The Day Before You
Written By: Ms. Maggs / Edited By: KJT
Chapter 3: Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave
"Grissom!" Ecklie called from his office doorway. It came as no surprise that the Graveyard Supervisor was busy having an intimate pow-wow in the hallway with Sara. "I need you to peel yourself away from CSI Sidle and come into my office." I'm so tired of seeing those two tripping over each other. I wish they'd screw each other's brains out already, so they could start the inevitable downward slide toward hating each other like every other couple.
Surprised to see his boss at eleven pm, Gil replied, "I'll be right there, Conrad." This can't be good.
"What's he doing here at this hour?" Sara queried, unaccustomed to seeing the weasel on the property past seven pm. Her professional relationship with the Assistant Lab Director had never fully recovered after the bastard suspended her and took Catherine's side. She would never be able to respect him after making such an obvious error in judgment and she still harbored negativity toward him for dogging on Gil one too many times. "I hope he doesn't make a habit of hanging around here at night. Not dealing with him is one of the biggest perks of working Graveyard."
"I couldn't agree more."
"Why do you think he made that comment about peeling yourself away from me?" Noticing Hodges watching them from the Trace Lab, she whispered, "You don't think a certain rat went to him with a suspicion, do you?"
"I'll let you know the answers to those questions and more as soon I return." Before heading down the hall, he whispered, "If don't make it out alive, tell Bruno that Daddy forgives him."
"I'm definitely going to die here," Greg whispered as he sat gripping the steering wheel of his Denali. I can't call for cops, because I don't have a valid reason for needing them. There's no DB or crime scene, I'm only following up on an anonymous silent witness hotline tip. If I call for backup for no reason, the cops will blast me for wasting their time and call me every name in the book. "This sucks!" At least now if I die, I won't be dying a lonely man who never experienced true love and mind-blowing sex. It's nice to have those checked off my list. I still want to make it to the Great Barrier Reef though. If Cletus and I were happy on vacation in Catalina, I can't imagine how happy we'd be there.
Parked in an alleyway ten feet from the dumpster he had been told to check for evidence, he couldn't muster the courage to move. "Your plan isn't working, Grissom!" he shouted into his hands. "I still don't want to go to Fire Arms class." I don't want a gun. If I have a gun, I might have to shoot it and if I shoot my gun, I might kill someone, and since I'm still having a hard time getting over the first person I killed, I really can't imagine dealing with a second one. "Shit!"
He spent the next ten minutes counting the people walking by the dumpster he was expected to climb into and process – nine of the largest African American men he had ever seen, five hostile Hispanics violently arguing amongst themselves, two drugged-out transvestite hookers wearing red wigs, and one twitchy-looking white guy who gave off an intense serial killer vibe and terrified him most of all. I can totally see that guy making a human skin jacket or some other equally creepy death-craft. I can't do this. "I can't do this!" Tears pooled in his eyes.
I can't believe I want this job. Holding his head, Greg felt his chili and cornbread dinner swimming in his stomach. Why do I want this job? I should listen to my mother. I can't believe I just said I should listen to my mother. She's right though, I could be pulling six figures at any pharmaceutical research company in California and if we lived there, Cletus and I could declare a Domestic Partnership and live happily ever after. Sure, we couldn't get much of a house with the high real estate prices, but we could use The Freyja whenever we wanted, and surf and kayak all the time. That would totally make up for a smaller house, plus the coastal weather would be a huge improvement after living in an oven for years. When we have a kid in the future, my parents would be close by to help out and I could get my PhD at UCLA and start teaching college classes in my spare time. I'm sure Cletus would have no problem getting a lab-only job with LAPD. Yep, it's perfect, except for me living with the intense shame of copping out. "Dammit!"
Staring at the overflowing dumpster that might contain a murder weapon, but most likely didn't, he figured it would take two hours to process it correctly. I'll be totally vulnerable in that dumpster. I can't defend myself in there. Not that I did a good job defending myself outside of a dumpster. I bet I couldn't fight my way out of a paper bag while holding a pair of scissors in each hand. "I'm such a friggin' loser!" He banged his forehead on the steering wheel intent on repeating the action several times, but it hurt too much to continue after one. Maybe I won't have to be the one to cop out. If Nick doesn't pass his Psych Eval, then I can suggest the move because of that. I'll say a fresh start is just what he needs and play up the Domestic Partnership and free babysitting angles. His joy was fleeting. No, no way. If Mr. Perfectionist fails his test and is removed from the job, he'll feel like a big fat failure and be an emotional wreck. I don't want that, not when everything is going so well for us. He's so happy and all I want is for him to be happy, because he's had so many shitty things happen to him in life. I have to do this for him…for us. He glanced down at the bracelet around his wrist."I can do this!"
As he was reaching for the handle, he saw a six foot, three hundred pound black man wearing a t-shirt that said 'Don't make fun of my Momma, unless you wanna die today'. On second thought, why bother? There's no way Cletus will be sane enough to pass his Psych Eval after spending a week with his Bible-Thumping sister.
Standing in front of the picture-covered fridge, Eileen said to her brother, "Look at you playin' Daddy to this sweet little Cassie girl you told me about. You look so happy, Nicky. It really is a travesty that you're not married with children of your own."
Here we go. "Eileen, I have to tell ya…I put up with the 'why aren't you married' badgering from everyone when I'm in Dallas, but this is my home, and I'm not gonna be hassled me under my own roof. So, you need to stop right now or you'll need to pack your things and find yourself a hotel room."
"Honey, I swear on Grandma's grave that this isn't about hasslin' you, it's about lovin' you." Placing a hand over her heart, she shared, "If you wouldn't avoid answerin' our questions, maybe we could relax enough to stop worryin' about you. Everybody back home is expectin' me to solve the Nicky Mystery while I'm here. We're still tryin' to understand why you moved away from us in the first place, to Sin City of all places."
