Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the CSI franchise. I play with the characters but unfortunately I can't keep them. Otherwise, I'd have a few of them chained to a bed in my non-existent basement and you should be glad I don't own it because I'd add so many hook ups that they would have to change its name to Grey's Anatomy j/k.

A/N: How was your week lovelies? Mine was crazy in a good way. Lots of studying, meeting with friends, preparing strawberries in orange juice with honey and sugar and making spicy curry (Cooking is fun ^_^). A bit of everything. I'm trying to write this chappie earlier because I'm going to be visiting one my dearest friends, Viku, in Málaga on Thursday but my procrastinating self is rebelling XP My cat isn't helping either, she has decided I'm a good heater and it's sleeping on me, distracting me with her cutesy ways XD If I didn't get your sweet sweet feed-back I'd have taken this week as hiatus but I don't want to disappoint all of you who take the time out of your busy lives to read, review, favourite or follow this little fic. You are simply the best. Getting back to more on-topic things, I wonder how and when I'm going to solve the case I left stranded several chappies ago. Not in this one I'm afraid... I keep getting side-tracked by whatever Hodges and Morgan decide on a whim... They are not obedient at all.

Last week, Morgan tried to execute a machiavellian scheme and got burned badly. Hodges found himself in a trap with Conrad glowering at him and Olivia just grinned with an expression that said "All according to keikaku" (Death Note reference for the geeks out there). Let's try to make this dinner fun, awkward and not totally and absolutely cliché! Here we go.


Hodges' POV

"What the fuck? What the ever loving freaking fuck?! What the... ?!" -Mind meet turmoil. Turmoil meet mind. Nice having met you sanity, thanks for being with me while it lasted.

Hodges looked desperately for any escape options and his mind for some way to deny reality but there was no point. His mom smiled warmly while the waiter pulled the two tables together and she ordered some wine. The three of them stood there in silence through the proceedings.

Morgan mouthed an "I'm really sorry" and something that sounded like "I'll make it up to you" while she looked in Olivia's direction pointing to the obvious instigator of the ambush. He wasn't able to say no to her mother so he didn't blame her for succumbing, although she could have at least warned him... Granted, he wouldn't have entered the Dragon's Lair voluntarily in that case.

Speaking of the beast... Conrad was burning holes through his body with those glowering eyes. A vein had popped in his head and, if you looked closely, you could see it throb with every twitch of his face. For him Morgan was still his little girl, so having a pretty clear confirmation of your daughter having sex, a man escaping from her bedroom's window didn't leave much doubt he guessed, would be shocking at the very least.

Morgan was now looking at her dad with an annoyed expression but he seemed to be too intent in drilling a hole in Hodges' head to notice any disapproving stare. This seemed to be pissing her off quite a bit more.

-"Come on, what are you two doing standing up like that? Sit down" -Olivia told them calmly grinning as if she was oblivious to what was going on. As if...

Morgan and him immediately obeyed but Conrad took a few seconds before finally grinding his teeth and complying.

-"Isn't this a really nice restaurant? I love what they do with plantains, specially Plátanos maduros (A/N: No innuendo intended XP) and Fufu de platano" -Olivia tried to make small conversation. It kind of fell flat so she turned to the blue eyed blonde -"Have you ever tried Cuban food Morgan?"

-"Ehm, yeah. Dad took me to a great Cuban place half a year ago. He didn't seem to enjoy it much 'though but he soldiered through and tried everything" -although it looked like she was trying to prevent it, a fond smile formed on her lips at the memory.

Conrad's forehead vein return to a normal size too and he gave a small chuckle. If he had to bet money, he'd do it on his mom already knowing the effect her question would have on that stubborn father-daughter pair.

-"Then I spent the next day regretting that decision, that food definitely didn't agree with me. It took Olivia a good while to get me to give it another try" -Conrad commented good-naturedly.

The waiter, a fit Cuban young man, came to take their orders and a temporary truce was established. Olivia and Morgan already knew what they wanted to eat but he hurriedly searched for the first thing that sounded tasty, Huevos Habaneros with fried bacon and sausages, and Conrad took a little while before setting on Pastelitos de Picadillo with Caesar's salad.

