City Of Shining Lights

Chapter 1 - Endings and Beginnings

Police department, Miami Dade

"You're leaving." Horatio stared at Eric ins shock. He wasn't sure what to say, and for a moment he felt completely frozen. His hand trembled as he put the sheet down, the letters blurred for a moment, but even as he read them again the content didn't change.

Eric was leaving the team.

"I can't stay here." Eric's voice was tight and Horatio suddenly noticed the lines around Eric's eyes. A shiver ran through him and he got up and walked around the desk. Eric's shoulders trembled as Horatio gently led him towards the couch.

"Let's talk about it. We can find a way, you don't have to leave." Horatio saw the bitter smile that crossed Eric's face and was shocked at the pain that suddenly stood in the brown eyes. It doesn't help to talk Horatio. Talking doesn't change that I lost Speed, doesn't change that I lost Marisol. I've been through too much in the last few months, H. I'm scared of what I might become if I stay here."

Horatio understood what Eric meant, he knew the fear himself, knew that the relentless hunt for his sister's killer had hardened Eric, but before he could think about Eric's last words anymore, something else made him swallow hard. "Talking doesn't change that I lost Speed.'

Just hearing the name made Horatio's heart stop for a moment. Looking at Eric, he suddenly understood, understood why Eric had never been able to accept Ryan in the team, understood why Eric had changed so much after Speed's death. He had always thought that Eric and Speed had just been friends, but looking back, Horatio could see that there had been more to it than that. A shiver ran through Horatio as he remembered Speed and what he had felt for him. No, he hadn't seen the deep connection between the two men, hadn't wanted to see it, and suddenly he wondered what might have happened if he had seen it.. Would it have changed anything?

The guilt he felt was familiar and with a sigh he pushed the memories aside and concentrated on Eric. He didn't want to lose him. Eric had become a good friend, someone who was important to him Some part of him wanted to hold Eric back, try anything to make him stay, but the more rational part of his mind made him simply ask. "Las Vegas?"

Eric smiled. "I thought it was far enough away to make a new start."

Horatio didn't answer, really there was nothing he could say; Eric was right, talking wasn't going to change anything. After Eric had left his office, he sank down in his chair, defeated. His eyes went to the picture on his desk. It showed the old team. Alexx, Calleigh, Eric, Horatio and Speed. They had lost Speed. Now he was losing Eric. Right now he wasn't sure which hurt him the most.

---

*McCarran Airport, Las Vegas*

Why Las Vegas? There is no sea, no lake, nothing there for you…

Horatio had been right, Eric thought as his eyes roamed over the barren and yet golden land that surrounded Las Vegas. There was no sea, no lake, no diving... He felt a pang in his heart at the thought of not living close to the beach, but he pushed it away before it could take hold. He knew that there was a lake nearby and if the craving got too much, he would go diving there. Horatio had not understood why he felt he had to leave Miami and he felt another pang as he remembered the older man as he had seen him last.

Horatio had insisted on bringing him to the airport, had walked right up to the gate with him and only there had he finally taken his sunglasses off.

I am always there, no matter what, call me Eric. If you need a friend, call me.

He had wanted to stay then, turn around and tell his boss that he was staying, but he had not even found the right words to say good bye and so they had stood slightly awkwardly next to each other until the boarding had started and Horatio had to leave.

"I'm sorry H."

His whispered words faded in the noise of the plane and he was glad for it. He had never expected that leaving Miami would be so hard, not after all he had gone through in the city. Not after losing Speed and Marisol to his own job...

And yet it had been hard. Very hard.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Las Vegas"

Eric sat up and watched the other passengers disembark.. Most of them were here to spend a weekend in Sin City and then go back to good old Florida. A few of them would not return for six or ten months, but for all of them, this flight was just the first leg of a return trip. Sooner or later they would be going home.

Eric would not be among them, he would stay and try to grow roots here. This was his home now. The thought made him shiver, he had never really believed that he would leave Miami and yet now he had. He had never thought that one day he would have to start completely on his own.

It was a scary feeling and yet he knew that leaving Miami had been his only option of surviving.

---

Las Vegas, six months later

Eric and Warrick walked silently along the dark street. The longer they walked the further away they got from the bright lights that illuminated the crime scene. They didn't speak, instead they focused on the path they were searching until Warrick suddenly cursed loudly. "I hate cases like this."

Cases like this meant a dead child, a girl not even thirteen, and Eric understood only too well what Warrick meant. He had never gotten used to seeing a child dead, had never gotten used to processing clothes that were meant to be worn by a kid running around outside and being carefree. Kaylee Bryans hadn't been so lucky. She was dead. Her body dumped like some broken toy, like rubbish on the side of the street. Eric felt bile rise in his throat at the thought of the dead girl and her family. All they could do now was try to give them closure.

"I've got something." Warrick's voice brought him out of his musings and his eyes followed the light of Warrick's flashlight to see something silver glint against the darkness of the grass. He stepped over carefully and lifted the item up. It was a silver necklace. Eric shivered, knowing it had belonged to the dead girl.. Warrick and he were silent as they bagged it. It wasn't an unfriendly silence and yet it brought home the fact how foreign everything still was to Eric. He didn't know the other members of the graveyard shift well enough to know how they reacted in such a situation.

Longing for his old team filled him. With the longing came the sadness and the pain of knowing that his old team didn't exist anymore. Eric swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat as Warrick kneeled down and carefully ran his light over some tire marks. Warrick's expression was somber, but there was also an incredible focus in him. Focus and intent that reminded Eric painfully of Speed.

"Boys, you got anything?" Catherine's voice brought him back to the forest and reality and he turned around to see her walk up to them. Warrick straightened, and pointed towards the marks. "Got some tire tracks, I think he reversed here after he dumped her."

The cold and detached assessment made Eric shiver, but he caught himself in time to meet Catherine's eyes. She looked at him critically before her eyes went to his evidence bag. He saw her frown and explained. "Warrick found a necklace; we think it might be Kaylee's."

Catherine nodded and told them to keep processing and then meet her in the lab. She left them and it was only then that Eric felt Warrick's eyes on him. "Why did you tell her that?"

Confused at the question, Eric looked at Warrick and was immediately captured in the green eyed stare. "Why did I tell her what?" Warrick's eyes were still holding him captive as the older man walked up to him and pointed at the necklace. "That I found it. Why didn't you tell her that we found it?"

The surprise Eric felt must have shown in his face, because Warrick shook his head and smiled a bit. "Anything we find, we'll log together. This is not a competition, Eric, this is team work."

Warrick's words made Eric smile sadly and he nodded, but even as he did his mind flashed back to Miami and the row he and Wolfe had had after the younger CSI had logged a piece of evidence that Eric had found under his name. It had been just one of many arguments between Eric and the man who had taken Speed's spot in the team. He sighed silently and met Warrick's eyes again as he apologized. "Sorry, it was a bit different in Miami."

Warrick nodded, but at the same time he smiled ruefully. "Yeah, well I'll probably challenge you to a bet once in a while, but it's nothing serious." Eric saw the sudden pain in Warrick's eyes before he turned his head away.

"I took the gambling and competition too serious and too far once..." Warrick's voice trailed off and seeing the pain in the other man, Eric reacted instinctively and put a comforting hand on Warrick's shoulder. "You ok?"

Eric felt the tension in the strong muscles under his hand, but he also felt the slow relaxing as Warrick realized that Eric wasn't going to ask him about whatever had happened. They bagged everything and drove back to the lab in silence when Warrick suddenly stopped the car at the side of the road and looked at Eric. "Why don't we have breakfast later?"

It still sounded weird to Eric and the thought of going for breakfast after an entire night of work was still very surreal, but he also recognized it as the offer it was. Warrick wanted to get to know him and if Eric ever wanted to find a home in this town then he had to open himself up to people. He returned Warrick's smile with one of his own. "I'd love to, but lets go back to the lab first."

---

Three days later Eric and Warrick stood next to each other while they watched the officers take Kaylee's mother away. Eric always felt sick after cases like this and today was no different. He had grown up in a loving family, had been surrounded by people who supported him even if they didn't approve of some of his choices.

"It amazes me every time how cruel people can be." Warrick's voice was as subdued and tired as Eric felt.

It was in moments like this that he hated his job and longed even more for Speed. When his lover had still been alive, they had curled up in each other's arms after hard cases, had held onto each other almost desperately and had tried to make each other forget. Later, after Speed had died, Eric had sometimes tried to forget the day in a woman's arms. It had never worked, and he had learned to dread the emptiness that came with meaningless sex, so he had stopped seeking even that little bit of comfort. Now, as he looked at Warrick, he felt the yearning again. Not a sexual longing, but the almost painful need to not be alone after a night like this. Their eyes met and Eric swallowed hard at the pain in Warrick's green eyes.

"Why don't we get out of here?" Warrick's voice was rough and had an almost desperate quality. Eric nodded and silently followed his friend outside and to the car. Warrick got in and looked at Eric. "Just follow me, ok?"

They drove through Vegas and then out into the desert, out into the nowhere until finally they came to a halt on top of one of the hills surrounding the city. Curious as to Warrick's intent, Eric got out and watched surprised as Warrick got a can of coffee and some water out. They sat down on one of the sun-warmed stones and silently shared a coffee. Eric let himself be calmed by the grand scenery around him, the silent comfort of his friend next to him.

"It's beautiful here." Warrick nodded at Eric's words and smiled lightly, almost sadly. "Yes, it is. Peaceful, you know, very peaceful."

They didn't say more and for once Eric didn't feel like the silence was tense, instead he drew comfort from the fact that he wasn't alone and for the first time in six months, he realized that he had made the right decision in coming the Las Vegas.

---

"Do any of you need anything from New York?"

Everyone in the break room went still. All eyes turned to Warrick, and then shifted to Greg, who had suddenly gone pale. Greg shook his head slowly, his eyes filled with pain and sadness as he looked at Warrick.

"I thought you had given up on that idea." Grissom's calm voice came from the door and as if the entrance of their boss had broken a spell, Catherine and Sara spoke at once. "You're going to see Nick?"

And Eric suddenly understood the reaction that the seemingly innocent question had caused. Warrick however ignored Grissom completely while he locked his eyes with Greg's as he answered the myriad of questions. "Yeah, I'm going to see him and no, Gil, I had never given up on the idea. I just need to understand some things."

Again Eric felt that there was more than what was actually said, but before he could understand, Greg got up and dragged Warrick out of the room. Eric quickly stepped back to get out of the way and saw how Greg pushed Warrick into a meeting room just around the corner. Confused he looked at the remaining members of his team and frowned at the glare that both Catherine and Sara sent after Warrick. "What was that about?"

"Nick." It was Grissom who answered and the way he spoke the name was as if the one word would explain everything. It did to a certain degree, but on the other hand it just served to confuse Eric even more. Nick and Warrick had been good friends, so why would Greg want to prevent him from going to New York? He looked at Catherine and Sara to get more information, but the two women looked away. Eric wanted to scream. He had thought that he had managed to escape the shadow of Nick Stokes, but right now it was clear that he hadn't. It hurt much more than he would have expected and with a sigh he left the break room.

He didn't know where to go when he saw Warrick storm out of the meeting room. For a moment he was tempted to follow his friend, but a hand on his shoulder held him back. Eric turned around and met Catherine's eyes. "Don't. Warrick needs some time to think. He's got to understand the reality of Nick having moved on."

Some of Warrick's comments about Nick suddenly made sense and Eric nodded slowly before he smiled at Catherine. "Thanks."

Her answering smile was gentle and open and it showed Eric that she knew what he was really thanking her for. Pointing towards the open door, she handed Eric a coffee. "You talk to Greg, I talk to Warrick."

Eric smiled knowing that she was probably better equipped to deal with Warrick than he was. She grinned too and turned around leaving him standing in the corridor. For a moment Eric was unsure whether or not to talk to Greg, but when he heard the groan of annoyance from the meeting room, he entered and slowly sat down next to the younger man. "Greg, you alright?"

Greg looked up and waved with a smile so fake it almost hurt Eric to see it. He and Greg had gotten along immediately. They had gone out once or twice and Greg had even taken him diving. Eric shivered lightly as he remembered the day at Lake Mead. He was sure that Greg had meant well, but getting into his diving gear had woken too many memories and it had hurt him more than it should have. He was sure that Greg hadn't noticed, because Eric had become very good at pretending to have fun even when he hurt inside, but he'd refused every offer of another trip. Diving was one of the things he had wanted to leave behind and that one single time where he had tried to go, had hurt too much.

Greg and he hadn't spent much time together since that day, but it wasn't because Eric was somehow angry with Greg. Work had interfered a couple of times when they'd made plans, and with Warrick dragging Eric out to games and drinks, there hadn't been much opportunity. Still Eric liked Greg and seeing him beat made him feel bad. "Is Warrick bothering you?"

Greg frowned for a moment, before he shook his head. "Not me."

A smile crossed Eric's face as he shoved a cup of coffee over the table and sat down, too. "Nick."

He could see that Greg was surprised, but after a moment of consideration he nodded. "Yeah, he wants him back, but he doesn't understand that he never had him in the first place."

The simple answer made Eric sigh lightly. He could understand Greg's annoyance with Warrick, but at the same time, how well could he understand Warrick. If he'd had a chance to get Speed back... The thought alone made him swallow hard with sorrow. Yes, he understood Warrick... "Maybe he's right, you know? Maybe Nick is home here?"

Greg shook his head, but it wasn't with annoyance as Eric had half expected it to be. Instead his friend got up and pulled him towards the break room. The room was empty now and as Greg sat down, Eric felt the blue eyes look at him critically. "Nick's happy where he is. He wanted to get away from all the memories and now he's finally found a home."

Eric nodded slowly. He understood what Greg told him, remembered how Speed had always told him that coming to Miami had saved his life. The thought brought a bitter smile to Eric's face and immediately he turned away from Greg not wanting to him to see the sadness. Coming to Miami had saved Speed's life and yet in the end it hadn't been enough, he, Eric hadn't been enough. The darkness inside Speed had in the end caught up with him and gotten him killed.

"You're taking this extremely easy, you know?" Surprised at the comment, Eric looked at Greg. "What do you mean?"

Greg smiled lightly and waved his hand around. "Well this here, Nick having a boyfriend in New York and Warrick wanting him to come back to be with him. I mean, hey I'm open-minded and all, but..."

Greg trailed off and Eric felt both anger and amusement at the suddenly uncertain look in the younger man's eyes. "But I am a Cuban Catholic, so I'm clearly a bigot?"

His words had been harsher than he'd intended and as Greg flinched, Eric immediately felt bad for him. He leaned forward and clasped Greg's shoulder gently. "I'm not angry, Greg, really I'm not. It's just... Look... how am I to judge someone for loving someone? We all have our little closets, don't we?"

Eric saw that Greg wanted to ask him something, but Grissom chose that moment to walk into the break room with a scowl on his face. "Is anyone working here tonight?"

The soft yet stern words had both Eric and Greg scrambling to get up. Heading towards munitions, Eric was sure that he could feel Greg's eyes on him.

---

They weren't a team. The realization hit Catherine like a blow to her stomach. She had thought that with Eric fitting in so well, they would be able to rebuild the team that had been torn apart when Ecklie had split them up, and later had shattered after Nick left.

There had been so many new people since Nick left. None of the new guys had fit in until Eric. When Grissom had told her that he had gotten an application from the Miami CSI, she had been surprised, but after talking to Calleigh, she understood that Eric had wanted to leave Miami, had needed to leave it just as much as Nick had needed to leave Vegas.

The man who had joined the graveyard shift had not been the man she had met in Miami all those years ago. Back then, Eric Delko had been full of life, of laughter and of himself. He had simultaneously annoyed and charmed her, but watching him in the lab she had been struck by his instinctive aptitude for forensics.

The Eric Delko she was working with now was a different man to the one he'd been back then. This man didn't laugh much, he might smile or smirk, but she could probably count on one hand the times she had heard him laugh freely and happily. There was an almost constant sadness in his eyes and he seemed more self-conscious than before. The one thing that hadn't changed was the talent he had for his job, Catherine thought as she reflected, he'd changed in the way he worked, had fulfilled the promises he had shown when she had met him all those years ago, but his talent still shone through. He hadn't had an easy start, and yet he had endured, had stayed with them for six months now and she had watched as he had started to form bonds with the team.

Greg had been the first, who had been able to make Eric come out of his shell, make him laugh and joke with him. Catherine knew that they had gone out a couple of times, had gone for drinks and even gone diving together and then suddenly there had been a distance between them. They still bantered back and forth, but she never heard Greg talk about how Eric had gone out with him anymore and she knew that they had never gone diving again. Instead she had watched Eric retreat into his somber mood again only to be pulled back by Warrick.

Warrick had dragged Eric out of his dark corner, had made him go to breakfast with them and taken him to games and drinks. The two had developed a friendship which in time probably would grow as strong as the friendship Warrick had had with Nick.

Catherine had felt more comfortable with Eric every day, she had started to trust him with the evidence and more and more she realized that she trusted him off the job too.

And yet, today had clearly shown that Nick's shadow was still hanging over them.

She had seen the flash of hurt that had crossed through Eric's eyes as he had realized that they were keeping something from him. He had suddenly felt like an outsider again and for a moment, Catherine had almost felt his pain too. It had been the reason why she had told him what she had and now as she walked towards Warrick, she could only pray that she hadn't misjudged Eric.

---

"Nick has moved on... He's with Don now... Forget him..." Every single word resonated in his mind, made him flinch and at the same time he wanted to scream at the injustice of it. How could he forget Nick?

Nick had been there for Warrick, when he had hit rock bottom. Nick had been there when Warrick had started to self-destruct. He had always been there.

And yet, Warrick had never noticed him, had never seen what was right in front of him.

Not until he had lost him, not until Nick had left for New York and now everyone told him that he had come to his senses too late.

---

"Gil, Catherine, in my office now." Ecklie's voice resonated through the corridor and frowning at each other Catherin and Grissom walked towards the AD's corner office. Catherine could see Gil mentally going through any possible case where they could have screwed up. Seeing him press his lips together, she smiled. Gil had come to the same result; they had worked well and there was nothing Ecklie could criticize.

Ecklie was pale and tense as he looked at them and Catherine silently wondered what had happened. She could see from the corner of her eyes that Grissom had tensed too in a reaction to the tension radiating from Ecklie. Something was wrong, she suddenly realized, something was very wrong. Before she could ask, Ecklie spoke. "I was just informed from the sheriff that Kelly Gordon, who was released from prison three weeks ago, has left Nevada in violation with her probation."

She froze at the name and saw how Gil went completely still next to her. "Where is she now?"

Gil spoke with a deadly voice and suddenly Catherine knew before Ecklie even answered and dread made her feel sick. "New York."

The confirmation of her worst fear made her freeze, and she saw Gil pale. Ecklie watched them both closely and sighed. "We have to notify Nick and the NYPD."

Ecklie's calm and yet determined words brought the urgency even more to the forefront and Catherine nodded sadly. "He's just got his life back together, and now it's going to be torn apart all over again."

"I know, but we don't have a choice." She nodded at Ecklie's comment and looked at Gil who was still way to silent. "Gil?"

He looked at her and nodded curtly. "I'll call him and notify his boss."

Catherine couldn't help feeling relieved. Looking at Ecklie, she could see that he too was glad that it wasn't him who had to tell Nick. They both were cowards; she thought silently and quickly clasped Gil's shoulder. "Tell him we're thinking of him."

Gil nodded absently and walked out of Ecklie's office without saying goodbye. Catherine exchanged a look with Ecklie and shrugged. To her surprise Ecklie didn't seem to be offended, even smiled a bit. As their eyes met again, she could see that he was still too concerned about Nick to be bothered about Gil's rudeness.

---

Grissom had been staring at the phone for what seemed to be hours now. Every time he'd picked it up, he'd put it down again. Rationally he knew that he had to call Nick, and yet he wondered if he would be doing more harm than good by making the call.

Sighing again he remembered a phone call with Nick only a few days ago. They had talked about everything when out of the blue Nick had told him that he was glad he'd come to New York. "You know nothing here reminds me of the abduction. I don't even think of it anymore."

Grissom sighed again wishing that he could say the same thing. He felt himself reminded of Nick's torment every day when he walked into the lab and saw Eric working instead of Nick. It wasn't like he didn't like Eric or didn't appreciate the work he did, but not matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget Nick.

At one point he'd wondered if he'd fallen in love with Nick, if that was the reason why he still missed him, but Grissom knew that he wasn't in love with Nick. He hadn't realized how much he had come to rely on Nick's gentleness, on his joy in life and his inert goodness until Nick had left. He hadn't realized how much he had come to rely on Nick's friendship until he had to deal with losing him.

Grissom shook his head at the thought. He hadn't lost Nick's friendship, in truth, now that he'd acknowledged it, it had become stronger and he told the younger man things that he couldn't imagine telling anyone else. Speaking with Nick regularly Grissom had had a front seat in observing the healing process and he had rejoiced when Nick had spoken freely and without fear about the day that had changed their lives.

Nick had told him more than once, that he was ready to listen, if Grissom ever wanted to talk about that night, and he had been tempted to take Nick up on it only to recoil. He didn't want to wake the memories again, didn't want to relive those hours where he had been so powerless. Nick had made his peace with what happened and Grissom had learned to not think about it.

He didn't want to open a healing wound again.

Grissom stared at the picture that lay in front of him on the table. Nick had sent it and it showed him and Don standing on top of the Empire State Building. Nick was smiling happily, happier than Grissom had ever seen him in Las Vegas.

Again Grissom reached for the phone, again he withdrew his hand. Calling Nick would mean destroying that smile, destroying that happiness. Grissom swallowed hard as he made his decision and put the information he had gotten from Ecklie and Archie in his drawer.

He couldn't destroy Nick again.

---

*Chapter 2 - Hollow*

*Las Vegas*

When Warrick walked through the sliding doors at the airport, after his visit to New York, Eric was there to pick him up. Warrick hadn't expected him, and for a moment he simply stared at the younger man before he smiled and hugged him. "Thanks."

Eric smiled lightly almost as if he knew that Warrick wasn't thanking him for the ride home, but for so many things more. They walked to Eric's car in silence and Warrick threw his bag into the trunk. "You want to go for a drink?"

Warrick shook his head and felt Eric's eyes on him for a second, before he concentrated on the street again. "Not tonight."

What was he supposed to say? Warrick shivered despite the heat in the car and felt the silence between him and Eric get heavier and heavier by the minute. He knew that he didn't owe Eric an explanation and yet somehow he wanted to talk, wanted to explain and without really noticing it, Warrick started to speak. "He's happy. I've never seen him this happy, not even before... And you know it's great to see him like this..."

He trailed off when Eric stopped in front of his house. Eric looked at him and Warrick felt the dark eyes more than he saw them in the darkness of the evening. "You want to come in?"

It was an offer and a plea at the same time and Warrick was only too aware of the second part. Eric however didn't seem to notice and nodded with a smile. "Sure."

Warrick was relieved that he wouldn't be alone with his thoughts, but at the same time he dreaded the questions and comments that would inevitably follow his revelation in the car. He could almost see them hanging between him and Eric and as they sat down on the couch with beers, he silently counted the seconds until Eric spoke again. "How are you?"

Surprised at the words, Warrick glanced at his friend and Eric smiled back openly. "You told me that Nick is fine, is happy and you know, that's great, but I don't really care about Nick. You're my friend, Warrick, and so I'm wondering, how are you?"

Eric's words both hurt Warrick and made him feel warm. Nick would have answered him in the same way, he thought silently. On a normal day he would have felt great about it, would have been happy that Eric might become a good friend to him, but right now the wound of losing Nick was still too open, still too raw and he turned away as he felt tears come into his eyes.

"You want to be alone?" A soft and gentle hand on his shoulder made Warrick tense for a second and swallowing the lump in his throat, he nodded. Eric once again gripped his shoulder before he released him and Warrick heard him get up.

"You've got my number, if you want to talk, ok?"

Staring at the white walls in his apartment, Warrick shook his head. In the last couple of months his life had broken apart bit by bit. First Nick's abduction and subsequent rescue, then his move to New York and Warrick's revelation about what he really felt about the man he called his best friend. His marriage had already been on the rocks because of his job and after he had found out what Nick really meant to him, it had only been a matter of weeks until they had split up. Now he was divorced and alone. He had gambled on everything and had lost.

Another shiver ran through him as he suddenly realized that he hadn't felt this alone for a long time. He had just sent Eric away, because he wanted to be alone. So why did he suddenly feel so lonely?

Watching Eric walk away, Warrick called himself all kinds of names. He didn't want to look weak, but it was that stubborn pride that had cost him Nick - it had been pride that stopped him reaching out for the prize, reaching out to Nick.

He really was an idiot and with a groan, he jumped up and opened the window. "Eric? You want another beer?"

Eric smiled at him and shook his head. "I think we need to get out of the city."

Warrick knew what Eric meant and silently walked out to Eric's car. They drove in silence and Warrick was reminded of the first time he had taken Eric out to the hills. The case had been dreadful and he had seen the loneliness and shadows around Eric's eyes. It had been a spontaneous decision and had strengthened the bond between them. Now it was Eric's turn to take care of Warrick. As they sat down on their usual spot and looked down at the city, Warrick shivered silently.

"Nick used to come here after he was released from hospital." Warrick's voice was so soft that Eric had a hard time hearing him. Warrick felt the look Eric cast at him and saw how Eric made a move to take his hand only to abort the movement in the middle. "He told me that he felt free here, that he felt safe. But he never asked me to join him."

The feeling of having failed Nick was overwhelming and with it came the familiar guilt and shame. He had hidden from his friend after Nick's rescue, because he hadn't been able to deal with what he had felt during those hours. Instead of being there for him, he had gotten married and subsequently driven Nick away.

"I was an idiot, you know, I never realized what he meant to me until he was gone and even then, it took Hodges snarling about him to see it." Hodges... out of all people to open his eyes, it had been Hodges and somehow that still angered Warrick. On the other hand, it didn't matter anymore, did it?

Tentatively, Eric put an arm around Warrick's shoulder and Warrick felt the tension in his back lessening. "I don't know what I hoped for, what I wanted to accomplish. I should have known that he wouldn't come back... I should be happy that he's recovering so well, that he's found happiness and yet... "

Did it make him a bad person because he couldn't feel elated? Did it make him a lesser man, because he wished Nick would have found his happiness with him? Warrick didn't realize that he had spoken out loud until, he felt the arm on his shoulder move and Eric grabbed his hands. "It doesn't make you a bad person, Rick, it just makes you human."

Warrick sighed and knew that one day it would stop hurting. But right now, he felt raw and open and as Eric gently put an arm around his shoulders, he leaned gratefully against his friend.

---

It was Conrad Ecklie's job as an assistant director of the lab to know not only his lab, but also the people working for him. And while some might claim that he was just a political animal and cared nothing for the lab, apart from how he could use its reputation for his career, Conrad cared deeply about both the lab and his people.

He had loved being a CSI. He had loved working in the field and, like everyone else, had more often than not chafed at the boundaries set by budget constraints. It was the real reason why he had become a bureaucrat. As much as Grissom might believe differently, one could not change the system from the bottom. If he wanted to get more funding for the lab, he needed to get through to the people that mattered and they didn't listen to an average supervisor.

Still despite what everyone thought about him, one thing hadn't changed. Conrad Ecklie still knew his lab and knew the people.

He had been called petty and vengeful when he had torn Grissom's team apart and yet he had not acted solely out of vengeance. He had seen great potential in all the CSIs in Grissom's team and had known that none of them could advance while under Grissom's supervision. He still believed that Grissom was holding his team members back as much as he encouraged them to learn, but he had understood Grissom's wish to have his guys back in the aftermath of Stokes' abduction.

Conrad had made Grissom's wish come true had reunited the team and subsequently watched it fall apart again in the course of mere weeks. He had shaken his head at Grissom's management, but he hadn't said anything though because he knew that any support from his side would be misunderstood and would fall onto deaf ears.

And so he had watched while they had tried and failed to integrate a new member and he had listened to the complaints from the new hires who all were great CSIs with only one fault. They weren't Nick Stokes.

Eric Delko's request of transfer had been a surprise, but after a phone call with a friend who worked for the Miami PD, Conrad had known all he needed to know about Eric Delko and had gladly offered the position. It had been the last chance he had mentally given Grissom and his team and even that last chance had only happened because despite everything, he believed in the people in the shift. They had proven him right and had accepted Eric Delko as their new team member.

It seemed as if everything was perfect, but Conrad was a CSI. He saw the small cracks that ran through the team and although he never said anything, he continued to watch over them.

---

With Grissom gone, work was different. Not better not worse, just different, Eric thought. In one way, he didn't feel like he was constantly under scrutiny but on the other hand he missed the questioning and the almost cryptic comments.

Working with Gil Grissom had been a revelation and completely different from working with Horatio. Eric smiled as he remembered how he'd dared to formulate a theory on one of his first cases. Grissom had simply looked at him and shaken his head. "Is this what the evidence tells you?"

Eric had felt like a ten year old standing in front of his teacher again, but now after working for the team for over six months he understood that Grissom's comments weren't meant to put him down. They were meant to make him think scientifically and outside the norm.

It had been a challenge at first, but Eric now understood why the Vegas lab was ranked second in the country. He had thought that he had worked scientifically when he had worked for Horatio, but Grissom demanded work on a different level.

Eric was proud to work for him, proud to be part of this team.

"Hello? Earth to Eric?" Greg's teasing voice drew Eric back from his musings and he smiled at Greg. "Sorry, I was just drifting off."

Greg grinned at him. "I could see that. What do you say we drift off together after work?"

Eric had no plans and doing something apart from going home and sleep sounded great especially with the easy night they had had. "Sure why not, what did you have in mind?"

Greg shrugged but didn't look up from the fiber he was analyzing. "We could head over to Toto's for breakfast and then we'll see where the day takes us."

It sounded like a good idea and as Eric agreed, Greg smiled at him.

---

"We all have our little closets"

Eric's words had been resonating through Greg's mind ever since his friend had spoken them. He knew that Eric had probably not meant it as a coming out, had probably just wanted to say that he too had secrets and yet, Greg's mind and heart were only too ready to interpret them differently.

He wanted Eric.

It was this simple and yet so difficult. He knew almost nothing about Eric, even after six months of working with him. Sure he knew that Eric had worked in Miami and that he lost a sister to bullet because of her entanglement with Eric's boss. He knew that Eric loved to dive and was generally into sports. He knew that Eric was a damn good CSI and a hard working colleague.

Hell, he even knew what kind of pubs he liked because they had gone to some bars together, and Greg had found out, that Eric wasn't a gambler. But in the end, all those things were superficial and didn't matter. Greg wanted to know more about Eric, he wanted to know what made him laugh and happy, wanted to know what made him moan, but most of all he wanted to chase that eternal sadness away from Eric's dark eyes.

Ok, so maybe he didn't just want Eric. He had fallen in love with him.

Greg had never expected this to happen. He wasn't supposed to fall in love with someone from the lab. That was the big no-no in his life. He didn't sleep around on the job, never.

And yet he felt drawn towards Eric and wanted to get to know him better. Only lately he seemed to be doing something wrong. Ever since that day when they had gone diving, Eric had withdrawn from him. Greg had enjoyed the day out at Lake Mead and had thought that Eric had liked it too. He had loved the thought that the diving could become something he and Eric shared alone without anyone from the team joining, but the excursion had remained a one time event and instead Eric and Warrick had started going out together.

Greg couldn't help but being annoyed at Warrick. First Nick, now Eric and although he had never had any intentions towards Nick, Greg still felt as if Warrick was once again stealing a friend. Frowning slightly, Greg bent over the clothes he was examining and although he was concentrating on the evidence in front of him, he couldn't help thinking that maybe today after work he would get a second chance.

---

*Washington DC*

Grissom liked Washington, although in the middle of winter he was hard pressed to find a reason. He liked the structure that the city had, the open spaces that the monuments created, he liked the fact that unlike Vegas it was green, but once again all those things weren't exactly exciting him right now.

It was cold. He had noticed it immediately when he had left the airport and he still felt cold now as he stood in front of the hotel reception. He looked forward to the convention. Unlike many of his colleagues he enjoyed the scientific interaction with peers, enjoyed the discussions that immediately started when two or three forensic experts met, but most of all he enjoyed the fact that he wasn't a leader while at a convention.

He had never seen himself as a leader, as a manager, as someone who inspired people and yet he had become a boss. Just how in the world had that happened?

Grissom smiled wryly as he unpacked his suitcase and meticulously placed every item in the closet. He hated wrinkled clothes, but that wasn't what the smile was about. It was a smile full of irony and self-mocking. He knew why he had reached the position he had currently. It wasn't because he had shown great leadership or had been a specifically political animal. He simply had been the only choice.

He wasn't a leader, he was a scientist, and Grissom mused as he walked outside and immediately started to shiver again. His reaction made him shake his head; he clearly wasn't used to a colder climate.

"Sunshine spoiled." He muttered and then flushed when a dark haired man looked at him quizzically. Grissom averted his eyes, but the stranger simple smiled. "Me too."

Surprised and slightly annoyed, Grissom looked closer at the man and immediately noted that he was studied just as intensely by dark eyes. "You're here for the convention?"

Even without the question, Grissom would have known that the other man was law enforcement too. It had been in his look. The other man was medium height, slender, but muscular with dark hair and dark eyes that were intense in the angular face. He looked good, Grissom thought, but pushed the thought aside immediately. Seeing that the man waited for his answer, Grissom nodded. "Yes, and you?"

The other man nodded and extended his hand. "Don Eppes, FBI LA office."

A fed? Grissom frowned and shook his head before he took the offered hand and smiled. "Gil Grissom, CSI Vegas."

Eppes looked surprised and then delighted. "Wow, it's great to meet you. I have read and heard a lot about you."

His smile grew bit mischievous as he continued. "And from what I hear, you really like the Feds."

Grissom growled lightly, but before he could say anything, Eppes pointed towards the bar. "Why don't we have a drink, before we brave the cold outside?"

Considering his options were either the cold weather outside or the cozy looking bar, Grissom decided that maybe having a drink with a Fed was doable. Not every FBI agent was an idiot after all.

A couple minutes later, they sat in a comfortable booth and Grissom once again studied Eppes. "How do you know about my affection for the Feds?"

Eppes grinned at the wording and shrugged. "I clashed a couple of time with Agent Culpepper and the last time he accused me of being almost as good at sharing information as you are."

The fact that they had a mutual enemy did not made a friend out of Don Eppes, but it did make him more likable and after they ordered Grissom looked at the plan Eppes had put on the table. "What kind of seminars are you attending?"

Eppes told him and soon enough they were engrossed in a discussion on the merits of certain forensic techniques.

---

Gil Grissom was a lot more fun to talk to than Don would have ever thought. He had a wicked sense of humor and a very, very sharp tongue if he didn't like someone or something.

Don could easily see why Culpepper and Grissom hadn't gotten along. Smiling he wondered what Charlie would think of Grissom, but the smile turned into a frown. He didn't want to think of Charlie, not now when he was miles away from him, not when he had signed up for this convention especially because it was miles away from his brother.

The sudden silence at the table startled him and he felt Grissom's eyes on him and faked a smile. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought. I'll go to my room, will I see you around?"

Grissom still studied him but smiled warmly and nodded. "I guess, you will."

Don put some money on the table and left the bar. He felt drained from the flight and from the change in temperature and he was glad that he had a day to relax before the convention started.

---

*Las Vegas*

"I was thinking that maybe we could go to LA for a weekend, have some fun, do some diving, just hang out, you know?" Greg noticed how Eric froze at the suggestion and immediately called himself an idiot. He'd come on too strong, hadn't he?

Eric was silent for a moment, and then shook his head. "I can't Greg. I'm sorry."

Surprised at the sorrow he heard in Eric's voice, Greg looked at his friend and paled as he saw the pain in the dark eyes. "What's wrong, Eric? Was it something I said?"

Eric shook his head and swallowed hard. Greg could see how he calmed himself before he spoke again. "I left Miami for a reason Greg, I wanted to leave everything behind and I still want that. Diving... that's part of my past life. I didn't realize it until I went diving with you..."

Greg paled as he remembered suddenly how tense Eric had seemed when they had suited up on that day. Instinctively he reached out and grabbed Eric's hand in support. "And I even teased you about your hesitation. I'm sorry, Eric, I really am."

"Thanks, Greg, but it wasn't your fault. I didn't think it would awake so many memories. But just being in the suit again, being in the water again..." Eric trailed off and angrily brushed his hand over his face. "You know, I loved diving. It was one of the few places where I felt completely at ease and free..."

Again he trailed off, but Greg understood what Eric hadn't said. He suddenly felt angry at those unknown people in Miami that had hurt Eric so much to make him give up diving.

"I'm really sorry." Greg's apology was once again met with Eric shaking his head. "It's not your fault. I should have said something, but I forced the issue."

They both fell silent. Greg looked at Eric and felt as if the somber mood was encouraging him to move. He wanted to take the sadness away from Eric, wanted to make him feel good again and slowly as if not to scare Eric, he brushed over his hand.

"You should have told me. I wouldn't have laughed at you." Eric smiled wryly and Greg grinned a bit in response. "Well maybe a little, but not if you had told me why."

Feeling bolder, Greg lifted Eric's hand and raised it to his lips. It was a gesture of comfort and seduction in one, but before he could even kiss Eric's hand, Eric snatched it away. Greg felt something in him break as he saw the shock in Eric's face. Had he misinterpreted Eric's comment?

"I... Greg..." Eric broke off and a shiver ran through his body. Greg wanted to run away, wanted to go home and hide, but he knew that he would have to face Eric again at work and so he stayed. "I'm sorry; I thought your comment about closets... I guess I misunderstood."

Eric was biting his lip as he stared at the place where their hands had just been. For a long time he was silent, but when he looked up his face was blank. "You didn't. I am bi."

Greg wasn't sure what was worse to hit on Eric and find out that he wasn't bi or to hit on him and find out he was, but not interested in Greg. Some of his despair must have shown in his eyes, because Eric suddenly leaned forward and captured his hand. "I'm sorry, Greg, but I just can't..."

Again there was a lot of pain in Eric's voice, but Greg was too hurt himself to really care right now and withdrawing his hand, he put some money on the table and got up quickly. "I guess I better go. I'll see you at work."

He didn't look back, didn't check if Eric followed him and didn't really allow himself to think about what had happened until he was home and in his bed. Only then did he finally allow the hurt to settle and engulf him. He had made a fool out of himself and with an angry punch against his pillow, Greg once again renewed his vow to never, ever get involved with someone at work.

It wasn't worth it. Never.

---

Eric wasn't sure what he was doing in this bar. He certainly didn't want to be here and yet he couldn't leave. His eyes fell on one of the couples snogging in the corner. They looked happy and Eric looked away with a heavy heart.

He had had that once, and had lost it.

Would he ever find it again?

Greg had offered him all that, had offered him love. And yet, Eric hadn't been able to say yes. He didn't love Greg.

‘You might learn to love him.' It was a seductive voice in his head, but Eric pushed it aside. He didn't want to learn to love someone. He had experienced such a wonderful love with Speed...

Eric sighed as he thought of his dead partner and swallowed hard. No, he thought, it wouldn't have been fair to Greg, no matter how much wanted to feel loved again, no matter how much he hated being alone.

And that was the reason why he was here, wasn't it? Because as much as he despised himself, he needed to feel again, needed to be touched and here he could do both without anyone expecting more from him. It would have been selfish and unfair to take that kind of satisfaction from Greg, but here with some stranger...

"Hey handsome, you new here?" The dark haired man slipped into the booth and smiled openly at Eric. "I'm Tom and I know you're new because I would have noticed you before."

The line was as old as mankind and still it made Eric smile. He looked at Tom and noticed immediately how the dark eyes and hair stood out against the pale complexion of the other man. Tom was about as tall as he, slender and dressed to leave no doubt that he was on the prowl. Eric smiled and ordered a drink, when Tom's hand slowly started to caress his leg.

The rush of lust that ran through Eric caught him by surprised and having observed Eric closely, Tom immediately went in for the kill. "I'm just looking for a good time, no strings, and no attachments. Just a good time."

His breath was hot against Eric's skin and with a small moan Eric surrendered. Their lips met and after a moment of hesitation, they found a rhythm and their tongues slowly danced against each other. It was far more intimate than Eric liked though and with a gasp he broke free from Tom. "No more kisses, ok?"

Tom studied him for a moment and with a nod of his head pointed towards the dark room. "Let's go over there then."

For a second, Eric wondered whether he should go, but his body's demands were too loud and overrode any concerns he had as he followed Tom towards the dark room.

The air was stale and smelled of sex. Eric could hear the moans and grunts of the other men in the room, but before his eyes could get adjusted, Tom pressed him against the wall. "What do you want? Do you want to fuck me or want me to fuck you?"

Eric shivered for a moment. He didn't do that and leaning back towards Tom, he answered with another suggestion. "Let me suck you off, and then you suck me ok?"

Tom didn't object when Eric reversed their position and slid down on his knees. He didn't really think about what he was doing when he unzipped the other man, put protection on him and started to lick the hard cock. He was good at it, Eric knew, but as he sucked Tom to climax, he did it almost mechanically. Tom's hands at his head directed the thrusts and Eric almost gagged at one hard thrust right before he felt Tom go rigid.

When it was over, Tom gently pulled him up and they immediately traded places. It was Eric's turn now and he moaned as he was encased in heat, felt the pressure and after a few tentative thrusts Tom let him move almost freely. Eric felt shivers run up and down his spine, felt the familiar tingling and cried out as the feelings became too much and crashed over him in waves and waves.

He felt weak afterwards, but still had enough sense of mind to help Tom get back up. The other man smiled at him and gave him a peck on his cheek. "That was great; I'll see you around won't I?"

Eric watched him leave the dark room and with a sigh, he leaned back against the wall. He had gotten exactly what he had come for; relief and anonymity. So why did he feel so hollow?

---

*New York*

Nick listened to Greg's rambling and sighed silently. He liked Greg, wanted him to be happy, but Greg had a tendency to fall for the pretty guys, and so far it had never ended well.

"Greg, at least you know now." His words wouldn't help Greg right now and Nick knew that, but there was nothing he could say to make Greg feel better and the sigh from the other end of the phone confirmed that.

"I just want what you have with Don, is that too much to ask?" Nick smiled sadly and looked at Don who was lounging on the couch. "No it isn't, but you know I didn't look for it. It just happened. You'll meet someone and he'll be the one."

Nick saw how Don looked up and for a moment their eyes met. Nick saw the deep love in Don's eyes and hoped that his eyes conveyed the same emotion. For a moment he was distracted, but Greg's annoyed ‘Nick' brought him immediately back to the situation. "I can't go back to work now, can I?"

Shocked at the words, Nick shook his head not realizing that Greg couldn't see him. "What are you talking about? Eric won't harass you, I am sure. You said he's a nice guy. Hey, you took a chance, that's more than I ever did with Warrick, so be proud of yourself."

Greg was silent and despite the situation Nick smiled quickly, because he remembered the many talks he had had with Greg after he had fallen for Warrick. Greg grumbled something about it being a completely different thing and Nick laughed gently. "It was, yes because the Warrick I knew was straight. Eric isn't, and you said that he didn't react badly. He won't make life hard for you."

"I'm just so sick of being alone." Greg sounded desolate and Nick sighed feeling bad for his friend. "You won't be forever. You'll find someone."

The silence on the other side of the continent told Nick that Greg didn't believe him. Don walked over and glanced at him with a raised eyebrow before he sat down next to Nick and pulled him in his arms. Nick felt some of the tension leaving his body as he snuggled up to his partner. "Greg, you've got to talk with Eric. Clear the air and make sure you can work with him."

Greg was silent for a long time, but then his voice came through again. "I know I'll talk to him tomorrow."

They talked for a bit longer when Greg suddenly remembered something. "By the way, you can expect a phone call from Grissom, he's going to a convention in Washington soon, and maybe he'll come up and visit you."

Nick smiled thinking of Tony and Gibbs and whether or not Grissom would meet them at the convention. Grissom and Gibbs, the thought alone made him smile. "I'll call him; I've got some friends down in DC."

Saying goodbye, Nick put the phone down and sighed. Don pulled him closer and looked at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

Nick shrugged. "Greg says he's in love with Eric, but Eric isn't interested in him."

Frowning now, Don prompted him to continue when he remained silent. "And?"

Looking at his partner Nick sighed and shook his head. "Greg looks for love at the wrong place and doesn't realize that what he looks for is right in front of him."

Don frowned a bit and looked at Nick. "Warrick?"

The thought made Nick laugh lightly but he shook his head. "No, Grissom."

---

*Washington DC*

Grissom looked forward to a day of solitude in the Smithsonian. He loved the huge museum and if he had had the time, he would have spent weeks just exploring. As it was he had one day before the convention started, so he had to hurry to make the most of it. He had made a plan of the exhibits he wanted to see and as he waited in the queue he went through them once again. When his phone rang he cursed himself for taking it with him, but he was after all a creature of habit and as he looked at the caller ID he was pleasantly surprised. "Nick? You again?"

As soon as the words were out, he cringed. It sounded as if he didn't want to talk with Nick, but the chuckle he got from New York proved that his friend had understood him. Maybe Nick just wanted to give him some tips for the museum, but that thought was destroyed as Nick spoke. "Grissom, I need your help."

Nick's voice was tight and drawn and it alerted Grissom like nothing else could. "What's wrong?"

Immediately Kelly Gordon's face appeared in front of Grissom's mind and he prayed silently that his decision not to call Nick would not cause Nick any further pain. He wouldn't be able to stand it, Grissom thought, but his thoughts were cut short when Nick continued. "Tony is being framed for murder."

Grissom knew that Tony was one of the friends that Nick had found since he had left Las Vegas. Nick had told him about Tony and the case they had worked on, and if Grissom remembered correctly then Nick had also mentioned someone with the name Jethro in Tony's life. Still he couldn't help being skeptical. "How do you know that he was framed?"

Nick groaned, but as he spoke his voice was sharper and colder. "Because I know him, because I know that he couldn't rape and kill someone. Because he is my friend."

