I got to thinking, why didn't we see more of what Vartann thought of Catherine leaving? We saw them interact in "Miss Willows' Regrets," but hadn't really seen anything else. Or for that matter, why did they break up? Anyway, I got to thinking about how Vartann might have reacted about Catherine leaving for the FBI, and that's why I came up with this fic. And who else would Vartann turn to but his colleague and friend, Captain Brass?

I do not own CSI.

Lou Vartann had finished some paperwork and was on his way out the door to head home. He didn't have anything planned or feel like doing much of anything. As he passed by Captain Jim Brass' office, Jim called to the detective and asked him to come in.

"Scotch?"

Sighing, Lou said, "No, I quit drinking."

"Sorry," Jim said as he pulled the bottle and glass out from the drawer in his desk. As Lou came in and sat down, he held his hand out for a glass.

Jim smirked as he handed a glass to his colleague. "You know, I just happened to have two glasses."

Lou smiled thoughtfully as Jim poured the drinks. "Thanks, Jim."

"Anytime," Jim said before taking a sip of his drink.

Silence fell over the two gentlemen for several moments. Finally feeling the need to confront the proverbial elephant in the room, Lou asked, "So, is she gone?"

Jim didn't need to ask who Lou was talking about. Catherine Willows, the former head of the CSI grave shift team and Vartann's former lover, was leaving Vegas for a job at the FBI. Jim looked at his friend and sighed. "Yeah, she left this morning for Quantico."

Lou's eyes drifted to the floor as he thought of how much he really cared about Catherine and wished they could have made their relationship work.

"You know," Brass said, bringing Lou out of his thoughts, "You two really had something."

Lou smiled sadly and took a sip of his Scotch. "Yeah."

"No, really. You guys were good together. What happened?"

"Pride...ego...stupidity...take your pick."

"All of the above," Jim said somewhat sarcastically.

Lou shook his head. "I just...I don't know. One day we were good, and the next thing I know, we're apart. I really loved her."

Jim nodded and said, "I believe you."

"I mean," Lou continued, "I was willing to make it work. I thought she did. I don't know...maybe, we just both were all wrong for each other."

Jim glared at the detective. "Hey, I just know you two had something good."

Lou's face softened into a soft smile. "You know, Cath told me about a year ago that she had had more than enough complicated relationships and didn't want to change or be changed." His eyes drifted down again. "I just know that I wanted something more...permanent."

Jim nodded, taking a sip of Scotch. "I guess after a bad relationship, it's hard to open yourself up to a good one."

Lou sighed and looked up at Jim. They had been good friends since Vartann had come to Vegas, and both had had marriages that ended miserably. Setting his now-empty glass on Jim's desk, Lou asked, "Do you ever think about dating again?"

Nearly choking on the sip he was taking, Jim chuckled. "Nah. I think I've had enough bad luck in the relationship department."

Shrugging, Lou said, "Nobody ever starts a relationship thinking it'll be a failure, right?"

Jim shrugged and nodded. "True. So, maybe there's hope for us."

Lou smiled. "Maybe." As Jim finished his glass of Scotch, Lou stood up. "Listen, thanks for this."

"No problem," Jim said, nodding at the detective.

Just as Lou was about to leave the room, Jim said, "You know, Catherine is a phone call away."

Lou stopped in the doorway and turned around to face Jim. "That and there's always e-mail," he said with a shrug.

With a soft chuckle, Jim said, "Maybe neither one of us should give up trying to find the 'special someone'."

Smiling and shaking his head, Lou said, "You never know."

Jim smiled thoughtfully. "No, you never do."

The End