DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!
RATING: M - Mature (language, sexual situations, adult subject matter)
PAIRINGS: GSR & Yo!Bling pre-established in previous fics of this timeline.
SPOILERS: Sequel to "Displacement", "Transitions" and "Vicissitudes" - Number 5 in the Discovery Series
SUMMARY: Sometimes, the best way the deal with the changes all around you is to stop fighting and evolve in response to them. GSR/Yo!Bling/Nick-OC
A/N: Now, don't expect to see all the chapters coming this quickly. I just happened to get a lot done over the weekend. I am working again, and planning a couple of events, so I don't have a lot of free time for writing at the moment. You can expect at least a chapter a week, so the extra ones will be bonuses. ;) Oh yeah, and you can tell one of my other interests by reading this chapter. But it's the only idea I've had for it yet, so don't count on another fandom being added to my library just yet. :P
REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.
Chapter 29
13:00 – 2007.01.25
Jeffersonian Institution, Washington D.C. – Mineral Analysis Lab
Two men sat before a microscope and a foam core display board as they discussed something with barely restrained excitement. Each man shared physical similarities; both had curly hair, both wore beards and both had the same delighted gleams in their eyes. It was the perfect scene of a teacher and a pupil, the passing down of knowledge from the older to the younger man.
"Okay, so using the accepted specification charts for a species of insect makes the whole thing just a measuring game?!" The younger man asked excitedly.
"That would be true," came the older man's smirking reply.
"So, when there isn't an accepted chart for age and size…you've got to age the specimens yourself and record the detailed measurements?" He flipped through the other man's notes as he put the pieces of the puzzle together.
"Exactly… Linear Regression is a simple process, it's just incredibly time consuming. However, there is nothing more convincing to a jury when it comes time for prosecution." He pointed to the display once again and said, "By showing the jury that the life of the insect can pinpoint time of death to within a day on a body that was found in a nearly unrecognizable condition, it puts an element of humanity back into the discussion. When they see pictures of that decomposed body, they can no longer think of it as a person, but when you show them the lifecycle of the insect and the way they consume flesh, it gives them a chance to finally connect the pictures of the victim to the images of the decomposed body. People need that connection to make an informed decision. Without that connection a jury is forced to make an academic analysis, which leaves them detached and uncaring about the end result."
"Man! That is just completely awesome, Dr. Grissom." The younger man shook his head and smiled, "I've been reading about your cases for years, but to be able to hear you really explain it, makes it that much more understandable. I just wish I had a chance to actually do one of these."
Grissom looked down to shy away from the younger man's praise and said, "Yes, most of the cases handled here are in the forms of desiccated remains, and your use of entomology is more in determining geographic locality, as opposed to time of death."
"ID the bug casings, figure out the best location and move on to the next one. That's kind of why my primary work is with mineral and biological trace materials. Detritus is my life." That gave both men cause to laugh.
"There are worse things in life… Administration is the first thing that comes to mind." The careful cock of Grissom's eyebrow made the younger man laugh outright.
"A fate worse than death!"
A woman in a lab coat, with her auburn hair pulled up and away from her face leaned on the doorjamb, and interrupted their mirth with a question, "And what would that be Dr. Hodgins?"
"A life spent filling out paperwork, Dr. Brennan." Jack stood up as the woman entered the room.
"Well, then count me down as a yes vote on that one, too." She moved closer to the display board and looked it over. "I see Dr. Grissom has been once again extolling the virtues of linear regression."
"It really is a fantastic process, Dr. Brennan. And the success rate in the courts is near a hundred percent." Grissom chuckled at the younger man's enthusiasm. It had been a long time since he inspired anyone with such passion, and deep down it made him feel good to have found it again.
"Well, if you don't mind…I need to borrow Dr. Grissom for a while."
Hodgins shied away from the attention and nodded his head. "Yeah… Sure thing. I need to go and bug Zack for something anyway." He turned to Grissom and said, "Thanks for the demonstration, Dr. Grissom. I've never had a chance to get a first-hand look at something like that."
As Jack left the room Dr. Brennan chuckled under her hand and said, "I think you have a fan, Gil."
He looked down as he stood up and said, "Yes, well, I prefer to look at it as having a new student." He placed his glasses in his chest pocket and motioned for her to precede him through the door of the lab. "It is the reason I chose to leave the crime lab environment, after all."
She shrugged and said, "I must admit that you seem to be in a much better place lately. I was a little concerned about you after our last visit. You just seemed terribly cynical, and I never remembered you being like that before."
