A/N: Thank you again for your wonderful response to this story! Your reviews make writing these chapters that much more fun.

I don't own CSI. Once again, some lines have been borrowed from my new favorite episode, "Cool Change." With any luck, I'll never have to write that again!

The New Team

"So, when does your flight leave?"

"I have to board in a few minutes," Sara replied. "God, Mar, I'm so nervous."

"Nervous?" Mary laughed. "I thought you were excited."

"I am," Sara replied. "But, I'm nervous, too."

"Look, Sara, I know that I've tried really hard to be your voice of reason in all of this –"

"You mean you've tried really hard to bring me down," Sara interrupted with a laugh.

"Well, maybe," Mary laughed. "But, honestly, I really, really hope this goes well for you. I hope that everything works out as you want it to."

"So do I," Sara sighed. She paused and listened to the announcements the gate agents were making. "Listen, Mary, they're boarding the first class passengers, and I'm in the back of the plane, so I'm next to board. I've got to go."

"All right," Mary said. "Have a nice flight. Call me when you get to Vegas."

"I will."

"Good luck."

"Thanks," Sara smiled. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Sara closed her cell phone and turned it off, then stored it safely in her purse. She picked up her carry on bag and stood to her feet just as her row was called. Boarding pass in hand, she stepped forward, ready to begin her new adventure.

"Hi," Grissom said to the receptionist at the Hotel Monaco. "My name is Gil Grissom and this is Nick Stokes. We're with the crime lab. May we ask you a few questions?"

"Is this about that guy they found outside?" she asked. "The one who jumped from the balcony?"

"Well, we don't know for sure yet that's what happened," Grissom said.

She nodded. "I'm glad you don't think he jumped. I don't, either."

Grissom and Nick exchanged a look.

"Why not?" Nick asked.

"If you ask me," she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "it was his girlfriend. She pushed him."

"His girlfriend?" Nick repeated.

"Yeah," the girl said. "She was awfully loud – she just seemed a bit off, you know? Believe me, if you work in one of these hotels, you get pretty good at identifying crazy people – and she's crazy. Are you holding her now?"

"We're still collecting evidence," Grissom said. "In fact, we were hoping that you could help us."

"Sure," she said, her eyes getting big.

"The victim was staying in the Presidential Suite, correct?"

"That's right."

"Is there a way to tell who entered and exited the room?"

"Well, we have a security log of every time the key is used to enter the room," she said. "Will that help?"

"Yes," Grissom smiled. "May we see that log?"

"I'll run you a copy right now."

She went to her computer, and Grissom looked at Nick.

"We need to bring our girlfriend in for a little chat."

Nick nodded. "I'll call Brass."

Sara's flight landed at McCarran International Airport without incident. No one was waiting to meet her, but then, she hadn't expected that anyone would be. She smiled inwardly, knowing very well that nothing would have made her happier than seeing Grissom as soon as she landed. But, she would be seeing quite a lot of him in the foreseeable future. She was content to wait.

She pulled out her phone as she made her way to baggage claim, and pressed the appropriate speed dial to talk to Mary. Her friend's phone was turned off, a sure sign that she was in class.

"Hi, Mary," Sara said to her voicemail. "I just landed in Vegas – I'm on my way to baggage claim right now. Once I have my bags, I'm going to the hotel to check in and then straight to the lab, so don't worry about calling me back. I'll give you a call when I have a free minute. Tell Tom hi for me." She paused, trying to think of anything else she had to say. "Um … I guess I'll talk to you later. Bye."

She snapped the phone shut and returned it to her purse just as the belt carrying luggage began to move. Her attention turned to finding her bag.

"Can I go now?"

Grissom smiled benignly at the young woman sitting across the table from him in the interrogation room. "Yes, ma'am."

The one suspect in the death of the young man found on the pavement outside the Hotel Monaco stood up and walked to the door. Nick opened it for her, giving Grissom a look as she walked past him.

"Her story checks out," Grissom said. "She doesn't have any financial motive. She was his girlfriend, not his wife. Any money won by the deceased goes directly to the family estate."

"Well, if he didn't fall from his own balcony, then where else could it have happened?" Nick asked.

Grissom looked at him for a moment. "The roof," he said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Nick's face relaxed into an expression that clearly said why didn't I think of that?

