Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any of its characters.
Chapter 1
Warrick Brown walked in to the main room of the bar. It was empty except for a few employees cleaning the tables at the edge of the dance floor, getting ready for the crowd that would be there later that evening. A woman, of whom he could only see the back of her head, was sitting at piano on stage, singing. He wondered who she was; he knew the woman who usually played piano here and this woman was not her.
This woman had an enchanting voice, one that caused Warrick to walk to the edge of the stage and listen to her. He stared at her back, watching her chestnut ponytail bobbing in time to the music. When she had finished her song, he said, "Beautiful voice!"
"Thank you," she replied, turning around to look at her newfound fan. After looking at him a minute she added, "Beautiful eyes."
Warrick was taken aback by her compliment, but even more so by her visage. From her voice and piano playing, he was expecting someone in her early thirties. Instead, he found a girl, barely in her twenties. He raised an eyebrow.
"I always like to compliment those who compliment me," she answered his silent question, sliding off the piano bench and onto the stage edge. "It's kinda my own way of not getting a big head."
He smiled. "You're new here, aren't you?"
"Just got here today," she replied. "You must be a regular?"
He shook his head. "Not exactly. The owner is a friend."
In fact, the owner, Joe Rand, was a good friend. He and Warrick had become friends a number of years ago when they both had the same bookie. And then they had the same Gamblers Anonymous group. Warrick was the one who finally convinced Joe his dream of a bar was a good one. And it had been, Joe's bar was no dive, it catered to upscale twenty- to forty-somethings that wanted a place to get a drink without all the techno. Not to mention, Joe let Warrick play there every now and again.
"Hmmm," she responded, eying him in fake scrutiny. "Joe didn't tell me he had any friends."
He shot back, "Joe didn't tell me he was hiring new entertainment."
She laughed a little. "Hired implies that I am getting paid."
It was his turn to laugh. "Such a talented musician and he's not paying you?"
She blushed a little and then mumbled, "Sucks to be family sometimes."
Warrick raised an eyebrow. "Family, as in cousin?"
"Family, as in sister." She stuck out her hand and introduced herself. "Sarah Theresa Annette Rand, but all my friends call me Star."
Warrick shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Star, I'm Warrick Brown."
"Warrick Brown," she repeated. "I think I remember hearing some about you. You're a cop?"
He shook his head. "I work for the crime lab, I'm a scientist."
"That's right," she replied. "Now I remember. You convinced him to open this place, too."
"Yup," he responded. "But you know, he's never mentioned you."
She let out another chuckle. "He probably doesn't say a lot about me because he was leaving for UNLV as I was entering preschool."
While they were talking, they didn't notice the man in his thirties who approached them. He was about the same height as Warrick, but more stout, with blonde hair and brown eyes. "Yeah, and look at you, who'd want to claim you," Joe added to their conversation, letting out a laugh.
Star rolled her eyes at her brother's comment. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, you should come hear me play tonight."
"I'd love to, but I can't," Warrick responded. "I work graveyard."
She faked a pout. "Awww, well, maybe you can come by and hear me practice sometime. I can always use encouragement."
"Yeah, and we'll invite your wife too," Joe responded.
She smiled awkwardly at the mention of Warrick's wife. She hadn't noticed his ring, which now was very apparent to her. She then looked down at her wrist, as if looking for the time; only she wasn't wearing a watch. "Looks like it's getting late. I better go find something to wear for my big debut." She hopped off the stage and left.
"She has an amazing voice," Warrick told Joe after Star left.
Joe started to nod, but then turned it into a headshake. He could see something in the way Warrick looked at her. "Yeah, and she's 23 and you're married."
Warrick playfully punched Joe in the arm. "I wasn't even thinking it."
"Good," Joe replied. "Because she's 23, you're married, and, oh yeah, she's my SISTER."
A while later, Warrick felt some remorse as he walked out of the club. He had lied to his friend. He had been thinking about Star. It wasn't necessarily her looks; she was cute, but not especially beautiful. There was just something about her voice, the way she played the piano, which was causing her to be stuck inside his brain.