"Yes…" His face took on a faraway look and he paused for a few moments before he spoke again. "There were a great many things contributing to that attitude, but I'd like to believe that I've left all of that behind. With a little help, I hope to never be that man again." His enigmatic smile told Brennan all she needed to know about that.
As they entered Brennan's office Grissom's cellphone rang. The moment he saw the screen his mood seemed to have darkened. "Grissom… Are you absolutely certain?...No, I understand…Yes, of course, I suppose since I'll be in town…No, that's fine, I'll just stick with the other arrangements…Thank you…Good day to you."
When he slumped down into the chair in front of her desk, Temperance noticed that his entire demeanor changed over the course of the phone call. "Is there a problem?"
"Nothing really… I was just trying to go back to Nevada a little early, but there's a meeting on Monday that I haven't been able to reschedule." Grissom looked about ten years older with that admission and it worried her.
Before she could ask any other questions, Angela stuck her head in through the doorway. "There you are!" She flounced into the room and exclaimed, "I just got off the phone with Sara, Dr. G., and she asked me to fill in for her at some dinner party you got roped into. She said she talked to you about it already, but I wanted to make sure."
"Yes… Thank you, Angela. She was unable to get away for the weekend, and I think Sara was worried about my going alone. But if you have oth-"
"No worries, Dr. G… It's the least I can do, seeing as we totally missed your wedding and all." Angela sat down in the other chair and smiled.
Grissom obviously had other things on his mind as he rose from his seat and begged forgiveness for his exit. Angela turned back to Temperance after she watched the man leave the room and noticed the concerned look on her face. "What is it, Sweetie?"
She shook her head and frowned, "I'm not entirely sure… One minute he looks like he's having the time of his life and the next it's like he… I don't know."
"Someone just kicked his puppy?"
"That's a bit morbid…but yes. I just don't understand it." Temperance sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"Sweetie, we really need to find you a guy… The man just got married to the most perfect person in the world for him and the very moment he gets back from his honeymoon, Dr. Stick in the Mud calls him to D.C. for some boring meetings with big wigs and he has to leave his new wife behind… It's just classic loneliness and missing his wife."
"Huh… I suppose that could explain the mood swings, the restless sleeping, the low tolerance for frustration, and his general level of fatigue at the end of the day." Temperance used her standard analytical approach to decipher the situation. "I was attributing it to the time zone change and perhaps, because of someone his age sleeping on my couch, but I suppose your explanation makes sense as well."
Angela shrugged and added, "Or he could just be incredibly horny."
"ANGELA!"
"What?! It's not like you weren't thinking it. I just said it." Angela waggled her eyebrows at Temperance enough to make her blush. "Besides, I was living with Sara when those two met, and as long as it took them to finally figure it out, I figure they've got a solid three years of screwing like rabbits before they get it out of their systems."
Angela's comments took her breath away, but at the same time, it set the gears of her mind into motion. Ever since their first meeting, Gil Grissom had been a stable influence in her life over the years, and Brennan felt as though she owed him a great deal.
Within a few moments she found the answer to the problem. Enough people in town owed her favors she was sure that with a little finagling they would be able to help her friend and colleague. "I can't think about that right now… Or ever, really." She visibly shook, and then Temperance grabbed for the phone and started dialing.
"What are you doing?" Angela sat forward in her seat to see what her friend was doing.
"Nothing… We're doing it. You and I are going to fix this problem. I don't want Gil getting discouraged with this position quite so early. I'll call in a few favors and get this meeting rescheduled and you can bring Hodgins to this dinner party of Goodman's to get him off the hook."
Angela was confused and asked, "You knew about this dinner party thing?"
"Of course… Sara was originally going to try and make it out for the weekend, so I made other arrangements. But you have to promise to keep Hodgins in check… You know how he gets around Goodman." Temperance raised her eyebrow with her request. "Anyway, with any luck…Gil will be on the first flight out of here in the morning."
Angela smiled and then leaned back in her chair. "You two are pretty good friends, huh?"
Temperance answered the person on the other end of the line and then waited on hold. She expelled a deep breath when she said, "I'm not sure about the friends part, but I have a great deal of respect and admiration for him. He was there for me during a very difficult time, and taught me a great deal. I'm not sure where I'd be if it hadn't been for him, Angela."
"Then let's get busy and get that man home… Sara sounded pretty bad too, and I know enough about her to recognize the symptoms. Those two need it bad."
