Thanks for the reviews, it's nice to know there are still some that want to see what happens even after all this time. I'm trying to get finished as soon as possible.

Chapter 25

They had all seen a difference in Sara at work for the last four nights. Glad that the three nights off had helped. Nick and Warrick were sure that all Sara needed was a weekend off occasionally. Catherine didn't believe it had solved all Sara's work troubles. But she did agree with the guys that Sara was looking and acting happier, than she had seen the brunette in a long time. Catherine knew a few nights off wouldn't solve the schedule problems or that Sara suddenly only got the 'routine' cases.

Catherine was glad their plan had helped Sara's mood, that would give her more time to figure out a more permanent solution. Catherine would need that with the way Grissom had been ignoring and avoiding her.

"Hey Nick, you ready to buy me dinner?"

Both Warrick and Nick looked like they been caught with a hand in the cookie-jar at the sound of Sara entering the breakroom. Embarrassed at almost being caught talking about her.

"You think you can score higher than Nick, or are you just hoping this year will be different Sar?"

Nick had grown up learning to shot and how to handle weapons. He had always been the best shot, the other CSI's not even coming close.

"Someone got to keep Nick on his toes."

rrrrr

Sara didn't score better than Nick, but she did get closer than she had the previous years.

"You're getting better Sar, you might just win next year. But now I'm ready for my dinner."

Nick was grinning and didn't notice Sara flinch when he mentioned next year.

rrrr

A good time to catch Grissom in his office was during the last hour of shift. Sara, as well as the rest of the CSI's, knew that was the best time to find Grissom. The supervisor could normally be hard to pin down, and he had been doing his best to avoid Sara whenever possible.

Sara had expected to have to hunt Grissom down to be able to give him her resignation personally. She felt it was the lest she could do after all Grissom had done in the past. After all he had been the one to bring her to Las Vegas and her encouraged her to publish.

Sara didn't expect Grissom to talk to her when she knocked on the doorframe and entered the supervisor's office. That didn't mean it hurt any less when all she got was a dismissal.

"I don't have time for you Sara." He barely glanced up from his files to see who had entered.

"That's fine, I'll just leave this for you for later."

The man she had thought of as a friend and mentor had again proved that wasn't the case anymore. It also confirmed that she was indeed doing the right thing in finding a new job.

It was a relief to have handed Grissom the letter, but Grissom's reaction to her entering his office had ruined the good mood Sara had been in since requalifying for firearms. All Sara wanted was to leave and spend her Friday with Emily. They had plans to do some shopping. Emily needed a schoolbag and surplices for the first grade. Sara had been convinced by Cam and Emily that the young girl needed a new outfit for the first day of school.

Just the thought of their planned outing put the smile back on Sara's face.

Now she just had to get through the next two weeks and she would be free of the lab. After that Ecklie or even Grissom wouldn't make her every workday a chore.

The hard part was to tell the others, but Sara wasn't feeling up to doing that at this point. Putting it of for another night.

Sara quietly walked past the breakroom and got her things out of the locker, leaving the lab without talking to anyone.

There was still half an hour left of the shift, but Sara didn't think Grissom would notice or even mind she left early. Either way she didn't care. By leaving early, Sara was sure Grissom wouldn't send her out on some case, making sure she would get hardly any sleep.

Grissom had done that regularly in the time Emily had been in Vegas.

Sara expected the next two weeks to be similar to what had been happening. Meaning long shifts and hardly no sleep. At least she wouldn't be working alone, but she would only be allowed to help on cases. Ecklie and Grissom wouldn't want her to be lead on a case that would bring her back for a court case.

The next two weeks would be hard not only for Sara, but also for Emily. That was the only thing Sara regretted.

Sara would have to lean on both Nancy and Cam to help her with Emily, because she was sure Ecklie would find some way to work her nonstop for as long as he could. That would make it necessary to talk to Nancy when she had to ask for more help.

Nancy had become a good friend, and Sara enjoyed the time they spend talking. She wasn't used to having friends, before Vegas it had mostly been acquaintances and not real friends.

rrrrr

With Sara resigning right before the weekend, it wasn't until Monday the rumors started making it around the lab.

To most of the people that knew Sara, found it unlikely that the brunette would ever quit.

"Hey Sar, you heard the latest gossip? You'll get a kick out of this one."

Nick couldn't help the smile in his voice as he entered the breakroom 10 minutes before shift start Monday night.

Nick liked hearing the latest gossip, he got a kick out of the wild stories that made the rounds of the lab. He liked telling the craziest stories to Sara, even better if he could get a smile or a laugh out of the brunette. He thought this story might even get him one of those elusive laughs.

Nick was looking so much forward to retelling the latest rumor, that he failed to notice that Sara wasn't sharing his enthusiasm.

"The newest gossip from the lab rats is that you Sar, handed Grissom a resignation letter and are stopping all together as a CSI. It's right up there with the story of Greg and the monkey."

He turned with a big grin on his face, expecting Sara to at least smile at the ludicrous story.

"Like you would ever leave the lab with Grissom still here."

At this point Sara wouldn't look him in the eyes and wasn't saying anything.

"Right, Sar."

Nick was getting nervous that Sara wasn't saying anything to agree with him. He was starting to think that the lab rats had gotten their gossip right for once.

"Sar, is the rumor true?"

"How would Sara know if a rumor's true, she never listens to gossip." Warrick had stepped into the room as Nick had asked.

With Sara's lack of response Nick was not only worried, but was also getting angry that his friend hadn't bothered to say something about quitting herself, but he had to hear it from the lab rats.

"Normally I'd say you're right, but this rumor Sara would know."

Sara wanted to explain, try to save a friendship she feared she had ruined by not telling her friends about the resignation.

