Disclaimer: I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I don't profit from them. I would, however, love to have coffee with George and Jorja someday. And just for the record, Jorja rocks (and sometimes she actually writes back).
Author's Note: This is in response to a challenge.
Greg Sanders wore a cheesy grin on his face and an even cheesier T-shirt for Catherine's Hawaiian themed pool party she was throwing to help him celebrate passing his final proficiency to become a full fledged CSI. Ecklie might have been able to stifle the celebration and camaraderie at the lab, but he certainly couldn't do it away from there.
Warrick raised an eyebrow at Greg as he read his shirt. "I got Leid in Hawaii?" Warrick just shook his head. "That's as close as you could get to dressing up?"
"Where else was I going to wear this shirt?" Greg smirked back. "Besides, you never know. Sara might like it." Greg flashed a grin again.
Warrick chortled. "She might smack you is more like it."
"Hey, well at least I don't look like a Magnum PI wannabe." Greg retorted defending his fashion choice.
Warrick smoothed down the front of his bright orange Hawaiian shirt. "I'll have you know that this is vintage. I saw Lenny Kravitz wearing one just like this on 'I love the 80's'."
Catherine had observed the entire exchange between the two men and she had a highly amused expression on her face. "Warrick, do you think you could go check to see if the barbecue is hot enough to start grilling yet?"
Warrick gave Catherine an easy smile and nodded as he began to saunter over towards the grill. "Sure thing, Cath."
Catherine stood there before Greg with her arms crossed over her chest and her best stern expression on her face. "If Lindsey asks you what that's supposed to mean, you're a dead man. Ok?" She nodded towards his shirt with the double meaning. Fortunately, at the moment Lindsey was still at a friend's house.
Greg swallowed hard and then smiled, feigning innocence. "Do you have something against Hawaiian flowers, Catherine?"
Catherine let out a chuckle. "Ok, so we have an understanding then."
Greg looked past Catherine and his eyes widened. "Sara."
Catherine tried to keep from laughing as she noticed Greg's eyes popping out of his head. "Down boy. You might want to tone it down."
Greg, however, didn't hear a word Catherine had said. All he could focus on was the fact that Sara was wearing a spaghetti strap tank top over her bathing suit and she had a red Hawaiian print sarong around her waist. The fact that Nick was right on her heels wearing a shirt that matched Sara's sarong failed to register in Greg's mind until they were almost in front of him.
"Hey, Greggo." Sara smiled at Greg and gave him a quick hug. "Congratulations."
Nick patted him on the back and then chortled at his T-shirt. "Nice shirt, man."
Greg couldn't stop staring at Sara. "I don't think I've ever seen you wear a dress."
Sara glanced at Nick with a smile and then gestured towards the house. "I'll be back. I just need to use the ladies room."
Nick grinned at her. "Ok. I'll be right here."
Greg looked at Nick suspiciously as Sara walked away. "Did you two ride together?"
Nick let out an amused chuckle. "What's the problem, man? You know Sara's not into you."
Greg looked a little put out. "Yeah, she's into Grissom." Greg had nursed a crush on Sara since the day he'd met her and he hadn't quite given up carrying the torch.
Nick pursed his lips together to keep from smiling. "Uh, she's not really into Grissom anymore either."
Greg's brows arched upwards. "Because of Sophia?" He had wondered if the new addition to the nightshift crew had managed to snag Grissom, but despite what he viewed as a lot of flirting no one seemed to be talking.
Nick smirked. "Not exactly." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Rumor has it that Sophia's dating Vartan."
Just then the woman in question walked into the backyard with Grissom in tow. Greg looked at Nick doubtfully. "What do you say to that, Nick my man?"
Nick snickered. "They're just friends, Greg. I'd be careful if I were you."
While Grissom and Sophia were talking with Catherine, Sara wandered back out of the house with an odd expression on her face. She shot Nick a meaningful glance as she walked up to him and Greg. "Uh, can I talk to you for a minute?"
Nick looked at her quizzically and nodded. "Uh, sure." He looked over at Greg. "Uh, why don't you see if Warrick needs help with the grill?"
