Title: Untitled
By: Caroline Crane
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG

"You can't do this."

"It's done, Nick. I'm sorry, but it's out of my hands."

Grissom watched Nick's jaw set, watched him dig in his heels for a fight that they both knew he couldn't win. He understood Nick's frustration; they all felt it, especially him. But he knew Nick, and he knew sympathy would fall on deaf ears this time.

"He didn't do anything, Gris. It's not his fault…"

Grissom held back a sigh through sheer force of will; he knew Nick was right, but that didn't change anything. "It was a high-profile case, Nick. I'm not happier about it than you are, but the sheriff needed a sacrificial lamb. There's nothing I can do."

"But you can't just fire Greg."

"He compromised evidence," Grissom said, keeping his voice calm but firm. "Maybe once the publicity dies down we can revisit this, but right now there's nothing I can do."

Nick's jaw twitched, mouth opening and then closing again before he let out a frustrated groan and turned on his heel. Grissom watched him go, knowing there was nothing he could have done to change the situation. That didn't make him feel any less helpless, though, not after he spent twenty minutes losing exactly the same argument with the sheriff before Nick stormed into his office.

And he knew there was nothing else he could do, but he had a feeling this was going to cost him more than one member of his team.