SUPERHEROES

"I can hear your teeth grinding from over here," Brass commented, as he watched Warrick watch Catherine as she talked to Vega and a couple of other uniforms. 

As Brass had suspected, the boys in blue had swarmed her the minute she had stepped out of the Tahoe, much like droid bees swarmed the queen, and wouldn't Grissom be glad to know Brass had actually learned something from him?

"I am not grinding my teeth," Warrick growled at Brass, frowning into the camera as he hunched down and tried to take pictures of a foot print before they poured the mold compound.

"I don't blame you," Brass continued on as if Warrick had never even spoken, his tone amused, "Those red vinyl boots…the golden belt…you just gotta learn to deal with it.  I mean, a woman like that…"

Warrick rose to his feet, flashing a quick glare at Brass before turning his watchful gaze back to Catherine and her hoard of admirers.  "I did not just hear you admit you've been looking at her legs, did I Brass?"

Brass chuckled, "Christ, Warrick.  Give me a break.  I'm a man, not a eunuch.  If it makes you feel any better, it's not really Catherine I'm lusting after here, it's Wonder Woman."

Warrick's lips lifted in a feral growl, "You better break that up before I decide to start kicking some ass.  Keep talking about lust and Catherine in the same sentence, and I might start with yours."

Brass arched an eyebrow at him, grinning, "If you were a super hero, you know who you'd be?" 

Warrick tried to ignore him, but Brass continued, "Wolverine."

"Yeah," Warrick grunted, "and who the hell would you be?"

"Captain Exposition, of course," Brass smirked, before heading towards Catherine, whistling the theme from Wonder Woman, step jaunty.

~*~*~*~

"We're not really looking for information on beetles, are we?"  Sara's voice broke through Grissom's reverie, and he realized he had been staring at her for a few minutes without speaking. 

Blushing slightly, he sighed, "That was just an excuse to keep you here.  I don't want anyone ogling you out in the field."

Sara grinned, "How chivalrous.  That doesn't explain why you're still here, though.  Why didn't you go out with Catherine and Warrick?"

Grissom shrugged, "Wanted to stay here with you, and the less I walk, the better the chance I will make it through this shift without having to admit myself for emergency thong removal surgery at the local hospital." 

Sara giggled, "It's not that bad, Griss.  It's just underwear."

"It is not underwear," Grissom responded ruefully, "Underwear comfortably covers the buttocks – it doesn't try to slice them in half.  Besides which, Nick recognized the walk.  He knows you have me in a thong.  I didn't want to give anyone else the opportunity to figure it out."

"You are walking a little bit more bow-legged than normal," Sara grinned.  "Nick knows, eh?"

"Yeah."

"That means, sooner or later, everyone else will know as well."

"Yeah."

"Serves you right."  Hopping lightly to her feet, Sara stretched her arms over her head and bent slightly backwards, twisting her spine, before casting a speculative glance at Grissom.  "They really bothering you that much?" 

"Yeah."

Sara nibbled her lip, thoughtfully and with great exaggeration as she slid seductively towards Grissom.  "Maybe you just need to readjust them."

"Sara…" Grissom barely managed to squeak out, before Sara was standing beside him, purring in his ear as she ran her hands lightly down his sides and dipping her fingers into the waistband of his pants, "…what are you doing?"

Sara grinned evilly as she wrapped her fingers around the thin strip of material pulled tightly over Grissom's hips. "I've decided you don't need to wear a thong anymore," she whispered throatily, before twisting and snapping the material in half and pulling the thong out of the back of his pants.  "You can go Commando the rest of the night, GI Joe."

~*~*~*~

Warrick seethed quietly, trying to not react when Reyes watched his girlfriend bend over and pick up a hair.

"Catherine, I'll do that. You just dust for prints. Reyes?" he turned to the officer with daggers in his eyes. "Don't you have a perimeter to secure?"

Reyes gave one last look at Catherine's cleavage, then turned and walked out the door.

"Put my jacket on," Warrick insisted, removing his jacket and holding it out to her.