"What's there to be worried about?" he quizzed, feigning a baffled look. "I have a job, a nice home, and I'm not a gambling addict, meth head or a drunk." He patted his belly, "Don't I look healthy to you? I've put on ten pounds since Christmas." When he saw her chomping on her bottom lip, he prodded, "What else do you want to know?" Greg had made him promise he wouldn't confront her, but understood that he wouldn't lie to his sister's face if she asked him about being gay. "Spit it out, sis." Exhausted from hiding the truth from his family for decades, he was desperate to answer 'yes, I'm gay' and let the chips fall.
"Fine, I'll put my cards on the table," Eileen stated after a moment of tortured silence. "How am I supposed to interpret two single men in their 30's cohabitatin' and bein' close enough to one another to finish each other's sentences? You're plannin' a big party for Greg's birthday and instead of bein' out on a date on your night off, you're here doin' his laundry and talkin' about gettin' a dog for the two of you to share." Reminding herself to hate the sin, not the sinner, she softened her voice, "Nicky, honey, I've seen you touch and hug him and in my opinion, it isn't brotherly affection you're showin' him." Her heart racing, she nervously asked, "Is this why you moved to Vegas? To live with men and be a…"
"No! No, that's not why I moved here," he snipped. "I moved here because I wanted to get away from my family. All through school I was the little brother, who wasn't as smart or fast or strong or handsome as Chuck. I was Judge Stokes's other son, the one who wasn't as gifted or well behaved or successful. I was the little brother you bitched about havin' to keep a closer eye on and help with his homework more than anyone else. After college graduation, I stupidly thought I could return to Dallas and live my own life, but all I heard every week at Sunday supper was 'how can you just want to be a cop for the rest of your life?' or 'why don't you want to go to graduate or law school like the rest of us' or 'how about I fix you up with a nice girl from church'." He met his sister's gaze. "Do you get it now? I left because y'all drove me nuts! Just like you're drivin' me nuts right now and I moved to Sin City because I figured it was the last place my conservative family members would ever want to come for a visit. Mystery solved!"
None of the information really came as a surprise to the sister who had always suspected that her underachieving brother couldn't stand being in the shadow of his successful siblings.
After a swig of beer, Nick continued, "Here's another one for you to share with the folks back home - I'm not married, because until recently I was a workaholic who had no time for a serious relationship. I was workin' like a dog because I had somethin' to prove to the Judge and I stupidly believed that I could make him proud without bein' a lawyer or a Ph.D. I thought catchin' a big serial killer would do it or savin' little girls like Cassie from death's door, but no, ma'am, it wasn't, I'm still the black sheep."
"Honey, I know that you saw the worst of Daddy's wrath because he had no patience by the time you came along, but none of us were spared, believe me. But he loves us, he's just not real good at showin' it, that's just how he is, how he ended up after bein' a Marine and servin' in Korea, but look how he raced here offerin' his last dime when you were kidnapped. Let his actions speak for his love and let go of the anger that's ruinin' your life and relationships with men."
"Okay, what do these actions say?" His anger igniting, he shared, "In the hospital, he stood at my bedside and said, 'Nicholas, I need you to explain how a thirty-three year old man, in good health, who was carryin' a gun and trained in self-defense, got overpowered by an old man with no special skills. I need you to explain it, because I don't get it, but maybe that's just because when I was servin' my country durin' the Korean War, I fought off four men my own age with nothin' but my bare hands and the will to survive.' When I didn't answer, he said, 'Let me guess, you were distracted or too focused on what you were doin' to notice what was goin' on around you. How many times have I heard that over the years? Too many! You put your Mama through hell tonight, probably took years off her life. When you get out of here, I want you to do us all a favor and grow the hell up. Start actin' like a man, instead of a boy who's too busy daydreamin' to remember to look both ways before crossin' the street!'"
"He said that to you?"
"Yes! Does that sound like love to you, sis? What kind of man still gets pissed at his grown son for gettin' hit by a car at the age of 12 and thinks it's a good idea to rub it in his face while he's shakin' like a leaf in a hospital bed with four thousand ant bites burnin' his body?! A pretty sick fuck, pardon my language, that's who! I'm happy as hell not to be livin' anywhere near him." Enjoying the shock on his sister's face, he smiled, "In case you were wonderin', you have my permission to quote me on that."
"Nicky…"
"What else do you need answered, Eileen?" he stated like a dare.
"Why did you really ask Greg to move in here?"
"Because I was tired of livin' alone." He egged her on, "Keep goin', sis. I know there's somethin' else you're dyin' to ask me."
"How long are you gonna let him stay?"
"Forever," he replied, the anticipation mounting.
Her heart hammering in her chest, she stammered, "Nicky, are you…um…are you…" Fearing the answer, she was too afraid to ask the question.
His eyes locked on his jittery sister, Nick sucked in a breath and released the words that would change everything. "Gay?" His mouth curved into a serene smile. "Yes." His shoulders immediately felt lighter. "I'm gay." Before his sister could form a reply, his cell phone rang and startled them both. When he saw it was Greg, he said, "Sorry, I need to take this call."
Her worst fears becoming a reality, Eileen turned her watery eyes to the ceiling. Remember what the Reverend said today. Homosexuality isn't about sex, it's a developmental disorder. It is a person's misguided search for belonging, a desperate attempt at getting attention, affection and approval from a man in lieu of getting it from their father. It manifests as sex, but it's really an emotional void they are trying to fill.
When Nick snapped his phone shut, he said, "Greg's in a jam over somethin' work related and I have to give him a hand. I'm gonna be a while." The spell broken, he couldn't believe he had spilled the secret and he reacted by pretending it hadn't happened, "You need to get some rest anyway, or you'll be noddin' off durin' the preachin' tomorrow." His body trembling, he walked away without making eye contact. "I'll see you in the mornin'. Good night, sis."
