II

Nick heard Grissom's startled bellow from Greg's lab, and promptly collapsed into a lab seat laughing.  "They've seen her!"

Greg laughed too, even though he had no idea what was so funny.  He hadn't seen Sara yet.  Nick had insisted the two of them hang out in the lab for a while after shift began, with the door locked from the inside so no one else could get in.

At the time, Greg had protested. "I want to see Catherine in her outfit!  I want to see the look on her face!  And Sara – I want to see what you got for her to wear!"

"Trust me, Greggo – you'll see Sara soon enough.  I'm only doing this for your own safety.  Sara will be out for blood, and I don't think she'll care who she kills."

While Greg had sincerely doubted the veracity of this statement, Nick's hysterical laughter just from Grissom's surprised shout quickly convinced him Nick had been right to be concerned about their safety.  "What did you bring her?" he hissed at Nick, eyes wide with dismay.

Nick just snickered unrepentantly, "You'll see soon enough."

Greg pressed himself up against the glass window of the lab, anxiously eyeballing the hallway leading towards the break room through the sliver of peripheral vision available.  Sure enough, within seconds, he saw Sara striding down the hallway.  "Here she comes.  And Grissom is behind her – and – oh my God!  Nick!" Greg didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  "I should never have let you talk me into this!"

~*~*~*~

Catherine and Warrick could not stop giggling.  Sara glared at them balefully, before turning the full-force of her current wrath on Grissom.  "I blame you!" she snarled.  "You and your brilliant plan to set me up to lose a damned bet to the Gonzo twins."

"Sara – I had no idea….I mean, I never thought…." Grissom was stammering.  "I'm going to kill them!"

"Not if I get them first!" Sara muttered darkly.  "Where are they?  Little shits."  Spinning on the balls of her feet, Sara stalked down the hallway. 

Grissom jumped to his feet and shot a quick look at Warrick, expression grim as he stated, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this!" before quickly falling Sara down the hall.

His abrupt departure and worried blue eyes were the icing on the cake.  Warrick and Catherine exploded as soon as the room was clear.

"Oh my god.  Nick is either the bravest man on the face of the planet, or the stupidest!" Catherine finally managed to gasp out, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.

Warrick merely shook his head in agreement, clutching his chest, "Can't breath.  Hurts. Too. Much!"

~*~*~*~

"You can't stay in there forever," Sara hollered at Nick and Greg through the door of the lab.  "Shift has already started, and you'll have to come out to work sometime, Nick!"

Nick  grinned at her, "What?!  Don't you like your outfit?"

Sara just glared at him, and tried to rip the doorknob from the door, "What do you think?"

Behind her, Grissom also glared at Nick, "This isn't funny, Nick!"

"What are you complaining for?  You get to see her legs!" Nick retorted.

Sara's sudden screech and Grissom angry blush set Nick to laughing again.  "Come on, Sara.  It's no worse than the lingerie you forced me to wear.  As a matter of fact, it's a damn sight less revealing!"

Behind him, Greg gaped mutely at Nick, before forcing his stunned gaze back to Sara. Far from wearing the stiletto heels, fishnet stockings and the short leather skirt Greg had imagined Nick would choose, Sara's outfit was quite outside that.  She was wearing shoes of course – except they were shiny red vinyl.  Her tights were rainbow colored stripped wool – every single color under the sun, different stripes on both legs, drawing the eyes upwards to a skirt made entirely out of hideous men's ties attached to a baggy, patch work vest and an oversize tie with a clown face on it.  No wonder Sara was pissed.  Nick had turned her into Bozo.

Sara turned away from the window and walked away, causing Grissom to look confused and both Nick and Greg to wonder what was going to happen.

When Sara returned with a metal stool to break the window, they had a sudden revelation.

"Sara!" Nick called. "Sara - listen to me! You made me wear two thongs, two bustiers, and a corset! All I've got you in is a dress."