People lie, evidence doesn't.

How many times had he told Nick that? Grissom smiled as he remembered a case long, long ago. It had been one of Nick's first murder cases and their suspect had sworn that he had broken into the house but not killed the woman. Grissom had not believed him, he had looked at the evidence and it had told him that the guy was guilty. Nick however had believed the other man and had gone back to the crime scene. He had searched for about a day, but when he had come back he had had the proof that their suspect wasn't the killer. Grissom remembered how he had scolded Nick despite the fact that he had been right and he grinned lightly as Nick's answer came back to him.

You know Gris, people lie, but sometimes they tell the truth.

"Gris?"

Nick's voice drew him back from his musings and he made his decision as he stepped out of the queue silently saying goodbye to the exhibits he had wanted to see. "What do you need from me?"

He knew already what Nick probably wanted him to do, but he could be wrong and it was his habit to always ask. "Help Tony."

Nick's voice was calm, but Grissom heard the plea underneath it and it got more pronounced as he continued to speak. "Mac sent Stella and Hawkes and they're great, but I thought that you are in the area and Tony needs all help he can get..."

This time Grissom was surprised. Not so much about the fact that Mac Taylor had sent two of his people to support Gibbs, but that Nick thought it wasn't enough. "You don't trust Stella?"

He meant it teasingly, but Nick reacted as if he had meant it seriously. "I trust them Gris, I do, but you're... you're the one who found me. You and not Stella, not Mac and not Sara, you found me. You saved me... It's a different level of trust."

The soft words floored Grissom. He had known that Nick trusted him, but had never understood to what level that trust went. He swallowed the lump in his throat and walked towards the street where he waved at a cab. "Give me the address."

But even as he sat in the car, he heard Nick's voice again.

It's a different level of trust.

Kelly Gordon's face appeared again in his mind and closing his eyes, Grissom tried to banish the voice that told him he didn't deserve Nick's trust.

---

*Chapter 3 - Sorting things out*

*Las Vegas*

With Grissom in Washington, Catherine was the one handing out the assignments. She looked at the various cases and then at her colleagues. Greg and Eric both looked as if they hadn't gotten any sleep and she sighed. She had wanted to assign them together but reconsidered as she noticed how they avoided each other. She had no idea what had happened, but whatever it had been, it wasn't good. Frowning at the assignment sheets, she made a decision. "Sara, Eric, you have a DB out in Death Valley. Detective Perez will brief you out there. Warrick, take Greg and head out to the Bellagio, they have a guest who's been attacked and mugged in his room."

They all nodded and walked in different directions. Catherine wanted to call Greg back, when she noticed how Eric lingered. He seemed to wait for Greg to catch up and as they stood next to each other, Catherine saw how Eric looked at Greg sadly. "Can we talk after the shift?"

Greg had tensed, and his gaze was equally sad as he shrugged. "Sure, just call me."

Catherine watched as they parted and wished that she knew what had happened between them. A wry smile at her curiosity crossed her face, it wasn't her business and yet she wanted to know because she wanted to help. She couldn't though and with another sigh, she concentrated on her own assignment and left the room to look for Detective Vega.

---

Eric was driving silently, his eyes on the street, his concentration on the non-existent traffic. Sara waited for five minutes before she had enough of the silence. "You ok?"

Her words jolted him around and he immediately nodded. "Yeah, I am, just couldn't sleep. Not completely used to the night shift yet, you know."

Sara smiled and nodded as if she believed him, but she knew that there was more. Eric had never looked this bad, even right after transferring from Miami, but Sara respected that he didn't want to talk about it. Some things were meant to be private and she and Eric weren't particularly close. Someone else would have prodded and tried to find out what was wrong, Sara though accepted Eric's silence and moved on.

"So what did Luis say?" Eric looked relieved that she didn't question him any further and that more than anything told Sara that whatever bothered him was serious. "He didn't say much; just that the victim was a white male in his teens and that it looked like suicide."

Sara sighed. Teenage suicides were something she had seen too many times since she had come to Las Vegas. It seemed as if the kids in the gambler's city were more unhappy than kids in other places. She mentioned it to Eric who frowned a bit. "Yeah, we didn't get that many suicides, but we had more than our share of drug related deaths."

Eric turned into the dirt road that led to the crime scene and Sara nodded slowly. "Suicide in installments, isn't it?"

She didn't get a reply, but didn't expect one as they had just arrived at the scene. Detective Perez stood next to the yellow crime scene tape and smiled as they greeted him. Sara liked working with Perez. He took the CSIs seriously and knew how to act at a crime scene, working with him was almost as good as working with Detective Vartann.

"Glad you're here. I was afraid I'd get cooked before you arrived." Sara saw how Eric smiled before he said something in Spanish that made Perez grin. She kept forgetting that Eric spoke Spanish and while the two men bantered a bit, she walked over towards the dead boy. The sight of the neatly dressed boy, the folded hands and the calm look on his face made her heart ache.

What had made this guy so sad, so depressed that he had decided to end his life? She started to take samples when Eric called her name. "Sara, we have another body."

Quickly she walked over and swallowed hard as she saw the girl. Dressed in a black gown, hair nicely done and festive make up she should have belonged at a party and not in the desert. Sara met Eric's eyes and sighed. "Suicide pact?"

He nodded and shook his head. "Maybe, we'll see when the autopsy comes back."

His reaction made her smile. When Eric had come to Vegas he had more than once gotten Grissom's lecture about following the evidence and nothing else. It had rubbed off on him as it seemed and sharing a quick smile with Perez Sara went to work.

---

*Washington DC*

Grissom wasn't particularly sad that he had missed some of the lectures, but he still felt as if he had to make up for the lost time and signed up for two more panels. He wasn't sure if he would be able to concentrate on the speeches and the lectures, but at least he had to try. With a smile, he thought of something Stella Bonasera had told him right before she had left for the airport. "The nice thing about being just an external support is that you don't have to write the report afterwards."

She had been right, he thought with a smile, but the smile faded as he remembered Nick's phone call right after Tony had been cleared. Nick had been so grateful and it had only enhanced Grissom's shame and guilt.

"I knew that I could trust you with this. I knew that you would get Tony out." Nick's voice had trailed off for a moment before he had spoken again. "Just like you got me out."

He had wanted to tell Nick right then that he didn't deserve his trust, that he had broken it in the worst possible way. He hadn't because Nick had gone on to talk about some cases and the sheer normality and happiness in Nick's voice had made him remain silent.

Grissom cursed himself silently. He was a coward, nothing but a lying coward.

"Hey, where have you been?" He turned around surprised as he noticed Don Eppes walk up next to him. The Fed grinned lightly at Grissom's frown. "Hey, I wasn't taking attendance or anything, I was merely jealous that you managed to escape some of the most boring lectures that I ever had to endure."

Normally Grissom would have been annoyed that someone dared to question him about his whereabouts especially if that someone was a fed. Surprisingly enough though he had to smile at Eppes face and shook his head. "I helped NCIS with a case."

"NCIS?" Eppes frowned a bit and then laughed. "You could have asked me for help."

Smiling despite himself Grissom looked at the other man. "Was it this bad?"

Eppes shrugged. "I am not a big fan of theoretical concepts that'll never work out in real life. Although thanks to my brother and his math I have started to see that there are concepts in theory that work even in real life."

He said it with a wry grin and Grissom wondered about it for a moment until he connected the dots. "You're brother is Charles Eppes?"

Eppes grinned and shook his head in something akin to awe, not awe for Grissom though Grissom realized immediately but awe for Eppes' brother. "He works with me on some cases and it's amazing how he helps us. I was never into math, you know, but now with him working with us... It's like a completely new universe has opened up for me."

He trailed off for a moment and as he spoke again, his voice was somehow subdued and almost a bit uncertain. "I never thought I would ever want to feel at home in Charlie's world, but now I wish I'd understand what he does."

From what Grissom had heard about Charles Eppes, there were very few people that could understand what the math professor did and as he told Don so, Eppes grinned. "Well, not his cognitive something theory, just what drives him you know what fascinates him about numbers. And why his calculations are so much better than any technique I learned at Quantico."

Grissom refrained from making a comment about the education at Quantico, but he understood where Eppes came from. "Theory and math can get you far, but as good as it is it will never facture in all the aspects of a crime; never understand the motivation, the emotions behind it."

Even as he said it, Grissom frowned. "And if you ever tell one of my colleagues that I told you that, I'll have to kill you. After all I always preach that nothing matters but the evidence."

Eppes grinned at the comment and shrugged. "It's true, but evidence can be false and if you look at it out of context, it might lead you astray."

Grissom understood that only too well, especially after the case he had just helped NCIS with. "Well, I guess I just had a very real life experience of how right that statement is."

Intrigued Eppes looked at Grissom to continue and as they walked towards the next conference room, Grissom told him as much as he could about the case. They discussed some of the finer details of fingerprint faking; Nick forgotten for the moment.

---

*Las Vegas*

Hearing Horatio's voice had been like a shock. It had woken memories that Eric had thought buried and at the same time it had made him feel wistful. Horatio had always been more than a boss, he had always been a mentor, a protector and at the very end a friend too. His relationship with H had been so completely different from the relationship he had with Grissom now and with a sigh, Eric realized that he missed Horatio.

‘You call him a friend and yet you didn't call him once since you left Miami.' The thought came unbidden, but it was the truth and realizing how selfish he had been Eric swallowed hard. He wanted to call H again and apologize, but before he could reach for the phone, Sara walked into the lab.

"Her prints on him, his prints on her... It was a suicide pact." Eric shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't understand why people killed themselves. He did. What he didn't understand was why teenagers did it. He couldn't help feeling that someone should have seen it, should have heard the cry for help.

"Al called, the autopsy is done." Nodding at Sara's words, Eric followed her down to see the coroner who smiled grimly as they walked into the morgue. "You're right on time. I just got the tox screen back."

He showed them the sheet of paper and Eric knew immediately what he was looking at, it was the perfect cocktail if someone wanted to kill themselves. The last ingredient though made him frown. "What's that for?"

Al Robbins shrugged. "It's what separates the attempts from the suicides. It's a drug that enhances the rate at which the other drugs are taken into the blood stream and balances the stomach acids."

Eric understood. "So no vomiting, no possibility of getting the drugs out of your system."

Robbins nodded sadly. "They knew what they were doing, and they had help."

Interested Eric now looked at Sara who had perked up too. "Why do you say that?"

Robbins pointed at some of the drugs. "You don't get that stuff over the counter, this is prescription medicine."

"Could a doctor have prescribed them any of the drugs?" Sara's question sounded as if she didn't believe it herself and Robbins shook his head. "No, especially not with these."

He pulled the girl's arm up and showed them the scars at her wrists. "You know they say that third time is the charm and from what I see, it was true for her."

Eric felt nothing but an all encompassing sadness as he looked at the scars, there were two distinct sets crossing the girl's wrists. When he looked at Sara, he could see the same sadness in her eyes. They left the morgue in silence and the melancholic feeling seemed to accompany them until Sara broke the spell. "Why does someone kill themselves?"

"Because they have nothing left to live for." The words were out before Eric could stop them. Sara tensed next to him and stopped walking as if she had run into a wall. "Eric?"

Her eyes were suddenly concerned and worried and Eric cursed himself while he shook his head. "It's not what you think, you can check my wrists if you want."

She didn't look as if his answer had made her feel any better and Eric sighed. He wanted to say something, when she shook her head. "I believe you, but that doesn't mean that you weren't there once."

Her words made him remember the night after Speed had died. He had gone down to the beach after helping Alexx perform the autopsy. He had looked at the sea, at the endless coming and going of the waves and had silently wondered if anyone would miss him if he just went out there and let himself get carried away. He hadn't noticed someone sitting down next to him until he had felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't even think about it."

Alexx' voice had been raw from tears and he had not had the strength to lie to her. "Why not, Alexx? Why not follow him?"

She had looked at him and the pain he had seen in her eyes had mirrored his. "Because I cannot lose two sons in one day."

They had spent the rest of the night sitting at the beach crying for the one they had lost. When the sun had come up she had looked at him. "I won't let you leave until you promise that I won't have your body on my table tomorrow."

Until today, Eric wondered how she had known. It didn't matter though, he had promised her and he had kept his word.

The memory faded and Eric saw that Sara looked at him concerned. "Eric, are you ok?"

She took him at his arm and gently steered him towards the break room. Eric sat down and looking at his hands he was shocked to see that they were trembling. He knew why he couldn't forget the memories, knew that talking to H had woken them again and yet he tried to force them down again.

"Eric?" Sara sat down next to him and handed him a coffee. Her eyes were still full of concern and seeing that she was honestly concerned and not simply curious, he took a deep breath and told her the truth. "I lost my lover three years ago. He was shot while working a case. When he died, I... I really felt as if I had lost everything."

When he fell silent, Sara didn't speak for a moment, when he felt her hand cover his gently. "I'm sorry Eric, I'm sorry, I asked."

"You don't have to be. I'll be alright." For a moment Sara looked as if she wanted to say something else, but then she nodded. "Let's find out who helped them."

---

*Washington DC*

Don wasn't a scientist and he certainly wasn't a profiler, but one didn't become LA's top FBI agent by sheer luck and if there was one thing that Don was good at it was reading people, listening to them and hearing what they didn't say.

Listening to Grissom talk about the NCIS case he had helped with was interesting in many ways, but what made it fascinating was the one thing Grissom always came back to, or the one person - Grissom's friend Nick.

"Did you work with him?" For a second Don wondered whether it had been a good idea to ask, because he felt that Grissom was too private a person to disclose such things voluntarily, but when Grissom nodded, he felt relieved. "He was part of my team; he transferred to New York about two years ago."

Again there was more to the story that the simple words told, but Don remained silent and simply waited for Grissom to continue. "We kept in touch, so when he called me, it wasn't like I was going to miss much at the conference anyway."

It was said with a wry smile and Don smiled. "Well, believe me, you didn't."

They sat in companionable silence for a moment, when Grissom suddenly looked at him. "If someone you cared about were in danger, would you tell them even at the risk of re-opening old wounds?"

The question sounded casual, the wording theoretical but Grissom's eyes told Don a different story. It was personal for the other man and because of it; it deserved a moment of thinking. "Theoretically? Yes. In real life? I try again and again to keep my brother safe, to keep him away from danger, to protect him from the dark side of my job... And every time he finds out he's furious with me."

Grissom's eyes met his for a moment. "And if I knew your brother were in danger and wouldn't tell him because I was afraid to hurt him?"

The mere thought of Charlie in danger made the hairs stand up in Don's neck and suddenly gripping his drink hard, he looked at Grissom. "We're talking hypothetically aren't we?"

Eyes widening a bit at the unmasked threat in Don's voice, Grissom nodded and Don relaxed. He thought about the question and finally shook his head. "I'd forgive you for not telling him, for protecting him from being hurt, but I'd never forgive you for not telling me."

---

*Las Vegas*

"Are you off?" Greg looked up when he heard Eric's voice. His friend looked tired and sad, and for the first time since he had bolted out of the restaurant, Greg realized that he wasn't alone in this mess. He might have caused it, but he wasn't alone in it.

The realization made him feel almost guilty and with a nod he followed Eric to his car. "Where do you want to go?"

Eric smiled a bit before he answered. "Out of the city… somewhere where we can talk and think."

Surprised at the answer, Greg got into the car and they drove out of the city in silence for about two minutes until Greg couldn't remain silent anymore. "Where are we going?"

Eric shrugged. "Warrick showed me this spot out in the mountains where you have the best view of the city. It's a breathtaking spot and lately it's become my spot when I need to sort things out or really think about something."

Despite himself, Greg felt touched that Eric took him to a place that meant this much to him. It proved that Nick had been right, Greg hadn't screwed up completely.

The spot really was stunning. Eric grabbed a canteen out of his truck and two mugs and as they sat down together, Greg smiled as he smelled coffee. "You thought of everything."

It was almost too much, too close to a romantic date and the thought made Greg's smile fade. Eric had watched him and as Greg looked up, he saw that Eric's eyes had darkened. It was now or never and steeling himself, he looked at Eric. "How badly did I screw up?"

Eric was silent for a moment, then he shook his head. "You didn't screw up or not anymore than I did. I... I never wanted to lead you on or something. I just didn't realize that you..."

As Eric trailed off again, Greg finished the sentence for him. "That I was falling for you?"

A pained expression crossed Eric's face and he nodded. Greg sighed. "Look, I didn't expect that either, but it happened and yesterday, I just felt like taking a chance."

For a while they both were silent until Eric spoke again. "I'm sorry."

Greg frowned; shouldn't he be the one apologizing? Somehow he had imagined the entire conversation to happen completely different. "You can't chose who you fall for, so don't be sorry... I'll wallow in misery for a while, but as long as I know that I'll still have a friend when I'm done wallowing, then I'll survive."

When Eric remained silent, Greg looked at him and saw that Eric stared at the skyline of Vegas shimmering in the early morning sun. "Eric?"

"I promise you that I'll always be your friend." Eric spoke silently, but his voice was intense and honest and Greg felt as if a huge load just fell off his shoulders. It still hurt that Eric wasn't interested in him, and he would mourn for what might have been, but he hadn't lost his friendship.

---

*In the plane between Washington DC and Las Vegas*

Grissom liked to fly. It always felt like he was suspended between two places; as if he wasn't in one place but at the same time he hadn't arrived at the next. Flying felt as if he wasn't responsible for things for once and that alone felt freeing.

Today though the flight brought little relief from his thoughts and the more he thought about his decision not to inform Nick the more he cursed himself making it. He had to tell his friend, had to tell him about Kelly and the second voice on the tape.

Don's words came back to him. I would never forgive you for not telling me.

Eppes had understood him, had understood his need to protect Nick, but at the same time he had been appalled that Grissom had not informed anyone close to Nick about the danger. And that was the solution, wasn't it?

He could tell Don Flack about the danger and thus avoid reopening Nick's wounds. Grissom felt relief spread through him as he finally found a way out of his dilemma and as he sighed deeply, he ignored the small voice in the back of his mind that told him he was a coward for pushing the hard decision of whether or not to tell Nick towards the one person that cared for Nick more than anyone else.

---

*Las Vegas*

Warrick frowned at the mess in the house and exchanged a look with Catherine and Grissom. They had been called to a double homicide downtown and after determining the victims' address they had driven there. Now, Warrick wished to be anywhere but inside the old house.

It was a mess and as he looked at the kitchen where half eaten food was rotting next to stacks of unwashed plates, he shook his head. "How can people live like this?"

"Every person has a different perception of tidiness." Grissom's word caused Warrick to stare at his boss incredulously. "Gris, you can't honestly believe that anyone would call this clean."

Grissom shrugged and opened the fridge and knowing that he wouldn't get an answer; Warrick opened the door to the next room and gasped silently. Compared to the mess in the other rooms this room was squeaky clean. Almost tentatively Warrick walked inside and looked around. There wasn't much furniture in the room; instead it was filled with boxes. Boxes without any labels or markings. Suspicious, Warrick carefully opened one and gaped as he realized that he was looking at a cardboard box full of casino chips.

"Gris, Cat, you have to see this." They both walked into the room quickly and stared at Warrick's find. "Are they real?"

Warrick shook his head and carefully looked at one of the chips. "I don't think so. I mean why would any casino store chips in such a place?"

"Well, I guess that could be called motive, couldn't it? Which casino is it?" Brass' voice interrupted their thought process and Warrick looked again at the chips. "The Montecito."

Brass smiled darkly as he looked at the others. "Well, let's pay them a visit."

---

*Los Angeles*

Don was watching Charlie and Larry argue about some anomaly that he would never have a chance of understanding and with a smile he turned towards Colby. "Math fight."

Colby grinned, but Charlie, having heard the comment frowned at Don. "It wasn't a fight, Don, it was a scientific argument."

Seeing how his brother's eyes sparkled, Don automatically clamped down on his feelings before he lifted his hands in a mock surrender. "Of course, Charlie, you wouldn't fight about something scientific."

Charlie looked at him for a long time obviously trying to figure out whether or not Don was taking him serious or not. Finally he smiled brightly and grabbing Don's hand he pulled him in front of the black board. "Larry pointed out that I have forgotten to take the unpredictability of the random walk into account in this case. So when I added the formulas for this, I got a completely new equation..."

Not understanding a thing of what Charlie was actually trying to explain, Don nevertheless listened to Charlie's explanations, knowing that whatever it was that Charlie had taken into account was probably going to help him catch the killer.

He stood back a bit and looked at the formulas and equations on the black board. He had been surrounded by blackboards and numbers all his life and now as he stood in Charlie's office looking at the result of his brother's latest calculations, he suddenly remembered his talk with Gil Grissom during the conference.

"I never thought I would ever want to feel at home in Charlie's world, but now I wish I'd understand what he does."

I wish I understand what he does; he thought again and immediately corrected himself. It wasn't what Charlie did that mattered, it was what drove him.

What did his brother see when he looked at those numbers and letters? What did Charlie see when he looked at Don?

"Don, you with me?" Snapping back at reality, Don saw Charlie look at him and smiled. "Sorry, I just drifted a bit. So do we have a lead?"

Charlie nodded and handed him a scoring sheet with three suspects on it. Don thanked him and left the office with Colby in tow.

---

*Las Vegas*

"Hi, I'm Danny McCoy, Head of Montecito Security, How can I help you?" The man who greeted them with a friendly smile was a lot younger than Warrick would have guessed. It showed, he thought silently how assumptions could screw perception, but after a quick glance at the man he extended his hand and introduced himself and Brass.

"This is Captain Brass and I'm Warrick Brown from CSI. Can we talk somewhere private?" McCoy's face immediately grew serious and turned towards a well hidden elevator. "Sure, let's talk in my office."

Inside the elevator, Warrick observed McCoy silently and noted that although young, he was clearly confident in his skin. Still, he could see the concern in the blue eyes as McCoy turned towards him. "Did something happen to one of our guests?"

Letting Brass take the lead, Warrick watched McCoy as Brass explained why they were here. He had obviously known about the fake chips and as soon as Brass mentioned them he nodded. "Yes, we've had two incidents so far where we discovered fake chips."

"Did you notify the gaming commission?" Brass' tone was abrupt and Warrick sighed, Brass didn't like dealing with casino owners or security and often was borderline rude when dealing with them. Danny however wasn't deterred by the interrogation and as they walked into the security room he nodded. "Yeah, we notified them and Metro. But neither the police nor we have had any leads so far. Do you want a coffee or anything?"

Looking at McCoy sitting behind the large wooden desk, Warrick had a hard time reconciling the easy going man he had watched flirt with some girls at the casino floor with the confident professional he saw now. Brass declined the offer for drinks and when Warrick too shook his head, Brass explained about the two dead men.

"So you think we had something to do with this?" McCoy had tensed at the implicit accusation and Warrick saw how the easy going attitude vanished in the blink of an eye. "We're not assuming anything; we're just asking if you knew who faked the chips."

McCoy's voice was cold as he replied. "I already told you that we hadn't found anything yet. If we had, we would have notified the police immediately. This is not the wild west, Captain Brass."

No, Warrick thought, but sometimes it was close to it. Brass asked a couple of questions, while Warrick looked around. Finally the interview came to a close and Warrick felt McCoy looking at him and immediately addressed him. "Could you make us a copy of the incidents where you found the fake chips? Maybe the victims were amongst your guests."

McCoy nodded, but then shook his head. "Why don't you give me their pictures and I run them though the facial recognition program?"

For a moment, Warrick wanted to say yes, but seeing Brass' look, he shook his head. "Sorry, but we have to do this at our lab."

A small smile ran over McCoy's face as he nodded and called someone named Mike. "Can you make a copy of the fake chips files? Thanks, man!"

The copies were done in less than five minutes and Warrick handed Danny his card. "Call me if you remember anything or if something happens."

Danny nodded and with a smile looked at Warrick. "Sure and please keep us in the loop. We like knowing what's going on in our house."

---

Brass growled lightly when they were finally outside. "What do you think? I bet they offed the guys."

Warrick frowned and shrugged. "That's a bit far fetched isn't it? I mean he said that they reported it and everything, what would they gain in killing them?"

Brass simply looked at him and pointed towards the Montecito sign. "You know who is the boss in here, don't you?"

Warrick sighed. "Ed Deline, isn't it?"

Brass grinned a bit. "And please don't tell me that you think, Deline would simply sit back and let the police do their work."

Brass had a point, but before he could say anything else, his phone rang interrupting the conversation. "Brass"

Grissom's voice was as calm and quiet as always. "We got a hit on the gun. It belongs to a Curtis Ryan in Henderson, I get the warrant, can you and Warrick meet us there?"

---

*Chapter 4 - First Meeting*

* Las Vegas*

Danny McCoy wasn't exactly a happy camper as he walked through the lobby in search of Sam. He hadn't heard from the detectives and he felt that the cops would love to pin the double homicide on him or someone of his team. Some part of him had hoped that the killing of the two men would stop the flow of fake chips into the casino, but his hopes had been dashed as he had been notified of three more guests paying with fake chips.

And now he had just found out that one of Sam's whales had destroyed his room

"Sam, we need to talk." She must have seen the stress in his eyes because she nodded and came over. "Listen, I already talked to Mr. Wuong, he will cover any damage he caused."

Shaking his head, Danny looked at her again. "Sam, this is the third time. We can't completely renovate the suite every time he stays here."

She shook her head. "He's a great client, he spends so much money on the table. And he isn't a security risk, he's just... " She smiled a bit before she continued. "Excitable, I guess."

"Well I had to report him to Ed, so it's up to him." Danny saw how her eyes flashed at him once before she stalked away. He smiled faintly at her attitude. He knew that she would go straight to Ed and tell him off. His phone beeped and he answered it curtly when Mike's voice came through. "Danny, we have a problem."

At Mike's voice everything in Danny tensed and he told his friend to tell him what. "We have a dead guy in room 2256."

For a moment, Danny simply stared at the phone and then decided that this day had just gone from bad to hell. "Call the police and ask for Captain Brass."

---

Brass was in Conrad Ecklie's office trying to formulate a theory as to why the Montecito employees could be their suspects. Conrad and he had gone from enemies to lovers to friends and even now almost a year after they had split up, they used each other as sounding boards every now and then.

"Why would Deline kill the guys?" Conrad always came straight to the point and Brass smiled lightly. "Cause he's old Vegas and anyone who fucks with him, pays for it?"

Conrad wanted to answer, but before he could say anything, Brass' phone rang. "Captain Brass."

He listened to the call for a moment and looked at Conrad with a frown. "Ok, Mr. McCoy we'll be there in a second. Can you tell me the name of the victim?"

When McCoy gave him the name, Brass felt himself tense. "Thank you and please make sure that the scene is untouched."

Putting the phone back in his jacket, Brass got up. "We have a dead guy at the Montecito and guess who it is."

Conrad shrugged. "Curtis Ryan?"

Of course he had known that his friend would guess right, still he pretended to be annoyed and glared at Conrad. "You're not supposed to be this smart, you know. Could ruin your reputation as a career CSI."

Conrad laughed at the teasing and shrugged. "You just have to keep it a secret, won't you."

Brass left the room and called Grissom and his team. Their case had just become much more complicated.

---

"Eric, Sara, I need you two and Greg to drive over to the Montecito. They found a guy shot in his room." Grissom saw that Sara and Eric seemed a bit reluctant to go and with a frown he looked at them. "What's the matter?"

Pointing at the evidence in front of her, Sara shrugged. "We want to find a proof that the mother was really involved other than driving them there and giving them access to the drugs. If we can't charge her with anything, she'll get the girl back just like that."

Grissom remembered the suicide case that Eric and Sara had had a couple of nights ago. Two kids had killed themselves in the desert, but what had looked like a straight forward suicide case had turned into a family drama when Eric and Sara had found out that the mother of the girl had literally driven them to kill themselves.

"We know she pushed them towards it, you know it and so does the DA, but without proof, we can't charge her." Sara's plea had been passionate and so he'd given them some more time to look at the evidence, but with the murder at the Montecito their time had just run out.

"I'm sorry, Sara but murder has priority." She sighed and looked at him again. "Can't Eric and Greg handle this on their own. I really want to put her away, she killed her own daughter, Gris."

Grissom looked at Eric and saw a similar plea in his eyes as was currently in Sara's eyes and with a sigh, he gave in. "Ok, but if you haven't found anything by the end of the shift, you're on a new case."

She smiled at him and with a sigh, he wondered whether he had just made a mistake and given her a wrong impression. Well, he thought philosophically, he'd survive it and so would she.

"Let's get out there, so that we can start." Eric looked at him surprised. "You joining us? Aren't you working on the downtown homicide?"

Eric wasn't questioning him, he was simply curious and with a smile Grissom answered. "They are connected, your murder victim is our primary suspect."

---

Danny sighed as he saw Brass walk into the hotel room, but he concealed any thoughts and greeted the Captain friendly. Brass however wasn't one to play around and smiled thinly. "Mr. McCoy, can you tell me who found Mr. Curtis?"

Danny wanted to answer, but the arrival of the CSI team made him turn around. He recognized the older grey haired man immediately and cursed his luck. He had hoped that Warrick Brown would work this case. The CSI had seemed to be more easy going, Gil Grissom on the other hand was famous and infamous all at once; famous for this success rate, infamous because he was notoriously bad at involving Casino security in his investigations. Still right now, he was glad they were here and looking Grissom and the young guy with the spiky hair, he smiled politely and introduced himself. "Mr. Grissom, Danny McCoy, I am the Head of Surveillance and Security."

Grissom looked at him and for a second Danny felt as if the blue eyes were trying to see through him. Silently he thanked Ed for his years of training as he managed to stay calm and meet the look with a friendly smile. Grissom held his eyes for a moment longer, then turned away and looked at his team.

"This is Greg Sanders he works with me in the crime lab. Another member of my team, Eric Delko is taking pictures and prints in the hallway." Danny nodded at Grissom and Greg Sanders. He appreciated the information and looked at Brass as he answered the question that the Captain had asked before the CSIs had arrived.

"Captain Brass asked about who had found him,..." He trailed off when his phone rang and checked the number. It was Mary who called and he pressed the reject button without much thought before he continued his explanation. "Mrs. Hernandez found him when she wanted to clean the room. She informed my team who in turn notified me and then you."

Grissom looked at him again and Danny once more felt as if he was under a microscope. "Did you know the victim?"

Danny shook his head. "No, he only checked in two nights ago. He's not a regular client or a high roller, which means that so far we know nothing apart from the details he gave at check in."

Grissom nodded. Danny could see that he wanted to say something when a young man walked into the room. The man was about as tall as Danny, but had wonderful olive colored skin, dark short hair, dark beautiful eyes and a body to drool over. Danny swallowed hard and was glad as the newcomer started to speak as it gave him a legitimate reason to look at him.

"I've got dozens of finger and foot prints, but what else would you expect in a hotel. One thing though, I found this on the floor." He showed Danny and Grissom a key card and Grissom immediately looked at Danny.

"That's not one of our hotel keys . Ours are blue." Danny felt the new guy's eyes on him as he spoke and hoped he'd say something. He had liked listening to his voice which had a very, very slight accent. It was enough to give him an exotic touch but not enough for Danny to place him somewhere. One thing was for sure though, the newcomer was downright gorgeous and Danny had to force himself to keep his mind on the dead guest.

"Mr. McCoy can we look at the tapes? I am sure you have an exact account of where Mr. Ryan has been in the casino." Grissom's request was one he could easily fulfill. But before he could show the CSI where to go, Grissom stopped him and addressed the other guy. "Eric, can you go with Mr. McCoy and check out the security tapes?"

So Mr. Gorgeous had a name and as Danny walked towards the elevator with Eric in tow, he thought of the saying that every bad situation had a silver lining. For once, he mused, it seemed true.

---

Eric followed McCoy through hallways, up and down stairs and into several elevators until he shook his head. "How many guests of yours have been found starved to death in one of these corridors?"

McCoy turned around and grinned before teasingly telling Eric. "None actually, we're already in the part where only staff is allowed. So no guests here, but maybe one day some noisy CSIs will turn up."

Eric frowned at McCoy and once more got a wide grin in response. "Don't worry, I'm not going to abandon you here and even if I would. You know Casinos, cameras everywhere."

He pointed towards the ceiling and Eric noticed the small cameras that monitored his every step. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable and with a sigh he remembered the heated discussions he used to have with Speed about the merits and dangers of complete camera surveillance. They had argued often about the point and stubborn as they had been, they had never given in and yet the making up had always been wonderful. For a moment Eric's smile faded and sadness overcame him, when he felt concerned eyes on him. McCoy had noticed his mood shift and averting his eyes, Eric forced a smile on his face.

"What's that line from Ocean's 11? There's always someone watching?" McCoy grinned but his eyes were serious as he nodded. "Yeah pretty much and most of the time that someone is me. And believe me, Danny Ocean would have never gotten past me..."

They laughed and stepped into yet another elevator when Eric felt McCoy's eyes on him once again. Surprised at the honest concern in them he looked up and felt himself caught. He hadn't noticed until that moment, how blue the other man's eyes were. As soon as their eyes met, McCoy kept Eric's gaze captured until the look became an almost tangible caress. Eric felt a shiver run through him which shook him to his core.

McCoy was taller than him, and his posture was relaxed as he leaned against the elevator wall. Eric watched the other man, and almost unconsciously trailed his eyes over the deceptively lean body. There was something about McCoy that spoke of an underlying strength and an ability to use his body as a weapon. Eric swallowed hard and McCoy's eyes fixed on him again as if he had read his thoughts. The open appreciation in the blue eyes once more made Eric tremble. What the fuck was happening?

"I'm Danny by the way." The charged moment had disappeared and as Eric looked at Danny now, he saw humor and friendship in the blue eyes. It was enough to make him reach out and grasp Danny's hand but once again there was suddenly more and underneath the smile and the seriousness Eric saw an interest that ran much deeper than professional behavior allowed. Swallowing hard at the sudden understanding, he masked his confusion with a smile. "Eric Delko."

Danny smiled and left the elevator as the doors opened. Eric groaned as he saw another hallway in front of him.

"This is worse than the glades." He must have mumbled the words louder than he had wanted or Danny had really great ears because the other man turned around and smiled at him. "I could tell that you are new to Vegas, but I wouldn't have guessed that you're from Florida."

The open and friendly curiosity in Danny's eyes made it surprisingly easy to answer and he shrugged as he sent another almost shy smile in the other's direction before he started. Was he flirting?

"Miami actually, I transferred here about seven months ago." At his words, Danny's eyes met Eric's again and he saw the curiosity in them. "And where's the accent from?"

Surprised that Danny had been able to pick up the faint traces of the languages he had grown up with, Eric shrugged. "Mother is Cuban and my father is Russian. I guess my accent's from somewhere in between."

They entered the security room and Eric nodded in appreciation after taking a look around. The equipment was state of the art, the screens showing every corner and room of the casino and hotel. Again he felt Danny's eyes on him and turned around with a nod. "This is making my job so much easier."

Danny nodded in agreement, but before he could answer an older man walked through the door. Eric's first thought was that he reminded him of Horatio. Not from the looks, as the man was clearly older than H, had grey hair instead of H's red hair and was broader built. He didn't have Horatio's slender stature instead was smaller and clearly muscular. And yet both men had the same attitude, the same presence that announced their arrival as soon as they stepped into a room.

"Ed? Can I introduce you to CSI Eric Delko?" The man had turned at Danny's words and Eric found himself in the focus of intense blue eyes. He held the gaze and didn't fidget as the eyes slowly mustered him from head to toe. There was something to be said about Horatio's training, it certainly helped him now.

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Delko. I'm Ed Deline, President of Operations at the Montecito. You're investigating the murder of Mr. Ryan?"

Eric remembered having heard the name Ed Deline before and quickly went through the memorized facts as he followed Danny and Mr. Deline over to the second control room. Ed Deline was something like a legend in Las Vegas and while he had heard only good things about the other man, he had clearly noticed that the respect that everyone felt for him was tinged with fear too. Deline had been running the Montecito for a long time, first as Head of Security and now as President of Operations for the entire group. Looking at the older man, Eric saw the intelligence in his eyes, the calculated calmness and openness and a good measure of shrewdness. He wasn't sure whether or not to trust him, but he decided to give him the benefit of doubt as he answered the question. "With my team, yes."

Deline looked at him for another moment and nodded as if his inspection had confirmed something, Eric shrugged and turned towards the screens. "Danny, you help him with the tapes, won't you? Mr. Delko, let me know if there's anything I can help you with."

Eric appreciated the offer although he doubted the sincerity of it. His years in Miami had taught Eric not to trust managers. He had become very jaded when it came to big business and its leaders. Still he nodded friendly and watched as Deline left the room again. Looking back to the screen, he found Danny's eyes on him and saw that the other man smiled faintly.

"He's on our side." Danny's words made him smile a bit, before he turned serious again. "Maybe, but right now I'm not sure if we are on the same side."

Danny frowned a bit, but didn't comment instead he sat down and started to type in some words into the surveillance system.

"What time frame do you need?" Thinking quickly about it, Eric groaned. "No time frame, just every single movement."

Danny looked at him. "That's a lot of tape."

"I know, and I really wonder sometimes why I'm not wearing glasses." Danny smiled faintly and started the search program. "There we've got him."

Eric narrowed his eyes as Curtis Ryan appeared on the screen. Their victim talked to the hostess at the entrance and then headed towards the reception. "Checking in at 10:25 A.M.."

Curtis Ryan then walked away, but instead of going directly to his room, he left the hotel. Eric sighed. "Do you have cameras outside?"

Danny nodded and flipped over to another camera. Curtis Ryan was on the phone with someone and Eric immediately made a note to have Greg check with Brass about phone records. "I'll have Mitch make copies of all the files we're looking at, then you can take them apart in your lab."

Eric rolled his eyes and nodded. "Can you show me the hallway outside Ryan's room?"

Danny selected the camera and they watched together as people walked up and down the hallway disappearing in their rooms and coming back out again. It was nothing spectacular, but suddenly Eric tensed as he saw the shadow of a man appear. "Stop right here."

Danny stopped, looked at the picture and cursed. "Nothing, the bastard knows where the cameras are."

Eric looked at Danny and saw how the other man tensed. "Who knows the exact positioning and range of the cameras except your team?"

Danny immediately shook his head. "You can't honestly think that we have something to do with this."

"I don't know, Danny, but we'll follow the evidence. I need the footage of this too." Eric knew that Archie could sometimes make miracles happen and he counted on their tech to provide him with some additional information. For a moment, he wondered if he should tell Danny, but his common sense was stronger. He liked the other man, but Danny McCoy might turn out to be a suspect and Eric didn't want to tip off a potential killer.

Danny didn't say anything, but in the tense set of his jaw, Eric could see that he had upset the other man. He wanted to tell him that it was all going to be ok, but with a sigh Eric pushed the urge away. "Let's see the rest of his movements."

They went through the rest of the material and then Danny gave him the CDs that his employee had burned while they had watched the footage. "These are the specific files that we've just looked at and the complete footage of all cameras from yesterday 10.25am until the moment you arrived at the scene. Do you need anything else?"

Eric shook his head when something occurred to him. "You wonder why we're suspecting you, aren't you?"

At Danny's nod, Eric sighed. "Mr. Ryan was our prime suspect for the killing of two men in down town. Two men that were in the possession of fake Montecito chips."

Danny paled and Eric could see how he made the connections. "Damn it."

The curse was heart felt, and Eric smiled a bit, before he got up. There was a certain tension between him and Danny and Eric felt as if he should apologize for it, but he had never before apologized for doing his job and he wasn't going to start now.

"Thanks a lot." Danny's words surprised him, but Danny wasn't done yet. "For telling me and not keeping me in the dark."

He opened the door and Eric walked outside and hesitated in the corridor as he realized that he had no idea where to go. Danny's chuckle behind him made him sigh in relief that he wasn't abandoned.

"I told you that I won't leave you to starve to your death." Danny put a warm, strong hand on his shoulder and Eric barely managed not to tense up. The shock of the warm touch seemed to travel through his entire body and the longer the hand stayed the more it chased away the cold he always felt.

"Don't worry , I won't abandon you." The words were spoken closely to his ear, but even as the closeness was registered in Eric's mind, Danny had already stepped back and walked down towards the elevator.

Eric's eyes were on him and like before he was suddenly very much aware of Danny's presence. Looking at the other man, he acknowledged once more that Danny McCoy was a very, very handsome man. His hair was the natural blond of a cornfield and not the beach blond that dyed hair usually had. Danny was taller than Eric although not by much and yet Eric couldn't remember when he had felt so vulnerable in the presence of someone. There was something about Danny that belied his little boy attitude and Eric shivered as his eyes moved over the back to Danny's ass and he grew even more aware of the other man.

"I won't abandon you." Danny's words from before came back to him and Eric swallowed hard. Danny had spoken them in jest, had made a joke about them and in a normal case Eric would have laughed and bantered back. He couldn't now though, not with those words. Danny couldn't know what these simple words meant to Eric, couldn't know that he had unwittingly told Eric something that Eric had longed to hear for a long time. Couldn't know that Eric still wished Speed had promised him exactly that.

"What are you doing on Saturday?" Danny's question jerked him back to reality and he shrugged. He hadn't really done much in the six months since he'd moved here. If he had gone out then it usually had been for drinks with Warrick, and before that he had gone clubbing with Greg once or twice, but mainly he had furnished his apartment and done nothing.

"You're not working, are you?" Thankfully he wasn't and Eric smiled. "No, I was on call for the last couple of weekends, so this one really is a free one."

They walked along another hallway to yet another elevator and this time, Danny turned towards Eric as soon as he had pressed the right floor. There was still much space between them and yet Eric felt once again surprisingly vulnerable. It was a novel feeling and he wasn't sure if he liked it, but when Danny spoke he forgot about it immediately. "You want to go out? I bet you haven't seen the real sights of Vegas yet."

It was so tempting, but Eric with Danny involved in their investigation it was impossible to go out with him right now. He started a bit as he realized how disappointed he was, but as if Danny had read his dilemma, he shrugged and handed him his business card. "Call me, after you've finished the case. If you still want to go out, just let me know ok?"

They had reached the entrance and Eric saw Warrick wait for him. He felt oddly reluctant to say goodbye to Danny. He had enjoyed the company despite the sometimes awkward feelings and felt bad for not being able to make Saturday. He wanted to be with Danny, wanted to spend more time with him and wanted to get to know him closer. The realization of what he really felt was like a jolt through him and he tensed.

He had never felt like this, not since Speed and he swallowed at the bittersweet feeling of desire that cursed through his body. He didn't know Danny and yet he wanted him.

"I'll call you. I'm sorry about Saturday." Danny waved his apology away with an easy smile and pointed at the card Eric still held in his hand.

"If you're sorry, then you'll call." He smiled once more and quickly ran his eyes over Eric. This time it was clearly meant as a caress and Eric did nothing to mask his reaction to the blatant lust in Danny's eyes. For a moment they stared at each other, and Eric shuddered at the heat in the blue eyes.

"And you better do call or I'll track you down." Danny's words were teasing, but his eyes told Eric that there was a grain of truth in the statement.

---

Warrick watched the exchange between Eric and McCoy with interest. He wondered if the two men realized how much tension they created between them. If they were in a comic book, there would be little lightning over their heads and Warrick grinned. McCoy was quite handsome even if he wasn't exactly Warrick's type, but then his type was pretty damn specific. Warrick's smile faded as the familiar pain made him swallow hard for a moment. He wasn't exactly over Nick and thinking about his friend still hurt, but at least he had him back as his best friend and the hurt wasn't as painful anymore.

New York had been hard, but also eye-opening. It had brought home the fact that Nick wasn't going to come back to Las Vegas. Nick was home in New York and Warrick had had no chance but to accept it. He frowned as he pushed the memory back and concentrated once more on Eric.

They had become good friends since that day when Eric had picked him up from the airport and yet he still felt as if there was some part in Eric's life that he didn't know about. He was so different from the man Warrick had met all those years ago, Eric was darker, more serious and there was sadness around him that made Warrick sometimes want to grab and hug him. Part of him understood that it was a natural reaction to losing a sister and a friend, but another part made him wish for the easy going Eric to reappear again.

"Hey, you're day dreaming?" Eric grinned. Warrick thought about defending himself, but in the end, he opted for a shrug and a grin.

"I thought, I'll give you some time to flirt with our suspect over there." To his surprise, Eric flushed and suddenly looked afraid. "I wasn't flirting."

Warrick realized that he had made a mistake by calling McCoy a suspect and immediately shook his head. "Hey, I'm not saying you did something wrong ok? I know you're a pro and hey, if you ask me I think it's cute."

That earned him a slap, but at least the fear had disappeared from Eric's eyes. Warrick smiled while he walked towards the car and waited for Eric to stove his kit and the CDs in the back before he turned towards him again. "So you're going to call him when this is over?"

Again Eric seemed tense and Warrick realized that they had never really spoken about their preference in partners. Sighing silently, he shook his head. "Eric, you know that I don't care if you like guys, do you? I mean, you know why I flew to New York, so why should it bother me..."

Eric remained silent and Warrick frowned a bit as he started the car and drove to the lab. They were almost there when Eric suddenly spoke. "It's just weird, you know? I've never..."

He trailed off, but Warrick saw that he was tense and gently he put a hand around Eric's shoulder. "You never?"

Eric gave a shrug. "It's complicated."

The answer made Warrick laugh, because it was his preferred diversion, now though he looked at Eric and grinned. "Breakfast then."

Eric groaned, but as he looked at Warrick, he seemed to realize that Warrick wouldn't let this go and agreed with a scowl. "Breakfast."

---

Sam had watched Danny talking to the handsome stranger and a shiver had run through her at the sexual tension between them. She was one of the few people that knew about Danny's real preferences, but with him being a Marine, she also knew about his usual discretion. It surprised her to see him flirt so openly, but at the same time it elated her. She had always feared that he would one day take the easy way out and tie the knot with Mary. It had nothing to do with Mary. Sam just knew that Mary and Danny would never work. She was too needy, too much little good wife to make him happy. Danny didn't need a soft smile and hot curves. He needed someone who stood up to him, who gave back as good as he got and someone whose hard body was as strong as Danny's own.

