A/N: I felt like putting something up on leap-year day. My 'Lost Commodore' stuff isn't ready just yet, so here's more for this story! I'm kinda let down not so many people read this... but it seems like there's alot of updates and such going on under the CSI tab. I really like this story and hope you guys out there like it too. Enjoy, and reviews are most welcome!
Morgan rubbed her lower back and groaned. It was already a bit past the end of her shift, but she still wanted to stay longer. She didn't have to- mainly only the field CSIs and supervisors ran overtime into the next shift to finish up their cases. If they did stay overtime, the next lab shift would handle any analysis they needed. Morgan wasn't needed as soon as the next shift stepped into the room, unless a large amount of evidence was dumped in her lap close to the end of shift. Day shift loved it when she would stick around longer so they wouldn't be bothered with what wasn't "their case".
Vincent had left for home 10 minutes ago, and the day shift brat was grating Morgan to her last nerve. She felt in her gut that whatever happened with the monks was probably solved, and she certainly wouldn't find out anything if she stayed in her lab. Then again, her gut was under stress due to a certain annoying day-shift lab tech whining over Morgan using "his" microscope.
In the end she gave up and went straight for the locker room. She never, ever liked the fact that the locker room was unisex. All of her co-workers were very respectable to her, but she felt her neck flush when she caught a member of the opposite sex changing clothes. Hell, even in female only locker rooms she felt embarrassed about being naked around strangers. There was just some sides to your co-workers she wasn't ready to see.
The worst was when she caught Archie in just a towel after taking a shower, who figured that he could get changed fast enough before another co-worker enter the room. They couldn't make eye contact for several days after that. Finally Archie got her to come around by teasing that he would have worked out more if he had known about their brush encounter ahead of time. Morgan blushed but giggled, joking back and resuming their normal interactions again.
She opened her locker and leaned her head against the metal frame. Her body was just too exhausted from lack of action and her brain was begging for sleep. Home would have to wait, however, since she had made a promise to visit the temple the monks were residents of… and murdered in. Morgan peeled off her lab coat and hung it on a hanger she kept in the locker just for it. She undid the top few buttons of her blouse, badly wanting to just peel off her work clothes and slip into a comfortable t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. In fact, she kept a set of such clothes in her locker, but never got comfortable enough to change. She bit her lower lip, worrying it as she turned over the idea of maybe changing her clothes in a bathroom stall.
A loud clang from behind her pulled Morgan from her thoughts, causing her to jump and quickly see the source of the noise. Nick stood at his locker, well, Morgan assumed it was his locker, looking sheepishly up at her reaction.
"Sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean to startle you."
If it was anyone else, she would have rolled her eyes at the oozing sweetness. But that was Nick, and with him, unlike most other men, being sweet wasn't an act to get into a girl's pants. She knew that he was just a generally sweet, kind-hearted man. Morgan didn't know if she wanted to berate him for being so cute or just growl in frustration from wanting to cuddle him. She opted to stay quiet and contain herself.
"I just was a little lost in thought."
"Tough day?" he turned back to his locker and started to pull off his sweater inadvertently.
'God, you don't make it easy Stokes.' Morgan silently thought to herself, shaking her head and looking away.
"Just a har- h- half maddening day." She turned quickly and hid her face in the locker, trying to control the burning in her cheeks. Lewd innuendo danced in her brain from a stirred libido, which she managed to smack down with a semblance of self control. "Seemed to linger longer then it should, I guess." Self control hadn't fully stamped out libido, but was definitely winning.
"Yeah, I hear that." Poor Nick was oblivious to Morgan's reactions. She heard the rustling of fabric, and while wincing her eyes shut she groped in her locker for her spare set of clothes. "Ran down a few leads that were red herrings. It ended up being someone who worked at the temple."
"The monk case?" Morgan spun around; her interest in his words overpowered any embarrassment.
"Yeah. Sad though." He pulled on a fresh t-shirt, glancing over his shoulder to her. "Seems the guy only did it since he was caught stealing and thought the monks were going to turn him in. Killed over a lousy grand."
Morgan looked down, feeling rage bubbling inside of her. "Bastard. They didn't… they were good people I'm sure. They probably wouldn't have even cared about the stolen money. They didn't deserve it."
Nick shrugged a bit, turning to face her fully. "No one deserves to die. But that's why we're here, to stop the people who did the wrong."
