Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters in CSI or the rights to the show itself. However, I would like to thank CBS for letting me take the characters out to play.

I would also like to thank my beta: mbbowman/swismiself. She has put her time and effort into editing this and I greatly appreciate it.

I guess I should let you in on the fact that this is pre-season 6, and although it is GSR it is not pre-existing.

Chapter 1 : Resignation

It was, quite frankly, freezing inside the building. Sara Sidle was certain that if she looked hard enough she would see condensation rise as her warm breath hit the icy air of the Crime Lab's main hallway. Someone, irregardless of the cost, had cranked the air conditioner up causing the temperature to drop to somewhere close to sub-zero. It was clearly an attempt to stave off the blistering heat of a Vegas summer day, but it was way too cold for anyone not sporting a thick coat of white fur. "Not cool…," the lanky brunette mumbled to herself, her hands immediately coming up to rub away the goose bumps that had popped up all over her exposed skin the minute she'd stepped into the lab from the early morning Las Vegas sun.

10 am Vegas… it just wasn't right that the thermostat in her car had already hit 135 degrees. She'd worn a tight fitting raspberry colored tank, and some navy lightweight form fitting jeans, in anticipation of another record breaking day. What she hadn't expected was the Arctic- like temperatures of the lab. Another shiver shifted through her, as she made her way along the artificially lit hallways. It was fairly empty considering day shift was already on and they had almost quadruple the staff that graveyard did. There were a few lab techs hovering over their various pieces of equipment, a soft tune drifted out of a stereo in Archie's AV room, but for the most part things were pretty quiet. A quick stop into the locker room yielded the papers she'd come in for. From this point on it was one stop and then home to her warm comfortable bed.

Making her way along the deserted corridor; one office in particular was her destination. A dim glow cast out alternating shadows and light through the evenly spaced slats of the thin blinds, making a strangely stripy pattern on the black laminate floor. He might still be here, she surmised hopefully, taking a few steps closer to the open doorway, the thin sheaf of papers clutched in one delicate hand. If he'd gone home it would have been dark, so that lent hope to the possibility that he hadn't left despite the fact that shift had ended two hours earlier. She'd wanted to talk to him all night, but their schedules hadn't met up and the early dawn capture of their suspect meant that she'd been stuck at PD longer than she'd expected.

There was a flurry of butterflies dancing in the pit of her stomach, making her feel more than a little silly. It's not like he would say no, she rationalized. She had more than enough vacation time saved up, so the days off wouldn't be an issue, mostly it would be the timing of her absence that might ruin her plans. Though she hadn't heard it from him specifically, the office grapevine had rumored that Gil Grissom had booked the weekend off. There had been no solid explanation as to why and Sara hadn't bothered to ask the man in question. However, if you listened to gossip mill, the reasons had run the gauntlet from a cockroach racing world championship, to a passion filled weekend with a mystery woman.

None of it fazed her, anymore. In fact, the dark haired CSI hadn't even checked the schedule to confirm his impending absence, which was something she was really quite proud of. Had it been a few months earlier, things might have been different, but Sara Sidle had decided recently that her heart had been given enough free reign, and it truly was time to get a life. She had, for all intents and purposes, moved on, and the past eight weeks had been great. She'd accepted a few of the many dinner and drink offers she received on a daily basis. She'd taken in some of the newest movies, seen two or three live shows, and traveled to a number of the outlying vineyards. She'd also indulged in several lovers. It was cathartic, and fun, and made her feel like the confident woman who had come to Vegas, from San Francisco, instead of the pale silhouette that she had become over the years.

This was part of the reason she was so nervous now. During her therapy she and her PEAP counselor had discussed her very damaging penchant for seeking validation in all of the wrong places. One of those places - in fact the most elemental - was the man who owned the office she was headed for, so going to him with the small success she held in her hand, felt way too much like seeking approval.

Drawing in a deep breath, she stepped through the door and knocked lightly before realizing that there was not one person, but two in the specimen crammed room. "Sorry to interrupt." Sara fluttered an apology and made to leave, as two pairs of blue eyes refocused their attention on her. "I'll see you tonight." She managed to turn before Grissom's gentle voice stopped her.