Grissom wrenched the stool from her fingers.

"Sara, he's right. Think about it. You can't do this."

Sara gave him a cold look. "You are so going down, Grissom. Going down."

Grissom gulped uncomfortably, and then turned back to the boys behind glass.

"Assignments, Nick. You'd better go to the break room – you work with Cath and Warrick tonight.  Sara, you're with me."

"But -"Sara began, but Grissom interrupted her.

"Sara, let it go. It's only for three days."

Sara turned her head away from the glass wall that the boys were hiding behind and looked at Grissom.

"Oh, I'll let it go." Her voice was cold, causing a shudder to race down his spine. He was afraid to ask her what her motivation was.

"Good. Shall we?" He hoped that by keeping his tone light, whatever mischief she had brewing in her head would be forgotten.

Easier said than done. 

When they got out to the Tahoe, Sara turned to him and started running her fingers through his hair.

"Sara, this is hardly appropriate in the parking lot of CSI."

"Then you'd better get out of here."

Grissom wanted desperately to both give into her caress, and to push her hand away. He instead just put the truck in gear and drove off, Sara's slim fingers still rubbing his scalp.

"Sara?" Was she trying to kill him? "Sara?"

"Hmmm?"

"Stop it. We're at work, we need to concentrate."

"I'm concentrating."

"What are you trying to accomplish here?" He was starting to sweat.

He wasn't looking at her, but he could feel her grin. Warm and strong and evil.

"I'm not mad at Nick and Greg any more, Grissom. I've decided that whatever they put me in from now on is fine. I won't fight it, or them, and I won't get upset with them, either."

Grissom gulped audibly. "That's really very big of you, Sara." God, her hand was still in his hair. . .

"It is, isn't it?"

Why did he think that she had more up her sleeve right now? "I'm very proud of you. Some people would be livid."

"I'm not most people."

That evil grin was still on her face. He could actually hear it in her voice. What was it that she was planning on doing to him?

"Sara?" He finally mustered the strength to pull her hand away at a stoplight, then turned to face her, finding the devilish grin just as he had supposed. "What are you not telling me?"

~*~*~*~

Nick watched Sara and Grissom as they walked down the hallway, heaving a visible sigh of relief when he could no longer see them.  "I think we're safe for now, Greggo."

Greg just shook his head, not sure whether to laugh at his friend or smack him in the back of the head.  "I thought you were going to put her in something sexy."

"What – you don't think the clown suit is sexy?"  Nick retorted.  "Some people think clowns are very sexy.  As a matter of fact, I had a friend once who always wanted to make love to a clown."

Greg snorted, "Yeah.  Right."

"I'm serious.  He told me he talked his girlfriend into doing the full face-make up once, and he said it totally turned him on.  He was a little odd."  Nick shook his head as he unlocked the lab door and started down the hallway.

Greg followed closely behind him, half expecting Sara to be lying in wait, as he snorted again.  "Must have been one of your wild frat brothers, because no normal person would think that way."

Nick turned to respond as he walked into the break room, "This, coming from a guy who likes lederhosen."  He stopped talking when he saw Greg's jaw drop, and slowly turned to see what the younger man was staring at.

Catherine had stood as they wandered in, striking a sultry pose in the red velvet one piece halter / hot pants combo.  Smiling devilishly at Greg, she slowly wandered over to him.  "Thank you for not turning me into Clara the Clown," she purred, "I knew there was a reason I liked you better than Nick."

Nick just started laughing, "Wow.  Cath – that outfit is absolutely stunning.  You look hot!  And Ouch! don't insult me – I get to choose your outfit for you tomorrow.  If you hurt my feelings, I'll do worse than a clown outfit for you."

Catherine just grinned at him, "You won't do anything of the sort, because if you do I'll tell Sara that Michelle is the one who gave you the clown suit – and the idea.  You'd never be able to bring her to any group functions again – Sara would definitely kill her."