She just closed her eyes and nodded, clutching her change of clothes to her chest.
"Morgan, you uh, want me to stand out by the door while you get dressed?" he pointed over towards the door with his thumb.
"Huh?" She looked up suddenly, her mixture of sadness and anger had displaced in her mind what she was doing in here. Morgan looked down to see where his eyes were resting, at the bundle of clothes she clutched to her body. She looked up, blushing a bit. "Do you mind, Nick? I really hate changing in public rooms. Makes me feel too exposed."
"Not a problem. Let me just finish up and I'll watch the door for you." Nick smiled ever so charmingly, making Morgan glad her back was pressed to the lockers. The way her knees jittered slightly under that smile was best not revealed to Mr. Stokes.
"Thanks, I really mean it. Even at home after I shower I just run to my bedroom and slam the door." She turned red after giving away a bit too much information, but Nick just laughed politely.
"That shy, huh? Awright, I'll lock down the entrance for ya." He grinned a bit towards her as he closed his locker and headed for the door. Morgan heard it swing shut, and Nick called out, "All clear!"
She shook her head slowly; still red at the thought that Nick was still close by. The thought of him peeking on her while she changed was far-fetched, but the idea of being so vulnerable to someone that drew reactions out of her so easily made her face flush. She pulled off her work clothes quickly, stuffing them disorderly into her bag. Morgan never even got fully undressed, just replacing what article got removed with a clean alternative.
She pulled on her sneakers and breathed out, feeling more comfortable now. She reached up and untied her ponytail, letting long dark chocolate strands finally loose. Morgan felt some of the tension across her skull relax, removed her glasses from her face and started to run a brush through her long hair.
"Okay Nick, you can stop guarding the locker room." She called out as she started to undo a tricky knot.
The door swung open again, and he spoke as he walked back in. "Sure, just let me grab my- whoa."
Morgan glanced up at Nick, well, she assumed was Nick. He looked rather blurry to her at the moment, but she could make out his shape vaguely. "Your what?"
"Okay, now there was a co-worker of mine in here who wanted her privacy. I don't know how you got in here or where she disappeared to… " he started to walk closer, coming a bit more into focus. So did the cheeky smile on his face.
"Very funny Mr. Stokes. I'm sure then if such was the case, you make a very lousy guard." She smirked and rolled her eyes, turning away to continue brushing out her disagreeable hair.
"You look… really different without your glasses. And with your hair down…" He reached out for a moment, like he was going to touch her hair, but his hand quickly went down.
"I do? It's just easier to tie it back… sometimes it gets in the way when I work. As for my glasses… contacts sound a bit uncomfortable and I don't like anything close to my eyes. I have enough trouble with eye drops."
"It's quite a difference..." He spoke softly, sending tingles down Morgan's spine.
She turned to him, surprised at how thoughtful his face looked. Morgan set down her brush and picked up her glasses. "So you're saying these make me look dorky?"
He shook his head, a small frown forming on his lips reflexively. "No… it's just, you shouldn't hide your eyes."
She felt her stomach tighten. She could read his aura, but she felt it to be an invasion of privacy while dealing face to face with that person. Was Nick flirting with her, or just complimenting her? Either way it made her nervous with not being used to his attention, and certainly not from a man that would make any woman sigh as he passed. To Morgan, she was wearing rather plain clothes, though even her bland relaxation clothes she liked to keep clean and neat. Her jeans were a bit on the baggy side around her calves and not really worn, while her t-shirt was just a pale green v-neck. Nothing that was terribly enticing or sexy, at least in her opinion, but a stark contrast to what all of her co-workers normally saw as her attire. She typically wore a nice buttoned blouse and a bland colored skirt with a hemline that just grazed her knees.
Morgan's heart hammered none the less as she pulled on her glasses and with it a stoic mask. "I'll keep that in mind." She grabbed her bag, making a quick sweep with her eyes that nothing important was left in her locker before closing it, and started to move past him. "Thanks Nick, I'll bring you something nice for lunch to repay you. Take care."
"Yeah…." Was all she heard as a response as she left a confused Nick scratching the back of his head.
Morgan was more than happy to get out of that awkward situation, but it still left her heart pounding a bit too quickly for her to be happy.
After taking a peek at the case file, Morgan had learned the address of the Buddhist temple where the monks were murdered.
'No,' she shook her head and corrected her thoughts. 'Where they lived.'