When the guy left, it was awkward silence time again. Morgan grabbed his hand under table, using her fingertips to run soothing circles on his palm. They exchanged complicit smiles while he reassured her by squeezing back. Morgan beamed at him and quickly adopted a kind of determined expression.

She seemed to be gathering enough gumption to turn and confront her father. Olivia gave her an encouraging nod and he intertwined his fingers in hers. Morgan looked dead serious but, at the same time, a little bit insecure.

-"I'm sorry for not listening and shouting at you Dad. I shouldn't have treated you like that" -she said apologetically -"but you should realise I'm not a kid anymore and you are going to have to live with me making my own decisions even if you think I'm making a huge mistake" -she admitted the possibility and continued in a more confident tone -"Also I think you owe David an apology for what you've done with his Lab schedule" -she added.

Hodges wanted to object something along the lines of "no apology necessary, I actually think I deserved it, just please don't hire someone to break off my legs" but he didn't think that comment would be appreciated by either of them.

-"Why would I apologize to him. He hasn't been able to protect you, he's made you cry, he..." -the Sheriff was trying to contain his temper and failing pretty miserably -"I tried to give him an opportunity and he didn't just botched it, he blew it up completely" -he basically spat the words -"He doesn't care about you".

He felt awful about so many things about their relationship but he wasn't going to take that last one sentence lying down.

-"You can think that I've failed her too many times, you can believe I'm not good enough for her, I agree with both of those" -he added before Morgan's elbow connected with his ribs playfully -"but I'll not let you say that I don't care about her" -he put their held hands over the table, a gesture of mad defiance -"I can't not care about her. She is my world and despite how many times I miss the mark, I want to keep trying because I love her -"he got a bit pinkish admitting it to their parents but he didn't back down -"I'm not giving up in this relationship".

Conrad was literally fuming so Hodges thought it was his turn to say sorry and see if that made a dent. He didn't lose nothing by trying.

-"You deposited your confidence in me that morning and I let you down. I made her cry by being a coward and not accepting her feelings because of some silly little fears. I get that you are really mad at me. I hope I can earn your trust some day. It was such a dumb teeneagerish thing to do. I should have stayed and have an adult conversation. Escaping Morgan's bedroom by the w..." - From the start of his apology, he could see the cogs turning inside Conrad's mind and his face had gotten darker and darker while he spoke and when he got to the climbing part...

-"YOU DID WHAT?!" - He was going to cause his boss a hemorrhage because that vessel had to burst this time, that forehead's vein had reached ginormous proportions. What had he said? It couldn't be that he didn't know? Oh, god -"WHAT WERE YOU DOING INSIDE MY KIDDO'S BEDROOM?!"

Crash.

He looked down to see his wine glass break into smithereens against the floor. Well, it's not like he needed liquid courage to face his boss after blurting a sentence that to his ears must have sounded like "we were humping like rabbits in your daughter's bedroom before you interrupted us", right? Sarcasm so strong should have a security label: "Don't use before driving or operating industrial machinery".

He was sure he looked like he had seen a ghost or like he was in front of an incoming train, his face blanch and sweaty. He was half wishing for the Earth to open and swallow him whole. The murderous stare didn't help. What could he say?

Before he could ponder it much 'though, his very pissed off girlfriend was on the attack too.

-"You are as pig-headed as always. What do you think I was doing my BOYFRIEND? We are adults and it's none of your business" -she shouted back.

He was divided internally, part of him wanting to cheer for her for standing her ground and defending them but the other was going: "Great, this is just great. Please, could I interest you in some more fuel for that lovely fire?" He kicked the latter in the ass.

Conrad was about to angrily retort when Olivia stood up.

