By the way, minor references to FRIENDS in this chapter (Fireball Extreme)...I don't own either of them...but I have played Fireball Extreme...ow. I don't own Tina, Warrick, Nick, or anyone else from CSI. But I do own Paige, Tom, and all their little babies...hi Tigger..."Hi Chella."

Chapter 22

(One week later)

"Jesus! It's like everyone in Vegas decided to play Fireball Extreme tonight!" Riley drawled and Tina looked at her confused.

"What's Fireball Extreme?"

Riley shook her head. "Just somethin from this show I watch...two guys got bored so they came up with a game involving bowling balls and blow torches..."

Tina gaped at her, then recovered and chuckled. "Wow...kinda sounds like your friends."

Riley laughed for the first time in almost two weeks. She had been cooperative with everyone, doing what she needed to do and forcing a smile when it was absolutely necessary, but Tina hadn't seen the slightly younger woman smile in too long. As the two of them headed to the supply closet to stock up on gauzes and other medical supplies, Tina stopped Riley to ask her the question she had Warrick had been discussing for a week or so now.

"Hey, Riley, how are thing with you and your Cowboy doing?"

Riley stiffened, then sighed heavily. "We broke up last week."

"Oh Gosh Ry, why didn't you tell me?" Tina asked and Riley chuckled humorlessly.

"It's not somethin I want broadcasted Tina...'Riley just got dumped by her boyfriend of seven and a half months. Let's everyone point, whisper, and 'console' to make her feel insecure'." Riley mocked and Tina shook her head.

"I wouldn't do that Ry...I was just wondering...maybe you'd like to come out with Rick and me sometime..."

"Nah, thanks T, but I'd feel like the third wheel...and I got enough of that being the youngest of seven back home."

"Well, what if we brought someone for you..."

Riley stopped and looked over at her. "No. No, no, no. No blind dates."

"Aw, c'mon Ry. Give it a try."

"No! With all my luck I'd get an ugo with no personality except the fascination of string..." Tina looked over at Riley with one eyebrow raised and Riley sighed. "Don't ask...I hate blind dates."

"Well, I can promise you this one's no ugo. And he's got a great personality. He's sweet, and charming, and good looking."

"Geez T, if he's so amazing why don't you date him?"

Tina laughed. "I've already got one, thanks anyway. Please Riley, just give it a shot."

Riley sighed and leaned against the wall. "I'll think about it."

Tina smiled and nodded. "That's all I ask."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Alright, change of topic...how'd the delivery in 2E go? I heard it was a little girl right?"

Tina smiled and nodded. "Yup, beautiful too. Seven pounds three ounces, brown hair, big green eyes...aw, she was gorgeous."

Riley nodded. "Yeah, my sister just announced she's pregnant with their sixth."

"Whoa! Six? Geez...how old is she?"

She smiled softly, the first actual smile to grace her face in a week. "She turns 31 in about five months. She and Tom have been married for almost twelve years."

"Whoa!"

"Yep, got married a couple weeks after she turned eighteen. But they dated for about three years before that, then they were friends for almost four years."

"Wow...and they're still goin strong?"

"Yeah. She's a marriage counselor and he's a psychologist."

"Well, that explains it. Also about how they're sane with five kids and one more on the way."

"God love 'em...Goodness knows I could never do that."

The girls shared a laugh and walked out of the supply closet and back to their rounds.

--The Universal House (aka, Riley's house)—Living Room—5:02 a.m.--

"Hey Ry. How was work?" Jon asked.

"Busy." Riley sighed and plopped down on the couch.

Shaun walked out and smiled. "I gotta say, I'm lovin that you're a nurse Riley." Shaun proclaimed and waggled his eyebrows. "Yowza!"

She rolled her eyes. "Now is not the time Shaun." She mumbled.

"Oh, are you okay girl?" He asked and sat down next to her.

She sighed. "I'm just tired...TGIF man...TGIF."

Shaun chuckled. "Well go take a nap."

She nodded. "I think I will." She said and she ascended the stairs. Deven and CJ came down the stairs discussing something, but moved out of the way when they saw Riley.

"Hey," Deven stopped her and grabbed her wrist gently. "Are you okay?" He asked as CJ descended the stairs with out him, and she nodded.

"I'm just tired..." When he didn't let her wrist go she explained further. "It was a long shift."

Deven nodded and slowly let her go, and she immediately went in the direction of her room. She sighed and plopped down on the bed and laid there for a few minutes, before pulling herself off of it to get ready for bed.

Deven went into the living room and looked around. "Where's Kiersten?"

"Outside with Thomas." Troy answered and Deven went to the back porch. He found the woman in question sitting there with Thomas, both of them smoking cigarettes.

"Hey, uh Thomas, can you give Kiersten and me a minute?" Deven asked, and Thomas looked over to Kiersten for approval. She nodded and Thomas went back into the house, crushing his cigarette and disposing of it before he did so. "Did you dye your hair?"

