~~ Chapter Three: Obvious ~~
(Inspired by a Christina Aguilera song)

Cecilia looked over at Lizzie, who was staring vacantly at the TV. She looked as though she were deep in thought, and with Lizzie, that was something scary. Curious, Cecilia moved from her chair to a spot about two feet from Lizzie, to observe her blank look. Oh yeah…deep in thought…she grinned. To interrupt, or not to interrupt? Why am I even debating? She asked herself, jumping and putting her hand on Lizzie's shoulder. "YO LIZZIE!" she shouted, jumping Lizzie half-senseless.

Lizzie jumped and turned around, about to knock Cecilia in the head. Her grandfather had taught her that whenever someone sneaks up on you, you have to take action, because you never know who it might be. "What the hell, Cecilia? You trying to kill me?" she lowered her hand from the air, and placed it on her chest, huffing out a nervous sigh, then relaxing.

"ME trying to kill YOU?" Cecilia came up from her ducked position. "Damn, girl…you need to chill out…" she cleared her throat, and hopped over the couch, sitting beside Lizzie. "What were you thinking about?" she asked, turning off the TV, and leaning against the couch, to be on eye-level with Lizzie.

"Nothing…" Lizzie lied. She'd always been such a horrible liar. So much so, that everyone could see straight through her. "Why do you ask?" she cleared her throat, hoping she hadn't been too transparent.

"Because I know you're lying…tell me everything. In grueling detail, regardless of how long it is…" Cecilia kicked back, knowing she was in for a long story. "And don't hold back on me, or else I'll have to kill you!"

Lizzie shook her head. "No…I was just thinking. I have to go back to the lab, though. Archie'll kill me if I make him work alone for too long…" she stood up. "Sorry, Cecy…I just don't wanna tell anyone, in fear the information may get leaked out. I really, REALLY can't have that happen."

Cecilia was shocked. "Ok…" she sighed. She was always the advice-guru of the lab, and it bugged her that someone had something that they couldn't tell her…particularly Lizzie. "Well, when you feel like telling someone, please don't hesitate to tell me…" she sighed.

Lizzie knew how much Cecilia hated it when she felt someone couldn't count on her. But, instead of caring, she walked out of the break room, waving goodbye to her friend. She peered into the lab that she was so familiar with, to see Archie and Emma, staring at the computer screen. She barely noticed Emma, and focused her attention on Archie. There it was…what she couldn't tell Cecilia…she was starting to like Archie. "Oh my god…what am I doing?" she mumbled to herself, closing her eyes then reopening them. What am I feeling, and why did it take me so long to see it? I am so lost…she shook her head quickly, and burst into the A/V lab. "Didja miss me?" she went into normal Lizzie mode, so they wouldn't suspect.

"My life wasn't the same without the wonder, grace and beauty of your presence…" Archie sardonically humored Lizzie, then rolled his eyes, turning back to his movie. "And before you ask, no, this isn't another Donald tape…"

"Good…" she grinned, flopping down in a chair next to Archie, and looking at the TV. "Ok, ew! This is an actual murder tape. I'd greatly have preferred Donald…" she nearly choked on her own words. "I SO did not just say that…"

"Ooh, can I get that in writing?" Emma joked, winking. "Maybe after this tape is over, we can get Nicky in here, and torture Lizzie with the tapes…" she looked from Lizzie to Archie, a huge grin forming on her face.

"Focus, Emma…focus!" Lizzie stuck her tongue out at her friend. "You can't be paying more attention to me than to this! This is work, and I'm…"

"A piece of work?" Archie chuckled. "A piece of work, gone terribly, terribly wrong!" he patted his partner's shoulder.

Lizzie scoffed, and rolled her eyes. "If I'm gone terribly wrong, as you say…what are you?" she asked, expecting some chauvinistic, overconfident, manly answer. "And why in the name of all things Holy did I just ask that?"

"I'm God's gift to women!" Archie winked at both Emma and Lizzie. "Right, girls?" he grinned, hopefully.

Lizzie and Emma exchanged looks of pure amusement, and both burst out laughing. "Oh my GOD…that's the funniest thing I've ever heard in my entire life!" Emma gasped out between fits of laughter.

"Archie…thank you for giving me the biggest laugh I've ever had in my life…" Lizzie cleared her throat, trying to stop laughing. "Of course, you weren't serious, right?" she cleared her throat again, and gasped for a little breath. "How could YOU be God's gift to women? I mean…"

"Ok, ok, I get it!" Archie glowered at both of the girls, and stuck his tongue out. "No, of course I wasn't; how could I have been serious?" his upper lip curled.

