The day after Nick had interrogated Jaden, he came into work with the same deepening knot churning in his stomach. Today he would have to go to the autopsies of Hudson Gaines and Carson Virder and he was dreading the occasion with such anxiety it made him nauseous. He walked into CSI Headquarters with the intention of looking through the case file and pictures he and Greg had taken yesterday at the scene. He had planned to meet Greg in the layout room, and then the both of them would head to the morgue together.

However, when Nick saw Jaden Landon leaning against the reception desk with a grim expression, his plans changed. Nick walked over to Jaden a bit confused as to why the young man had come to CSI headquarters, and despite the fact that Judy, the receptionist, would be back any minute now, he decided to stop and talk to him.

Before Nick could even say anything, Jaden pushed off the receptionist desk and made his way toward Nick as relief spread across his face. "Hey." Jaden said with a single upward jolt of his head.

"Hello Jaden." Nick replied with a hint of confusion. "Can I help you with something?" He continued as he glanced around him, looking for the reason the kid was here.

"I ugh," Jaden began as he hung his head, "I ugh . . . just wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday." He lifted his head and looked Nick directly in the eye. "I'm sorry." Jaden spoke with sincerity and he stretched his hand out toward Nick.

Nick, baffled by the kid's sudden extreme character change, extended his hand and shook Jaden's. "Apology accepted" Nick declared with a smile. He looked at Jaden with confusion pouring out of his eyes. Jaden understood the glance, for he had received it frequently by many, and simply nodded his head.

"When I'm in pressure situations I panic." Jaden explained. "I just . . . I just don't know what to do so I become aggressive . . . defensive." He looked up at Nick for a brief second before continuing. Nick merely nodded his head in understanding.

"You see," Jaden continued as he let his head hang low once again, " . . . my brother, Parker, is a bit of a . . ." Jaden hesitated before continuing, " . . . well, he's a bit of a trouble maker." Jaden shrugged as he continued on. "He's in juvy now. He caused a lot of trouble around this town. I mean shootings, stabbings, drugs . . ." Jaden's voice trailed off and he looked up at Nick.

"I'm sorry" Nick said sincerely with a quick nod of his head. "That must be tough"

Jaden simply smirked at Nick's reply. "Yea," Jaden huffed out angrily, " . . . and the best part is when cops like Brass assume you're just like you're older brother. Even when you claim you didn't do anything." Jaden shook his head from side to side a few times before looking back up at Nick, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

"Yea, well, evidence is everything. If you didn't do this, then we will be able to prove it. Don't worry. Your reputation as your brother's sibling won't interfere in the outcome of this investigation. If you're innocent, the evidence will be prove so. The evidence doesn't lie." Nick reassured the kid as best as he could.

As of late, especially since Grissom left, Nick found himself saying more and more things he would have never ever said before. The evidence doesn't lie. That wasn't him, that was Grissom. Or maybe it was the part of Grissom that was still inside of him, the part that lived in his heart, the part that Nick carried with him.

Jaden nodded unconvincingly. "One little mistake and you're blamed for everything."

"What'd you mean?" Nick asked curiously. He had no idea what the kid was referring to.

"I was arrested for possession a few months back by Captain Brass, and now every time something goes down he always comes chasing after me even when I have no idea what the hell is going on. Brass just likes to pin stuff on me 'cause of my brother . . . I'm telling you Mr. Stokes, I didn't do this."

Nick acknowledged Jaden's transistion in the sense of respect. In less then twenty-four hours the kid had gone from calling him this guy . . . whatever to Mr. Stokes.

Nick nodded slightly. "Like I said Jaden, the evidence will tell us what went down. And if it doesn't point to you then it doesn't point to you. We'll just have to wait and see. Not much we can do in the meantime."