"Did you kick Thomas out just for that?"

"No..."

"Well then yeah, its chocolate brown...you didn't come out here to ask me about my hair color...what's up?"

Deven sighed. "What's up with Riley lately? She seems...down."

Kiersten looked at him confused. "No one told you?"

"Um...no."

Kiersten seemed to be contemplating releasing the information to her friend, and eventually gave in and sighed, releasing the smoke from her mouth. "She and Nick broke up last week..." Kiersten looked over, expecting to see something of a smile on his face, and was surprised when she found anger.

He sat back in his chair and worked his jaw, while running a finger along his clean shaven jaw. Kiersten raised an eyebrow at the man's demeanor and Deven shook his head. "I'll fuckin kick his ass..."

"Geez Dev...chill out."

"No! She's been depressed as Hell for the past week and it's all that fucker's fault!"

"Deven, calm down." She sighed. "Remember once upon a time, you were the fucker that everyone wanted to kill for hurtin her..."

"Did he cheat on her?"

"No."

"So what happened?" Deven asked and she sighed.

"You'll have to ask Riley..."

"She's not gonna tell me."

Kiersten paused before leaning over to him and shaking her head softly. "Then maybe it's not for you to know."

Deven shook his head. "No...no, she's...Kiersten I...I still love her."

Kiersten laughed and put out the end of her cigarette. "Whatever you do...don't tell her that."

--Local Diner—6:12 a.m.--

"You got this one Cath?" Warrick asked and she scoffed and laughed.

"Yeah right, pay for your own meal buddy boy." She replied and patted his shoulder as he chuckled, ducked his head and nodded, and dragged his tongue across the tops of his teeth. Everyone around him, excluding Nick, laughed and ridiculed him for getting scorned.

Scorned...

Not a word Nick was fond of at the moment. He picked up his water glass and took a sip of it, before ducking his head back down. Sara stopped laughing when she caught sight of Nick, and she frowned. "Nick...hey, you okay?" She asked and all attention was drawn to the Texan. He cautiously looked around the table and quickly turned his head back down.

"Yeah..." He lied and nodded. "I'm just tired...it's been a long shift."

"Hell, it's been a long week." Warrick replied and everyone nodded in agreement.

"I heard that." Greg agreed and everyone, but Nick, clinked their plastic cups together as if they were toasting.

Nick sighed. He couldn't be around this right now. His friends were great, but all he wanted to do was go home and wallow in his self pity and dwell on the fact at how dense he could be as to push the woman he loved away...simply because she wouldn't say it back. "I'm gonna head home." Nick replied and laid his portion of the meal down on the table.

"What?" Catherine asked.

"Aw, c'mon." Greg pouted.

"Nicky, please stay." Sara requested.

"Yeah man, just finish up breakfast..." Warrick pleaded.

"Nick..." Grissom began and Nick dragged his gaze up to his boss. "Stay." He replied and searched the young man's deep, regret filled brown eyes. Nick sighed and dropped his head and shook it from side to side.

"No...I'm tired...sorry y'all." He drawled and everyone nodded sadly.

"Alright, go home and get some rest Nicky. Enjoy the weekend." Catherine ordered and Nick forced out a minuscule of a smile.

"Yeah..." And with that he left.

"Man...what's with him lately?" Greg asked and Catherine sighed.

"I don't know...but I'll tell you one thing. From my experience as a mother, there's more than a case effecting him."

"Yeah..." Warrick said sighing and putting his fist under his chin. Sara looked behind her at Grissom staring intently at the door Nick had exited.

"Grissom...you still with us?" She asked and Grissom looked back over to the team.

"Yes...let's finish our breakfast shall we?"

--The Universal House—Riley's Room—6:23 p.m.--

"Hey! C'mon! You slept for twelve hours straight! Get your lazy ass outta bed!" Shaun demanded jokingly and yanked the sheet off of Riley. She moaned in protest and turned over in bed to snuggle into the mattress and Shaun snickered.

"C'mon sleepin beauty! Time to get up." Jabari declared and she threw a pillow at him. CJ caught it and whopped her in the head with it.

"C'mon Bryn...get up." She kicked him while still lying down in bed and he doubled over in pain and all the men jumped back, worried about what she'd do to their areas...

Kiersten and Emma laughed and stepped forward. "Get up Riley! It isn't healthy to sleep as long as you did when your body isn't used to it." Kiersten informed her and she moaned.

"Get up Ry..." Emma begged and Riley maneuvered her hand from under the pillow to flip them all the bird. They laughed and Jon shook his head as he walked in.

"I take it 'Operation get-Riley-out-of-bed' was a complete failure." Jon assessed and they all rolled their eyes. Jon snickered. "Now it's time for 'Operation get-Riley-out-of-bed-now'!" He declared and poured a pitcher of ice cold water on the sleeping woman. She screamed and jumped up on the bed while everyone laughed.

"Bet you wish you didn't wear a white T shirt to bed huh?" Shaun snickered and she punched him in the shoulder. He winced and frowned. "Ouch...you're mean."

