A new day, a new story :)

This is only going to be a short little comedy fic; it's based on an episode of Frasier (s5e14 - The Ski Lodge). I hope you enjoy it, I have been waiting to write this one for a while!

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI, Frasier or any of the associated characters etc etc

Leave a review, let me know what you think :)

KC x

x x x x

"Gil! … Gil!" Catherine hollered, stalking him down the hall and into his office, resisting the urge to throw the folder she was carrying at his back. "Are you going deaf again or are you just ignoring me?" She huffed, slamming his door behind her. Grissom turned around at the loud bang and quirked an eyebrow.

"Huh?" He questioned ineloquently. She rolled her eyes, releasing a frustrated breath.

"Ecklie is looking for you." She enunciated in a patronising voice. "Do you need me to write that down for you?"

"I know." Grissom grumbled, blatantly ignoring her sarcasm. He was too busy rummaging on his cluttered desk for something. "It can wait."

"No, it can't." Ecklie announced from the threshold. The Supervisor looked up with a sheepish expression, idly wondering if he practised sneaking up on people without being heard. Catherine sent him a look that said 'I told you so' and made to leave, tossing her folder onto the heap already stacked on his desk. "I've been trying to call you." Conrad continued, stepping around the departing blonde.

"I've been busy." Grissom explained coolly, sliding into his seat. Ecklie sighed; he did not have the time or the energy to fight this man today.

"Have you briefed your team on the ski trip yet?" He asked, getting straight to the point.

Catherine, half way out of the door, paused; her ears pricked up.

"Ski trip?" She asked curiously.

"No, I haven't." Grissom answered as if she hadn't spoken.

"Well you need to. Tonight." Ecklie ordered, throwing something in front of him and stropping to the door. "If you're not interested we need to know. Get it done, Gil!"

Grissom rolled his eyes and went back to searching his desk but Cath's attention had been well and truly captured now.

"Ahem." She coughed loudly. "What ski trip?"

"Huh?" Grissom repeated. "Oh, they're sending us to a ski lodge in the Sierra Mountains for a long weekend. Some team-reward system." He waved a hand dismissively, finally finding the forms he was looking for. Catherine's face lit up. She picked up the leaflet Ecklie had left, her blue eyes narrowing as she scanned over it.

"Really? All inclusive?" She asked eagerly.

"Look, Cath I'm going to explain everything so..." He disregarded the conversation, walking past her and into the hallway.

"But there is a bar, right?" She trailed after him.

X x x

"Alright guys, quiet down." He cleared his throat, waiting for Nick and Warrick to put their video game away. Sara didn't tear her gaze from the book she was reading, but mumbled something in greeting.

Greg had followed them in and was giving Catherine a strange look as she hopped excitedly from one foot to the other, furiously trying to bite down on the urge to blurt something out.

"I was going to wait to talk to you about this, but Ecklie's on my back." Grissom sighed. "We've been offered a place on a long weekend event. It's kind of a reward system for good teamwork – something to do with the way we worked the Wilkerson murder case." He explained. "Now, we don't have to take it…"

"It's a ski trip!" Catherine interrupted excitedly.

"As I was saying. We don't have to go." He glowered at her, but she was too busy showing Greg the leaflet still clutched in her hand to notice. "We'd be staying at a ski lodge in the Sierra Mountains with an ex-ski champ to give us lessons. It's a three-day weekend, two weeks from now." He continued. Warrick nodded appreciatively.

"Oh, I like that."

"So, hold up a second. They are paying for us to stay in a lodge in the middle of the mountains for a whole weekend. Just us." Nick looked around uncertainly. "Why?"

"It's the Sherriff's idea." Grissom rolled his eyes. "It's meant to promote teamwork." He shook his head, a scowl on his face. "It's a blatant ploy to encourage CSIs to be politically correct for the sake of his public reputation."

"Where do I sign up?" Catherine grinned manically.

"Easy Cath, like I said we don't have to accept." Grissom interjected. "And only if everyone agrees do we go."

"What happens if we don't accept it?" Nick asked, sliding into a seat at the centre bench.

"It's already booked so it'll go to another team." Gil replied. "Days, probably."

"Screw that." Catherine snorted. "We won it."

"Yeah." Greg cheered in agreement. "I'm in!"

"No you're not." Gil clarified matter-of-factly. "CSIs only Greg."

The young man's face fell.

"What?" He slumped his shoulders miserably and dragged his feet towards the chairs. "Man, I hate you guys."

"We'll bring you back some snow." Grissom said bluntly. "They need to know tonight whether we're going; so, the rest of you need to vote on it."

"I'm in!" Catherine barked eagerly.

"Yeah, I'll have a piece of that." Warrick hummed. "I can't wait to show Cowboy here who's boss on the slopes!"

Nick shifted uncomfortably in his seat but shrugged his consent anyway, not daring to awaken Catherine's wrath.

The woman cast a glance to the couch, where the final member of their team was still seemingly engrossed in her book.

"Sara?" She called. "You in?"

"Do I have a choice?" The brunette asked, never shifting her gaze; a small smile playing on her lips. Cath squealed and practically bounced towards the couch, where she threw herself down and patted Sara's leg excitedly.

"Alright, I'll tell Ecklie." Grissom released a resigned sigh. Clearly this was not the outcome he'd been hoping for.

Catherine beamed up at him brightly.

"So, Gil." She chirruped. "Free bar, yes?"