Disclaimer: Am I allowed to say that I borrowed the CSIs? No? Fine, it all belongs to CBS and what not.

A/N: This is my response to the Geekfiction Summer Sizzle '06 Ficathon. My prompt was Volleyball. I hope you like it. Thanks to Lab for giving it the once over. Enjoy.

Bonding

'Excuse me?' Grissom stared at Ecklie.

'I heard you had surgery for that hearing problem,' Ecklie replied with a hint of smugness. Grissom bit on the corner of his lip to hold onto his patience.

'Run it by me again, Conrad,' Grissom sighed. Ecklie was enjoying this a little too much.

'You and your CSIs will have to participate in a bonding session,' Ecklie told him a voice that wouldn't have been completely wrong for speaking to a ten year old. 'Actually, you have to do four sessions. One a month. Your first one is on Saturday. Days will cover, then you will cover for them on the following Monday.' Ecklie gave him a smile. Positively beaming.

'Now can I have the why?' Grissom forced his voice to stay neutral. He wasn't a violent man, but he could be when it concerned Ecklie enjoying himself at Grissom's expense.

Ecklie looked down at a piece of paper containing his answers. 'In strengthening your bond with your co-workers you become a stronger force,' he read off it before looking back at Grissom. 'The Sheriff would like you to hold hands and sing so that you can catch more criminals at a faster rate.'

Without another word, Grissom stood up and reached the door to Ecklie's office before he was called back. 'You're expected to be outside the lab, with your team, at 9am on Saturday. You will be picked up by your…bonding coach.' Grissom ignored his sickly sweet smile. 'Your first session is volleyball!' Ecklie called to Grissom's back.

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The morning sun had already started its heat attack on the CSIs as they stood gathered round the lab entrance. Catherine was already fighting with Lindsay over the phone. A distinct warning about being locked away for life was threatened down the cell phone to the teen while Catherine's work colleagues watched her in silence.

'Tattoo,' Greg said simply before taking a sip of his iced coffee.

'That was last week,' Warrick spoke up. Greg glanced at him.

'Piercing?' Greg asked.

'That was yesterday,' Grissom answered without moving from his look-out spot.

'Boyfriend?' Nick and Sara spoke in unison.

'If that high school dropout thinks he's getting near Lindsay, there will be murder!' Catherine ranted snapping the cell shut. 'And where's this goddamn bonding coach?'

'Oh dear lord.' Everyone turned to Nick except Grissom. He was already seeing what Nick was seeing. Nick pointed and the group turned to the parking lot. A big yellow face was smiling at them on the side of a family carrier. 'You can't-'

'Howdy!' exclaimed a very perky brunette from the driver's side window. 'I'm Nicole and I'm one of your bonding couches.' She was met by blank faces. 'Why don't y'all hop in and I'll explain on the way.'

'On the way where?' Greg asked wearily.

'We're going to Western to borrow their gym,' she spoke a little too cheerfully.

The nightshift group reluctantly climbed into the family carrier. By way of accident, Grissom ended up sitting next to Sara in the front. With the lively Nicole. Grissom was grateful for this or he may not have been able to control his wandering hands. Sara gave him an inquisitive look as he suddenly turned pink. He avoided her eyes and Sara instantly guessed the thoughts running through his mind. She smirked before pushing her gaze past Grissom and back to Nicole who was getting higher in pitch as her instructions went on.

'So, we're gonna be met by Jake at the gym. He's just setting up. First we're gonna have a chat when we get there. Get to know each other. And then we'll get right on to the fun part.' Nicole seemed to breathe through her ears as she spoke.

'Fun part?' Warrick asked from the back.

'Yeah,' Nicole answered like it was obvious. 'Volleyball.'

'Riiiight. Volleyball,' Catherine repeated. 'And how does playing volleyball help me do my job better?' Catherine was just waiting to blow up. Her day had not started well and she was sure it would get worse. Nicole looked like she'd been slapped at the red-head's tone.

'Play nice,' Grissom said trying to ignore the warmth off Sara's thigh.

'Don't you start with me, Gil.' Catherine was just getting into her rant when…

'Here we are!' Nicole said in a forced lightness. Sara, Nick, Warrick and Greg left the vehicle before Catherine could register they had stopped. No one liked to be in Catherine's warpath. She eyeballed Grissom before climbing out after the others.

'Let's get this day over with,' Catherine grumbled.

