Chapter 2- The Mr. Happy Effect
Grissom awoke suddenly, his forehead sweaty. The towel that had covered his waist lay on the floor. A wide-eyed Catherine stood before him. He could only hope that he was dreaming, but a quick scream from Catherine revealed he wasn't. Moses quickly crawled down her pant leg and began to race to the kitchen. Grissom jumped up, suddenly remembering the towel, he ran after his spider.
"Moses, get back here! Catherine don't just stand there, oh hell!"
He cursed as the towel dropped again. He finally managed to wrap himself up and catch Moses in a tupperware bowl. Walking back to the spider habitat, he stroked the large spider and then put him back, whispering that he was sorry and that he was a good boy. When he finally turned to Catherine, she laughed profusely.
"Mind telling me what you are doing here at 1am?"
It took her a few minutes to compose herself. The fact that Grissom was looking at her with his eyebrow raised made it worse. Finally she was calm enough to talk.
"I knew you would be tired so I stopped by to feed Moses and make you some sandwiches. I figured you'd be asleep, and you well you were, not what I was expecting."
Grissom blushed slightly realizing what she had seen before the spider incident. He wondered how long she had been there.
"I just have to ask, is it really that big before well you know, the Mr. Happy effect?"
"Catherine? Really! The Mr. Happy Effect? One, aren't you a level 3 CSI, you can't use words like erection? And second, just how long were you looking?"
It was her turn to blush. Even in all of Grissom's reclusiveness he was a magnificent sight in his birthday suit, no hair on his chest, more defined than she would have guessed, and even his little paunch belly fit right in. But the creature that rested at his center was why sculptures like David were created. Grissom was ALL man.
"Well actually I didn't really focus that much, but I must say Sara is in for a treat."
"Geez Catherine, come on, can we not talk about her? I'm going to change."
He quickly excused himself and Catherine felt a small triumph as she saw what Sara's name did to Mr. Happy. She sat down on his sofa, her mind drifting to a wild reckless moment in which she ripped the towel from his waist, and pinned him to the recliner. When he returned she had a hard time looking at him without smirking.
"Sorry Gil, I promise not to reveal this to anyone and I am sorry that I dropped Moses."
"Well considering your intentions were good I can't be mad. Just don't ever refer to the Mr. Happy effect in my presence again. So anything new at the lab?"
She nodded but continued to be amused. "Not really, Greg was teaching Mia how to use a torch in the garage, and somehow he managed to set his hair on fire."
"Oh really? That explains the Merlin hat he was wearing tonight."
"Yeah I've seen every hat he has from a Disneyland Goofy hat to his rasta bead dreadlocks hat. He's an adventure."
"Always has been. And what's the deal with you and Warrick? I see the fire is growing there."
"He's wonderful Gil. Calls me for hours, brings me breakfast, takes Lindsey out to play basketball."
"I didn't know Lindsey plays ball?"
"She doesn't, he shoots hoops and she gets to be his cheerleader." She looked past him, a distant happy look in her eyes.
"Well you're happy I can see that." Grissom smiled and squeezed her hand.
"Speaking of happy, what's up with you and Sara?"
"I gave her till this Saturday to decide if she really wants me. I won't know till then. Getting any vibes?"
"MMM wish I could say yes but Sara has been distant lately. She finishes a case or her shift and she's back in her office. I leave in the afternoon and sometimes she is still there the following day."
"Any ideas?"
"No, but Sara keeps to herself so I'm sure it's just her thing. At any rate, when do we begin dance lessons again?"
"Well I guess you heard that Ecklie is making me take off for 2 weeks. I'm going to take a vacation but you can still reach me by cell. I'm leaving tomorrow night. We can start again after I get back."
"Ok well I'm going to head home. Keep in touch. And uh keep Mr. Happy in check, Stud."
He launched a throw pillow at her but it bounced off the closed door. Grissom grinned and headed for bed.