"The LVPD certainly has some good looking guys in their ranks, and trust Danny to appreciate the fact too." Delinda had snuck up behind her and Sam frowned as she saw how her friend watched the two cops. "What do you mean?"

Delinda stretched lightly and for a second Sam felt anxious through her when Delinda laughed.

"Don't worry; Danny told me after we broke up. It explained some things..." Delinda grinned and nodded towards the spot where the two CSI's had been just minutes before. "So what do we do to get them together?"

---

Eric was sitting next to Archie and avidly watched as the lab tech cleaned up the grisly video. The picture of the person didn't appear but the shadow got clearer and Eric narrowed his eyes as he saw the movement of one hand.

"Stop it." Archie stopped and Eric growled lightly. "See the hand there? We caught him on film; we just have no idea who he is."

He shook his head but perked up when Archie grinned at him. "See, you field CSIs just give up way too easily. Show a little faith in Archie."

Eric grinned back and watched him expand the screen and start typing furiously. He was curious by nature and staring at Archie he couldn't help asking him what he was doing. Archie wasn't Hodges and unlike the trace expert he readily explained how sometimes the cameras caught more than what ended up on the screen. Finally though, he sighed as none of his attempts to clear the picture got any results. He looked at Eric and shrugged. "Give me some time, will you? I'll page you if I find something."

Thanking Archie, Eric got up and went looking for Sara. He hoped that she had found something that tied the mother to the two suicides, but as he finally found her she looked defeated. "Found anything?"

"Not a damn thing, the bottles were clean, no prints on and we can't even prove that she was there when they took the drugs." Eric understood her frustration. "We know that she drove them there, but we don't know if she stayed long enough to watch them kill themselves."

She nodded, when Eric suddenly remembered something. "Sara, the milk."

She looked at him as if he had spoken Chinese, but he could literally see how realization dawned. "Of course, the baby was there and she took it with her. Let me run some tests."

Without another words, she turned around and Eric smiled as he watched her walk away. He had been slightly apprehensive about her knowing about Speed, but she hadn't changed the way she acted around him at all. It was a relief and without really thinking about it, he called her name again.

"Sara, you up for some drinks before the shift tomorrow?"

She stopped and threw him a surprised look. "You're pulling my leg?"

It was his turn to be surprised now, but he shook his head. "No, why would I? I just thought. I've been out with Greg and Rick, but never with you."

That seemed to surprise her and her eyes narrowed. It was only then that Eric realized how his invitation could be taken. He wanted to take his offer back, when she grinned at him.

"No funny business." He raised his hands to show that he understood and laughed. "None, I promise."

She shook her head and smiled before she went to search for more clues on her suicide.

Eric, on the other hand headed, towards the morgue. He knew that Ryan had been killed by a gunshot, but maybe Robbins would be able to tell him more.

Al Robbins looked up from his latest body and nodded in greeting. "You here for the casino victim, aren't you?"

Eric nodded and Robbins shrugged. "I can't tell you anything new. He was killed by a single gunshot to the chest. Shot at close range, the shot was fatal, he died immediately."

Eric hadn't expected anything else and with a faint smile he thanked Robbins. He was just about to walk out, when he remembered something. "Did you find the bullet?"

Robbins shook his head. "No, I didn't. Why?"

Already reaching for his phone, Eric frowned a bit. "Cause Greg and Grissom didn't find one at the scene."

"So either the killer took it with him, or you didn't find it." Robbins' words made Eric smile grimly as he suddenly remembered something. "We didn't find it and I think I know why. I think the window was open when he was killed."

Robbins' eyes met his and the ME snorted. "Well good luck in finding it then."

---

Warrick grinned at the look in Eric's face as he walked into the locker room and leaned against the door. "You thought I had forgotten about it, didn't you?"

Eric's smirk and shrug told him enough and he made sure to stand right in the door, just in case Eric tried to escape. He didn't, instead he shook his head and changed into a casual shirt and grabbed his jacket. Warrick noted the casual but stylish clothes, the modern leather shoes and the brand name on the sunglasses. He had realized a while ago, that Eric could easily give him a run for the title of the most stylish CSI in town. It was a first for Warrick and he chuckled lightly which made Eric turn around and raise an eyebrow.

"Don't worry; I'm not laughing at you. I just thought that I'm glad you don't have Nick's fashion sense." Even as he said it, Warrick cringed internally. Eric must be so tired of hearing about Nick and always being measured against him. Warrick had promised himself not to make the same mistake and still he had. Although, he thought as he looked at Eric, he didn't look too pissed off instead his eyes twinkled.

"Why was it that outlandish?"

Outlandish? The word made Warrick chuckle again and as they headed towards their cars, he shook his head. "It wasn't bad. He's from Texas so he gets some points for even trying... I guess they have a law there that says you're not allowed to wear your shirt out of your pants or your sleeves unbuttoned..."

Eric smiled lightly, as he ducked back into his locker and retrieved his keys from it.

"Must be the north-south divide, Speed never wore his shirts cuffed and H had to literally beg him to wear a suit to court." The comment was accompanied by a laugh, but at the same time, Eric's eyes had darkened with remembered pain.

Warrick swallowed at the grief he saw in the dark eyes and once again wanted to hug the younger man. He didn't dare though and holding himself back he gently steered Eric towards his car. "I'll drive you back afterwards."

They drove in silence to the diner and Warrick remained silent until they had ordered. Eric seemed nervous and Warrick suddenly felt old as he watched him fidget in his chair. When had it happened that he was the one to give dating advice to the rookies?

"Look, if you don't want to talk, I'm fine. I just want you to know that I don't care whom you're dating and neither does anyone else in the office, well Sara might, if you date Gris, but apart from that you're safe." Eric stared into the coffee until Warrick got worried and gently nudged him with his elbow. "We can just sit here and talk about sports, you know. I mean we are guys after all."

This time Eric looked up and gave him a smile that was full of mischief. "What do you want to talk about? You guys don't even have a decent pro team."

The comment woke Warrick's competitiveness and soon enough they were in the midst of a heated argument about the best basketball team. Warrick noticed how Eric mentioned Miami a couple of times, usually in connection with the Miami Heat, however he also noted the complete lack of longing when he talked about his former home. It was as if Eric didn't miss the city at all.

"And let's not forget, the Heat have done much better lately."

Grinning Warrick shook his head and countered the argument only to be interrupted when their food arrived. Eric's eyes lit up at the plates full with scrambled eggs and once more he laughed. "I tell you, that's something I'm still not used to, eating breakfast for dinner..."

Warrick remembered that Eric had been on dayshift and he nodded, he knew only too well how hard the change could be. "When Ecklie broke up our team and Cat, Nick and I were on swing shift for a couple of months, my internal clock got completely screwed. I couldn't sleep and was just constantly walking around like a zombie."

Eric smiled understandingly. "Never got the whole nightshift appeal, or at least not when I was in Miami. It's making sense here though, there's not much going on during the day."

Warrick grabbed another slice of toast and twisted it in his hands. He wasn't sure whether or not to ask Eric about Nick, but the prompting stare he got from dark eyes made it clear that Eric knew he had something on his mind. "I just realized before that it must be annoying for you to hear nothing but ‘Nick here' and ‘Nick there'. Kind of promised myself not to do it, but I guess I do it more often than I realized. So if I annoy you, just tell me ok?"

Eric shrugged and toyed with the remaining food on his plate. "It's not that bad. You guys respect me and don't expect me to become Nick. And you don't seem to be holding a grudge against me for taking his job..."

Warrick frowned. Why would they have a grudge? It wasn't like Eric had mobbed Nick out of the lab, on the contrary, they were happy that he could deal with the fact that Nick still was very much present in the lab. Since Nick had left, he was the first to stick with them, the three guys before him had not been able to live with Nick's sometimes larger than life shadow. Eric must have read some of his thoughts, because he smiled tightly and sighed.

"When Speed was killed and they got Ryan to replace him... I didn't handle it well and probably made his life unnecessarily hard. Of course his attitude towards me didn't help either, but still, I should have helped him more." There was so much more to the casually spoken words and Warrick couldn't help but ask. If Eric didn't want to tell him, he was fine with it, but Warrick wanted to know Eric and maybe one day they would become friends.

"Speed was important to you, wasn't he?"

He remembered Calleigh's call to Catherine and the horror he had felt. He understood it even better now that he had come close to losing Nick. Eric had tensed, but his hands didn't tremble as he lifted the mug and sighed again.

"He was my world." Such simple words and such a wealth of pain, Eric's eyes were open and raw and almost instinctively Warrick reached out and covered Eric's hand with his.

"I'm sorry." Eric shrugged but the casual gesture was false and his eyes still held way too much grief. "I thought I was over it, but when Marisol got shot, it opened a lot of wounds."

It suddenly made sense that Eric didn't miss Miami and adding two and two together Warrick hazarded a guess.

"That's why you came here."

The nod he got was curt, but just as he thought that he had made a mistake, Eric spoke again. "At the casino, when I said it was complicated, that's what I was talking about. Speed was the first guy I was into and his death almost killed me, I've had some flings since then, but nothing serious just one night stands with girls and back room encounters with guys. And then suddenly I meet this Danny and it's like an electrical current that runs through me and that with a guy who might turn out to be our primary suspect."

Oh yes, Warrick knew only too well what Eric was talking about. He had never thought about another man that way until Hodges had told him in no uncertain terms that Nick loved him. Once the thought had been in Warrick's head, he had started to imagine things. He had been shocked about that side in him and yeah, he understood Eric's dilemma.

"Forget about the suspect thing right now, I know the guy who runs the Casino, believe me if he or his team were involved you wouldn't find any evidence. But more importantly now that you find yourself attracted to him, what are you going to do?"

Eric grinned almost shyly and averted his eyes as he was blushing. "It sounds insane, I know, but I have no idea. I mean I can flirt with girls and do the whole seducing thing, but with guys? Speed and I... we were friends long before we became lovers and sometimes it just seems as if it was a natural progression. And he was the one to take the first step... I just feel so stupid, I'm thirty for god's sake and I don't know what to do when I like a guy."

Warrick grinned, but he understood only too well what Eric meant. "You'll figure it out, you're a smart boy after all."

Eric sighed again and Warrick glanced at Eric and smirked. "You want to head over to the Montecito for a drink?"

Having expected the playful slap, he easily moved away and then caught the salt that had not moved. As they left the diner, Warrick looked at Eric from the corner of his eyes and smiled. Eric looked at ease and happy and Warrick sighed lightly. It was a pity that they hadn't finished the case yet, he would have bet a lot of money that Danny McCoy would have appreciated them coming over for a drink.

"So who do I ask, you?" Eric's question had Warrick glare at him, but there was a lot of teasing and good humor in his eyes as he answered with a grin. "You can of course, but I don't think you need to. Something tells me McCoy knows enough for the two of you."

---

It was after 9 A.M. when Eric returned home, and he wondered if he'd ever get used to undress and prepare for sleep when everyone got ready to work. He was tired though and so he went to bed and flipped through the channels until something caught his interest. Settling back in his bed, he watched the documentary, but soon his thoughts started to wander as he recalled the last couple of hours.

Breakfast with Warrick had been nice, he thought, the easy camaraderie, the bantering about sports, the jokes and the good humored arguments. It was something he had missed for a long time and he sighed as he thought of Speed. He had told Warrick the truth, Speed and he had been best friends long before they had become lovers and their friendship had not changed when they had started seeing each other. Eric felt the familiar pain at the loss and swallowed hard.

"Damn you Speed."

He still missed him, still couldn't forgive him for being so careless, just as he couldn't forgive himself for not checking Speed's gun. Eric smiled as he remembered the nights they had spent sitting at the beach joking and teasing each other, remembered the evenings when they had driven out of the city on Speed's bike and just stopped somewhere to make out.

"I miss you."

It wasn't the glaring pain of an open and raw wound anymore, neither was it the terrible and desperate ache and darkness that he had felt in the weeks after Speed's funeral. No pain could be that intense for so long. Eric knew that people were incredibly good at adapting and so the pain had morphed into a dull throbbing. At first, right after the shooting, it had been as if the pain was alive, something like a wild animal that was ready to tear him apart, but by now it had dulled and all he felt was numbness. It wasn't painful to get up in the morning anymore, nor was it hard to talk about Speed, but what had remained was the feeling of being constantly cold. He had gotten used to the flashes of pain when something reminded him of Speed and he got caught unaware, just as he had gotten used to the loneliness and the coldness that reined his private life.

Eric had made one attempt at a relationship last year, but the experience with the DNA girl had been enough to make him understand that it was better to stay out of the game unless he was willing to play it. But something had changed today. Some barrier had broken when Danny McCoy had looked at him and smiled.

You'll know when you can move on.

Horatio, of all people, it had been him who had told him that. Eric smiled sadly in the darkness of his room. He doubted that Horatio would ever be able to move on. Part of him felt guilty as if he was about to betray Speed, but the memory of his lover frowning and fondly shaking his head made him smile.

"I won't forget you."

No, he wouldn't and a part of him would always love Speed, but he was alive and as he turned off the TV, Eric remembered suddenly that he had come to Las Vegas to start a new life. He had been here over six months now. It was time to do that.

---

*Chapter 5 - Revelations*

*Las Vegas*

Sara had been surprised that Eric had asked her for a drink, but at the same time the thought of finding a friend in her co worker had thrilled her. She had never made friends in the team and she knew that part of the reason was the way she had joined the team. Coming in to investigate one of their own, Sara shook her head silently, even now almost seven years later Warrick didn't trust her completely and neither did Catherine.

She was honest enough though to admit that it was partly her fault as well, she had been way too focused on Grissom and on her work to even think about finding friends. She hoped that would change now. It helped, she thought, that she knew Eric had no interest in her as a woman. Still it was nice to be in the company of a man who easily managed to turn every woman's head a bar.

Eric was dressed in semi-casual clothes wearing a white shirt and dark suit pants and Sara noticed how many women looked at her with envy as he walked towards her with a smile on his face. "It still feels weird to start working in the middle of the night."

She smiled, she had felt the same when she first had started with the grave yard shift, but it got better and now she wouldn't want to trade with any other shift. Eric though had trouble adjusting, she thought, as she looked at him. He had dark shadows under his eyes and she frowned concerned.

"Are you ok?" Eric looked up and shrugged. "Sometimes I've got a hard time sleeping, but I'll get used to it, don't worry."

Sara nodded and hated the awkward silence that followed Eric's words. She wasn't good at small talk and silently cursed herself for agreeing to those drinks. Eric laughed and she glanced at him only to see that his eyes spoke of both embarrassment and fond amusement. It made her feel better to know and see that he was as much at loss as to what to say to her as she was.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just a sissy sometimes." His slightly derogative words made her frown and shake her head. "It doesn't make you weak that you still mourn the loss of your partner."

He looked at her surprised and then smiled honestly. "Thanks. Hey, you know I was wondering what are you doing when you're not working?"

She hated the question, but accepted the change of topic especially because she realized that Eric didn't mean it as a reproach and a suggestion to get a life, he was simply curious.

"I read forensic books, I cook and I work out." God, it sounded so pathetic, she thought. She had no life next to her job, but then few of them really had.

"Cool, where do you work out?" Eric's question took her by surprise, it hadn't been something she'd ever been asked and she told him about the women's only gym she went to. He frowned for a moment, but then a grin crossed his face. "I guess, I can't say I'm your older sister."

She laughed at that and got over her inhibitions to finally ask a couple of questions herself. "What are you doing in your free time?"

Eric was silent for a moment, and then he sighed while he ran his hand through his hair. "Here? Not much actually... I go running, when I have the time and I read. I haven't really settled in yet, haven't found much to do. I went out to some bars a couple of times, but in the end... It never felt right... so I stopped. Back in Miami, I used to go swimming and diving or just hung out with my friends. Then Marisol got sick and I spent most of my time with her."

She could see how the memory of his sister hurt him and reached out to comfort him. "I didn't know she was sick."

He sighed and shook his head sadly. "She had cancer, she fought so hard and then finally when it seemed as if she'd won, she got killed."

It was such a horrible tale and as she once more pressed his hand, Sara felt that her words were completely inadequate to convey how she felt. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged again and looked down for a moment.

"You know, she was so strong. She always told me that she was lucky to have me lending her some strength, but it was the other way round. She was keeping me strong. I don't think she ever understood that." He smiled a bit, almost shy when he looked at Sara again. "I'm close to all my family, but Marisol was always special. She was really good for Horatio."

There was much left unsaid in the short sentences and Sara could easily see behind the words and hear the pain of losing someone dear, the anger at the senseless death she had suffered and the grief that neither Horatio nor Marisol had ever had the opportunity to enjoy their love.

"How did he take her death?" She noticed how Eric shivered and this time his eyes were dark with memories as he looked up and his voice shook as he spoke. "He was shattered."

Sara respected his short comment and didn't ask any further questions instead focused on something Greg had told her. "Greg said you're a certified police diver?"

The smile that now crossed Eric's face was lighting up his eyes and made them glitter. "Yeah, technically I am certified to process a crime scene up to 150 feet below sea level, but I somehow doubt that you have many places like that here in the desert."

Sara chuckled and shook her head. "Actually we have them out in the death valley, just that there's no water."

She had started to enjoy herself and she realized that it was good to go out and chat with friends. Maybe she really needed to get a life.

"So what's up with you and Grissom?" Eric's question made her sit up straight and she glared at him. He met her eyes easily though and with a light sigh she caved.

"Nothing." His smile took her aback, and his comment did nothing to calm her anger immediately. "Good, cause you and him... I can't see it, Sara, I can't."

She wanted to get angry and shout at Eric, but the honesty in his eyes was real and if she was honest with herself, then she couldn't see herself with Gris either. Oh, she could see them on a bed together and entangled, but her imagination failed her already at the breakfast after scene.

"It was a nice fantasy." Eric simply rolled his eyes in response and she laughed again. "Sorry, I didn't want to cause even more disturbance to your sleep."

Eric grinned lightly and looked at her. "So, you're interested in someone right now?"

She smiled and shrugged. "Whom? I haven't really met anyone outside the lab and those boys..."

"Well, they are boys." Eric knew what she meant and with a smile, he leaned forward. "So you want me to set you up with Hodges?"

When she slapped him laughingly, Eric was suddenly reminded of Calleigh and their bantering and warmth filled him as he understood that he had just grown another root.

---

"Can you explain to me why no one from the NYPD has ever contacted me about Kelly Gordon?" Conrad Ecklie's voice was questioning, and for a moment Grissom was tempted to lie. His bad conscience though wouldn't let him.

"Because I never told them."

He held his breath and waited for the inevitable explosion, an explosion that never came. Instead Ecklie walked into his office and closed the door behind him before he looked at Grissom intently. "You never told them, you never notified Nick, did I understand you correctly?"

His voice was carefully controlled and that more than anything else told Grissom that Ecklie was angry. Normally he wouldn't have cared, but in this case he knew that he had made a mistake, one that he had planned on rectifying soon.

"I wanted to call his partner, but I..." Ecklie didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence as he shook his head with contempt. "How much do you hate Nick, Grissom? What did he do to deserve this?"

Shocked by the question, Grissom defended himself. "I don't hate Nick, I simply didn't want to hurt him anymore."

"By letting him walk into a trap blindly instead of warning him? Do you call this friendship?" Even now, Ecklie's voice was controlled, but Grissom noted how Ecklie's hands shook in an effort to remain calm. "I talked to Archie, how could you deceive us all like that? How could you make us think that Walter Gordon was working alone when in reality he had a partner?"

Grissom could almost physically feel Ecklie's anger and for once he didn't defend himself. He had made a mistake and he knew it. He had been a coward...

"I want you on this case, as soon as you have finished the casino case, I want you to work on the voice. I won't take any chances with Nick's life. You will find the bastard that helped Gordon." It wasn't a question, a request or an order it was a statement and Grissom could only nod.

For the first time since he had met Conrad Ecklie all those years ago, he noticed the strength in the other man, but he pushed the thought aside as soon as it had entered his mind and looked at Ecklie. "I'll find him."

"I want you to call Nick or his partner right now." Ecklie walked towards the door and turned around again. "I will notify Lieutenant Taylor myself."

He left without another word leaving Grissom frozen in his chair as the same words played through his head again and again.

Do you call this friendship?

---

By the time Conrad reached his office he was fuming with anger, still he managed to close the door silently and sit down slowly. Only then did he bang his hand onto the desk and cursed Grissom.

"How could he?" The words resonated in the empty room and he wanted to throw something at the wall just to get rid of his anger. Instead he booted his computer to search for the NYPD's phone number. He didn't look forward to the phone call, but he was very much aware of its importance.

---

*New York*

"Lieutenant Taylor?" Mac didn't know the voice of his caller, but before he could even answer, the man spoke again. "My name is Conrad Ecklie, I am the Assistant Director of the Crime Lab in Las Vegas."

Las Vegas? Mac could feel himself tense at the mentioning of Nick's former home and his voice was harder than normal as a result. "I'm Mac Taylor. What can I help you with?"

Conrad Ecklie... the name rang a bell, Nick had mentioned him a couple of times but right now, Mac didn't remember what it had been about. He was still thinking when Ecklie spoke again. "Unfortunately I have to deliver some bad news."

Again Mac felt himself tense and he braced himself silently. "I guess they concern Nick Stokes, don't they?"

"Yes." Ecklie's voice trailed off for a moment, and when he spoke again it was carefully neutral alerting Mac like no agitation would have. "Kelly Gordon has left Nevada and is heading to New York. My guess is that she's already in your city."

Kelly Gordon? For a moment Mac was confused, but then the realization hit. "The daughter of the man who buried Nick?"

He heard the hitch in Ecklie's voice as the AD confirmed his question and then continued slowly. "However that's not all. After reviewing the evidence on the case, Mr. Grissom found a second voice on the tape that was left with Nick..."

"You're telling me that there is a second person who was involved and that you have no idea who it is?" Mac cringed inwardly at the harsh tone of his voice, but his concern for Nick was too strong to care. "Yes."

Ecklie didn't apologize, didn't make any excuses or promises and against his will, Mac had to respect the man for that. Still that didn't mean he accepted the facts just like that. "I need copies of the case files and everything you have. This woman might be a threat to Nick and I will not wait for her unprepared."

For a second there was silence on the other side of the phone, then Ecklie sighed. "I'll send what I can."

Again there was silence before Mac finally asked the question that had burned in him. "How long have you known?"

Ecklie was silent for a very long time until Mac started to wonder if he had heard him. "I asked..."

"I know." Ecklie's words were clipped, hard, angry but not at Mac, Mac realized. "We have known for three weeks now, but unfortunately the person who said they were contacting you, didn't go through with their task."

Mac wanted to scream at Ecklie for being so careless, but the other man beat him to it.

"Mr. Grissom will contact Detective Flack." Ecklie's voice sounded hesitant, but still honest. "I am sorry, Lieutenant Taylor, so sorry."

Mac ended the phone call without any further small talk and stared at his desk. Slowly he reached for his phone again and called his boss. "Ralph, something has come up, can we reschedule lunch?"

They quickly found a new date and with a sigh Mac leaned back in his chair. He didn't have another appointment, but he knew that as soon as Grissom had called Flack, Flack would call him.

And with a sigh, Mac wondered what he should tell Don.

---

*Las Vegas*

Danny McCoy was nervous. He had no idea what the CSIs had found so far and with Captain Brass instead of his friend Luis Perez working the case, he hadn't gotten any inside information on the status of the case. All he knew was that he and his team were looking like perfect suspects.

"What are you brooding like there's no tomorrow?" Mike's comment made him smile, but at the same time he shook his head.

"We've got fake chips and a dead man, I don't think that's a reason to smile, Mike." He noticed maybe too late that his words sounded like a reprimand, but the quick narrowing of Mike's eyes showed him that Mike had heard. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm just under pressure right now, ok?"

Mike grinned coyly. "Why don't you admit it, Danny, you're in over your head. This whole head of security and surveillance is a bit too much for you."

Danny gritted his teeth before he made a comment that would end up destroying their friendship and for once he was almost glad when his phone rang. "Ed? Sure, I'll come up immediately."

He shut his phone closed and looked at Mike coldly. "Can you run the last sequences where the fake chips appeared after the murder of the two guys? And Video IQ anyone close to the chips ok?"

Without waiting for an answer, he left the security room and headed towards Ed's office. On the way there, he pondered his friendship with Mike. Mike's behavior bothered him more than he wanted to admit, and with a sigh he leaned against the wall of the elevator. Maybe Mike was right, maybe he wasn't cut for this job, but Ed had given it to him, had appointed him to his head of security and Danny would never do anything to disappoint his mentor.

---

"Archie, my man, what do you have for me?" Eric grinned as Archie rolled his eyes. "I told you to have some faith in me and voila..."

Archie really was a wizard when it came to computer images and under Eric's fascinated eyes, the killer walked in the shadow of the cameras only to be captured clearly by another camera. "How did you do that?"

"It was on film, but it was too dark. The camera isn't adjusted well, so it didn't have an image. But I contacted a friend in California who sent me a program with an algorithm that creates images and that's how I found the face." Eric frowned a bit. "Creates images? So this is a made up picture?"

Archie snorted and shook his head. "I really should kick you for this, shouldn't I?"

Eric shrugged and held his hands up in defeat. "Hey, I'm just playing the devil's advocate here. If you argue like this in a court, any defense lawyer is going to rip you to shreds."

"The computer doesn't create something out of nowhere. It simply highlights what is already there, but not captured because of the light conditions." Archie leaned forward clearly fascinated. "The guy who created this is a real genius."

Eric smiled at Archie's exuberance, but Archie shook his head. "No, really he is. He's a math professor from LA and he's like consulting with the FBI and stuff... I looked at some of his work and it's brilliant. I mean genius - brilliant."

Taking the print out of the face, Eric walked back to the lab. The man on the picture didn't look familiar and although Eric curse himself for it, he was relieved that it wasn't Danny McCoy's face.

---

"Ok, what do we have so far?" Brass watched silently as Grissom rounded up his team and everyone went through the findings.

Eric went first showing the print out pictures around. "Archie managed to get a clear picture of the killer, our database has nothing, but I thought of going back to the Montecito and have their system run it too."

Brass could understand Eric's reasoning and nodded silently while he waited for Warrick to continue with his findings. "Bobby compared the bullets from the gun we found in Ryan's house against the bullets from the two victims down town. They were a match and we found gun shot residue on Ryan's clothes."

For a moment everyone was silent in the room, then Grissom looked around. "Any other news?"

"I got some." Brass could feel the surprised looks on him and grinned. "Hey, I'm not that bad in my job, am I? I got a call from LA's FBI bureau. They been working on a Russian gang that's been producing false chips and yesterday the final raid took place. They raided a warehouse where they found fake Montecito chips and took the main people in custody. In one of the houses they found Ryan's coordinates."

Grissom looked at him and frowned. Brass smiled knowing exactly what Gris was thinking. He continued to speak though not caring about Grissom's scowling. "The colleagues in LA believe that Ryan was the distributor of the fake chips, but decided to delegate himself and hired Fernandez and Buller to do his work. When they disappeared with the chips, he killed them, but not before his bosses found out..."

"So he hid himself in the casino, but they still found him?" Greg's voice was slightly disbelieving, but Brass didn't take offense. "Sounds like a bad novel, doesn't it?"

"Certainly not like a James Bond story." Warrick's comment made Eric laugh, but before anyone could comment further, Grissom interrupted their fun. "So when is the local ATF coming over to take the files and evidence?"

Trust Grissom to crush everyone's mood, Brass understood that Grissom didn't like it if a case got taken away from him, and normally he felt the same. This time though, he knew that there was nothing they could really do as the main action was not here, but in LA.

"They want us to finish processing the evidence and work the case to the end. The guy I talked to felt that it would be too inefficient to hand the entire evidence over and have it processed again. LA will review our files and depending on where the court procedures will be, the evidence will get transferred."

"So we work, and they get the fame." Warrick's voice was dry and easy going. Brass looked at him and smiled. "Exactly."

He knew that sharing the fame with the FBI wasn't a problem for Grissom and his team as long as no one interfered with their work. Grissom frowned again. "Who's your contact in LA?"

Trust Grissom not to trust the FBI, Brass smiled inwardly as he looked at his note book. "A Special Agent Don Eppes."

Grissom smiled and relaxed. "Tell him I said hi, next time you have him on the phone."

Everyone in the room stared at Grissom surprised and shrugging casually Grissom told them. "I met him at the conference. He's ok, not your typical FBI bully."

Brass was honestly surprised to hear Grissom praise an FBI agent, but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth instead he decided to take advantage of the fact that Grissom knew Eppes. "Can you coordinate with him then?"

Throwing him a dark look, Grissom sighed. "I shouldn't have told you that, should I. Yes, I'll call him."

Satisfied that the case was well on its way to being closed, at least from their side, Brass saw how Grissom turned towards Warrick and Eric. "Can you take the case from here? It would free Greg, Cat and me."

Warrick nodded and the meeting was over. Brass watched how the others left Grissom's office slowly before he turned towards Grissom. "You ok with calling Eppes?"

Grissom grinned and Brass realized that his friend had heard the curiosity behind his innocent question. "He's ok, we had some good talks together in Washington."

He didn't say anything else and Brass accepted it. "Well, let me know what he says, ok?"

---

*Los Angeles*

"You really do know when to come around, don't you?" Alan Eppes grinned at his son and Don couldn't help smirking back. Charlie had told him that their dad planned on making pizza and Don had immediately decided to pay them a visit.

"Hey, you can't expect me to say no, when Charlie invites me." Unfortunately his brother had heard the comment and immediately corrected him. "I didn't invite you, I just said that Dad is making pizza tonight."

"Well, that's an implicit invitation, Chuck." Seeing the frown in Charlie's face, Don tossed him a beer and grinned at him invitingly. "Is there a game on?"

Still frowning, Charlie shook his head. "Don't think so, but while Dad's cooking, why don't I pummel you in basket ball?"

"You? Pummeling me?" Don laughed and grabbed the ball from Charlie before his brother could react. Charlie yelped and followed him immediately. Soon enough they were engaged in a heated game of one on one basket ball. Don had to admit that over the last months it had become harder and harder to win against Charlie and as his brother dashed past him he cursed.

"I'll so make Colby pay for making that bet with you." Charlie only grinned at Don's comment and breathing heavily, they both leaned against the house for a moment.

"He was right though, it really helps me to calm down." Don nodded in silence and somehow Charlie seemed to take it as a criticism and immediately defended himself. "Going to the gym isn't bad, you know..."

Surprised at Charlie's outburst, Don put a hand on Charlie's shoulder and looked at his brother. "I never said that, I think it's great..."

I just wish, it would be me you're going to the gym with and not Colby. Don shivered at the thought and immediately pushed it aside. He had no right to begrudge Charlie his friendship with Colby, just as he had no right to treat Colby harsher in the office because he spent so much time with Charlie. It wasn't their fault, it was his.

"Don, your phone's ringing." Alan's voice brought him back to reality and he reached for the phone that his father passed through the window. "Special Agent Eppes, how can I help you?"

"Captain Brass finds it very fascinating that there is a fed in this world that I like." Grissom's voice made Don smile brightly and his words made him laugh. "Gris, to what do I deserve the honor of your call?"

He remembered then that he had spoken with a Captain Brass from Las Vegas in regards to the operation on the fake chips and immediately he made the connection. "You're on the chips case, aren't you?"

"Well, not personally but my team is. So I just wanted to know how you want us to communicate and cooperate." Grissom worked nightshift, Don suddenly remembered and walking back to the living room, he grabbed a file and looked at the information.

"Why don't you give me a quick overview of what you have and we see what we can do?" Don sat down and saw how Charlie hovered at the door, before he turned away almost abruptly. Don frowned at the expression in his brother's eyes, but forgot about it as he listened to Grissom's explanations.

"No bugs?" His joking words were met with a short laugh, before Grissom continued. "Warrick Brown and Eric Delko are working on the case now, I'll email you their contact details. If you need anything else, let me know."

"I will, thanks for your help." Don thought about their conversations in Washington and after a second of hesitating he finally asked quietly. "Did you ever call your friend?"

For a moment Grissom was silent, then Don heard the deep sigh. "No, but I called his partner."

---

Charlie wasn't sure why he was so upset about Don's phone call with the guy from Las Vegas. Maybe it had something to do with the way Don had spoken about Gil Grissom when he had told Charlie and Alan about the conference.

"I've read a lot of his journals and heard a lot of stuff about him and honestly I never believed the hype. His image just had to be larger than reality, but in fact, now I've understood that he really is that good."

Charlie had gritted his teeth at the open respect and admiration in Don's voice. The unknown man got more respect after a two day conference than Charlie had ever gotten after solving a case for Don and with uncharacteristic force he had pushed his chair back and left for the garage.

Don had found him there later and carefully leaning against the door, he had looked at Charlie. "Are you alright, buddy?"

Charlie had ignored his brother until Don had left. Only then had he collapsed in his chair and tried to calm his mind. The thoughts going through his head had scared and confused him and with a final sigh, he had returned to his cognitive emergence theory.

Almost three weeks had passed since Don had returned and regaled them with tales about the smart CSI. Charlie had been able to forget about Gil Grissom only to be reminded of him again tonight. He watched as Don spoke with the other man and felt anger curse through him as he saw the honest joy and friendship that made Don relax and his eyes sparkle.

He gritted his teeth when Don looked up and their eyes met. Charlie saw concern in Don's eyes and not able to stand the gaze any second longer, he turned away and almost ran towards the garage. He closed the door behind himself and stood in the middle of the room for a second.

Numbers surrounded him and as he looked at one equation then at another, Charlie felt his inner turmoil calm down until he could look at his reaction in a more rational way. He was overreacting every time Don was using someone else than him as an expert, but this time it was different. Don had never even talked about asking Gil Grissom for help and from what he had gathered about the phone call, they would be working together but with Grissom providing help from Las Vegas.

So why was still so angry at Grissom?

Why disliked he the other man so much without ever having met him?

The questions pounded at Charlie's mind like endless hammers and with each repetition the wall he had built around his emotions cracked a bit more. He shivered as he caught a glimpse of understanding, but shying away from the knowledge, he jumped up and started writing some equations on the one free blackboard.

He needed math right now, he needed the peace of mind it gave him and the possibility to lose himself in the numbers.

---

*Las Vegas*

Danny wasn't sure whether he should be glad or disappointed. The case was over, he and his team were cleared. And that meant that Eric had no reason not to call him. On the other hand, it also meant that if he didn't call, he wasn't interested.

Groaning at the turn of his thoughts, Danny focused on the cameras and directed one of his men towards a gambler who took pictures of the game floor. It was another of those achingly slow days that just didn't seem to pass. Ed had been stuck in meetings all day and Danny was glad about that small relief. His mentor would have noticed how nervous he was and undoubtedly would have asked for the reason. Danny had no idea what to tell his boss and suddenly angry at himself he stood up and told Mitch that he was going to go down and take a walk on the floor.

The casino was a labyrinth, Eric had been right, but Danny could have found his way anywhere with his eyes closed. He knew the Montecito better than his own home and now as he walked around, he automatically registered everything that went on at the tables and in the bars.

"Danny!" He stopped as he heard his name being called turned around with a smile. Mary walked over to him and sighed audibly. "Stressed?"

She rolled her eyes at his question. "I've got two kids to watch, a high school reunion to organize and three couples want to get married tomorrow. But what you say, it's just another day in Vegas, isn't it?"

Danny smiled as she shrugged. It sounded like a lot of work to him, but she was good in handling those things and he gently steered her towards the elevator. "Why don't you take a break and we watch those kids with the camera?"

Despite her casual words her relief was visible and seeing the line of exhaustion in her face, Danny clasped her shoulder softly. "Hey, you'll be fine. You always are, Mary, don't worry!"

As they walked towards the elevator, he thanked the powers that were once again that Mary had kept her common sense after he had returned from Iraq. His rash decision to marry her had been the typical and wrong reaction of someone who had seen hell and wanted to hide. His fear had almost destroyed their friendship back then and even now, almost a year later; he could still see the cracks. "What's wrong Danny? Are you ok?"

Her hand was soft and gentle on his back and he nodded tiredly. He couldn't tell her why he was feeling so down. She wouldn't understand why it bothered him that Eric didn't call. His attraction to men was the one thing, he had never told her, the one secret he had always kept.

"They know who killed Ryan." The elevator stopped and they walked into the security office together. Mary turned towards him and he saw that she was curious. "Who was it?"

Danny shook his head; he still couldn't believe the outcome of the case.

"It was a professional hit. He worked for a syndicate that operated out of Los Angeles and produced fake chips. He was a lazy idiot though and instead of distributing the chips himself, he employed two guys to do the dirty work for him. The only thing he didn't count on was that the two guys he hired would steal the chips from him. They broke into his apartment and got the chips, he hunted them down and shot them and then hid here in the hope that his bosses wouldn't find him... Well he thought wrong..."

Mary shook her head. "So they got the guys that faked the chips?"

Danny shrugged. "Captain Brass said that the fake chips thing is a federal affair, so I don't know."

"So you're definitely cleared." Her words sounded relieved and Danny nodded. "Brass said, I never really was a suspect, just kind of guilty by association."

"Danny, do you know what I was thinking?" Mary sat down on his desk while she leaned down. Danny swallowed and fought the sudden urge to lean back in order to get some distance between her body and himself. "I've got the weekend off and so have you. I thought we could do something together, you know maybe go and see a movie or so."

It wasn't her fault that Eric hadn't called so far and Danny pushed any anger he felt down while he smiled at her. Mary was right; they really hadn't spent much time together lately. He nodded slowly. "Why not, sounds good to me. What do you want to watch?"

His less than enthusiastic response made her smile falter and Danny cursed himself for hurting her. He had to tell her the truth soon, he thought, he couldn't go on lying for much longer.

"I'll check the program, ok? And maybe you want to come round to my place before?" Her hand moved over his tie to straighten it, but Danny felt how her fingers moved caressingly over his chest. He suppressed a shiver and pushed her away gently.

"Maybe, I'll see."

He got up and was almost glad, when Mitch notified him of an argument that had broken out between two guys in one of the bars. Asking Mitch to put the fight onto the large screen, Danny directed some of his men towards the bar, when he felt Mary stand close behind him.

"Come over Danny, and you won't regret it."

Danny wanted to decline, but she had already stepped back and smiled at him before she left the room. He sat down and buried his hand in his face.

"A word of advice, Danny?" Mitch smiled friendly at him and Danny just shrugged. "Tell her the truth."

For a second, he tensed, but he relaxed immediately again when he realized that Mitch only spoke about Danny not being interested in Mary. Danny nodded slowly and stared at his desk, but he knew that it wouldn't help. He had told Mary already that he wasn't interested in a relationship with her. She didn't believe him and she probably never would.

Looking at his watch, Danny sighed. It was 3 P.M. and Eric still hadn't called.

---

*Chapter 6 - First Date*

*Las Vegas*

"Hey, did you get transferred to dayshift after only six months?"

Luis Perez' question made Eric smile ruefully before he muttered something in Spanish that made the detective laugh. Greg, who had walked into the 7-11 with Eric, only groaned at the cop's comment. "That would be nice; cause then our day was only starting."

Eric shook his head and explained with a shrug that spoke of exhaustion why they were here and not their team mates from the dayshift. "Day shift is flat out with three of their team down with the flu. So we were volunteered to help out."

As Perez looked at him, Eric shrugged again. "Yes, I know I look terrible, but hey the job's not a beauty contest is it? What do we have here?"

Perez turned back into the professional cop immediately and pointed at the chaos and the two dead bodies.

"2.45 P.M., three guys come in, draw their weapons and ask for cash. The clerk hands the money over, they shoot him and the only other customer."

Eric checked his watch and looked at Perez impressed. "That was a fast response."

It was 3.30 P.M. and Perez nodded slowly. "Clerk pressed the silent alarm. That's why we know when it happened."

Eric and Greg walked around carefully and Eric blinked for a moment. He always needed a second to get used to the smell of blood and gunpowder. He hated the smell and whenever he walked onto a crime scene where guns had been involved he had to suppress the memories of Speed and Marisol. Looking around, he noted the cameras and looked at Greg

"Can you get the tapes?"

Greg nodded and disappeared in the room next door. Eric stepped around the first body and nodded at David. "Hey Dave, you already checked this one, haven't you?"

The coroner nodded and began to speak while Eric started to take photos. "Through and through, he bled out."

Eric cursed silently. He knew that a through and through meant that they would have to find the bulled somewhere in the store. For a moment he thought of Calleigh and wished she were here now, but immediately focused back on the crime scene again. He narrowed his eyes and frowned. "Why is the clerk here?"

David looked confused, but Eric didn't notice it as he spoke to himself. "If they shot him after he handed the money over, why is he here? Why did he walk away from the cash register?"

Perez had heard the question and came closer while he looked at the two victims. Eric saw him frown too and as their eyes met, he knew that the detective had come to the same conclusion as he had.

"This isn't a robbery gone wrong. This is an execution disguised as a robbery." Sighing Eric agreed and started to process the scene. He worked carefully, diligently just like Horatio and Speed had taught him. He didn't realize what he was doing; his training was as ingrained into him as Grissom's training was ingrained in Warrick or Greg. They didn't speak while they worked, just processed the scene while Detective Perez watched them.

"You guys don't need me anymore, do you?" Eric smiled at the question and shook his head. "We'll call you immediately when we have something."

Perez walked towards the door, but turned around once more. "Get some sleep, Delko. Pareces terrible*.

Eric smiled at the jab and shrugged. "I will thanks."

He returned to his crime scene and collected the last item, before he started the search for the bullet. He was indeed bone tired and as he got up too fast, he felt the shop spin around him for a moment. He had been working for 36 hours straight and had barely had time to sit down and eat something. Eric sighed, he was used to work long hours and he wouldn't complain, but he also knew that he was reaching his limit.

"Got it." Greg's happy exclamation made him turn around and he smiled as his friend held the missing bullet up.

He nodded satisfied and pointed at the evidence bags. "Can you get the stuff to Hodges and the bullet to Bobby? I'll try and find the second bullet ok?"

Greg looked at him closely and shook his head. "Go home, Eric, you really look ready to drop. I'll get the stuff to the lab and tell Grissom that we need a couple of hours sleep. It's your free weekend anyway; you're not even supposed to be here."

Eric wanted to protest, but before he could get a word out he saw his supervisor stand at the door. "He's right, Eric, go home. You've been up longer than the rest of us."

It was true, Eric and Sara had been working the longest now and as he looked at Grissom, Eric tried to figure out whether or not his boss was angry at him, but he immediately realized that the blue eyes held nothing but compassion and honesty.

"Thanks, Gris." Grissom nodded and walked over to Greg.

Eric grabbed his kit and was about to walk away, when Grissom turned around again. "Hey, Warrick told me to remind you that the Montecito job was closed yesterday."

Grissom's confusion with the message was obvious, but Eric wasn't going to enlighten either him or Greg who just grinned at him. Silently he both cursed and thanked Warrick. He really had forgotten that he had promised to call Danny, but to have Grissom deliver the message was plain evil. Eric couldn't help the shiver of anticipation as he reached for the phone. His hand hovered over the dial button when a yawn broke his concentration and he shook his head.

He needed sleep first.

---

"Ed, Danny, sorry I'm late"

Ed Deline smiled as Luis walked into the bar. He looked stressed and tired and shooting a glance at Danny, Ed wondered whether the younger man would comment on it. He didn't have to wait for long as Danny immediately grinned at his friend. "You look like you've been running around all day."

Luis shrugged Danny's words off. "I'm fine, but when I was on my way over, we got a call about a robbery at a 7/11. I had to go over and then wait for the CSIs."

They ordered some drinks and Luis briefed both Danny and Ed about some of the ongoing cases where the Montecito was involved. They had regular meetings and although Luis never gave out confidential details, Ed knew that the detective only granted him the privilege because of Danny. Once again, Ed looked at his protégé and smiled as he saw him checking his phone. He didn't know how many times he had seen Danny do this today and he wondered who the lucky girl was that had gotten Danny's attention.

Turning his concentration back to Luis, Ed listened to the comments and smiled at some of the funnier moments, when somewhere a phone rang. Ed saw the quickly masked disappointment that crossed Danny's face as the younger man understood that it was Luis' phone. This was serious and not some flirt, Ed realized suddenly. He tensed knowing that he had to talk to Danny. He knew some of Danny's deepest secrets and he didn't want his friend to get hurt. Luis had listened to whoever had called him and laughed merrily at something.

"Well, I told you to get some sleep, but thanks for the update. I'll call Greg or Grissom if something comes up. Are you in on Monday? " Luis laughed again, but sobered quickly and shook his head while he rolled his eyes towards the sky. "Calma Te, amigo, because honestly, Delko, you looked ready to drop… Well, anyway take care and have a good weekend."

Ed wouldn't have cared about the conversation, had he not felt Danny tense next to him. It seemed as if the mentioning of the name Delko alone had been enough to draw Danny's complete focus on Luis. The pieces fell into place and Ed smiled. It seemed as if he didn't need to talk to Danny, although, it would be fun. Looking at Luis, he prompted the cop with a smile. "Delko? He's the CSI who worked our case, isn't he?"

Luis nodded. "He was at the last crime scene. The lab's got some staff shortage and half of their day shift is out with the flu. Delko's been working 36 hours straight, so he called to tell me that Grissom sent him home and took over the case."

Glancing at Danny, Ed could see how he slowly relaxed and he smiled. "Well, it's a hard job."

Luis nodded again and smiled too. "Yeah, Delko's good though. Was with Miami Dade before and he's certainly the first decent CSI they've brought in since Stokes left. "

Ed remembered the case with Stokes' abduction and subsequent burial, but he was much more interested in reading Danny's body language. Danny had relaxed, but as their eyes met, Ed noticed how Danny tensed again and this time he could read the emotion in Danny's eyes only too easy. Danny was afraid, afraid of his, Ed's reaction. Ed smiled at his friend and Danny relaxed. Ed felt immediately better as he saw the slow smile he got in return to his unspoken acceptance.

