Authors Notes/disclaimers/etc. : i don't own CSI or True by Ryan Cabrera... and i'm pretty sure i don't own ancient rome... i got in on the auction a little late... erm... o yeah READ & REVIEW!
Gallantly We Go
Catherine moved with a laugh to shut Gil's mouth gently. She looked him up and down with an odd little smile.
"Nice toga."
"I'm going to kill Greg."
"Why? Was the toga his idea? If so you may want to dispel any ideas…" Gil decided to cut Catherine off there.
"The guys decided to go with time themed costumes. Unfortunately I walked in while they were arguing about what time period to go with and they asked me without telling me what was going on. Me being me, I said ancient Rome." Grissom shook his head ruefully then cast a sharp eye towards her.
"So did all the women dress up like that?" For his question he received a smack in the arm. "I'm being serious!" He followed Catherine who was making her way to his Tahoe. "I mean if they did I'm going to get a camera." She wheeled around and poked him in the stomach. He blinked and grabbed his stomach yelping in indignation. Catherine wheeled away apparently satisfied stopping when she heard Gil sniggering. She harrumphed and clambered into the passenger seat as Gil struggling to hold a straight face got behind the wheel and turned the ignition. This was going to be the best party the lab had ever had.
As they walked into the lab, arm in arm, Greg ambushed them with a camera.
"I can't believe you actually dressed up." Mumbled Jim who was dressed in the simple clothes of a roman peasant. Gil shrugged as Jim stared at Catherine in disbelief.
"Wow." Was all Jim could manage. Catherine gave a shrug and smiled. Greg grinned cheekily and decided to voice his opinion.
"Catherine you look stunning!" He gushed cheerfully, "You should wear that more often!" At this point Catherine decided to glare as the lab rat darted off giggling like a chipmunk. Gil was smirking and shaking his head as he and his two best friends followed the excitable lab rat towards the party.
The rest of the team was gathered near the fruit punch and Cath and Gil were informed that prior to the party Nick and Greg had "accidentally" spilled an entire bottle of Bacardi Raspberry Rum into it along with something else they refused to reveal the name of. Gil suspected, given the current state of everybody drinking punch, that they had dumped a bottle of antihistamines in the punch. Gil knew from personal experience in college that those would make you very mellow if taken in the correct amount, he rather liked it and that being the case he eagerly partook in the punch. Catherine accepted a cup hesitantly and watching disbelievingly as Gil drank his entire cup in one go. She took in the other costumes with some amusement. Gil hadn't been kidding about the guys going in roman get-up. Warrick and Nick were both dressed up as roman centurions red capes, skirts, gold armor, crazy helmets that made them look like roosters and all. Greg had dressed up in the elaborate toga of a roman senator but the part of his chest that was visible revealed a tattoo that would definitely leave some people wondering how insane Greg was. The rainbow and prism from the cover of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album was forever immortalized on two square inches of Greg's chest. Sara seemed to have chosen a costume at random, the Cleopatra costume was a soft white cotton thing and actually looked pretty good on her, accentuating her figure and drawing Greg's attention every two seconds. Catherine almost died and puked at the sight of Conrad Ecklie, he had decided to go as Barney, the big problem was… his costume was too small… in places… disturbing places.
Catherine caught sight of Hodges and quickly downed her punch deciding that the "special ingredients" were going to be needed for the rest of the night. The white Marilyn Monroe dress showed off the fact that David Hodges had very thin legs and he had even shaved them. The wig added to the dress, heels, and fake breasts combined to make Hodges look like a very ugly Marilyn Monroe. As Hodges walked over to them Catherine realized he'd even put on lipstick and mascara.
"Hi Catherine."
"Hey Hodges, how are the heels?"
"Murder." With that the two launched into a friendly conversation about heels. It turned out that Hodges like going to drag shows and that it was a hobby he'd began as a kid. He'd even brought one of his drag queen friends to the party. He pointed Ronnie/Rhonda out, though there was hardly any need to. Ronnie/Rhonda was at least six foot five and was wearing a silver pencil dress with a lime green silk scarf draped around his bare shoulders. The fake breasts he wore looked almost part of him and he certainly pulled of the make up and wig better than Hodges did.
"Would you believe he's actually a teacher?" Hodges seemed jealous of his friend's ability to pull of drag so casually.
"Holy Hannah." Muttered Gil making Catherine jump, she hadn't realized he was standing right behind her. Hodges looked at Gil in surprise; he didn't seem to have notice Grissom either.
"Is that Ronnie Duvaulle?" Asked Gil looking at a stunned Hodges who nodded.
"You know him?" Inquired Hodges. Gil nodded with an appearance of borderline amusement.
"Yeah… we were friends in high school." He waved over to Ronnie/Rhonda who came over and gave Gil an awkward hug. He was too much taller than Gil and the constricting dress did nothing to help.