"We're going back to that hotel," Grissom said as they left the room. "We need to do a bit of experimentation."

"Simulation dummies?" Nick asked.

Grissom gave him a grin. "You read my mind."

After checking into her hotel room, Sara took a shower and prepared for a day of work. As much as she would never admit it, she did take her time curling her hair and choosing a flattering outfit. She wanted to impress her new coworkers. Cheeks flushing slightly, she knew that wasn't entirely the truth. She wanted to impress him.

After making sure that she had everything that she would need, she left her hotel room and drove her rental car to the crime lab. She made her way in slowly, hoping that it wouldn't be too hard to find Grissom.

"Hi," the receptionist said as she entered the building. "May I help you?"

"Hi," Sara replied. "I'm looking for Gil Grissom."

"And you are?"

"Sara Sidle."

"Oh, Sara Sidle!" Judy said warmly. "You're the one that Dr. Grissom brought in to work with us!"

"Yes," Sara said, smiling a bit uncomfortably.

"Well, Dr. Grissom is out in the field right now, but let me get you set up with some identification, then I'll send you out to find him."

"All right," Sara agreed, wondering at this woman's cheerfulness. It was a bit shocking.

Judy pulled a file folder from her desk and opened it. "I'll just need you to fill out a bit of paperwork, and then I'll need to take your picture for your badge."

"Right," Sara said. She had known that this was coming – she just wished it could have been after she had seen Grissom.

"All right, Nick," Grissom said into his walkie-talkie. "Standing by for Operation: Norman. Let them fly."

Safe within the confines of the crime scene tape outside the entrance to the Hotel Monaco, Grissom waited for Nick to launch the dummies off the hotel roof. The first dummy came tumbling through the air, delighting the tourists standing nearby. As it hit the ground, they burst into applause. Grissom raised his eyebrows and shook his head. Only in Vegas.

Grissom had no idea that the crowd contained the one person who had been practically jumping up and down at the prospect of seeing him. Sara made her way to the tape, watching him as he watched the dummies fall. She was as mesmerized as she had been during that first lecture at Berkley, when he had won her heart with his knowledge and passion. Seeing him work now only reaffirmed what she already knew: that this man would do anything in the pursuit of knowledge, truth and justice. Her heart did a back flip at the thought.

The officer standing nearest looked at her identification. "Do you want to go in, miss?"

"In a minute," she said. "I can wait until they're done. I don't want to get in the way."

Hoping that he didn't have that many dummies, she crossed her arms. Once again, she had to wait for her turn to talk to Grissom.

Once all three dummies had fallen to their respective dooms, Grissom, after shaking off the crowd of on-lookers, made his way around the enclosure, taking photographs and repeating the methods behind their falls.

"Norman pushed," he said, taking pictures. "Norman jumped." More photographs. "Norman fell."

"Wouldn't you, if you were married to Mrs. Roper?"

A grin spread across his face as he lowered his camera. "I don't even have to turn around. Sara Sidle."

He did turn around in time to see the ecstatic grin on her face as she lowered her sunglasses. She teased him about his "old-school" methods, but he could barely follow her words. He was caught up in watching the sparkle dance in her big, brown eyes and the sunlight reflect off her brown curls. He knew that he gave appropriate responses to her comments, but could only hope that he managed to look as cool and unaffected by her appearance as he wanted to.

Her grin faded as she asked her next question. "How's the girl?"

Grissom's face dropped. "She's still in surgery. She's not doing very well."

"That's too bad," Sara said, looking down.

"God, Sara, I have so many unanswered whys," Grissom said a bit desperately.

"There's only one 'why' that matters now," she said, looking up at him again. "Why did Warrick Brown leave that scene?"

Grissom gave a slight nod. "I'm trusting you with this, Sara," he said. "I need …" He trailed off.

"I know," she said quietly. "I'll find your answers."

"Thank you."

"Hey, Boss, how did we do?"

Grissom and Sara both looked up as Nick ducked under the crime scene tape. Grissom smiled at him.

"Our boy was pushed," Grissom said. "You did great, Nicky."

"Thanks," Nick said. He looked at Sara for a moment, then back at Grissom.

"Nick, this is Sara Sidle, the CSI I told you was coming in to help us."