---

When Luis told them that the CSIs had been buried in work, Danny felt some of the hurt at Eric's silence ease. Maybe the other man had just been too busy to call and maybe he would call him tomorrow. Danny smiled as he felt the anticipation wake in him again, but his smile faded as his eyes locked with Ed's. The older man looked as if he knew exactly what or who Danny was thinking about.

Danny had always known that he theoretically preferred men to women, but when he had joined the Marines, he had closed that side of himself off. It hadn't been that hard, his training, the stress and the pressure of the missions, the fear and the constant presence of death... All those things had reduced his passion and carnal desires quite considerably. And when he had come home for a short time, he hadn't dared to do anything. Las Vegas was, despite its size, still a town where everyone knew everyone. Danny had played, had dated girls and had gotten his pleasure from those encounters, but when he had been alone with his dreams he had imagined a man's hand on his cock and a muscular body against his own.

He had never dared to do more than dream until he had left the corps and had started to work for Ed. His first encounter with a guy had happened in New York. He and Ed had flown there for a meeting and in the evening Danny had snuck out of the hotel and taken a cab to Chelsea. He had trembled with fear of discovery as he had looked at the entrance of the bar. He had been unsure what to expect, unsure whether or not to go inside. His mind had been full with images of men in leather, full of crude sexual images and so he had been completely thrown when he had walked into a comfortable lounge with dim lightning and soft music. His entrance had made several people look at him and at first it had made him feel weird until he understood that the looks were appreciative and not negative.

Danny leaned back in his chair and looked into his drink. Luis was still updating Ed about various things and Danny smiled as he thought of the man he had met that night in New York. Dark haired, blue eyed and with a tender and wonderful smile, Mike Logan had been Danny's first lover. He had been tender, gentle and full of understanding for Danny's fear of discovery. The nights they had spent together were something that Danny still treasured and even as the meeting was over and he had returned to Las Vegas, he had kept in touch with Mike.

It had been then, when he had found out that Mike was working for the NYPD. They had met again and although their encounters were based on friendship and not on love, he had cherished them and had honestly mourned the other man when he had heard of his death in the line of duty.

In that first week in New York, Danny had constantly waited for Ed to find out. What he hadn't expected was Ed taking him out for a drink on the first night after their return to Vegas. He had wanted to decline, but one did not say no to Ed, not if the other man really wanted something. They had driven to the outskirts of Vegas where Ed had stopped in front of a simple looking house. He had not answered any of Danny's questions until they were inside the bar. Danny had taken a seat in one of the booths, had looked around and had frozen.

No matter where he had looked he had seen men sitting next to other men and with an incredulous look, he had stared at his boss who had just taken him to a gay bar. He had tried to explain himself, but a strong hand on his shoulder had silenced him.

"I don't care, Danny. All I ask of you is that you don't endanger yourself by picking up random strangers. If you need this, come here. This place is discreet and safe." Ed had fallen silent and Danny had stared at his boss with open shock as the hand on his shoulder had slowly moved down along his arm and onto his leg. Ed had met his eyes and smiled softly. "Or you can come to me."

Ed's hand on his shoulder jerked Danny back to the present and he shivered as he felt Ed's eyes on him again. He had taken Ed up on his offer that night and in several nights since. He knew that this thing between them was not about love, but about lust and still, how would Ed react, when Danny told him about Eric?

It was more than lust with Eric and for the first time in his life, Danny considered a relationship with a man, considered coming out and be open about his sexuality. He had gotten an honorable discharge after Iraq, so technically speaking, he was free. But how would Ed react? Danny shook his head as he saw Ed's smile and the light reproach in the blue eyes.

"You should know me better than this." Ed's voice was teasing, but at the same time completely serious and Danny breathed in relief as he smiled back slowly. "Yeah, well..."

Eric had not called, but as if his mentor had read his mind, Ed frowned. "Let him sleep and if he still doesn't call, then you can worry."

Both amused and annoyed to get dating advice from his boss, Danny glared at Ed and suddenly narrowed his eyes as he saw something familiar in Ed's blue eyes. "No, you won't."

Ed looked innocent, but he couldn't pull the face off convincingly. "What?"

Danny wasn't fooled for a moment and he shook his head with vehemence. "You won't run a background check on Eric."

When Ed didn't answer, Danny groaned, he was doomed.

---

Eric was groggy when he woke, and for a moment he shook his head confused by the brightness and the noise outside. The watch on his bedside table told him that it was 10am and he sat up shocked.

Had he really slept for almost 18 hours?

It made sense; he mused silently as he got up and ambled over to the bathroom. He had pretty much been dead on his feet, and that literally meant on his feet as they had been running from case to case until Grissom had sent him home. So yes, he had needed the sleep. Still it was his day off and he had plans and they didn't include sleeping until midday.

Showered and refreshed he prepared some breakfast, when his eyes fell on his cell phone and he suddenly remembered Danny's words.

"You better call or I'll track you down."

They had finished the case, and that meant he had no excuse anymore not to call Danny. Eric frowned and shook at the twinge of nervousness that ran through him at the thought of the other man. He wasn't a teenager anymore and yet that was exactly how he felt as he dialed the number and waited for Danny to pick up.

"Yes?"

The slightly irritated voice froze him for a moment, but as soon as he'd identified himself, Danny's voice changed into the deep husky tone that had both confused and aroused Eric last time. "I wondered if you would call."

The voice sent shivers down Eric's spine and woke images of the lean, strong body and absently he wondered how Danny's lips would taste. He shook himself out of the stupor and listened to Danny's suggestion. "Why don't I show you some of the sights of Vegas tonight?"

He would dream of that voice and what dreams would those be. Eric smiled a bit, as he realized that he was hard, it was almost scary how he reacted to Danny, how strong. He hadn't experienced this since Speed and that thought made his decision on the offer easy.

"I'd love to, I bet you know some great sights." His own voice sounded hoarse and he heard the light chuckle on the other side, before Danny promised him. "I do, Eric, I certainly do."

---

It was weird to be in a casino but not working. Sitting in a corner Danny found himself automatically looking for the security cameras, for the black spots on the floor and in the corner. He was early and while he waited for Eric, he tried to tell himself that it was just a normal night out with a friend.

It didn't work.

Who was he kidding anyway? This was a date and if he was honest then it was his first date with a man. He had slept with guys, had fucked them but had never ever dated them. How did someone date a man?

Shaking his head at the girlish sounding question, Danny straightened and told himself to cool down and still when he saw Eric walk into the room, he couldn't help but feeling his heart speed up a bit. Eric looked great. He wore dark suit pants and a simple white shirt. It wasn't anything special, but in connection with the olive skin, the dark hair, the lean, muscular body and the dark eyes the outfit became something different. Danny felt a shiver of lust running through him and told himself to calm down. He didn't want to scare Eric and something told him that Eric wasn't a casual type.

"Hey, glad you could make it." Eric smiled and sat down next to him. Danny caught the scent of something musky and taking another deep breath, he made another effort to get his hormones under control.

"Well, honestly I'm glad too. I haven't really been out much in Vegas, and everyone tells me it's a great place to party."

Danny grinned and ordered some drinks for them. "Hey, it's America's playground, of course it's a great place to party."

"Sounds good." Eric stretched his legs and Danny swallowed hard as he noticed the subtle play of strong muscles in Eric's leg. Damn, he thought, he really felt like a horny teenager.

He had to concentrate on something other than his hormones and with a smile, he looked at Eric. "So I'm not a suspect anymore."

Eric laughed and shook his head. "No and apart from some ‘i's that need to be dotted and t's that need to be crossed, we're done with the case."

"How did you become a CSI?" Danny was honestly interested because he could see how much Eric loved his job. Eric smiled and shrugged.

"My dad always told me two things to honor the American system and that the only way to get clear answers was through science. I joined the academy and became an underwater expert, but when H asked me to join his team I went back to university, got my degree in chemistry and started with the lab and I wouldn't want to do anything else." Eric's smile darkened for a moment, before he spoke again. "It's not an easy job, you know. You see a lot of shit going on and sometimes I wonder why I do it..."

His voice trailed off and Danny waited for a moment, but when Eric didn't continue, he decided to change topic slightly. "Luis says you're one of the best they have here."

Surprised Eric looked up. "Perez? You know him?"

"We grew up together, but he went to PD and I joined the army." He saw the surprise in Eric's eyes coupled with an almost instinctive withdrawal. "Got a discharge two years ago, so don't worry."

Eric blushed lightly and the longing that Danny had held in check since they had started to talk came back with a vengeance. Swallowing hard, Danny tried to concentrate on what Eric said and forced his lust down once again.

"How long have you been with the Montecito?"

Danny smiled as he remembered his career at the casino. "Long enough… When I left active service, I really had no idea what to do. I didn't want to work in my Dad's company cause at that time we weren't on speaking terms. When Ed offered me a job at his surveillance team, it seemed heaven sent. I left when they demolished the old hotel, but when Ed told me he wanted me back in his team..."

Eric grinned lightly. "He reminds me of my old boss in Miami, he's got the same presence and intensity that H had."

"Why'd you leave Miami?" Danny had never been in Florida's glamour city, and he was curious what would make someone move all the way across the country.

Eric's face hardened at the question and his eyes became unreadable. "It's a long story."

A long story and not one Eric wanted to tell him. Danny got the hint and after a moment of tense silence he glanced around and pointed towards the casino floor. "You gamble?"

For a moment, Eric seemed to ponder the question and remained silent, then he looked up his eyes were still cold and his face drawn. "Not really, no."

Again there was silence until Eric took a deep breath and looked at Danny with warmer eyes and an honest expression. "What about you?"

Danny smiled and holding Eric's eyes captive he replied with a deliberate huskiness in his voice. "Not for money."

The innuendo was strong and still holding Danny's eyes captive, Eric smiled innocently before he took a deep gulp of his drink. "So where are we going dancing? Pure?"

For a moment, Danny thought about the hyped club, thought about going to Mystique, but finally he leaned over and touched Eric's hip subtly with his hand. "Do you really want to go to a club that's famous for its hot chicks? You want to pick up a girl?"

Danny could feel how Eric tensed and his own breathing seemed to stop as he waited for Eric's answer. For a long time their eyes were locked before Eric shivered and shook his head. "No, I don't."

Relief cursed through Danny at the admission and throwing some money onto the table, he got up and followed by Eric, he left the casino to walk over to his car. He drove towards the club Ed had shown him all those years ago and as they entered, he heard Eric take a deep breath. Surprised at the sudden tension in his friend, Danny looked at him. "Something wrong?"

Eric smiled and simply moved a bit closer to Danny. "Nothing wrong, I just haven't always had good experiences in such clubs."

Pulling Eric closer towards him, Danny leaned down and allowed his lips to brush Eric's skin as he whispered in his ear. "Don't worry, I won't leave you to the wolves."

Eric's shiver resonated deep in Danny's body and with a sigh, he let his friend go, only to moan lightly at the glazed look in Eric's eyes. Shit, Danny cursed mentally, how could he have gotten hooked so quickly? And how was he going to survive the evening without jumping Eric?

"Do you want a drink?" Eric seemed to think about it, but finally he shook his head. "Actually I'd rather go dancing. You're joining me?"

He was playing with fire, Danny thought, as he followed Eric onto the dance floor. Sitting in a booth would have been manageable without making a fool of himself, but dancing? Danny sighed as Eric pulled him closer and smiled suddenly.

"I'm really not a good dancer, just to warn you."

Eric smiled at Danny's words and pulled him closer until Danny was almost pressed completely against Eric's body. "Just follow my movements."

Eric's voice was hot against Danny's ears and Danny couldn't contain the moan that escaped him as he felt the strong body grind against him. His head was spinning and all his thoughts about being careful with Eric, about letting the other man setting the pace went were forgotten when he turned around and captured Eric's lips with his own.

Danny wasn't sure what he had been expecting from kissing Eric the first time and he hadn't allowed himself to fantasize about it, but what ever he had wished for, the reality was completely different. Eric's lips were soft and pliant under his, for a moment they met in an almost chaste touch before Eric groaned and deepened the kiss. This touch had nothing innocent in it and Danny felt himself sucked into an universe of passion and longing. They kissed for a long time until the urge to breathe became too strong and panting they broke apart. Eric's eyes were dazed, his lips red and his face flushed, even in the dim lightning of the club, his arousal was obvious and Danny moaned at the delicious sight.

"Let's sit down." Gently he pulled Eric towards an empty booth and they sat down close next to each other. Eric hadn't said a word since the kiss and slowly Danny started to worry. "Eric, you ok?"

Eric's hand caressed his face quickly, and his eyes were momentarily haunted before he smiled and playfully leaned in and kissed Danny quickly. "I'm good, and if you get me a drink, I might actually be perfect."

Danny wasn't sure if Eric was honest with him, but he didn't want to make an issue out of it, so he waved at a waiter and ordered their drinks. Leaning back a bit, he smiled at Eric. "So, tell me about those experiences you had in gay clubs."

Eric smiled quickly, but instead of answering Danny, he leaned over and nipped at his lips. "I'd rather kiss you again, is that ok?"

Again Danny felt uneasy about Eric's evasion, but when clever lips kissed him again, he forgot about it and leaned fully into the kiss.

---

Danny's kisses were drugging him, Eric felt his partner's strength against his own body and for the first time in a long time he let himself be held. His hands caressed Danny's back and slowly he moved up to the tender skin at Danny's neck, caressing and stroking Danny. The moan he received in response emboldened him and with a sigh, he moved his lips from Danny's lips to his jaw nipping and kissing his way down along the neck to the collarbone that peeked out of the white shirt.

"Oh god, Eric." Danny's voice was hoarse and passionate. "Stop, please."

Surprised and slightly annoyed Eric looked up and met Danny's eyes. They were burning with passion, pupils expanded so that the normally blue eyes seemed almost black. It was clear that Danny was as aroused as he was and frowning Eric wanted to return to his task, when Danny stopped him again.

"Not here, please." This time, Danny sounded almost pleading and once more Eric met his eyes. "Come home with me, Eric, please."

The words made Eric tense for a moment, he hadn't gone home with a guy since... No, he wouldn't think about that now and with conscious effort he pushed everything away. Some part of his brain screamed at him to stop, to run away, but for once Eric didn't listen and caressed Danny's face gently. "I'd love to."

The drive home was tense, silent and yet full of unspoken words. As Danny stopped at a red light, Eric looked at him and was suddenly struck by the sheer beauty of his friend. In the low street lights, Danny's skin seemed golden, his face angular and sucking in a deep breath, Eric reached out to touch Danny. Danny's hand stopped him before he could reach his target. "Don't, Eric, don't touch me. I'm on the edge right now, if you touch me I can't guarantee for anything."

The honest, almost vulnerable words made Eric shiver and with a hoarse voice he simply asked. "How much longer?"

Danny laughed and turned into a quiet street. "Two blocks and sixteen stories."

Standing next to each other in the elevator and not touching was almost too much. Eric felt himself tremble with restraint and it seemed as if Danny felt the same and as soon as the door had closed behind them, Danny pushed Eric against the door and kissed him hungrily.

His back was pressed against the wooden door, his body captured between the wood and Danny's hard body and Eric felt something inside him give away. Lust and desire flooded him and he heard a distant moan echoing through the room. His hands slipped underneath Danny's shirt and he moaned again when he encountered silken skin stretched over strong muscles. Danny released his lips for a moment and looked at him with dazed eyes.

"Bedroom, now."

The desire in Danny's voice made Eric shiver and he followed his soon to be lover through the entrance hall towards the large bedroom and gasped. He could see the entire strip through the large windows. "Wow."

Danny laughed lightly and Eric shuddered as he felt the hot breath against his neck. Danny nipped at the tender skin behind his ears and Eric forgot all about the view as he turned around and captured Danny's lips.

They stripped without many words and as soon as they were naked, Eric turned again towards Danny and took in the sight of long legs, strong muscles. "Need you now."

The words escaped him almost against his will, but as Danny pushed him towards the bed, Eric knew that they were true. He needed Danny and with a groan he welcomed the touch of lubed fingers against his entrance. He fought the urge to tense, forced himself to relax and then there was no need anymore because pleasure shot through him and he heard himself beg for more.

"You're beautiful." Danny's words only fueled his desire and Eric lifted his hips to welcome Danny's cock. The slow slide into his body was both painful and wonderful and Eric cried out as long buried desires clashed over him. Danny remained still for a moment and meeting his lover's eyes Eric saw concern and care behind the desire. It made him want to weep, but right then Danny moved gently and stars burst behind Eric's eyes.

It was too much, too soon and almost desperately he clutched at Danny's shoulders before he let go and fell into the maelstrom of emotions.

---

Danny had never felt like this with anyone man or woman and as he carefully slipped from Eric's body, his heart and body wanted nothing than to cover Eric, hold him close and never let him go. The emotions scared him and with a soft kiss to Eric's shoulder he got up and went to the bathroom to get a towel. Eric was watching him as Danny cleaned first himself and then Eric and Danny slowly felt dread rise in his gut. Why didn't Eric say anything?

Why don't you? His mental voice sounded a lot like Delinda which was slightly disturbing if he thought about it, but he pushed the thought away before he could take hold.

"You ok?" Gosh his voice sounded hoarse, Eric smiled instead of an answer, stretched languidly and nodded. "Yes."

The short answer made Danny antsy and lying down next to Eric he wished for a drink, but before he could make his mind up, Eric moved got get out of the bed. Danny didn't think when he held Eric back, and pressed him against his body. "Stay."

Eric's body tensed for a moment before he relaxed. "You sure? I mean, you want me to stay?"

Danny's heart fell at the question and taking a deep breath, he looked Eric straight in his eyes. "I want you to stay, Eric. This is more than a quick fuck or a one night stand. If I wanted that, I would have taken you to the back room of the club."

He winced at the harshness of his words, but Eric didn't withdraw from him, instead he shivered and nodded slowly. "Sorry."

They settled against each other, and Danny watched as a haunted look crossed through Eric's eyes. It hurt him and without thinking, he pulled Eric closer. "Did you think, I would toss you out?"

"No." Eric's voice was quiet and sleepy and Danny smiled contentedly before he fell asleep himself.

---

Eric couldn't sleep, his mind was reeling from the events of the night.

He had expected Danny to hit on him, had expected to maybe have a fling with the other man, but what Eric hadn't expected was the depth of passion, the amount of longing that Danny woke in him. This was different than the anonymous fucks that he'd had in other gay bars, different from the brief affairs he'd had with girls back in Miami, it was more, went deeper and that scared him.

Eric knew that the last time he had felt so deeply, had longed for someone's touch so strongly had been with Speed. The implication made him shudder and almost as if he were reacting to Eric's shiver, Danny pulled him closer in sleep.

Eric felt something cold give way in his heart and that too scared him. He wasn't ready to feel again, not this much, not again.

*Spanish: You look terrible

*Chapter 7 - What comes around...*

*Las Vegas*

Waking up next to Danny should have been awkward, Eric thought as he slowly opened his eyes and met Danny's tired but tender smile. The fact that it wasn't scared him to death, because it proved that what he had felt last night hadn't been a fluke.

"You ok?" Danny's voice was slightly raspy and he smiled sleepily as he reached out and ran a finger along Eric's face. "You look worried."

The intimacy of the moment was too much for Eric and he moved away frantically. "I need to leave, Danny, I... I... I can't stay here."

Eric watched as Danny's eyes darkened, and he turned away from the confusion and hurt he saw. He didn't want Danny to feel something for him, he couldn't deal with having someone care for him again. Scrambling out of bed, Eric almost frantically searched for his clothes. He winced as he saw how they were scattered around in Danny's apartment. He dressed fast and hesitated for a moment before he walked back in the bed room. Danny was still lying in his bed. Eric shuddered as calm, cold eyes met his.

"Are you done?" Danny spoke softly, but his voice had a hard edge in it. Eric nodded, he knew that his voice would betray his emotions and so he left without saying anything.

---

He was alone. Danny had a hard time believing that Eric had simply left him like that. Danny had woken up warm and wonderfully comfortable and as their eyes had met, Danny had read the same contentment he had felt in Eric's eyes.

And now he was alone.

‘You should have known it.' He shook his head against the mental snide remark and turned towards the window. No, he though, he didn't know it. He had told Eric what he wanted, hadn't he? "This is not a one night stand."

Obviously Eric had seen it differently.

Danny sighed and got up slowly. He felt lethargic and not up to doing anything, but wallowing in misery at home wasn't his thing either. He walked towards the bathroom and showered quickly pushing everything about last night and Eric away from his mind. He would go to the gym he decided and then he'd call Mike and meet his friend for drinks and some fun.

His mind was clear when he walked back to his room. Danny stopped as if he had run in a wall. The room still smelled of sex and Eric. Danny wanted to crawl back into bed and hide, but instead he walked over to the window and let fresh air in.

---

Greg was the first one to arrive for the graveyard shift after the weekend and he blissfully inhaled the steam from his coffee. Blue Hawaiian... His team mates might tease him about spending ridiculous amounts of money on the coffee, but Greg had always believed that indulgence in something like coffee wasn't a sin, but a real pleasure.

And of course no one complained when he offered them a cup of his coffee at the start of a new week.

"You're saving my life." Sara's eyes looked bloodshot and Greg frowned. "Hot weekend?"

She sneezed and he immediately took a step back. "Ok, not hot more cold."

Another sneeze made him hold up his hands and he shook his head. "Stay away from me, ok?"

She smiled a bit, and turned around when Catherine and Grissom entered the room too. "Hey there, had a good weekend?"

Grissom looked as always, Greg thought. It was comforting somehow how Grissom was the one constant that didn't change in Greg's life. Sometimes Greg wondered what would have happened if he hadn't met Grissom, if he hadn't started working with the crime lab in Vegas, but whenever he thought about it, he pushed the thought away. He couldn't imagine a life without knowing Grissom.

"Greg, buddy where are you?" Warrick had arrived and had obviously addressed him. Greg blinked once, twice and then smiled. "Just thinking about the weekend?"

Warrick leered at him. "Had a good one then? So how's she look like?"

Greg's smile faded a bit. He had gone away for the weekend, had flown to San Francisco to meet a friend. It had been a spontaneous decision because he had wanted to forget Eric. It had helped and enjoyed meeting his friend again, had enjoyed hanging out with him, but he knew that it would still take some time until he was really over Eric.

And speaking of Eric. "Where's Eric?"

He received shrugs from everyone, when Eric appeared with a breathless sorry and an explanation. "I got stuck in traffic."

Greg saw how Warrick frowned and turned around to say hi to Eric. But whatever he had wanted to say was forgotten, when he noticed Eric's pallor and the tired lines around his face.

"Wow brother, what happened to you?" Warrick's question made everyone look at Eric and Grissom immediately frowned. "Are you sick?"

Eric shook his head and sighed. "No, just couldn't sleep. Went out on Friday and it screwed up my sleeping schedule."

The explanation made sense, Greg thought, but there was something in Eric's behavior that made him suspicious and as he saw Warrick narrow his eyes for a moment, he knew that Warrick didn't believe Eric either.

---

*New York*

Mac looked at the phone for a long time. He had to call the Las Vegas police to let them know about Jimmy Slater's confession and about the fact that Kelly Gordon's killer hadn't been involved in Nick's abduction, but something held him back.

He didn't want to let go of the case, he didn't want to hand the responsibility in this case to the people who had gotten Nick abducted at the first place.

The thought brought him up short and without hesitating any further he reached for the phone. He had no right to judge the Vegas team for what had happened to Nick, he thought while he waited for Conrad Ecklie to pick up. No right to think that he and his team would have protected Nick better.

Gil Grissom and his team had found Nick in time. Mac swallowed hard and shook his head, he avoided thinking about it as much as he could. Thinking about it would make him watch Nick obsessively and he knew Nick well enough to know that he wouldn't appreciate it.

"Ecklie?" Mac was silently glad when Ecklie answered the phone. He didn't want to think anymore about what could have happened to Nick and how he hadn't done anything to prevent it. "Hi there, this is Mac Taylor from New York. I just wanted to give you an update on the Kelly Gordon case."

---

*Las Vegas*

Brass looked at Conrad who was outwardly calm, but seemed to be boiling inside. "What's eating at you?"

"Taylor called." For a second, Brass was confused, but when he realized which Taylor Conrad was talking about, he paled slightly. "Something happened to Nick?"

Conrad shook his head in annoyance. "No, nothing happened, but no thanks to Grissom for this. Kelly Gordon was killed and for a while, they suspected Nick to be the killer. Turns out it was some guy he helped while still being here."

Brass smiled despite himself and shook his head while he followed Conrad out of his office and towards the break room. "So if Nick's fine and Kelly Gordon's dead, what's the anger at Grissom about?"

"Kelly's killer was not the second man in Nick's abduction, so we still have nothing to determine who helped Gordon. And if Grissom had not been silent about the second voice, we would have investigated much earlier." Conrad was angry, but at the same time, Brass also heard exhaustion in his voice and slowing down he looked at his friend. There were lines in Conrad's face that hadn't been there a couple of months ago and sighing lightly, Brass shook his head.

"You need a holiday, Con." Conrad looked surprised, before a smile crossed his face. "Do I look so bad?"

Brass grinned, but turned serious again immediately. "You look as if you're not sleeping and working too much."

He knew that he was probably the only person in the entire police department that dared to talk to Conrad like this and at the slightly angry look he got from his friend, he simply smiled. Conrad sighed again but then nodded slowly. "I know."

The fact that Conrad admitted to being exhausted shocked Brass because normally Conrad simply waved those concerns away. Looking once again at his friend, Brass shook his head. "Who are you and what have you done to Conrad Ecklie?"

This time Conrad laughed openly which caused some heads to turn in stunned surprise. The laughter died though and as they sat down in the break room, Conrad smiled tightly. "I need some time off, I know that, but I don't know where to go. I..."

Brass suddenly understood what the problem was and he remembered something Conrad had told him when they had still been lovers. "I don't mind being alone, but I hate going on holidays on my own. It just makes me feel like an outcast."

"You don't want to go alone." Brass saw Conrad tense and suddenly felt an old feeling resurface. He swallowed hard as he realized that he wanted to comfort Conrad, hold him and love him. A shiver ran through him and he felt trapped in the break room. Conrad looked at him oddly, before he shrugged. "Yeah there's that..."

It was heavy talk for in the middle of the crime lab and Brass saw that Conrad felt uncomfortable. He smiled at his friend and changed the topic easily. "So what are you going to do about the mysterious second man?"

---

Warrick glanced at Eric while they worked their case. They had been called to a car accident. The car had gone off the road at a point where the road was as straight as an arrow and from what they could see so far there had been no other car involved.

Eric worked as diligently as always, but Warrick was worried about the continued silence. Not that Eric was usually very chatty, but they did tend to speak every once in a while when working together. Finally after they had brought the car back to the lab and had worked on it for another hour in silence, Warrick had had enough.

"Eric, talk to me." Eric looked up from where he was leaning over the car and Warrick immediately saw the pain in Eric's eyes. "What happened on the weekend?"

Eric tensed for a moment and then he shook his head. "Not now Warrick, ok?"

"Okay, but we'll talk brother." Warrick returned to his task and frowned when he found some dirt in the glove compartment. "Eric, take a look at this."

Eric walked over and frowned as he looked at the dirt which looked a bit like excrement. "From an animal?"

"Looks like it, but who keeps an animal in the glove compartment?" Warrick saw his confusion mirrored in Eric's eyes and Eric shrugged. "And what kind of animal fits into a glove compartment?"

"Well, Tinkerbell would." Detective Vartaan's voice made Warrick and Eric turn around and Warrick found himself laughing at the comment. "So you're suggesting that Paris Hilton is our main suspect?"

Vartaan grinned too and shook his head. "Not very likely, but hey you never know."

Eric had watched the banter between Warrick and Vartaan and plucked the envelope with the evidence from Warrick's finger. "I'll have that tested. You two behave."

Frowning at Eric's fast disappearance, Warrick turned back towards Vartaan and shook his head. "What are you making of it?"

Vartaan looked pensive as he looked at the report in his hands. "Tox screen came back negative. He wasn't drunk and with no evidence of another car, I'd say he fell asleep behind the wheel."

It was the easiest solution and yet something struck Warrick as weird. "It's morning, Tony, for most people at least, so why would he fall asleep on the way to work and not from?"

Vartaan shrugged. "The wife is coming to identify him. You want to be there when we talk?"

Warrick nodded. He hated to be there when the families arrived, but he knew that it might be important. For a moment he shuddered. A strong hand gripped his shoulder and he looked up startled. Vartaan was looking at him intently. "You don't have to be there for the identification. I can page you once we're done."

"Thanks." Warrick was surprised by Vartaan's offer and if he was honest, he was also tempted to take Vartaan up on it, but he knew that it wouldn't be fair. "I'll be there, just call me when she arrives ok?"

---

"Danny, can I speak to you for a moment?" Delinda saw that Danny was pale and tired. In fact, she thought, he looked terrible. Time to draw him out of his office and down for a coffee.

"Let's go for a coffee break, ok?" He sighed and smiled at her. "You're not going to take no as an answer anyway, will you?"

She simply grinned. "No."

He laughed a bit and pulled him out of his office. "Come on, you know you want to."

When he smiled, Delinda felt better and sighed. She could see that he was hurting and she wanted to help him. Danny had been there for here when she had been feeling down, now she wanted to return the favor. Better her than Mary, she thought, knowing that Mary would not be able to just help Danny without hoping for more.

Once they were in the coffee shop, she ordered two caramel macchiatos and brought them at their table. "Spill it."

Danny scowled into the coffee. "There's not much to spill. I was an idiot."

Playfully she slapped him and made him look at her. "That's nothing new, but you usually don't look like this, so what happened?"

Again he smiled although it didn't reach his eyes and seeing the pain in the blue eyes, Delinda sighed. Whatever had happened on the weekend, had been painful and Danny had certainly not let go yet. When he remained silent, she looked at him and shook her head. "Danny, what's going on?"

"I think I'm in love." The words made her tense, but Danny continued before she could say anything. "And it fucking hurts."

Oh Danny, Delinda wanted to hold him and comfort him, but instead she took his hand into hers and held it tight. "Who is it?"

"We met last week, and on Saturday we had our first date… only it escalated and we ended up in my bed." Danny's voice was tentative and quiet, Delinda listened carefully and sighed when he continued. "It was incredible, more than I've ever felt and then in the morning... we woke up and it was just right, you know, it felt right to be there... and then I was alone again."

She had noticed how he had avoided using a name or a pronoun and sighing, she pressed his hand again. "What's his name?"

For a second, Danny tensed and Delinda smiled lightly. "Danny, I always knew that if you really fall for someone, it will be for a guy and not a girl. So who is he?"

"Do you remember the CSI who worked here last week? He's name is Eric." Delinda gasped lightly as she remembered the conversation she and Sam had observed. Yes, she thought, there had been a lot of tension between the two men. "That guy, uh?"

Danny had a dreamy look in his eyes as he smiled. "He called me after the case was closed and we went out yesterday. We just had this instant attraction for each other and then in the club..."

Seeing that Danny was getting more and more depressed, Delinda grinned wickedly. "And is he good in bed?"

Her attempt at humor fell flat, when Danny's eyes darkened with memories. "He's wonderful. Delinda, I've never felt with anyone like with him. It's just so much..."

Delinda sighed and pressed Danny's hand. "What happened in the morning?"

"We woke together and it felt right, you known, felt like it should be. There was no awkwardness or anything, but then he suddenly jerked away from me and left."

Delinda sighed. "I'm so sorry for you."

Danny shook his head and shrugged. "I'll survive."

She was sure of that, but she also had seen the longing in Danny's eyes when he'd spoken of Eric. It had been a longing she had never seen in Danny, and it made her determined to find out why Eric had left Danny. Delinda smiled and as Danny changed the topic she followed easily, but in the back of her mind she started to plan. She was her father's daughter after all.

---

"Grissom, what do you make of this?" Gil walked over towards Greg and found him studying a scrap of paper. "Looks like a flyer for a club or something."

Taking the wrangled paper and holding it against the light Gil nodded. "Let's find out."

Greg looked up surprised. "It's not your case, is it?"

Gil tensed and almost defensively, he frowned. "Catherine can handle the case herself. I thought I help you."

"So you think, I can't handle it." Greg's words and voice was challenging him and Gil sighed mentally. "Greg, you're a CSI 1, you're not supposed to handle your own cases."

Gil expected a longer argument, but to his surprise, Greg simply grinned and his eyes sparkled as if nothing had ever been wrong. "Lead me to the truth then Obi Wan."

Bemused at the comment Gil shook his head and started to explain what he was doing and why. Greg's attention never wavered from him and as they waited for the results to come back, Gil allowed himself a moment of self indulgence at simply enjoying working together with Greg.

---

Eric stared at the evidence in front of him and frowned. The results from the dirt had not helped him so far instead, they only confused him further.

"Heteropoda Venatoria"

"Bless you." Eric smirked at Warrick's comment and pointed at the print out. "Huntsman spider drops."

Warrick looked as surprised as Eric did and Eric simply shrugged while he pointed at the results n his hand. "I've checked it twice, but the stuff that we found in the glove compartment was actually left behind by a huntsman."

"Who in their right frame of mind keeps a huntsman in a glove compartment?" Warrick's voice was incredulous making Eric laugh for the first time this day as he remembered Vartann's comment. "Not Paris Hilton, that's for sure."

Warrick shot him a glance and smiled too. "No, actually the only person I could think of, would be Grissom."

Again Eric grinned, and then shrugged. "I checked it, they aren't native to Vegas, so the thing can't simply have crawled in."

Slowly Warrick turned towards him and the car. "No, but you know what? If I were driving along the street thinking about nothing and suddenly a huntsman spider came out of my glove compartment, I would probably be have a heart attack."

Eric snickered a bit. "Yes, but you're afraid of spiders."

Warrick blushed and shook his head. "I'm not"

"Sure you are, I saw how you constantly keep a distance from Grissom's tarantula." "I don't do that!" "Sure, you do." "Do not." "Sure do."

"Am I interrupting something?" Vartaan shook his head, but Eric saw that how his eyes twinkled and despite Warrick's death glare, Eric explained what they were arguing about. "Warrick's afraid of spiders although he denies it."

Warrick growled, but didn't leave or contradict Eric, instead he handed the results from Eric's tests over to Vartaan who looked at sheet of paper with interest. "A spider in the glove compartment... You know his wife mentioned something about him being phobic about a lot of things. I have to ask her if he suffered from arachnophobia too."

Things that hadn't made sense suddenly clicked in place and Eric shook his head. "You know that's the perfect murder, if you know that he's scared of spiders. Hide a spider in his car and there you have it; a natural cause of death and a murder weapon that's already walked away on eight legs."

Vartaan looked grim. "I'll talk to the wife again. You want to sit in, Eric?"

Eric nodded and looked at Warrick. "You coming too?"

Warrick though shook his head. "No, you handle this on your own. I'll check into the wife's background in the mean time."

Vartaan left to call the wife and but before Eric could walk out of the lab too, Warrick held him back. "You ok?"

Eric swallowed hard and suddenly all the emotions he had tried to suppress over the weekend were right there again. He shivered as he remembered Danny's hand on his body, Danny's laughter and soft voice and the feeling of security and warmth that had lulled him to sleep in Danny's arms.

"I made a mistake on the weekend." Warrick's eyes were open and friendly and with another sigh, Eric pulled him out of the lab and into the empty break room. "I met Danny McCoy."

"And?" Warrick's voice was again friendly and concerned, but this time Eric didn't have the courage to meet Warrick's eyes. "We had sex."

Liar! The voice inside his head was loud as it told him that what they had shared on Saturday night had been much more than just sex. Just sex had been what he'd had in the anonymous bars, in the back rooms, but not what he'd experienced with Danny. Another shiver went through him and he noticed how Warrick looked at him.

"It wasn't just sex, was it?" Damn Warrick for his perception, Eric wanted to curse and yet on the other hand he was glad that he didn't have to spell it out. Shrugging he looked at the coffee in his hands. "I ran, Warrick, in the morning when I woke, I ran."

"Why?" Warrick's voice held no judgment and Eric shrugged again. "I... It was too much, too close..."

Warrick looked at him closely and finally sighed. "What do you want from McCoy? A one night stand?"

Eric's mind went back to the moments before they had gone to the club, to the easy going bantering and laughter, to Danny's hand on his back as he told him that he wouldn't abandon him and with a pained sigh, he acknowledged that he didn't want just sex, just one night. No he wanted more.

"And do you have an idea what he wants?" Warrick was almost clinically rational with his questions and somehow that made it easier for Eric to be honest. Again he remembered and this time his heart constricted at the memory of Danny's eyes burning with sincere desire and longing.

"This is more than a quick fuck or a one night stand. If I wanted that, I would have taken you to the back room of the club."

"I think he wants more too." Warrick frowned at his answer and sighed. "Eric, you have to find out what you want, and if you can move beyond Speed. If you can then call McCoy and talk to him. If you can't then you've got to stop the games you're playing. Right now you're hurting those you profess to care about and that's not adult behavior."

This time there was judgment in Warrick's voice and Eric stiffened at the words, but at the same time he had to acknowledge the truth behind them. Warrick said something else, but Eric hadn't listened and looking at his friend, he waited for Warrick to repeat his words.

"I'm an asshole, you mean?" He tried to smile as he said it, but from Warrick's look it was obvious that he'd failed. Warrick clasped his shoulder and smiled. "No, you're not. You're scared."

They were silent for a moment, then Warrick looked at Eric again. "Figure out what you really want from McCoy ok?"

Eric nodded and another shiver ran through him at the memory of Saturday night. Warrick had noticed it and smiled slowly. "Or maybe you already know that, you're just too scared to acknowledge it."

---

When Greg came into work the next evening he was angrier than he could ever remember being. He didn't acknowledge Catherine or Sara and barely registered Eric's hello as he walked straight into Grissom's office, closed the door behind him and looked at the man sitting calmly behind his desk.

"You bastard!" As soon as the words were out, Greg realized what he had said and paled. Grissom however simply gazed at him. "Good evening to you too. What can I do for you?"

Grissom's calm made Greg want to shake him, but he forced himself to calm down at least a little bit knowing that he had not only overstepped his limits, but literally jumped over them before.

"Why didn't you tell Nick?" From one instant to the next the calm disappeared from Grissom's eyes and Greg swallowed hard as he saw the sadness and despair that now shone in them. "He could have gotten hurt so badly, Grissom, why didn't you tell him?"

"I made a mistake in judgment." Grissom's words sounded as if he forced himself to speak them and he wasn't looking at Greg as he continued. "You wouldn't understand my reasoning."

Greg could feel his anger disappear, and felt for the man opposite him. Still he needed to understand, why Grissom would fail Nick so much. "Try me."

He was aware that he was pushing Grissom, and of course he didn't expect an honest answer or even an answer at all, but to his surprise, Grissom started speaking after a moment of silence. "I thought I was protecting him. He was finally over what happened..."

Greg wasn't sure what surprised him more, the fact that Grissom was answering his question or the wealth of emotions in Grissom's voice as he spoke. Greg had never heard Grissom speak about someone like he was now speaking of Nick and a thought made him tense as slowly the pieces fit together and formed a picture.

"Do you love him?" Grissom tensed at Greg's question and finally looking up, Greg was again surprised by the pain he saw in Grissom's eyes. He was suddenly sure that he was right, that Grissom was in love with Nick and somehow the thought made him feel slightly sick.

"No, not in the way you mean." Grissom's denial was soft and Greg had to strain his ears to hear Grissom speak. "I'm not in love with Nick. But I think of him as a friend, someone who's been through too much already."

For a moment Greg faltered at the honesty and at the pain in Grissom's eyes. He had overstepped his boundaries in more than just one way, he realized and he felt terrible. He had acted out of concern for a friend, but driven by that concern he had overlooked the feelings of someone else. Sighing, he steeled himself and looked at Grissom.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't..." Greg trailed off as Grissom shook his head.

"No, don't apologize, I was treating Nick wrong. " A wry smile crossed Grissom's face as he continued. "And don't worry, it has been pointed out to me before that I have no people skills."

There was something in Grissom's eyes and voice that made Greg shiver, something that spoke of loneliness and despair, but before he could decide on what to say, Grissom's phone beeped and after a last glance at his boss Greg left the office.

---

"I'll be there in a second, Al." Gil put his phone down and for a moment he stared blindly at the spot where Greg had stood only seconds before. Greg's accusations still ran through his mind and he felt more tired than he had felt in a long time.

A shiver wracked his body and Gil groaned silently as he realized that his head was starting to pound. His shift had only just started and he already felt as if he had been working for hours. He needed to do something, needed to get up and go to the morgue, but he couldn't move from his spot. Dread filled him as he thought of the hours ahead of him, hours of working under artificial light, hours of hiding his head ache, hours of trying to concentrate while his head felt as if it was split apart from the inside.

He searched blindly for the pain killers in his drawer and sighed with relief as his hands found the familiar form of the medicine bottle. Gil sighed as he took two pills and then slowly got up. He felt like an old man and with slow careful movements he made his way out of the office and towards the morgue.

---

*New York*

"You can't ignore him forever, you know that, don't you?" Nick didn't even try to pretend that he didn't know what Don was talking about. He knew very well, what his partner wanted and why.

"I'm not the one who has to make the first step..." Don grinned at his words and Nick felt like a petulant twelve year old. Still he couldn't bring himself to call Grissom and with a deep sigh he looked at his lover. "I can't, Don, I simply can't forget that I trusted him and he..."

He trailed off not knowing what he should be saying, not knowing why he felt so betrayed and sighing slightly, Don sat down next to him. "What do you feel if you think of Grissom?"

What did he feel? It was a good question, Nick thought and certainly worth some thoughts, but right now he didn't want to think about Grissom, didn't want to talk about Vegas and he was glad when he saw Ziva walk into their living room with a smile. Since their talk she had loosened up a lot and now she sat down easily before looking at them questioningly. "Grissom?"

Surprised at her words Nick looked up and nodded. She smiled and shook her head. "He certainly is a very special man."

Nick remembered then that Grissom had been in Washington and had met Ziva. He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he is and he's a good friend, or at least I thought that he was."

Don growled lightly and shook his head. "That's it, Nick, you're calling him first thing tomorrow morning."

Sighing, but knowing that he didn't stand a chance if Don had made up his mind about something, Nick nodded slowly. He knew that Don was right anyway, still it hurt that Grissom hadn't even tried to contact him. He felt Don's arms around him and looking up he met his partner's concerned eyes.

"It's going to be fine, you'll see." Don's words were gentle and Nick couldn't help but believing him.

---

*Las Vegas*

"Warrick Brown?" The voice on the other end of the phone sounded vaguely familiar, but Warrick couldn't place a face with the soft female tones and so he answered friendly but cautiously.

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"My name's Delinda Deline and I'm a friend of Danny McCoy. I take it you're a friend of Eric Delko?" Immediately wary, Warrick got out of the lab and walked into the empty break room."

"I don't know why you'd ask this, but yes I know Eric." Was she a friend or a foe? Her laughter was delighted and a bit naughty and it sent spikes of interest through Warrick's body. He was surprised enough to miss her first words, but when she spoke again he was listening.

"I think you and I need to meet. Danny's miserable and unless Eric is a real jerk, he's not happy either." It was an accurate statement, but before Warrick could agree with her, she continued already. "Guys in general are blind and way too dumb if it comes to dealing with emotions, wouldn't you agree? I actually see it as my duty as Danny's best friend to help him, aren't I?"

Delinda's words were friendly and yet Warrick couldn't help shivering. God help, Danny and Eric if Ed Deline's daughter had decided to play matchmaker.

---

*Chapter 8 - … goes around*

*Las Vegas*

Grissom stared at the phone for a long time before he dialed Nick's number. He hadn't spoken to his friend since he had made the call to Don Flack. Grissom knew that Nick felt betrayed, and logically he understood why, but how should he have told Nick?

What should he have told him?

When?

They had become friends and had spoken about everything, had had great conversations about anything under the sun; should he have just interrupted such a talk and told Nick that there had been a second person involved?

Maybe he should have, Grissom mused silently while he listened to the dialing tone. Maybe he should have told Nick and yet, he couldn't forget the sight of Nick in the throws of terror as he had seen him on the camera feed. The image of Nick reaching out for the gun, prepared to kill himself was burned under his eyelids and whenever Gil closed his eyes, he saw it.

I found closure. Nick's words rang through him and shaking his head, Grissom realized that he hadn't. He still dreamed of Nick sometimes and it hurt to see him like that. It was the deeper reason why he had never told his friend, but he knew that he was close to losing Nick because of his fear now and that scared him more than the memory of Nick in the greenish grave.

"Grissom, how are you?" Nick's voice was cold and Grissom tensed. He had heard Nick speak in the same kind of voice when he had interrogated suspects and it brought home once again how much he had hurt his friend. Taking a deep breath, Grissom prepared to do something he hadn't done in a long time, apologize.

"I've let you down, Nick, and I wanted to say that I'm sorry." It hadn't been easy to say and after he had spoken those few words, he waited tensely for Nick's verdict. His friend was silent for a long time before Grissom heard him sigh.

"Do you even know what you're apologizing for, Gil?" Nick spoke softer than before and this time his voice sounded almost paternal.

Grissom smiled lightly as he recognized the same interrogation technique that he had taught Nick. "I wanted to protect you, but I forgot that you are stronger than I give you credit for. I wanted to keep you safe and have endangered you instead. Nick, I never wanted to hurt you, but whenever I..." He trailed off, suddenly unsure how to explain, before he spoke again quietly. "Whenever I think of that night or something related, I just want to make sure you're not hurt... Just want to protect you."

And he had done a great job, hadn't he? His method of protection had almost gotten Nick accused of murder, but before he could berate himself even more, Nick spoke again. "Gris, you have to let go of that night. You have to forget and move on."

All the cold had vanished and in its place was an intense care that made Grissom tremble "I know, but I don't know how." He was shocked that he had been able to admit this so freely, but then he had never been able to hold back in his and Nick's phone calls. Again Nick was silent for a moment, before Grissom heard another sigh.

"I left before you all got closure, didn't I? I left before I was healthy again and all you have is the image of me broken and desperate stuck in your mind."