Right now she was driving to the address she found in the case file in her worn Honda Civic. It puttered along angrily at having to vary from its usual commute home. Morgan's fingers drummed on the steering wheel as she glanced down at the address for the seventh time. She was on the right street but didn't see anything resembling a temple just yet. Finally it came into view and she started searching for a place to park nearby.
As she stepped closer to the entrance, she couldn't help noticing how familiar it felt. It was similar to when she first encountered the monks, soothing and even a bit otherworldly. She moved further inside after removing her shoes, breathing in the fragrant scent of incense that drifted through the air. There was a gold statue of Buddha with a few money trees on the side. Her feet glided over the wood floor of the entrance, and candles as well as the late morning sun lit the room. Morgan felt her mind relax and the tension of the day just slip away.
"Welcome. Can I help you?" A voice roused her from her state. Morgan turned to see a monk, similar to the others she had seen in her vision. He was a bit younger then she had expected.
"Just… needed a place to think." She wrung her hands a bit nervously. The monk bowed his head a bit. Morgan sighed and looked down at the floor. "This is hard to explain, and… I haven't really talked about it much."
The monk nodded and motioned to a veil covered archway. "We are always willing to listen. If you would like, we might speak in here."
Morgan nodded and stepped past the veil. The room was like the previous, only smaller and with a small low table at the center. She kneeled down and sat one side of the table, resting her hands in front of her. The monk moved and sat gracefully across from her.
"I'm with the crime lab, but that's not why I'm here. For a long time, I've had this… ability. When people don't die naturally, it's a powerful force that rips through the spiritual world. The ripping of soul from body prematurely makes ripples that spread like waves through the area, and if one is sensitive to these things they can feel the tearing. When your fellow monks were killed earlier… I felt it. I saw them.
"There are other… abilities I have." She sighed before continuing. "Seeing auras, influencing essence, things like that. I just… I don't know how to function with this. Some times I want to push it all away."
The monk absorbed all this, making sure that she was finished before speaking. "Some things are revealed to us, if we are willing to see. You have been made able to see, but not totally willing."
Morgan nodded and swallowed hard, feeling tears threaten to spill over. "It's not that I don't want to help. I do… I wish these horrible things in the world wouldn't happen. But… they… the dead… most of the time they just… th- their pain is so great they just howl and scream." She shivered a bit. "I can't handle it sometimes."
"Suffering in the world is unavoidable. Without it there is no compassion. Perhaps by seeing those who suffer that pass by unnoticed by many, you can help them?"
"How?"
"By giving them the compassion the ones who took their lives denied them."
Morgan woke from the sound of her iHome blaring the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack somewhere close to her head. She growled and flipped over, smacking at the top of the unit until it was silenced. Blinking blearily she made out the time by squinting her eyes and forcing them to focus. She had more than enough time before her shift started, but was always slow moving when she first got up. Blinking and sitting up, she reached around for her glasses. Holding her chin with one hand she went over earlier in the day.
After visiting the temple the monks had lived at, she spoke at great length with the monk Ananda. He had stepped out when the murders occurred. They talked about her ability, how it was triggered, and such. Ananda thought that she might gain greater clarity and mastery over her ability through the aid of meditation. She felt completely comfortable with him, like a long lost teacher. In fact, Morgan admitted to him that she felt the departed monks had somewhat guided her to the temple for help.
She shook her hair out and yawned slowly. She spent a lot of time learning the basics of meditation, and Ananda had even given her some incense before she finally went home and collapsed in exhaustion. Morgan always felt she could use more sleep when she woke up against her will.
The warm shower helped her wake up further, and after her second cup of tea she felt more herself. While opening the fridge in hopes of preparing breakfast, she spotted the sliced lamb package which sparked her memory.
"Oh crud. I have to make Nick lunch." Morgan muttered aloud. It wasn't the idea of cooking for someone else; it was so quickly rushing head first to Nick… especially after their very awkward encounter.
Her brow crinkled in irritation and she rubbed it away. First Vincent, then Archie, and now Greg and Nick. How many co-workers did she have to get friendly with? Morgan was not an unfriendly person, just not very good at social interaction. Even before the emergence of her gift she was often the odd one out. Now with the bombardment of emotions from the living and even sometimes the dead, socializing was very difficult.