"It's okay Sara. Come in, you weren't really interrupting." He waved her in and motioned to the blonde woman seated in front of him. "Sofia just came in to say her good-byes."

A look of complete shock crept across her face, around about the time that she noticed the truly vile odor that permeated the room. "You're leaving?" She choked slightly, her hand going immediately to her nose and mouth. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, what the heck is that smell? Did one of your experiments putrefy or something?" Sara stared at the man on the other side of the desk and fortified her heart. She would not tell herself how attractive he looked in his deep green shirt, nor would she pay attention the fact that he'd lost a few pounds, which accented the masculine lines of his bearded face. She turned away her nose wrinkling, while her brain redirected her fickle heart.

Gil Grissom chuckled, clearly undaunted by the stench and thankfully oblivious to the emotional turmoil his young protégé was suffering.

Sofia raised her hand much like a child in a classroom would. "That would be me, unfortunately, and yes I've showered and changed – twice," She indicated the deep blue lab issue jumpsuit she was wearing.

"Oh… wow… nothing personal but you smell… disgusting." Sara spit the words out, trying desperately not to heave.

"Yeah, six day-old decomp soup, in a dumpster. It was Conrad's going away gift to me." She stated pointedly, her hand absently dragging through her still damp ponytail.

"He's an ass." Sara affirmed, at the same time trying to swallow back part of the egg salad sandwich she'd had for lunch. It was now sitting tenuously in her throat.

Recognizing the symptoms of impending vomiting, Grissom opened his desk drawer. "Here…" He removed a small blue jar of Vicks, held it out to her and grinned as he motioned for her to rub it under her nose.

"Right…," she muttered, dropping her papers on the edge of the desk, and following his instruction. "Sorry…" She popped the lid on, passed it back to him, and then turned to the former dayshift CSI. "So you're leaving?"

The blonde woman nodded. "Yeah, I'm going back to doing what I was trained to do."

Sara nodded silently, and unexpectedly felt regret. "And that would be?"

"A cop, they were looking for a detective in Boulder City. So I'm packing up and heading to the mountains," she replied, her words slightly mournful.

"You know, you shouldn't let Ecklie win at this game." The slim brunette pursed her lips and dropped into a second chair beside the other CSI. Thankfully, the Vicks had alleviated most of the tang of dead flesh.

"I'm not really. It's just with a new supervisor in place on days, and your team being reunited within the next few shifts, I find myself at loose ends. I really don't fit in here any more."

Sara shook her head angrily. "He shouldn't be allowed to do shit like this." Her eyes traveled from Grissom to the woman beside her. "You're very good at what you do, Sofia. It's unfair that you feel you have to leave because of his power play tactics."

Sofia Curtis' jaw went slack. She was more than shocked at the compliment from the younger woman. Though she had never been outwardly hostile like Catherine, she hadn't been overly friendly either.

Grissom's expression mimicked the older woman's, as he studied the look on the pretty brunette's face. He was aware that for the most part there had been some tension between the two women; clearly whatever it had been about, Sara had moved past it. Her countenance was obviously sincere.

"It's okay. Really, I'm kinda looking forward to the change." The blonde woman's voice betrayed her uncertainty.

Sara studied the other CSI for moment, and then rose to leave. "Well it was nice working with you, and good luck." She squeezed her shoulder on her way past. "Come back to visit if the bad guys in Boulder City give you a break." She grinned.

"I will." The blonde woman returned her smile.

"Hey wait." Grissom gazed at her retreating form, as she stopped and turned around. "You wanted to see me for something."

"Oh yeah right…" Sara let out a soft sigh, and pointed to the stack of papers she'd placed on the edge of his desk. "I wrapped the assault case. It's all there in the case file."

"That was fast…" The admiration was clear in his voice. "Is that all?" He asked, expecting that it wasn't. He knew Sara well enough to suspect that the report wasn't the full reason. Had it been, she simply would have dropped into his mail slot as she'd been doing for the past few months. It was a new habit and one that had him feeling emotionally off kilter. He missed her, and as much as he hated to admit it to himself, the moments they would spend nightly discussing her progress, had become something of a touchstone that he'd come to rely on during the previous six years they'd worked together. Not for the first time he wondered if maybe she hadn't found someone else. And the thought hurt him more than he believed possible.

