Offing Ecklie

Pairings: Nick and Sara; Grissom and Catherine

Spoilers: Mea Culpa

A/N: All of my CSI fiction never mentions Conrad Ecklie's promotion and the split of the graveyard shift. My stories occur as if these two things never happened.

Ecklie gets promoted, investigates Grissom and splits the team. They get together for food and drinks at Jim Brass' home. All of sudden the team shares amusing fantasies of ridding themselves of Ecklie.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of CSI. If I did, Ecklie would have never been promoted and the team remained intact. In fact, if I had things my way, Ecklie would be demoted to traffic cop or dog catcher.

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Prologue

The doorbell rang at Jim Brass' home. He was getting the place ready to celebrate or mourn the last get together of the graveyard shift as he knew it. Catherine got promoted to swing shift supervisor. That he was very happy about. However, that bastard Conrad Ecklie did something vicious. He split the team. Sara Sidle-Stokes and Greg Sanders would be working with Gil Grissom. Nick Stokes and Warrick Brown are now in Catherine's team. Brass saw something more despicable with the makeup of the teams. His favorite couple Nick and Sara would be working separately in different shifts. How would they manage to get around this issue? He would have to ask them when they arrive.

"Nicky, Sara, come on in!" Brass said. "You are the first ones here. Help yourself to some cookies. Sara, why are you crying?"

"Why the fucking hell did that bastard Ecklie do this to us?" Sara said with viciousness in her voice, but not directed towards Brass. "It was bad enough he split the team. Now, he expects my husband and I to work separate shifts."

"He is going to pay dearly for this!" Nick said between clenched teeth. "If he wrecks a happy marriage, there will be hell to pay!"

"When we work together, we are professionals," Sara said. "Why did that stupid slimy reptile take it out on us?"

"Sara, Nick, this crap is not your fault," Brass said. "Conrad Ecklie has a beef with Grissom and this is what he did. Don't even think of blaming yourselves for that scumbag's action. Nick, take Sara to Ellie's room and calm her down. For, Heaven's sake, this is a party at my house, not a funeral."

Nick did as Brass told him and took Sara to Ellie's room. Brass was waiting in the living room for Catherine, Warrick, Greg and Grissom to arrive. He was hoping that they will be here soon. When he looked at the window, he saw Grissom's Tahoe pull into the driveway. A few moments later, the doorbell rang again. He answered it and it was the rest of the formerly intact graveyard shift.

"Jim, are we late?" Catherine asked with panic in her voice.

"No, you are early," Brass said. "Nick and Sara arrived a few moments ago. There are now in Ellie's room."

"How are they?" Grissom asked with major concern. "The news of the split devastated them both."

"Sara is on the verge of losing it," Brass replied. "Nick looks like he wants to kill Ecklie with his bare hands."

"I know," Warrick said shaking his head in disbelief. "When they found out he was going to Swing and she is staying in Graveyard, the reaction wasn't good. They went to a place where Nick sometimes goes when he wanted to be alone. It hadn't helped."

"Whenever Nick and Sara work together," Catherine said. "They handle themselves professionally. It breaks my heart to see them not work together."

"Gil, you should have gotten that promotion," Warrick said. "I bet you would have done everything within your power to keep the team together."

"Don't worry," Grissom said. "Conrad Ecklie would get his just desserts! This shit is far from over!"

Nick and Sara finally emerged from Ellie's room. They were calmer, but there was still some anger left in them. Warrick embraced them and gave them a sympathetic look. Sara sat down on the couch while Nick took a small dish and placed two chocolate chip cookies on it. He joined her and they ate the cookies in silence.

"I want to apologize for my reaction today," Sara finally spoke in a calm tone.

"I second the apology," Nick said. "It just that I didn't think it would end up like this. Catherine, I am really happy for your promotion. I am also looking forward to working with you and Warrick. However, I would also like to work with my wife and she feels the same way."

"I understand completely," Catherine said.

"Maybe we could make some arrangement," Grissom said. "I don't know how we can get that Scum of the Earth to agree to it, but we can try."

"Greg, we are not doing that yet," Brass said. "Can't you wait? I still haven't called in the order for pizzas. Everyone arrived early and we are just talking. I know that you want to try out those tricks your bartender friend taught you, but wait."

"Nick, Sara, we are having a party here," Catherine said as she took their hands. "We want you to have a good time. Maybe later on, we could do Ecklie jokes. If Brass will let us use his computer to print out song lyrics and create parodies about that ball of slime."

Nick and Sara smiled and laughed. At least they can count on some laughs at the expense of the supervisor they all loved to hate.

"How about if we could find a picture of Ecklie," Nick said trying to suppress laughter while speaking. "Sara and I could go to Kinko's and have them enlarge the photo. I think we could make a lot of copies for everyone. We can use them for target practice or darts."

"That piece of shit looks more like a dart board," Warrick said. "I am sure any of Nick's nephews would like to use Ecklie as a human tackle dummy in football practice."

Brass loudly cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. The room was silent.

"I am going to call the pizzeria," he said. "I would like to know what you want on the pizzas. Sara, don't worry, I will order a vegetarian pie for you."

"Thanks, Brass," Sara said.

Brass went to the kitchen and called in the order. He returned to the living room with chips and salsa. Greg gave him a look of impatience and Brass shot him a look of frustration. The conversations that took place were not work related. There was absolutely no point of getting themselves more upset than they already were. Catherine announced Lindsey is going to play the lead in the school play and she wants to invite her 'aunt' and 'uncles' to see her. Nick and Sara finally went public about trying to have a baby. Brass finally made peace with his daughter and she visits him every two months. She had changed her ways and is working towards a degree in psychology in New Jersey. Warrick had sworn off gambling, except when he and Nick bet on something. Greg had gotten the nerve to ask the girl working at Starbucks he had met out on a date.

The pizzas had arrived. Brass paid for them in cash and gave the delivery boy a generous tip. He placed the boxes on the table and summoned everyone to help themselves to the pizzas.

"Alright, Greggo the liquor cabinet is all yours," Brass said. "We would love to finally see those bartending tricks of yours."

"I can do various martinis and blended drinks," Greg said. "Give me a request and you wish is my command."

Everyone each took a plate and helped themselves to the pizzas. Now they were observing Greg and his bartending tricks. Grissom ask for a piña colada. Catherine requested a cosmopolitan. Nick just wanted a beer while Sara had an apple martini. Warrick asked for a glass of merlot. Brass requested a scotch on the rocks. Greg made a

'Sex on the beach' for himself. There was applause when he made the mixed drinks.

"I am going to miss working together," Grissom said heavily. "You are like the family I never had. I am especially disappointed that Nick and Sara won't be working together. However, I will personally talk to Ecklie and try to reason with him."

Yeah right, reasoning with Ecklie is like reasoning with a group of great white sharks, Nick thought as he slowly nursed his beer. Good luck with that, Grissom!

"I have an idea," Greg said helping himself to his second slice of pizza and another 'Sex on the beach'. "We all hate Ecklie with a passion, some more than others. I know back in our minds we would like to see him fired, deported from where his ancestors came from or maybe killed."

"Greggo, I think the Sex on the Beach is affecting your brain," Nick said giving Greg a hard slap in the back.

"Nick, guys, if you just hear out," Greg said. "I will tell you what my idea is. We could tell stories about how you would like Ecklie get his comeuppances. You don't have to kill him in your story, but you have to get rid of him somehow."

"Greggo, even though you are getting wasted," Sara said. "That is a great idea! I love it!"

"So, who wants to go first?" Greg said. "Grissom, why don't you go first?"

TBC