If she didn't have enough control over herself, brushing accidentally against an enraged person send pulses of anger through her mind. The absolute worst was when she once got too close to a storage locker in college that students were getting "hot and heavy" while she was on the way to class. It took all her self control not to squirm during the lecture, and afterwards not jump her professor when he had to talk to her. Her control was quite good now, using the way she would distance herself from others to distance uninvited emotions. However, it seemed she was developing a social life without her consent.
"Oh well." Morgan sighed while pulling out the package of lamb meat. "Welcome to the human race, I guess."
Driving to work was blissfully uneventful, with the sun had settled lower in the sky but not close to setting just yet. She parked her car and turned off the engine, unable to avoid looking at her reflection in the rearview mirror. Morgan sighed and studied herself carefully, having taken a different approach to her appearance this day.
She couldn't help having what Nick said in the locker room affect her, about her hair and glasses. The truth was she liked to keep her looks bland and unassuming, enabling her to avoid social confrontations. Her ponytail was simple and easy to maintain, plus with the added benefit that it never attracted attention. Glasses felt like a barrier she could maintain between her and the world, a bit of a safety blanket for Morgan. In the spirit of change, however, she had tried something different. A set of contacts that were her prescription, a buy she never fully intended to use, had replaced her sturdy black frames and currently itched slightly in her eyes. She struggled with blow drying her hair out for over thirty minutes and tried to ensure it didn't frizz out with some salon goop, a moving away present from a friend. Everything else about her was the same, she might have put a bit more then her usual faint dusting of makeup on but her outfit was generally unchanged from her normal work attire.
Morgan sighed and finally got out of her car, sliding the strap of her bag onto her shoulder as she closed the car door. Clipping her ID to her blouse, she entered the police station with her heart pounding uncomfortably in her chest. She didn't seem to attract any unwanted attention, but felt her stomach turn at a uniformed officer whose gaze followed her as she walked past.
It was early, so most of the graveyard shift hadn't come on just yet. Morgan noticed this as she clocked in, and headed straight for the break room. Smiling a bit to herself, she pulled two sandwiches out of her bag and placed them inside the refrigerator. She had written Nick's name on his sandwich and made sure it faced the door of the fridge.
She continued to allow the faint smile to grace her lips and made her way to the locker room. A few members of the previous shift were leaving as she made her way inside. It wasn't terribly long before Morgan had deposited her bag and wrapped herself in the familiar security of her lab coat. As she approached the door to leave and head for her lab, the door swung open and revealed Archie.
"Oh excuse me… Morgan?" his simple apology turned into a baffled question at the end.
Morgan grimaced internally. Did her few changes really made a difference? She knew she would have to deal with the damned observant nature of criminalists.
"Hey Archie. In early too?" she smiled as pleasantly as she could muster.
He scratched the back of his head, messing his black hair up that still looked perfect despite his efforts. "Yeah… just uh… have a lot of security tapes left over. You look like a different person without your glasses and all."
Morgan made a quick mental diagnosis of her options: she could be curt, yet polite, and leave Archie in the locker room, she could stay and talk with Archie and deal with his not-to-subtle crush on her, she could run past him and flee, or she could change topics and rely on Archie's fellow nerdliness.
"Hey Archie, have you heard about the Star Trek movie by JJ Abrams?"
Archie's eyes lit up, and the two lab rats felt the cloud of unease lift from them. Morgan's plans for starting early were slightly detoured by her diversion, but the loss of tension was well worth it for her. When they parted in the hallway, Vincent was already in the lab with a smirk on his face.
Morgan's cheeks burned as she walked over where evidence was usually dropped off in the lab. "What? What are you so smug about?"
"Hmm… not sure which is more amusing… your new look or the fact that you seemed so happy talking to Archie." Vincent raised an eyebrow as Morgan snapped on her latex gloves.
"I just… wanted to try something different. That against policy?" She pulled out a marked container and got it prepared for analysis.
He started preparing a slide for the microscope while shrugging, playing it nonchalant. "No… but strange how it coincides with a planned meal with Sanders."
She winced a bit. 'Oh crap… I said I would and I totally forgot about that today. Maybe I didn't… oh man, my brain is working without notifying me.'
"Damn it… I almost forgot." She pinched the brow of her nose, wishing badly she had her glasses on at the moment. "Well… it's just breakfast… right?"
