DISCLAIMER:Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!
RATING: M - Mature (language, sexual situations, adult subject matter)
PAIRINGS: GSR & Yo!Bling pre-established in previous fics of this timeline.
SPOILERS: Sequel to "Displacement", "Transitions" and "Vicissitudes" - Number 5 in the Discovery Series
SUMMARY: Sometimes, the best way the deal with the changes all around you is to stop fighting and evolve in response to them. GSR/Yo!Bling/Nick-OC
A/N: Don't worry, there will be plenty of time given to everyone. It just starts off with a little Nick, because... Well, a certain couple IS on their honeymoon, and we can only go so far to the porn side of things around here.
REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.
Chapter 3
08:15 – 2007.01.09
UNLV Earth Sciences Building: Geology Offices
Nick decided that a sneak attack was probably his best bet, but that did not mean he had to be impolite about the whole thing. He swung by his favorite doughnut shop as soon as he finished with his shift and picked up a few jellies and some apple fritters for himself. When he rounded the corner of the campus, he spotted a little coffee shop and thought that some of the good stuff would be a perfect accompaniment to the doughnuts.
As he walked up to the door for the Geology Department offices, Nick took in a deep breath and prepared for the worst. He juggled the coffee and doughnuts for a second, and then knocked on the door (he might be slow, but he could still learn).
"Entrez." The voice sounded even and calm, and Nick was silently grateful for that at least.
He poked his head through the door and looked around the room. He found her on the other side of the same desk he had seen during one of their less than stellar exchanges. When she looked up, Nick smiled. "Got some time for a little chat?"
She sat back in her chair and answered, "Depends on the topic."
Nick walked into the office and held up the doughnuts and coffee. "Even if I brought a bribe?"
"Hey, now… You cannot mention the B word to a Federal employee like that."
He set the coffee down on the edge of her desk and laughed. "My apologies… I come bearing a common study aide and fried dough filled with delicious jelly as a means to keep from havin' my head taken off while doing a favor for a snivelin' assistant district attorney."
The professor removed her glasses and let them hang from the cord as she peered into the box of doughnuts Nick displayed in front of her. "Okay, but only because I need to know where you get those doughnuts. I've been dying for another one of those strawberry filled ones." Nick pointed to the one on the far right of the box and she greedily removed it with her left hand. "I'll be silent for as long as it takes to eat this thing… After that, there're no promises."
"All right, then I'll make it quick." Nick pulled one of the coffee cups out of the carrier and placed the rest in front of the professor. "Didn't know how you took your coffee, so I just got the works on the side there."
"Way too much sugar to be healthy, but your time is running out."
Nick chuckled at her response. "Okay, so ADA Sinclair is desperate for you, and possibly Sandi and Boone to testify at the Grand Jury hearing. The judge is making some kind of stink about throwin' out all the evidence they found during the guy's arrest, because he doesn't understand where the probable cause came from, and nobody in the DA's office can explain it to him. He's one of those expert junkies, which means, if it doesn't come out of the horse's mouth, he don't buy it."
"So, you think calling me a horse will help your cause?"
"Nope, but calling you the only qualified expert in six states should do the trick." Nick took a bite from one of the fritters as he sat back in his chair with a smug look on his face.
The professor nearly choked on her doughnut when she laughed at his satisfied expression. "Wow! You must have been taking lessons from Dr. Grissom on playing to an academic's ego."
"Nah… I'm just trying to keep a major drug pusher off the streets, and without your testimony, I don't see how that's gonna happen." Nick decided complete honesty was the only way to handle the situation.
"Hmmm… Doughnuts, coffee, flattery, and brutal honesty. This must be important." She began to tear open the sugar packets with her teeth and dumped them into the coffee cup. "So, what kind of time frame am I looking at?"
"Grand Jury is currently scheduled for the twenty second, and ADA Sinclair will probably want to run a prep session before hand, to make sure he knows how you'll react on the stand, and what exactly you're gonna say… In total? I bet you're lookin' at two to two and a half days, tops." Nick laid it all on the line and hoped for the best.
She sat back in her seat with the coffee and appeared to be contemplating the situation. "How long do I have to think about this?"
"If you want to keep the ADA from spontaneously combusting?" She smirked at his response and nodded. "If you called by tomorrow mornin', I think he'd be doin' a dance of joy in your name."
"I'm not saying I will or I won't, but I'll take a look at my schedule and see what I can do." Nick breathed a sigh of relief when the Doc qualified her answer, "But I'm not about to speak for Sandi and Boone. They get to make their own decisions."
"Fair enough." He stood up to go and grabbed another fritter out of the box. He nodded his head at the Doc and then said, "So, I need to make a mental note, doughnuts and coffee will get me pretty much anything."
He was halfway to the door when she hollered, "Hey! You're supposed to tell me where to get these things."
With his hand on the door, Nick turned back and said, "You're the qualified expert… You should be able to figure it out." And with that he left the office.