He shook his head, trying to get her out of it. He had a beautiful wife, Tina, whom he loved. Things had been a little less than ideal since they'd gotten married, but then again, they hadn't been married that long. For that matter, they hadn't known each other that long either. He knew that Star was just a bump in the road of his marriage.
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A couple days later, Warrick was in a CD store looking for some music. He was browsing through a row when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Star standing behind him.
"Hey Warrick," she greeted him.
"Hey, Star, what's up?" he responded, noting that she looked even younger today in her loose-fit jeans, hooded maroon sweatshirt, Vans and hair still in a ponytail. If he didn't know her age, he would've sworn she was 16.
She could tell what he was thinking. She got a lot of flak about looking young and recognized the look on his face. "I know, I know, I look like a kid," she replied then held up some CDs. "Just getting some new music, some new ideas. What're you up to?"
"About the same," he told her, smiling.
This was only the second time she'd seen him smile, but she already knew she loved it and the way his eyes lit up. She tried to get the thought out of her head, though. He's married, she reminded herself, however she still couldn't help but smile, too. "Oh? Do you write?"
"I play around a little," he replied.
"We should write something together sometime," she offered.
He actually liked the idea, but his smile faded a little. He hesitated with his answer
"Or maybe not," she added. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be forward. I'm just new to town…looking to make friends. And Joe speaks highly of you."
"It's ok," he tried to assure her. "It's just, I haven't been married very long. I don't know if my wife would appreciate me hanging out with you. Plus, Joe said he'd kick my ass."
Star let out a little chuckle. "Well, Joe's my problem, but your wife is welcome to come too. We could be a trio." She grinned. Then after she realized how bad that sounded, she covered her eyes with her hand and her cheeks turned bright red. "Oh my god, I can't believe I just said that. I didn't mean…"
Warrick laughed. "It's alright. I know what you meant. But, it would be a bad idea. My wife can't carry a tune."
She was glad he hadn't taken it the wrong way. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me, at least until winter break is over."
"Oh, you going back east for school?" he inquired, unconsciously pointing at her shirt which had "Carnegie Melon"printed on it.
She shook her head. "Nope. I'm done with them. I actually start teaching music at Las Vegas Academy when school starts back. It's why I'm here."
"Wow, that's amazing," he responded. He'd never figured her for a teacher.
"Thanks," she replied and then hesitated. "Um, you…you wouldn't want to…" She let out a sigh. She wanted to ask him to lunch, but was afraid he'd get the wrong idea. She just wanted someone besides her brother to talk to. Plus, she respected the fact he was married and it probably wouldn't look good for the two of them to have lunch together.
She looked at her wrist, still no watch. "Well, look at the time. I need to get going. I got to get something to eat before practice." She started to walk away, not waiting on a reply.
This caused Warrick to look at his watch. He didn't have to be anywhere for a few hours. And after hearing her play and seeing her CD selections, he was interested in talking music with her; something he hadn't been able to do with anyone in a while. And he knew she was about to ask him to lunch, but still, he was apprehensive.
Star had only gotten a few steps away when Warrick surprised himself and asked, "Where are you going?" The words had escaped his lips before he had time to stop himself.
She turned around, trying to suppress the smile that had crept across her lips. "I was just going to wander down the street and see what looked good."
"Well…" he started, but then stopped. He couldn't convince himself to say the words. Instead he continued with, "Have a good lunch."
Her smile faded. She had hoped he'd suggest lunch, but such was not her luck. "Ok, have a good day," she responded and turned back around.
She paid for her CDs and left. She was disappointed her run in hadn't gone well. She'd been thinking about Warrick since their first encounter the other day. She'd given Joe the third degree about Warrick, but he was hesitant with his answers. She kept trying to reassure Joe she was just interested in him as a friend. However, when she found a tape of Warrick's playing and singing in her brother's music collection, she knew her heart was lost.
She had thought the chance meeting was a sign; maybe there was something between them. So, she chastised herself for not being bolder. She knew she should've asked him to lunch. But, she also felt she made the right decision. She needed to remember he was married and, as much as she hated it, she needed to respect that fact. Her heart would just have to break.
