Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own them. The story and other characters are mine though.

A/n: Sorry this chapter is so short guys, but I was sick, and wanted to make sure I got something out. I promise that next chapter will be longer. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, it means alot to me, and I promise to list everyone on the next chapter. Enjoy.:)

Chapter 10

Catherine lifted the statue and turned it around in her gloved hand. It was made of marble, but it had been wiped clean of prints. The only evidence that they'd get from it was the trace of blood on its base, which had already been swabbed and sent to DNA. Wendy was backed up though, and it could be a while before they got any results. She'd only just finished testing the other samples, and they were still waiting on the results. Putting the statue down, she turned to the open file next to her on the layout table. Rubbing at the base of her neck, she briefly closed her eyes. They popped open when she felt someone's hands start kneading her neck.

"Relax." Nick said, focusing on a particularly hard knot. "Your muscles are so tight, I'm surprised you can even turn your head."

She allowed her head to roll forward as he continued to knead. Her mind emptied of all thoughts. It had been a while since she's felt someone's hands on her that didn't want something more. It was nice. One by one, the knots melted under his touch. Her mind began to drift, and she imagined another set of hands there instead. Ones that were a bit harder, callused from picking the strings of his guitar, but gentle enough to play a soft sonata on a piano. She could almost smell the spiciness of his natural scent.

"Well, what do we have here? I go away for a couple of days, and the place turns into a massage parlor." Warrick said from his position at the door. Amused when he saw Catherine jump like she'd been shot with a BB gun.

"W-Warrick! What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be gone a few more days?" Catherine babbled, more rattled than she wanted to admit.

For Nick's part, he just grinned. "Nah man, just lending my skills to the cause. Tough case."

"Oh? What's it about?" He asked, slipping onto a stool, and coolly avoided explaining his early return.

Between them they filled him in. Catherine finished. "So, we're stuck for now."

They turned when Doc came through the door. "Thought you'd want my results right away. I went back over the body, with an extra fine tooth comb, and finally found something." He had their full attention. He on the other hand was distracted by the statue sitting on the light table. "Ah, Bacchus, the God of wine. You know, back in college…"

Catherine cut him off. "Doc, the body?"

Clearing his throat, he nodded. "Right, I found a small injection mark at the base of her neck."

"So she was injected with something, but what? Tox came back clear." Cath leaned forward, concentrating.

"That's because she wasn't injected with anything." Doc explained, unhelpfully.

"What do you mean? You said there was an injection mark." Nick spoke up.

"And there was, but what was injected into her was nothing. Nothing but air that is."

"You mean someone injected her with air?" Nick asked.

"As far as I can tell, cause of death was an air embolis. An air bubble can enter an artery accidentally after surgery, but this one was introduced purposefully." He handed Catherine the file.

"Thanks Doc." He nodded and turned to leave. Turning back, he took one more look at the statue, and smiled. "Good times." He murmured, and left.

Grissom and Sara walked through the doors of the lab just as a torrent of rain started to fall. Stopping to look back, Sara sighed. "You know, for this being a desert city, we seem to get some awful storms."

Grissom could think of at least half a dozen explanations for their weather conditions, but when he looked at her he said the only thing he wanted to. "This weather means only one thing to me, staying home with you and… cuddling."

She smiled as they turned to walk down the hall. "You mean how Gladys and Harold are probably… cuddling?"

"Well, I don't think we need all the accoutrements, and I certainly don't need the outfits, but I have no difficulty with the general concept." He smiled at her.

Sara laughed, "Speaking of Gladys and Harold, it would seem that you lost our bet."

"Yes, it would seem that, that is the case. When do you expect me to commence payment?"

"Well, it's already end of shift, so I say you can get started now." Sara gave him a smile as she headed for the locker room.

Looking around to make sure that no one was around, he called. "What's my first order?"

Walking back she whispered, "You can call the Mayor and tell him that his dear Aunt Gladys is okay, she's just staying with a friend, and has been tied up. While you're doing that, I'm going to go home and slip into something more comfortable. I encourage you to hurry, so that you can do the same." Smiling she left him standing in the hall, looking a bit dazed.

TBC...