Nick gaped at her, "Michelle?  She didn't – what are you talking about, Catherine?"

"Nicky, Nicky, Nicky – do you think I'm stupid?" Catherine patted him on the cheek saucily.  "You were all for stiletto heels and micro-minis the other day. Just like any normal red-blooded man would be.  And Sara was looking forward to dressing up in sexy clothes – if only to make Grissom sweat - even though she wouldn't admit it. Only another woman could come up with something this devious.  And I warn you now – if you try putting me in a clown suit, I'll spill the beans."

Nick grinned, "Cath – you know I love you.  And I value our friendship.  I would never put you in a clown suit.  Besides which, Warrick would maim me."

"Damn straight," Warrick replied.  "So, Grissom has a murder for us.  I s'pose we've wasted enough time here.  You want to head out?"

Nick looked at his watch, "Yeah – let's get going.  Cath, you want to stay here and do paperwork?  Warrick and I can handle this on our own."

Catherine just smirked, "What?  And waste this outfit?  No way.  I am woman; hear me roar!" The three men laughed, and watched Catherine as she strolled out of the break room, hips undulating as she moved, before she turned back and looked at them over her bare shoulder, "Although, I think I'll have to grab my black suit jacket – it's too cold to be outside in just this, and I don't want to distract you men too much."

~*~*~*~

A horn honked behind Grissom and Sara, and Grissom suddenly realized he was in his car, on his way to a crime scene.

With great apprehension, he drove down the road, stealing glances at Sara every now and then, wondering what torture she'd have in store for him when they got to their destination.

"You're going to blackmail me somehow," Grissom muttered.

Sara smiled again. "You have no idea."

Grissom sighed. "So just tell me and get it over with!"

Sara grinned from ear to ear.

~*~*~*~

If there was anything that Catherine hated, it was halter-tops. As well endowed as she was, the halter strap always dug into her neck, and the fact that it was a one-piece meant that the entire outfit pulled and pinched in all the wrong places. She might as well have been wearing a thong like she made the boys do.

"How ya doing, Cath?" Nick asked behind her.

"I'm fine, Nicky. Just checking out these footprints. You wanna hand me the ALS?"

Nick grinned and grabbed the light source. "Where do you want me to aim it?"

Catherine longed to pull her wedgie out of her crack, but she was determined not to in front of Nick and his grinning face. She knew he could see how uncomfortable she must be, but she would not allow any of it to show on her face.

"Catherine!"

She was glad for one thing:  Warrick was with her. "Yeah, War?"

"Come here and look at this thing for me? I'm not sure what it is!"

Catherine stood and gave Nick a wink before walking off to find Warrick. Once around the corner, she stood against the wall and dislodged her hotpants from her hiney.

"You all right?" Warrick whispered.

"I'm fine. I'll just be happy when I get home and take this contraption off."

"You promised me that I'd be the one who'd take it off!"

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Fine. You can be the one to take it off. Just as long as it comes off!"

He smiled. "It will."

"What are you two doing?" Nick called from the other room.

Catherine groaned, "We're just checking out a few structural anomalies!"

Warrick chuckled, "Come on, Cath. Let me show you what I found."

~*~*~*~

"You want me to what?!"

Sara sighed. "It's not that big of a deal, Griss. And it's only for a few days. Isn't that what you've been telling me all weekend?"

Grissom pulled the car over and parked, still not believing what Sara was telling him.

"You have got to be nuts."

"Maybe," she shrugged, "but it's what I want. I suffer, you suffer. Got it?"

______________

Author's Note:

Okay, peoples.  Here you go.  Hehe.  Wait until you all see what we're cooking up for day two.  Please R&R.  And before anyone emails us to point out the complete unfeasibility of Sara ever wearing a clown outfit to a crime scene, please remember:  this is just a story, cooked up in the unbelievably madcap minds of Heidi and I.