-"Oh, for goodness sake, what are you? kindergarteners?" -she sighed -"Conrad, don't be a prude, she is a grown up woman. Accept their relationship and stop meddling with your adult daughter" -David was sure his mother wasn't picking on the irony of that statement -"They are two young lovebirds, even if you tried, you wouldn't be able to separate them" -the Sheriff huffed but didn't say anything -"Also, I know you've said that you haven't been increasing David's shifts because of this situation and I understand how invaluable he is to the Lab" -his mother was still the same *sigh* -"but I'm sure being the Sheriff you could fix it. Look at the bags under his eyes. How is he going to turn in good work like that?"

Were they really that awful? There was no mirror close enough to check.

Conrad was grumbling but he didn't deny anything. Morgan squeezed Hodges' hand happy and his smile broadened. It also wasn't everyday that Ecklie was given an epic telling-off. Kind of fun despite everything.

-"Both of you, don't believe you are off the hook. You have been as childish as him. I realise you love each other but that's no excuse. David, I've brought you up better than this and Morgan, take better care of yourself. Now, I hope next time there's a conflict you are able to solve this without getting to the point of having to get me in the middle of it" -she said in a mock-exasperated tone -"Now, all of you make peace and shake hands. I'm going to the little girl's room".

It still took a few minutes but father and daughter did just that. Even he and Conrad shook hands. That the man tried to crush his hand in the handshake wasn't entirely unexpected.

The food came and was devoured in between positive comments and light conversation. It was like any of their other double dates except this time Morgan would brush her hand against his or he'd look at her smiling face and he'd feel his heart growing three sizes bigger because of pure unadulterated happiness.

His mother had quite the sweet tooth so she asked about the ingredients and method of preparation of each and everyone of the desserts making the waiter crazy. She finally settled on an Arroz con leche and cherries and Conrad on some Irish Whiskey custard.

The blond beauty to his right suggested they both share a Guava Cheese Flan bathed in Maple Syrup because she wasn't hungry enough to eat one by herself. He was totally down with the plan until the actual dishes arrived and the lovey-dovey nature of the situation seemed to start to annoy Conrad. Well, he decided that he wasn't going to be a wuss so he took a bit with his spoon and offered it to his girlfriend who ate it laughing at the uncharacteristic romantic gesture. When Conrad glared in his direction, his mother gave him a playful smack on the arm and told him to behave. A pouting Ecklie rubbing his arm was quite a sight, something else he had never expected to see. A night of surprises.


The rest of the meal went incredibly well. When it was time to bid their farewells, Morgan hugged her father and it was really nice to see how much they loved each other. Moreover, Hodges' hand was treated with slightly more gentleness when they did their goodbye. His mother only embarrassed them a little saying that she would like grand-children while she was still young.

Outside it was chilly, the breeze strong in the night. They huddled together to keep warm and just because they wanted. It was a quick trip to her apartment building and he parked just in front of it.

-"It's still a bit early and I'm not tired, do you want to give a short walk around the neighbourhood?" -she asked him when they got out of the vehicle.

-"Sure" -he answered quickly grinning like a fool. If the people in the Lab found out they'd say he was so whipped. He was with a witty, energetic woman on his arm so why would he say no to spend more time with her? Screw them.

They talked a bit about everything, what had been going on, Mr K's last devilish feat, Nick's coffee apology, ... and what they wanted for their future. Morgan seemed reticent to believe she'd be able to handle working on the field again because she didn't trust herself, but he had unwavering faith than she was going to get through this and end up stronger, and he tried to transmit that security to her. On his part, he was just really scared of triggering her again and wanted to perhaps meet with her and the doctor once the number of shifts decreased again if that was okay with her. Morgan's grin made him think he had won points with her even if he didn't understand how or why.

The taking it slowly part of their relationship was seriously put to the test. The blonde was stunning in anything in Hodges opinion, but that dress really did suit her well, and it seemed his own outfit was giving Morgan a serious case of roaming hands. Not that he was about to complain.

They ended up making out in front of her door's apartment like a pair of horny teenagers. Her mouth tasted so sweet and enticing that kissing her was a compulsion. They both knew they should keep it PG13 but the nibbles, licks, little touches and moans escaping each other made it pretty hard. Her gently raking her nails down his back while she nipped his ear, nearly impossible.