Greg just nodded as he watched Nick and Sara wander off to the other side of the yard. He could only wonder what in the world they were talking about and his mind began to swim with the possibilities as he strained to hear the conversation, but he only caught snippets of the conversation. Phrases like 'vanilla mint toothpaste', 'glow in the dark stars', and 'chai tea' filtered into Greg's ears. They seemed to be having a rather intense conversation, interspersed with little touches and smiles and then a shocked expression washed over Nick's face as Sara looked at him a little sheepishly. Greg was equally shocked because the phrase he'd heard just before Nick's facial expression changed so dramatically was 'pregnancy test'. The color drained from Greg's face and he started to feel a little woozy before Sophia noticed something amiss.
"Greg, are you ok? You don't look so good." Sophia propelled him towards a chaise lounge and Catherine and Grissom made their way over to him as well.
"Do you want something to drink, Greg?" Catherine asked in a motherly tone.
Greg just looked at them blankly.
By this time, Warrick had wandered over as well while Nick and Sara seemed to be oblivious to the commotion coming from the other side of the yard.
Grissom was waving his hand in front of Greg's face. "Greg, how many fingers do you see?"
Greg finally seemed to snap out of his stupor and blurted out a few choice phrases. "Sara. Nick." Greg coughed. "Pregnant."
A shocked group of CSIs looked at Greg and then all looked over at Nick and Sara who were only now becoming aware that they were the topic of conversation. They both looked at the others with quizzical expressions.
It was Nick though that finally broke the silence. "What? Do I have something on my face?"
Grissom's super CSI senses kicked in and he narrowed his gaze as he studied the pair of younger CSIs. "Is there something that you two want to share with the rest of us?"
Nick and Sara exchanged a worried glance as both of them looked like they'd been caught red handed at something.
Catherine echoed Grissom's question with a simple arch of her brow.
Nick coughed nervously and glanced at Sara once more before addressing the others. "As a matter of fact, uh, we do."
Warrick directed a curious gaze their way. "And?"
Sara stood straight and smiled a bit nervously. "Uh, Nick and I are dating."
Greg whimpered as the possibility that what he'd overheard was true.
Nick grinned and reached for Sara's hand, giving it a squeeze.
Catherine pursed her lips together. "Is that all?"
Nick and Sara exchanged another glance and then looked at the others oddly. Nick nodded. "Yeah, why?"
Warrick let out a soft chuckle. "Sanders seems to think that the two of you are expecting."
"Expecting what?" Sara queried without missing a beat. She shook her head in confusion for a moment and then her eyes widened as she realized exactly what Warrick meant. She looked at Nick for one horrified moment and then looked at everyone else and began stuttering. "I am not pregnant. Nick and I haven't even...I mean, we've only been dating a couple of weeks. I don't know where in the hell Greg got that idea."
Nick looked slightly pale. "Not us." It wasn't that he was against fathering a child someday with Sara, he was all for that idea. That is as long as it was well into the future and they'd had a chance to figure out that they were perfect for each other and they'd had some time to just be with each other. Then there was that whole question about marriage. He was a firm believer that he wanted to get married before he had children.
Greg finally found his voice again. "But I heard you say pregnancy test."
"I did say that." Sara confessed, looking a little sheepish. "Uh, but it's not what you think."
"Well?" Greg looked like he was going to be sick, not only from the fact that Sara was obviously no longer available, but because he had just about every CSI in Vegas staring him down.
Sara quirked an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I just told Nick that I saw an open pregnancy test in the trash can in the bathroom earlier. I'm not pregnant."
"She's not pregnant." Nick repeated finding that a little of the color was returning to his face.
"Well who's test is it then?" Sophia asked the question on all of their minds.
"Uh, that would be me." Catherine cleared her voice and coughed nervously as all eyes turned towards her. She smiled a bit too widely as she answered their unspoken question. "It was positive."
Before anyone could ask her anything further, a strangled squeak sounded from Warrick just before he fainted at the realization that he was going to be a father.
The End