Jaden shrugged and gave a quick nod. "Okay. Thanks man. I gotta run, but I ugh . . ." Jaden lifted his eyes to look into Nick's as he stretched out his hand again. "I'm sorry. My parents think I might be bipolar or something . . . depressed maybe . . . hell I don't know. But I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Nick nodded reassuringly, "Apology accepted." Nick said as he shook Jaden's hand. "Bipolar's tough. You're a brave kid." Nick spoke from experience. His nephew, Ryan, suffered from bipolar and he knew how hard some days could be for him. He felt bad for Jaden, but he still had a job to do. He couldn't get too emotionally or personally involved. He had done that too many times before and had learned the hard way that even if it wasn't easy, and even if it felt wrong to him, it was better if he tried to detach himself a bit from the cases he worked.

So far, the whole detaching himself aspect, hadn't exactly worked out. Nick couldn't help it. It was just who he was as a person. He tended to empathize with the people involved in his cases, and oftentimes it was too difficult for him not to. For Nick Stokes, empathizing with the people involved was part of the job. Maybe not for any of Nick's other colleagues, but for Nick, empathizing was just what he did. Like taking fingerprints.

"Thank you." Jaden uttered with a nod as he turned and walked past Nick toward the exit. He opened the door, and walked outside and down the sidewalk before he was out of view.

Nick, his mood a bit lifted by this run in, walked toward the lay out room with the knot in his stomach a bit less harsh. Yes, two young boys were still dead. Nothing could change that. But only now, it may not have been another young boy who killed him.

"Hey Greggo" He said as he entered the room and placed a file on the table in front of him. "What've you got?"

"Well," Greg started, " . . . DNA came back on the blood drops at the crime scene. It appears that Carson," Greg said as he pulled a photograph up off the table and handed it to Nick, " . . . was shot before Hudson."

The photograph was of the position of the boys' bodies and the blood spatter around them. "This," Greg pointed to a section of blood spray between the two boys, " . . . is a mixture of both Carson and Hudson's blood. However," Greg said pointing his finger to the blood, "these blood droplets are Hudson's and this one," Greg then handed Nick a different photograph, which was zoomed in on the blood droplets they were now currently examining, " . . . this one is Carson's, and its partially covered by Hudson's blood. Meaning," Greg looked up at Nick, " . . . that Carson's blood was already on the ground when Hudson was shot."

Nick nodded. "Good work Greggo." Greg bowed his head and extended his arms to the side as if completing a curtsy. "Why thank you sir." He replied.

As Nick placed the pictures down on the table his phone vibrated on his belt. He grabbed it and glanced at the text. It was Doc Robbins. Starting the autopsy of Carson Virder in fifteen minutes.

Nick quickly texted back, I'll be there in ten. He glanced over at Greg who was looking through the photos, taking notes of things that appeared relevant in each. We both don't have to go. Nick thought to himself.

"That was Doc Robbins." Nick said as much to himself as to Greg. "I'm going to Carson and Hudson's autopsies. I'll be back in a few hours. Keep looking through these photos and the evidence we collected yesterday. Try to narrow down to something that might give us our guy. Shoe treads, fibers, anything. Check with Wendy; see if any of the blood samples were not from either Carson or Hudson."

Greg appeared slightly confused. He looked at Nick with squinted eyes and gestured with his hands as he cocked his head slightly. "I thought we were both going."

"No" Nick let out a bit more strongly than intended. "I need you to stay here and go through this evidence." Truth was Nick actually didn't want Greg to have to witness the autopsies of two fourteen year old boys. Hell, he wished he didn't have to see it, but he wasn't going to have to have more people than needed be traumatized by this ordeal.

Despite Nick's lousy cover-up, Greg knew Nick was merely looking out for him, but he was nonetheless a little offended. "Nick, I can handle it. I'm not a newbie anymore. I've been a CSI for almost five years now."

Nick nodded, "I know you can Greg, but I need you here." Nick half-lied. Sure they had to go through the evidence they collected, but it wouldn't hurt if Greg came to the autopsy either. Or maybe it would. In Nick's mind, it would hurt Greg. "I'll check in later. Text me with anything." And with that, Nick vanished.

"Alright" Greg partially sighed out, but Nick was already gone. "I'll see you later." He said to an empty room, as he bent down over the pictures on the table and got to work.