"Night," she robotically replied, too stunned to believe the exchange had really occurred.
I can't believe this. While waiting outside the locker room for Catherine, Warrick seized the opportunity to return Tina's seven irate voicemails. "Hey, it's 'Rick, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, but I was swamped at work. I'm sure you'll find that believable since me workin' overtime all the time was the reason you couldn't stand to be married to my ass anymore." Realizing he was beating a dead horse, he cut to the chase, "I looked for your Pampered Chef ice cream scoop in my boxes and I don't have it, sorry. I also wanted you to know that I got our court date off when I told Grissom that we had to be there 8am, so I won't be late. I'll be there right on time on May 4th for the dissolution of Brown and Brown, Inc, nothing will get in my way of making that happen, believe me. My condolences on your ice cream scoop, but I'm sure you'll find a new one fast, just like you found a new man in record time."
"I'm ready!" Catherine announced when she breezed into the hallway.
Snapping his phone shut, Warrick said, "Grissom wants us to check up on Greg without lettin' on that we're there."
"That sounds a lot like spying," she said while walking down the hall with the man she was secretly dating and openly lusting every night as she slept alone. "I don't like spying on people. It's unethical."
"Griss sent him into the hood as a test and to motivate him to get his ass to Fire Arms class, because the fool purposely missed the first class so he'd be booted from the session." He opened the front door for the woman of his naughtiest dreams. "Normally, I would agree about the ethics of spying. But he just wants us to make sure he's okay without makin' him feel bad. That's not really spying, that's being concerned and making sure he's safe, doncha think?"
"I think it just reminds me of my mother snooping in my room when I was teenager."
"Wasn't she snooping to make sure you weren't doin' drugs?"
"Yeah."
"See, she was tryin' to keep you safe." Shaking his head, Warrick admitted, "If I had a teenage daughter in this city, I don't think I'd let her leave the house."
"Tell me about it," she sighed, thinking of Lindsay's latest act of rebellion. "I can't believe Greg missed that class again."
"Third time is not a charm and Ecklie's not amused."
"Aren't you happy, Gil?" Ecklie asked with a smile.
"No."
"You're not being demoted," the Assistant Lab Director reiterated, "you're just no longer responsible for Graveyard Shift on the weekends. Normal men would be thrilled to learn they would be paid the same for less responsibility, but you…you're ticked off."
"I don't like change," Grissom huffed. "The last time you messed with my team, all hell broke loose."
"I'm not touching your guys, Gil." Taking a seat in the chair next to his irritated employee, he explained, "We currently have three teams and everyone is overworked and stressed out. The thing with Stokes was the final straw. I used his flip out, Greg's error in judgment earlier this year, Stan's burnout on Days, and Terri's exhaustion-induced accident on Swing as examples of serious personnel consequences due to understaffing. Between my personnel examples and the financial reasoning, the Sheriff approved my plan without any pushback."
Grissom took the file Ecklie was offering him and flipped it open.
"Look at the figures, you'll see I'm right." The number-cruncher explained, "Overtime is maxed every month and it's costing us a fortune, and even with everyone working to the max, we're still backlogged up to yang. Instead of stretching team members and supervisors over a seven day work week, you'll only be working Monday through Friday. I'm creating two weekend shifts, Day and Grave, each with its own supervisor. The new teams will work twelve hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday and then each employee will have sixteen hours left of their forty hour work week. Each person will be assigned two 8-hour shifts during the week, but still ultimately report to their weekend supervisor. Their job description will make it clear that we can adjust their hours whenever we're in a crunch. For example, if the new personnel were in place already, I could make one of them Nick's replacement for a couple of weeks to help you out, rather than you counting on Sanders, Sidle, Willows and Brown to pick up the slack. These floaters will cover for vacationing or sick team members, and we won't have to worry about being empty handed for things like testifying in time consuming court trials. Also, when you need to do team training, you'll be able to pull your whole team out for a day to do it. That's going to make things a hell of a lot easier, don't you think?"
"Yes," Grissom begrudgingly agreed.
"The addition of two teams will drastically help with the workload and make excess overtime obsolete. We'll be saving money and when we save money on staffing, that means there's more money left over for those gadgets you like so much."
Studying the figures on the paperwork given to him, Grissom couldn't argue with the logic.
"The city's a lot bigger than when we started working here, Gil." Ecklie stood to return to his desk chair. "And unfortunately, the crime rate is up and shows no signs of slowing. Our peers in LA have been using this format for years, so it won't look like you couldn't handle things, believe me. It's practically industry-standard." Taking a seat he snickered, "Maybe you'll have time to get a social life with weekends off. Don't be a martyr, Gil. You're fifty, it's time to start spending your weekends with a live body instead of a dead one. Even a woman as needy as Sidle probably won't wait for you forever."
Grissom lifted his eyes from the file.
"How blind do you think I am?" Ecklie laughed. "I know you two have been longing to fall into bed with each other for years. Maybe you should go for it?" He cackled, "Department policy states that supervisors can't marry their employees. Unless it interferes with your work, I can't do anything about it, but if it does interfere with your work, I'll fire your gilfriend." He pointed to the door. "You can go now." But when Gil stood, he remembered one last detail. "By the way, the supervisor jobs for the new teams will be open to CSIs in good standing, meaning no write-ups in the last couple of years. On your team of misfits, only CSI Brown qualifies, kind of ironic since he used to be your biggest problem child. I think he would make an excellent supervisor."
"Really?" Grissom said with surprise. "I agree, but I'm surprised to hear it coming from you. You've never been a big fan of his."
"The truth is…and this is confidential between you and me, the Sheriff said, 'LVPD has taken its fair share of criticism thanks to Sanders using his county-issued truck to make a blood pancake out of Demetrius James. It sure would be nice to have a black guy in management over there at the lab'. Twenty bucks says CSI Brown does very well in the interview process."