Lizzie bit her lower lip and looked at the computer screen, thinking to herself. What am I doing? Tell him, stupid! Tell him! No…no, not with Emma here…although, I always tell her everything first, I can't. "What is this, anyway?" she asked, watching the computer.

"A tape of each case in a triple robbery/homicide case…I think it's three different people, but Arch doesn't seem to agree…" Emma shook her head. "Who's the CSI here, and who's the-…"

"A/V specialist?" Lizzie asked. "We actually have just as much credibility as you do in this case, man…how much evidence do you have?" she had taken the CSI training course, and pretty much the only thing stopping her from being on the field was her own desire.

"We actually already have enough to convict him of one…we're just trying to see if these three match up…" Emma explained, turning her head from Lizzie to the computer screen. "Why?"

Lizzie held her index finger up, signaling for Emma to be quiet for a second. She rolled her chair to the computer, and put the image onto a large projector on the wall. "Look at this…" she typed in a few words, and put all three images onto the projector. "I'm focusing the pixels in each of the pictures to his arm; the only available spot…" she explained, as the scene on the projector changed from the suspects' whole bodies, to just their forearms.

Archie nodded in agreement with Lizzie. "I see what you mean…" he looked over her shoulder at the screen, then up at the projector.

"Oh yeah!" Emma walked up beside the projector. "The birthmark on the arm of each of them is exactly the same…" she looked closely. "Is that enough, I wonder…" she thought for a second.

"Probably not…the defense would probably argue that it was, like, pencilled on, or something…" Lizzie assumed. "You know how it goes, man…" she ran a hand through her hair, and looked from the computer screen to Emma.

Emma nodded in agreement. "Yeah…I do."

Nick entered the room, bursting with pride. "Hey guys, what's up?" he waved as he walked right past Archie and Lizzie, and straight to Emma. Not waiting for them to answer, he immediately waved a folder in Emma's face. "Guess what I found?"

"An engagement ring?" Emma grinned wittily, as she kissed Nick on the cheek.

Nick smiled a little. "No, not yet, hun…but it'll make you just as excited…" he opened the folder. "Look…credit card receipts that place our criminal at each of the crime scenes on the day of the crime…"

"Ooh…" Emma looked at the receipts, and then pointed at the projector. "Look at what Lizzie discovered…"

"What?" Nick asked, looking up at the screen.

"Each of the criminals-or…well, you get it-has an identical birthmark on the exact same spot on his right forearm…" Lizzie explained to Nick, as she shook her head. "Oh, and by the way, nothing's up…" she answered his previous question, then glanced at Archie to see him shaking his head as well.

"Yeah, nothing here, either…" Archie laughed a little, then leaned back in his chair.

Nick ignored their sarcastic jokes, and grinned at Lizzie's discovery. "Good job, Williams…you may have just gotten us a conviction…"

"Yay!" Lizzie borrowed Sara's trademark, the 'horribly sarcastic yay.' "Can I have a hero party, like on Winnie the Pooh, now?"

Nick scoffed, waved goodbye and left the room.

Emma laughed and started to follow Nick. "See you guys later, and thanks Lizzie…for finding that…"

"No prob, Bob…" Lizzie waved goodbye, and slid her chair over to her computer. "Fare-thee-well, ciaoness, sayonara and that good stuff…"

"Ooh, a hint of sarcasm, there?" Emma asked, then looked at Archie. "See ya, Arch…" she shook her head.

"See ya, Emma…" he nodded a goodbye as she walked out of the room, then looked over at Lizzie. "So, tell me, what crawled up your butt and made you the queen of sarcasm today?" he asked.

That comment was followed by a look of sheer disgust and offense from Lizzie. "Well, maybe if you'd asked me nicer, you'd find out!" she scoffed, and typed in her email password.

"Ok, here…we'll try it this way. What's wrong, Lizzie, oh Queen of Sarcastic Comments…" he laughed a little, sliding his chair over next to her.

She debated on whether or not to tell him, then decided to go with the subtle approach. "Ok, fine…let me put it this way…" she started to explain. "Have you ever been so stuck in your ways that you couldn't see straight, and then all of a sudden, one day, something hit you, with the force of a sack of bricks?" she slapped her hands together for emphasis.

Archie knew what she was talking about, because just recently, a fact had struck him, as well…he liked Lizzie. He simply nodded, and urged for her to continue explaining. "Yeah…why?"

Lizzie shrugged, then continued explaining. "I'm kinda going through that right now…and I'm wondering why it took me so long to realize it."

