So...things are going well for me right now. My beta isn't dead, I got a new puppy, my new story is kicking ass, I'm going to Texas in three weeks to chill with TDCSI (and her hot neighbor), I've got ideas for new stories, but I've been convinced to do nothing with them until I finish at least a couple of the ten stories I've got going now (but the ideas haven't been lost, so that's why its a good thing)...see, things are looking up!

I would just like to say that TDCSI is one of the greatest people on the planet. She helps me to no end. This story has become one of the most confusing to write and it frustrates the hell out of me. I wanted it to go down in flames as I deleted it, but she convinced me not to do so, so thank her for its continued existence.

Brass stood slack jawed in the kitchen.

"What's that look for? It seems reasonable to me."

"I thought so." Greg agreed.

Brass scoffed, "Are you all high?!"

"Uh, no."

He sighed, "There is no way you can expect me to go tell them that."

"Why not?" Sara asked.

Brass scoffed. "It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I'm not telling them that!"

"After we told you what has been going on these last few weeks, how can you say that this is the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard?"

"Telling those three that I saw Sara and Greg together buying-"

"Brass, it's really not all that bad. Just tell them and go. They'll probably be in too much shock to ask you any questions about it, if that's what's got you worried."

"What I'm worried about is getting my ass kicked for not having put a stop to anything or for them thinking that I didn't tell Gil about what I saw so that he could put a stop to it."

"Well, after the whole scene at the restaurant, I don't think anyone would want you to say anything to Griss about seeing Greg and myself." Sara laughed.

"Did you really have to bring that up?" Greg whispered to her. "Really, did you have to?"

"Greg, get over yourself." Grissom said. "Jim, this is not that big of a deal. I promise you that, once you've helped us this one time, then you can be done."

Brass didn't really buy that line, especially coming from Grissom.

"I'm serious, Jim. You help us with this now and I'll cut you free of all this. You can just help us out in the lab like you normally would, with no mention of all this."

Brass thought about the offer for a moment. "Do I have to help out with that weird unicorn case?"

"Well, if you don't help with that one, then you have to help continue on with Nick's case."

"Spoons and ice cream are better than unicorns." Brass muttered. "Look, I still don't want to do this. It's not a good idea."

"It's not like you're buying a one-way ticket to hell for helping us with this, Brass." Greg laughed.

"No, look, all I'm saying is that this is a horrible idea that I am extremely uncomfortable following through with." Brass responded.

"I think it's a damned brilliant plan that they all have coming for trying to get you on their side." Grissom said with a cocky tone.

"And just what do you think they're all going to do once they find out that you three devised this crap to screw with them, Gil? Ever hear that little saying about how karma is a bitch?" Brass retorted.

"Don't screw up and they shouldn't find out anything, Jim."

---------------------------------------------------

"Jim!" Catherine yelled and waived him over to where she and the boys' table were. He took his seat just as the waitress delivered a pitcher of beer. He was glad she did because he figured it was going to take the downing of the whole damn thing to get him through what he was about to tell the three.

"Where are Nick and Warrick at?"

"Darts." Catherine said and pointed across the bar. "About time you got here. You said you'd be here an hour ago on the phone!" she yelled over the crowd and music.

"Yeah, sorry. Traffic and whatnot."

"Hey. Catherine, you owe Warrick ten bucks." Nick said as he and Warrick came over and took their seats.

"Nick, what the hell?! You guaranteed me a win!" she screeched.

He laughed and replied, "You should've seen the waitress that was flirting with me over there. Like I was supposed to be able to concentrate like that."

Catherine rolled her eyes, handed Warrick a ten and turned to Brass. "What is this big news you said you had to share with us?"

Damn, Catherine. Can't let a man enjoy some alcohol before he's going to want to jump off a bridge?

Having no alcohol in him, Brass lost his confidence…what little he had, anyways. He excused himself and went to the bathroom to make phone call.

"…and if I tell them that, then I don't have to tell them that I saw-"

"No." Grissom said, cutting him off.

Brass groaned, "Why the hell not?"

Grissom sighed on the other line. "Jim, it doesn't go with the plan. We came up with what to have you tell them days ago. We've had this worked out for a while. Just go with it, please?"

"Gil, I really don't feel comfortable with this. You know they're going to be asking more questions and I am not going to be wanting to answer any of them."

