This came to mind shortly after I posted 'Obsession' and I've been working at it off and on, finally with some results I mostly like. Although chronology's not terribly important, this would take place before 'Obsession'. No spoilers here.

Disclaimer: While I will be making lots of CSI references in the Solutions Biology class I'll be teaching this fall, I do not actually own CSI.


Coffee


"It's amazing how the world begins to change through the eyes of a cup of coffee!" Donna A. Favors


Coffee is her God and Savior.

Heavy footed and exhausted, Morgan shuffles into the break room at quarter after five, all but squinting in an attempt to keep her eyes focused. The sweet smell of salvation lingers on the air and the room is filled with the glorious sound of percolation. "Please tell me you're willing to share," she remarks to Greg, who is seated at the table with a mug wrapped around his hands and his gaze absently watching the brewing pot.

Startled out of his distant thoughts, he smiles slightly and nudges a chair out from under the table, motioning for her to sit. "Rough shift?" he asks, sliding the half mug of coffee over to her as she sits. "It's pretty fresh, all that was left of the last pot." He adds by way of explanation, waving off her protests that she doesn't mind waiting. She looks like she needs it, and he's had two cups since he got back from his crime scene a few hours ago.

Morgan slips her fingers through the cup's handle gratefully, taking a deep breath and a long, savoring sip, eyes fluttered shut. Exhaling heavily, she sets it back down and absently tries to trace the flavor before answering. "People are sick," which they both know and see too often. Still, the triple she's been working since she came in last night is one of the worst she's seen in a long time. Between deep drinks of his coffee—she still can't quite place the flavor and is wondering how he takes it—she goes over the details as they become clearer in her now caffeine jumpstarting memory. Greg makes a good audience she also realizes vaguely, somewhere in the distant recesses of thought: he nods in all the right places, clarifies with a question when she glosses over a detail too quickly, and his brow knits itself into a puzzled expression as he thinks it over.

He seems to be unable to come to any new conclusions (neither has she), and so settles for a chuckle that seems to chase away the last of her weary restlessness, "no wonder you needed to coffee."

She laughs at that as well, taking another drink as amicable silence settles around them a moment before she asks, "How's your case going?" He'd been called away on a colo expedition shortly after arriving on scene.

"Pretty standard, shouldn't be too hard, just a lot of prints and receipts to sift through to eliminate suspects." The smash and grab had been simple, it was just a matter of comparing the vast multitude of prints to sales records to find their perp. It was precisely that, a combination of swirling ridge details and tiny receipt printing, that had driven his strained eyes to the break room.

Morgan nods sympathetically as she drains the last of the half-cup, which Greg promptly reaches for. She opens her mouth to protest only to have him cut her off. "You've been on your feet for hours, relax, let me get it."

She's grateful enough that she thinks she might very well kiss him in thanks, except that would involve getting up and following him across the room to the coffee pot, and she's not quite sure she could manage it without at least another half cup of caffeine in her. Instead she settles for a verbal response and watching him as he works.

Somewhat revived from the small bit of caffeine working its way through her bloodstream, Morgan notices for the first time that Greg looks particularly handsome tonight (though perhaps this has more to do with staring at three well carved bodies for hours on end than him putting forth any more effort than normal). His hair is styled as usual and his dark washed jeans are not out of his norm, but the button up he's wearing, sleeves rolled halfway up his arm, (minus his usual jacket, which is sprawled on a chair) is a jewel toned shade of blue that seems to light up his dark eyes. "Date before shift?" She asks without thinking, realizing only moments later that the question will seem strange and out of context.

As expected, he turns around midway through pulling down a cup for himself, looking at her curiously from over his shoulder. "No?" He replies hesitantly, eyes quizzical. "Why?"

Morgan shrugs absently, plowing forward despite the blunder. "Just the shirt," she explains, as if this should sum up that conclusion, "it's nice, I like the color." She adds in.

Greg just chuckles. "You need coffee, stat," comes his witty rejoinder, turning back to their cups to avoid the hint of color that's rising up his cheeks. He fills them with fresh coffee, then proceeds to the fridge with a spoon, "how do you take it?"

"The last cup was good," Morgan tells him, mostly because she's curious to see what was in it. Her eyes are still on him (definitely not appreciating the way the blue fabric moves over his shoulders) as he opens the freezer and pulls out a small container of New York Vanilla ice cream. He brings it back to their cups and places a flat topped spoonful in each, then splits a cream between them, stirring for a long moment while she watches on silently. She doesn't question the mixture, but notes that the flavor suddenly makes sense.

After a bit more stirring (certainly not spent suddenly fixated on how nice his jeans look on him and wondering how she's never quite noticed before), Greg returns the ice cream to the freezer, the spoon to the sink, and takes a mug in each hand to make his way back to the table.

He hands her the cup carefully, their fingers just brushing as they work together, his stumbling awkwardly as he maneuvers them out from his one-handed grip. They both give in to a breathy half laugh at the ridiculousness of it, while both being likewise a bit impressed the exchange doesn't result in a single drop spilled.

Raising their cups simultaneously, breathing to cool them, they avoid catching eyes and each take a drink. The liquid, delicious and strong and just slightly too hot, clears the remaining cobwebs from Morgan's mind and is so good after everything that's happened so far that she can't help the moan of satisfaction that rumbles through her throat. Thankfully her eyes are closed for it, and she misses the way the sound makes Greg tense and his face tighten for just a moment, stealing a glance at her features before her takes another deep, steadying drink.

"You," she says breathily several otherwise silent drinks later, "are my hero Greg Sanders." Her voice still has that heavy, sort of sleepy, sort of sated sound to it (he very resolutely does not think about what other situation or events might bring those qualities out). Standing, throwing back the last of the dark liquid, she drops the cup in the sink, turning to smile at him. "Thanks for the coffee break. See you in prints?" And her usual tone—light, friendly, always just slightly flirty—is back and very much not helping.

"Anytime," he replies, as convincingly forced casual as his nod. As soon as she's down the hall he stands up and moves stiffly to the coffeepot, suddenly drowning in an exhaustion (and perhaps something else entirely) that he hadn't felt earlier.

Another cup (black) and he's in the print lab, (not) watching her across the table.

Coffee is his God and Savior.


For someone who doesn't even like the smell of coffee, I have a bit of an obsession with it as a plot device. Just a way to tie in Morgan's familiarity with his coffee preferences and a showing of a perceptional shift in regards to Morgan's thoughts of Greg.

My next installment, 'Home', should be up in few days. It would have been up Friday, but I saved the wrong document off my work computer and couldn't get access to it until today.

Also, within the next week I'll be coming out with a new series call 'You're It', which will be a series of episode tags. The goal is to have 1 for each episode in season 12 and hopefully beyond as the new season starts. Right now it's just a matter of deciding if I want to do them in order or just post the ones I have now.

As always, reviews, comments and suggestions are appreciated. If you have any quotes you like that you think would fit these two well, or just ones you'd like to see used, please feel free to share those as well and I'll do my best to use them.

Take Care!

AkaOkamiRyu