Flight

By Dany

Summary: What if the man without feelings proves he does have them?

Author's Note: This is actually the first CSI story I wrote, but it was longer and needed more work than the others. It's finished, but I'm still working out the kinks in the other chapters. On this note: Thanks and a big hug to Amy!

Part 1/13

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.

xxxxx

Chapter 1 (There will be no cake...)

"You have no idea. What do you know about feelings?"

The lab techs were pooling in the hallway when they heard the ruckus involving their boss. But this time it was not Warrick Brown who accused his supervisor of being unfeeling. It was Nick Stokes.

"Why do you always have to be so cold?"

And again Grissom said nothing.

Nick's emotions were running high, being immersed in the case of an abused child. Grissom had wanted to confine him to the lab in order to keep him from getting too involved, but nobody listened to him anymore.

"I'm going back to the hospital!" Nick said firmly and stormed out. On his way out, he collided with Sara. He mumbled something resembling a 'sorry' and then hurried on towards the locker room.

When she looked into the room Nick had fled from she saw Grissom hunched over a microscope. She felt her temper rising. Nick was upset, and he just went on with his work.

"What did you do?" she hissed at him. Her need to defend a friend was overwriting her rationality and so she didn't stop to think that there were always two sides to a story. He raised his head from his work looking... resigned. However, in her current mood his expression didn't make it to her mind.

"I tried to keep him from compromising the case," Grissom didn't even raise his voice, which made Sara even angrier.

"Nick would not compromise a case just because he feels for the victim. That's what this is about, right? Why can't you let us have feelings? Just because you don't have any doesn't mean we have to get rid of them."

And then something happened that had never happened before. Grissom got up, took off his lab coat and left. He had never left an immediate task, not until that moment.

Sara was too stunned to move. She had expected him to put her into her place or to say nothing and wait until she left, but never that. When she finally got her legs to move, he was gone. He had handed over the case to Catherine and taken the remainder of the night off.

Standing in front of his dark office, she realized she had probably been too hard on him and had not given him the chance to say something. But he hard stormed out, again choosing not to talk about it. Still, a stale aftertaste remained. Sara decided to talk to him tomorrow if he didn't just ignore it.

xxxxx

When Sara pulled into the parking lot the next night, she didn't see Grissom's car, which she found odd but pushed it back into her mind, still a bit mad at him for his aloofness... until she entered the break room.

In the middle of the table stood a beautiful white orchid. Anger swept over her. He had done it again, thinking he could tide things over with some stupid plant. She didn't even want to look at the card. Ignoring the beautiful plant, she sat down on the couch and waited for the others to arrive. There was no open case for her to process.

Catherine was the first to arrive at the break room, looking extremely pale. Her fists were balled, a piece of paper clutched tightly in one hand. "Sara, have you seen Grissom?"

"No, he hasn't been in yet." Catherine really looked like she was about to pass out.

"Oh god!" was the last thing she got out before sinking down onto the couch and letting the tears rush over her face.

Sara was completely stunned. She didn't know what to do with a crying Catherine, especially since she didn't know the reason. "Uhm, Catherine?" She was very uncomfortable, but she reached out and put a hand on the older woman's back.

At that moment Nick and Warrick entered the room. Sara looked up, begging for help. Warrick immediately made his way over to Catherine. He crouched down in front of her and took her hands in his. "Cath, what's going on?" In her left hand he saw the crumpled note.

"Cath?" Nick positioned himself between Sara and Warrick.

In between sobs Catherine could get three words out, "He's gone."

Nick and Warrick glanced at each other in bewilderment. Sara, on the other hand, suddenly went as pale as Catherine. Dread spread through her body. She jumped up and ran over to the orchid, ripping out the little card. Instead of the expected 'From Grissom' there was a short note.

"I'm sorry Sara,

but I do have feelings... especially for you.

I'm sorry.

Grissom"

Cold spread, starting in her heart. She started shaking.

Nick turned to her and found her in a similar state as Catherine. "Sara!" he called, trying to get her attention.

At the same time, Warrick was trying to get more out of Catherine. The sobs had slowed to crying and an occasional hiccup. "Cath, please tell me what happened," Warrick insisted.

"He... he left," she stuttered again. To Nick and Warrick it still made no sense, but the reaction of the two women scared them.

"Who?" Warrick sat down beside Catherine and wrapped his arms around her.

It was Sara, though, who answered, "Grissom." Her tone was flat and emotionless.

Warrick glanced back and forth between the two female CSIs. Nick felt like someone had stabbed him as he remembered the day before. Everyone was shocked.

Catherine opened her hand and held it out for Warrick to see. He took the piece of paper from her. Before reading it, he looked at Catherine again for confirmation. When she nodded slightly he straightened the paper. Reading it he gasped. He didn't want to believe it. Out loud he started to read for the other CSIs.

"Catherine, if you want to, the supervisor job is yours. I cleared everything with Carvallo. I wish you more luck than I had at being boss. You deserve this promotion. Don't mess it up. In your inbox (and in the boxes of the others) is the best recommendation I could give you. Tell Lindsey I will miss her. Grissom."

Warrick sped through the note out of fear he would get stuck and would not be able to continue. Like the others he couldn't believe that Grissom was really gone. Despite his words to him a while back, he had never really believed he would just be gone from one day to the other. He thought they would see him packing at least. But he had done it.

On Sara, guilt weighted heavily. 'What have I done?' she asked herself. She didn't want to, couldn't accept, that Grissom was really gone.

TBC