"Oh, right!" Nick said, extending his hand to shake hers. "Nick Stokes. It's great to meet you."

"You, too," Sara said, finding it impossible not to return his grin. Nick seemed genuinely pleased to meet her; in those few words, he managed to make her feel very welcome.

"Nicky and I are working the mysterious death of a man who was found facedown right here," Grissom said. "After our simulation, I can say with complete certainty that he was pushed. Now all we need to do is to find the pusher."

"Well, the girlfriend is out," Nick said. He glanced at Sara. "Are you going to work the case with us?"

"No, she's on the internal investigation," Grissom said. "You need to talk to Catherine Willows, Sara. She's investigating Holly's death; you'll work with her on that while you look into everything else."

"Right," Sara agreed. "Any idea where I might find her?"

"Try the lab," Grissom said. "I know she was out in the field earlier, but she should be back by now."

"All right," Sara said. "I guess I'll see both of you later, then."

"I'll find you when I get a chance," Grissom promised. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Sara said. "Bye, Grissom. Bye, Nick. It was nice meeting you."

"You, too," Nick said. "I hope we'll get to work together soon."

Sara smiled again and ducked back under the tape. It was time to return to the lab.

"She seems nice," Nick said as Sara left.

"She is nice," Grissom affirmed.

"Is she going to work with us permanently?"

"That depends," Grissom replied. He didn't say the words, but he knew that Nick understood that Sara's employment depended upon the outcome of Holly's surgery. "She's with us for now."

"Right," Nick said slowly.

"I want you to work with her," Grissom said suddenly. "I think you'd work well together, and I think you'd be good for each other."

Nick gave him a sidelong glance. "You're not trying to play matchmaker, are you, Grissom?"

Grissom scrunched up his face. "Honestly, Nicky. I meant professionally."

Nick laughed slightly, his face slowly turning red. "Right."

Grissom laughed. "Keep your mind on the job, Nick."

"Yes, sir."

"Have you seen Catherine Willows?"

Judy frowned in concentration. "Well, I can definitely tell you she's in the lab somewhere," she informed Sara. "I'm not sure where, though. Do you want me to page her?"

Sara shook her head. "That's all right. I'll find her myself."

"All right. Good luck."

"Thanks," Sara smiled.

After about ten minutes of wandering around the lab, she began to doubt the intelligence of volunteering to find Catherine without help. The lab was something of a maze; she was sure she would never find her new coworker.

"Can I help you? You look lost."

"Yes!" Sara exclaimed, thrilled that this lab tech with the loud shirt was so helpful. "I'm looking for Catherine Willows. Do you know where she is?"

"Yes."

When he made no effort to continue, Sara gave him a look. Finally realizing that he would need verbal prompting, she sighed. "Will you tell me where she is?"

"That depends. Who's looking for her?"

"I am."

"And you are?"

She sighed again. "Sara Sidle."

"Ah!" he said, his eyes lighting up. "Grissom's friend."

"Yes."

"You know, I didn't think that Grissom had any friends – well, at least, none outside the lab. I mean, I know that he's friends with Catherine and Brass and –"

"Aren't you going to tell me where Catherine is?" Sara interrupted.

"Don't you want to know who's telling you?"

She barely refrained from closing her eyes in annoyance. "Fine. Who's telling me?"

"Greg Sanders," he said, offering a hand for her to shake.

"Hi, Greg Sanders," she said, shaking his hand. As frustrating as this entire situation was, she had to admit that he was amusing. "What is your job here?"

"Lab tech," he said promptly. "I mainly do DNA, but I occasionally dabble in Trace."

"Good for you."

"And you're the new CSI, right?"

"For now."

"Right." Greg wanted to say that he hoped that she'd stay – she was hot – but that would imply that he hoped for Holly's death. It seemed wiser to keep his mouth shut. He cleared his throat. "Well, Catherine is right in there," he said, indicating a closed door across the hall. "I believe she's working on some evidence."

"Great," Sara said with a smile. "Thanks for your help, Greg. It was nice meeting you."

"It was great to meet you, too," he smiled.

Sara crossed the hall and pushed the closed door open. One woman sat in the room alone, working at the desk. Deciding to be diplomatic rather than pushy, Sara asked, "Do you know where I can find Catherine Willows?"