He was speechless by the insight and yet Grissom knew that he shouldn't be. Nick had always been good at reading people, and yes, he was right about leaving before they had found closure. Grissom wasn't thinking when he spoke again. "We know that you're alright; it just makes it hard because we don't really know."

Nick laughed a bit but he sobered quickly. "Tony suggested a road trip to Vegas, and I think it's a good idea. Maybe if you see me, if you meet Don, then it will finally be over."

Grissom smiled suddenly at the mention of Tony and without thinking he spoke again. "You should do that, I'd love to meet Don..."

Nick's voice had become the voice of a friend again and as they continued to speak, Grissom felt some of the tension drain away and the head ache that had accompanied him ever since he had heard about Kelly Gordon's journey to New York lessened slowly. Finally he found the courage to tell Nick the one thing he hadn't been able to say all those months ago.

"I'm glad you're still alive. I'm glad you're my friend. I couldn't lose you."

Grissom heard the hitch in Nick's breathing and for a long time his friend was silent, then he finally spoke with a hoarse voice. "You won't lose me, Gris, I promise."

Scientifically Grissom knew that Nick couldn't make that promise, that there were so many unknown factors in their lives that it was impossible to promise forever, but for once Grissom didn't listen to reason and let his heart and soul be comforted by the promise.

---

Eric watched while Vartaan and Warrick interrogated their victim's best friend. They had found solid evidence that he had been the one to place the spider in the glove compartment, knowing about his friend's phobia and how he would react to the spider's appearance.

The man in the interrogation room had almost managed to commit the perfect crime, Eric thought, had it not been for their diligent approach, they would have ruled the death an accident. It made Eric proud to realize that they had thwarted the killer's plan and with a smile he turned his attention back to the ongoing interrogation.

"Good job, Eric." Grissom's voice made him startle a bit, but he felt pride surge through him at the rare praise from his boss.

They stood next to each other watching as the killer broke and finally confessed and Eric turned towards Grissom with a smile. "We got him."

Grissom smiled back and nodded. "That you did."

Eric smiled and watched as his boss walked away. Grissom was a silent man and much more reserved than Horatio had ever been. The thought of his friend made Eric tense with guilt. He hadn't spoken with Horatio for a long time and suddenly the urge to hear the other man's voice got stronger than ever.

Checking his watch, Eric realized that Horatio was probably already at work and without much thought he walked out of the interrogation room and outside to call his former boss.

---

*Miami*

Horatio didn't recognize the number on his cell-phone and frowned slightly before he answered. "Caine."

"Horatio, it's Eric." Horatio had recognized Eric's voice immediately and for a moment he closed his eyes while his hand gripped the folder he held. Hearing Eric brought both joy and sadness. He was glad to hear from the other man, but at the same time Eric's voice evoked too many memories.

"Eric, how are you?" Horatio put the folder down and closed the door behind him. He wanted to talk with Eric without having to watch his words and he knew that his office was the only safe place to do so.

"I'm good." Eric sounded as if he hadn't expected his own answer and Horatio felt relief flood him. He had worried about Eric ever since he had left Miami and there had been many nights when Horatio had been awake and wondering how he could have been so blind, how he could have missed the closeness between Eric and Speed.

"What about you, H? Any gossip or news that I need to know?" Eric's voice sounded cheerful and it had been such a long time since Horatio had heard him like this that he hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should tell Eric or not. Finally though he decided that Eric deserved the truth. "I quit."

There was a long silence on the other side of the phone and Horatio waited until he couldn't hold his breath anymore. "Eric?"

"I'm still here; I just had to sit down though." Eric sounded both surprised and yet not and Horatio smiled when his friend continued speaking. "I never thought you'd leave Miami, on the other hand, I'm glad you will."

"You speak from experience?" Horatio had wanted to know for a while if Eric had ever regretted the move across the country, but he'd never asked. He still didn't ask, but Eric had obviously understood the unasked question.

"I guess, you could say so." Eric's answer was hesitant, but before Horatio could prod further, Eric spoke again. "I would have never been able to move on, had I stayed. I mean, I tried for over three years and it didn't work."

There was an undertone in Eric's voice, one that Horatio couldn't place and it unsettled him enough to ask. "Are you ok?"

Horatio hadn't been prepared for the chuckle he got as an answer and it made his heart constrict as he realized how long it had been since he had heard Eric laugh. "How do you do that, H? How can you always read my mind?"

Well aware that Eric was avoiding the question, Horatio didn't answer and instead waited for the silence to stretch long enough until Eric couldn't stand it anymore. "I am moving on, yes, I think. I might be falling for someone and it terrifies me."

Horatio had expected anything but that and as he sat down; he realized that he was both glad and resentful that Eric was indeed moving on. He kept himself in check though and pushed the negative emotions as far away as he could. "Why are you afraid?"

He was proud to notice that his voice had been completely calm and quiet, betraying nothing of the conflict inside him. He wanted to know who the person was that Eric had fallen for, wanted to know whether they were worth replacing Speed... The pain that shot through him at that thought made Horatio pause and it was only then that he realized that Eric had answered and he hadn't listened.

"I'm sorry, Eric, I just got disturbed by something." He knew that Eric didn't believe him, but when his friend didn't question him, he realized that Eric had learned that certain questions and conversations couldn't be held over the phone.

"Where are you going to go?" Slightly thrown by the change of topic, Horatio hesitated for a moment and then again decided for honesty. "I don't know yet."

Eric didn't berate him or prod any further instead Horatio heard a light sigh from the other man and then finally an offer that he had subconsciously awaited and yet never expected. "You know that you'll always have a place in Vegas, don't you?"

Horatio felt something in him break at the honesty and friendship in Eric's voice and the hand which held his phone tightened for a moment. "Thanks Eric, I might take you up on it."

They chatted for a little more and their talk moved from the heavy subjects to the easier banter and gossip about current and former team members. When Horatio said good bye almost twenty minutes later, he felt lighter and less exhausted than he had felt in ages.

Eric had moved away from Miami and had obviously found himself again, maybe Horatio could do the same.

---

*Las Vegas*

Danny sighed when he felt Ed's eyes on him, but his mentor didn't ask anything personal instead Ed looked at the screen in front of him and pointed at their current VIP gambler.

"What do you make of him?" Danny had been watching the VIP ever since he had arrived and now he turned around at Ed's question. "There's something shady about him."

Ed nodded, but before he could answer, Mike interrupted them with a snort. "He's clean, I've checked him out myself. There's nothing in his files, his records or anything that would indicate him being ‘shady'. Who do you believe, Ed? The technology or a simple gut feeling?"

Danny heard the implied insult, heard what Mike didn't say which was that it was Danny's gut feeling which was untrustworthy, and he sighed knowing that he needed to address Mike's behavior with him. He didn't understand when the shift in their friendship had happened, when Mike had started to resent him because of his position and whenever he thought about it, it hurt.

"Keep your eyes on him, my gut agrees with Danny's." Ed's voice was cold and his eyes fixed Mike with a hard glare. Danny felt a surge of warmth at Ed's unwavering loyalty, but then Ed turned towards him and his mentor frowned. "We need to talk, Danny."

Danny sighed, but he knew Ed well enough not to try to avoid the talk and so he walked ahead towards his office and waited for Ed to close the door behind him. "Do you want me to find him and kill him?"

Ed grinned while he said it, but the scary thing was, Danny thought, that Ed was completely serious. He considered Danny a part of his family and if someone hurt him, Ed would hunt them down and punish them. Meeting Ed's eyes thankfully, Danny shook his head.

"No, I... he..." Danny groaned at his inability to formulate a proper sentence and tried again. "He didn't do anything wrong. I... I hoped for more, but that's not his mistake."

"You sure he doesn't want more?" Ed's question made Danny think for a moment, before he shrugged. "He left and hasn't called."

"Did you call him?" Danny frowned and shook his head. "No, and I'm not going to call him. He ran away, so he has to call."

Ed's laughter was full of warmth and love and his eyes sparkled as he looked at Danny. "Danny, if I had acted like this with Jillian, then Delinda would have never been born. Do you have any idea how hard I had to work on convincing her that I wasn't going to hurt her and that I was serious with her?"

Danny choked slightly as he tried to imagine Ed pursuing Jillian and with a grin he wondered who'd been more scared during that time Ed or Jillian. Then though his thoughts returned to Eric and his smile withered slowly. He couldn't call Eric, he'd look like a fool...

"Is he important enough to you to risk looking like a fool?" Ed's words were warm, but they carried a deep truth in them and Danny swallowed hard as he remembered the way he had felt around Eric. It hadn't only been the sex despite that having been sensational, it was the feeling of being able to be himself and to be around someone who liked him. He met Ed's eyes again and nodded slowly.

"Yeah, he is."

Ed smiled. "Then call him."

---

*Los Angeles*

Don couldn't really remember the last time he'd been on an uninterrupted date. It sometimes seemed to him as if the fates conspired against him in order to prevent him from going out with a woman. His job had cost him more than one relationship, but this time he hoped it would be different, at least Liz knew what she was getting into.

They had just ordered their lunch when his phone rang and with a curse he answered. It was Colby, after listening for a moment Don sighed. "I'll be there asap."

Liz had already called their waiter and quietly asked for the bill and now as Don looked at her she simply smiled. "Don't worry, at least this time they didn't call in the middle of dessert."

Remembering how a phone call had interrupted their last date Don blushed slightly. Liz laughed and shook her head. "Really Don, it's ok, just go now, your team waits."

When he arrived at the scene, Colby and David were already there and briefed him quickly. "Two dead bodies, both male, both obviously dead for a while. LAPD assumes that the last rains washed them down so it's not clear where they're from."

Don nodded as he understood the LAPD's thinking. "That's why they called us."

"That and the fact that one of the victims had this with him." Captain Walker had come over and Don greeted him with a smile. The Captain and him had worked together a couple of times and Don had grown to respect the no non-sense cop. Now he looked at some faded papers.

"What's that?"

Walker shrugged. "Some formulas that are pretty much gibberish to me. I thought your brother might be able to tell us what they are."

When they had met on their first case, Walker had scoffed at Charlie's methods, but a lot of time had passed since then and Don knew that Walker respected Charlie and often sought his counsel on LAPD cases.

"I'll ask him." Don reached for the papers, but before he could even grab the evidence bag it was snatched from Walker's hands by a young woman who glared at him furiously.

"Don't even think about taking evidence away from my crime scene, understood?"

Don simply stared at her and absently noted that she was stunningly beautiful. Her hair was long and blond, shimmering softly in the glare of the sun, her eyes were a deep blue and her body was slim and fit. What made him stare at her though was less her beauty than the confidence in her eyes, her movements the absolute certainty of being right which spoke from her glare.

"There papers haven't been processed yet and I'll be dammed before I let a fed ruin some evidence because he thinks he's got a first touch right."

Something about her tone and her voice reminded Don of Grissom and his comments about the FBI and he smiled. "Hey, we're not stealing your evidence, honestly, knock yourself out. As far as I'm concerned I prefer to have the local labs examine the evidence. The thing is lately the LAPD lab has been understaffed and not able to process the evidence in the time frame we need it."

Or the quality, but Don didn't mention that. The woman had turned towards him and a smile played around her lips as she watched him. "Well I guess things have changed now. I'm sorry for tearing into you; I'm very particular about my crime scenes."

Don heard David mumble something like ‘we noticed', but he shut his team mate out and instead looked at the woman again. "Your crime scenes?"

She smiled again and with a practiced gesture pushed her hair back, before she extended her hand. "Calleigh Duquesne, I'm the new dayshift supervisor."

Don had heard that the lab had a new supervisor, but he had never met them before. From the corner of his eyes he saw Colby and David openly ogle her and grinned lightly. "Nice to meet you Ms. Duquesne, I'm Don Eppes..."

Calleigh smiled again. "Call me Calleigh, please, I feel way too old if you call me Ms."

"Well, in this case I'm Don, and this is the rest of my team, Colby, David, Megan, please meet Calleigh..."

The introductions were quick and after a short small talk, Calleigh brought them up to speed on the preliminary findings from the crime scene. Don had gotten used to the sometimes sloppy, sometimes slow and often very chaotic crime scene investigators and was more than happy to see Calleigh working with precision and attention to details.

"If you want the evidence to be sent to the lab in Quantico, please let me know, but I'd rather process it here, if you agree."

For a moment Don hesitated, then he decided to give it a chance. "Can you do it in a reasonable time?"

Calleigh laughed and shrugged easily. "I'll have to kick some people and make them get to work earlier, but that's nothing I haven't done yet. You'll get your results."

She sent a look at his team and told them good bye. Don watched her walk over to her team and talk to them softly. Captain Walker had walked up next to him and smiled.

"She's brought quite a new wind with her."

Thinking of the staid CSIs that he'd met while working with the LAPD, Don couldn't help but grin. "More like a hurricane, I guess."

Walker nodded, but his eyes were warm as he watched Calleigh drive away. "Well, it fits cause she used to be in Miami."

---

Calleigh was still grinning when she walked into the lab. It was a good feeling to get one up on an FBI agent and although this agent Eppes had been quite friendly she still felt it was a little victory that Eppes had agreed on letting her team process the evidence.

She had seen his initial reluctance, but even though she wanted to be annoyed, she couldn't help but understand his hesitation. The lab was miles away from the state of the art institution that the Miami lab had been.

Calleigh sighed and her smile faltered as she noticed one of her team starting to process the evidence without wearing a coat. "Simon, what are you doing?"

Simon looked up and for a moment he simply stared at her before he suddenly blushed. Calleigh shook her head. "You need a coat."

Her voice was harder than she had wanted and she immediately felt bad, when Simon looked guiltily. She had told him several times though and her patience was waning. "I've just promised Eppes and his team that we'll process the evidence as good as they do in Quantico. Please don't make me eat my words."

Simon nodded frantically and only when Calleigh left, she realized how threatening she had sounded. How had H managed to instill such a high sense of quality and diligence into her and her team mates without ever sounding like she just had now?

Poking her head back in, she saw that Simon now wore a coat and worked more carefully than before. Calleigh watched him for a moment and finally made a decision.

"Simon?" He looked up at her voice and she saw that he smiled slightly nervously. "Sorry for sounding so harsh, I'm simply..."

"Not used to the sloppy ways we work." His answer took her aback and for a moment she stared at him, then she smiled suddenly.

"It's just different than the way we worked in Miami." He grinned lightly at her answer and shook his head.

"Calleigh, we work sloppy and it was time someone like you came around to kick us in our butts. There's a reason why none of the federal agencies would work with us and the fact that you managed to convince Eppes to work with you is great. So don't worry about barking… you know what they say… as long as your bark is worse than your bite..."

He grinned at her and relieved, Calleigh nodded. "I don't bite, I shoot."

Simon's laughter followed her when she walked towards her office.

---

*Las Vegas*

Horatio was leaving Miami.

The shock of the news he had gotten hadn't ebbed down and Eric realized that his hand was shaking as he reached out towards the results that had just come out of the printer. He couldn't imagine Miami without Horatio Caine watching over her.

You left and maybe it's time I did too.

As well as Eric understood Horatio's reasoning, he still had a hard time to believe that H would follow through and yet, what was left for H in Miami?

"Nothing but memories and ghosts."

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, you know that don't you?" Sara's voice drew him from his musings and Eric looked at her with wide eyes.

"What?"

Sara smiled at him. "You said ‘nothing but memories and ghosts', are you ok?"

There was honest concern in his eyes and after a second of hesitation, Eric shrugged. "I got a call from Miami."

Sara put a warm hand on his shoulder and smiled gently at him. "You have to see it from the other side, if your memories and ghosts are still there, then you're free here."

Eric watched her leave stunned. Her words had hit him like a blow. He had never seen it like that, and suddenly he thought of the memories he had built since he had come to Las Vegas.

... Warrick and him casually playing a round of basket ball... Sara and him in a bar talking about anything and nothing, enjoying the easy friendship between them... Grissom at a crime scene, intensely focused on the evidence, lost in his own world... Greg with his open smile and honesty, caring for Eric despite having been rejected... lounging in his new apartment and watching TV... Danny...

Eric swallowed hard at the last thought of all the memories of his one night with Danny once more overwhelmed him. Longing coursed through him and Eric shuddered.

You're free here.

Sara's words rang through his head again and with a start he realized that she had been wrong. He had been in Las Vegas long enough to build memories, but unlike the memories that still lingered in Miami the memories from Vegas were happy ones.

You're free here.

No, Eric realized, he wasn't free, not anymore, not since he had walked into a hotel room and seen Danny. For a moment Eric hesitated and then making his decision, he reached for his phone.

"Danny? This is Eric, if you have a second, please call me back."

---

Danny was tired. He was working the night shift again and as always the first two days were hard. Danny worked two weeks in the day and two weeks at night. He liked the change of pace and the difference of challenges that both the day and the nightshift brought with them. One disadvantage though was the fact that during the night shift the meetings tended to be either very early or very late. This time it had been very late and almost at the end of the shift.

Closing the door of his office, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at it.. He had had it in silent for the last couple of hours knowing that Ed didn't appreciate it if his meetings with Danny were interrupted by phone calls.

One missed phone call... Danny was surprised that he hadn't received more calls and with his thoughts still somehow on the meeting, he checked the caller ID only to tense.

"Eric"

The name echoed in his office making Danny look around if anyone had heard him speak. His hand trembled as he dialed his mailbox and waited for Eric's message.

"Danny? This is Eric, if you have a second, please call me back."

Eric's voice alone was enough to make him long to see the other man again and before his courage could fail, Danny hit the recall button.

"Danny?"

Eric's voice was hesitant and Danny suddenly feared that Eric was calling to end it. End what? His mental voice once again sounded a lot like Delinda and pushing the thought aside he answered.

"Eric, I..."

His voice trailing off, Danny realized with growing dread that he didn't know what to say, Eric though didn't seem to notice the strange silence instead it was as if Eric was glad that Danny didn't speak thus giving him a chance to talk.

"Look, Danny, I wanted to say I'm sorry. Sorry for running away like I did. I... I've got some issues in my past and after... after that night with you... I... I freaked."

Danny was sure that the national center for earthquakes registered a trembling in the area of Las Vegas from the lump that fell from his heart at Eric's words.

"Can we meet? I mean, I know I acted like an idiot and you probably don't want to see me again..."

Eric's voice trailed off and Danny almost felt the other man's insecurity through the phone. He knew that unless he said something, Eric would give up and not call anymore. He heard how his voice was trembling slightly, but for once he didn't care. "I'm on my nightshift schedule, I'm off in two hours. When are you off?"

"In an hour, why don't you come over and I'll cook breakfast?" Eric sounded relieved and Danny felt another lump fall down.

"What's your address?" Eric gave him the road and a description on how to get to his place and then the phone call was over and Danny sat down staring at his computer yet not seeing any numbers. The thought of seeing Eric in two hours, the thought of being in the same room with him... Danny felt his heart starting to beat faster. He knew that he loved Eric and yes, he wanted a chance with him.

"You ok?" Ed's voice drew him from his thoughts and he blushed at the smile in Ed's eyes.

"Eric called, he wants to meet." Ed smiled and Danny felt a surge of warmth for his mentor and old friend. Ed had been the first to accept him exactly how he was, had offered him friendship and for a time even more. Spontaneously Danny clasped Ed's shoulder and locked his eyes with the older man. "Thanks Ed, thanks for everything."

Ed shrugged. "Pay it back by finally doing it right, ok?"

Danny nodded and his voice was serious as he answered. "I will Ed, this time, I won't screw it up."

---

*Chapter 9 - Talks and kisses*

*Las Vegas*

Eric was nervous. Danny would be coming over in less than an hour and Eric still had no idea what to say to him. He wanted that feeling of belonging back that he had felt when he'd gone out with Danny. He wanted to make things right with him and yet his feelings terrified him at the same time.

He'd had an almost perfect relationship with Speed. Did he really deserve another shot at happiness?

You're free here.

"What am I doing?"

The mumbled words seemed to echo through out the room and Eric sighed as he looked around the room. He had set and re-set the table at least a dozen times and now that he was done, he was all nerves. He needed something to do, but before he could think of anything, the ringing of his phone saved him and sent him into a panic at the same time. What if it was Danny cancelling on him?

Eric checked the display and a smile crossed his face as he recognized the number.

"Calleigh, how is LA?"

Eric had stayed in contact with Calleigh, even after she herself had left Miami. Taking over the day shift in LA had been a huge challenge, but Eric knew only too well how Calleigh thrived on such challenges. She laughed now at Eric's question.

"It's still standing even with me there for over a month. But I had an interesting run in with the Feds yesterday, seems like they are a bit more human than the ones we had in Miami."

More human? Eric shrugged mentally, and then remembered that Grissom had said something similar and he grinned; maybe California even mellowed FBI agents.

"We had a case recently where some of LA's Feds were involved, Grissom said that the lead agent was a decent guy and apparently has some genius brother."

Calleigh laughed. "You're talking about Eppes, aren't you? He's the guy I referred to. He's really decent although in a dark, dangerous way. His team is ok too, apart from one guy who's got some kind of snob attitude going on... But maybe it's just because I'm a blond girl."

"He won't act like that around you too long." Eric knew that from experience and for a moment he wished to be there when Calleigh took on the other agent.

She laughed again at his comment and made an affirmative noise. "He won't. I was already thinking of calling him to meet me at the morgue when I've got a floater..."

Eric remembered how Speed had once done that to him, and for a moment he tensed. Calleigh had obviously noted the hesitation and her voice had changed as she continued. "Sorry Eric, I..."

She was still treading around him on eggshells, Eric suddenly realized and with that realization came another one. He had never thanked Calleigh for the support she had given Speed and him, had never thanked her for always being there for him and a deep sigh escaped him.

"Eric, you ok?"

The concern in her voice made him feel three inches tall and he mentally kicked himself. "I'm fine. It's just, I realized that I never said thank you, never told you how grateful I was for your support..."

"Eric, that's what friends are for." Her soft voice was gentle and Eric smiled sadly. "Yeah, but real friends don't just take and that's what I did."

"Eric, that's..." Eric interrupted her gently. "Calleigh, someone told me today that I'm hurting those that I profess to care about and that's not adult behavior."

He heard her gasp, but didn't let her continue. "He was right, Calleigh and I'm sorry."

She was silent for a long time and then sighed. "Eric, you haven't hurt me. You were there for me when I needed you and you went through some really hard times. Everybody has a right to be selfish every once in a while. I've done it, you've done it. It's called being human."

Eric smiled at her words and suddenly missed her a lot.

"Eric, what's brought this on?" Calleigh's voice brought him back from his musings and he smiled at the direct question. "I've talked to H and he told me that he's going to leave too."

Calleigh didn't sound shocked as she answered. "I know. It's hard to believe, isn't it? Still I think that it's probably for the best anyway. He's been surrounded by too many memories in Miami. And after you left, the team broke even further apart."

"I know that it was the right thing for me to do." Despite the loneliness in the first months, despite the fact that he still missed the beach, Eric knew that leaving had been the only way to survive.

"So, tell me what's going on with you? You sound nervous." Eric cursed silently and yet couldn't help smiling. Calleigh was still perceptive as hell.

"I've got someone coming over for breakfast."

Calleigh giggled lightly. "Someone special?"

Eric didn't even hesitate with his answer. "Yes."

---

*Los Angeles*

Yes

Eric's voice was completely serious and the conviction that lay in that one word took Calleigh's breath away. She had almost given up hoping that Eric would find someone worthy to take Speed's place.

"Who is he?" Calleigh knew that Speed had been the first man Eric had been with, but she also knew that he hadn't become straight again with his lover's death. Still she was almost sure that whoever had made him feel again was a man.

"His name is Danny." Eric's voice sounded hesitant and Calleigh sighed when he continued. "He works for a casino... He's amazing, but I think I screwed up pretty badly with him."

It couldn't be so bad, if Eric was still cooking breakfast for the guy. Calleigh could hear though that Eric needed to talk and so she prompted him gently. "What happened?"

"We went out one night and had a really good time, but I panicked... It was too much, you know, too close to what I felt when I was with Speed. I left without saying anything..."

Eric's voice was pained, and Calleigh sighed. She understood him and yet, she couldn't help being angry. "Have you ever heard of talking?"

Again Eric sounded pained as he answered. "Calleigh, we..."

"Forget about it, I know you're a guy." She grinned a bit, but her smile faded as she continued. "Talk to him, Eric, if you feel so much, he's worth it."

"That's what he's coming over for." Eric's smile was apparent through the phone and Calleigh felt relief at the happiness. Eric changed the topic and they chatted for a couple of minutes. When she put the phone down, Calleigh was still smiling and she felt lighter than she had in ages.

After all these years, Eric was finally healing, she thought, and with Horatio moving away from Miami he too would be able to forget. There had been a time when she had feared for her two friends, but it seemed as if things were finally looking up.

"Calleigh?" Simon's voice penetrated her reminiscing and she turned towards her colleague with a smile. "Yeah?"

Agent Sinclair stepped forward from behind Simon and Calleigh's good mood vanished in a blink. The way Sinclair had looked at her at the crime scene had made her bristle and looking at him now, she could feel him judging her on the fact that she was blond and not FBI.

"Agent Sinclair, how can I help you?" Her voice had gotten significantly colder and she noticed how Simon tensed slightly. She sent a smile in his direction, before she addressed Sinclair again. "Let's go to my office, shall we?"

She walked away without waiting for him to reply, and then stopped in the door to look at Simon again. "Can you run the trace from the downtown murder that Walker brought in? He needs it urgently."

Simon nodded and while Calleigh walked towards her office, she contemplated that Simon really had improved a lot since she had had her serious talk with him. Finally they were inside her office and Calleigh almost reluctantly turned towards the coffee machine. "Would you like a coffee?"

Sinclair smiled and looked at the machine. "Does it taste like coffee? If it is anything other than tar, I'd love a cup."

Surprised at the almost joke, Calleigh looked at Sinclair and saw that the Fed's eyes were smiling. It transformed his face and surprised again, she turned around and poured some coffee.

"How can I help you?"

"Don said that you might have the results ready and since it was my turn to go and talk to the coroner, I offered to check with you." Sinclair sounded sincere and yet Calleigh frowned. Was he implying that she was missing her deadline?

"I told Agent Eppes that the results would be ready by today, what makes you think that they aren't?" She reached for her phone and watched Sinclair frown while she talked to Simon.

"Where are you with the report for the Feds?"

She nodded as Simon told her that he'd just mailed it to her, and with a couple of mouse clicks she opened and printed the report. Sinclair took it without even looking at it and Calleigh fumed silently.

"Do you need a translation?" Her words were snappish, but Sinclair only grinned. "No, but if you could pack it into a food analogy that would be great."

Honestly confused, Calleigh looked at him. "Food analogy?"

Sinclair got up and shook his head. "Never mind, thanks for the report. If we have any questions, we'll call."

He left with another smile and Calleigh sat in her office staring at his retreating back cursing furiously. Why had she ever agreed to work with the Feds? Hadn't her experiences in Miami taught her anything? Eppes might be ok, but agents like Sinclair only proved that it didn't really pay to help the FBI.

---

*Las Vegas*

"Danny" Delinda's hand stopped Danny right before he could get into his car. "Where are you going?"

For a moment he hesitated, but he knew that his eyes gave him away, and so he shrugged. "Eric called and invited me for breakfast."

Danny watched Delinda's eyes change from concern to surprise to joy to distrust and back to joy and her expression reminded Danny so much of Ed that he couldn't help but laugh. "You are so Ed's daughter."

Meeting his eyes, Delinda laughed too and shrugged lightly. "I just don't want you to get hurt again."

Yes, there was a clear possibility that he was going to get hurt, Danny knew that, but the simple fact that Eric had agreed to meet him, that Eric had called him had to mean something. Danny wanted to believe that they had a chance and with a shrug and a smile, he looked at his Delinda.

"I have to try."

Delinda looked at him for a moment and then leaned down and kissed him on his cheek. "Good luck."

The drive over to Eric's was quick thanks to the light traffic and Danny's GPS system which ensured that he didn't get lost even though he didn't really watch the road. His thoughts centered around the man he was about to see and what he meant to him.

Danny had never expected to fall in love with someone this quickly, this thoroughly, but it had happened and he wasn't about to lie to himself about it. He had a chance at happiness, he thought with a smile, and he would take it.

---

Eric was ready when the door bell rang. Ready, nervous and terrified and at the same time he was full of hope. He looked around his apartment and blushing he picked up a stray sock that had escaped his scrutiny. Thank god that he had found it before Danny had arrived...

The doorbell made him tense, before he took a deep breath and walked over to open. Danny was leaning against the side of the entrance and as their eyes met, something in Eric's heart broke. He hadn't known that he was able to feel so much longing for someone and for a second, he had no idea what to say.

"Can I come in?"

Danny's words made Eric blush and he stepped aside and it wasn't until Danny was in his living room looking at the breakfast table that Eric finally found his voice again. "I'm glad you said yes."

Danny turned around slowly and again their eyes met. Eric was shocked at the wealth of emotion in Danny's eyes. Anger and hurt seemed to battle with passion and something else, something that made Eric's heart beat faster, something that he didn't dare name.

"Let me make something clear Eric, you left. You were the one who ran away after a wonderful night, you were the one who didn't talk about himself, you were the one who hid behind sex..."

Danny's voice trailed off and he turned away breaking the connection between their eyes. Eric had felt every word as if it had been a blow to his face. Yes, he had done exactly what Danny had just said, but he had never intended for Danny to get hurt. Warrick's words resonated inside his mind.

Right now you're hurting those you profess to care about and that's not adult behavior.

He could see how deeply he had hurt Danny, saw it in the tense shoulders and the way Danny's hands were balled to fists. It made him want to take Danny in his arms, tell him that he was sorry, tell him that everything would be ok and the strength of that impulse made Eric shiver.

"Danny?" Danny tensed as Eric tentatively touched him on his shoulder and Eric's heart ached at the reaction. "Danny, I'm a bastard and I… I'm sorry..."

Slowly, Danny turned around and looked at Eric. His eyes were wary, but after a moment of silence he walked over to the table and sat down. Eric swallowed his relief as he sat down opposite Danny and silently handed him the coffee.

"Why?"

Danny's question made Eric look up from his plate and for a second he fought with himself. He had never really talked about Speed and the thought of doing it now frightened him. Eric knew that he had to decide if he wanted to move forward or remain in the past and as his eyes met Danny's again, he made his decision.

"I felt too much." Danny's face darkened at Eric's words, but Eric forestalled any comments as he continued slowly, hesitantly. "In the last few years, I haven't had a relationship. I've had sex, but with you it was more, it was..."

Eric felt Danny's eyes on him while he spoke, and as he trailed off and looked at his plate, Danny slowly reached out and caressed his jaw until Eric looked up again.

"It was what, Eric?" Danny's voice was soft, but at the same time it was pained as if Danny was afraid of hearing the answer.

"It was wonderful. When we were together, I was flying and afterwards..." Again Eric trailed off as his mind wandered back to the moment when he had woken up next to Danny. "Waking up next to you, I was at peace."

Danny had stopped eating and was looking at him intently. Eric felt as if those blue eyes saw right to the bottom of his soul and he was tempted to look away, but his eyes were captives of Danny's.

"Why did you run away if you felt at peace?"

Eric saw Danny's confusion and again swallowing hard, he averted his eyes. "I was afraid of losing you."

Danny frowned and shook his head. "You're afraid of losing me, and that's why you left?"

It sounded ridiculous, and Eric saw that Danny didn't believe him. The only way to make him understand was to tell the complete truth, Eric realized, and with a deep breath he steeled himself against the hurt of talking about Speed.

"I lost my boyfriend two years ago. He was shot when he went to interrogate a suspect. He was the first man I'd ever been with..." Danny had paled at Eric's words, but again Eric didn't let him speak, instead continuing slowly, painfully. "... when I woke up with you, I realized that the only other time I had felt so complete had been with Speed."

---

I lost my boyfriend two years ago. He was shot when he went to interrogate a suspect. He was the first man I'd ever been with.

Eric's words resonated through Danny's head and he stared blindly at the other man. Eric was speaking again and this time, Danny wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold him.

"...when I woke up with you, I realized that the only other time I had felt so complete had been with Speed."

Many things suddenly made sense, things like Eric's withdrawal when they had talked about Miami, things like how uncomfortable Eric had been in the club or even Eric's flight after their wonderful night.

"That's why you left."

Danny wasn't sure whether to be relieved or devastated. It was obvious that Eric still mourned for his dead lover. Eric was silent after Danny's comment, but then he nodded slowly.

"I was afraid, it's not rational, but I couldn't face losing you."

Eric's voice trailed off and Danny watched as Eric got up and walked to the window where he stood silently staring outside. Eric's words penetrated his mind slowly and he swallowed hard as he understood. Eric hadn't left because he was still in love with his dead boyfriend; Eric had left because he was afraid of losing Danny.

Relief and joy spread through Danny at the implication, but Eric's obvious despair and pain sobered him immediately. He got up and walked over to the window. Eric was lost in thought and the fear on his face made Danny want to cry out. He didn't though; instead he reached out and gently put his hands around Eric and pulled him towards his body.

"Do you remember what I told you when I first met you?" Danny felt Eric relax slightly and lean against him. He didn't answer him though, so Danny continued quietly. "I told you that I wouldn't abandon you."

A shudder went through Eric's frame at the words and Danny simply held him closer. "I meant it, Eric, I won't leave you, I'll be there."

It was a heavy promise to someone he'd really only met twice and slept with once, Danny thought, but at the same time it felt right. He felt a connection with Eric that he hadn't felt with anyone before and although he knew that he couldn't make the promise of forever, he still wanted to.

"Do you want this, Eric? Do you want us?"

Danny held his breath after his question and he could feel how his heart was beating faster and faster as he waited for Eric. He had given Eric a lot of power, and as Eric turned in his arms, Danny tensed.

"I want us, Danny, I do. But I'm scared." Eric's voice was small and he suddenly sounded incredibly tired. Danny sighed and pulled Eric towards the couch in the living room. Eric didn't resist as they sank onto the couch and Danny felt warmth and happiness at the way Eric was leaning against him. His hands caressed over Eric's arms and along his body in a soothing, non-sexual way.

"I'm scared too." Eric looked up at Danny's words and frowned lightly. Danny smiled and shrugged. "I've never had a relationship with a man. I've had sex with guys, but never a relationship."

Eric smiled and reaching out, he linked their fingers together. "And I've had a relationship and afterwards I had sex. Maybe we can heal and learn together."

Eric's words made Danny's heart leap and he pulled Eric closer. "Sounds good to me."

A playful smile crossed Eric's face as he turned around and looked at Danny. Danny smiled back, and he knew that Eric could see the happiness in his eyes as Eric reached out and caressed his face.

"Thanks for coming over."

Danny laughed and shook his head at Eric's blindness. As if he would have said no. "Thanks for calling."

---

It was the perfect moment for a kiss, Eric thought and after a second of hesitation, he moved so that he wasn't leaning against Danny anymore and instead faced him. Danny smiled softly and leaned in at the same time as Eric did. Their lips met and Eric remembered all those incredible feelings that had overwhelmed him the first time they had slept together. Danny's lips were soft, tender and yet strong. Eric lost himself in the kiss giving himself over in the soft slide of their tongues against each other.

Eric's hands roamed over Danny's body and he felt Danny tense. Looking up, he saw Danny's eyes clouded over with insecurity. Knowing what Danny thought, he reached out and caressed his lover's face.

"I won't run again, Danny. I can't promise that I won't be scared, but I won't run away again."

Danny's body relaxed slowly and Eric knew he had been right with his assumption and once again he caressed the other's face softly before murmuring. "Because of you I've managed to move on, I'm not there yet, but I'm moving. Join me?"

Gently he disentangled himself and reaching out he led Danny towards the bedroom. Once there he turned around and hugged Danny tightly, possessively before capturing the soft lips with a hard kiss. "I want this to work, Danny, I promise."

Danny's eyes were fixed on his hands as he slowly undressed and unlike the last time, Eric wasn't high on passion and alcohol. This time they both knew what they wanted, they both were on the same page and still Eric shivered as he felt Danny's eyes like a tangible caress on his body. Slowly he walked over with his chest bare and pulled Danny towards him.

"I need you Danny."

Saying it out loud made it more real, Eric realized as a surge of need coursed through his body. He slipped out of the rest of his clothing and lay back on his bed while he watched Danny undress. His lover was a piece of art, he thought, as he feasted his eyes on the long legs, the defined abs, the muscular chest and finally Eric's eyes met Danny's. The desire in the blue eyes took his breath away and he reached out for his lover. Danny smiled and simply looked at him for a long time. "One day, I'll visit you in the lab and drag you into a storage closet..."

The comment came out of nowhere and went straight to his cock, Eric moaned at the mental image the words generated, but every coherent thought went away when Danny kissed him. The world seemed to simply fall away except for the two of them. The fear that still lurked in Eric's heart made his movements more desperate and he clung to Danny almost frantic. He wanted to show Danny everything through that kiss. His heart his soul, everything that he was.

Eric felt as if his heart was a trapped bird fluttering against his chest, his thoughts spinning wildly. Danny softly ended the kiss and smiled down at him. "This time we do it right."

Last time hadn't been right? Eric rolled his eyes at the corny comment, but Danny grinned at him and his lips started to slide along Eric's jaw nipping, biting, kissing, and claiming their way down his neck to his collar bone. Eric gasped at the assault and his hips thrust forward to grind against Danny.

"It didn't feel like we did something wrong last time." Danny laughed at Eric's comment, but as he looked up his eyes were clouded with passion.

"I bet we can do better though." Slowly he pushed Eric back and then let his hands move along overheated skin, soft and tender first and then with more and more power and heat.

"Danny"

Blue eyes met his at the silent whisper, eyes that were dancing with a mixture of feelings.

"I need to feel you close."

---

The quiet admission made Danny tremble and he shivered even more as Eric started to reciprocate the touches and strokes, mapping his chest and his back as thoroughly as he probably examined a crime scene.

"Danny, don't tease."

Danny remembered their heated passion from the first night and he refused to repeat it. Not that it hadn't been good, but he knew now that Eric had used their passion to withdraw from him and he wouldn't let him do that again. He wanted Eric completely, wanted him out of control and open. He reached for the condom on the nightstand and quickly sheeted himself and Eric, before he caressed his lover again and again.

"Just feel." Eric moaned as Danny kissed along his chest and Danny felt the sound as much as he heard it. Eric's skin was soft and hot and tasted of almonds. The combination of the taste and the musky scent of Eric's passion made Danny's head spin as he came closer and closer to his destination. The feeling of Eric losing control made Danny tremble, the knowledge that it was him who had turned Eric into this state made him want to cry with joy. He nuzzled his face against Eric's cock and knew that he would never forget this moment, and as he licked over the head he was addicted to the taste.

"Danny, please." It wasn't really a word, more a sound and Danny moaned at the longing in Eric's voice as his lover thrust up into the heat, unable to control his movements. Danny had done this before, but he had never felt so powerfully aroused, had never felt so much as if he was both giving and receiving pleasure and he shivered as he felt Eric's hands in his hair. It took a while until he realized that Eric was tugging at his hair and looking up he met eyes that had turned black with lust.

"Turn around, please." Eric's words made no sense but then Danny's brain caught on and with a smile he turned so that Eric's lips were right at his cock. The sight alone was almost enough to bring Danny to the brink.

"Love how your mind works." Eric grinned at the slight teasing and turned his attention to Danny's cock. Danny still smiled, but the smile turned into a scream when Eric's throat constricted around him. He wanted to pay attention to Eric, wanted to make him feel as much as he did, but he knew that it was a lost cause.

"Eric, please I'm not gonna last this way."

His lover hummed around his cock and Danny threw his head back as the heat and love exploded in multiple colours as he came.

Coming down from his high, he felt hands caressing him softly, calming him and looking up he saw Eric smile at him. Danny blushed embarrassed, but Eric shook his head and caressed him again. Danny felt a surge of love and rolled them over so that Eric was on top. For a moment, Eric seemed surprised and Danny smiled. "I want you in me."

Eric reached out and soon enough, a slick finger slid into his body and Danny arched against the intruder trying to take it further. He felt sated and yet anxious to have Eric inside him but his muscles didn't cooperate with his wishes and so he could only watch as his lover slicked his cock, shifted his position and then Eric's eyes locked on him and Danny didn't know what made his head spin more the passion in the blue eyes or the incredible feeling of becoming one with Eric.

Eric bit his bottom lip and began thrusting forward slowly and carefully. Danny could see that his lover wanted this to last but the frenzy that had captured them before got hold of them again. Eric moved, sliding even deeper in and Danny gasped at the connection that seemed to come alive as he felt Eric's body cover him. Danny finally saw Eric as he had always wanted to see him, lost in passion and out of control. Eric wasn't holding anything back right now and Danny loved to see him like this.

Eric tensed and his entire body went rigid before he screamed his release and Danny watched enthralled at the picture of pure lust and beauty that Eric presented. He felt Eric move out, heard the rustle of tissues and then the soft caresses as he was cleaned.

Danny tensed wondering what Eric would do now, but his fears were calmed as he felt Eric lay down next to him and snuggle close. Turning so that he could hold Eric close, Danny looked at him. "I'm glad you called."

Eric smiled lazy and sated. "Yeah, me too."

---

Grissom lay awake in his bed. His head pounded and whenever he closed his eyes he saw pictures of slaughter and death. Faces of victims he had seen through out his career seemed to taunt him with their dead eyes and feeling exhausted and desperate he reached for his pain killers.

Looking at the bottle for a moment, he hesitated knowing only too well, that he had reached his daily dose two pills ago and yet, he knew that without dulling the voices and dimming the eyes, he wouldn't find any rest. He swallowed a pill and lay back with a groan. His bed felt cold against his heated skin, but instead of refreshing him it made him shudder and pull the comforter closer. He craved warmth but nothing seemed to help. It was as if a deep cold had seeped into him and chilled him right down to his bones, a chill which not even the Las Vegas heat could break.

Slowly the pill began to work and Grissom felt his mind calm down, he sighed with relief but as he fell asleep his last thought was that he wouldn't feel so cold, if he wasn't so alone.

---

*Chapter 10 - Meeting friends*

*Los Angeles*

Colby had never liked math in school, mainly because he had never understood the practical reasons for it. Why did he have to know when the train would arrive if no one in his country traveled by train? He had asked his math teacher this question once and had gotten a detention for being naughty, it hadn't turned him into a better student, but it had cemented the fact that math was useless in daily life.

The army and especially his deployment to Afghanistan had changed a lot in his life and had given him a new perspective on many things; not necessarily on math though as he had only learned again and again that those carefully planned strategies weren't worth their paper when it came to a real war.

So of course he had been skeptical when he'd started working with Don Eppes and had met Charlie. How could a math geek help them solve crimes and find killers?

That had been two years ago and now as he walked through the corridors of CalSci, Colby could only shake his head at his naiveté. Charlie's math had saved countless lives, and with his ability to make an easy analogy for even the hardest math, Charlie had proven that math was indeed something that was used every day.

Looking at his watch, Colby realized that he was early and that Charlie would still be in lectures. For a moment he hesitated, but then he turned towards the class room and silently slipped inside and sat down to watch Charlie perform.

I've never seen two brothers so completely different and yet so alike.

David's comment ran through Colby's head as he watched Charlie walk around, talk with enthusiasm and wit about a topic that Colby had never heard of. In this moment, Charlie owned the room and was so much like Don when he organized a search or coordinated a mission that it made Colby smile. The two brothers both had an incredible charisma, but where Don's aura was right in one's face, Charlie's was more subtle and tended to sneak up unnoticed.

Colby sighed as he looked down at his notes and shook his head. They still had nothing on the two dead men that had been found a week ago and Charlie was their only hope.

"Colby, hey did you like the lecture?" Colby had been so caught up in his musings that he hadn't realized that Charlie's lecture was finished. Sneak up unnoticed indeed, he thought and got up to follow Charlie to his office.

"Did you find anything useful in the notes?" Charlie searched for something on his desk and Colby grinned at the clutter in the office before he reached out and selected a red gumball. Charlie dutifully noted the color and then showed Colby some papers.

"I found out what the notes are about, but they don't make much sense to me. It's geothermic math which is used to calculate the strength of hurricanes and tropical storms, but the formulas are old, not state of the art. It's more like..."

Colby had been following Charlie's explanations intently and as Charlie frowned, he nodded slowly. "More like something a student would learn in his first year?"

Surprised Charlie looked at him and Colby smiled as he saw the sudden interest in Charlie's face. "Yeah, but for a student it's still heavy stuff. I mean if your dead guys were students then there's only a handful of universities which teach that kind of meteorology in the US."

Colby noted the comments down, but as he looked up he smiled. "Is CalSci one of them?"

Charlie shook his head. "No, hurricane's aren't too much of a concern for L.A, so there's not too much funding for that kind of research. I'm not sure which universities would teach this subject, but I can find out."

"Could you, that would be great?" Colby knew that Charlie's name would open doors in the academic world that would forever be closed to the FBI and he wasn't above taking advantage of that fact. When Charlie nodded, he felt relieved and yet at the same time he tried to find a reason to stay a bit longer.

"You have time for lunch?" The words were out of his mouth, before Colby could stop them and Charlie looked at him surprised. "Lunch?"

The confusion in Charlie's eyes made Colby smile. "Yeah, you know that's the name for the meal you eat between breakfast and dinner..."

Charlie playfully slapped him, before he checked his schedule. "Sure, but let's avoid the cafeteria."

Not knowing what was wrong with the cafeteria, Colby followed Charlie through the labyrinth of corridors and squares to a nice little café. Charlie sat down at one of the tables and smiled. "Much nicer here, isn't it?"

Colby smiled. "I didn't mind the cafeteria, it's better than what we get downtown anyway."

Charlie grinned. "Yeah, but every time you join me there, I get dozens of questions afterwards asking who you are."

"Me?" Colby didn't understand Charlie's reasoning and frowned slightly. Charlie grinned again and shrugged. "Hey it's not that often that a handsome hunk like you visits these halls."

Handsome hunk? Colby hoped it was too dark in the shade for Charlie to notice him blushing, but the grin that adorned Charlie's face told him that it wasn't.