Morgan was the one to break apart, kiss him softly in the point of his nose and extricate herself from his arms. Both of them were breathing very hard.

-"You should go home. Your mother wasn't exaggerating when she said you look bad. Those eye bags must have taken effort to get. It looks like you haven't seen a bed since the last glacial age" -she said tracing his tired face with her fingers delicately.

-"You are right. Good night love" -he gave her a peck.

-"Sweet dreams David" -she said before entering her apartment.

He was sure he was going to have the sweetest dreams ever.


Morgan's POV

She woke up from a pretty restful sleep, her nightmares were getting better. She imagined that having had another date with Hodges yesterday helped. He was like a kind of Patronus to the Dementor of her bad dreams. They had watched the second episode of Firefly and she had to admit she was already completely hooked up. Incredibly, they managed to keep their hands mostly to themselves.

She knew the lack of nightmares didn't mean the problem was solved and she didn't want to just put on a bandaid or rely too much on any temporary solution. Sheldon had said she had to put in work and she was up to the task.

Morgan still couldn't believe how that dinner with Olivia and her father had ended, not in a massacre of biblical proportions, but actually being great. It felt really good to end her useless feud with her dad. Now if she wasn't going so slow in therapy... but that would mean things were going perfectly well and that only happens in movies and TV series and only until they need more drama to fatten the audience numbers.

Sheldon insisted it was progressing at a good pace but she was a bit fed up with processing every single second of the traumatic experience and not getting over it. When she didn't end in tears, coiled over herself in a foetal position, she was just so exhausted she stumbled out of the office.

Today was going to be a tad different 'though. She had received a letter,a very special missive, and she wasn't sure about opening it by herself.

It was from Jacinta Flores, the girl whose own father had raped her sister Rosa and cut her tongue when she rebelled. The monster had also kept the siblings isolated since they were toddlers, not even teaching them to read or write or anything resembling basic literacy. They had arrested their shit dad and the last thing she knew from her was that she was in foster care.

She had tried breaking apart the envelope but her hands shook wondering what kind of news it would bring. Jacinta and Jennifer, her mind played games with their names that casually started with the same letter. She had put so much effort to save both of them. It terrified her to have failed this girl too.

Doctor Wallace didn't coddle her. He exhorted her to open it now if she was going to do it and that she knew she wanted to. It was exactly the kind of encouragement she needed.

The handwriting was shaky but legible and her eyes started watering as she advanced through it.

Jacinta was okay, in fact, she was very happy. She was working hard to get her GED and she said that her foster family was very good. It had taken her a long while to warm up to her foster parents and the other kids and, at first they mocked her because she couldn't speak, but she had persevered and everything had worked out fine. Her best friend was a deaf girl named Lydia, who was teaching her sign language. She had been waiting to contact her until she could write the whole letter by herself to make Morgan proud. She hoped everything was good in her life and that maybe they could meet to drink milkshakes sometime.

She was full on crying when she finished. Sheldon seemed to understand they weren't sad tears and he just said.

-"See. I've told you once and again. You've done much good. You are good at your job and you are going to be back to save a lot more girls like Jacinta or Jennifer. Trust yourself".

Some wall inside herself broke down and she started believing she could reach for her happiness without holding back.


A/N: Pun intended on the picadillo bit (hacer picadillo means either making mincemeat or more usually beating someone up which it's what Conrad had been refraining from doing half the dinner XP).

How was the awkward versus fun coecient of the dinner? Did you laugh when Hodges blurted out that he had escaped Morgan's bedroom or when he shattered the wine glass or in any other moment? Was Olivia what you expected? Did you think the chapter's a bit glucose heavy? Am I too much of a nerd with my references? That's a definite YES. What did you think of the shrink session? The letter was too ham-fistedly executed? I want your opinions, please write me a review in that box just below the text. I live for them XP

The trip was cut short because of a death on my friend's family. He is okay but he had to go to the funeral in a further away city. I dedicate this chapter to him because he is the sweetest person I've ever met.

I wish you the greatest of weekends and that you have a really awesome time lovelies!