"Quit being a sissy, Brass!" Sara yelled in the background.

"Am I…Gil, am I on speakerphone?"

"Uh, yeah. Actually, you are. Greg's still here, too."

"Hi!" Greg yelled.

"Dammit. Look, you three, I don't want to tell them anything about seeing Gr-"

"Just do it!" and with that, Grissom hung up.

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, welcome back."

"Yeah. Gimme that." Brass said, reaching for the beer.

"Slow down, Jim!" Catherine laughed.

"Is the news that bad?" Warrick joked.

"You have no idea." Brass said and began to deliver the story he was sent to tell.

Beer slowly dribbled down Nick's chin since his mouth was wide open, Warrick nearly spit his beer out and Catherine actually almost choked on hers.

They simply sat and stared at Brass while he continued to drink his beer, seemingly un-phased by the story he'd just told.

After a few minutes went by and the story sank in, Catherine spoke first. "That…uh, well…um, why?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why do they need them?"

"Yeah." Nick chimed in. "Why did you see Greg and Sara buying condoms together? Why would they need them? I mean, hello, damage is kinda already done, people."

"Not the point, Nick! If they have sex that means, rather obviously, that she and Grissom aren't getting back together soon!" Warrick yelled…and got some funny looks from other patrons.

"Jim, what else were they buying?"

Great. The questions were starting that he just knew were coming.

"Were they buying anything else at all?"

"I don't know. I wasn't paying that much attention." He said.

"Wait. What were you doing in that aisle, Jim?" Catherine grinned.

Brass went a little pink at that unexpected question. "It's…next to…the blenders. I needed a new one. The two are like, two aisles apart. I just so happened to pass them."

"Oh. Well, then."

Two more pitchers of beer later and Catherine, Nick and Warrick had come up with several plans on how to crash, what she thought, was the semi-romantic night that Greg and Sara had ahead of them.

Brass had shot all of them down, for the obvious reason of the night being completely non-existent, but also because the plans were all formed during the downing of a hefty amount of alcohol.

"Jim, shut up and let us do something about it." Catherine groaned into her mug.

"It's just that you three really don't need to be doing anything right now. You're almost drunk. Just give it a little while." He reasoned.

"But you've been shutting us down all night…before we ever got drunk. It's almost like-"

"Like it…never happened!" Catherine cut Warrick off, gasping.

Christ on a cracker. Why was she actually smarter when she was drunk?

"Now, wait a minute. Cath, that is just-"

"Jim, are you lying to us?"

"What? Why…why would I, uh…no."

"I might be just this side of drunk, but, damn it all to Hell, Jim, I am not stupid." She poked him in the chest. "You lying? Huh?"

It took one poke to make Brass give in like a folding chair under a fat man. "YES!"

The other three started groaning and griping about random things. One of them hit brass with the bowl the pretzels had been in, and then someone said something about 'damn dirty apes.'

"Why are you lying?"

"Gil made me…well, in all actuality, it was Sara."

"Grissom and Sara? Wait, what?"

Uh-oh. Was that too much that he just said?

"It, uh…you know."

"No. We don't know, Brass. Please, enlighten us."

He sighed loudly and said, "I hate all of you beyond what words can ever help me express."

"What the hell did we do?!"

"You recruited me. Gil, Sara and Greg found out, because I told them, and they wanted to mess with you even more than they have been. They told me to tell you the little story about seeing Sara and Greg at the store to mess with the three of you, okay. I hate all of you. I don't want to be in the middle of this ignorant game."

"More than they have been? They've messed with us before?" Catherine asked.

"Gee, ya think?"

"Just when are you talking about, Jim?" she demanded.

"You honestly think that no matter how pissed Gil and Sara were at each other, that she would actually go out with Greg or that Gil would actually allow it? If you do, you are all certifiably insane."

"How long?"

"How long, what?" he asked.

"How long have they been messing with the three of us?"

"Look, I honestly don't know the whole story. What I do know is that Gil does know that Sara is pregnant and that Sara is not dating Greg. That whole deal was a set-up to mess with all of you. Everything in between was most likely planned too. Take it all however you'd like, I'm going home."

So, I know that this was fillery (that's a word because I said so) of sorts, but you'll get over it soon enough, because I actually have some good things in mind for the next chapter.

Please, reviews are all that is keeping me going on this.

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