Come on, Maggie, old girl. Nick is just an old flame of yours, right? He and you got into some arguments and that was that, it ended a perfectly good relationship. You moved away to forget him. You have a new life now. You have a man who will take care of you and Michael, no matter what. What's wrong now? Why can't you just talk with Nick and be over with it? Eric won't mind. I mean, he'll just scowl and leave me alone…unless he doesn't know. And what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right? He'll just know we're working. That's it. It'll be ok.

When Maggie exited Grissom's office, she saw Nick, hands behind his back, pacing around the hallway in front of the door. He, too, looked nervous, like he had been waiting for this moment for a long time coming. He wanted to know if something was possible.

Maggie cleared her throat, feeling that connection back to Nick immediately, remembering her first day years back. "I have my old job back, if you and I can work together and play nice."

Nick stopped pacing, turning to face her. The nervousness on his face disappeared within moments and he actually smiled. His own thoughts, though, were as scattered as Maggie's were. It's like the day we met almost, except we haven't made up and Maggie left me three years ago. Will this work? Grissom has had her in his heart and always wanted her back because of how good she was. Maggie was a good C.S.I. No, she was a great C.S.I. And yet…there she is. The eyes are the same, all dark brown with the green spots in them. Her black hair is turning grey. And she's as slim as ever. What happened to her? God, where did those bruises on her neck come from? She's hiding it well. She isn't saying anything, though.

"I heard," Nick replied finally, walking towards Maggie with a hopeful look on his face. He wanted to embrace her, to hold her, but hesitated because he knew that she wasn't ready…yet. She didn't seem ready.

Has he forgiven me finally? Can I forgive him? Maggie crossed her arms, knowing what he wanted, but pushing back mentally. "Nick, look, we're not in a relationship anymore, so don't try anything. You know this as well as I do. We're professional people, so we're going to work as such. I'll be a friend to you and be nice, for everybody's sake. I'll be civil. We'll work together." She paused. "I'm doing this for Grissom's sake, because he needs people. And Ursula finally has a job with Ecklie and we've been working out a schedule for everything, like taking care of Michael and such. So, Nick…"

"Yes?" Nick was finally in front of her, smiling. "Yeah, I agree. Let's be nice and civil and all that. I'm just so sorry that things didn't turn out the way they did." He then frowned, thinking: And sometimes I wish it did. Things would have been better for her…for us…if they did.

"Me, too," Maggie whispered. She cleared her throat. "If you want to visit, I live out on East Tropicana with my boyfriend, son and Ursula. Eric isn't too bad. He'll be fine with you visiting, just as long as you don't do anything stupid or anything like that. You know what I mean."

She chattered on about her home life and family as far as she knew (her brother and sister-in-law with children not talking to her still and the other starting to warm up again), Nick noticing that it was inane, interrupting her midsentence. What's wrong with her? She isn't like this. "Whoa, Maggie, what's up?" He put his hands up, Maggie noticing that he wasn't attached to anybody, as far as she knew. "Ok, so you just moved here. You're excited, for sure. But you're also talking in circles. Tell me, what's up?"

"Oh, nothing, just happy to be back, I guess." Maggie crossed her arms again. "Come on, Nick. I'm trying to be nice. See?"

"Yeah, I see a lot." Nick crossed his arms himself. "What's your boyfriend doing to you and Michael that's going to get Child Services coming?"

"Nothing, Nick, I swear! Eric's been good to me and Michael. He hasn't touched my son. I wouldn't let him, even if he tried." Dammit, Nick has caught on quickly. He doesn't understand about Eric or anything. How can I make him comprehend the situation, though? It's dangerous to court Child Services, of course, but I'd rather have my child protected by someone who has been there than someone I broke up with and can't be there for me most of the time, even though he has custody of Michael if I die or am a vegetable. Well, he also has the power to pull that plug and kill me, too. I gave him that power a long time ago…and I think I'm still right.