"Sometimes people know things all along, but try to hide it from themselves…you know what I mean?" Archie explained, trying not to patronize. "Then, when the truth comes to them, like you said, it hits them like a sack of bricks…" he winked, mocking her hand slapping motion.

"Did Griss give you an anthropology lecture, or something?" Lizzie asked, trying to lighten the mood in the room, a little.

Archie followed her lead, and turned the conversation around. "No, but it's kinda hard to associate with him and not learn something, you know what I mean?" he laughed a little, and slid back over to his computer.

~~

Cecilia sighed, getting very bored. She and Greg had been alone in the lab practically all day, and neither of them had said a word to each other. And, frankly, when neither of them spoke, it scared her. Things were getting weird, and she had no idea why. Sure, she liked him, but she'd vowed to herself to keep it normal. She looked over at him, and was wondering whether or not she should talk to him. Keep it normal, Cecilia…go talk to him. He's your friend…you can do this. She slowly walked up to him, and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, Greg…" she started off a little shakily.

Greg looked up from the microscope, and cleared his throat. "Oh…hey Cecy…what's up?" he asked, popping his back. "Man…after leaning against that table for an hour…your back starts to kill…" he laughed a little. He looked to her for approval of that statement, after sitting in his chair.

"Tell me about it…" she nodded in agreement. He made it so hard for her to be normal. Every little thing he did…all those little Gregisms…they drove her insane. She grinned, and peered into the microscope. "What are you looking at, anyway?"

"A piece of hair…that's what Ecklie brought in, and threatened my life if I didn't look over it A.S.A.P.…" Greg shook his head. "I swear, that guy is gonna be the death of me…" he leaned back in the office chair, only to have it tip over and fall to the floor.

Cecilia choked back a fit of laughter, and ran up to Greg to see if he was ok. "Oh man…are you ok?" she asked, helping him off the floor.

Greg sighed. "Yeah, I guess…" he shrugged. "I seem to like the floor, though…either that or it likes me."

"Good…" Cecilia cleared her throat quickly, and tried to hold back her laughter, but it all just poured out. "I'm sorry, Greg…I'm so sorry…it's just so funny."

Greg shook his head. "Maybe I should go get a jester's hat…you all seem to think I'm the lab jester…" he shoved Cecilia into her chair.

Cecilia scoffed, and stood back up. "Do you wanna die, Greg?" she shoved him with her shoulder. "Because that's what you're saying to me…" she grinned. "Shall we take this outside?" she threatened.

"Was that a threat, from the Senseless Secretary of the Losers Club?" Greg stood up, and puffed his chest out.

Cecilia laughed. "I'm planning a mutiny…Arch, Lizzie and I are gonna get together, and take over…" she put her fists up, and started to bounce like a boxer. "I'll get Warrick in here!" she stuck her tongue out.

Greg immediately sat down. "No need for that…" he calmed down. "I don't really wanna be cremated," he thought for a second. Should I do this? Sure…there's no reason not to. What's the worst that could happen? She'd say no…it's worth a try. "Hey, Cecilia…what are you doing later on tonight?"

Cecilia thought for a split second. Is he asking me out? Oh my God… "Nothing, why?" she was hopeful.

"Wanna come to my house for dinner and a movie?" he remembered a quote from some episode of Boy Meets World that Cecilia had been watching in the break room. (Author's Note: This is the quote Greg was thinking about - "Dinner and a movie…essential date night ideas. Dinner, movie…movie, dinner…dinner, dinner…movie, movie…that's what you wanna do, Mr. Feeny…" – Eric Matthews, after being asked by Mr. Feeny where to take his niece who was visiting town.)

Cecilia stifled an enthusiastic 'YES!' and tried to look pensive. "Sure, that sounds like fun!" she remained as calm as she could.

"Ok…cool…when would be a good time for you?" he asked, ecstatic that she'd said yes. "So I can know when to have dinner ready?"

"You cook?" she asked, honestly surprised. "Oh…I thought we'd just be having Chinese or something…"

"If you want to, that's cool with me…" he shrugged, as nervous as she was. "I just thought that maybe-…"

"Oh…no, I wasn't complaining…I was just surprised!" Cecilia explained, with a smile. "How about six-thirty?" she asked.

"Sounds great…" he smiled, proud that he'd finally asked her out. He didn't think he'd had it in him…

~~

I don't know what I'm doing anymore.
I'm feeling like a little girl.
Caught up in emotions, I'm out of control…isn't it obvious?
Do you see my hands they tremble…
Wonder why I can't look you in the eye?
Don't know how long I can keep this inside…isn't it obvious?
~~ 'Obvious' – Christina Aguilera ~~

Author's Note: I didn't think this chapter was ever gonna end…but here it is!