Chapter Text
A/N: I wasn't planning any continuation of this story, but the response has been so good, I thought I'd show more of Gris and Nick's evolving relationship. This is back story and you really need to have read "Outside Influences" first.
Rather than the usual noise that came from the break room at the start of shift, CSI Nick Stokes was surprised to hear icy silence. It wasn't a normal silence saying no one was in the room, this was the silence of a group of people determined not to speak with each other no matter what happened. And it puzzled him; the night shift at the Vegas CSI labs was like a family.
When he walked into the room, he found his friends all sitting at the table, their backs to an attractive woman sitting on the sofa. Her waist length black hair was pulled back in a simple pony tail but still highlighted her pale complexion, ice blue eyes and high cheekbones. She was wearing a light blue t-shirt with a forensics logo over the heart, black jeans and blue tevas.
"Tiffany!" Nick exclaimed, delighted to see his friend again.
The chief of the International Bureau of Investigation looked up and smiled. She was a reserved woman but had taken a liking to Nick and his supervisor, Gil Grissom the last time she was in Vegas on a case. "Hey, Nicky, I'd stand up and give you a hug, but my knees aren't working that great today," she said, her voice low and melodic.
He solved that problem by joining her on the sofa and pulled her into a hug. "What are you doing back?" he asked. "Grissom didn't say anything."
"No doubt here to take more of our cases," Sara Sidle said from the table, not looking around.
"Dr. Grissom asked me to come set up a series of training scenes," Tiffany replied, ignoring the comment from across the room. "So I convinced the president to let me have a couple of weeks in Vegas for training purposes. He's taken quite an interest in your lab since I was here last."
"Who has?" Gil Grissom walked into the room, assignment sheets in hand. "Oh, Tiffany, you made it. Did you have a good flight?"
She smiled. "Came in the bureau plane so I had plenty of leg room," she replied. "I'll just sit quietly so I don't interrupt your routine but we need to find time to review the scenarios I want to run you and your people through."
"Well, fortunately it's a slow night so I don't have to go out," Grissom said. He looked over at the rest of his CSIs. "I am a little disappointed to see this reception for a consultant here at my request. No one can help who they work for if they love what they do. Tiffany is here to teach, not to take our cases, Sara, so I want you to at least be civil."
"It doesn't matter, Gris," Tiffany said. She let Nick pull her to her feet. "I'll go visit with Sanders while you discuss your cases for the night." Tiffany picked up her ebony and silver wolf cane and limped slowly from the room.
Grissom turned back to his people. "Cath, take Warrick and Sara and head out to the Tangiers. There's a 419 waiting for you," he said. "And see if you can't smack some sense into Sara," he whispered as the blond CSI walked past him.
"I'll do my best," Catherine Willows said, taking the sheet. "But you know how biases work. It may well be a lost cause."
"Thanks, Cath," Grissom said with a sigh. "Nicky, how's that case you were working on last night coming?"
"I've got some more evidence to analyze," Nick said. "But I can double up if you need me to."
The older man smiled. "No need, I said it was a slow night," Grissom said. "But if anything else comes in, you may have to double."
"Hey Gris, how come you didn't mention Tiff was coming to town?" Nick asked. "It might have helped to have a friendly face here when she arrived."
"She wasn't sure what day she'd be here," Grissom replied. "Besides, I doubt the cold shoulder bothers her much anymore."
"I still feel bad," Nick said.
"So tell her," Grissom said. "We'll be in my office if you need anything."
********************
Grissom found Tiffany in the DNA labs, listening to Greg tell a wild story about his time down in Mexico. He was impressed, no one else seemed to listen when Greg started off on one of his tales, but Tiffany was listening with what seemed to be fascination to the story.
"Oh, hey Grissom, I'm sorry," Greg said, blushing. "I'll get back to work right now."
"Its okay, Greg," Grissom said, thinking how much more relaxed the young man was when he wasn't around. "Tiffany, I can just meet you in my office..."'
"No, we do need to get to work," she said. "So, Greggo, you going to help me out?"
"Absolutely," the lab rat replied. "Just let me know when you need me."
Tiffany smiled and followed Grissom out of the lab. "A co-worker crush and a very bad case of hero worship," commented she. "You seem to have all the bases covered, Gil."
He shook his head and shut the door to his office. "I still have no idea how to get Sara to back off," he said. "And I just try to go easy on Greg, although with some of the antics he pulls, it's not always that easy."
"Think how crazy you would go if you had to sit in a lab all day," Tiffany said, sinking into a guest chair. "He's just working off some of the natural tension that comes from this job. Actually, he reminds me of myself not all that long ago."
"He does?"
"Ah, I'm like you, Gil, I keep people at arms length," Tiffany smiled. "But it wasn't always that way. I'm the eldest and, as such, I had to keep my siblings together after our parents dumped us. Lexxie has Jack and the boys had us, but I only had me. I've always been horribly independent and started an internship at the local PD when I was fifteen. Humor was one way to relate to people, especially being trapped in a room with filing cabinets all day. Just give Greggo there a chance; he'll mature into someone very much like Nicky."
"I wondered when you'd bring that up," Grissom chuckled. "If that's your interrogation style, chief, it's lacking."
"I'll have to teach you my style one of these days, Gil, but that's not what I'm asking. Are you guys doing okay? I've been concerned."
"Why?"
She sighed and leaned forward. "There's only so much protection from jealous coworkers," Tiffany said. "And Miss Sidle fits that bill perfectly. I know how much you and Nicky love each other. I also know how much you guys like to keep to yourselves. But I still worry, probably comes from being the eldest in my family. I just see you guys as brothers."
"What year were you born?"
"August 1969," Tiffany said. "I know you're older than I am, but it doesn't change anything. But, as you pointed out so aptly, this is hardly the place to be discussing these things. Crime scene scenarios?"
"I'm curious to know what you've got for us," he said.
"Well, it would spoil the whole exercise if I told you," Tiffany smirked. "These are three cases that my husband and I worked in Los Angeles several years ago, all solved and the perpetrators are in prison. They will be very graphic and disturbing; if you have any doubts to your people, tell me now and I'll run something else."
"I've got the best team around," Grissom said. "There's nothing they can't handle with the proper evidence provided."
Tiffany nodded. "Then we'll start at 0800 when your shift ends."