"She's out in the field," the other woman replied, without looking up.

Sara half-turned back toward the door as if going to question Greg again, then looked down at the notebook in her hands as if it might offer some assistance. The woman at the desk finally looked up from her work and sighed.

"Let me guess. Sara Sidle?"

"I know who I am," Sara said with a slight smile. "I think you're a little confused."

"If you think you're taking my case," Catherine said threateningly, "forget it."

Sara drew herself up at the clear challenge. So, Catherine felt threatened by her. Sara had spent so long thinking that this woman could be the thing standing between her and Grissom that it was almost a relief to learn that Catherine found Sara to be a threat – even if Catherine's perceived threat was professional rather than romantic. Thinking that she now had a rather easy situation on her hands, Sara walked fully into the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Look," she said, holding up her hands to fend off any caustic words from Catherine, "we can stand here and argue, or we can get out there and find out who did this to Holly Gribbs. Two sharp women are better than one."

Her words calmed Catherine, who picked up the pager she had collected at the crime scene. The two women worked together to trace the pages, only to find a road to nowhere.

"Look," Sara said at last, "you seem to have everything under control here. Where can I find Warrick Brown?"

"Try one of the casinos on Blue Diamond Road," Catherine offered.

Sara nodded and scribbled the information in her notebook as she walked toward the door.

"Oh," Catherine said as Sara opened the door. "I'll page you with any information."

Smiling, Sara stepped back out into the hallway.

"Sara!"

She smiled wider as Greg bounded up to her. "Hi, Greg."

"Listen, I need to tell you something."

"All right," she said, surprised by the seriousness in his tone.

He drew a deep breath. "I just saw Grissom. He's looking for you."

"Grissom? Is he here?"

"Yeah, he was going to his office – I'll take you there."

"Thanks," she said, knowing that she'd never find it on her own.

"There's something else you should know," Greg said as they set off down the hall together.

"What?"

"He looked – well, he looked awful."

The color drained from Sara's face. She had a feeling she knew why Grissom wanted to see her.

"I found her, Boss," Greg said as he led Sara into Grissom's office.

"Thanks, Greg," Grissom said quietly.

"I'll see you later," Sara said. "Thanks for showing me around."

"No problem," Greg replied

He left, closing the door behind him. Sara looked at Grissom, struggling to keep her attention focused on his face, rather than roving around his cluttered office.

"Holly's dad just called me," Grissom said, breaking the short silence. He swallowed. "She died on the operating table."

"Oh, God, Grissom," Sara said softly. "I'm so sorry."

Grissom nodded. "She was a tough girl. She really fought hard, but, in the end, it wasn't enough." He sighed and ran his hands over his face. "She didn't deserve this."

Fire jumped into Sara's eyes. "I'll find out what happened, Griss." Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Between Catherine and I, we'll make sure this guy is brought to justice."

Grissom returned the pressure on her hand. "I know you will. That's why I asked you to come here."

Filled with new determination, Sara set off in search of Warrick. She found him, as Catherine had suggested, playing cards at a casino on Blue Diamond Road. He was less than thrilled to see her, but willingly followed her to a diner for some coffee so they could talk.

He somewhat reluctantly admitted to counting cards when he played, and that he bet on sports. When Sara asked where he had gone when he left Holly, he gave her the rather flimsy excuse that he had gone for coffee. Sara challenged him, suggesting that he had been gambling, but he stuck to his coffee story. Yes, he knew the procedures for clearing a crime scene. Even so, he had gone for coffee.

"Did you log on?" she finally asked. "Tell dispatch where you were going?"

"Do you know how many times I been left alone at a crime scene when I was a rookie?" Warrick asked, barely controlling his anger.

"Yeah, well, this time it's different," Sara said.

"Yeah, why is that?" Warrick asked, running his hand over his face.

"Holly Gribbs died on the operating table twenty minutes ago."

The look on Warrick's face – the look of complete shock, pain, horror, sorrow and guilt – convinced Sara that he had never intended for any harm to befall Holly. However, that did nothing to change the fact that he had violated quite a few procedures in his rush to get a cup of coffee.

She couldn't help the sorrow that filled her as she left him at the diner. She hated what she had to do next. She hated what she had to write in her report. She hated that Grissom would have to read it.