"Uh… well no." She made her way over to the pile and pulled out a separate sheet that lay underneath the file. "I just needed this weekend off, but with Sofia leaving, and you… Well I thought I heard someone say you were going to be off, too. The night shift will be short handed, so it's okay."

"Can I ask why? Or is it personal?" A slight suspicion tinged with dread edged its way into Grissom's thoughts. Maybe she wanted the time off to spend with the new man in her life.

"It's not personal." She shrugged and went on to explain. "About four months ago I submitted an article to the American Academy of Forensic Science, for their journal." Sara flushed slightly. "And they decided to publish it." Absently brushing an errant hair back off of her face she continued. "It's really short notice, but they asked me to speak at their annual conference this weekend in Miami. I… uh… I could have just flown in just for the day, but they want me to do a seminar first thing Saturday morning, and have asked me to do a hands-on presentation midday Sunday. So, unfortunately, it is a full weekend commitment. I would have to fly out Friday afternoon." The excitement in her lush voice was tempered with regret.

A surprised Gil Grissom stared at her a moment before a broad smile spread across his mouth. "Congratulations, that's quite an honor, Miss Sidle."

"Yeah… well I suppose for a newbie. I keep thinking that maybe they had some left over space at the back between the equipment ads and crime stats." She flushed, genuinely pleased at his reaction, and equally miffed at herself for letting it matter so much.

"No…" He shook his head, his blue eyes gleaming. "They don't publish just anything, and you know that. It had to been both intelligent and compelling for them to first publish it, and very relevant for them to have asked you to present at their annual conference. Don't underestimate your skills, Sara."

"Yeah… that's great." Sofia added; a modicum of envy present in her voice.

"Thanks… It was actually a paper that I wrote for an online course I'm taking at UNLV, I decided to get that last credit so I'd have my masters. My professor suggested that I submit it." She couldn't help but grin. "But the request for attendance at the conference is really last minute, and with things the way they are here. It's okay if I don't go."

"It is short notice. Normally they contact you at least a few months before hand. When did you get that?" He pointed to the papers she still held in hand.

Sara looked momentarily perplexed. "Last night. Apparently, Ecklie left it with Judy. She gave it to me when I came in. He had a sticky note attached to it saying that I had his permission, pending your approval."

The pale blue of his eyes darkened. "Can I see those?" He clutched them as she dropped them into his waiting hand. Looking at her over the rim of his glasses, he grinned tightly. "I smell a rat."

Both women in the room exchanged curious glances as Grissom set aside the case file and flipped through the letter in question. A second later he held it up and pointed to the date stamp notarized on the back page of the letter. "This is from the mailroom;, unless it's marked private, they open it and divert it to the person in question. He received it seven weeks ago."

"Son of a bitch…" Sara muttered, grabbing the letter from her boss' hand. "Why wouldn't he have just given it to me then?"

"Who knows why Ecklie does anything?" Sofia put in.

"I do. As much as it's a real feather in the lab's cap to have one of its CSIs published in a magazine of this standing, he probably would have preferred it not be you." He looked at his former student grimly.

Anger raged through Sara's blood. "That's so not fair…" She spat. "I won't let him get away with this. What? Was he thinking that if I got it this late, I wouldn't be able to go?"

"I'm afraid that's probably exactly what he was thinking." Sofia commented, taking that letter from the younger woman's hand and reading it over.

"He knew the score with night shift, and that Sofia was leaving for the past two weeks. He figured we'd be too short handed to be able to spare you, especially, with me gone, too." He stared at the willowy brunette and smiled. She was pacing, her anxiety clearly evident in the stiffness of her back and the glare on her face. He didn't want to be Conrad Ecklie if she did manage to catch up with him sometime before the weekend. "It would call into question his judgment since he had recommended your firing last year, and here you end up getting some pretty big kudos from a highly reputable forensics magazine. It's a real nod from your peers, Sara. And if you do well at the conference a note from the Academy will be sent, so it can be placed in your file."

"This really sucks. You know, I can hack most the stuff that he does around here, because we all kinda get nailed with it. But this is a personal vendetta, and it's not right. Just wait until I get my hands on him." Her hand went to her mouth, as the strength of the Vick began to wane. "Can I have some more of that stuff, she pointed to the jar still sitting on his desk, and grabbed it when he nodded.

