This story is the twelfth installment in my Holiday fic series. It is my second Halloween story and my fourth CSI story in the set. However it is a very rare type of story. It is happy…pretty much exclusively… I do not do pure happy much so please enjoy this story. I also think this is one of like three stories I have written for CSI that are not Grillows stories (and I would really rather deny the existence of one of the other non-Grillows story). Anyway that is more than enough of me talking. Here is the story
Disclaimer: I do not own any of them
Spoilers: None
Special Note: This is set around the second or third season.
"Lindsey," Catherine called up the stairs. There was no answer. "Lindsey," Catherine called again as she began to walk up the stairs. "I know you're mad at me."
"I don't want to talk to you!" Lindsey yelled from her room,
"Please," Catherine asked her daughter, "Just open the door and talk to me."
"No!" came the defiant response.
"I want to make it up to you," Catherine offered.
"How can you make it up to me?" Lindsey demanded angrily, "You said you would take me trick-o-treating. You promised. And now I've missed it because you love your job more than me."
That stung. Catherine had indeed promise to take Lindsey trick-o-treating. She had also broken that promise because of something that had come up at work. Her daughter knew exactly how to make her feel guilty. "There is nothing in the world that I love more than you," Catherine murmured through the door.
"Then why didn't you take me trick-o-treating last night?" Lindsey demanded.
Catherine sighed. How could she explain to her seven year old daughter that she had been working a double homicide the night before. Two little girl, about Lindsey's age, had been killed and the dressed in angel costumes. It was a gruesome case, but not particularly hard to solve. The perp had killed the two girls a room with two cameras in it. The idiot was in jail before midnight.
"Can I please try and make it up to you?" Catherine asked again.
There was a pause. Lindsey didn't like fighting with her mother very much. "Do I get candy?" she asked.
"Yes," Catherine replied, glad that her daughter could not see her smile.
"Alright," Lindsey agreed finally, "What is it?"
"Well," Catherine said slowly, "It's a surprise, but I need you to put on your princess costume."
"Okay," Lindsey agreed happily. After all she did love her princess costume. A few minutes later Lindsey opened the door to her room and peered out. "I'm ready, mommy."
"Okay," Catherine told her daughter with a smile, "Let's go." Lindsey nodded and made her way down the stairs. Catherine followed.
-0- -0- -0-
"Why are we going to the lab?" demanded Lindsey from the back seat. She knew that this was the way her mother drove to work.
"You'll see," Catherine told her daughter, "just trust me." Lindsey sat back in her seat. A few minutes later the car stopped, and they both got out. Together they made their way into the building. However, before they could make it much past the entrance, Doc Robbins came up to them.
"Greetings my lady," he told Lindsey with a slight bow. Lindsey giggled. "May I take you to your castle?"
Lindsey's eyes lit up, and she looked to her mother for confirmation. Catherine gave her a small nod. Lindsey grinned and Doc Robbins led her off across the room. Catherine waited for a few moments then turned and made her way to the lab by a different path.
-0- -0- -0-
"Doc Robbins as the gatekeeper was a nice touch," Catherine commented as she walked into Grissom's office a couple of minutes later. "I really liked that."
"That was his idea," Grissom replied looking up from his desk, "Apparently everyone in the lab wanted in on this little project."
"That's sweet of them," Catherine said with a smile.
"They also think that you will commit mass homicide if they don't," Grissom commented.
"Whatever gets the job done," she told him sweetly. "Speaking of getting the job done…How did you clear this with Ecklie?"
"No need to," Grissom replied with a shrug, "We are allowed to decorate our offices anyway we like."
"Nice catch," Catherine said with a smiled.
"Thank Sara she figured it out," Grissom told her. "She also asked me to check when Ecklie had a scheduled vacation." There was a pause. "We got lucky."
Catherine grinned. "Excellent."
Grissom shook his had. "Shouldn't you be wearing a costume?"
"That I should," she replied with a nod, "I will see you later."
"As you wish my lady," Grissom told her with a tilt of his head. Catherine smiled.
-0- -0- -0-
"Where would you like to go my lady?" Doc Robbins asked Lindsey as they stood in the middle of the Lab.
"Where is there to go?" Lindsey asked.
"There is a fortuneteller, a jester, a magic forest, and towns people who would like to give you tokens of appreciation," Doc Robbins explained.
"A magic forest!" Lindsey exclaimed her eyes wide, "I want to see that."
"Right this way," her guide replied leading her down a hallway. They stopped outside a door inconspicuously labeled with a sign proclaiming it to be the magic forest. "Now you must knock three times," Doc Robbins told her.
Lindsey did so and the door swung open. Her jaw dropped. Inside there was a single figure. It was a knight in shinning armor.
"Princess," Warrick said giving her a deep bow, "How nice of you to drop by."
Lindsey giggled. "Sir Warrick," she told him still laughing, "It is my pleasure." Suddenly there was a thumping behind the desk.
"Did you hear that?" Warrick asked.
"What was it?" Lindsey asked regarding the desk warily.
"A unicorn," Warrick whispered to her, "If you can find him, he will give you some of his candy." Lindsey smiled and walked slowly around the back of the desk. A few seconds later, there was a delighted shriek.
