Disclaimer: Please refer to the first chapter. I can't think of something new to say with each chapter. I'm just not that creative...
A/N 1 – Get your minds out of the gutter. Yeah, I know what you're thinking with a title like this, but... jeez... Have a little faith. It's completely, mostly, sorta innocent. Nothing over the top. It's as raunchy as the rest of the series. So, not so much so.
Thanks for your reviews, as always. I'm glad you're enjoying this little blurb as the summer goes on. I'm having a ton of fun writing this. So, if you're having half as much fun reading it, then I'm a happy camper.
A/N 2 – After my little hiatus, I'm forcing myself to work extra hours at the office. So, updates may be slightly slow for a short time while I'm making an attempt at fixing my spontaneous absence from work. I'll do my best to keep writing as inspiration hits me and update as often as possible. Hopefully I can remedy it pretty quickly and get back to my boring life.
X-Rated
"What's up, Cath?" Warrick knocked lightly on Catherine's office doorjamb.
Catherine looked up from the folder she was holding, peering over her glasses at him. "Sara was here a few minutes ago to inform me that our presence is requested as part of a case she and Grissom are working on."
Warrick walked fully into the office at that point. Glancing over his shoulder, he checked the hallway for any eavesdroppers. "Just the fact that they're working together lately is a little weird, don't you think?"
Catherine removed her glasses. "I've long ago stopped trying to analyze those two. Hot, cold. Content, angry. Who knows what mood they'll be in any given day."
"Yeah. Just a week ago, Grissom was short with her and she just sloughed it off like it was nothin'. Couplea days ago, she was in Grissom's face over him not sharing a piece of evidence. Yesterday, they didn't even say a word to each other. Today, they're on a case together like nothing happened."
"I wouldn't worry too much about it, 'Rick. It's the same confusing thing day after day. We'll only wear ourselves out trying to figure them out." She shut the folder in front of her and sighed heavily. "Let's go see what we can do for them."
Sara, perched on the edge of the conference table in the layout room, was frowning at Grissom when the other pair walked in. Grissom, sitting in one of the chairs just off to Sara's side, was frowning equally as distastefully up at her. With the toe of her shoe, Sara kicked the arm of Grissom's chair. Warrick and Catherine just watched as the duo turned to face the doorway upon their entrance.
"What'd you guys need?" Warrick asked, testing the air for any remaining tension for fear of what had caused them both to be frowning at each other when he and Catherine had made their appearance.
"We found a ton of videos at the victims' house. We were hoping to throw half of the stack at you guys and ask for your assistance to get through them faster, but we watched a few, and..." Sara stood from the table, landing on her feet with a thud.
"Watching those videos will not change our investigation," Grissom remarked, narrowing his eyes at Sara.
"Grissom..." Sara turned to face him again. "We have no idea what's on all of them. You gave up after the first one." She crossed her arms defiantly.
"We saw enough pieces of the first five to feel strongly that they all contain the same information. Same writing, same tapes, same location. We've tested enough for now." Grissom was tense, and his voice presented the evidence of his irritation.
"What were you looking for on the tapes?" Catherine ventured.
"The victims had security cameras at strategic places on the outside of the house. We were hoping that might give us some idea of who came and went at the house around their TOD," Sara explained.
"Sounds reasonable. So, what's the problem? Wrong timeframe?" Catherine continued to question them.
"Wrong genre, actually," Grissom answered enigmatically.
Catherine placed her hands on her hips. "Would you care to elaborate?"
"Seems they were more into taping their personal escapades and accomplishments rather than taping the people that came to visit them," Sara replied with a sigh.
"Ah..." Warrick found himself smirking. "Using a camera in the bedroom to capture the momentous occasions for posterity, huh?"
"Oh, no... What we saw had nothing to do with the bedroom. Everything was captured with the actually surveillance cameras in their natural habitats," Sara added.
"Exhibitionists? So, I still don't get the problem. So there's some racy footage. That shouldn't be an obstacle. Move on to the rest of the videos," Catherine stated, shaking her head lightly.
"Someone refuses to watch any more of them." Sara turned to glare at him again.
"I don't refuse to watch them. I said there was no use to watch them. We can chase the other evidence for leads and come back to these if nothing pans out." Grissom's voice held a note of finality. He was clearly through with the conversation even if the other CSIs were not. With the intent to leave if that might end the discussion, he stood from his chair, scooting it noisily behind him.