Rolling his eyes, Grissom headed down the hall. I hate office politics.
When he strolled into the breakroom to refill his Partridge Family coffee mug, Hodges caught Jacqui and Mandy laughing at the water cooler. "What has you two so giddy tonight?" He sipped his java to see if he had the milk ratio right.
Jacqui accidentally blurted the truth, "Ms. Webster has a hot date with CSI Sanders and I was just razzing her about it."
"Franco!" As Hodges choked on his coffee, Mandy scolded her friend, "Are you out of your mind? Why would you tell David Blabbermouth Hodges anything personal?"
"Doh!" Jacqui tossed her Snickers wrapper in the trash. "Maybe that fall at Starbucks was more serious than I thought. My judgment is obviously very impaired." With that, she darted out of the room.
"What are you waiting for, Mrs. Kravitz?" Mandy droned to the man who irritated her on a nightly basis, "You have fresh rumor to spread, so why are you still standing here?"
"Greg Sanders asked you out?" Hodges clarified, "Sanders, five ten, Norwegian, always having a bad hair day, likes to think he's smarter than me, but isn't?"
The Fingerprint Tech rolled her eyes. "Just leave it alone, okay? Greg's had a really rough year and we'd both like to keep our relationship quiet."
"Relationship? You have a relationship with him?"
"Okay, okay," Mandy laughed at herself. "It's only our first date, but it's not like we're strangers and it's bound to go well." Or is that just wishful thinking because all three of my happily married sisters are simultaneously happily pregnant and making me desperate for a walk down the aisle?
"Wow, you really like him," Hodges remarked, suddenly feeling bad for the girl who he knew had been unlucky in love more times than she liked to admit. Most tragically, her college boyfriend was killed in a freak hot air balloon accident only days before he was going to propose to her. He was trying out the idea of popping the question on a sunset balloon ride, but dropped the ring over the side of the basket and went to retrieve it, forgetting that they had already launched into the air. Then, during her first year at LVPD, she dated a guy who ended up being a serial killer; when they searched his apartment, Mandy's name was next on his death list. It was true, her love life was as depressing as the Barry Manilow song for which she was named.
"Yes, I really like him, so can we not make a joke out of this and just leave it alone?"
The Trace Tech found himself having a crisis of conscience, which surprised him, since he often accused of not having a conscience. "Uh…"
"What's wrong?" Mandy's sixth sense that she inherited from her Grandmother Inez kicked in. "You're hiding something."
"No, I'm not the one hiding something, it's your date who is hiding something…something huge."
"Stop it!" Mandy took her coffee and tucked her magazine under her arm. "Forget it, you can have the place to yourself."
"Wait!" Knowing that she'd never believe him, he waved for her to follow him into his lab. "I had no intentions of sharing this information, but I can't stand by and let him use you like this."
"Who use me how?" she snipped.
"Sanders," he whispered in reply. "Just trust me. One look at this website and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about."
"This better be good."
Not for you it won't be. Hodges locked his door and made sure his computer's screen was angled so it wouldn't be visible to passersby. "You better sit."
Rolling her eyes, Mandy humored the psycho. "You have two minutes of my time, that's it."
Right before pressing 'enter' he handed her two tissues. "The truth will hurt, but it's better that you find out now and not after you carry around his beard-child for nine months."
"Now, Hodges!" Her patience was gone.
"I found this while surfing the Internet the other night." He hit 'enter' and walked away, unable to stomach another look for himself.
Mandy stared at the screen. "Pictures of Greg?"
"Yes." He spoke in a somber tone as he paced his office, "If you need a rebound man, I'll be happy to fill the need. I'd let you rough me up if…"
"Ha! They're so cute!" Her sweet laughter filled the room as she clicked on each thumbnail.
"Cute?" That wasn't the first word that had popped into his mind when he saw the cozy photos of his co-workers.
She pointed to the screen. "The one of him using a hotdog as a microphone as he stood on top of a picnic table imitating Elvis is a riot!"
"What are you talking about?" Hodges rushed to her side.
"And here I thought you were going to show me something bad. You really had me going. These are hilarious!" Looking at the adorable moppet splashing in the ocean as a little boy she fell in love. "His hair was just as wacky back then."
"What happened?!" he screamed at the computer screen. The title of the site had changed to 'A Proud Mom's Website' all references to PFLAG and Nick were gone.
Mandy jotted down the website address. "This is a keeper."
"It was," Hodges lamented as sat gaping at the revised website. "I don't get it."
When Dave Sanders caught his wife in front of the computer again, he said, "You better not be putting up a new secret website." He still couldn't believe she had been stupid enough to put up a webpage with Nick and Greg's photos.
"No, Dear, I learned my lesson. It's strictly about his childhood. I thought Nicky would get a kick out of it."
"Okay." Luckily he had caught her, removed everything incriminating and made sure the WayBackMachine wouldn't be able to snag the old version.
"Stop looking at me like that!" Jan grumped, "I was just trying to show my support and you keep making me feel bad."
"Sorry, we just have to be very careful, honey." He placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "There are plenty of other ways to show your support without compromising Greg's privacy."
"There's his Denali," Warrick parked his truck two hundred yards away and reached for a pair of binoculars from his console box.
Catherine already had her binocs in hand. "Guess who beat us to the punch?"
"Grissom?"
"No. Nicky." He was sitting on the hood of his truck while Greg was in the dumpster.
"Seriously?" Warrick raised his night vision equipment and laughed, "Greggy must have been shittin' a brick and called him to come out here and babysit him."
"Grissom will be pissed."
"We don't have to tell him."
"Nick coming to his rescue isn't going to help him get over his fear."
"He's taking a big risk doin' it too, considering he's suspended."