Vincent gave Morgan a knowing look that made her desperately wish she hadn't crawled out of bed. She didn't want to stand Greg up, but she hoped that she could gather up some courage before the end of her shift. Burying herself in work usually made her forget her worries, but that would just put off the inevitable. She pushed a few stray hairs out of her face and let out a slow breath, hoping Greg didn't need to run into the trace lab as much as he did the other day.
Most of the shift felt routine to Morgan, at least, she tried to convince herself of that. She pushed out of her mind the double-take Warrick made when he dropped off some evidence from a robbery-homicide. She put down Catherine's admiration for her change as just friendly female chatter, and ignored Sara's slight eyebrow raise. She was endlessly grateful that Grissom didn't have any opinion, or if he did he was excellent at keeping any reaction hidden.
She didn't run into Nick or the other lab rats while she worked, but Morgan had a feeling that would end when she went for lunch. She and Vincent liked to make sure someone was in the lab at all times incase something was needed. They would take breaks at different times, and she let Vincent eat first before heading to the break room for her own meal. Typically around mid-shift they couldn't take badgering one another any longer, even though it was all in good fun.
Morgan stretched, her satin blue blouse stretching and wrinkling with her movements. Sitting at her microscope for so long made her back stiffen and her neck cramp up terribly, and for some reason as good as she was at giving massages it made her equally critical of those who massaged her. Strange. However, her body was currently grateful for the movement that her break provided. She took a turn into the break room and saw both Nick and Warrick seated at a table across from each other, eating and talking. The two were engrossed in their conversation, not really noticing as she slipped past them and over to the fridge. With a glance over her shoulder she noticed that Nick happened to be enjoying the gyro she left for him. She blushed a bit, strangely pleased over him eating a meal she made, and she ducked her head into the fridge to search for her own lunch.
Warrick and Nick were laughing about something or another when Morgan peeked out from the fridge with her gyro and soda. Warrick glanced over to where she was standing at the sound of the fridge door closing, his eyebrows lifting in… well… what Morgan guessed was approval.
"Oh hey… um… Morgan right?" he called out to her.
She felt her muscles tense up instantly and was caught like a deer in headlights. She smiled a bit and nodded ever so slightly, a few errant strands of hair sliding out from behind her ear. "Hi, Warrick. Nick."
Nick had looked up when Warrick had called out her name. His brow relaxed as he looked her over, at least trying to seem subtle about it but still making Morgan terribly self-conscious. She felt like two pairs of eyes were pinning her to the spot, and was thankful that her gift didn't kick in reflexively as it was known to at stressful times.
Nick finally cleared his throat a bit and spoke up. "Hey. Thanks again for the sandwich."
"Sure, well, I said I would after you helped me out." She smiled a bit and took a step closer to a different table. "Well, I don't want to interrupt you two."
"Nah it's cool. Come join us." Nick reached over and pulled out the chair that was between Warrick and himself.
Morgan bit her lower lip, letting it slowly draw away from her teeth before acquiescing. "Sure."
She sat down, trying not to let her nerves get the best of her, and placed her lunch down on the tabletop. Morgan unwrapped her gyro and looked up to Warrick. "I hope that those samples were helpful for your case."
Nick looked back and forth between her and Warrick. "Uh yeah. Actually, I think we had to double check something back at the scene, right Warrick?"
Warrick lowered his eyebrows then suddenly lifted them as if he realized something. "Right… yeah… I'd better head down there. I'll see you later."
He had finished most of his meal anyway, so he picked up the aluminum container and plastic cover of his Chinese food, clearing his spot and leaving quickly. Nick seemed to relax a bit and smiled. "See ya 'round, man."
"Later."
Morgan popped open her ginger ale which fizzled in response. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to intrude" she softly muttered, feeling like she was the cause for Warrick's rushed exit.
Nick almost jumped in his seat, leaning forwards and reassuring her quickly. "No no… we were just talking about the case and I remembered… that's all."
"Oh… well… I hope you like your lunch." She smiled softly and took a bite of her own.
"Yeah… you didn't have to do that, Morgan." He picked up what was left of his gyro and smiled back.
Morgan pushed back her hair behind her ear and felt her stomach flutter a bit. "I said I would, didn't I? Besides… you didn't have to make sure no one came into the locker room… but you did."
"Just being a gentleman." Nick broke out into a smile and took a large bite out of his gyro, getting closer to finishing it.