Grissom shook his head, as he watched her dab the glistening goo under her nose. He didn't want her going after the assistant director, since it had the potential to be an even nastier confrontation than the last one. "Never mind, I'll handle Conrad. You go home and pack."

"What?" She stared at him wide-eyed.

"Catherine's covering for me this weekend – I promised her the next two off. So I'll just get Nick and Warrick to cover for you and Sofia." He opened one of the lower drawers in his desk and shuffled aside a few papers before finding the one he wanted. Taking it out, he signed the bottom of it and held it out to Sara. "Fill it in and leave it with Judy." He smiled at her and winked. "I look forward to hearing your lecture and taking part in your presentation, Miss Sidle."

Shock registered on her face and her mouth dropped open. "You're going to be there." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Why else would I be taking the weekend off?" He asked surprised that she didn't already know.

"Um… Well… If you listened to the office gossip pool, and were willing to place a bet, the choices were; a cockroach racing championship, a sin filled weekend away with a hot new girlfriend …what were the other two?" She rubbed the side of her head, thoughtfully.

"A coaster marathon at some amusement park, or a weekend away at Lake Tahoe restocking your bug collection…" Sofia filled in the rest, a laugh easily rolling off her tongue as she took in the disgruntled look on her supervisor's countenance.

Grissom rolled his eyes and reached into his desk. "What did you place your money on?" He asked Sara, a glimmer of triumph racing across his face as he pulled out a long thick envelope.

"None… of them… It's not my business to speculate." She told him plainly. "I figured if you wanted people to know you would have told them." She grinned and took the packet he held out to her. "What's this?"

"I suspect Ecklie didn't pass this onto you, either. It's the information package and itinerary for the convention. They list only the time slots for the seminars not what the actual topic is, since not everyone is confirmed right away. When you get there they will give you an updated list, but everything else is accurate; Dinners, meet and greets, local tours etc… They should also have booked you a flight and have a room set aside in your name. The academy doesn't do anything half way, everything is comp'd. You may want to contact the number on the front to confirm your presence and find out for sure if you're still booked, though. Since Ecklie left it so long they may have assumed you won't be attending."

"I'll kill him and feed him to Roy's white tigers…"

Grissom smiled at her. "You'll go home and pack and let me deal with it."

"Oh man… what smells in here?"

All three pairs of eyes turned to the imposing figure standing in the door looking, for all the world, like he was about to empty the contents of his stomach onto the hallway floor. It was an unusual look for the confident and somewhat cocky 36 year-old. Easily six four, and noticeably well defined through the tight fitting black t-shirt that spread across his wide chest, the visual of him appearing nauseated made him seem weaker that his physique would indicate.

"Officer Weldon…" Grissom nodded at the dark haired jean clad man, and motioned him into the office.

"Hey Joe…" Both Sara and Sofia welcomed him at the same time and ended up smirking at each other.

He nodded in their direction and coughed slightly. A thick hand still clapped over his nose and mouth he held out a file to Grissom. "I just got off and was coming by here, anyway, so Captain Brass asked me to drop this off to you."

"Thanks…" Grissom eyed the file and placed it on top of the one Sara had given him earlier.

"Witness statements for the Haggy case…" He looked appreciatively at the slim brunette in front of him and then threw his chin in the general direction of the entomologist's desk. "The Captain had them done up early so he wanted to get them to you. He said he emailed you a copy for your own records."

"Great… One down and only 263 more cases to solve..." Sara grinned at him. "So other than playing courier, what brings you to our marvelous lab, Officer?"

"You, actually… Donalson, Jobe and I are doing breakfast at the diner and we wanted to know if you wanted to join us..." He turned away and stepped out into the hallway for a moment and took a deep breath before returning. "Man that reeks…" His green eyes scanned the packed room for whatever it was that could be giving off such a heinous odor, and realized that almost anything in there could be the potential culprit.

"How did you even know I was still at the lab?"

"Jobe saw you leave PD and figured you would head back here, he suggested we stop by and ask." He winked at her, an action that drew a darks scowl from the man behind the desk.

"Should I feel stalked?" Sara asked lightly, humor etched in her voice.

