest as she snapped, "That's not how she tells the story, maybe you and Angelle need to talk."

"Whether she's pregnant or not doesn't change the fact that Sara used me. I can't work with her right now, Gris." Nick said urgently, resisting from begging his supervisor to agree with him, "I just can't. I've tried, believe me, I've tried...but it's going to take some time."

"I can't start assigning cases based on who is getting along nicely. I've never assigned cases that way, and I don't plan on starting now." Grissom replied, his voice tight with irritation.

"Bullshit." Sara snapped, "When things were awkward between us, you always made sure we never worked together."

Grissom's eyes narrowed, and he motioned towards his filing cabinet, "I'm your boss, and you will treat me with respect, Sara. One more snide remark and I will write you up."

"If Nick can choose that he doesn't want to work with Sara, I chose the same." Greg responded, "It creates too much tension, makes it too hard to focus on the evidence."

"So this all becomes my fault?" Sara cried out angrily, "This is not my fault, you can't just decide you don't want to work with me! Grissom!"

"Goes running back to the boss just like old times." Greg huffed, "That's about right, for you."

Sara spun to face Greg, her eyes blazing, "Not once have I been ugly to you. I tried to make friends with your horrible girlfriend, I tried to keep your friendship. I loved you, damn it, and now you're going to behave like this! What did I ever do to you?"

"As if you don't know!" Greg snapped, "Spreading lies about my--"

"If you don't believe me, ask her!" Sara yelled, her fists clenched angrily, "Catherine went to talk to you, I met with Angelle. She told me she was pregnant, that it was yours. I don't know why she didn't tell you, unless it was a lie. But don't you dare accuse me of lying!"

"That's enough, from all of you." Grissom said harshly, swallowing a migraine pill dry, "You guys can resolve this on your own time. I will not assign you based on preference, I assign you based on skill. Nick, you've got a B&E solo, Greg and Sara, a homicide at a cabin off of Lake Mead. If I hear from anyone that you two were in the least bit uncivil to each other, you will both be placed on suspension and reassigned to other shifts, if not worse."

Wearing matching scowls, the three took their assignment slips and stormed out of Grissom's office, towards the locker room. With a shift starting off this horribly, it was clear the night would be long and harrowing.

--

The room was silent as Sara and Greg checked the couch for anything out of the ordinary. David had wheeled the body out of the living room moments prior, leaving the CSIs and the evidence alone in the quiet darkness.

"Bindle me." Sara murmured quietly, leaning over to retrieve a tiny scrap of fabric, "Did you bring ALS?"

"In the truck." Greg responded quietly, "I'll go get it."

Sara nodded, holding her flashlight between her teeth as she snapped a few photographs of the floor surrounding the sofa. Photo evidence of blood splatter and pooling was often the coroner's biggest helper in determining how the death occurred. Medicine was a blessing, but as the old saying goes...a picture is worth a thousand words. Her head ached as the heat penetrated her skin, and she vaguely wondered what their vic was doing in a closed, warm cabin in the middle of summer. The air conditioning hadn't been running, and all three ceiling fans were still and dust-covered.

The door opened behind her, and she spoke quietly into the darkness, "At least we don't have to worry about light infiltrating the luminol and ALS tonight."

The muzzle of a 9mm pressed against her head in response, and before Sara could react, the warm breath of a stranger contacted her cheek, whispering coldly, "Make a sound, and I'll blow your head off."

TBC