In the end, it was the pager, which Sara had assumed to be their road to nowhere, that led them to Holly's killer. She and Catherine had been in the break room when it began beeping. Catherine, in a moment of what Sara thought of as foolish desperation, called the number that showed on the display. The pager's owner was on the other end of the line, trying to find his missing beeper. Catherine got his address, a room in a shady motel, and hung up.

"Did I just do that?" she asked in shock.

Sara grinned. She liked this woman.

The suspect had a nasty scratch on his face. Sara and Catherine were both sure that Holly had managed to scratch him before he shot her with her own gun. If they were right, his DNA would be beneath her fingernails – they needed that proof to convict him. That meant a trip to the morgue.

"Do you want me to do it?" Sara asked as they walked down the hall together.

"No," Catherine replied. "I need to do this."

Sara nodded silently.

They arrived in the morgue to find Grissom waiting for them.

"You didn't have to come," Catherine said, even though she felt better just knowing that he was there.

"I know," Grissom replied. "I wanted to … in case you need me."

"I probably do," Catherine admitted. "But, this is something I'd rather do alone."

"Fifteen seconds," Grissom said as she moved to open the door. "You're in, you're out. We make a DNA match and it's over, okay?"

Catherine nodded. "Okay," she whispered. She disappeared into the autopsy room.

Sara walked down the hall and stopped next to Grissom. "How are you holding up?"

"Pretty well," he replied. "You?"

She shrugged. "I didn't know her. You don't need to worry about me."

Grissom looked at her closely. "You can't tell me this hasn't affected you."

"It has," Sara admitted quietly. "But, nothing like it's done the rest of you."

"No, I suppose not." He paused. "This helps, though. Knowing that we've got him. Knowing that Holly managed to help us convict him. Knowing that her family will have peace because of what we – the team and Holly – managed to do together."

Sara smiled. "You've got a great team, Grissom."

"Thanks," he smiled. "I like them, too. I'll keep them."

"Gil, you've got to let Warrick Brown go."

Grissom rubbed his hand over his eyes.

"I know he's been on your team for a long time," the sheriff said. "I know that he's a good CSI. But, I read Sidle's report. He left the scene. He violated procedures. Because of that, another CSI is dead."

"I know," Grissom said quietly. He, too, had read Sara's report. He probably understood even more of it than the sheriff did. Where Sara had written "went to get coffee," Grissom read "went to lay a bet." He knew Warrick and his demons. He knew what had probably happened.

"We're in agreement, then?" the sheriff asked. "You'll let him go?"

"I'll deal with it," Grissom said sadly. "I have to interrogate a suspect in another case, then I'll find him."

"Good," the sheriff said, confident it would be handled.

Grissom left his office, feeling completely miserable.

Talking to Warrick was one of the hardest things he had ever done. Warrick admitted that he was wrong, admitted where he had been and handed his gun and badge to Grissom.

"You know what?" Grissom said, standing up, facing Warrick. "If I let you go, I have to let me go, too. And Catherine and Brass … we're all culpable in this. I don't care what the book says. I lost one good person today. I don't want to lose another. Here," he said, handing Warrick back his badge and gun.

Warrick looked at him in shock, standing up as he accepted the items. "I won't let you down again."

After leaving Warrick, Grissom continued toward his office. He glanced into the break room, where Sara was sitting chatting with Nick.

"Sara, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," she said, getting up from her seat.

"Come on, let's go into my office," Grissom said.

Sara nodded and followed him down the hall. "Nick was just telling me that you closed your case. It was the girlfriend after all."

Grissom smiled. "Never underestimate the rage of a woman scorned."

Sara rolled her eyes. "You're awfully critical of the 'woman scorned.'"

"More like wary," he smiled, ushering her into his office. "Listen, Sara, I feel awful about how I'm going to do this, but here it is. Holly is gone, and I need … I want you to stay here and work for the lab. Permanently."

"Permanently?" she asked with wide eyes. "You want me to replace Holly?"

"Yes," he said. "Will you? Will you join my team?"

She gave him a beaming smile. "I'd love to."

"Great," he replied, returning her grin. "Welcome to the graveyard shift of the Las Vegas Crime Lab."