"You could, but there is always an ulterior motive where Jobe is concerned and in this case it's his stomach."

"Isn't it always..." Sara laughed at this and noted the snicker that escaped Sofia as well. Jobe was as wide as he was tall, about forty years-old and bald as a baby's butt. Inevitably, the bottom line where he was concerned was usually food related; specifically how much, when, and how often was he going to get to eat. Once at a crime scene he'd left three times for provisions in a 6 hour period.

"He says we always get bigger portions when you are there. He thinks the cook has a crush on you." He gagged slightly behind his hand.

Sara rolled her eyes and coughed. "Right… that's so not true."

"So wadda ya say?" He waggled his eyebrows at her, drawing another grimace from Grissom. "You would earn the undying gratitude of some of LVPD's finest."

A soft sigh escaped the young CSI. "I would, but I'm wiped. I was called in to help gather evidence for swing, and then I drew that assault case on my own shift. My bed is calling me as we speak." As if to punctuate her comment, a large yawn escaped her full mouth. "Next week sometime, promise." She studied him for a moment. "Shouldn't you be heading home to the wife and new baby, anyway? Have breakfast with them."

"Are you kidding me? If I don't eat when I'm out, I don't eat at all." He left the room for another breath and then came back. "The baby has June up every two hours. She sleeps whenever she can, so I'm the invisible man at home right now."

Sara grinned wholeheartedly. "If you made me squeeze a ten pound baby out from a hole that's supposed to be the size of a silver dollar, I might want you to disappear, too."

"Amen…" Sofia piped up her eyes never leaving Grissom's face. It was an interesting study in contrasts. The man she thought that she'd gotten to know over the six months they'd worked together wasn't as aloof and detached as he let on. And as suddenly as the thought had dawned on her, she realized equally as quickly that there was definitely something she'd missed.

Officer Weldon guffawed heartily.

Even Grissom smiled.

"You could ask Greg. I think he's still in DNA trying to help Mia clear up the back log." Sara suggested.

"Yeah I will, but he doesn't have your legs…" He smiled exposing a mouthful of perfectly placed white teeth, and then clamped his hand over his face again. "God that's awful. What is that stench? You hiding a dead body in here, Dr. Grissom?"

"No a live one I'm afraid, Joe." It was Sofia who replied. "I got stuck dumpster diving with a decomp," she admitted.

He shook his head. "Hell, how can you stand yourself, Curtis?"

"After 12 years, you learn to breathe through your ears," the blonde CSI told him drolly.

"Well shit." He stepped out to take in some fresh air and thought better of coming back into the room. "If you can scrape the smell off you, you're more than welcome to join us, too." He called out and turned towards DNA. "Catch you later…" He waved and disappeared.

Sara screwed up her face and dropped her gaze to the other CSI. "Did you do the lemon juice thing?"

"I was out and days used the emergency stash yesterday on those girls out at the landfill." She mumbled sorrowfully.

"I have a jug in my locker. I'm gonna roll, my eyes are closing as we speak. I'll leave the juice at the front desk." She waved and turned to go. "Good luck…"

"Thanks Sara…" The blonde woman nodded, a little sad to see her time at the lab coming to an end.

The young CSI was on the other side of the door when she turned and beamed broadly at her boss. "Hey, thanks Gris," she said softly and waved the permission form he'd signed off on, and the information package, in his direction.

He smiled tenderly at her and watched her leave a lump catching solidly in his throat.

"You really should do something about that." Sofia dropped her head to the side and considered the man sitting across from her for a moment.

"What?" Grissom asked testily, his hand errantly running through his closely cropped beard.

"That wicked crush you seem to have on a certain brunette." Her eyebrows shot up, as she waited for his reaction. It was exactly what she had expected a bright red flush shot from the neckline of his deep green polo shirt right to the top of his forehead.

To hide his embarrassment, he removed his glasses and pretended to clean them with a nearby rag. "Am I that transparent?" he asked, the question heavy with resignation.

"No. I mean, not until today." She smirked at him.

"It's not a crush." He looked penitently at her over the rim of his glasses as he returned them to his face.

"I know. I was just being kind." She licked her lips, and nodded in his general direction. "So what are you going to do about it, Dr. Grissom?"