"Fuck...you." She growled in between shivers and Kiersten laughed and brought her a towel.

"C'mon Riley, we're all goin out to celebrate the weekend's arrival. Come with us to get shit faced!" Kiersten begged and all the men cheered at the thought of getting totally hammered.

Riley shook her head. "My body's in complete shock...I don't think it could handle alcohol." She replied while shivering.

"Jesus, what'd you guys do to her? I suggested invite her along, not drench her in ice water..." Deven noted, coming into the room. She shivered more and Deven suppressed a chuckle at the sight of his former girlfriend shivering in the middle of summer. He laughed and shook his head. "Why do I have the feeling this was Jon's idea?"

"Because we're all still here and she'd have killed anyone else..." Pot Roast replied and they all chuckled.

"So come on Riley, what do you say?" CJ asked.

"Nah, I'm gonna pass." She answered.

"Aw, come on. It won't be half as much fun without you there." Jabari begged and she laughed.

"That's only because you think its fun to take advantage of me when I'm drunk." She joked and Jabari shrugged innocently.

"Please Riley...don't leave Emma and I to fend off all these guys on our own." Kiersten begged and she shook her head.

"Nah, I've got some stuff I gotta finish up here for the hospital..." Riley replied and Shaun rolled his eyes.

"Party Pooper." He named and he and everyone filed out, leaving Kiersten, Deven, and Riley alone in the room.

Kiersten sighed. "I'll miss you Chica."

"Nah, you'll forget about me the minute you charm some guy into buying you a drink." Riley ribbed and Kiersten rolled her eyes.

"Yep, you know me." And with that Kiersten left the room. Riley sighed and turned to Deven.

"You're not going?" She asked when she noticed he was the only other one not dressed to go out.

"Nah, I've got some shit to deal with down at Club Spike."

"Oh yeah...I forgot you're assistant manager...how's that goin?"

He shrugged. "It's fine...ya know. How's the hospital going?"

"Eh...I'm tired constantly...but hey, it's only because there are so many dumbasses in Vegas." She replied and Deven chuckled.

"Yeah...and we're friends with half of them." Deven joked as they heard the commotion downstairs.

"Shaun! You can't bring your own beer to the bar!" Jon reprimanded and they heard Shaun's protest.

Riley laughed. "True...we do have some insane friends."

They shared a laugh, and then settled into comfortable silence, and Deven sat down next to Riley on the soaked bed, careful to avoid the soaked area. "Ry...are you okay?"

She sighed and ran a hand through her wet, tangled red-copper colored hair. "I'm fine."

"Riley..."

She sighed again. "I'll be okay...eventually."

Deven sighed and enveloped her in a hug. Her wet hair soaked through his shirt and he rubbed his hands up and down her back supportively. "Yeah...you're tough. You're gonna be okay Sweetheart." He replied softly and she nodded and pulled away from him, while looking down at her hands that were folded in her lap.

"I uh...I have to get changed."

"Oh, uh...yeah. Sorry." He stood and went to the door, before turning around just as she was about to pull her shirt over her head. "If you need anything, just let me know...okay."

She smiled softly and nodded as he left and she pulled her shirt over her head and discarded it to the floor.

--The Universal House—Riley's Room—June 28, 2006 6:03 a.m.--

Riley opened her eyes to see her bathroom door, closed, as it always was when she slept. She sighed and pressed herself further into the bed...but something didn't feel right. She groaned softly and tried to push herself up to a sitting position on the mattress, but couldn't. Something was weighing her down. It was then that she felt the arm around her waist flex and pull her closer to the strong body spooning behind her.

Her heart rate quickened and her mind raced. Damn this early-morning-delirium. Oh God...

She thought as the man behind her sighed.

...What happened last night? Oh God...oh God...what happened?

She bit her lip as she realized the only answer would be to turn around and see who was in bed with her...she closed her eyes and rolled over and opened her eyes slowly to see the familiar head of brown hair and closed eyes. She should have known...they way they had been spooning was so familiar...

A sob escaped her throat and she closed her eyes once again to wish away the body next to her. He wasn't supposed to be here. This wasn't supposed to be how they got back together, if they got back together at all, which she feared the wouldn't...

No...no no no...this didn't happen. This gorgeous man isn't lying next to you...whatever the Hell happened last night didn't happen...

She tried to convince herself as another sob escaped her throat, this time accompanied by the threat of burning tears. But the reality of it was sinking in...of what she had done...

...She had slept with Deven.

--End of Chapter (duh! I love leavin y'all with cliff hangers!)--

(ducks under desk yet again and uses useless high school text book as a shield) Ahh! Y'all thought last chapter was bad...HA! Bet ya weren't expecting that! XD

Yeah, I know, I'm full of surprises...kinda like a soap opera...except with a better story line, more believable events, and better acting... (shrugs)

Alright...review and let me know how angry y'all are...

-Futuremisscsi60