While she continued watching, Catherine said, "As long as he's not helping him collect evidence, he's not violating the terms of his suspension."
"He's on his way over to the dumpster right now."
"There's no tape up, so he's not interfering with a crime scene as long as he doesn't touch the contents of the dumpster."
"I guess, but…" Warrick's jaw dropped.
When Catherine turned to ask "Did you see what I just saw?" she knew the answer was a resounding yes and returned her binoculars to her face quickly.
"Did Nicky just feed that boy somethin'?"
"Yes, and he's not dangling the food, he's sticking it into his mouth," Catherine gave the play by play like a sportscaster.
"Um…" Warrick searched for a logical explanation. "Sanders is gloved up, so he couldn't feed himself."
"Would you have done that for Greg?"
"Hell no!" the hetero man answered with conviction. "Not even if he was starving, but they're roommates and they're lily white Mama's Boys, the rules are a little different y'know?"
"Not that different," Catherine deadpanned while watching Greg clamp down on Nick's fingers, close his eyes, joyfully suck off whatever substance was on them and smack his lips in satisfaction.
"That shit's not right."
"Maybe this is a set up and we're on Candid Camera or something." She peered out the windows looking for a video crew.
"What the…check this out, Cath." Nick was caressing Greg's cheek and gazing into his eyes.
"Do you think they're…"
"No!" Warrick answered, unwilling to believe he could have been showering next to a gay man for eight years without getting a vibe. "We're outta here." He tossed the binoculars and threw the truck in reverse. "And we're callin' Griss and telling him that we're ethically opposed to violating our co-worker's privacy and won't be stopping by on the way to our assignment."
Clutching her head, Catherine whimpered, "Oh sure, take a stand now, after the damage to my mind's eye has been done."
Walking into the drying room, Gil happily informed his lover, "Ecklie doesn't think we're together. He thinks we're still flirting with the idea."
"Seriously?" Sara turned from her work wearing a smile. "So Hodges didn't rat us out?"
"Apparently not." Gil handed over a copy of the new schedule. "I was brilliant. I feigned irritation over the idea of having weekends available for personal use. He actually encouraged me to sleep with you, citing that it wasn't against department policy, but in the next breath he warned that if it interfered with a case then he'd fire you." The Lab's top dog scoffed at the empty threat. "He already tried that once and chickened out."
Looking up from the schedule, she said, "He's bringing in a weekend team and we're permanently working Monday through Friday midnight to nine am?"
"Yes."
"That's…wow."
"I know." Gil snickered, "What will we do with the extra time?"
"Play with our new dog, of course."
His naughty smirk faded. "Of course."
"Look at you," she smiled proudly at her man, "you're really excited about this. I'm kind of surprised."
"I'm very excited about this, and not only because we'll have two permanent nights together, though that is a wonderful perk." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he confessed, "Maybe I wouldn't have needed a sabbatical if I had weekends off to clear my head and work on publications and lectures. Now I'll be able to pursue those things at home with you there, instead of leaving town and you to do it."
She smiled in lieu of words.
"Back to work, CSI Sidle," Gil authoritatively commanded his supposed non-lover. "The County doesn't pay you to stand around and look beautiful." He winked before heading out the door. "But I have to admit, it's a wonderful bonus."
With his eyes still on his work, Archie droned to Hodges, "I don't get paid to answer personal questions."
"I'll buy you lunch."
"What kind of lunch? Not LVPD cafeteria slop or Roach Coach."
"Chinese food from the new place 24-hour place across the street." Hodges had a 'buy one combo get one free' coupon to use.
"Deal." Archie laughed as he sat back in his chair. "What's your question?"
"I'm looking for a previous version of an existing website with the WayBackMachine and it's not working. Why isn't it working?" Hodges asked in a desperate voice.
"The site could use robots.txt coding, or maybe the version wasn't up long enough to be swept up."
"So, it's hopeless?"
Archie lowered his voice to a whisper. "How hot was this porn?"
"It wasn't porn."
"Right." The AV Tech cracked his knuckles. "Give me the addy and I'll see what I can do."
"I can't."
"I knew it was porn."
"Thanks for your help," Hodges huffed on his way out the door. Although he had copies of the three Nick and Greg photos at home, it was a far cry from having the 'Proud PFLAG Mom' website in its entirety.
Archie rolled on his chair to the door, so he could shout after his co-worker, "I eat lunch at four-thirty!"
Sitting on his truck's hood, Nick held up the bag of brownies. "Need another sugar fix?"
"No, I'm good," Greg replied while dropping Bag 26 over the side of the dumpster.
"Hey, G?"
"Yeah?" The trash-covered CSI peered over the side of the smelly container.
"I kind of maybe told my sister the truth."
"What?!" Greg couldn't believe his ears. "What do you mean 'kind of maybe'? What did you say, Cletus?"
"I'm gay." When he saw his partner roll his eyes, Nick said, "I know we talked about a strategy, but the moment was there and it slipped out."
"Unbelievable. How did you leave it?"
"It was happening right when you called, so I told her I needed to help you and walked out to come here."
"You don't look the least bit worried or upset," Greg observed, feeling bad for not being more supportive of the announcement.
"I'm not." The man who had been living a lie for decades, calmly said, "It feels so good. I feel like two tons of weight has been lifted from my shoulders."
"Do you think she'll tell your parents?"
"I don't know." Nick shrugged. "I kinda don't care."
"You're scaring me, Cletus." The CSI jumped from the rim of the dumpster onto the street. "Even though you ignored our plan, all the literature, and common sense, I'm proud of you."
"You should be proud, because you're the one who keeps sayin' I need to be more spontaneous and not care what other people think."
A smile erupted on Greg's face. "No one ever listens to me, so I'm not used to getting results."