As Sara was about to start trying to explain Grissom walked in to hand out that nights cases.

"All right, lets get started. Sara will be restricted to lab work."

The exclamations and questions from the guys were loud, Grissom let them for a little while.

"That means we'll be shorthanded for some time. Hopefully one of the dayshift CSI's will be on loan till we can find a permanent replacement for Sara."

Grissom handed a slip of paper to each of the guy's, expecting that the conversation was over and that they could all go back to work.

Neither Nick nor Warrick thought that was anywhere enough information, but on the other hand they didn't expect Grissom to provide the answers.

Nick was furious and didn't care that Grissom left the room or that he had cases.

Nick spun on Sara, pinning her with an angry stare.

"What a great friend you are, couldn't even be bothered to tell us yourself. I don't know why I even bother, Sara Siddle doesn't know how to be a friend."

With that he left the room, slamming the door.

"We can talk later, but Sara he was right about something. You could have told us." Warrick gave Sara a sympathetic smile as he turned to get to work himself.

Sara hadn't expected it to be easy, but she hadn't expected to be fighting tears at the beginning of shift. She had wanted to tell the others herself, but every time she had tried she had chickened out. Afraid that she would get a reaction like the one Nick just had.

rrrrr

Nick hadn't cared that Catherine had the night off. She had been the one that wanted them to help Sara. In his anger he forgot that he had been more than willing to help.

On his way to the crime scene he had called and yelled at a sleeping Catherine. That didn't go over well, which he should have expected, but his anger clouded his judgement. Nick ended up being yelled at, when Catherine had woken enough to understand what he was talking about.

Catherine had been none to happy about being woken up on her night off. Having spent the day running around with Lindsey, Catherine had needed the sleep Nick so rudely had interrupted.

After being awoken, Catherine hadn't been able to go back to sleep. She wanted to talk to Sara, but knew from experience that catching the brunette after shift was almost impossible. Sara only worked overtime when necessary and left work as soon as possible. It was the way it had been since Sara had gotten custody of Emily. Sara had found something more important than work.

That was why Catherine and Lindsey was on their way to Nancy's before breakfast. Catherine had a hunch that that would be Sara's first stop after work.

rrrr

Shift had been horrible, Sara had been ignored for most of the night. If that had been all, she would have been okay with it. That had been the norm for most of her life. The talking behind her back was also something Sara had tried before.

The worst part was that even Greg, who she had thought a good friend, ignored her, going so far as to leave the room.

Grissom had refused to assign her to any specific case, leaving it up to the CSI's to ask for her help.

Nobody had wanted any help with any cases. Even the result of what she had in trace, DNA and ballistics were taking longer than usual, but Sara didn't get any answers as to a potential timeline. Sara had spent most of her night going over the evidence in her open cases, trying to get them solved before she stopped.

By shifts end Sara was closer to closing her cases. Two had been given over to the police for follow up, one she had handed to Grissom with nothing more that could be done.

Getting off work on time, meant that Sara could have breakfast with Emily. She was sure Nancy would invite Emily and her to have breakfast with them.

Nancy had done that every day, but it wasn't until lately that Sara had started accepting. Now she was having breakfast with Nancy and family almost every day. It felt good to feel like a part of a family.

Having breakfast together was a good start to the day for Emily, and a good end to a long night for Sara.

Sara hadn't expected Catherine and Lindsey to be at Nancy's. Sara knew Catherine had had the night off and hadn't expected either of them to be up this early.

Lindsey was a normal participant at their breakfast when Catherine worked, but Catherine had never joined them before.

Sara just hoped it would give her the opportunity to tell Catherine herself. Hoping that neither Nick or Warrick had already told the older woman about her resignation.

rrrrr

Catherine hadn't gotten more sleep that night. Almost the minute Lindsey woke, Catherine had them in the car heading for Nancy's.

Lindsey didn't mind having breakfast at her aunt's. Nancy made more out of breakfast if it wasn't a school day, and it was still vacation time. Besides Sara made the best pancakes on special occasions. It was always more fun when Sara was there. There was a lot more talking and laughing on the mornings Sara joined them.

Lindsey was disappointed when Sara's car wasn't in the driveway. It helped some that Emily was still there. She didn't have the chance to ask her aunt if Sara was coming before her mom referred her to the living room, to join the others watching cartoons.

rrrrr

Nancy knew something was wrong when her sister stormed in through her kitchen door, with Lindsey in tow.

She hadn't expected Catherine and Lindsey before this afternoon.

"Sara quit, and she didn't even bother to tell me. I thought I was her friend, and she didn't even give a damn."

Catherine was pacing the kitchen, but was expecting her sister to say something if not agree with her.

Catherine knew her sister, Nancy had never been able to keep anything from her. So the slightly guilty look in Nancy's eyes said it all.

"You knew! Nancy you knew. So not only didn't Sara tell me, she told my little sister. And worse you didn't tell ME, your sister."

Catherine had worked herself into a furry and all rational thought went out the window. Nancy knew that there was no reason to try to talk to Catherine before her sister had calmed down. So Nancy just let Catherine storm out of the house, not really surprised that Lindsey stayed. It was for the best anyway. Lindsey didn't need to see her mother like that. The young girl had been through enough in her short life, only recently starting to get back to normal.

It wasn't any trouble with one more kid for the day. The day already included 10 children, so one more didn't mean anything. With the summer vacation coming to an end most day time programs had ended for the summer. Not only for Emily, but also for Jeremy and his friends.

rrrr

As Catherine stormed out the door, Sara pulled into the driveway.

"Morning Cath, I din't know you would be here today. Do you have time to talk?"

"Do't even bother Sidle, I already know."

Sara didn't get a chance to say anything else before Catherine drove away.