---

"Hey it's not that often that a handsome hunk like you visits these halls." The moment he said it, Charlie wanted to bite his tongue, but instead of mocking him, Colby blushed. Saved by the other man's modesty, Charlie moved the topic to the current case and soon he knew everything that the FBI knew.

The lunch passed quickly and as they walked back, Colby suddenly looked at him again. "How's your work out going by the way?"

Charlie groaned silently. He had asked Colby to give him some tips as to a proper work out regime one day when he hadn't know what to talk about and Colby had taken him seriously. They had gone to the gym together twice and Charlie had even purchased a membership, which he had immediately forgotten about.

"Not too well..." He saw Colby's grin and shrugged. "Theoretically I'm going..."

Colby laughed and shook his head. "Charlie, working out in theory doesn't work. You know Star Wars? Yoda? Do or do not..."

Charlie laughed, but before Colby could say anything else, his phone rang and he answered it with a curt yes. For a long time, he listened and then simply told the person on the other side. "I'll be there ASAP."

Looking at Charlie, Colby smiled again. "Can you call me, when you know which universities we're talking about?"

"Sure, I'll check it right now."

Colby walked away and Charlie allowed himself a short moment of admiring the other man's grace and body. Then he turned away and banished the forbidden thoughts to the back of his mind.

---

*Las Vegas*

Five days had passed since he and Danny had spent their second night together and so far Eric hadn't freaked out. He had gone back to work the next day after waking up next to Danny and the first person to see him had been Warrick. His friend had taken one look and smiled.

Eric hadn't told Warrick everything that had transpired with Danny, but Warrick was smart enough to understand what Eric hadn't said and as they had driven to their crime scene, Warrick had turned towards him. "He hurts you, you tell me, ok?"

The look of amused horror on Danny's face as Eric had told him about Warrick's ‘threat' had made them both crack up with laughter, before they had started to prepare breakfast together.

It was easy, Eric mused, as he drove over to the Montecito. Being with Danny was easy and wonderful. There was no awkwardness or hesitation, and Danny's openness about his relationship with Eric had taken Eric by surprise. They had discussed it yesterday and as he parked the car, Eric flashed back to the conversation.

What are your friends going to think if I come over to pick you up? Danny had looked at him confused before he had grinned and said. Nothing, why?

It had only been when Eric had tentatively asked if Danny was openly gay that Danny had understood. He had shaken his head, but at the same time he had fixed Eric with his eyes. "I'm not going to lie about you, Eric. I won't announce it to everyone and their dog, but if someone asks, I'll tell them the truth."

Eric remembered how relief had slammed into him at the answer and he still felt the same as he walked through the entrance hall towards the reception. The need to hide his relationship with Speed had been the one sore point; the one point on which he and Speed had never managed to agree on and it had caused many arguments between them. Eric hated hiding things from those he considered his friends, Speed on the other hand had claimed that if their friends didn't figure it out themselves, then they weren't real friends.

"Hi, how can I help you?" The stunning blond that suddenly addressed him brought Eric back to reality and he looked at her with a smile. "I'm looking for Danny McCoy."

She looked at him and nodded slowly. "You're Eric Delko, aren't you? I'm Delinda Deline, nice to meet you."

Delinda was probably the most beautiful woman, Eric had ever met and considering that he had lived in Miami that was saying something. Her body was perfect, her hair sleek and glossy and her eyes a deep dark blue. She looked like the perfect babe, but Eric saw the intelligence in her eyes and remembered Danny's comments about Ed Deline's daughter. So he was slightly wary as he responded to her friendly greeting in kind.

"Glad to meet you too." She leaned down and kissed him quickly on his cheek in the French way of greeting someone. Eric tensed slightly and she withdrew immediately.

"Come on, I'll bring you to Danny." Eric followed her through the maze of casino floors to some hidden elevators. Delinda pressed the button and leaned against the elevator doors.

Eric saw the way she looked at him and knew that she was assessing him and smiled. "What do you want to know? Height, shoe size, favorite color?"

She laughed and shook her head. "If it's somewhere written in a file, then you don't have to tell me, cause I bet my father already knows. So I'll ask you only one question; why did you hurt him?"

Eric shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again he looked at her. "Sorry Delinda, but that's too personal."

"Does Danny know?" She didn't look aggrieved at his answer simply concerned and Eric nodded. "Yeah, he does."

Delinda looked at him closely again and then a warm smile appeared on her face. "I wanted to chew you out for running away, but I guess that would be hypocritical as I'm still running in a sense. And apart from that, Danny's really happy now."

Eric smiled, but before he could say anything, she walked over and hugged him quickly. "I'm glad he found you."

---

"Why do you even think you could possibly understand what I mean?" Mike's words resonated through the security room and Danny saw how several of the other staff members shook their heads. He knew that he had to address Mike's behavior, especially Mike's behavior towards him, but he hated the thought of pulling rank over his friend.

Seeing the annoyance on Mike's face, Danny bit back the harsh response and simply pointed to the computer. "Just tell me, Mike."

Mike started to talk fast and Danny knew that his friend deliberately tried to be incomprehensible. He felt anger rise in him at Mike's attitude, but before he could say anything, the elevator doors opened and Delinda stepped into the security room followed by Eric.

Seeing Eric made Danny smile and for a moment he forgot about Mike. He turned towards his lover, and saw Delinda smile at him with approval in her eyes. He groaned lightly, but Eric simply grinned.

"Good to see you didn't get lost." Eric smiled at Danny's words and pointed at Delinda. "I had a good guide."

Danny led Eric over towards his office and inwardly groaned when Eric stopped in front of Mike's computer. "Enhanced facial recognition, wow..."

Surprised, Danny looked at his lover. Mike had tensed and looked up coldly. "And you are?"

Danny stepped between them and after a moment of hesitation, he introduced Eric. "Eric Delko, he's a friend from LVPD."

Eric's eyes locked onto his and Danny saw first confusion then understanding light up the dark eyes and inwardly he let out a breath of relief. He had told Eric that he didn't want to hide their relationship, but at the same time, he didn't trust Mike enough.

"Oh, you work for the police force. I guess, you're working the streets then." Mike grinned and Danny felt rage burn in his gut at the way Mike treated Eric. He tensed and wanted to say something when he felt Eric's hand at his back. It was a quick gesture and yet it calmed him instantly.

"I'm with the CSI team, so I'm more a lab rat than a street rat." Eric's voice was light and teasing, but Danny saw that the smile didn't reach Eric's eyes and silently he saluted his lover.

Mike's eyes had narrowed and now he looked at Eric with something between contempt and awe. "So you're a scientist, now that's interesting. At which university did you get your degree?"

Eric seemed to be bewildered at the attack, but he shrugged carelessly. "University of Miami. You done with the interrogation?"

Mike smiled coldly and sat down again. "Well, it's not bad, but it's not MIT, is it?"

Eric looked at Danny and shook his head, but Danny was too angry to speak and simply pulled Eric towards his office. Once they were there, he shut the blinds and immediately pulled Eric into his arms. "Sorry for that."

"Is this guy for real?" Eric frowned. "What was that about?"

Danny sighed and rested his head against Eric's. "He's jealous, I think... I... We used to be good friends, but then Ed made me Head of Security and suddenly Mike changed. He..."

Eric's hand on his face made Danny trail off. Eric was smiling tenderly and shook his head. "Not here, Danny, let's head out somewhere and talk, ok?"

The simple fact that he now had someone to talk to, someone who cared about what happened at work and in his life made Danny's head spin and he smiled at Eric. "Yeah, let's head out."

---

Eric watched silently as Danny sat down next to him on one of the flat stones. Danny still looked subdued, but slowly he relaxed and carefully Eric reached out and pulled Danny towards him. It felt good to be able to soothe his partner and as Danny turned his head and smiled at him, Eric felt his heart lighten up.

"Thanks for bringing me here." Eric smiled at Danny's words and he nodded slowly. "Warrick took me here once after a bad case. It's so peaceful here."

Danny moved so that Eric was sitting between his legs and Eric smiled as he leaned back and felt Danny's muscular chest against his back. "Are you still scared?"

The murmured words were soft and Eric sighed. "Yes, sometimes... Sometimes I wake up and think that all this has been nothing but a dream. And then I realize that it's real, that I'm not alone anymore..."

He trailed off, he wasn't sure what he should say, but Danny simply leaned over and kissed his temple. "No, you're not alone."

Danny sighed and Eric knew that he was thinking about Mike again. "Don't let him bother you. He's jealous, because he believes that a university degree makes him somehow better than you are."

Danny tensed and Eric's heart broke a little at the insecurity he heard in his partner's voice. "Well it does, doesn't it?"

"No!" Eric had to reign in the anger he felt at the question, and calming down a little he shook his head. "Ed trusts you, doesn't he? Danny, a degree is just a piece of paper and nothing more. It is your entrance card into a job, but once you've got the job, it's what you do and how you do it that matters."

After a second of hesitation, Eric felt Danny relax again. "I guess you're right. It's just that I sometimes feel like I lucked out getting this job, you know. I mean in the end I'm just..."

He trailed off as Eric turned around and silenced him with a kiss. They broke apart and Eric smiled. "You're not ‘just' anything. You're doing a great job, Danny, cause if you weren't Ed Deline would never trust you with his casino."

"It's Casey's casino." Danny grinned and nipped at Eric's lips. Eric laughed lightly. "Yeah, sure."

He shivered as he felt Danny's hand slip under his shirt and softly caress his back. Danny leaned down and nipped at his lower lip.

"Is this a popular spot?" Dazed Eric looked at his lover and frowned. "Popular spot?"

Danny grinned wickedly. "Yeah, are we going to get arrested if we go any further now?"

Eric laughed and shook his head. "No, we won't."

He saw Danny's eyes light up, but before his lover could say or do anything, Eric leaned over and captured his lips. He loved kissing Danny and as Danny slowly moved back so that he was lying on the ground with Eric on top of him, Eric smiled at the sight of his lover above him. Danny's eyes had darkened and he smiled sensually.

"This is a wonderful way of spending a morning."

Eric couldn't agree more.

---

"Yes, and the master rules." Greg grinned at Archie's groan as he defeated him again. "That's two nothing now, buddy, you better start winning or this is going to be a very short evening."

Archie looked at him and after a moment of contemplation, an evil grin surfaced on his face. "I'm ready for round three, Sanders, bring it on."

The microwave sounded and Greg got up to get the popcorn. When he came back Archie had set up the game again and handed him his console. They started playing immediately, but just as Greg was getting into the game, Archie suddenly spoke. "Grissom's been weird lately, hasn't he?"

The sudden comment threw Greg and he barely managed to avoid a demon hacking off his head. He glared at Archie who looked innocent and simply smiled. Greg shrugged. "He's got a lot on his mind, I guess."

Archie nodded and cursed as he lost one of his lives. Greg cackled. "One down, three to go. I'm so gonna whip your ass, Arch."

"Maybe Grissom's jealous, you know." This time Greg did lose his head and torn between annoyance at the loss and confusion at Archie's comment, Greg stared at his friend.

"Jealous?" Archie shrugged casually. "Well, you and Eric got along quite well for a while. Maybe he thought that he was really gonna lose you."

Greg frowned at the comment and forgetting all about the game, he stared at Archie. "Lose me?"

Archie looked at Greg, and shook his head. "Don't tell me that you haven't realized it yet, I mean come on the entire lab knows..."

"Knows what?" He could kill Archie, Greg thought and hide the body, maybe Hodges would help him. But before he killed him, he had to know what he was talking about. "Knows what, Archie?"

The jingle of another life lost quickly brought him back to the game, but he dismissed it with a shrug and focused on Archie. "Grissom's in love with you."

Greg froze completely. His heart was beating faster and he heard the sound that indicated his death on screen, but he didn't care, because all he heard were the words Archie had just calmly spoken.

Grissom's in love with you.

"No, he's not, he can't be..." Greg shivered as he remembered his confrontation with Grissom about Nick, and like a movie he saw himself standing in Grissom's office again.

"Do you love Nick?" Grissom had tensed at Greg's question and Greg had been sure that he'd hit the spot, but instead Grissom had looked at him with so much pain in his eyes and answered softly.

"No, not in the way you mean. I'm not in love with Nick. But I think of him as a friend, someone who's been through too much already."

Greg had felt terrible standing there and accusing Grissom, but what if Archie was right? What if Grissom really was in love with him?

"Oh god" Greg remembered the pained look in Grissom's eyes every time he had flirted with Eric, remembered how proud Grissom had been when he'd passed his proficiency and with every memory his heart clenched a bit more. "Please tell me it's not true."

Archie looked concerned and abandoned his console to grab Greg's shoulder. "Greg, you're scaring me here. Shit, I just wanted to distract you."

The words made Greg look up sharply. "So you invented this stuff? Did you? Or did you tell me the truth?"

His voice was wild, but he couldn't help it and Archie sighed. "I didn't invent it, but I lied when I said that the entire lab knows. I don't think anyone does, well Nick probably, and maybe Sara, but no one else."

Nick knows and again memories of talks with Nick appeared in his mind. "You'll find someone, Greg. One day you'll open your eyes and he'll be there."

He had always found it a weird way of phrasing it, but had never thought about it. Now though it suddenly made sense.

"Greg?" Archie's eyes were full of concern and it was obvious that he too had forgotten everything about their game from the sound of another death on screen. Archie didn't move, instead he shook his head. "I thought you knew. Really I'm sorry."

No, Greg thought, he hadn't known. But now he did and the question was what should he do now?

---

*Los Angeles*

There were moments, when Megan loved to be a profiler and observer. Right now as she watched her team react to Calleigh walking towards them was one of those moments. Calleigh was a beautiful woman and it was obvious that everyone in the meeting room was aware of that fact.

Megan let her eyes trail from one team member to the other studying their expressions and looks. It was amazing how different people were, she thought as her eyes rested on Don. He had an intense look in his eyes, and there clearly was interest, but it was tampered by respect and friendliness. He might be interested in Calleigh as a woman, but Megan could clearly see that he wouldn't make a pass at her. Maybe it had something to do with him respecting her or maybe it simply had something to do with Calleigh's reputation as a top shooter.

Colby, on the other hand, looked surprisingly unaffected, in fact, Megan noticed suddenly that he was looking much more intensely at Charlie than at Calleigh. Interesting, and certainly something to think about later, but right now, Megan was much more interested in David. David openly looked at Calleigh with a smile and admiration and a lot of interest in his eyes.

Megan clearly remembered how David had protested against Don's decision to let the LAPD lab handle the evidence and she also remembered how David had insisted on being the one to go to the lab and see what they had found out. He'd come back silent and deep in thought and at Don's questions he'd simply said that the lab was handling everything well. Megan had wondered at the change of heart, but as she now watched David watch Calleigh, she understood that it hadn't been the lab that had changed David's mind, but the woman who seemed to be in charge.

Yes, Megan thought, her team's reactions were definitely interesting.

---

*Las Vegas*

Ed had watched Danny and Eric for a few weeks now. He had seen how devastated Danny had been after Eric had run following their first night together, and for a moment he had wanted to smash Eric's head in for hurting someone he considered almost a son. He had waited, though, and when Eric had called Danny and they had sorted out their differences, he'd been relieved and happy to see Danny so full of joy and love.

And yet, he was Ed Deline and he was a suspicious bastard, and so he had done his research. What he had found had been astonishing and yet disturbing enough to make him want to talk with Eric, and so he found himself at the CSI lab one night asking for Eric Delko.

The woman who led him to Eric's lab disappeared, and for a moment Ed watched Eric work diligently and carefully. He still hadn't made up his mind whether or not Eric was good enough for Danny, but before he could think about it more, Eric spoke without turning around. "Are you going to say something, or do you just want to watch?"

Ed admired courage above everything else, and Eric's cold voice made him smile lightly. "We need to talk."

Eric tensed for a moment, before he turned around and looked at Ed calmly. "Talk."

Eric's voice was flat, and there was a slight challenge in the dark eyes that made Ed respect the other man even more. "You and Danny are serious, aren't you?"

This time it was a wry smile that crossed Eric's face, but his eyes were serious as he nodded. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't think so, would you?"

Realizing that Eric was a good judge of people, Ed nodded and walked closer. Eric was taller, but Ed knew that the younger man would be no match for him should it really come to a fight. He hoped not though, not for Eric's sake, but for Danny's.

"If you hurt him, I'll know." He didn't have to say anything else. It was enough, and Ed watched with a certain satisfaction how Eric swallowed hard. He didn't avert his eyes though, and that again earned him Ed's respect.

"I can't promise that I'll never hurt him. No matter how much he means to me, I'm bound to hurt him some day." Eric's eyes clouded over for a moment, but they cleared again and he continued. "But I can promise that I'll never intentionally hurt him."

Danny's lover was a smart man, Ed thought and with a smile he reached out and clasped Eric's shoulder. "I trust you."

Eric's smile was honest now and for a moment he hesitated, before he reached out too and pressed Ed's hand. "You're a good man, Ed Deline, no matter what everyone says."

There was something in the way Eric said it, that made Ed narrow his eyes. He had promised Danny not to do a background check on Eric, but he had looked into some files and knew about the sister he had lost. He also knew about the trip Eric and Caine had made to Brazil, and the implications behind it made him edgy, although he understood the underlying sentiment and thirst for revenge only too well. Ed watched Eric closely as he spoke the next words. "I read about your sister. I'm sorry."

Eric tensed again before he consciously relaxed. "She was at the wrong place and in love with the wrong man."

Eric's words were hard and so were his eyes. There had been no clear reports on what had happened in Brazil, and the fact that Danny might be in love with a killer bothered Ed more than he liked, even if he knew that it made him a hypocrite. He didn't really think that Eric could kill someone in cold blood, and yet he was sure that there was more to Eric than the handsome, stylish man he presented at first glance.

"I didn't kill him, in case you wanted to know that." Eric smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Ed swallowed hard and nodded. "I didn't think you had. But I'm glad you didn't."

Eric's next words shocked him though. "I loved Marisol and she was my sister, but I wouldn't go as far as killing someone for her."

Ed didn't need to be a mind reader to hear what Eric didn't say. "But you would for Danny."

"I would do it for Danny." Eric hesitated for a moment before he spoke again. "I wanted to kill when my last lover died."

That hadn't been in the file, and Ed winced at the pain and hatred in the hard words. "Who did you lose apart from your sister? Who was she?"

Eric smiled bitterly and shook his head. "It wasn't a she, it was a he. Speed was my partner, my lover. He died three years ago, he was shot in the line of duty."

Ed paled, not only at the words and the grief behind them, but also because of the cruelty of fate. "You sister was killed because she was with your boss, and your lover died in the line of duty? Good god, it's no wonder you left Miami."

He only realized how bad that sounded when the words echoed through the room. Eric though, nodded only. "Miami took the two people I loved most in my life. Why should I stay and protect the city?"

A shiver ran through Ed at the bitter words, but as sudden as the bitterness had appeared, Eric smiled again and shook his head. "When I accepted the transfer to Vegas, I had no idea how different from Miami it would be. I just wanted to get away from my memories. I never expected to fall in love again."

Looking up, Eric met Ed's eyes openly and honestly. "But I had no defenses against Danny. And you know what, Ed? I'm glad I didn't."

The light in Eric's eyes when he spoke of Danny, proved to Ed that the younger man really loved Danny and looking at Eric fondly Ed smiled. "Welcome to the family."

---

*Chapter 11 - Just a normal day*

*Las Vegas*

Brass was asleep when his phone rang and it took a moment until he realized that he wasn't in his own bedroom. Groaning he moved away from the warm body next to his to get his phone. Immediately an arm shot out and pulled him back and smiling lightly, Brass removed the arm and slipped out of bed.

"Where you going?" Conrad's voice was gruff and hoarse with sleep and Brass' heart constricted with emotions for a second, before he replied quietly. "I'm on call."

Conrad groaned, but Brass saw that he was awake now and he felt Conrad's eyes on his body as he listened to the message and sighed. "Domestic turned deadly... I've got to go."

He turned around and looked for his clothes, but before he could get dressed, he felt Conrad's arms around him and for a second he gave into temptation and leaned back against his lover.

"Take care." Conrad's voice was soft and Brass turned around to look at him.

"It's just a normal call." Conrad shrugged and replied with a soft smile. "No reason not to be careful."

Smiling Brass turned around and finished getting dressed before he returned to his partner and leaned down to kiss Conrad softly. "I'll see you in a few hours."

---

The crime scene was a house in a lower or middle class neighborhood on a quiet street. When Grissom drove up to the house, he saw several officer cars were parked along the street, their lights flashing and casting an eerie light in the darkness. Brass was already there and looked at him with a sad smile. "Just another domestic violence case..."

Inside the house, Al already stood there and as Grissom watched he examined the dead woman on the floor. She was lying dead on the living room floor, a nightgown thrown over her body, her head resting in a large pool of blood.

Brass pointed at the dead woman and read from his notes. "Janice Cutler. Shot in the mouth."

Grissom motioned Warrick to take pictures while he watched David and Al prepare the body for transportation. Al looked at Grissom with a sigh and pointed at the dead woman. "Judy and I deal with our marital problems a little differently -- counseling, separate vacations once a year."

Al's dry voice resonated through the silent room accompanied by the almost rhythmical sound of Warrick's camera. Grissom shook his head and picked something up lying next to the dead woman, Robbins looked at him again and continued his lonely tale. "She's never pulled a gun on me yet."

Grissom looked around and saw Warrick picking something up. Warrick held it against the light and met Grissom's eyes. "I got a shell casing. Nine millimeter."

"Where's the husband?" Warrick's question was answered by Brass who shrugged. "Well, there was no car in the garage. We can broadcast out for him."

Looking around the room, Grissom's eyes took in the neatness of the setting, the almost pristine way everything looked and he nodded silently before he spoke. "There's no other signs of disturbance in here. How many domestics have you seen where someone got shot in the face and nothing else was disturbed?"

His question was met with silence, but then Brass called from outside that he had organized a broadcast for the husband and Warrick started to process the scene.

Grissom watched his team for a moment, before he walked over and went to look at the perimeter. He saw something lying on the pavement and bent down to grab it. It was a cigarette but and with a shrug he packed it into an evidence bag before he got up again. Immediately he felt dizzy and squatted down again. His hands were shaking and for a moment he closed his eyes wishing for the moment of weakness to be over. Slowly he got up again and sighed. He hadn't slept much in the last couple of days, and his use of pain killers had increased almost dramatically.

Grissom shivered a bit as he calmly listed the symptoms he'd been showing lately. He was no doctor, but he knew enough about the human body to know that he was running fast towards the edge of a cliff. The problem only was that he had no idea how to stop.

---

Conrad woke slowly and immediately he reached out to search for Jim. His hands met cold sheets and he recalled the phone call and groaned. He had looked forward to a leisurely breakfast with Jim before work. Still Conrad had been with law enforcement for too long now and he knew the drill. So he didn't mourn the lost breakfast and instead, Conrad got out of bed and walked to the shower.

The warm spray woke him completely and he leaned back to get the last bit of tension out of his neck while he contemplated his renewed relationship with Jim. It had happened unexpected and fast when Jim had shown up at his place two weeks ago with a pizza in his hand and a smile on his face. They had had dinner together when Jim suddenly had looked up and taken Conrad's hand. "Why did we split?"

Conrad had not had an answer, he had never understood why their relationship had broken apart, and for his part had never stopped feeling a lot for Jim. Right then his heart had leaped at the emotions in Jim's eyes and without another word he had leaned over and kissed his former lover. Jim's response had erased all of Conrad's doubts about Jim's seriousness and waking up next to Jim he had felt complete for the first time in ages.

They had spent much time together since that night and yet not enough. Their schedules were working against them and more than once, Conrad had been tempted to ask Jim to change shifts so that they were on equal schedules. He hadn't asked though, not because he didn't think Jim would do it, but because he knew how much Jim enjoyed working with Grissom and his team.

Stepping out of the shower, Conrad groaned as his attention moved from his lover to Grissom. The nightshift team was a constant factor of worry and annoyance for him. First it had been the competition between his dayshift and Grissom's team, then the entire team's disregard of rules and administrative requirements, and yet as long as their performance was as good as it was, he could overlook the constant overtime and bending of rules. They still were one of the best if not the best forensic teams in the country and after having watched the team fall apart in the wake of Stokes' abduction, he had been hesitant to put too much pressure on an already fragile construct.

Stokes... Conrad smiled sadly. Losing Stokes had changed the dynamics and Conrad himself had mourned losing him. Not because they had been friends or because he and Stokes had a good rapport, but because Stokes had brought the human element to a team that tended to be too scientific for its own good.

He frowned as he poured his coffee and thought about the call from Stokes' supervisor a couple of weeks ago, Taylor had sounded like a good man and Conrad knew that he was highly regarded in the forensic world. He seemed to have a good team and Conrad didn't doubt that with the addition of Stokes the NY lab soon would climb up in the country's ranking.

Conrad grabbed his keys and walked to his cars as his thoughts refocused on the nightshift team. The team had re-formed around Eric Delko and Conrad was glad that the transfer from Miami had been successful. He had been warned against hiring Eric, but he had decided not to listen. Now Conrad was glad he hadn't. If only his other concerns about the nightshift could be alleviated as easily, he thought.

Gil Grissom and Conrad had a strained relationship and that was putting it politely, Conrad grinned at his wording, but sobered up quickly. Grissom's refusal to play the political game and his sometimes blatant disregard for rules had annoyed him more often than not. On the other hand, now that he was Grissom's supervisor Conrad had learned to appreciate the other man's diligent work.

Over the years Grissom had annoyed him even to the point of vengefulness, but right now it was neither Grissom's success nor his lack of political interest that had concerned him. No this time it was Grissom himself. He was too pale, too frail looking and Conrad knew instinctively that Grissom was on the verge of a break down.

He stopped at a traffic light while he contemplated the problem. He wasn't a friend of Grissom, but he respected the other man and didn't want him to burn out. He also knew though that Grissom would never talk to him.

Jim would be perfect, he thought suddenly. Jim was one of Grissom's few friends and he could address what Conrad couldn't. And yet, he didn't want to pull Jim into the uneasy truce between Conrad and Grissom. Sighing silently, Conrad decided to talk with Jim when they saw each other again.

Maybe his lover had a better idea, and if not then Conrad had to come up with something because the last thing he wanted was that for Grissom to collapse. He respected the other man way too much for that.

---

*Los Angeles*

Calleigh smiled as she saw Megan walk out of the FBI building. The other woman had called her this morning and spontaneously asked her for lunch. Calleigh had been surprised at herself when she had agreed despite being busy, but something about Megan had made her think that she might find a friend in the other woman.

"What do you fancy?" Megan blinked in the sunlight and searched for her sunglasses in her purse. Slipping them on she smiled at Calleigh and answered her question with a shrug. "There's a nice Thai place over there, it's fairly quick and nicely priced."

It sounded reasonable and soon they sat in a corner sipping some green tea. Calleigh watched Megan watch her and grinned. "You just can't not profile someone, can you?"

Megan laughed. "Caught. Yeah, I guess it's a bit of a deformation professionelle. I was just wondering what made you swap Miami with LA."

Calleigh's smile vanished as she reflected on the decision that had brought her to the other side of the country. "It's a long story, but in the end, I just felt that I needed a change."

Megan's eyes were friendly and prompted Calleigh to continue speaking. It felt good to talk about her decision to someone who wasn't involved and with a sigh she looked outside. "I woke up one day in Miami and realized that I'd stayed there for over ten years and in that time I had lost a friend in a gunfight, had another friend kill himself in my lab, watched my boss' wife die from sniper bullet and finally said good bye to another good friend when he moved to Las Vegas... And you know every time something happened it only concerned me in the periphery, it was not my boyfriend that got killed or my wife and it was never me that got seriously injured always someone close."

Calleigh struggled for words to explain what had gone through her mind on that fateful morning, and as her eyes met Megan's she faltered for a moment feeling tears well up in her eyes. Megan covered her hand quickly and smiled gently. "Just take your time."

Calleigh smiled wanly before she continued and for the first time since she had left Miami she explained the real reason for her leaving. "I was just afraid that I was the next, you know... I mean it's irrational, but I looked around the team and saw Eric who had lost his lover, H who'd lost his wife. Ryan who'd been injured so badly and I suddenly felt as if I was in the crosshairs of a rifle. Something told me I was next and I panicked."

"Do you feel safe here?" Megan's voice was calm, questioning and Calleigh thought about the question for a long time. Did she feel safe?

"Yes, I do or as safe as I ever felt, I guess..."

Megan smiled and her eyes lit up. "Then you made the right decision."

The waiter served their food and the topic changed to a lighter tune, but Megan's words continued to resonate in Calleigh's head. "The right decision..."

It had been, she thought as she looked at the woman across her and thought of the work that waited for her. Leading a team was a huge challenge, and her goal to turn the lab into a top facility an even bigger one, but it made her happier than she had been in Miami and in the end that's what it all was about.

---

*Las Vegas*

Eric looked around the crime scene and shook his head. Two people shot dead and one injured and they had not a single idea who was responsible. Walking over to the next room, he immediately noticed the huge banner that said ‘congratulations'. Greg was already working diligently and barely looked up when he squatted down next to him. He shrugged and pointed at the desk next to them.

" That's the vic's desk. He was getting a promotion." Greg's words made Eric smile sadly and he shook his head. "Well, at least his day started out on a good note."

Greg shrugged and looked at the gun before he sighed. "It's been wiped clean, no prints I guess."

Nodding at his words, Eric looked at the crime scene markers and at the recovered shell casings. At one side of the room a door was closed and had a pink rod sticking out of a bullet hole. "So Willie Cutler must have been standing along this line when he was grazed by the bullet."

It was consistent with Cutler's statement and looking at Greg, Eric smiled bitterly. "So what do you think, Greg? Is Willie Cutler the luckiest guy in the world or the unluckiest?"

Greg didn't reply and Eric started to process the desk where Cutler had been hiding under. He tried to focus on the job, but every time he looked at Greg he felt a stab of guilt. He still hadn't told Greg about Danny. It wasn't that he was obliged to tell him, and yet Eric knew that he had hurt Greg when he had rejected him and now he was with Danny.

"Eric?" Greg stood next to him and Eric startled. Greg grinned at him and shook his head. "Where were you mate?"

Smiling back, Eric looked around and noted that they had finished the scene and packed up. "Back to the lab?"

Greg nodded and Eric waited until they were in the car, before he looked at Greg from the side. "I need to talk to you."

Frowning Greg looked at him and Eric silently prayed that he wouldn't hurt Greg too much with his next words. "I wanted you to know before someone tells you. I'm in a relationship with someone..."

---

"I'm in a relationship with someone..."

Greg waited for the hurt to set in, but to his surprise Eric's words didn't hurt instead he felt happy for his friend. Relieved he punched Eric in a friendly manner. "Who is the lucky guy?"

Eric relaxed immediately and Greg swallowed hard as he saw the brilliant smile that now crossed Eric's face. It was both making Greg happy and envious because although he knew that he had only been infatuated with Eric and not in love with him, he still wanted something like Eric had.

"Danny McCoy" Greg had heard the name before and now frowned a bit as he tried to put a face to the name. Eric smiled and explained who his new lover was. "He's the head of security at the Montecito."

Now Greg had a face to go with the name and he nodded appreciatively. "Got yourself a good looking man there, Eric."

Eric blushed and nodded. "He's a good man."

Greg noted the difference in what he had said and what Eric said and it made him smile softly. Seeing a diner at the other side of the street he pointed at it. "Let's get something to eat and you tell me everything about this guy, ok?"

They ordered fries and burger and for a while simply sat there in silence until Eric started to speak. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Seeing that Eric was genuinely uncomfortable, Greg grinned and shook his head. "Eric, honestly it's ok. I'm happy for you. We said that we are friends, didn't we?"

Taking a deep breath Eric nodded. Their food arrived and Eric grabbed the ketchup. Greg reached for it at the same time and their hands collided. Six weeks ago the touch would have sent sparks up and down Greg's body but today he simply laughed at their missing coordination.

"Gosh, you can tell we're scientists. " Eric's comment made Greg grin and he handed the bottle over.

"So how did you meet?" Eric rolled his eyes and grinned. "On a case, do you remember the fake chips case at the Montecito? That's when we met. We went out together once the case was closed and we..."

Greg had to suppress his chuckle as Eric trailed off embarrassed. "Is he good?"

Eric gasped and went beet red despite his darker complexion. Greg shook his head and patted his friend on the back. "Come on tell me. How is he?"

"He's great, ok? Now stop asking." Eric's words were mumbled but his reluctance to speak woke all the devils in Greg and leaning over eagerly he smirked at Eric.

"Is he into naughty stuff? Latex, leather and spanking?"

Eric stared at him wide-eyed and Greg almost doubled over laughing. "No, well then at least he uses cuffs and toys, doesn't he?"

This time Eric swallowed hard and Greg realized that his friend was honestly embarrassed. "You should see yourself, Eric, come on, you can't be that vanilla, can you?"

"I've never played with things like that." Eric mumbled more than he spoke and somehow his behavior reminded Greg of Nick.

"You have?" Greg shrugged at Eric's question and nodded. "Yeah, I have. Not really deep into the whole scene, but sometimes it's fun. Depends on the partner though."

Eric shook his head and shrugged before a wicked grin passed over his face. "You just got me some ideas. Maybe I need to take my cuffs home one night."

Greg grinned and returned to his food. He was happy for his friend, happy that Eric had found someone, but to be completely honest all this talk about cuffs and spanking had left him quite horny. Maybe it was time he found himself a partner again. Greg thought about the club he had used to go when out of the blue Archie's words resonated through his mind.

Grissom's in love with you.

He had tried to avoid thinking about it, had pushed all thoughts away whenever they had entered his mind, but right now as he was contemplating going out to pick up a lover for a night, right now as he craved not the gentle contact but the harder domination, right now Greg couldn't push the memory away. The thought of Grissom being the one to tie him up made his breath catch and he shivered.

It was more though, Greg suddenly realized more than finding the thought of Grissom as his master appealing, more than simply being horny. And finally giving into the thoughts he had avoided ever since Archie had uttered those fateful words, Greg looked at Eric.

"Eric, I need a friend."

---

Greg's words were heavy and a huge difference between his former bantering and teasing. Eric sobered immediately and forgot all his half-formed thoughts about tying Danny up and torturing him with whipped cream.

"What's wrong?"

Greg looked down at his hands and Eric could see the tension in the set of his shoulders. For a long time his friend was silent, but when he looked up his eyes were haunted and instinctively Eric reached out and pressed Greg's hand. "Greg, what's going on?"

"Promise me to tell me the truth and that you won't tell anyone, please." Greg's words were almost whispered and Eric nodded immediately.

"I promise."

Greg swallowed once before taking a deep breath. "Archie told me that he thinks that Grissom is in love with me, well he actually told me that the entire lab thinks that."

It took a moment until Eric understood what Greg had said and his first reaction was to say that he hadn't noticed anything, but within seconds his investigator mind took over and he mentally went through every interaction between Grissom and Greg that he had witnessed. There had been nothing specific that stood out, but thinking more about it, he realized that Grissom was more forgiving towards Greg and sighing lightly he looked at his friend.

"Certainly not the entire lab, I never heard a rumor or anything."

His words seemed to relieve Greg, but Eric could still see that his friend was worried. "Greg, what about you? Do you like him?"

Helplessly shrugging, Greg let his head fall into his hands. "I don't know. I never thought about Grissom that way, but ever since Archie..."

Eric knew that Greg meant and he completed the sentence for his friend. "Ever since he spoke about Grissom and you, you see Grissom in a different light, and suddenly you find yourself wanting him."

Greg stared at him wide-eyed and Eric smiled lightly. "It was like this with me and Speed. We were out together when a friend of mine commented on what a cute couple we made. I thought I was straight, but I couldn't get the thought of Speed out of my mind. About a month later we happened."

It was the first time that he could talk about Speed without feeling the stabbing pain of loss, Eric was surprised that instead he felt warmth at the fond memory. He saw Greg look at him and smiled. "It doesn't have to happen like this for you and Grissom..."

"How do I find out if I'm just curious or if I'm really attracted to him?" Greg's question made Eric ponder his answer because the last thing he wanted was to give his friend a false idea.

"I don't know." Greg's eyes fell again and he looked forlorn as he spoke. "I just don't want to hurt him, you know. I mean if it even is true."

Seeing that Greg had finally come to the heart of his concern, Eric didn't say anything but waited for Greg to continue. "What if I do something and it isn't true? What if Archie was joking?"

Eric could see the fear in Greg's eyes and slowly shook his head. "I don't think he is. Who did he say knows about it too?"

"Sara, him and..." Greg trailed off as hope lit up in his eyes and with a stronger voice he continued again. "And Nick."

"Well, Archie wouldn't have told you that Nick knows if he were leading you on, he knows you and Nick would eventually talk about it and you'd find out." Eric simply stated facts that Greg already knew. Still sometimes it helped when a third party confirmed those facts and as he watched Greg smile softly, Eric understood that this had been one of those times.

"And what do I do now?"

Greg's question made Eric smile and he shrugged. "You'll know when you see Grissom again."

---

"Brown" Light laughter floated through the phone and Warrick frowned. He was busy and didn't need games, Catherine and Brass were already waiting for him and he had a head ache from staring at the evidence for too long.

"It seems as if our intervention is not needed anymore." The voice on the other end was female and had a sultry tone that made Warrick shiver slightly.

"Who is this?" The answer to his inquiry was again that light laughter, but before he could say anything else, the woman answered. "I'm disappointed that you don't remember me, but I've been told that you're a busy man. It's Delinda Deline."

Her comment from before made sense now, and Warrick smiled as he thought of how happy Eric had been lately.

"Then I agree with you, we're certainly not needed."

And boy was he grateful for that, he thought as he remembered Delinda's plan of making Eric and Danny admit their feelings for each other.

"Well, since we're obviously lousy matchmakers, maybe we can have a drink one day?"

The offer shocked him, but Warrick was no idiot, Delinda Deline was one of the most beautiful woman he'd ever met and if the short chats they'd had were anything to go by then she was quite probably also one of the more intelligent ones.

"I'd love to."

"10 A.M. tomorrow? I'll pick you up at the lab."

Taken aback, Warrick chuckled. "You want to go for drinks at 10 am?"

Her answer came immediately. "Hey, I didn't say what kind of drinks... See you!"

The click on the other side told him that Delinda had ended the call and for a moment Warrick stared flabbergasted at the phone. Slowly though a big smile spread over his face and he shook his head. He had a date with Delinda Deline.

---

"You have to talk to Mary."

Danny smiled at Delinda, but inwardly he froze. He knew that she was right, but that didn't make the idea of telling his childhood friend that he was gay and had a boyfriend any easier.

"I know."

Delinda shook her head. "Danny, she can't find out about this from someone else. You have to tell her."

"She's in love with me, Delinda and I just don't want to hurt her." Delinda shook her head at his words and frowned. "Danny no matter how you tell her, it will hurt. And yes, she'll be angry that you never told her about your preferences and yes, she'll think you used her, but all that will only be worse if you don't tell her yourself."

"I don't want to lose her." Danny met Delinda's eyes as he said it and she reached out to press his hand. "You won't lose her over this. She'll be upset and hurt, but you know that she had no issues with gays. Please Danny, talk to her."

Danny sighed. "I talk to her, ok?"

Delinda nodded and leaned over the coffee table to kiss him on his cheek. "Do it soon, Danny, before you lose your chance."

Danny watched her leave and closing his eyes he hid his face in his hands for a moment, before he looked up again and stared in his coffee. Delinda was right, he thought, he really needed to talk to Mary. If he wanted his relationship with Eric to work, then he had to make sure that Eric was a part of his group of friends, just as much as Danny needed to meet Eric's team. He dreaded that too. Oh, he had met the famous nightshift before, but always at work and never for any other reasons. Eric had told him that he wanted Danny to meet Warrick.

Danny paid his coffee and walked to his office when his phone buzzed.

"Danny, it's me. We've got a multiple homicide, I probably work a double today."

Eric sounded both exhausted and pumped up and Danny smiled without noticing it. "Don't worry, just come around to my place if you're done ok? What happened?"

"A woman killed in her own home and then three guys shot at the workplace of the husband. Right now, we're nowhere but if your wife and your colleagues are killed the same day, you either have a very bad day or you're involved. So we want this solved or at least cleared before anyone else dies. I'll call before I come round, ok? And Danny thanks for not minding."

Danny felt something melt inside him at the soft words and he wished Eric was here so that he could kiss him. Instead he answered tenderly. "Don't worry about it. Just be safe, please."

He wasn't really sure why he had added that last bit, but for an unknown reason Danny felt fear at the thought of Eric working a case that had already cost four lives and just because he felt like it, he repeated the last words again. "Be safe, love."

---

"Be safe, love."

Eric responded to the words with a smile. "I will be, thanks."

It was only when he put the phone down, that the words really registered in his brain. "Be safe, love."

Eric swallowed heavily. Danny and he had never spoken about love even though it was clear to both of them that there was more between them than simple lust. Eric knew that he felt a lot for Danny and yet the simple endearment floored him. Had Danny even realized what he had said? Had it been a conscious wording or just a slip of the tongue?

"Hey, you won't believe what Vartaan and I found when we spoke to the cab driver!"

Greg bounded into the lab tearing Eric's thoughts away from Danny and back to the case. He could see the excitement in Greg and with a shrug encouraged his friend to tell.

"Well, the killer called a cab company from the Cuttler house and we spoke to the driver. He said that the guy had him drive around for five, six hours and then stop at an office place. And guess what, the cab has a camera."

Eric looked at the picture from the surveillance camera and looked at Greg. "Cuttler?"

Greg grinned. "He called himself Sammy, but hey we know he's Willie."

Eric agreed and together they started processing the evidence that he had found at the travel agency. The work required Eric's full attention, but still in the back of his mind, he kept hearing Danny's voice telling him to be safe, calling him his love.

---

"So, Willie Cutler had an older brother, Sammy. Sammy did time in Chino for grand theft auto." Brass watched as Grissom looked at the report that he held in his hand. He knew what his friend was seeing as he had read the report too and promptly, Grissom pointed at something.

"Willie had a vehicle-related felony on his record, too."

Trust Grissom to spot that, but then Brass had noticed it too and done his research. "Yeah, the same incident. See, Willie was a first-time offender, so he pled out. But Sammy had a record, so the judge gave him a hard time. So he got in trouble on the inside. He did an extended sentence. He got out six months ago. I got a fax from the cab company I want to show you."

As he walked over towards his office, Brass felt his cell phone vibrate and frowned. He never received text messages, he had a phone to get calls and not letters after all. Still he checked it and was surprised when he simply found a smiley on his screen. His phone rattled again and this time there were some words.

‘I just wanted to make you smile. Take care, C.'

Surprised at his partner's insight and thoughtfulness, Brass smiled for a moment, before he noticed Grissom's look and turned serious again. He didn't really want Grissom to find out about him and Con, not because he was ashamed of his relationship with the other man, but because he knew about Grissom's strained relationship with Conrad.

Finally at his office, he handed Grissom the fax that had come in from the cab company. "Check it out. They get called out to that office park where the shooting took place. Driver said the fare was a no-show."

Grissom studied the fax as if it would start talking and reveal the universe's secrets and as the paper remained silent he shifted his head to the left side. "Requested destination -- Lucky Dragon casino."

Brass had been working with Grissom for long enough and still sometimes he couldn't figure him out. Like right now as Grissom shook his head and folded his hands in front of his eyes. "You know, this could be a revenge story. Willie gets a life, Sammy goes to prison. Sammy gets out, tries to get even."

Grissom's theory made sense, but for Brass it wasn't good enough. "Well, if Sammy was trying to get even, why did Willie keep quiet about it?"

"He's his brother's keeper." Grissom's words seemed to resonate in Brass' office and Brass simply raised one of his brows as he looked at Grissom. Grissom on the other hand smiled innocently. "It's in the Bible."

Yes, Brass thought, sometimes, he really didn't understand Gil Grissom."

---

Standing at the side of the room, Warrick watched the casino floor on the monitors at the wall of the security room at the Lucky Dragon. A part of him was glad that he could watch from here and didn't have to be down at the floor around all the gambling going on. He knew that he would never play for money again and still he could feel it tingling in his fingers just from watching all the tables.

The security guys were running Sammy Cuttler's face through their facial recognition programs, but so far nothing had come up. The casino was busy and there were many people wearing caps. Looking for their suspect was a little bit like finding a needle in a haystack.

A sudden scuffle on the screen brought Warrick out of his musings and he pointed at the man. "That's Willie Cutler, Sam's brother. What's he doing?"

In almost fascinated horror, Warrick watched as Cutler disarmed the guard and shot him twice in the chest. He could hear the surveillance director speak in his microphone, directing his people to the scene. "Shots fired. Main floor. BJ pit three "

Warrick felt helpless as he watched Cutler run across the casino floor and towards the elevators. "He's trying to go to one of the rooms."

The security director nodded and directed his men towards the elevators, but before they got there, the elevator doors opened and a young woman stepped out and directly in front of Cutler. Warrick tensed expecting the killer to shoot her, but instead the other man grabbed her and pushed her back into the elevator. Warrick heard the director groan and he could only agree. It had been a dire situation, but it had just gotten worse. Now, their killer had a hostage.

---

*Los Angeles*

"Calleigh, you're from Miami, maybe you can help us." Megan's voice was both excited and exhausted and Calleigh frowned a bit before she answered. "How can I help you?"

"Do you understand anything about hurricanes?"

The question took her aback and she laughed surprised. "Well apart from the fact that when it hits you better get the hell out of dodge, not much, why?"

Megan chuckled before she started to explain. "We found some kind of formulas for geothermical math and Charlie said that one university where they teach that kind of stuff is the University of Miami. So I thought, instead of talking to someone there, I try you first."

It was good thinking, Calleigh had to admit, but she was certainly not qualified enough to understand the makings of hurricanes or tropical storms. "Sorry, but as I said, I was there for the clean up and for the crimes that were committed during the hurricanes, but apart from that, I can't help you."

