Yep, trying a new genre now. Anyhoo, as always, the normal disclaimers apply. The characters that are not mine don't belong to me, I'm just borrowing them for a bit. those characters that are mine, are well, mine. Please read, and hopefully enjoy. Feedback is encouraged. Thanks!
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Dark, boiling clouds built on the horizon, edging over the mountaintops and into the valley below. Gerri Simms shaded her eyes from the sun and eyed the growing clouds, watching and listening intently for any sign of lightning and thunder. Jamie was having a pool party this afternoon, celebrating a friend's birthday. She looked back to the pool, hearing joyful shrieks from the girls. She was just in time to see Daisy jump into the pool to join Frank. The beagles paddled in the pool, heading for Jamie and licking everyone who got in their way. They reached the shallows right as Gerri heard the first far-off crack of thunder. Another wary glance at the clouds and she pulled her air horn out. She knew the girls hadn't heard because of their shrieking and most were hearing impaired. A few quick blasts on the air horn gathered their attention and they dutifully splashed their way out of the pool. Giggles followed as they grabbed towels and tromped inside the house. More thunder followed as Gerri tried to catch the dogs to dry them off before they got all over the carpet. Gerri felt a strange chill run through her as she closed the French doors and looked out again at the mountains and the coming storm. She ignored it and followed the beagles into the laundry room, where they obediently got in their crates. She closed the door and turned off the light, heading down the hall to gather wet swimsuits and towels from Jamie and her friends. She returned to the laundry room after starting a movie in the den for them. Something nagged at the back of her mind, but she couldn't place it. She put the worry aside and seated herself in the recliner in the den, watching the Disney movie over the heads of seven little girls. If only things could stay this right in the world.
*****
The rain was coming down harder that night as Gerri arrived at her destination. She sat in the Excursion for a few minutes, letting the rhythmic thump of the windshield wipers and the drum of the rain lull her into a state of calm. She cut the engine, halting Bruce Springstein in the middle of a line from "Walking in Memphis". She grabbed her purse and her umbrella and took the keys from the ignition. She cracked the door open and pushed the umbrella out the top edge, thumbing the button on it to unfurl it. She jumped down and slammed the door, locking the doors with the key fob and setting the alarm and beginning her dash across the parking lot. She ducked in the doorway and shook her umbrella off gently on the mat. She looked up and grinned at the poor soul that got to man the front desk.
"Tis a little soggy out tonight." she laughed, closing the strap on the umbrella and deftly reaching into her purse for her wallet and ID. "I'm here to see Gil Grissom."
The girl nodded and tried to smile. The humor had gone out of her job a long time ago. "Do you have an appointment?"
"Yeah. I'm Gerri Simms, supposedly the new CSI." she slid the ID across the counter as the girl smiled and picked up the phone. Lissie leaned against the counter and listened as she spoke to the person on the other end and looked at Gerri's ID. She handed it back as she hung up the phone and pulled a visitor's badge out of the drawer, along with a sheet of paper.
"You'll need this," she tapped the badge with a pencil, "And fill out this form. Name, date, etc.. Sign at the bottom." Gerri did as directed and clipped the badge to her coat's lapel. "Mr. Grissom will have be up here in just a moment to escort you back." And with that, she turned back to her computer terminal, now ignoring Gerri.
Gerri continued to lean against the desk and fingered the laminated badge. As promised, someone appeared up front to collect her. Fortunately, it was someone she knew, she grinned as Catherine Willows came through the doors into the lobby.
"Back to cause us more trouble, aren't you Gerri?" asked Catherine, hugging her old friend.
"Always. I'm sure Gil is just thrilled to have me too." she laughed, grabbing her umbrella and adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder.
Catherine rolled her eyes. "Since he figured out that it was you, and not someone he'd never met before, it's been a split between rejoicing and complaining. But, I think he's glad to have you. Come on, I'll take you back, we can drop your stuff in your locker and then I'll throw you to the wolf."