The older Texan came up closer to Maggie – older, perhaps, and a little grey himself, but always the same Nick – touching her neck lightly with his fingertips, gently reminding himself how fragile life was, even enclosed in a coffin underground with a gun ready for him to use. He even noticed how she closed her eyes slowly, sighing at him with relief, as if the two were alone and together again and not in a crowded hallway, crawling with attention and eager to gossip. She put her arms around him finally and he returned the favor, both smiling. She's ready, after all.

"So, we're friends again?" Maggie whispered, sighing again, sticking her face in the familiar corners of his neck.

"Sure," Nick replied, pushing her away (the action was mutual, as if Maggie knew when to stop). "I guess I'll see you tonight, right? You're in for a shift tonight, right? Grissom likes the new people to start as soon as possible, as you've noticed last time."

"Except, I'm not exactly new to the game of forensics and criminal science." Maggie paused. "I guess Las Vegas has been my promotion both times. I've been pushed down every time I've tried to get a job in a C.S.I. lab. I tried Miami again, but I was denied. Even New York City pushed me back to my humble beginnings. I stayed in Hartford until…until I got the call from Grissom. And I moved back here. So…here I am. I guess I'm here to stay."

"You won't run off again?" Nick had to know.

Another sigh escaped from his ex's lips. "I can't promise anything. No, I won't promise you anything. All I can promise is to take care of my son and Ursula and to do what I need to do in order to survive. Even if it means moving again and staying out of Las Vegas once more, I have to do it. It's not hard, Nick, to stay out of Nevada."

The door to Grissom's office then suddenly opened up, interrupting them. Michael, holding Ursula's hand, came out, chattering to his caretaker about the insect collection, pigs and other abnormal things in the office. Then, he saw his mother and ran to her. Maggie caught the child and picked him up, swinging him in the space allowed to her when some people – as well as Nick – cleared the hallway so that they could have time together.

"Mommy, it was so cool! The bugs are all perfect and dead and –"

"I've seen them before, Sweets." Maggie almost made a face, remembering how she almost puked when she first saw the collection, sixteen at the time. Then, stopping to catch her breath, she added, "Why don't we go out for lunch and ice cream, just you, me, Ursula and Nick here? I'm sure Nick doesn't have anything to do but hang out here and put his hands in his pockets."

"Hey, I resent that!" Nick tipped his head back and laughed. "But, yeah, I don't have anything to do right now. Care if I squeeze into your car?"

"Sure," Ursula giggled, knowing what happened already and knowing what answer her best friend was going to give. Maggie, on the other hand, had assumed that her best friend was listening at the door as they talked, with Grissom shaking his head and showing her son the weird things in his office.

"We have plenty of room," Michael giggled. "Nick, can you show me another quarter?"

Nick came up to the duo slowly. "Sure, little guy. I won't want to cause more trouble for your Mom, though. I don't want to make a mess out of her car or give her another one of her famous headaches." His face then shone at Maggie asking her, Please, please, please? I still love your son like he's all mine and not that dirty asshole's blood. I'll do anything for him, just as you've appointed me to do if you gone. I'll keep that promise.

The mother in Maggie was sighing with frustration, but the party girl in her was saying to do it. "I don't care. Just as long as there is no mess in the car and I can concentrate on driving."

Maggie then kissed her son on the cheek on impulse, watching Ursula grab the keys from her pocket (as well as carrying the purse she left in Grissom's office) and walk to the car, Nick following her closely, talking and asking Ursula questions. As Michael wiped it away, wishing that his mother wouldn't embarrass him like that, he had to face the man who showed him the bugs. His mother had called him "Grissom", so he assumed that that was what he was called.

"I take it things went well?" he asked Maggie, worried.

"Much better than I expected," she replied stiffly almost as she turned to face her supervisor, trying not to reveal more, her true feelings bubbling underneath and wanting more of Nick.

"Good, good. It'll make things easier for you." Grissom stood in the open door of his office quietly for a moment, then asking, "I've heard that you're friends again? Ursula seems to think so. She said it could happen."

"She always thinks the best of things. And to answer your unvoiced question, yes, I am still staying here and keeping my promise on the job offer. You don't need to worry about me, Grissom. I can take care of myself."

"Sometimes I wonder, Maggie," he answered with some humor, Sara coming to him with a file, smiling and waving at her co-worker with surprise etched into her face.