They were met by an equally perky Jake in the gym. Catherine was practically shooting steam from her ears. No one was entirely sure what had gotten to her. But no doubt they would soon. Nick, Warrick and Greg began whispering bets to each other over who she would murder first, Nicole or Jake, when they should have been discussing their weaknesses to each other. Grissom and Sara were stealing glances at each other and willing the time to hurry up. They had plans.

Then it happened. It was time to play volleyball. Greg was confident. Grissom was insistent his back wouldn't allow him to play. Nick and Warrick squared up to each other. Sara had a secret. And Catherine was out for blood.

'Now, playing these team games builds and strengthens your relationship with your colleagues,' Jake explained to them once they were spilt up into two teams. 'When playing a game like volleyball you need to be quick thinking and have the ability to think together to beat your opponents.'

'Warrick, Greg, I will make work a living hell if you lose me this game,' Catherine snapped with a slight grin on her face.

'Okay, Gilbert's team will serve first,' Nicole practically skipped to the supervisor with the ball. Grissom was not looking forward to this. He was a spectator of sport, not a player. But he knew Sara's secret, so was secretly confident this was in the bag.

Grissom successfully served over the net to have Warrick volley it back over, but then Sara revealed her secret. She jumped up and slammed the ball back to their side of the net with a satisfying thud on the floor.

'Like that, is it?' Warrick laughed.

'All through college. It was my way of…working out my anger,' Sara grinned. She high-fived Grissom and Nick before getting back to her spot.

'Don't think you're winning this, Grissom,' Catherine told him coolly flicking her bangs out of her eyes.

To say the team were bonding with this game of Volleyball was like saying Grissom despised bugs. It was an all out war that lasted an hour. Catherine revealed how truly scary she was at competitive sport. Grissom could be surprisingly agile when the ball looked like it was going to his the floor on his side of the net. The others…well, they were young and just wanted to win, no matter how dirty it got.

'Okaaaaay,' Jake spoke up nervously, 'I think we can call it a day.' Jake and Nicole were no longer perky. They were a little scared by these people and didn't want to see them play volleyball again. 'Nicole will drive you back, and I'll see you all next month.' Jake grinned at Nicole before scampering off so that she couldn't make him do the driving with the psychos.

'Anyone for lunch?' Catherine asked brightly while letting her hair loose as they followed Nicole out the gym.

'You've perked up,' Grissom pointed out.

'When you have a daughter who changes her boyfriends more often than her clothes, then you'll understand. Now, about this lunch…' Catherine drifted off waiting for their answers.

'I'm heading home for a shower,' came Nick's reply.

'Me too,' Warrick added not really wanting to know what he smelt like.

'I would, but I think you killed my back,' Greg whined.

'Suck it up, Greg. I didn't hit the ball that hard,' Catherine teased. Greg gave a look that said 'whatever' and shook his head. 'Fine. Grissom? Sara?'

'How about you make it dinner?' Sara asked, her eyes shifting slightly to Grissom.

'Now dinner I can do?' Nick grinned.

'Great. Grissom's cooking,' Sara teased. Grissom had no witty comeback as the climbing into the family carrier spoilt the moment.

'Guys?' Nicole started wearily after having witnessed them play like wild animals. 'If you get on fine then what was that game all about?' She bit her lip dreading the answer. Catherine leant forward from the seat behind Nicole.

'Honey, if you think volleyball will make us a closer team, then you're sadly mistaken. It might make us loony. But not closer.' Catherine sat back with a smirk. 'If we were any closer I'd be getting Greg to do my laundry.'

Nicole eyed them up in the rear-view mirror and then at Grissom and Sara in the front. 'You guys are sure confusing,' Nicole laughed nervously.

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Grissom groaned in delight as he stepped into the shower. The hot water instantly soothed his aching back. Maybe attempting to dive for the ball wasn't such a great idea.

'Room for another?' a voice asked from the bathroom entrance.

'Hop on in,' Grissom grinned, his pleasure at Sara joining him instantly known. 'If I have to play volleyball again in this life I may just have to pack up and leave town.'

'Aww, baby, are you in pain?' Sara asked sympathetically turning him round to massage his back.

'Oooo, a little lower,' he groaned. Sara kneaded the heels of her palms down his back.

'How's that?' she asked while he pushed back a little on her hands.

'I may just have to take up volleyball so I can get this on a permanent basis.' He turned his head slightly before turning fully to pull her into a hug. Sara smirked sexily at him at feeling how much Grissom wanted her.

Wrapping her arms round his neck Sara pulled him for a chaste kiss before whispering in his ear, 'How about we play a team sport of our own in the bedroom?'

'Now that's what sport should be about.'