"With you in my corner, I had all the confidence in the world." Dropping a hand on his partner's shoulder, he said, "Speakin' of confidence. You need to go to Fire Arms Class, because I won't be able to babysit you once I get my job back in two weeks. Take it from the expert, if you face your fear head on, you'll succeed and feel much better afterwards."
"If you could come out to your sister, I can pass the class. I'll do it. I promise."
"Good." Nick quietly said, "I can't have anything happen to you, G, except for maybe my sister Gwen, you may be the only family I have left after this hits the fan. You're everything to me."
"Don't forget, you have got my folks too," Greg assured while savoring the love in Nick's eyes. "You know my dad will do anything for his jock son-in-law."
They shared a laughed that snapped them back to happiness.
"I hate to break up the party!" Grissom announced as he strolled down the alley shining his flashlight, "but I don't remember giving you an invitation, Nick, and Greg – you can't bring a bodyguard to every scary field assignment."
"Busted," Greg muttered as he hung his head.
"I swear I was just givin' him a pep talk about Fire Arms Class, Boss." Nick backed away with his hands in the air like a suspect. "I didn't touch anything."
"Except the CSI working the assignment," Grissom corrected.
"I meant I didn't touch any evidence."
Not amused, the supervisor lectured, "I'll tell you two the same thing I told Catherine - no PDAs while on duty, no exceptions. You never know who is watching. Remember the time Sara was on the witness stand under cross-exam and they blasted her about wiping chalk dust off my cheek at a scene? Don't give anyone ammunition to use against you in court. Am I clear?"
Nick and Greg exchanged looks, both thinking the same thing 'I can't wait to catch Griss touching Sara and bust his ass'. "Yes, Boss," they simultaneously replied. "Sorry."
"Stokes, you have fifteen seconds to bid your partner adieu, then I want you and your truck out of here." Grissom glanced down at his watch. "Time starts now."
"Maybe it's not too late," Eileen whispered into her cell phone as she stood outside her brother's bedroom door. "He said he's gay, but he may not be actively livin' the lifestyle. It may all be wishful thinkin' with Greg. He said he asked him to move in here because he was tired of livin' alone and was hopin' it would last forever. For all we know, Greg has no idea how Nicky feels."
"You said he'll be gone a while, why don't you peek in his room and see what you find. Go through his drawers and closet."
"That wouldn't be right, Linda."
"Think of it like when Mama and Daddy used to check our rooms for drugs as teenagers. It's not snoopin', it's tough love. If Nicky's physical and mental wellbeing is at risk, we can't be worried about offendin' him. We have to take action."
"Well, when you put it that way." After a deep breath, the concerned sister twisted the door knob. "It's locked, I can't get in."
"Why on Earth would he keep his bedroom door locked? That's sneaky behavior right there. Use a Bobby Pin to pick open the lock. That's what I do when I want to see inside Carl's briefcase."
"You sneak peeks into your husband's briefcase?"
After an awkward pause, Linda snipped, "Would you just focus on gettin' into Nicky's room, Eileen, and mind your own business!"
Four minutes later, once she had successfully worked open the lock with a Bobby Pin, the troubled sister stepped into her brother's room and flicked on the lights. "I'm inside."
"What color is his room? Is it somethin' girly?"
"It's a duck theme."
"What? A duck theme?" Linda exclaimed, "Honey, that's totally queer. Ernie always played with a rubber duckie on Sesame Street, remember? And he and Bert were proven to be queer, remember that article we…"
"Good Lord, Linda, no, not rubber duckies, huntin' ducks. The bedding is brown, beige and forest green plaid with mallards on the throw pillows and there are mallards in reeds on the accents and border paper."
"Oh! I guess rubber duckies popped into my head because I was tidyin' the kids' bathroom when you called and they have a bunch stacked on the back of the tub." Linda confirmed, "Duck huntin' is a masculine hobby, so that's encouragin'."
"I just remembered that Mama fixed up Nicky's room when she was out here stayin' with him after the abduction, so he didn't do the decoratin'."
"Right, right." Linda advised, "Check the nightstand drawers first, everybody knows that's where the kinky stuff is kept."
"Speak for yourself, hussy," Eileen joked. "Now that Trevor and I are done havin' sex except for Valentines' Day, Flag Day, his birthday and our anniversary , my nightstand is for my Bible and my cross-stitch supplies."
"Flag day?"
"We needed somethin' in the middle of the year and I'm always exhausted after barbequing on the 4th." When Eileen opened the first set of the drawers, she found only Forensics and Sports Magazines, but then she opened the other side, she gasped, "Condoms and two bottles of somethin' called Astroglide."
"Are they open?"
"No, they're sealed actually."
"That's good news!" Linda rejoiced. "Maybe he's not done the deed yet. Go check the bathroom next."
"Greg asked to use Nicky's shower earlier." When Eileen reached the bathroom, she huffed, "Wow, I'm totally jealous of his master suite. There's a Jacuzzi type tub and a separate tile shower that's huge and has two massaging shower heads."
Linda broke the bad news, "Honey, the gays like to have three and foursomes, maybe that's why he bought that place. It sounds like a gay man's paradise."
"Oh God!" Eileen gasped when she peered into the shower.
"What?!"
"There's an empty condom wrapper on the floor of the shower and a half-used bottle of lubricant sittin' between the shampoo and conditioner!" Eileen's stomach sickened as she recalled the men comin' into the kitchen saying they had worked up big appetites. "Those two Sodomites were in here while I was cooking their dinner! They said Greg's shower wasn't workin', so they had to share. Can you believe what a lyin', manipulative sinner our sweet little brother has become? I'm sick to my stomach. I can't believe he's flauntin' these vile lubricants and condoms in front of me."
"Think of the germs in there, honey, you best get out of that bathroom quick."
"I think I may vomit."
"You have to pack your bags and leave right now!" Linda advised. "You can't live in Sodom while attendin' a Bible conference."
