Reaction time
By Dany
Summary: Short series of drabbles following "Fallen Idols."
Rating: K+
A/N: This is unbetaed so the mistakes are all mine. Sorry. I still hope you'll like it and the whole piece is not too confusing.
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.
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Brass:
When they finally arrived at the crime scene, Grissom wished he had done this alone. Taking Greg along had not been one of the smartest decisions.
He was glad to get out of the confinements of the car and more than ready to try and 'disappear' in his work.
Brass was waiting for them outside and briefed them on the situation, not letting it show if he had noticed anything out of the ordinary. As soon as Greg left to start searching the car of the victim, however, he shot Grissom a questioning look, accentuated by a raised eyebrow.
When Grissom just shrugged, Brass smirked. Turning his back to start with the house, Grissom thought he heard Brass mutter, "Good for you, man."
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Greg:
It was obvious that Greg was confused by his new look. It had only taken a few seconds after Grissom entered the break room for his mouth to drop open in shock. It was not very flattering.
He didn't respond when Grissom shot him a warning look. It was only when Warrick nudged him discretely that he remembered to close his mouth and start swallowing again.
The real torture began when they were in the car to the crime scene. Greg started some sort of question game as to why he was beardless once again.
He would not shut up no matter how many looks he got until Grissom was able to flee the confinements of the car. The young man had no idea that he just earned the dumpster duty for the next few shifts.
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Warrick:
He dreaded going in to face the wolves and his brief run in with Nick right outside the break room did nothing to reassure him that there wouldn't be at least a small commotion.
The others noticed his new look right away and while Sara tried not to draw any attention to her and her lack of reaction, Greg's shock definitely showed, Catherine smirked and Warrick smiled.
It was a genuine smile, the one you wear when you have discovered something that pleased you. That reaction surprised Grissom.
When everyone filed out of the break room after he had handed out assignments, Grissom could see Warrick reaching out to Sara, softly squeezing her arm and giving her a nod.
It looked like their secret was not so secret anymore.
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Nick:
They approached the break room from opposing directions, but it was not hard to tell when Nick was close enough to notice the absence of the beard.
His eyes went wide and he stopped dead in his tracks. One could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.
Grissom had heard that Nick and Catherine had been speculating about a possible girlfriend. It seemed Nick's thoughts were wandering in that direction again.
Suddenly, he was glad that they hadn't shaved the beard immediately upon his return. Now, Nick couldn't seem to draw the right conclusions.
The end to this little standoff came when Catherine breezed past them, which brought them back to the task at hand, but Grissom new that this was a puzzle Nick would be thinking about for a while.
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Catherine:
He wished this particular confrontation had come later – better yet, never – but Catherine didn't put things off.
She was early, nearly beating him and Sara. He was in his office when she first saw him and she almost walked by, but at that last moment, it seemed to register that something was different.
Catherine turned on her heel and walked straight up to his desk without even bothering to knock.
She looked at him expectantly, but Grissom chose to ignore her. Usually, that was the best tactic where Catherine was involved. It was hard to still concentrate on the paper work in front of him, but he managed.
After a couple of minutes, he could feel the shift in the room.
"I'm going to find out who she is."
Famous last words, but for now he had won.
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Sara:
When she was done and had cleaned him of any remnants of the shaving cream, she took a step back to admire her work. It made him feel a little self-conscious, but her bright smile reassured him.
She leaned forward again, brushing her lips over his until he pulled her in.
They took their time exploring the new-old feel and it made their heads swim.
Breaking apart, their eyes communicated with each other, telling the other what they wanted.
Sara tossed the equipment into the sink and dragged Grissom out of the bathroom.
Standing next to their bed, she took his now clean shaven face in her hands and whispered, "Shaven or not, you're always sexy."
The end