"They were stored in a cabinet in the living room. There could be some of the surveillance tapes in there as well. We need to look at them, and you know it," Sara directed her words at Grissom.
"Sara, no one keeps security camera footage and their personal videos in the same cabinet, let alone all mixed in together on the same shelf. Let it go." His voice held the note of warning that Sara often ignored.
"Funny. Where do you keep your porn collection, Grissom?" Sara spat the question at him, her voice light, but holding a hint of iciness.
Grissom pursed his lips as he sighed heavily at her. Catherine and Warrick watched on with rapt interest. Apparently this conversation had been escalating since before they had walked into the layout room. It would explain the tension in the air and why they had been frowning with disinterest at each other. Sara had crossed the line with her question, but Grissom only seemed annoyed and not angry.
"Sara." Grissom was using his condescending boss tone he reserved to keep people in check. If she expected to get a livid response out of him, he was going to work at not allowing it to happen. He ignored her question. "We've watched enough to know what is most likely on the rest. There are only twenty tapes in total. If we need to, then we'll come back to them. For now, this discussion is closed."
"God, you're acting like I want to watch them for personal pleasure. Hell, I'd rather watch a forensic documentary. They're evidence, Grissom," Sara huffed. "C'mon, Warrick. Let's go check out what they have in Trace." She grabbed the dazed Warrick by the arm and dragged him from the room.
Catherine and Grissom were left standing alone in the conference room. Catherine raised her eyebrows at him. His only response was a glare in her general direction. He sat back down at the table and began looking through his notes. Catherine continued to eye him questioningly as he pretended to be interested in the file.
"It's strange to see you so restrained about evidence," Catherine stated casually, gauging Grissom's body language for a response. "Normally it's the weirdest or unusual things that seem to intrigue you."
Grissom grunted. "Yes, well, I'm not about to sit here and peruse through someone else's sexual escapades when there's other evidence to scrutinize."
"After all the cases we've worked and the deviant behavior we've seen, I just can't believe you'd have a problem with watching those videos," Catherine pressed, a knowing smile gracing her lips.
Grissom's mouth hung slightly open in annoyance as he sighed heavily. "If I thought they were probative to the investigation, I'd—"
Holding up her hands in defense, Catherine cut him off. "Don't get all defensive on me. I could care less that you're embarrassed to watch them."
With all four seated back in the conference room, the tension was palpable. Nothing else was pointing them in the right direction. The evidence had led them to a dead end, and all that was left were the videos. Neither Warrick nor Catherine was willing to voice their concerns or thoughts on the subject after the last conversation on the matter.
Never once before had Grissom allowed the evidence to affect him in such an adverse manner. He was embarrassed, but the bigger question in their minds was why. They were not sure if it was because he was protection of the victims, the embarrassment of seeing the videos in mixed company, or seeing it in front of one CSI in particular.
"Okay... So, videos. There's nothing left," Sara stated firmly, picking one of them up off of the table and turning towards the VCR and portable television. "Maybe there's someone lurking that caught them in the act and didn't like it."
"Sara, you're going back to the house and see what else you can find. We may have missed something." Grissom stood from his chair and began walking from the room as if the matter was closed.
"That's it? You're still refusing to watch the videos? This is lunacy, Grissom, and you know it." Sara turned to face him, fire in her eyes. "We didn't miss anything. You're avoiding the issue and the evidence we have available now."
Grissom turned only his head to regard Sara. "No, Warrick and Catherine are going to watch the videos. That's what we called them for in the first place." With that said, he continued his retreat from the room.
"Better take one of those videos home... you're going to need it," Sara whispered under her breath towards Grissom's retreating back. She walked out after him, but purposefully turned down the opposite way in the hallway from Grissom.
Once alone in the room, Warrick turned to Catherine. "Did she just say what I think she said?"
Catherine's mouth worked open and shut a few times, but no sound escaped. She was utterly at a loss to explain anything that had happened in the last few hours. She questioned her own sanity as she had watched the scene unfold and compared it to the last few months. She shook her head to dislodge her thoughts. Grissom was still enigmatic, and Sara was still temperamental. Maybe some things were just not what they seemed.
To Be Continued...