"Oh." Eileen froze in the hallway. "Um."
"What?"
"It's just that hotel rooms are very expensive here and Trevor and I don't have extra cash this month."
"You can't live with sinners just because you want to save money."
"We have five kids to feed at home. I can't be spendin' a thousand unplanned dollars."
"This is no time to be cheap, sis!"
"Well, if you feel that strongly about it, then why don't you pay for my room, Linda?!"
After a moment of silence, the twin sister said, "On second thought, you should stay there, because we wouldn't want anyone from church to think there's a problem. They can't know we have a queer in the family. Look what happened to Aunt Annette and Uncle Len when the congregation found out about Cousin Roy. And can you imagine the flack Daddy would take in his political circles if they found out he had a queer son? For now, let's keep it between us and try to convince Nicky he needs help."
"I think that's a good plan."
"Just remember, when you're livin' in a gay hot zone, you have to be real careful about germs. I'd sit on a towel at all times and don't let them cook for you. It's not just AIDS you have to worry about, lots of them have Hepatitis and STDs"
"Okay."
"And don't let Nicky kiss you, not even on the cheek, because they put their mouths everywhere, even in each other's cracks."
Eileen shivered when she thought about her brother kissing her cheek after he might have kissed Greg's. "I don't know if I can stay here after all."
"It's the only way! You have to pretend you're supportive and get close to them," Linda said, "then once you've gained their trust, make your plea for Nicky's soul and beg him to get into a Reparative Therapy Program."
"What if he resists?"
"I'll call over to the Focus on the Family folks in the mornin', I'm pretty sure their Love in Action group can advise us on how to stage a proper intervention. I know they have a rehab center where men can go for a while to get cured just like there are places for drug addicts. Getting him in there for a couple of months is probably his best shot a full recovery."
"This is going to be so hard," Eileen cried as the night's events took their toll.
"Honey, you were obviously chosen for this task for a reason and you must accept the challenge. Come on, let's pray on it together. Heavenly Father, please let our brother realize how far he's strayed from the teachings of Jesus Christ."
"Here you go, Sally," Nick handed over the large coffee cup and took a seat on the bus stop bench next to homeless fifty-six year old woman he had befriended years ago when working the case of a dead teenager found in a cardboard box. Since Grissom had ordered him to leave Greg alone and he had no desire to return home to his sister, he had gone for a walk on The Strip. "That's hot tea with honey, that should help the congestion a bit."
"Is there booze in here, Stokes?" the woman asked with a hopeful lilt.
"No, ma'am." Nick shook his finger. "You know I won't buy ya booze, Sally."
"But booze is good for a cold."
"You know the rules, I'll help you any way I can, but I won't enable your addiction."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, tough love and all that bullshit. If you weren't so damn cute, I woulda told you and your preachy attitude to fuck off years ago, Stokes."
Laughing with the woman, he handed over a plastic shopping bag. "I got you some cough drops…"
"Not menthol I hope."
"Darlin'." He pressed a palm to his heart. "I know what my best girl likes and what she doesn't. Cherry cough drops, non-menthol, two Hershey bars without nuts and a bottle of Sprite for when you get the shakes, three sticks of non-spicy Beef Jerky and a gossip magazine."
"Ooh!" She dove into the bag. "Who's fuckin' up this week? Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan?"
"Both." Smiling, he sat back and sipped his coffee, watching the crowds mill by. "Are the streets treatin' you okay?"
"Better than that damn place you brought me too, that's for sure."
"No, no, no, that was a real nice place," he sighed, "you just didn't like it because they wouldn't let you drink. You coulda cleaned up and called your daughter, but you walked out."
Not in the mood for a lecture, she changed the subject, "Why aren't you workin' tonight, CSI man?"
"I've got a couple of weeks off."
"Vacation?"
"Somethin' like that."
Sally laughed, "You didn't get stuffed in a coffin and bit up by ants again did ya?" When he told her the story the first time, she felt bugs crawling on her for hours afterwards.
"No," he answered with a smile. "No coffins or fire ants, but my Holy Roller sister is in town for a visit, that's torture in its own right. So, yeah, I'm not in the mood to spend the night at home."
"You want to sleep with me, handsome? I've got a fresh newspaper and it's a full moon." Sally slid her pant leg to her knee, exposing her hairy leg. "Think you can handle a real woman, Tex?"
"I'm flattered, really," he sweetly chuckled, "but I got engaged last week and I don't think my fiancée would approve."
"Why are all the good ones are taken or gay?" Sally grumbled while releasing her pant leg. "What's a single girl gotta do to get a date around here?"
Sitting in the Fingerprint Lab doing the same mundane tasks she did night after night, Mandy passed the time daydreaming. "Do you think we should go to Fiji or Belize on our honeymoon?"
Jacqui glanced up, "I didn't even know we were getting married, honey. Which one of us is the groom?"
"Very funny."
"Ooh, here comes loverboy now." Jacqui pointed when she saw Greg trudging down the hall in his work coveralls. "Looking particularly unappealing I might add."
"Really?" Mandy chuckled, "I think he looks cute in the coveralls."
"Honey, there's desperate and then there's desssssssperate. You need to reel it in a notch…or ten."
"It's my family, they're driving me crazy. All my sisters are pregnant again and if I hear 'Are you seeing anyone, MandyLynn?' one more time, I may kill."
"Another one nailed!" Jacqui cheered when her computer signaled it had a print match. "Don't forget to wear gloves when you're killing your family."
Just as Mandy was about to wave through the glass to get Greg's attention, she saw Sara Sidle corner her man. "Hey!" She grumped, "Where did she come from? Was she stalking him?"
Jacqui sniffed the air. "I smell jealousy."
"I'm not jealous of her." Turning green with envy, she watched the two CSIs get closer and closer. "He asked me out, not her. If he wanted her, he'd be going out with her."
