.
* * * * * *
He leaned against the table.
"What?" he looked over at Nick. Nick gave a smile and put his hand down on the table.
"Why us?" Dom tilted his head to the side, giving a thoughtful look.
"Why—you?"
"Yea, why us? Why Las Vegas?" Dom took a moment before answering.
"Well for one—It's Vegas," he said grinning. "And two; through my own extensive 'research'—I found that you guys," he motioned to all of them. "Were one of the best labs in the country." Nick nodded in agreement. "And I figured—if I wanted to do this thing right—I should start in the right place," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Nick seemed to ponder that for a moment.
"Sounds—fair," he relented, leaning back in his chair. Dom gave a slight nod.
"Ok then. So—as I was saying before," he picked up a stack of papers. "I want to learn what you guys already know—and this packet contains all the information that you are to be held responsible for," He quickly passed them out. "And there are some papers that need to be signed—but we don't have to worry about that until later." He clapped his hands together; and gave them a moment to look over the papers. Grissom for one; didn't look amused as he read the print.
"Ok—so what do you guys think so far?" He looked expectantly around the table. There was no immediate response.
"Sounds—interesting," Nick replied, tossing the packet onto the table. "But will it work?"
"What do you mean?"
Nick gave a small smile as he leaned forward.
"What I mean is, that-" he paused, searching for the right words.
"What I think my man Nick here is tryin' to say—is that—is the public ready for this? Are they ready to see what we see?" Warrick helped. Nick nodded his approval. They looked at Dom.
He thought about that for a moment.
"Well—think about what's on TV now," he posed. "Have you seen the stuff on MTV nowadays?" They thought about that for a moment. "I mean c'mon, that's not even counting what happens on like, ER and—NYPD Blue."
"I—guess," Warrick didn't sound convinced.
"Barriers are being broken down even as we speak. Violence—profanity—nudity—it's becoming more common place nowadays." He paused.
"So what you're saying; is that, it's ok for television to depict violence—because it sells." Grissom remarked. Dom thought about that for a moment.
"No—I'm not saying that at all-"
"You just did." Dom sighed.
"Actually; I didn't. The point I'm trying to make—sir—is that the public is ready for a show like this," he looked straight at Grissom, who was now scowling at him. "Violence does not necessarily sell—it's the good storyline; or the acting, or the believability. There needs to be something more than just mindless violence."
Grissom seemed to mull over that for a few moments.
"I mean, think about it—the public is ready for a change. They are getting tired of shows like ER—that seem to start out plot driven—but then in a couple episodes, turn into their own soap opera," he took a breath. "They are looking for a quick paced story—something with snap—not a romance novel."
"I like ER," Sara said defensively. Dom looked down at her and smirked.
"You would," he teased. She made a face at him. He turned to the rest of the group.
"The publ-"
"When do you have time to watch it?" Cath interrupted—saying what everyone else was already thinking. "You're always here." Sara glared at her.
"I tape it," she retorted.
"Oh." Cath still seemed taken aback.
"So—there wouldn't be any type of 'romance' angle at all?" Nick asked, trying to get the conversation back. Dom tapped his pen in on the back of his hand.
"Well—see—I really don't know; they haven't really developed anything yet—as in character wise. That's why I'm here," he grinned. "But for my honest opinion—I think there should be—just not overly."
He paused.
"I'm a fan of subtlety," he added offhandedly.
Nick seemed to agree.
Silence.
"Why?" he asked, eyeing Nick.
"O-a-just wondering," he replied sheepishly. Everyone turned to look at him. "What? I like a little love every now and then," he explained, embarrassed.
Dom gave an amused look, but then returned to looking down at his notes.
"Ok—so before I move on—any questions?"
After a moment; Catherine raised her hand again. Dom sighed.
"Yes?"
"Why else did you choose Vegas?" he gave her an exasperated look.
"If you were listening—we've already covered that-," he checked his watch. "Ten minutes ago." She shrugged that comment off.
"Well—why Vegas? Why not—the FBI?" she was fishing for something.
He took a moment before replying.
"If I was told to go federal; I would have. But since I wasn't—there was no need." He was tapping his pen on the table top now. "Plus you probably need—like—clearance or something like that."
"So—you didn't even look into it?" she leaned on the table, staring at him. He looked blankly at her.
"Well—no."
Silence
"Cath—does it really matter?" Nick was trying to reason with her. "So he didn't go with the feds—would you?" The group seem to find that comment funny—even Grissom managed a smile.
She sighed.
"I guess you're right Nick," he seemed pleased with that. "But I was just wondering—why Vegas," she slowly looked towards Dom.
He shifted uneasily. He didn't know where she was going with this.
"Are you saying that it wasn't a good choice?" he asked slowly, looking at her. Grissom turned to stare at her too; waiting to see her answer.
"No," she shook her head. "I was just wondering if there were any other options," she drawled. Dom bit his lip.
"Like?"
"Like—Miami? They've got a good system down there."
"Well-"
"Or St. Louis."
"N-"
"Or Boston perhaps."
He bit his lip.
"I've heard they aren't-"
"Or what about somewhere in California. Like Sacramento-or L.A.—or even San Francisco. They're pretty good," She raised an eyebrow. "At least they used to be." He gripped the table.
"What about San Francisco?" Sara interrupted.
"Catherine—where are you going with this?" Nick asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Yea Cath—what's up with that?" Warrick chided her. However Grissom remained quiet, looking impassively over at Sara. She didn't notice; she was to busy watching Dom.
"O—I don't know," Cath replied, rolling her eyes towards Dom. He looked down at the table, not saying a word. Grissom blinked a few times, his eyes glistening. He slowly looked over at Dom, who was still looking down. He bit the inside of his cheek—as if in doing so, would help him hide his emotions.
He gave a loud audible sigh.
I do.
A beeper went off.