"The same thing I have been doing all along." He stared at her a moment.

She shook her head. "And that would be?"

"Nothing..." Grissom cast his gaze over her head and allowed it to settle on his the jar holding his two headed scorpion.

"That seems to have worked well for you…" The sarcasm literally dripped from her words.

A thick sigh dropped from his mouth. "I can't. She's my subordinate. It would be wholly inappropriate. You know it, as well as I do"

"I know no such thing." She grinned slyly, and then winked at him. "Do you remember Tim Weller?"

Grissom nodded firmly. He was the day shift supervisor for ten years prior to retiring and moving to San Francisco two years earlier. "You know I do."

"Well, so did I…" She leveled a lascivious look at the perplexed entomologist. "Intimately, for about 8 years..."

The graying scientist's mouth dropped open wide enough that you could have fit his Miss Piggy specimen in it – jar and all. "I had no idea…" He looked embarrassed and amused by the revelation.

She pursed her lips, and grinned. "Well, we kept it pretty quiet, although, it was no real secret around the lab. Especially to the people who worked with us…"

"Did Conrad know…?" Grissom enquired, his curiosity hijacking his usual common courtesy. He would never normally get involved in asking information about a person's private life, but she was volunteering it, and her guidance might go a long way towards preserving, and perhaps building, what Sara and he shared, as indefinable as it appeared be.

"Oh yeah…" She choked slightly and then flushed a deep crimson. "He once caught us mid screw in the supply cupboard… Never have I been quite so embarrassed."

A thick hand came up to cover a smirk, and to soften the follow up laugh that burst out of the graveyard supervisor. "Talk about coitus interruptus." His indigo eyes gleamed.

"Mmmmm…" Sofia nodded gravely. "Never tried it at work again… Bad scene…" She inattentively toyed with her damp ponytail, trying to force her poker straight hair into something of ringlet. "But my point is; there are no standing rules about personal relationships as long as you are discrete and stay out of the supply closet." She stared at him keenly. "Do you know if she feels the same way?"

Grissom's heart clenched and a blazing heat started in the pit of his stomach, at the taunting vision of him and Sara sprawled passionately across his desk. He quickly beat down the image, and sobered. "I know she did; now I don't have a clue. She may have gotten tired of waiting for me to make up my mind."

Sofia shook her head. "Well you'll never know if you don't ask. So what are you waiting for?"

His thoughts drifted to the up beat attitude she'd been sporting lately. She'd been quick to smile, and a lot more relaxed over the last few months. "I…" His eyes dropped to the folder in front of him - the one Officer Weldon had dropped off. "I think she might already be seeing someone." He admitted desolately.

"Ahhh…" The blonde CSI thought back to the gossip she'd been privy to, and then gave her head a negative shake. "No… I know she's gone out a few times with different people. But from what I've heard, there's no one special."

Grissom's brows rose up his deeply tanned forehead. "Where do you get this information from?"

"Lab gossip… 80 accuracy rate." She grinned devilishly. "It's not like she's trying to hide it and this kind of info passes between the lab and the PD all the time." Rising she reached out a hand. "I've gotta run. I have loads of packing to do…"

A large hand folded around Sofia's slender fingers. "Thank you, for everything…" Grissom nodded genuinely.

"Good luck." She thought back to some of the more tense moments she'd shared with the slim brunette, now they made more sense in light of the present revelations. Sara had probably been jealous of another woman occupying Grissom's time. "If it's any help the rumors are only recent, and I think she probably feels the way you do, so don't turn your back on it, Gil, you deserve to have a life outside of this lab."

"Thanks…" He said shyly, and watched as she left the office, before a memory that had been nagging at him finally made its way through the fog in his head. "Hey Sofia…" he called to her before she cleared the doorway. "Didn't Weller leave because of some kind of sexual scandal?"

"Yeah… but it had nothing to do with me or the lab…" She huffed slightly, and then threw up her hands in resignation. "Turns out, the he was into men as well as women, and he was caught with his pants down doing a fourteen year old male prostitute."

Grissom's lips formed a silent 'O'.

"Yeah..." She waved a silent goodbye and headed for the front desk and the jug of lemon juice that was supposed to be waiting for her.