Her mind was running through the people that would know and with a slap to her head she laughed. "But a friend of mine has a secondary degree in that stuff, so maybe you can give him a call, if you want to talk to someone who's law enforcement."

"Sure, why not, what's his name?" Megan seemed almost desperate to call someone outside the university and Calleigh wondered why it was. It wasn't her place to ask though and so she gave Megan the name. "Eric Delko, he's with Las Vegas PD now, but he might be able to help you."

"Ok I'll give him a call, thanks for your help. By the way, we're having drinks with the team on Friday, why don't you come around?"

The invitation astonished Calleigh and for a second she wanted to decline, when out of the blue Agent Sinclair's face appeared in front of her eyes. She still hadn't gotten over the agent's comments and looks and maybe it was time to show him who he was up against.

"I'd love to come, if work permits it."

"Great, just give me a ring when you can make it." Megan sounded almost smug and Calleigh frowned a little as she put the phone down. Could it be that Megan had a hidden agenda?

Laughing at herself, Calleigh shook her head. She was really was getting paranoid.

---

Brass pulled his gun out and looked at the officer next to him. The SWAT team member met his eyes unflinchingly as Brass handed him his gun. "The kill word is ‘Jim'."

The officer nodded and Brass walked towards the door. "Willie, this is Jim Brass, will you let me in? I just want to talk to you. I'm unarmed, you can see me through the peephole."

For a long time there was nothing but silence and then slowly the door opened and Brass walked into the room.

---

*Chapter 12 - Man down*

*Las Vegas*

Sara stared at her computer screen and although she rationally understood what the words on the screen said, she couldn't comprehend what they really meant. Again and again she pressed the refresh button until finally she shuddered. Her finger hovered over the print button for a moment and then taking another deep breath she printed the short article.

She needed to show it to Gris, and still she hesitated as if she could make the message go away by hiding it. Sara shook her head at herself and quickly walked over towards Grissom's office. "Gris? You got to see this. I found it on the Internet."

Handing him the printout she watched as he read it and saw how he paled. Sara knew what the print out said and silently read it again as he held it towards her.

AMERICAN TOURIST KILLED IN CAR CRASH IN TIJUANA, MEXICO

A traffic accident ended in a fatality Tuesday night. The incident occurred at 7 pm on the intersection of Perez Parkway and Bodega. The victim was traveling west on Perez Parkway and apparently failed to yield a red light. An oncoming vehicle was traveling eastbound and struck the car with approximately 50 mph. The victim was identified as Samuel Cutler.

Grissom stared at her for a moment and then he closed his eyes. "There's no way that Willie Cutler didn't know that."

Sara nodded silently and waited for her boss to continue talking. "So he knows that Brass will never get Sammy on the phone."

She couldn't remain silent. "Brass walked into a trap."

Grissom reached for his phone and Sara saw how his hands trembled as he dialed Brass' number. While they waited for Brass to pick up their eyes met and Grissom finished the sentence that Sara had started.

"A trap from which he was never supposed to walk away."

The fear and anger that had lain coiled in Sara's chest since she had read the article suddenly exploded and she could feel herself starting to shake violently. Grissom watched her and his kind eyes were too much. She almost ran out of his office and hid herself in an empty lab trying frantically to calm down while her mind showed her crystal clear pictures of Jim Brass standing at gun point in a tastefully decorated hotel room.

In her mind she saw Willie Cutler smile cruelly and she heard the shot. Something in her broke at the mental image and she pressed her hands against her eyes wanting to erase the pictures.

"Sara, are you ok?"

Greg's voice was concerned and she looked up to meet his eyes with a shake of her head. "No, we just found out that Brass has been set up. Cutler's brother died two months ago, and he knew it."

She could see Greg pale as he understood and he looked at her. "What's Grissom going to do now?"

Dear Greg, Sara thought, he still believed that Grissom could right all wrongs and she didn't begrudge him his faith in their boss and yet she was old enough to know that in this instance there was nothing Grissom could do.

"He's going to call Brass, it's Brass' call."

And his life, but she didn't need to add that.

---

Grissom's mind was whirling while he waited for Brass to pick up. He knew he needed to tell Jim, but at the same time he wished that his friend wouldn't pick up. The news he was about to give Jim were pretty much a death sentence.

A click alerted him and immediately he heard Jim's laconic voice. "Yeah"

Grissom took a deep breath and slowly exhaled again. "Jim? Sammy Cutler's dead. He died in a car crash in Mexico two months ago. Willie had to know. He's been playing us."

For a moment there Jim didn't respond then he answered and his voice was as calm and quiet as before. And still Grissom heard the slight resignation in it. "I got it, yeah. Thanks. "

The connection was severed and Grissom wanted to throw the phone at the wall, but instead he got up and walked out of his office in search of his team. He didn't know what he would tell them, but he just couldn't stay alone in his office knowing what was going to happen in a hotel room across the city.

---

Sammy Cutler's dead. He died in a car crash in Mexico two months ago. Willie had to know. He's been playing us.

He hadn't needed Grissom to repeat the words and his friend hadn't. The words and what they meant had flashed through his mind at the same time as a deep sadness had enveloped him. Brass knew what he had to do and yet he didn't want to. Putting the phone back in his pocket, he looked at the man who had already killed four people. Willie Cutler had indeed played them and they had played along his tune. That was going to change now, but still Brass had hoped that the price wouldn't be so high.

"Hey, Willie. Sammy's not coming up. But I guess we both know that, right?"

Some part of Brass was proud how steady his voice sounded compared to the frantic beating of his heart. Willie Cutler smiled coldly. "Yeah. It's a good thing I have the gun."

For a moment their eyes met and they measured each other. Brass knew that there was no other way out and from the fatalistic look in Willie Cutler's eyes, the other man knew it too. The only question now was if it would happen fast enough to save Cutler's innocent hostage.

Brass took a deep breath and consciously produced Conrad's image in front of his inner eye. He didn't want Cutler to be the last face he would see. Cutler's hand didn't tremble and Brass spoke the code word.

"Jim!"

Time seemed to slow down almost excruciatingly. Brass heard the door break and at the same time he heard the shots from Cutler's gun. Two bullets, he thought, but before he could even process the thought a feeling like liquid fire smashed in his chest and he knew the vest had been penetrated. Pain spread from his chest to his entire body making him moan and it felt as if his entire strength was sucked out of him.

Brass didn't feel the impact of the floor as he fell down, he didn't hear the shots as the SWAT team shot Cutler, instead he felt fire and ice burning in his veins and his body. He tried to breath around the pain, but the simple act of breathing became an enormous task as the room started spin around him. Darkness tugged at his eyes and be barely heard the SWAT leader's words.

"Man down, we've got a man down."

For a moment Brass wondered who the other man meant, then the darkness engulfed him completely.

---

"Man down, we've got a man down."

Eric heard the words on the radio and everything in him froze. He couldn't process them and even as he watched Catherine reach for the radio he didn't hear her speak instead he heard another, older voice. It was a voice that still haunted him in his dreams sometimes.

"This is CSI Caine. We have a priority here! I got a man down, shots fired!"

"Eric? Eric!" Catherine's hand on his shoulder pulled him back to reality and he looked at her. She was pale and her hand trembled as she put it back on the steering wheel of the car.

"Brass was shot."

Eric swallowed hard. "Is he...?"

He couldn't finish the sentence, but Catherine knew what he meant and shook her head. "No, but he's in ICU. I told Grissom that I'll meet him there."

The idea of going to the hospital terrified Eric and frantically he shook his head. "No, Cat, I can't go there. Please I, I just can't go to the hospital."

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head, but after a moment a look of understanding crossed over her face and she reached out to touch his arm. "I'm sorry, Eric, I forgot about your sister."

It's not only about my sister, it's about my lover too, Eric thought, but he didn't voice his thoughts, instead he remained silent until Catherine looked at him. "Do you want to go to the lab?"

Thinking for a moment, Eric felt nothing but cold and fear and making an instant decision he shook his head. "Can you drive by the Montecito?"

Catherine frowned, but to Eric's surprise she didn't ask anything and that in turn made him tell her the truth. "My partner works there."

She looked at him surprised, before a smile crossed her face. "Good."

---

Grissom stared blindly at the wall in the waiting room of the hospital . He didn't see it, instead he kept flashing back to the cozy restaurant where he and Brass had sat several months ago. Brass had looked troubled and then out of the blue he had started to talk.

"I know how my daughter Ellie lives. I know the company she keeps and I know what she does to get by. A couple of nights ago I'm in LA and sitting in my car on Hollywood Boulevard watching her work a corner and my eyes are playing tricks on me because I don't see what she's doing, I see what she was. I see a little six year-old girl with a ponytail, playing with crayons, singing a little tune to herself. All I want to do is save her.

Brass had spoken quietly and yet with an intensity that had shaken Grissom. Grissom had wanted to say something, but Brass had beaten him and continued. "But the thing is, you know, if something happened to me I don't think Ellie would, uh ... care."

Brass had handed him some papers and when Grissom had looked at them he had swallowed hard. It had been papers that gave him power of attorney in medical urgencies. The trust implied in the simple gesture had touched Grissom deeply. He had looked at Brass a bit helplessly and Brass had smiled.

" I'm asking you to do me this favor. There's no one I trust more with my life, or my death than you."

Returning to the now, Grissom shivered. He had known when he'd signed the papers that one day he might hold Brass' life in his hands and yet now that he did, he was terrified.

---

Conrad was talking with the sheriff when the call came and it took all his strength not to collapse. Terror raced through him and he held onto the wall.

Jim had been shot.

"Conrad, you ok?"

The sheriff's voice didn't penetrate the fog that had descended, all he could think was that his lover had been shot, that Jim had been shot, shot, shot.

"Conrad!" The shout was accompanied by a hand on his shoulder and he jerked back to reality meeting the sheriff's concerned eyes. "What's going on, Conrad?"

Nothing, I just freaked because my lover has been shot, Conrad didn't voice his thoughts, instead he forced a smile on his face as he looked at the sheriff again. "Sorry, I drifted off for a moment. I'm not feeling too well, might come down with something."

The sheriff nodded gravely, and Conrad left feeling as if he was in a trance. He walked towards the exit and his car, when a hand stopped him. Vartaan stood next to his car and shook his head.

"You're not driving, Conrad." Vartaan reached out and without another word, Conrad handed him the keys and got into the car. He sat down and stared ahead blindly before he turned towards his friend. "How is he?"

Vartaan shrugged, but the gesture looked forced and Conrad's heart constricted. "I don't know. All I heard was that he was critical when they brought him in and that he was shot at close range."

Critical... The word echoed through Conrad's mind and he forced himself to concentrate on the facts. Critical could mean anything and looking at Vartaan, he silently asked for more information. Vartaan sighed. "He was in a hostage situation and the hostage taker shot him."

Silence fell between them until Conrad noticed where Vartaan drove them. He tensed and shook his head. "No, Tony. Not the hospital."

Vartaan looked at him and Conrad could see understanding in his friend's eyes. "Con, you need to be there, ok? He needs you there."

Tony was probably right, and still Conrad had to force himself to walk into the hospital as they arrived. Tony held him back for a moment and clasped his shoulder. "Con, there's something you need to know before you walk in there."

Dread filled him, but forcing it down, he looked at his friend. "What?"

"Grissom has Jim's power of attorney."

---

Delinda saw Eric the moment he walked into the casino. She was just about to leave for an interview with a potential new staff for her club when her eyes fell on Eric. He was ghastly pale and even from the distance she could see the tremors that ran through his body. Something had happened and she almost ran over and grabbed his arm.

"Eric, what's going on?"

His eyes were darker than she had ever seen them and she easily recognized the horror and shock in them. It scared her and forcibly she calmed herself and led him over to a secluded corner.

"Are you alright?"

He shivered again and finally focused on her. "I need to see Danny, but I can't, can't go up like this. Could you ask him to come down?"

Concerned, Delinda nodded, but at the same time decided that whatever had happened was grave enough to warrant no cameras and gently she began to steer Eric towards the elevators. She knew that her father was out and his office had no cameras. Eric followed silently and only balked at the entrance of the office. "Where are we?"

"My dad's office, there are no cameras here."

For a moment Eric hesitated, but Delinda pushed him gently while she smiled. "Dad won't mind, believe me."

She walked over and dialed Danny's number. He picked up immediately. "Ed, I thought you're out today?"

Delinda laughed, but sobered quickly at the sight of Eric trembling again. "Danny, Eric is here. Something happened, he needs you."

---

There was something in Delinda's voice that made the hairs stand up on Danny's neck and he didn't answer her instead he ended the call and left the office. He walked fast and anxiously tapped his fingers as he waited for the elevator to appear. Eric was supposed to be working, what had happened?

Entering Ed's office, Danny barely noticed Delinda and his eyes were fixed on his lover. The sight of Eric shocked him, his lover was as pale as a sheet and his eyes looked haunted. Something bad had happened and whatever it was it had shaken Eric to his core.

"Eric, what's going on?"

Eric looked at him and Danny shuddered at the broken sound that escaped his lover before Eric collapsed in his arms. Danny held Eric close and felt the shivers that ran through his body until Eric looked up and swallowed hard. "Jim Brass was shot."

It took Danny a moment to understand, and then he understood again. The shooting had woken memories that Eric hadn't really dealt with and pulling his partner close, Danny soothed him through another bout of shivers.

"Is he in the hospital?"

Silently Danny was praying that Brass wasn't dead. He hadn't known Brass well, but he had respected him as a good and honest cop. Eric still trembled as he looked up and met Danny's eyes. "Yes."

"Let's go there." He could feel Eric tense, but he knew that Eric had to see for himself that Brass was alive and was going to be alright.

Eric though was shaking his head. "I can't... Danny, I can't go there, what if he dies?"

"He won't, Eric, but you need to see him, ok? You need to go there and see that it's different, that he'll live."

Eric tensed even more and before Danny could anticipate his reaction, Eric pushed him away. "Don't you dare comparing this to Speed, you have no right."

Eric's words cut Danny as if they were knives. But before he could even reply Eric made a broken sound and swayed on his feet. Danny was there immediately holding onto his partner as Eric's legs gave out. Sliding down carefully Danny held Eric in his arms as Eric looked up.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry..."

"It's ok. You're distraught. It's ok, Eric." Danny caressed Eric's back and let him compose himself again while he whispered soothing words into Eric's neck. "It's going to be alright."

Finally Eric looked up and met Danny's eyes with a determined look. "You're right. I need to go to the hospital."

Danny felt relieved and pulling Eric up with him, he reached for his phone to call a car. "We shouldn't drive."

Eric tensed again and looked at Danny. "You coming with me?"

Danny saw the hope in Eric's eyes and leaned down for a quick kiss. "I told you, you're not alone in this."

Eric pulled him close and for a moment they stood there close together soaking strength from each other. Then Eric moved back and looked at Danny. "Thanks."

---

"Captain Brass was shot twice. First bullet lodged in his vest. Second entered through the center mass, hit an artery, and is lodged near his heart. He's has internal hemorrhaging."

Grissom's head was swimming with words something that he couldn't remember experiencing. It took him a second until he understood the doctor's words and when they sank in he swallowed once before he nodded slowly. "Any neural damage?"

The doctor shrugged lightly. "We won't know until we stop the bleeding. If we stop it. Have next-of-kin been notified?"

Here it comes, Grissom thought and he knew that he had now a responsibility that he had never wanted. He literally held Brass' life in his hands and the thought terrified him. The doctor looked at him expectantly and Grissom cleared his throat. "For medical purposes, I have his power of attorney."

Looking almost relieved the doctor nodded and looked gravely at the room in which Brass was lying. "You may have a decision to make."

Grissom was aware of that and yet, how could he make such a decision? Dread ran through him and he nodded slowly before he turned around and walked back to the waiting room. Catherine was there, he noted with a sideways glance, and so were Sara and Warrick. Looking up when he entered they all went silent and Grissom felt their eyes like needles.

They all were pale and looking at him for guidance, but how could he give them any? Grissom shivered as he felt a wave of nausea hit him and he sat down slowly.

"Grissom? Any news?"

Warrick's question was tentative and somehow the fact that Warrick didn't expect him to know everything made it easier for Grissom to answer. "They're still trying to stop the bleeding."

A gasp from the door made him look up and he tensed immediately when he saw Ecklie stand there. Vartaan was standing next to him and both men looked pale and drawn. Ecklie ignored the looks and slowly walked over to Grissom.

"What happened?"

There was so much pain in Ecklie's voice that Grissom looked at him surprised. "The doctor said that Brass was shot twice. First bullet lodged in his vest. Second entered through the center mass, hit an artery, and is lodged near his heart. They still haven't been able to stop the bleeding."

Ecklie shivered and for a moment closed his eyes as if the news were too much for him to process. Vartaan had sat down next to Ecklie and now clasped his shoulder tightly. Grissom watched the display confused and yet he could tell that Ecklie's shock and pain was real.

Why would he care about Brass?

"Are you going to stay here?" Catherine's voice brought Grissom back from his musings and he nodded. "Yes, the doctor said that he might need me to give consent to the next procedures."

The words tasted bitter in his mouth, but Catherine didn't comment on them instead she simply nodded. "Warrick, Sara and I will go back to the lab. We'll let you know if anything comes up."

Nodding Grissom looked up and at his team. "Where are Greg and Eric?"

"Greg's at the lab, he said that he would hold down the fort while we're here and Eric kind of broke down at the news." Warrick met Grissom's eyes and Grissom could see the other's concern for Eric. "I think this hit him pretty hard. He's already lost two people in shootings and I guess it woke..."

Looking up when Warrick trailed off, Grissom followed Warrick's eyes and saw Eric walk into the room . He wasn't alone though and from the way Danny McCoy stood next to him, it was clear that they were more than friends. Eric was pale as he looked at his team, and Grissom saw the fear in the dark eyes. He wasn't sure though what Eric was afraid of, the team's reaction or news about Brass.

"How is Captain Brass?"

McCoy spoke calmly and Grissom looked at him. He didn't know much about the other man, but right now he was here to support one of Grissom's team and that alone earned him Grissom's respect.

"They can't say yet. He's got internal injuries and a bullet close to his heart."

"But he's alive?" Eric's voice was flat as if he was bracing himself for bad news and Grissom realized that Warrick had been right. The shooting had woken dark memories for Eric.

"He's alive."

Eric sagged a little and McCoy immediately reached out to steady him. "Let's sit down ok?"

Gently he steered Eric towards a chair and sat down next to him. Grissom watched their exchange and to his surprise he felt envy at their closeness. Sighing again, he met McCoy's eyes and shook his head.

"Take him home, I'll call when something happens."

McCoy held his eyes for a moment and Grissom read the gratitude in them before the other man nodded and helped Eric get up.

"Thanks Mr. Grissom."

Grissom watched them leave and again felt jealousy wake in him. Not at Eric or at McCoy, but at the way they were each other's strength. They supported each other, he thought and that was something he would never have.

---

Conrad felt as if he was living a nightmare and if it hadn't been for Tony's hand on his shoulder grounding him, he knew that he wouldn't have found the strength to address Grissom. He was alone in the waiting room with Grissom now that his team had left and he knew that Grissom probably wanted him gone too. He had to speak with him before something happened, before Grissom had to make a decision, before Conrad would lose Jim forever.

"Gil, do you have a moment?" Conrad saw how Grissom's eyes darkened with doubt and he cursed his bad rapport with the man who held Jim's life in his hands. Tony's hand left his shoulder and the absence of the calming presence jolted him back into reality just as Grissom nodded.

"Tony told me that you've got Jim's power of attorney." Grissom nodded and frowned, but it took Conrad a second to understand that it was him calling Brass Jim that puzzled Grissom.

"I do, but I must say I'm amazed that you'd care. Why are you here, Conrad?" The words were like bullets to his heart, but Conrad knew that he couldn't blame Grissom for questioning him. Still it hurt.

Tony's hand was back, giving him strength and telling him silently that his friend had his back. Conrad gathered his courage and met Grissom's eyes directly. "We are lovers."

Holding his breath, he waited for the fallout, but Grissom only looked at him as if he was an intriguing bug. "Lovers?"

Seeing no censure simply curiosity and surprise in Grissom's eyes, Conrad nodded again and elaborated a bit. "For a bit more than a month now."

Grissom looked thoughtful and then suddenly nodded. "He was more relaxed, more easy going lately. Happy..."

Conrad closed his eyes against the onslaught of memories and he pressed his hands against each other to stop them from shaking. Happy, he thought, yes, they had been happy, happy that they had a second chance, happy that they had been able to reconcile their differences. And now?

"Dr. Grissom?"

The white clad doctor who'd entered the room looked serious and Conrad's heart tightened as the man walked closer. "I'm Dr. Walker, Mr. Brass' surgeon. You hold his power of attorney, I was told?"

Grissom nodded and got up slowly. "That's correct, yes."

Dr. Walker looked sideways at Conrad and Conrad clenched his hands as he realized what the doctor's next words would be. "Maybe we should discuss this somewhere private."

Conrad got up immediately and clasped Grissom's shoulder. He knew that this moment was the perfect opportunity for Grissom to pay him back all the petty annoyances that Conrad had caused him. Grissom simply had to say yes and Conrad would be excluded from any decisions concerning Jim. For a moment their eyes met and held and then Grissom shook his head.

"Mr. Ecklie is a close friend of Captain Brass. I want him to stay."

Conrad didn't hear Tony leave, he didn't even notice that Grissom had sat down again, all he felt was relief and gratefulness. Grissom could have punished him, but he had played fair and Conrad knew that he wouldn't forget this.

The surgeon's next words took him back to reality and he listened avidly. "We managed to stop the bleeding, but his condition is critical."

Critical... Swallowing hard, Conrad was suddenly glad that Grissom was next to him, calm and confident and someone Conrad trusted despite all their differences.

"What are the options?" Grissom's voice didn't waver as he asked. Instead he looked at Dr. Walker intently as the doctor answered. "We could try to remove the bullet."

"What are the risks?" Again, Grissom's question was detached and calm and again, Conrad was glad that he didn't have to ask, that he didn't have to make a decision. His heart beat hard as he waited for an answer and when the surgeon shrugged he tensed.

"If we go in, the vertebral artery could be impacted. He could bleed out or stroke out. Permanent incapacitation. On the other hand, if we don't operate, the bullet could migrate into the artery and, again, cause a stroke or kill him. Or it could stay there for years and do nothing."

He wanted to cry out against the injustice of it, wanted to cry at the thought that he had held Jim only this morning and that now he might never be able to do so again.

"What are the odds?" This time Grissom's voice was wavering and looking at the other man Conrad saw that he was pale. Walker frowned and shook his head. "Mr. Grissom, this isn't a casino. I don't give odds. It's your call."

And it was, wasn't it? The reality of Grissom being the one having to decide made Conrad's world spin. He wanted to say something, but couldn't find any words and so he was mute until Grissom looked at him. "Conrad, what do you want me to do?"

Conrad couldn't think, couldn't breathe and Grissom turned back to Walker. "Give us a moment, please?"

The doctor frowned, but left the room and immediately Grissom turned back to Conrad. "I'm not going to decide without your consent, Conrad. He's your partner."

"And your friend." Conrad said it without rancor, without thinking about it and when their eyes met it was with understanding and the realization that they had a commonality now.

"Do it, Gil. I know about the risk, but Jim is an action person not someone who waits."

Grissom smiled a bit at that and called Dr. Walker back it. The surgeon looked back and forth between Conrad and Grissom and Conrad felt himself tense when Grissom took a deep breath. "Do it."

"Ok, we'll prepare him for surgery."

Walker's voice was business as usual and Conrad wanted to hit the doctor for it. Still at the same time he understood that for Walker it really was business as usual. Watching the doctor leave, Conrad sank back onto his chair when he felt Grissom's hand on his arm.

"Go home, Conrad, you can't do anything for him here. I'll call you with updates."

Knowing that Grissom was right didn't make it easier, still he nodded and walked towards the door. Just as he stepped out of the room, he turned back and looked at Grissom.

"Thank you."

Grissom smiled slowly. "You're his partner and he's my friend. Nothing else matters right now."

---

Eric had no idea how he'd gotten home or how the food had suddenly appeared in front of him. He ate mechanically and then suddenly was in bed and staring at his lover. Danny had taken care of everything, had driven him home, had cooked for him and now he lay on his side watching Eric with both concern and love in his eyes.

"Tell me about them."

Danny's voice was gentle. Eric wanted to ask him what he was talking about, when Danny reached out and caressed his face and jaw before his hand settled on his arms. "Tell me about Speed and Marisol."

The request made him shiver and tense, but Danny's eyes held no morbid curiosity instead all Eric saw was a deep need to understand and entwining his hand with Danny's he started to talk.

"Speed was my best friend. He'd been with the lab for a couple of years when I started and he took me under his wing, showed me everything and at the beginning that was just it, you know. He was like a mentor for me, and then we had this case, a young boy killed by his mother in a fit of rage. It was too much for him, and we went out for drinks. We talked and talked and after that we were friends."

Remembering hurt, and yet it was good to talk about it, good to let someone know who Speed had been, what kind of a person he'd hidden beneath the scruffy exterior.

"You know everyone said that he was cynical, harsh and rude and he was. But when we were together, he was different, loving and warm..." Eric trailed off and hesitantly met Danny's eyes. It couldn't be easy for Danny hearing Eric talk about his dead lover, but Danny simply looked at him with love.

"How did you get together?"

Again there was genuine concern and interest in Danny's voice and Eric smiled in memories. "We'd gone out to a club and he was dancing with this chick and I suddenly realized that his moves turned me on. It was such a shock for me, I mean until then I was sure that I was straight. And you know what I did?"

Danny smiled and looked at his lover. "You grabbed the nearest girl and snogged her."

Eric laughed lightly. "Exactly. But you know it didn't help, the feelings were still there and then about three weeks later, I watched him from the two way mirror as he interrogated a suspect and he was just amazing, and I stood there and stared at him and I knew I was in love... That night I went to his house and confessed. He pulled me close and kissed me."

When he closed his eyes, Eric could still remember that first kiss and it was as bittersweet as always and yet it was different. It didn't hurt anymore, the loss of Speed still did, but not the loss of love.

"How did he die?"

"His gun was dirty. We had a case with a missing boy and Speed walked into a jeweler store. They were in on the kidnapping and when they shot at him and Horatio, his gun malfunctioned. He died on the scene." Talking about that day was painful, but Danny still held him close, his hand caressing Eric's arm and the support and silent encouragement made Eric feel stronger than ever.

"I heard the message on the radio. Officer down... I recognized the address and you know for a moment I prayed that it was Horatio. I still feel bad about that."

Danny shook his head. "Don't, it's human and from what I've heard about Horatio, he'd probably taken Speed's place if he could have."

Eric nodded slowly. "He would have. After Speed's death, it was like something had died within H."

"And you?" Danny's voice was soft and Eric sighed as he thought back to those dark, desperate weeks.

"If it wouldn't have been for Alexx I'd killed myself."

Danny's arms tensed around him and Eric felt how his lover froze. Looking at Danny he saw how Danny's eyes had closed and as they reopened the naked fear in them shocked him. Danny swallowed hard before he spoke softly. "Remind me to send her some flowers one day."

The soft words touched something in Eric and he shivered as he looked at Danny. Danny cared about him, he had known that before, but only now seeing the fear of something that could have happened in the past in Danny's eyes, only now Eric realized how much Danny cared.

"It was a dark time, dark weeks, months... But I lived on day by day at first I tried to forget everything in sex and drinks and then Marisol got sick and I took care of her." Remembering his sister was mixed with fond and bitter memories, but the longer he was away from Miami, the more the fond memories prevailed.

"She was so happy when she met Horatio." Eric saw Danny smile and continued. "It was a bit weird a the beginning, my sister dating my boss. But H has always been more than a boss, you know."

"I do." Danny's quiet words made Eric think of Ed and his never wavering support of Danny and Eric nodded. "Yeah, you do."

"Her death was painful, but never as much as Speed's. I... When I lost him I thought I couldn't breathe. I..."

A shiver ran through him and Danny immediately pulled him closer. "Shh... I'm here, Eric. I won't go anywhere."

The words soothed him in a way, he had never thought they could and feeling safe and loved in Danny's arms he looked up to meet his partner's eyes. He knew it then and reaching out to caress Danny's face, he smiled. "I love you."

I love you.

Danny hadn't known that he was waiting for these words. He had had them said to him before, but he had never reacted like this time. This time it felt to him as if time was suspended as he looked in Eric's eyes and saw them darken with emotions. Something warm cracked in his heart and for a moment everything was alright. It didn't matter that a friend of them was fighting for his life, it didn't matter that Eric had just cried for his dead lover, nothing matter, nothing but Eric.

"And I you."

A quick smile crossed Eric's face at Danny's words before he shook his head and smiled again. "You what?"

He wanted to hear him say the words. Danny could understand that, he cupped Eric's face with his hand and leaned down to capture Eric's lips. They were salty from the tears Eric had cried not too long ago and Danny lapped at the soft skin. "I love you, Eric."

---

*Chapter 13 - In Between*

*Las Vegas*

"Warrick, there's someone waiting for you at the reception." Warrick frowned a bit and still deep in thoughts about Brass, he walked towards the reception only to stop as if he had run against a wall.

"I assumed that breakfast was cancelled, so I brought something over." Delinda Deline smiled easily and Warrick swallowed hard. She was beautiful and what was she doing here?

"You what?" As soon as the words were out, he wanted to take them back, but Delinda didn't seem to mind instead she tilted her head and looked at him.

"Hard night, wasn't it?" Warrick frowned, but before he could say anything, she continued talking. "Eric came to see Danny, he told me about your colleague. Have you gotten any news?"

Warrick stared at the beautiful blonde that casually leaned against the reception counter of the lab. He could see that she was honestly concerned and with a sigh he shook his head. "No, he's still critical and we're..."

He trailed off when he noticed that his voice was hoarse and close to breaking. Taking a deep breath, he made a decision and started to walk towards the door. "I'm off and since I won't be sleeping much today, I can go and have a proper coffee."

Delinda smiled widely and handed the basket with donuts to the receptionist. "Just hand them out ok?"

Not even noticing how the receptionist stared at her, she turned around and put her arm around Warrick. "Let's go for a nice coffee, handsome."

---

Delinda could see that Warrick wasn't really there in the coffee shop with her. He was distracted and although friendly and charming, she was sure she hadn't seen a fraction of the real Warrick's charm. While she watched him she asked herself why she had asked him out and came to the same result as before.

He had sounded like a good guy when they had spoken, like a good, honest guy and most of all like a man who didn't take shit, like a man who didn't care what other thought about him... Her thoughts trailed off and she stared at Warrick for a moment.

"Delinda, something wrong?" Despite his own distraction, Warrick had noticed how her mind had started to wander and she smiled.

"Nothing, only that I realized how many of the men I dated are actually carbon copies of my dad."

Warrick stared at her and she could see that he wasn't sure what to answer for a moment then though he shook his head and laughed. "Ok, are you really comparing me to Ed Deline?"

She smiled at his reaction, but remained honest and nodded. Warrick reached out and took both of her hands while his green eyes bore into hers. "Honey, I can promise you one thing... Whether you're going to date me or not, I'm nothing like your father."

Delinda was falling, she realized, falling into green eyes that glowed with determination, admiration and lazy amusement. The spark that she had felt when they had talked on the phone was suddenly there again and she held his eyes for a moment longer before she smiled.

"Well, then we're good aren't we?"

Warrick smiled, but didn't release her hands. "No, Delinda we're great."

The cheesy comment made her smile, but as soon as the flirt had started it was over again and concern entered Warrick's eyes. Delinda knew that it wasn't concern for her, but for Warrick's colleague who was fighting for his life in the hospital. Gently she pressed his hands.

"Do you want to go to see him?"

He looked at her surprised and shook his head. "Grissom said that he'd call us. There's no need..."

He trailed off and Delinda shook her head. Men, she thought fondly, they were all the same. "Maybe there's no need, but it would make you feel better, wouldn't it?"

Seeing that Warrick wasn't answering, Delinda got up and put some money on the table. "Come on I'll drive you over."

He followed her without words, but just as they got to her car, he stopped her. "You'd have made a damn good profiler, Delinda."

She laughed and shook her head. "I run a club, Warrick, isn't that the same?"

---

*Los Angeles*

God her head hurt. Calleigh groaned before she even opened her eyes. The bed was spinning and she cautiously put one foot on the floor to stop the maddening movement. What the hell had been in those drinks?

"Morning." The voice resonated through her head like a brass band and she groaned again. Then though the fact that her picture and her cat couldn't speak filtered through her muddy brain and she cracked an eye open. Agent Sinclair stood in the door and smiled at her. Calleigh frowned, closed her eyes again and shook her head, but when she looked a second time the hallucination still stood there.

"You're real?" Ok, it wasn't the most sensible question, but what the hell was he doing in her apartment?

The last thought brought her up cold. Her apartment? She opened her eyes again and noticed for the first time that she wasn't in her apartment. Tensing she fought down the nausea and slowly sat up.

"Where am I?"

Sinclair came closer and she noticed that his smile had disappeared. He sat down next to the bed and handed her a bottle of water. "You don't remember, do you?"

Remember what? Slowly panic started to grow and suddenly feeling vulnerable she clutched the blanket to her body. What had happened? Calleigh shuddered, but some of her fears died down when she noticed that she was dressed under the blanket and that her body didn't ache anymore than after a normal hangover. Only why couldn't she remember?

"I remember the bar, remember drinking and having fun with your team, but then..." Frowning she looked at Sinclair and a memory flashed through her mind.

Sinclair was laughing at something she said and shaking his head he looked at her. "Can you bring yourself to call me ‘David'? Cause if you keep calling me Sinclair, I have to call you Duquesne and I couldn't pronounce your name to save my life."

"We had fun together." Sinclair or no David smiled at her comment, but then he turned serious again.

"When we were about to leave, you suddenly said that you felt sick and you couldn't really walk anymore. You hadn't had that much to drink, and I..." David trailed off and shrugged. "I just had a bad feeling. There had been this one guy who'd paid a bit too much attention to you."

Another flash of memory resurfaced.

She was once again glad that she hadn't become a career waitress, cause she really wasn't good in carrying more than two glasses. Delicately balancing the drinks she moved through the crowd when a hand stopped her. "Hey beautiful, not so fast. You haven't even said hi to me."

A blond man smiled at her and Calleigh saw how his eyes slithered over her body. Smiling coldly she moved so that her weapon and her badge were visible. "I don't think I will, Mister."

The man moved back but as she walked to her group she could still feel his eyes on her.

"A blond guy, he talked to me when I got drinks." Slowly her head had started to clear and she began to understand. "You think he spiked my drink."

David nodded slowly. "He was still there when we left and he kept throwing glances at you all night. Then when I took you home he was outside as if he was waiting for something or someone."

Horror at what had nearly happened swept through Calleigh and she shuddered. David soothingly put a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing happened, I just took you home and in bed."

Realizing that he had misunderstood her reaction, she smiled at him. "I know, David, but without you. God I could have..."

The thought made her stomach turn and she frantically got out of bed. David seemed to read her mind because he pointed towards the door. "Second door on the left."

And then she was heaving over the toilet and shaking with reaction to the close escape she had had. Only slowly she realized that she was shivering on the floor and that warm, strong arms were around her. Looking up she met David's concerned eyes and smiled faintly. "Sorry for that."

"It's ok, you made it to the bathroom." David's deadpan comment made her feel better, but then he looked serious again. "You need to go to the hospital and do a blood test."

As much as she hated it, she knew that he was right and nodding slowly she got up. "You mind if I take a shower before I leave?"

David frowned. "Of course not, but I won't let you drive ok? Not as long as the drug's still in your system."

Again he was right and as Calleigh stood under the shower trying wash away the non existing memories of last night, she decided that she had to amend her opinion of Agent David Sinclair.

---

"She got what?" Don was just walking out of the elevator when he heard Megan's exclamation. Immediately he sped up and was faced with three angry team members.

"Ok, what happened?" Megan growled and Don was seriously contemplating about seeking cover when she calmed down enough to start explaining. "Calleigh got drugged in the bar last night."

"What?" Don tensed and immediately looked at his team members. "Is she ok?"

David nodded and explained how he had realized that something was wrong and had subsequently taken Calleigh home. "She's at the station now giving her statement."

Don could see that David was shaken by what happened and one look at Megan confirmed that she had the same thought as he had, namely that David was far more concerned then as just as a colleague.

"Well, then go down and give yours too. She won't remember much, will she?"

David hesitated and looked at Don. "Can't we work this?"

"Not our jurisdiction, sorry." He understood David, but at the same time he knew that the LAPD would take the attack on Calleigh just as serious as his team would. Megan frowned and tilted her head sideways as if to argue Don's point, but he forestalled her by shaking his head.

"And apart from that we've got a new case, so let's hit the road."

They all started to grab their gear and Don shook his head. "Not you, David, you better go down to the station and give your statement."

David shot him a look of gratitude and left quickly. Megan's eyes followed him and she grinned at Don. "You old romantic, you."

He shrugged and smiled. "Can't hurt having good connections to the crime lab, can it?"

Megan laughed, but Don's smile was forced as he suddenly remembered that he'd wanted to call Grissom yesterday. He liked talking to the other man, liked the different perspective that talking with Grissom gave him. Still he'd forgotten after getting home from the drinks. Don sighed and decided to call Grissom tonight when he glanced at his watch.

9 am. Don smiled looking forward to the call and silently wondered what Grissom was doing right now.

---

*Las Vegas*

"Conrad?" The voice was familiar, the hand on his shoulder wasn't and it was that unfamiliar touch that made Conrad open his eyes and tense. Grissom was standing next to him. He looked haggard, but Conrad was sure that he didn't look much better. Getting up he stretched his sore muscles and looked at the other man. They had spent the night in the uncomfortable chairs in the hospital waiting room and to Conrad's surprise they had even found things to talk about.

"He's out of surgery." Grissom spoke quietly as if he didn't dare trusting those words and Conrad looked at him with hope slowly waking in him.

"How did it go?" This time Grissom smiled at his question and the hope Conrad felt just got stronger. "Apparently well, they said we can go and see him. We have ten minutes."

Everything in Conrad pulled him towards Jim, he needed to see his lover and be sure that Jim was still here, that he hadn't left him. Grissom walked towards the door without any further words and Conrad forced his legs to move and follow Grissom.

Conrad had tried to mentally prepare himself for the sight of Jim, but as he walked towards the ICU where Jim still was lying, he suddenly realized that every part of him wanted to run away. His steps faltered and he slowed down, every instinct of him telling him to turn around and leave. Just in time Grissom turned around and looked at him. "You coming?"

Swallowing hard, Conrad nodded. And then they were standing in front of the room and Conrad could see Jim through the window and everything stopped. Jim was so still, so uncharacteristically quiet and Conrad trembled and shivered. He had not been prepared for the pain that shot directly to his heart at seeing his lover hooked to all the machines, had not been prepared to feel himself starting to pray silently for Jim to be saved. Holding onto the wall as if they were a lifeline, he kept his eyes on the monitors that indicated that there was still life in Jim.

"Mr. Grissom? Mr. Ecklie?"

Conrad looked up surprised and shook his head at himself. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't heard the nurse walk up next to him. A shiver went through him and he had to force himself to smile at her.

"You can go and see him now; would you please put on those items?"

She handed them a bag of sterile green clothes and Conrad followed her to the changing room. As soon as she left him and Grissom alone, he sat down shakily. He hadn't heard her, she hadn't crept up to him, hadn't tried to conceal her approach and still he hadn't realized that she was there until she had spoken. He looked at his hands and saw that they were shaking.

"Conrad, you ok?" Grissom had already dressed himself in the scrubs and now looked at him concerned. Seeing the honesty in Grissom's eyes Conrad shook his head.

"I'm scared to see him." His words made him sound like a complete coward and he winced at the same time as he spoke them, Grissom though didn't comment on them. He simply waited for Conrad to get dressed and then followed him to Jim's room. Once there Grissom looked at him again.

"I'll join you soon, ok?" Swallowing hard, Conrad nodded instead of an answer and steeling himself he walked into the room.

---

Grissom had never thought that he would one day envy Conrad Ecklie. And in a way it was insane to be jealous of Ecklie's grief and pain, insane to wish that someone would ever care so much for him, insane to wish he would ever allow himself to feel so much for someone...

He stopped the train of thought and silently observed as Ecklie leaned over Brass and caressed Brass' face gently. He spoke with Brass and held the lifeless hand, caressed the pale face and the dark hair.

‘You need to pull through this, Jim. I cannot lose you.' Grissom read the words from Ecklie's lips without even thinking about what he was doing. He was transfixed by the sight of his nemesis sitting next to his friend lovingly holding Brass' hand.

‘We got a second chance, love, don't pull away from this now. Please, I need you to wake up. I miss you.'

There was so much tenderness in the words and Ecklie's expression that Grissom shivered and finally realizing what he had done, he averted his eyes and gave them some privacy. He lost himself in his mind until he realized that their time was running out and getting up, he quietly knocked at the door. He saw how Ecklie looked up and came over to open the door.

"Thanks, Gil." Ecklie's voice was soft as he walked out of the room and when their eyes met Grissom understood that their relationship had forever changed.

---

*Los Angeles*

Megan stared at the phone and debated with herself. Part of her wanted to call this Delko guy that Calleigh had spoken of, but another part of her called herself a coward. Talking to so-called intellectuals always intimidated her although she didn't know why. Cursing herself, she looked at the phone in her hand.

"You ok?" Colby looked at her and she could see his grin. "Cursing at your phone is not fair, it can't curse back, you know."

"I need to call the university in Miami, but I hate talking to those big heads..." Colby frowned and shook his head in confusion. "You talked with CEOs of multinational companies and you faced down serial killers, what's so scary about some random professor?"

Shrugging, Megan found no reply to Colby's question, but before she could answer he smiled at her. "Why don't you ask Charlie?"

She thought about it for a moment and then gave in. "You think he wouldn't mind?"

Colby shrugged. "I'll ask him later ok?"

The easy answer was too interesting to let go and Megan leaped at the morsel of information. "Later?"

Some part of her had hoped to get a reaction out of Colby, but to her surprise he remained calm and controlled. The perfect mask if it hadn't been for the sudden lighting up of his eyes and the slight awe in his voice whenever he spoke of Charlie.

"We'll meet at the gym tonight." Another fond smile crossed Colby's face before he continued. "You remember how he bought a membership after a case? Well, turns out he's never gone to the gym, cause he feels awkward there. So I asked him a while ago, if he wanted me to show him some stuff. He joined me for a couple of times, but then cases piled up and everything, so I didn't make it to the gym which isn't mine anyway, so last week I met him and asked and you know what he told me? He's going theoretically."

Colby's eyes had started to shine when he talked about Charlie, but as Don walked up next to them, he trailed off and averted his eyes. Megan frowned a little, but refrained from asking in front of Don. Instead she simply smiled at Colby.

"So could you ask him, if he makes the call?"

Colby nodded and then turned towards Don. "You coming too tonight?"

Don shook his head. "No, I'm meeting Coop."

"He's here again?" David interrupted their talk and Megan watched how the talk shifted from Colby and Don to Don and David and she smiled as she saw how Colby's tense shoulders slowly relaxed. He wasn't comfortable talking about Charlie with Don, she realized, but at the same time she shook her head, of course he wasn't. Who would be if he was fancying the genius brother of one's straight as an arrow boss?

---

*Las Vegas*

"Eric?" Danny's voice filtered through Eric's dreams and slowly he fought his way back to wakefulness and opened his eyes. Danny smiled at him with and handed him a cup of coffee.

"Grissom called. The operation went well, and although Brass's still critical, they expect him to make a full recovery over time."

It took a second for the words to register in his mind, but when they did, Eric woke immediately. He looked at Danny and saw the relief in his lover's eyes. For a second, Eric felt the room spin around him and he closed his eyes, then he felt Danny's hand on his face. "You ok?"

Smiling at Danny he nodded. "Yeah, just glad that he's going to make it."

"You wanna go to the hospital?" Danny's question surprised him and he frowned. "Don't you have to go to work?"

Danny smiled and shook his head. "I called Ed and told him that I needed time off."

Relief at the thought of not having to go to the hospital alone surged through Eric before something like gloom woke too. "I'll need to work though."

He felt almost as if he was letting his partner down, Danny though shook his head and smiled. "I'm meeting Mary later, I need to tell her."

Seeing the anticipation in Danny's eyes, Eric moved over and pulled his partner close. He understood Danny's fear and remembered only too well, how scared he had been when he'd finally told Calleigh. And yet, he also remembered how wonderful it had been to find her nothing but accepting and supporting and with a soft smile he looked at Danny.

"I'll think of you, ok? And if you don't want to tell her, then it's ok with me too. I didn't actually plan to tell my team everything immediately. It just happened..." That was the complete truth, Eric thought. He really had wanted to tell them in person, but somehow he assumed that after his appearance in the hospital, everybody knew about him and Danny. He was glad though, that he had been able to tell Greg before and that Warrick had kind of known it anyway. So at least his two best friends had known.

"I want to tell her, cause I want you to meet her. She's the closest I have to a family and I really..." Danny trailed off and blushed which made Eric smile.

"I'd love to meet the family."

Danny blushed even more and turned away with a muttered curse. Eric though simply laughed happy. "Let's go and visit Brass and then I'll need to go in."

---

Greg looked up when Warrick walked into the lab with a wide grin. "You heard about Brass?"

Nodding at Warrick's comment, Greg smiled relieved and then tilted his head. "I did and I also heard about your visit yesterday morning. Delinda Deline? You dog, you..."

To Greg's surprise, Warrick blushed a bit and shook his head. "There's nothing between us, ok? We're just friends."

"Yeah, sure." Greg had way too much fun with this, but he didn't care. It felt too good to tease his friend and be happy after the angst-filled hours. "You're just friends with one of the hottest women in town… Sure and I'm just a lab rat."

Warrick grinned and looked around. "Well, technically..."

Greg didn't let him go there and simply clasped Warrick's shoulder. "Hey, I'm happy for you."

He saw how Warrick shrugged and waited for a moment, before he grinned at Warrick. "Does that mean we'll get free entrance in Mystique?"