"GIL! I haven't seen you in ages!" Ronnie/Rhonda's voice was surprisingly high. Gil nodded.
"So what have you been up to you old queen?" Catherine wondered how much more shock she was going to go through that night. Gil and Ronnie/Rhonda spent the next half hour telling stories to Catherine and Hodges who both seemed shocked Gil and Ronnie/Rhonda knew each other.
"And that is why Gil is scared of monkeys." Finished Ronnie/Rhonda triumphantly. Gil looked embarrassed. Catherine and Hodges both looked stunned and Greg and Sara who had wandered into the conversation a bit late looked bewildered.
"Wow." That was all that Catherine could manage. A tune started up that she liked and she grinned evilly at Gil who caught her intention and opened his mouth to protest failing miserably as Catherine dragged him out to the dance floor.
I wont talk
I
wont breathe
I wont move till you finally see
That you belong
with me
Catherine rested her head on Gil's chest and he breathed in the freesia scent of her hair. His hands were wrapped around her waist holding her to him. Across the room Gil caught sight of Nick and Warrick trying to outdo each other schmoozing up one of the new lab techs on day shift. She looked amused at the attention. He turned his attention back to the beautiful woman in his arms and wondered whether or not to risk what he wanted to do.
You might think
I don't look
But deep inside the corner of my mind
I'm
attached to you
I'm weak
It's true
Cause I'm afraid to
know the answers
Do you want me too?
Cause my heart keeps
falling faster
He listened to the words and for some weird reason they gave him the strength. He moved his hand and tilted her face up to look her in the eyes. Across the room Sara watched this darkly.
"Hey Greg can you get me some punch?"
"Anything for my queen." He said gently giving her a warm smile that showed her he didn't mean it as a joke. She glanced back at Grissom and Catherine deciding it was time to move on.
I've waited
all my life
To cross this line
To the only thing that's
true
So I will not hide
Its time to try
Anything to be with
you
All my life I've waited
This is true
Gil and Cath looked into each others eyes; each trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Ronnie/Rhonda caught sight of Bobby from ballistics and wandered over to him with a seductive smile.
You don't
know what you do
Every time you walk into the room
I'm afraid
to move
I'm weak
It's true
I'm just scared to know the
ending
Do you see me too?
Do you even know you met me?
Sara accepted the punch sipping it and thinking about how to approach moving on and forgetting Grissom. Greg made decision for her taking the cup gently and pulling her onto the dance floor. She smiled and kissed him quickly. Greg blinked and took full advantage of this by kissing her in return.
I've waited
all my life to cross this line
To the only thing that's true
So
I will not hide
Its time to try anything to be with you
All my
life I've waited
This is true
Gil kissed Cath gently, one hand cupping her cheek, the other hugging her body too him. She kissed him back passionately; her arms entwined around his neck one hand roving through his hair pulling him down towards her. Ecklie rolled his eyes at the scenes around him. Warrick and Nick were near the point of alcohol poisoning, the lab tech they were talking to looked thoroughly amused and rather inebriated herself and was shamelessly flirting with Archie, who seemed to be enjoying it, Grissom and Catherine were making out on the dance floor and they weren't the only ones, Sara and Greg seemed to have lost their minds as they were nearing the exit kissing furiously bumping into people as they went; Sara's legs were locked around Greg's waist and her arms were lost in his brand new Caesar cut hair. His arms were currently busy, one in the small of her back and the other groping for the door. Hodges' tall friend was nowhere to be seen and Bobby the ballistics guy was missing too. Ecklie then caught sight of somebody he desperately wanted to avoid as he darted behind the nearest door he ran into Ronnie/Rhonda, who he only knew as Rhonda, and a rather flustered Bobby who nodded to him and smiled to Ronnie/Rhonda as he left. Conrad glanced towards the bane of his existence and made a quick decision.
"Hey Rhonda want to dance?" Ronnie/Rhonda looked startled but nodded in acceptance. Conrad led him/her out onto the dance floor as the next song started up and the whole lab learned that Conrad Ecklie knew how to dance… and half of it almost died laughing.
Archie leaned over to the lab tech he was flirting with and muttered.
"There is nothing funnier than Conrad Ecklie dancing with a drag queen to Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch"." The lab tech nodded and burst out giggling followed by Archie as they left for whomever's apartment was closer.
Conrad, for his part, was desperate not to be spotted by the bane of his existence and this was made all the more difficult by the fact half the lab was staring at him. The other half was too drunk to know what was going on, passed out, or otherwise preoccupied. He hoped that maybe she wouldn't see him.
"CONRAD MERIWETHER ECKLIE!" His hopes died. There was a chorus of snickers that went around the room. Mumblings of "Meriwether?" and "who is she?" were passed like gossip about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes as Conrad Ecklie's mother stormed towards him.
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