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I'm baaaaaack! I am officially done with high school now, and so my free time just got wide open. Prepare yourself for much more Grillows, because I probably have about 5 stories started that I never had time to expand or work on.
Anyway, this one was hard to make a summary for, and I apologize for the terrible one I gave, but I really wanted to do a more drama based story, and this is what spawned from that.
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#"Nick, Greg, you've got a 459 at the Aria, and Cath we have a 419 in Eastern Las Vegas." Grissom declared, handing each assignment to their respective teams.
"Yay," Nick mustered unenthusiastically, taking his assignment and grudgingly heading out the door, Greg close behind.
Grissom walked over to Catherine, who was adding cream and sugar to her coffee. "Are you ready to head out?" He asked, leaning ever so slightly over her shoulder, causing his breath to hit the back of her neck, and her to jump slightly, in part because he had startled her, but mostly from the sensation of his lips so close to her body. She turned, taking the stirring stick out of her coffee, bringing it to her mouth as she absentmindedly sucked off the remaining foam.
"Sure," she replied, tossing the stick in the trash and grabbing her cup. But Grissom remained where he was, his eyes still on her lips. Catherine halted, confused, but then smiled knowingly. "You okay Gil?" She asked coyly.
He blinked and then blushed as he realized what he had been doing, "Yes, let's go." Was his curt reply, contradicted by his smile.
They walked to the car in a silence that held only a tinge of awkwardness. Both were thinking of the other, and how their just friends relationship had been teetering towards the "more than" stage lately. Catherine snuck a glance his way as he drove, and smiled to see he looked lost in thought as well. She didn't know exactly what had started it, but it was as if all of a sudden the friction she usually felt in Grissom's presence had been heightened to a new level. There had even been times where his hand had lingered on her arm, or they had looked at each other and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to kiss her just as badly as she did him. Catherine felt her smile widen as she thought about the dinner they had planned for tonight. She had a feeling they may finally take a step towards the next level.
Grissom broke the silence as the pulled up to a nice middle class home, complete with blue shutters and perfectly mowed grass. "Home, sweet home," he deadpanned, shutting the engine off and stepping out, Catherine following suite.
Catherine took in the all too perfect look of the place as they stepped under the crime tape and onto the porch. "Well, this doesn't seem like your typical crime spot." She commented, pushing her glasses up on her head as they stepped into the shade in front of the door. Grissom chose not to comment as they had stepped inside to see Brass and a distraught looking man standing in the living room just to the left of the entryway.
"I-I came home and she…" the man seemed to struggle for words, his shaking hand running through his hair, "she was on the floor, there was blood all over…" It was here he broke off sobbing heavily. Grissom and Catherine approached cautiously, but Brass caught sight of the pair and met them halfway, giving the grieving husband a moment to collect himself.
"That's Ned Morgan," Brass informed them, making sure to keep his voice quiet enough so Ned couldn't hear, "he claims he came home from work to find his wife Susan in the shower. It looks like she slipped and hit her head on the towel rack, but we can't be sure."
"That's why we're here," Grissom said with a humorless smile.
Catherine shifted from her right foot to the left, eager to put down the heavy crime kit she was holding. "Which way to the bathroom?" She asked. Brass pointed them down the hall and they nodded, both setting off to evaluate the scene.
They entered the bathroom to see Susan Morgan, body on the bathroom floor, clad in a frilly pink bathrobe that was now stained with the blood pooled around her head. Catherine set her kit down with a sigh and walked carefully around the body, her heels clicking softly on the tiled floor of the spacious shower, and bent down by the victims head, examining the wound more closely. Grissom chose to survey the scene, his eyes systematically scanning the room, searching for any sign of abnormality.
Catherine pulled out her camera and began snapping photos as she spoke, "The abrasion on her head seems to be consistent with the shape of the towel rack." She turned towards it and began documenting the rack as well. "and the blood here definitely indicates it was what did the damage." Grissom walked over, looking over her shoulder. Catherine felt the same bizarre buzz of energy begin to course through her at his close presence.
"The spatter on the wall seems to be consistent with an accidental blow," Grissom chimed in. Catherine turned her head, mouth open as she was about to ask him a question, but stopped as she found herself just inches away from his face. He looked at her as well, and she felt the overwhelming urge to bring her face forward those few extra inches. But the knowledge of where they were and what they were evaluating brought her back to reality.
She cleared her throat and continued with her question, turning back to the scene, "Do you think we can rule out a homicide then?"
"We'll need to process the blood stains and all over scene more closely, but I think it's safe to say the scene is secure."
Catherine nodded in agreement and then reluctantly stepped away from him. "I'll go let Brass know." Grissom watched her as she walked away, and despite his surroundings, he found himself smiling.
Catherine found Brass, looking grim-faced as he spoke with Detective Vega, the husband now sobbing quietly on the couch. "It's looking like an accidental death," Catherine informed both the officers.
"That's great, but the husband won't leave for questioning. We're going to have to take him out in cuffs if he doesn't pull himself together," Brass said, without any sort of empathy.
Catherine looked towards Ned and then back at Brass, "He's been through a lot today, he just lost his wife, I think questioning could wait a few more hours. You and Vega still need to get statements from the neighbors, and Grissom and I can keep an eye on him while we process."
"You sure? He's still a prime suspect."
"Yeah, Gil's already confirmed the accident theory, I see no reason to see him as a threat." Catherine's gaze shifted over to Ned Morgan, his sobs had subsided and he was now staring at the far wall with a hollow look in his eyes. Her eyes turned back to Brass, "Give the poor guy a break Jim."
Brass shrugged and nodded, closing his notepad before walking out with Detective Vega, reminding Catherine to call if there was even the slightest trouble. Once the door had closed behind the cops Catherine turned to Ned.
"Mr. Morgan," she said quietly, "my partner and I need to finish up our processing and then we'll be out of your hair."
He looked up at her slowly, "Did you find anything else?" He asked hoarsely.
"No, nothing more than what you've heard already." Ned nodded at her words, but said nothing else. Catherine took it as her cue to leave, and made her way back to Grissom.
"How's the husband?" Grissom asked as she entered.
"Not well, Brass and Vega left to interview the neighbors, and I said we'd keep an eye on him."
His head shot up, "Do you think that's safe?"
Catherine sighed and put her hands on her hips, "We know it was an accident, and the poor guy is in shock. He just lost his wife, I can't imagine what he must be feeling. If anything were to happen to y-" She stopped, startled by the direction in which her words had taken. She cleared her throat and turned to her kit, fumbling with its contents, trying to find something to distract herself.
Grissom opened his mouth, wanting to ask her what she meant, and hoping he knew the answer, but didn't. Instead he turned back to his work, disappointed he had let the opportunity go by.
A/N: Ok, this chapter was mainly set-up and such, but the next chapter will start with the drama right away. Please R&R, even if this opening chapter may be a bit lame.