"Nicky is unicorn!" Lindsey told Warrick excitedly, "and he has candy."
"The candy is yours princess," Warrick reminded her.
Lindsey smiled and scooped the half a dozen pieces of candy into her bag. Then she looked at Nick, who was kneeling on the floor next to her. His horn was only a few inches from her shoulder.
"Can I ride the unicorn?" Lindsey asked hopefully.
Warrick and Nick exchanged and glance. Then Nick bowed and turned around so Lindsey could climb onto his back. She did so gleefully, and Nick stood up.
If someone had told him a week ago that today he would be dressed as a unicorn giving a seven year old a piggy back ride, he probably would have asked them what they were drinking. Yet here he was. Of course Lindsey Willows had always been a special case. The entire night shift had fallen in love with Catherine's little girl the first time they met her. They would do just about anything for her. So here he was…
Nick walked down the hall a few doors and came to a stop. Leaning forward a little, he let Lindsey knock on the door. A few seconds later it swung open and revealed Sara standing there in a rather credible fortuneteller's costume.
"Welcome," Sara greeted them fighting extremely hard to keep her voice even. She was finding it very had not to break into hysterics at the sight of Nick's costume. "How are you today?"
"Really good," Lindsey replied happily as Nick set her gently on the floor.
"Would you like me to predict your future?" Sara asked serenely. It was much easier now because Nick had left the room.
"Sure," Lindsey agreed sitting in the chair in front of Sara's desk.
"Good," Sara replied seating herself on the opposite side of the desk. "Now relax," Sara instructed taking Lindsey's hands in hers. The girl did as she was told. Sara closed her eyes. "You are lucky. Your mother loves you very much, and you have many good friends. They will get you far in life."
"What about high school?" Lindsey whispered.
"You will be a star," Sara told her softly, "And you may well be home coming queen."
Suddenly there was a large crash outside the door and both Sara and Lindsey jumped. Sara walked over to the door and opened it to see what had made the noise.
"Greg!" Lindsey exclaimed darting around Sara to hug the lab tech, "you look funny."
"That is the idea," Greg explained, "I am your jester. I am here to make you laugh." Lindsey giggled as Greg stood up and the bells on his hat rung. "May I take you to visit the towns people?"
"Okay," Lindsey agreed immediately reaching up and taking Greg's hand.
Sara smiled as she watched the two of them take off down the hall. It was rather nice to see someone happy and carefree walking around inside this walls and know that she had something to do with it because that was so often not the case. Years of experience had taught her that ever though catching the killer was important it would never heal the pain of losing a loved one. Nothing could heal that. Sara shook her head and walked back up the hall to where Nick and Warrick were waiting for her.
"They are off to visit the lab rats," Sara told the two men, "and we are in the clear to go to the break room."
"How did the fortunetelling go?" Warrick asked her as they began to walk towards the break room. There was a pause.
"Harder to make up convincing predictions that you thought?" Nick suggested.
"Let's just say I am very glad Greg showed up when he did," Sara replied. Nick snickered. "You did not make my job any easier," she told him, "It is very distracting when there is an adult man dressed as a unicorn in the corner of the room." It was Warrick's turn to snicker.
-0- -0- -0-
"That was fun!" Lindsey exclaimed happily, "Where we going now?"
"Well," Greg told her, "I think we are going to go find your mom."
"Okay," Lindsey replied. Moments later the pair entered the break room. Lindsey looked around as they entered. Nick and Warrick were sitting at one of the tables examining food options arranged before them. Greg walked over to join them. Sara and Doc Robbins were at another table talking about their childhood Halloween costumes.
Finally Lindsey's gaze turned to the center of the room. Grissom and Catherine were sitting on two office chairs and wearing king and queen costumes. Lindsey ran over to them and sat down on her mother's lap.
"You look so pretty mommy," Lindsey told her mother.
"Thank you," Catherine told her daughter. "Did you have fun?"
"Lots and lots," the little girl answered, "I can't wait to tell all my friends about it on Monday." Catherine smiled. That was the ultimate compliment, and it meant that she had been forgiven.
Suddenly the door opened. Everyone looked up, and Ecklie was standing in the doorway. "What," he demanded of the group in front of him, "is this?"
"A Halloween party," Warrick replied before anyone else could speak.
"Last night was Halloween," Ecklie told them, "Not tonight."
"We know that," Sara replied keeping her tone even, "But since you decided to go off to a conference and neglect your caseload, we were rather busy last night." There were several moments of silence as Sara realized what she had said.
"Cupcake?" Greg offered after a moment.
"No," Ecklie said shooting the food a disdainful glance.
"Cookie?" Greg offered trying again.
"I do not want food," Ecklie told Greg. Then he turned back to Catherine and Grissom. "Clean up when you're done." With that he left the room and closed the door.
There were several seconds in which no one dared to move or speak. Then Lindsey spoke.
"I think I get it," Lindsey told the group around her, "he's the evil sorcerer."
Cheers Lindsey. I really do love that last line. I also rather like Greg trying to feed Ecklie. Anyway. Please tell me what you think. It would really make my day. Please.
Have a Happy Halloween.