She had to change the conversation fast before her heart leapt out of her throat. Food seemed like a safe topic "See? Isn't homemade better than fast food?"
He chuckled. "Hey that was a deli hero… not some junky gulp 'n go."
"Alright… I'll give you that. But homemade just about always wins."
"True."
Morgan grinned, feeling comfortably smug. "If you think this is good, you should see some of the meals I make on my days off."
"Really? I might just take that invitation." Nick grinned smugly and popped the last bite into his mouth, licking his fingers clean of lamb juice.
She started to choke, coughing on her gyro and quickly grabbed her soda. Nick reached over, quite shocked and touching her shoulder to see if she was alright. Morgan waved him off while drinking more of her soda to wash it down. She felt foolish for setting herself up like that, and didn't know how to react. If it kept up like this, any further increased social interactions would end up killing her.
"Jeez… you alright?" he looked at her, worried, and still holding her shoulder.
"Y- yeah. You just… just surprised me." Her eyes watered slightly and her contacts felt even more irritated. 'Damn, I was just starting to get used to them too…' she thought ironically.
His brow relaxed and he drew his thumb in small circles around her shoulder. "Damn… don't scare me like that. I might get put on probation for accidentally killing a co-worker."
Morgan let out a laugh that caused a few more coughs, but still continued laughing, wiping away the tears that had built up in her eyes. "Yeah… I can see Dr. Robbins now. "It appears she choked on her gyro. Death caused by conversation with co-worker." Only I would go that way…"
"Aww c'mon. Is it that awful talking to me?" Nick pulled his hand away slowly from her.
She let out another laugh, the redness in her face from her previous choking managed to hide the faint blush he caused. "No no… It's not you. It's me… all me. I'm really bad at talking to people sometimes."
"I think you were doing fine…" he paused and smirked a little. "…until the choking of course."
"Well, thank you. It's very reassuring to know the effort wasn't wasted."
Nick crumbled up the wax paper his gyro had been wrapped in and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Well… now it seems like I owe you one. Causing a near-death experience 'n all."
Morgan looked up to him wearily. "Sure we can't just call it even?"
Nick stood and went to toss his trash in the garbage can. "I figure if I'm gonna nearly kill ya again the least I can do is get to know 'ya first."
She laughed again, and then quickly covered her mouth as Gil Grissom, both her and Nick's shift supervisor walked in. Nick didn't notice Grissom as quickly as Morgan did, so he was surprised to hear his voice coming from behind him.
"Nick… if you're going to cause the death of any lab techs, the least you can do for me is find me a suitable replacement first." He raised an eyebrow over his glasses and lowered the clipboard he was holding.
"Glad to be only slightly irreplaceable, sir." Morgan smiled from her seat and propped up her chin with the hand she tried to stifle her laughter with earlier.
"Good to know. Nick, Brass is bringing a suspect in for questioning on the robbery-homicide you and Warrick are working. If you're done testing the mortality of lab techs I hope you can head over to interrogation."
"I'll head right down there, Grissom." Nick slid his hands into his jean pockets sheepishly, glancing over to Morgan briefly.
Grissom nodded, and Morgan could detect a bit of a smile in his eyes before he departed. When he was out of hearing range, Nick turned back to her.
"I should get going but… I'll figure a way to make it up to you."
Morgan sighed a bit, her playfulness dripping away quickly. "You don't-"
"I want to." He interrupted her with a firm look. It softened quickly and he continued. "I know a lot of people who work here… I don't know you though."
She felt a knot form in her throat. Her gaze quickly fixed on the ground, but she managed to nod and softly whisper. "I guess… that's okay."
A half smile formed on Nick's lips, he grabbed the soda he had been nursing through lunch and left. Morgan sunk in her chair after she left, feeling horribly confused and not terribly hungry any longer. Any confidence she had worked up during her shift to deal with Greg vanished, leaving her nervous at the prospect of spending time with Nick.
'It's just to get to know each other, right? Just like with Greg… no big deal. They aren't asking you on a date or something.' Morgan thought to herself sternly. She felt her shoulder droop more. 'Damn it… why the hell am I so horrible at reading men when it comes to this sort of crap??' She eyed the tabletop longingly and considered banging her head against it to silence the barrage of thoughts that floated around Greg, Nick, and herself.
'Why did I ever have to promise myself not to read auras unless totally necessary?? This qualifies, right? Right?!'