Warrick groaned. "Honestly, we're not... Not with all that happened with Brass and all..."

That he could actually understand, Greg thought and he nodded. "Well, you know what they say. Delayed is not cancelled."

Warrick simply rolled his eyes and left the lab and Greg smiled happily. He hadn't slept much in the last three days, but surprisingly he still felt awake and regenerated by the news that Brass was going to get well. They hadn't gotten any new cases yet and he was working on some reports that he needed to finish. For the first time in a long, long time he had time to really read through the reports again and to correct some errors that he'd made. Greg smiled proudly as he sent them off. Grissom would be proud of him.

The thought made him pause and his good mood vanished.

Grissom.

Greg hadn't seen his boss since Brass had been shot. Grissom had been at the hospital and when Greg had been over to visit Brass, he had been told that Grissom had gone home to catch at least a couple hours sleep. Greg had been at once relieved and saddened, but most of all he had been confused. Confused by the sadness he'd felt when he thought of Grissom alone in his home, confused by the urge to go and see the other man, but most of all confused at the envy he'd felt when Sara had told him that Catherine had been the one to drive Grissom home.

"Ugh… Stop it Greg, just stop it."

"Talking to yourself again? You know what they say about that and insanity..." Greg turned around at the voice and saw how Hodges stood in the door and smirked. Greg sighed and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"What do you want Hodges?" Hodges grinned again and walked completely into the room. "Can't I just come and talk to you?"

Knowing Hodges, Greg doubted that the other man ever did anything without an ulterior motive. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Hodges again. "No you can't, so what do you want?"

"Greg, we have a 419 down at the strip, you're with me." Grissom's voice interrupted the staring contest between Greg and Hodges. Greg suddenly felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room as he looked up and met Grissom's eyes. There was an unreadable expression in his boss' blue eyes, still Greg knew that there was only one answer.

"Sure, just let me get my kit."

Grissom didn't respond and without another word, he walked away and Greg smiled. Grissom didn't even look if Greg followed him, as if he knew that he would. And of course his boss was right.

---

Greg was the impersonation of everything Gil had once wanted to be. Funny, funky and yet a scientist. When Gil had been younger he'd tried to be more in touch with the real world, but in the end he had realized that some people were not meant to be part of the party, some people were destined to watch and observe. The observation hadn't even hurt, Gil mused as he stood silently in the corner and watched Greg work. It hadn't hurt because he had felt as if he had understood something, had understood where his place was and yet there had been moments when he'd wished to be more outgoing.

He wasn't a people person. It was indicative of his social skills that his only close friend was a former co-worker and that this friendship had only blossomed after that co-worker had moved to the other side of the country. Gil sighed as he suddenly remembered Greg's question.

"Are you in love with Nick?"

Maybe it looked like it, he thought, maybe his protectiveness and his friendship with Nick could be misinterpreted, but no, he wasn't in love with Nick.

Greg however... Gil smiled sadly as he watched Greg banter with Warrick. He was tired of pushing all his thoughts of Greg away, tired of watching him smile and flirt with other people and as Greg stepped closer to Warrick and touched his shoulder, Gill tensed. Out of the blue a wave of possessiveness flowed through him, Greg was his, his to touch, to caress and to punish. His and his alone. Without realizing it, Gil walked over towards the lab when rational thinking set in again and he stopped as if he had run against a wall.

Greg wasn't his, and no matter how often he dreamt about it, he would never be.

"Talking to yourself again? You know what they say about that and insanity..."

Hodges' voice interrupted his musings and Gil smiled lightly as he saw how Greg rolled his eyes. He knew that Greg and Hodges got a long well, and that their bantering was good humored. He was about to turn around when his phone rang. A dead body had been found and with a dark smile he walked towards Greg. He finally had found a reason to talk to Greg even though it wasn't the talk he wanted to have.

"Greg, we have a 419 down at the strip, you're with me." Greg looked up and his eyes were large and for a moment Gil saw a myriad of emotions run through them, before Greg nodded.

"Sure, just let me get my kit."

Gil's eyes followed Greg until he disappeared and only then he reached for his phone again and dialed a number. It was time to schedule a visit at Lady Heather's.

---

When Jim opened his eyes the world was dulled and blurry. He could hear some noise, but it seemed to come from far away and he couldn't decide whether he was simply imagining things or whether he really heard someone speak. He recognized the typical scent of hospitals and slowly his memories returned. Willie Cutler's cold eyes, the cruel smile and then the pain as the bullets had hit him...

Jim closed his eyes again as the light started to hurt. Somehow it was almost a surprise that he had survived. He hadn't thought he would make it, Jim thought as he waited for the pain to return. When it didn't he assumed that it was the drugs they gave him and once again he opened his eyes and this time he saw more and the blurry images became clear.

He was indeed in a hospital bed and from the look and sounds of it he was still in ICU. Monitors were quietly beeping and Jim noticed the injection in his right hand. So he was still on pain medication. He nodded and tried to swallow only to find that he couldn't. His throat was dry and hurt and he coughed slightly.

"Jim?"

The one word was spoken quietly and so full of fear that it hit Jim right in his heart. He knew that voice, he thought and as he turned his head he met Conrad's eyes. His lover was pale and looked drawn, but at the same time his eyes were full of hope and love. Jim wanted to be able to speak, wanted to comfort Conrad, but before he could even try to speak, Conrad shook his head.

"Let me get some ice for you. You've been out of a while..." Conrad trailed off and handed Jim a glass with ice chips. The relief was immediate and Jim sighed before he looked at Conrad again and once more noted how tired his partner was.

"How long?"

Conrad frowned but then understood and sighed. "Four days."

Four days, Jim thought, four days since he had walked into a trap, four days which had to have felt like an eternity for Conrad and as Jim tentatively reached out to caress Conrad's face, his lover shivered. "I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm here." Conrad's eyes met and held his and Jim saw the moment, Conrad broke down. He was prepared for it though and held onto his partner while Conrad shivered and cried in his arms. He still felt a bit dizzy, and it would be a long time until he would be able to strap on his gun and walk out to do his job, and yet for once Jim didn't care. He had survived against all odds and right now that was all that mattered.

---

*Chapter 14 - Confrontations*

*Las Vegas*

"Gil, do you have a moment?" Grissom wasn't surprised to see Ecklie stand in his office. What surprised him though was the bottle of wine in Ecklie's hand.

"What can I do for you, Conrad?" Ecklie smiled a little at Grissom's words, stepped completely into the office and closed the door. Grissom frowned for a second, wondering if he had missed some urgent paperwork or if any of his team had misbehaved, then dismissed the thought as he looked into Ecklie's eyes.

"I just wanted to thank you. You had every right to kick me out of the hospital, and I've given you sufficient cause over the years... You're a good man, Gil and I wanted to say thanks." He put the wine down on the desk and smiled. "Jim said that you enjoy a good Rioja every once in a while."

Ecklie's words left Grissom speechless and for a long time he simply stared at the wine. Once again he felt as if he had walked into a twilight zone where suddenly every one was far too human and social for his comfort. Almost helplessly, Grissom smiled.

"So, does this mean that you won't hound me and my team anymore?" Ecklie seemed to be taken aback at the question, but after a moment of consideration, he smiled.

"I'll still hound you for your reports and paperwork, and you know that I have to. Everything else..." Ecklie trailed off and suddenly fixed Grissom with a direct look. "I think you know that I stopped working against you on the day that Nick was abducted."

The words made Grissom look at Ecklie and thinking back to the last couple of months, he realized that the other man was right. Grissom nodded and smiled. "Then we're even, I guess."

Ecklie swallowed hard and averted his eyes as he addressed Grissom again. "I have a favor to ask from you. And please listen to me, before you object, ok?"

Suspicious Grissom nodded, but his mind was racing as to what Ecklie could want from him. He expected anything from accepting a new team member to another split of his team, but Ecklie's next words took him by surprise.

"I wanted to ask you to keep your knowledge about me and Jim a secret. It's not because of me, but Jim's a cop and I..." Ecklie trailed off and Grissom saw a glimpse of fear in the blue eyes before the blank mask was in place again and Ecklie continued. "I have no idea how the squad would react if Jim were outed."

The thought alone made Grissom shiver, but at the same time he was shocked that Ecklie had such a low opinion of him. "Do you really think I would out one of my best friends just to get revenge?"

He was angry, but before he could say anything else, Ecklie spoke again. "Try seeing it from my perspective, Gil. I know what I've done, I know how I've treated you over the years and that some of my actions were only driven by jealousy and competitiveness. Now you have the perfect tool to get the upper hand..."

It made sense, Grissom thought, if one saw it from Ecklie's perspective, but Grissom didn't think like this, he didn't want the upper hand and looking at Ecklie he smiled thinly. "We'll never be friends Conrad, but I'd never do this to you or Jim. You have my word."

Ecklie's relief was almost tangible and he nodded curtly. "Thanks Gil."

Grissom watched as Ecklie left his office before he sat down in his chair. Jim was feeling better and soon enough would be moved from the ICU, business as usual had returned to the lab and now it seemed as if even his feud with Ecklie was over. So why didn't he feel happier? Why did he still feel as if he was missing something important?

Sighing a little, Grissom picked up the letter he had received. Nick had written him about Stella and what had happened to her and somehow her fate had shaken Grissom more than he had expected. For a moment he hesitated and looked at his watch, then he reached for this phone and dialed a familiar number.

---

*New York*

"Grissom, hey it's good to hear from you." Nick was surprised to get a call from Gil. His friend didn't normally call without having sent a text message or an email in advance. Their different working schedules and the additional time difference between New York and Las Vegas made it necessary that even a casual phone call was planned meticulously.

"Nick, I just got your letter. How is Stella doing?" Gil sounded anxious and it took a second for Nick to understand where Gil had met Stella. Then he remembered that his friend had met her in Washington when Stella and Hawkes had flown in to help Tony.

"She's doing better, but it will take a while for her to heal. It was a traumatizing experience." His heart ached for Stella and he wondered once more if he was doing enough to help her through. "She's staying with us right now. Do you want to speak to her?"

Nick wasn't sure if Stella was already awake, but before he could ask Don to check on her she walked into his kitchen. Having heard his last sentence she frowned and looked at him. Nick smiled and mouthed the word ‘Grissom'. Stella smiled surprised.

"Is she already awake?" Gil sounded tentative and Nick smiled knowing only too well, that Gil wasn't good with people especially if he had to comfort them. And yet, he had called to find out how Stella was. "She's awake and standing right next to me."

"Well, then I almost have to talk to her, don't I?" There was a certain sarcasm in Gil's voice that made Nick grin, but he didn't answer instead simply handed his phone to Stella. She took it and left the kitchen to have some privacy just as Don came inside.

"Phone call this early? Must be Vegas." Nick smiled at the grumbled words and handed his lover a cup of coffee before he leaned over and kissed him gently. "Grissom called to ask about Stella."

Don nodded, but didn't ask anything else, instead he sat at the table and stared in his coffee. Nick grinned at his grumpy partner and handed him a bowl and some cereals. When Don didn't react he poured some cereals and milk into the bowl and pushed it in front of Don. "You ok?"

This time he got a reaction and Don glowered at him. "You're the one to ask. Who kept me up all night because he wanted to watch this new series?"

Shrugging Nick grabbed his own breakfast. "You've got to admit, Captain Jack is hot."

Don rolled his eyes and didn't comment on it. They ate in a comfortable although somehow tired silence when Stella walked back in. She looked at once shaken and happy and smiled at Nick. "He doesn't talk to people very often, does he?"

Nick grinned and shrugged. "Well he does, but then he usually talks about evidence. Why?"

Stella grinned back. "Because he asked me how I was and then just didn't know what to say. So we ended up talking about an article in the forensic journal."

Nick laughed. "Sounds like Grissom."

---

*Los Angeles*

"This isn't the way to the gym." Charlie sounded more confused than scared and Colby smiled lightly before he answered. "No it isn't."

When he didn't say anything else, Charlie huffed and looked at him. "So where are we going? What are you planning?"

"Working out somewhere else." Colby enjoyed riling Charlie up and the frown that immediately appeared on Charlie's face made him grin.

"Where are we going?" Now Charlie used his best stern professor voice which unfortunately was nothing compared to the stern voices his instructors had had. Colby grinned and stopped the car.

"We're here." Charlie looked at him and frowned. "We're in a park."

Sometimes Colby simply wanted to hug Charlie, especially when he looked as confused and yet outraged as he did now. But he had learned to suppress his desires for a long time and with a smile he pointed at the wide open area of grass. "Plenty of space to get fit."

"A park." Charlie shook his head and frowned. "You know if I wanted to throw a Frisbee, I would have asked Larry or challenged Don. I thought..."

Colby smiled as Charlie trailed off. "You thought?"

"I thought we're going to work out and not have a walk in the park." Charlie sounded like a petulant six year old and Colby had to hide his grin at the thought. Instead he shrugged easily. "We'll work out, Charlie, I just thought that it's a too nice day to be indoors. Still if you want to go to the gym..."

Colby trailed off when Charlie put his hand on his arm. The innocent touch made him tremble and Colby mentally scolded himself for acting like a teenager. Why couldn't he have a crush on Calleigh, like David did? Why did it have to be Charlie? He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he missed the look Charlie sent him and was unprepared when Charlie suddenly spoke again.

"I'm an ungrateful brat, aren't I?" Charlie looked sad and shook his head. "You're spending all this time and effort and all I do is complain..."

Surprised at how his musings had been interpreted, Colby shook his head. "Charlie, I know you well enough by now to know that you're getting grumpy if you don't understand something. So I'll explain."

He showed Charlie the exercises that he'd planned when he'd come up with the idea of skipping the gym and show Charlie what a real outdoors work out really was. Charlie followed his guidance and soon they were both sweaty and panting. Colby watched carefully while Charlie went through another cycle of leg exercises, he knew Charlie was getting tired and that this was the exact moment when mistakes happened. Yet nothing prepared him for the sudden flare of lust when Charlie groaned a little before he did the last set of launches.

There was something feral in that groan, something primal and it resonated deep inside Colby. For over a year he had been admiring Charlie from afar, and had never dared to do anything about it. But right now all his good intentions were washed away at the sight of Charlie stretching upwards. His T-Shirt rode up too and just a little fleck of skin was showing and all Colby could do was keep himself from reaching out.

"Done aren't we?" Charlie's words filtered through his mind, but Colby had lost his voice and Charlie turned towards him with a frown. "Or is there more?"

Slowly Colby came back to reality and he shook his head. "Maybe we can do another set."

Charlie shook his head. "I'm beat, can't move anymore."

Seeing that they had been working out for almost two hours, Colby nodded before his heart gave another lurch when Charlie suddenly grinned. "But you said, if I work out nicely, you'd stretch me."

Oh god... The innuendo in the innocent words... Colby shivered at the thought of some of the places he'd have to touch Charlie if he was to properly stretch the muscles they'd worked out. He swallowed hard when his eyes suddenly met Charlie's. They were deep and dark and full of desire.

"You were my incentive in that last set."

---

God it sounded like the lamest come on that he'd ever heard. Charlie wanted to slap himself, but then his eyes met Colby's and for a moment it was as if all of Colby's desires were laid bare in front of Charlie. Charlie swallowed hard at the passion that burned in the blue eyes and almost instinctively he swayed towards Colby.

"Charlie" Colby's voice was hoarse and Charlie's body reacted immediately to it. He groaned as Colby moved closer and slowly put his hands on Charlie's shoulders. "Don't play with me."

The words were growled but Charlie heard the fear underneath the threat and turning around so that he faced Colby he shook his head. "I'm not."

He had been working out for over two hours, but his heart had never accelerated like it did now. Colby's hand moved from Charlie's shoulders to his neck and Charlie's breath caught as one hand slowly began to trace his jaw-line. Colby's eyes were fixed on him and there was a look of wonder in his eyes as he now moved closer towards Charlie, almost touching him with his body.

Charlie shuddered at the heat that Colby's body gave off. He wanted to lean forward and be engulfed in that heat, but he was mesmerized under the soft touches and the gentle eyes.

"You have no idea what you're doing to me, have you?"

Colby's murmured words made Charlie break his gaze. He had no idea what to answer. The entire situation was so unlike anything he'd ever expected or planned that he felt exposed and vulnerable. Colby's hand moved back to Charlie's neck and slowly pulled him closer. Charlie let himself be handled and then Colby's lips were on his.

They were soft, tender and it seemed as if Colby was silently asking for permission. Charlie didn't even think before he moved closer and soon was pressed close to Colby. The kiss was still tender, but it was enough to make Charlie's heart beat faster. This kiss was so different than any kisses he'd shared before. This was no insecure boy that was kissing him and no woman who expected him to lead. Colby was taller and broader than Charlie and for the first time in his life, Charlie realized that a kiss could be so much more than a touch of lips and tongue. He closed his eyes and let those soft lips take him to another place.

"Charlie?" Colby spoke close to his lips and Charlie shivered as he felt the words as much as he heard them. "Charlie, we should get somewhere less public."

It took a moment for Charlie to come back to reality and he blushed as it dawned him that he'd just shared a passionate kiss with a man in the middle of a public park.

"Charlie, you ok?" Colby sounded concerned and as Charlie looked at him, he saw both guilt and insecurity in Colby's blue eyes. He smiled and reached out to caress Colby's face.

"Never been better."

But god, how he hated the fact that they had decided to work out in the morning.

---

Colby was tense as he drove back to Charlie's place. He wasn't sure what to say, wasn't even sure if he should say anything. All he knew was that the kiss they had shared had shaken him to his core.

"Colby?" Charlie sounded tentative and as Colby looked up, he saw the same questions and insecurities that he felt mirrored in Charlie's eyes. "Could you drive me to CalSci? We worked out longer than I thought and I have an appointment with Millie."

Colby felt as if a bucket of cold water had been emptied over his head and he swallowed hard before he managed to answer. "Sure, I'll just... Sure I can do that."

Charlie's hand on his tight made him almost lose control over the car and he stared at his friend. "Jesus, Charlie don't do this. That's freaking dangerous."

"Sorry." Charlie's words were merely mumbled, but he recovered quickly and looked at Colby.

"I'm not trying to avoid you." A blush now covered his face and Colby wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss him. Unfortunately the red light turned green and the chance was lost when Charlie continued. "We... we have to talk, but I have this appointment and you have to go to work and I... I can't..."

Seeing that Charlie was serious, Colby relaxed enough to reach out and grab Charlie's hand. "It's ok, Charlie. What would you say as to me picking you up tonight? We could go somewhere for dinner and talk."

Charlie looked relieved and nodded. "Yeah, dinner and talk. Sounds great."

---

*Las Vegas*

"You know that you're not off the hook yet, do you?" Eric frowned as Warrick smirked at him over the lab table. They were examining the clothes of a man found dead in an alley without an ID or any visible cause of death. It was a painstaking exercise and Eric already guessed that this case would not be closed or at least not soon. Warrick's words had pulled him away from his concentration and Eric simply didn't understand what his friend was getting at.

"Off the hook for what?"

Warrick shook his head and smirked again. "You're smart, I got to give you that but presenting your boyfriend in a hospital doesn't count. He's got to pass the Warrick Brown test and he hasn't done that yet."

Understanding dawned and Eric laughed. "What are you, my dad?"

Warrick leered at him and shook his head. "No, but since I doubt that you're going to introduce him to your father in the next couple of days, I'll do his job."

Eric shivered slightly at the thought of introducing Danny to his family. His parents didn't even know that he liked men and women. One day he would have to tell them, he knew and he had been very close when he'd been with Speed, but then his lover had been killed and everything had seemed senseless. Eric shook his head to push the disturbing thoughts away and smiled at Warrick.

"You're not going to do anything." Warrick simply smiled and Eric couldn't help but grin back. He knew his friend well enough to know that he wouldn't give up and on the other hand, Eric had been grilled by Ed Deline. Warrick still stared at him and Eric sighed dramatically. "Ok, you win, but I'll be there too."

Warrick clasped his shoulder and his grin turned slightly evil. "Don't worry, I won't scare him too much. Just a little bit..."

Oh god, Eric thought silently, what had he just done? He would have to warn Danny later.

---

"Mary, can we talk for a moment?" Danny inwardly cringed at his words and even more at the hesitant tone he spoke them in. Mary knew him too well, she would know that something was up and promptly, she looked at him and frowned.

"Is something wrong?" The honest concern in her eyes made Danny's heart ache and he sighed before he shook his head and sat down at one of the more private tables.

"Nothing wrong, but I just... I just wanted to tell you something." He trailed off and saw her eyes darken even more. He knew that he had to talk to her and finally gathering his courage, he started again. "I'm seeing someone."

For a moment her face crumbled, but before Danny could say anything, she nodded slowly and looked at him. "I'm happy for you. Who is she?"

It was the moment of truth, Danny thought and taking another deep breath, he smiled at Mary. "Eric Delko, he works for the Crime Lab."

The silence between them was complete. Mary seemed to have frozen and the longer she remained silent, the more afraid Danny got. Mary was his oldest friend, the one who had been at his side when he had returned from Iraq, the one who had held his hand after his father had died and Danny was terrified of losing her. She still was silent and Danny reached out for her hand.

"Don't touch me." Her words broke his heart and again he tried to reach for her. She looked at him this time and Danny froze at the look of contempt in her eyes. "What was I for you, Danny? Your beard? Your convenient friend if no one was around? How long have you lied to me? How long have you been gay and let me believe that maybe one day I might have a future with you?"

Her words made him reel, but Mary didn't let him speak instead she got up and looked down at him. "Everything was a lie, wasn't it? And I believed it... Stupid little Mary believed every word."

"Mary, please..." Again she looked at him and this time Danny saw the anguish and the anger in her blue eyes. "What can I do?"

She smiled at him almost sadly and shook her head. "Nothing, Danny, there's nothing you can do. You played me like a pro and right now all I want is to forget that you exist."

Mary walked away without looking back and every bone in Danny's body wanted to run after her, wanted to ask her to forgive him, but before he could even get up, Delinda sat down opposite him and shook her head.

"Give her time, Danny. Just give her time."

---

Delinda had watched the scene between Mary and Danny from afar and her heart had hurt for both of them. She understood Mary's fury, understood that her friend wasn't really angry at Danny but disappointed that her childhood dreams had been shattered so harshly. On the other hand she hurt for Danny too, Danny who had been seeking acceptance and now must feel as if he had been rejected by his closest friend.

Seeing that Danny was about to follow her, Delinda got up and held him back. "Give her time, Danny. Just give her time."

His eyes were full of emotions and the smile he gave her was a pale comparison to his normal smiles. "I screwed up, didn't I?"

Trying to find something positive in the situation Delinda shrugged. "Well, you could have screwed up worse, if you hadn't told her."

Danny nodded slowly. "I guess you're right, but fuck, I... I never really thought that I would lose her. I never thought, she'd hate me for loving Eric."

How could this normally so intelligent man be so stupid? Delinda stared at Danny in disbelief and after a moment of stunned silence she exploded. "How stupid are you? Mary isn't a homophobe, but she's just found out that the man she's been in love with for her entire life is in love with a man. How do you think she feels?"

Seeing Danny pale, she calmed a little and reached for his hand. "Danny, Mary loves you. She always has. It was her dream in life to become your wife, the mother of your kids and to have the house with the white picket fence. You were her dream, Danny. And you've just crushed it."

A shiver ran through Danny and as Delinda looked into his eyes she saw fear and sadness there. "What do I do?"

Wishing she could do anything to help her friend and yet somehow standing in the middle Delinda sighed. "There is nothing you can do, Danny, just give her time."

Danny nodded slowly and then shook his head. "I can't lose her, Delinda, she's my best friend. She's the only family I have."

Her heart broke for her friend and she wrapped her arms around him for a moment. "I'm sorry, Danny, I'm so sorry."

Danny sighed and shook his head before he forced a smile on his face. "I'm a drama queen aren't I?"

Delinda accepted his change of topic and shrugged with a smile. "Not a queen yet, but you're a princess yes."

---

Eric smiled a bit as he walked into the Montecito. It almost felt like home and that alone was somehow surreal. It was a hotel after all, a hotel and a casino and it shouldn't by any rights feel like home. Still it did and Eric knew that the only reason was the fact that Danny worked here.

It wasn't the hotel or the casino that made him feel good about coming here, it was Danny and gosh he sounded like a sap. Eric laughed lightly when he saw Delinda walking over.

"Hey Eric, how are you?" She seemed tense and less friendly than normal and Eric smiled friendly. "I'm fine, but you sound stressed. Are you ok?"

Delinda shook her head and walked with him towards the elevators. "Danny told Mary this morning. She freaked."

"Shit." Eric's reaction was honest and his heart ached at the thought of Danny. "I so hoped that she wouldn't..."

Delinda smiled at him and shook her head. "Eric, it's got nothing to do with you. It's just that Mary always loved Danny, always dreamt of one day becoming his wife and now he's destroyed that dream."

Shattered Eric leaned against the elevator's wall and shook his head. "And you're in the middle of it, aren't you?"

Delinda seemed surprised at his insight and with a sigh she nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry. Everything will work out fine. I promise, ok?"

Her upbeat nature made him smile and he pulled her into his arms for a moment. "You're a wonderful woman, Delinda."

She grinned and wiggled her finger. "Watch out what you're saying. You know that this hotel has cameras everywhere."

Eric laughed. "Yeah and I don't want Warrick to beat me up."

Delinda looked at him and to Eric's surprise she blushed a little. "How did you find out?"

"Receptionists are great sources of information. The donuts were nice, by the way." She laughed too and together they walked out of the elevator and into the security room. Danny though was nowhere to be seen and Mitch who welcomed them told them that he'd been called to see Ed.

"Can I wait in his office?" Mitch nodded at Eric's question before he turned towards Delinda and started to explain what he had found out for her. Delinda hugged Eric again and quietly whispered in his ear. "Cheer our Danny boy a bit up ok?"

Eric nodded and walked over to Danny's office where he sat down on one of the sofas and grabbed a magazine to browse. He was so engrossed in the article that he didn't notice Mike coming into the office looking for Danny. "You seen Danny?"

Looking up, Eric shook his head. "Mitch said that he's with Ed."

Mike nodded and after a second of hesitation he closed the door to Danny's office behind him and sat down opposite him. "It's good he's not here, cause we need to talk, Delko."

Eric could guess what the talk would be about. Mike had objected to him being friends with Danny from the start and Eric thought back to the first time he had met Mike with a sigh.

"Oh, you work for the police force. I guess, you're working the streets then." Mike had grinned at the double entrée of his words and Eric had felt Danny tense next to him. He put a hand on Danny's back, so that Mike couldn't see it before he answered calmly. "I'm with the CSI team, so I'm more a lab than a street rat."

Mike's eyes had narrowed at the comment and immediately he had leaned forward. "So you're a scientist, now that's interesting. At which university did you get your degree?"

The sheer competitiveness in Mike's words had made Eric's temper flare and he had answered without thinking. "University of Miami, why do you care?"

Mike had grinned like a cat that had gotten the canary. "Well, it's not bad, but it's not the MIT, is it?"

Eric hadn't known that Mike had in fact graduated from MIT, but the sheer smugness of Mike's smile had clued him in. He had wanted to reply something harsh, but Danny had prevented it by glaring at Mike and changing the topic. Now though, there was no Danny to run interference and Eric sighed. "What is your problem, Mike?"

"My problem? My problem?" Mike leaned forward and glared at him "This isn't about me, this is about you waltzing in here and stealing my best buddy. This is about you telling Danny, that he shouldn't let me push him around, that he's the boss and not I."

Eric felt his blood starting to boil and meeting Mike's stare head on, he laughed without humor. "Have you ever respected Danny for who he is, Mike? I don't think so, you are on your high horse, the big Mike from MIT, the wunderkind that can't do wrong, but you know what, there is a reason that Danny is Ed's second in command and not you."

Mike's face was a mask of anger and Eric suddenly wondered if he had said too much. "And what if? What if I think he's a joke? What if I think he doesn't deserve the job? Why do you care? You're not his friend, you're not even a colleague, you're nothing but a distant acquaintance."

"I'm his partner." Eric said the words calmly and for a moment they seemed to hang in the air between him and Mike before Mike laughed.

"Good one, Delko, really, you almost had me there." Mike laughed derisively and sneered lightly. "I can believe that you take it up your ass, but Danny is no fag."

The words hurt Eric, but even worse than the words was the knowledge that Danny would be devastated at Mike's reaction. Danny had always been wary about Mike not accepting them and now it seemed as if he had been right.

"We're lovers, Mike, accept it or leave it." His words were final and his voice serious. "I don't care what you think or say about me, but Danny cares for you, so if you can't accept that he's your boss and my lover, then you better get used to it, because I won't let you hurt him."

Mike seemed to understand that Eric was serious, and an almost wicked expression came in his eyes. "And what if I tell Ed about it? What do you think will he do?"

Eric wanted to answer, but a voice from the door interrupted him. "Ed knows, Mike, he has always known that I'm gay."

Danny was pale and his movements were stiff. Eric's heart ached for him and not caring about Mike he got up and looked at Danny. "I'm sorry."

His whispered words were met with a faint smile before Danny quickly caressed his face. His eyes were sad, but his face was determined as he turned towards Mike. "You have to decide, Mike, either you can accept it or not. It's your choice."

Mike didn't say anything else as he left the office, but Eric saw the anger and hatred in the dark eyes as Mike looked at him once again. He shivered and immediately Danny's arms were around him. "He can't hurt you."

Eric smiled at the comforting words and pulled Danny closer. "I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about you."

His lover had just come out to two of his best friends and both had rejected him. Eric held Danny close as tiny shivers ran through his body. "Let's get out of here, ok?"

---

*Los Angeles*

Charlie felt like a nervous teenager as he checked his hair for the tenth time in the mirror. At first he'd worn a suit, but then had changed into jeans and a leather jacket and still he wasn't sure if he was dressed appropriately.

"For god's sake, it's just Colby." He muttered annoyed, but that was it, wasn't it? It wasn't just Colby. It was the Colby he'd dreamt of for so long, the Colby he'd kissed this morning and...

His phone brought him back to reality and he sighed as he saw that it was Don calling him. His brother... Colby's boss... and no, Charlie didn't want to think about what that meant, because just no.

"Don, what can I do for you?" He knew that he sounded unnaturally cheerful, but Don didn't react to it and as he spoke his brother sounded stressed. "Charlie, we've got a bomb threat, the message has some code on it. Can you come in?"

Charlie wanted to answer that he had dinner plans, but then, no, he didn't have any dinner plans, did he? His dinner plans had just been cancelled because his date had to deal with a bomb threat.

"Sure, I'll bring sandwiches ok?" Don sounded relieved when he thanked him and a moment later Charlie stared at his phone. He wanted to call Colby, but felt strangely insecure about it. Still staring at his phone Charlie startled when it beeped and a text message was announced. Swallowing his sudden anticipation, Charlie opened the text and smiled brightly as he read Colby's message.

‘Dinner is postponed, sorry for that... I'll make it up to you next time.'

---

*Chapter 15 - Finally home*

*Las Vegas*

Danny woke to the smell of coffee and the sound of Eric moving around in his apartment. Not yet completely awake, he smiled and snuggled into the pillow next to him. It smelled of Eric, he noted and took a deep breath, ready to fall asleep once again.

"Hey, sleepy head? Wake up, it's a wonderful morning." Eric's voice was close to Danny's ear and his hand was gently combing through his hair. It didn't give Danny much incentive to get up and with a light growl, he reached out and pulled Eric towards his body. Eric laughed and withdrew easily and Danny growled harder. He wanted to snuggle with his partner and not get up.

"Come on, love, open your eyes." This time, Eric's voice was accompanied with a light laughter and finally Danny lifted one eye lid to glare at his lover. "It's too early."

"It's nine, Danny, and Warrick said that he'd be over around twelve, so if you want some alone time, before the big lug appears, you'd better get up." The thought of alone time with Eric made Danny wake up completely and he pushed himself up on his elbows. Eric stood next to the bed and smiled down at him. He looked edible and suddenly surging up, Danny grabbed Eric and pulled him down with him.

"Hey..." Any potential protests died when Danny found Eric's lips and kissed them first gently, then more and more passionately. Eric moaned and Danny felt the shiver than ran through this partner's body like a full body caress. His hands slipped under Eric's shirt and with a sigh, he touched the soft skin, kneaded the strong muscles and with a sigh, he parted his legs so that Eric came to lie in between them. The touch of their groins against each other was electric and Danny moaned softly as Eric rocked against him.

"Is there anything cooking in the kitchen?" It took Eric a while to understand the question and Danny grinned a bit smugly as he saw the dazed look in his lover's face.

Then Eric smiled down at him and shook his head. "Our coffee will get cold though."

Why should Danny care about cold coffee if he had a hot Eric lying on top of him? He didn't even bother to reply instead he moved and started to push Eric's shirt up. Eric smiled and helped him by stripping his shirt off and sitting up to pull down his sweats. Danny whistled.

"Going commando? I like that, Eric..."

Eric blushed lightly and pulled at Danny's boxer shorts. Soon they both were naked and Danny moaned at the feeling of Eric's skin against his own. He pulled at Eric until his lover once more lay on top of him and for a second their eyes met, before Eric leaned down and kissed him.

It always surprised Danny how thoroughly Eric kissed. It was as if Eric used his entire body, as if he managed to turn one kiss into a complete movement. It made Danny's toes curl and he simply loved the feeling of electricity that always went through him when Eric touched him so intimately.

They kissed until the need to breath became too much and Danny released Eric quickly only to pull him back immediately. Again their tongues dueled gently and then Eric looked up and Danny swallowed at the wicked grin in his lover's face.

"I want to suck you."

The words felt like a physical thing and Danny gasped as arousal shot through him. He nodded slowly, but before Eric moved, Danny stopped him and reached over to the side table.

"I want to see you in the sunlight." With those words, Danny grabbed the remote control and had the blinds move up and let the sun in. Within moments the room was flooded by sunlight and Danny smiled at the beautiful picture of Eric's golden skin in the sun.

Eric shook his head and laughed lightly. "Just be glad, that I've got no neighbors."

Danny smiled too, but soon his smile turned into a gasp as Eric slid down along his body and he felt tender kisses and nips being scattered on his body. Gasping as Eric licked along his hip bone, Danny whimpered as he felt hot air on his cock. He needed Eric and as his lover playfully kissed the tip, Danny cried out.

"Please, Eric, please. I need you." Danny looked down and the sight of Eric leaning down, swallowing his length while his body was bathed in sunlight was almost enough to carry him over the edge. Another whimper escaped him as one of Eric's hands ghosted over his balls and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment in ecstasy.

"Look at me, Danny." Eric had barely spoke those words when his mouth was back on Danny's cock and Danny forced his eyes open. He gasped as he saw how Eric was touching himself while he sucked Danny. The picture was so erotic, so sexy that Danny groaned. Eric smiled at him and hummed lightly and Danny was lost. He screamed Eric's name and lost every sense of time as he emptied himself into Eric's mouth.

---

Watching Danny come had to be one of the hottest things Eric had ever seen in his life. He shivered at the sight and tenderly licked the spent cock clean, when he felt Danny's hands pulling him up and pressing him close.

"Your turn." The words were whispered while Eric felt a strong hand moving over his body. He trembled at the simple touch, aroused to the point of pain and moaned slightly. Danny smiled. "I want you to lose it."

It wouldn't take long for him to do exactly that, Eric thought as Danny's hand stroked him with a sure grip. His lover knew exactly what made Eric come undone and with a scream, he held onto Danny's body and came.

---

*Los Angeles*

"How are you?" Calleigh looked up as Lieutenant Walker walked into her office without knocking. She smiled a little at his brusque attitude, but his eyes spoke a different language. He looked concerned and angry.

"I've only just heard about it, Calleigh. Why didn't you come to me?" This time he'd managed to surprise her and she shrugged uncomfortably.

"I made a report, got my all clear and that's it. I didn't really want it to make rounds."

He smiled and shook his head. "You've worked long enough for law enforcement to know that everything makes rounds, especially those things that you don't want."

Blushing a little, she nodded. "Yeah, seems as if the entire lab has come over to ask about me."

Walker sat down opposite her and fixed her with his eyes. Calleigh hated that he could reduce her to feeling like a naughty teenager, but she respected Gary Walker like she hadn't respected many cops. "They don't ask out of curiosity, but because they care."

When she didn't respond to his words, he sighed. "I heard that Sinclair protected you."

Remembering the moment when she had woken up in a strange bed, Calleigh shivered before she nodded. "Yeah, he realized that something was wrong with me and took me home."

"He's a good man, Sinclair. I remember the first case I worked with him and Eppes' team. He's got a stubborn streak, but he's a good man."

For someone like Walker that really was a huge endorsement and Calleigh nodded slowly. "Yeah, he is."

They talked for a bit longer, but it was evident that Walker had just wanted to check with Calleigh and having done this, he quickly said good bye. Calleigh smiled as she watched him leave and then turned back to her work. She had never realized how much administrative work was attached to being supervisor and sometimes she wondered when Horatio had found the time to fill out all the necessary reports, appraisals and budgeting sheets. Sighing she sent off the last of the required planning sheets and sat back in her chair.

It was almost lunch time and without thinking much, she reached for the phone and dialed David's number. "You've got time for lunch?"

---

*Las Vegas*

"You're late." Warrick grinned at Eric's comments and for a second he was tempted to recite from the Lord of the Rings movie, but when he saw the chips and the pizza on the table, he forgot about it.

"And you started without me."

Eric shrugged and grinned. "We've already worked out hard this morning."

Seeing the blush that covered Danny's face, Warrick leered at the pair. "Indeed..."

The game hadn't started yet, but the pre-game talk had and Warrick sat down to enjoy the talks when he felt Danny's eyes on him. "Yeah?"

"You and Delinda?"

Warrick grinned again. He'd expected the question and shrugged lightly. "We've just gone for drinks a couple of times. So no need to give me the talk yet."

Danny laughed. "Oh, believe me. The ‘talk' won't be delivered by me. You, Warrick my friend, will get the talk from Ed Deline himself."

Seeing the gleeful smile in Danny's face, Warrick groaned. "Is it that bad?"

Danny sobered a bit and nodded. "I tell you when he found me and Delinda in that hotel room, I was scared shitless. But then I work for him and we did it in one of his hotels..."

To say that Warrick was shocked would have been an understatement. He stared at Danny and then at Eric who didn't seem surprised at all. Again his eyes went back to Danny and finally he found that he could speak again. "You and Delinda?"

Danny shrugged. "I was her little rebellion and she was and still is hot."

"You knew this?" Warrick glared at Eric who smiled and nodded. "Yeah, Danny told me."

Eric had no problem with it and after a moment of contemplation, Warrick smiled. He shouldn't have a problem with it too, shouldn't he? Leaning back in the chair, Warrick relaxed and smiled. "So any tips in case, Ed comes knocking at my door?"

---

*Los Angeles*

"It was good talking to you." Don put his phone down and stared at it for a long time. It had been good to talk to Grissom and he had a feeling that Grissom too enjoyed talking to him. Maybe it was the distance that made them speak more open about many thing, or maybe it was the fact that they didn't really know each other that well.

They rarely talked about anything too deep. And still their infrequent chats always enabled Don to reflect on his behavior and he had a feeling that Grissom felt the same. They had talked about their cases, about some upcoming conferences and about other almost mundane topics.

It was raining outside and Don shivered as a cold breeze flowed through the open window into the room. He quickly walked over and closed the window. The street outside of his apartment was deserted. Another shiver ran through Don as he suddenly felt lonely. With the storm raging through L.A. it felt as if he was the only person on the planet and sighing he turned away from the depressing sight outside.

There was a game on TV and Don grabbed a beer from the fridge before he sat down on his couch. A part of him wanted to go and visit his dad and Charlie, but another part just wanted solitude.

"Pathetic." He murmured and it was, wasn't it? The fact that the person he could call a friend outside his team or his family was Gil Grissom.

Don swallowed hard and pushed his thoughts away when his phone rang.

"Don, it's Liz. You want to go for a drink?"

Under normal circumstances, Don would have said no, but right now he needed to feel less lonely and after a moment's of hesitation he agreed. "That sounds like a great idea."

And yet, even as he said it, he knew that it wasn't.

---

Eric watched from the door as Danny and Warrick bantered in the living room. The game was over and Eric waited for the moment, when Warrick would give Danny the talk. Eric knew that Warrick had come over in the intention to give Danny ‘the talk', but to his surprise Warrick looked at Danny concerned instead of stern.

"What's wrong?" Warrick's voice was soft and Eric sighed. Warrick was a perceptive man and had picked up on Danny's distress, had noticed the sometimes forced laughter. Eric knew that his lover still hurt from yesterday's events and it had made him seek out Danny more than normal. They had been sitting together, holding each other and maybe that had been something else that had clued Warrick in.

Danny was silent for a long time, but then he looked up and Eric silently gasped at the sadness his lover's eyes. "I told my best friend about me and Eric yesterday and she... She didn't take it well."

Warrick tensed, but before he could say anything, Danny laughed harshly. "And to top it off, Mike found out too and he hates me. Although, that's probably nothing new."

"I'm sorry, man. If you want me to beat him up." Eric smiled and felt warmth at the honest care he saw in Warrick's eyes.

His comment even brought a smile on Danny's face, although it disappeared quickly and Danny shook his head. "No, it's fine. He's not been a friend for a while. It's Mary's rejection that hurts the most. She was like family."

"And you've lost her because of me." Eric spoke quietly and the guilt he felt was clearly audible in his words.

Danny tensed and shook his head at Eric's words and fixed his partner with his eyes. "No, it wasn't your fault. It was mine."

"Yours?" It was clear that Warrick didn't understand silently Eric was glad, because he didn't agree with his partner.

Danny however shrugged almost helplessly. "I knew that she loved me and I let her believe that maybe one day she might have a chance with me. I should have told her the truth a long time ago."

"Why didn't you?" Danny swallowed hard at Warrick's question and seeing the pain in his partner, Eric walked over and reached out for Danny's hand. He smiled a little at the love in Danny's eyes, and sat down next to him.

"Because I was afraid and maybe because I always hoped that one day I would fall in love with her, that one day I would want the white picket fence and the dog and the 2.5 children."

Danny's voice sounded broken and Eric pulled his lover close, held him in an almost protective way. It seemed as if Danny had forgotten that Warrick was here as he looked into Eric's eyes and smiled sadly. "I never thought that I would find someone worthy of coming out and be honest, I was too set in my ways, too afraid of what could happen."

"It wasn't worth it." Eric felt Danny's sadness, but even as he said those words, Danny's body went rigid and his eyes started to blaze.

"Don't ever say that. Don't ever say that what we have isn't worth trouble. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You're worth it. We are."

Eric felt even the last tiny bit of insecurity melt away and pulling Danny's head towards him he captured his lover's lips in a fierce kiss. "Yes, we are."

Their lips met again until they heard a cough next to them. "Guys, you've got an audience... Not that I mind though, but you know… I thought maybe you did."

Warrick was lazing in his chair and grinned at them. He reached for his beer and chuckled once more. "I wanted to give you the talk, Danny, but I think after that declaration it's not necessary. Just remember, I know where to hide bodies."

He took a large sip from his beer and stretched his body. "So, anyone want more pizza?"

Eric smiled at his friend and leaned back against Danny. He could feel how Danny relaxed slowly and without thinking much took Danny's hand into his. He knew that his lover was still hurting from Mary's rejection and Mike's open attack. But he also knew that they would get through together and yes, he really wanted more pizza.

---

"What are you afraid of, Gil?" Heather's voice was calm, always calm and for a moment Grissom wanted to shout at her, shake her just to get a rise out of her, but then he remembered her desperate tears after her daughter's death. She wasn't calm, he thought, just controlled.

"What are you afraid of?" Her eyes demanded an answer and with a sigh, Grissom averted his eyes.

"I have nothing to offer to him." There, he thought, he had said it. Had finally said out loud why he was so afraid of approaching Greg. Heather sighed, but remained silent while she sipped her tea. It had become a ritual for them this tea time after Grissom's visits to the domain. Those visits were far and in between and Heather had once told him that his visits were his last resort before he broke. She was right, Grissom knew, but he never knew whether it was the physical satisfaction or the talks with her that managed to give him enough peace of mind to last for another couple of months.

"He's everything I'm not."

Again his words were met with a calm look and silence. He drank some tea and looked at her. "He works for me."

Still Heather didn't respond and almost angry he hissed. "It wouldn't work."

Now she smiled and tilted her head slightly as she watched him. "Who are you trying to convince, Gil? Me or you?"

Her question took him aback, but before he could answer, she continued. "Gil, what are you more afraid of? Is it being rejected or being accepted?"

How did she do that, Gil wondered, how did she manage to cut right through all the lies and facades that he built and went straight to the weak point?

"I don't know."

Heather smiled at him, and again she took her time before she answered. "Remember that life is short Gil. Remember that every day something could happen to take him away from you. You know better than anyone that nothing is guaranteed. You know that there are no second chances. Could you live with the what if?"

Her eyes bore into his soul, but Grissom averted them quickly. He didn't answer her, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. The thought that something could happen to Greg was too terrible to think about and so he pushed it away.

"Do you think, he's invincible?" Her voice made him look up and he saw the concern in her eyes. It angered him and with a harsher than usual voice he answered. "Why do you keep pushing me?"

Sighing she reached out and put her hand over his. "Because, I know you and I know that you couldn't survive losing him."

And even though he didn't say anything, he knew that she was right.

---

"Will you go home for Christmas?" Danny wasn't looking at Eric as he asked him. A part of him was afraid of Eric's answer, afraid of spending Christmas alone. In previous years he had spent it with Mary and Delinda, Mike and the others, but he knew that this year, he wouldn't be invited to Mary's home made Christmas dinner or to Mike's Christmas Eve drinks.

Soft arms came around Danny's waist and warm lips kissed his skin before Eric whispered tender words in his ear. "No, I won't. I'll spend it here, with you."

Danny relaxed slightly and turned around to pull Eric close. "You sure?"

Eric smiled and nodded. "Yeah, because you know I have no reason to go home. I am home."

---

The End