A laugh from Gerri as she followed Catherine back through the door. "Gee, my very own locker, I guess that means I can't back out now."
*****
For all she had prepared herself for this, Gerri still fidgeted in her chair as she watched Gil flip through her personnel file. She looked around his office, noting that he had added to his collection. He finally closed the file and looked across the desk to her. The silence was tense as they watched each other intently, neither one really knowing what to say. They sat there like that until the silence was shattered by his office door open and his Big Mouth Billy Bass broke into a rendition of "Take Me To The River." Gerri giggled, glad for the interruption as Sara stuck her head in to address Grissom.
"Hey, Brass just called. He's got a dead body out off of I-15." she stopped and looked at Gerri. "Um… Hello. Sorry bout that." Sara reddened and ducked back out the door. Gil rose from his chair and motioned for Gerri to do the same.
"First night, first case." he headed for the door, but stopped and went back to the desk. He looked at Gerri and handed her a large padded envelope. "I forgot. Badge, gun, light, etc. Welcome to the Las Vegas CSI."
She took the envelope and quickly removed the contents, mentally reminding herself to get her holster out of her locker before they left. "Thanks, Gil."
He waved it off and headed for the door, she trotted to catch up to him and made a quick dash into the locker room before he made it out the front doors. It was still raining as she headed out to the Tahoe with Gil and Sara. She sat in one of the middle seats, watching Gil as he drove. Finally, Sara turned around and asked the dreaded question.
"So, where'd you come from? And how did this guy manage to lure you here?"
"Cheyenne, Wyoming. I was up for lead there, but my ex was moving back here, and I didn't think that such a distance would be good on our daughter." she added all of that for Gil's benefit and saw his reaction in the rearview mirror. Gil didn't lure me, the sheriff did. I don't think that Gil would've asked me to come if he had a choice in the first place."
"Ahhh, I see. I'm Sara Sidle, one of his former students. He got me out here from San Francisco to investigate Warrick." Sara grinned, while Gil glared at her. "Why wouldn't Gil want you here of his own free will?"
Before Gerri could answer, Gil spoke up. "Because she likes to ruin my life." he made a quick right turn and glimpsed Gerri's angry face in the mirror as they passed under a streetlamp. Well, she deserves it. he thought, ignoring them as he turned onto the highway. Fifteen minutes of silence later, they arrived at a dirt turnoff where a police cruiser sat. Gil pulled up and flashed his ID to the officer standing by his vehicle. He was waved through and they bumped their way down the road. They pulled next to Brass's car in a cloud of dust.
"Nice of you to come join us." Brass greeted them as they got out of the Tahoe. He saw Gerri and introduced himself. "Jim Brass, homicide. Don't I know you?" he asked, studying her features in the weak evening light. The rain had reduced itself to an infrequent drizzle by now, adding a chill to the desert air.
"Probably. You ran CSI when I was last out here. Gerri Simms."
"That's right, you were Gil's girlfriend. Nice to have you back here again." Brass glanced over at Gil, and judging from the look he received, the girlfriend status was no longer valid. "The body's over here." he waved and led them through the brush.
Sara walked next to Gerri. "You dated Grissom? And I thought he wasn't capable of such a thing."
"Gerri shrugged. "Yeah. He was capable, but the job has gotten to him. I left and married my ex-husband when Gil decided not to commit." she shook her head, remembering. "It wouldn't have worked for us anyway, we were both too married to our jobs to be concerned with our feelings for each other."
Sara considered that for a moment. "Do you still have feelings for him?" she asked, catching Gerri's arm before they got into hearing range of Brass and Grissom, who had reached the dead body.
Before she thought the word had slipped form her lips. "Yes." Do I really? she asked herself, wondering as she stared at him as he crouched next to the body.
Sara released her arm. "Well, there's always a second chance." Gerri stared at the younger woman, and then the moment was gone. "Come on, time to meet your first dead body in Vegas."
*****
