We all liked Nesting Dolls, right? So enjoy this chapter. :)
A few weeks later, Conrad Ecklie decided he was going to throw some power around.
Gil had been in court during an appeal, and he noticed a fingerprint on a matchbook that hadn't been there during the original trial. He reopened the case, and that raised Ecklie's suspicions. Everyone else in the lab rolled their eyes at Ecklie's show of power, but they weren't rolling anything when he decided to open an inquiry into Grissom's supervisory skills.
Everyone in the lab was a target. Ecklie talked to Catherine, Sara, Nicky, Warrick, and anyone else who ever talked to Grissom. Sofia was on quality control and reviewed Grissom's case to see if there were any irregularities.
When the interrogation, which lasted several days, was finally over, Sofia and Gil found themselves in Ecklie's office.
"As I know you are aware, I've asked Sofia to review your handling of the Max Larson homicide," Ecklie said to Grissom. He then asked Sofia,
"Did Supervisor Grissom violate any procedures in mishandling the evidence?"
Sofia looked at Grissom with a very tired look in her eyes.
"I don't believe he mishandled anything," she said, keeping her eyes on him. "He followed laboratory protocol, and when he saw that the evidence didn't correspond to his records, he notified the D.A. and recused himself from case review."
Ecklie continued pressing her about the case and she continued to stand up for Grissom.
When he was done trying to coerce something else out of Sofia, he then showed them how rough he could play. He told Grissom and Sofia that effective immediately, Catherine was the new swing shift supervisor and Warrick and Nick will report to her. Sofia was then being demoted to work nights with Sara and Greg with Grissom as supervisor.
Gil couldn't believe it. Why did this man wield his power in such a way? But Sofia was more than angry, she was crestfallen. She had been supervisor on days, acting supervisor anyway, and now she was being demoted. Gil felt sorry for her. He felt sorry for her in a very tangible way.
And later, when he thought about it, he was grateful to Sofia. She had come in with her sultry demanor and strange way of doing things, and she took his mind right off that which was Sara Sidle. He still saw her every day, she was still on his team. But when he finally rested his head on his pillow and turned the light off after a hard day, he thought of her less and less. He thought that was better for everyone. And now when he drifted off to sleep, his thoughts were of Sofia Curtis. They weren't exactly sexual, and they weren't exactly romantic. He wanted to get to know her better, and until then, she was kind of haunting him. That is what intrigued him. It wasn't like him to be like this, so...impulsive about a woman. But, and he had to admit to himself, there was just something about her.
For a few weeks after that, everyone in the lab tried to adjust to Ecklie's command. Warrick, Nick and Catherine tried to adjust themselves to their new schedules. Sofia tried to make herself at home with Grissom's team, but she was finding that a little hard with Sara Sidle always in the way. She knew Sara didn't trust her. She suspected Sara didn't like her for different reasons, but she kept those suspicions to herself. Greg tried and succeeded at finally passing the proficiency to become a true blue CSI. There was a lot going on, and Grissom's mind, for the most part, stayed on the cases. Until Sara was suspended, that is.
Gil came in early that day because Catherine found 2 bodies encased in tar. He was fascinated by the prospect of getting them out, and he and Catherine worked for a few hours on doing just that. When his shift started, he conveniently disappeard, but told Catherine she could use Sara if she need to for the case.
He heard later from Catherine that she and Sara got into it earlier in the day.
"What happened exactly?" Gil asked, worry gathering in his mind.
"God, Gil, I don't know. She takes these domestic violence cases too seriously. I mean, we all do, but it's like...she has some kind of agenda when it comes to these people. I called her on it, some words were exchanged, and Ecklie overheard. He called her in his office, reprimanded her and gave her a week's suspension. I think it was the right thing to do. She was a little out of control, Gil. Ecklie told me he wants you to fire her. And frankly...I like the girl, but, Gil...she needs something, and maybe a different line of work could be the answer.
Gil raised his eyebrows. "She may be...temperamental, but we need her."
"We need her, or you need her?" Catherine asked snottily.
Grissom looked taken aback.
"I'm sorry, I'm just a little shaken. You should really go talk to her. She needs somebody to talk to, and I don't think she has anybody."
Grissom thought about it and nodded. "Okay."
Before anyone could stop him. he walked straight out the door, into his car, and drove to Sara's house. He had only been there once - Sara had a little party for her coworkers a few years ago - but he knew exactly where it was. He had to know what was bothering her. She always took domestic violence cases almost personally, and he had to know why. He knew he might have been crossing a line to go to her house like this, but he reasoned that he was just being a friend. He was more than her boss, like she told him just a few days ago when he asked her about her PEAP counseling. He managed to look plenty confused when she said that, but he knew what she was getting at. He was more than a boss. He was even more than a friend, but he didn't know where one line began and the other ended. He didn't know how to cross that line. He didn't know if he wanted to cross that line. He wasn't sure if it was worth crossing that line.
He got to her townhouse, a small piece of real estate with a quaint yard in the front absent of flowers. He knocked on her door. He heard music drifting in and out of her place, so he knew she would be there.
She answered the door, looking tired and frustrated.
"Well, if you're here, it can't be good," she said, letting him in.
"I talked to Catherine," he said, trying to avoid her eyes.
"Ecklie?" She asked.
"He wants me to fire you."
"I figured."
Gil asked her what happened, and she said she lost her temper. He prodded her, she said, "What difference does it make? I'm still fired."
"It makes a difference to me," he said. And it did. God, it hurt him somewhere deep inside to see her hurting like this. He wondered why she affected him this way. His other proteges, Greg and Nick and Warrick, he had a special bond with all of them but it was nothing like this. He shared in their pain, of course, but it never struck him so deep in his...soul...like Sara was seemingly doing right now.
She mumbled some half-hearted excuses.
"I have a problem with authority. I choose men who are emotionally unavailable." She sort of gestured towards him and he frowned. Well, she was right, but it still stung.
She went on, and Gil listened, paid attention. He prodded her some more about what was bothering her and she told him to leave it alone. He tells her no, he will not leave it alone, and she asks why. He says, "Because I want to know why you're so angry."
She finally broke down and let her supervisor-slash-whatever see how vulnerable she could be.
Sara told him about her parents. Her mother and father were always angry at each other, and she thought that was the norm. But when her mom murdered her father while Sara watched, she figured out it wasn't. She said she was worried she might have a violent streak, like it was an inherited behavior. And then...she broke down in tears.
Grissom knew there must have been something in Sara's past that triggered her anger, but he had no idea it was something like this. The things she must have seen...how did she deal with them at such a young age? He didn't know what else to do, so he reached out and grabbed her hand. He let her cry all she needed to. Eventually, he moved over to her and sat down next to her. She cried on his shoulder while he murmured reassuring thoughts in her ear. And strangely, he wanted to do more. He wanted to kiss her, kiss the tears off her face. But this wasn't the time. She was pouring her heart out to him, not trying to seduce him. Yet, the vulnerability she was showing made him ache.
He moved his arm a little, and she looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and said, "Please...don't go yet."
He didn't.