The blurt-prone forty year old said, "Unless she doesn't want him."
"You think I'm his second choice?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound snarky, I'm just worried about you because in all these years, I've never seen you this crazy over a date." Trying to make her pal feel better, Jacqui said, "Or maybe I'm the jealous one. Maybe I'm moody becase you're about to hook up with your dream man and the only thing on my horizon is…actually I can't think of anything."
"Aww." Mandy assured her buddy, "Don't worry, I won't become one of those women who forgets her friends once she gets a boyfriend. We'll still go to the movies and pretend we're dieting together."
The two women watched in silence as Sara threw her arms around Greg.
"She's mauling my man!" Mandy exclaimed, growing more irritated by the second. "Let go of my Greggo."
Although she wouldn't say it, Jacqui thought Greg, with his eyes closed and arms clamped around Sara, looked completely smitten with his fellow CSI. "He's just humoring her."
"I really hope the joke is over soon," Mandy sighed.
Pulling back from the embrace, Sara apologized once more, "I'm so sorry about Melvin. I suck at the new mommy thing. If a dog is giving me this much trouble, I can't imagine what it would be like taking care of a kid – luckily I'll never find out."
"It's okay," Greg assured her for a third time. "The cowboy and I decided we're definitely getting a dog this week, assuming we find one to adopt that we like."
"The Assistant Manager at the Petsmart on Tropicana was really helpful. He told us just what to buy for our breed."
"You never told me what you got."
"A boxer."
Greg jabbed a few punches in the air. "A good friend of mine growing up had a Boxer, it was a great dog, except it farted all the time. That pooch could clear a room."
"Yeah, Bruno has enough natural gas to power a small nation." When Sara noticed Mandy staring at her through the glass, she bristled. "Uh oh, your girlfriend is watching us and she looks ticked."
"Doh!" By the time Greg whirled around, the Tech had busied herself. "I better set the date and underimpress her as soon as possible."
"Just be yourself," Sara winked before strolling away.
Watching Sara interact with Greg, Jacqui rolled her eyes. Seriously, she needs to shit or get off the pot. She can't string Grissom and Sanders along for years. She's probably dating another hunky EMT on the side. Jeeeeez, save some of the straight ones for the rest of us, honey! They're in limited supply, especially in this town.
"Hey, Mandy!" Greg enthusiastically greeted his date-to-be. "I'm back, I'm safe, and I'm no longer pre-occupied with getting killed, so I can think straight."
"Great!"
"So, I was thinking about this date," Greg announced while rubbing his hands together. "Are you into coin collecting?"
Jacqui raced to cover her mouth with her palm so she wouldn't laugh.
Coin collecting?! Mandy shook her head. "Uh, no, I don't know anything about coin collecting actually."
Greg's excitement grew. "Well, there's a coin collection convention in town and I'm like super into coin collecting. I'd love to introduce you to my favorite hobby tomorrow night. Are you up for it?" He made sure he spit from talking so excitedly and intermittently jumped up and down.
"Sure!" Mandy took a step back just in case her date continued to spray. "I'd love to accompany an expert, because I've always thought coin collecting would be a fun pastime." If I was in prison and it was the only option available.
"Awesome!" He nodded. "We'll hit the coin exhibition at eight and then I'll take you out for dinner before we come in for our shift. Is Peter Piper Pizza good with you? I'm kind of on a budget and I love to play Skee Ball, so it's my one of favorite places."
"I love Peter Piper Pizza," Mandy lied. Since she was always forced to go there for her nieces and nephews birthday parties, she hated the place. "So I should probably wear jeans then, right? Since it's a casual atmosphere."
"Jeans would be great. The tighter the better! Just kidding…but wear them anyway, "he snorted with laughter. "Leave directions to your place taped to my locker, okay? I'll pick you up at seven-thirty." He pointed over his shoulder. "Griss is sending me right back out, so I have to run. Bye!"
"Bye!" Mandy waved until he was gone and then she whirled around to face her hysterical co-worker. "Just get it out of your system."
"Coin Collecting and Peter Piper Pizza?" Jacqui held onto the counter so she wouldn't fall over from laughing. "Congratulations, you're dating a ten year old." No wonder Sidle doesn't want him.
"Hey! Geeks need love too!" Mandy huffed before returning to her computer. "I bet I have a great time."
"Bring lots of quarters, just in case he didn't earn his allowance this week or spent it all on Transformer toys." Jacqui bit her tongue so the other jokes wouldn't slip out. "I can't wait to hear all about this one."
ANs:
A lot going on in this 'episode', I hope it wasn't too overwhelming.
The gang has weekends off and can start getting lives (in real life, in a city that big, there's no way there would be 1 Graveyard shift and 1 supervisor). Poor Warrick, maybe if it happened sooner, he'd still be married. LOL Cath is probably happy it didn't.
In case anyone is wondering - I debated on how/when/where Nick would come out to a family member and the decision for him to do it so quickly with Eileen (who he is least close with) really was to show that he is just so ready to be done with living a lie with his family and that he trusts Greg (and Greg's parents) enough to know that if it blows up, he'll be okay because of their support. Also, I think he was really shocked by how content he felt in Catalina and then at the Sanders home that he was unwilling to compromise in his own home.
Thanks to KJT for editing while still on dial-up. Broadband has been ordered woo hoo! And credit to my husband for writing several of Jacqui's lines (he thinks she's the female version of quippy Brass) and for coming up with Greg's date idea LOL
I've replied to everyone who commented on the last chapter. I was psyched to see you enjoyed the 'ethical Walmart' scene. Thanks so much for the ongoing support of the story, it's very helpful!!
The next chapter will post around Friday (that's why this one was extra long). I have a very busy week since it's the last week before school starts back up (we go year-round and only have 6 weeks off in the summer)
Thanks for reading!
Maggs