"Warrick, stop worrying about it."

The tall man closed the door of the residence with his gloved hand and faced the woman he loved.

"Catherine, you are my girlfriend. I don't care who you used to take it off for, you take it off for only me right now, and it's only right that you respect that." He approached her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I don't go around showing Sara and Mandy my well-toned pecs now, do I?"

Catherine traced the defined muscles in his chest with her finger and smiled. "You sure don't, War. You're all mine." Her hand moved from his chest down his toned stomach and around to his firm buttocks. "I'll put on the jacket."

Warrick trembled under her hands, but he was relieved to know that she would at least cover up her chest.

"Thanks, baby. And when we get home. . ."

Catherine smiled. She could hardly wait.

That was why Warrick was confused by her frown.

"What's wrong, baby?" He rubbed her arms lightly, reveling as much in the feel of her muscles as she did in his.

She looked down. "Nothing. It's. . .nothing."

Warrick knew very well that it was more than nothing, but he also knew Catherine, and a crime scene was not the correct place to try and coerce her into opening up.

~*~*~*~

Grissom winced as he sat down, and Sara giggled.

He glared at her.

"I'm so glad you find me amusing."

She giggled again, despite his glares. "I'm sorry, Griss. . .it's just. . .you had this whole high and mighty attitude while Greg and Nick were going through it. You kept dealing out this 'Mind Over Matter' nonsense to them, and now you're beginning to realize that it's not that easy when it's your ass on the line."

Grissom's look would have killed a lesser woman, but Sara was unmoved by him.

"Don't try those intimidation tactics on me, Gilbert T. Grissom. I'm immune to you now."

He groaned and reached into the bag that Greg and Nick had brought him back from the Deli Llama.

"What is this?" he muttered to himself. "Why does it look like a bite has been taken out of my sandwich?"

Sara frowned and took the square, white, rectangular object out of his hand.

"I don't know. I'll go ask Gre—"

"Whoa, Griss, gave you the wrong bag," Greg said as he swooped in and grabbed the waxed paper and brown bag out of his hand. "This is yours. Heidi made it special."

Grissom was still feeling surly, so he made the mistake of retaliating with, "I hope she washed her hands after touching you."

Sara set her sandwich down, and Greg glared at him with big hurt eyes.

He didn't say anything, just turned around and left.

Grissom was afraid to meet Sara's eyes, because he was sure that they were full of disappointment.

The silence in the room crackled, and Grissom sighed as he looked at the brown bag Greg had dropped on his desk.  Rising to his feet, he looked at Sara and shook his head.  "That was rotten."

"Yes, it was."

Grissom sighed, "I suppose I should go and apologize."

"I think that's a good idea," Sara agreed. 

~*~*~*~

Greg was sitting in the lab, staring morosely at his microscope, when Grissom found him.

"Greg?"

Greg didn't even look at him, "Yeah."

"Uhm…I just wanted to say thanks for the sandwich, and – I shouldn't have snapped at you.  That was – wrong."

Greg shrugged, "Should be used to it by now."

Grissom stepped further into the lab, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Greg turned to look at Grissom, expression resigned, "Even when I think our – relationship – is changing; that maybe you're starting to see me as something more than Greg, the annoying lab guy, or Greg the goof – something happens to make me realize that's not true.  I don't know what bothers me more – knowing you don't respect me or knowing you never will."

"I respect you Greg.  I just – I'm a little tense today, and I took it out on you.  I shouldn't have."

Greg didn't say anything, just turned his back on Grissom and started fiddling with the slides for the microscope.  An awkward silence filled the room.  Grissom tried again.

"Greg – seriously, I'm sorry.  It's this damn bet you guys made with Sara and Catherine.  It's making me tense, and I'm not used to it.  Sara found out I was sort of in on it, and she's making my life miserable."

Greg cocked his head to the side, "You really like her, huh?  I'll admit, that outfit she's in is – va-va-va-voom!  You really respect me?"

"You're the best lab tech I've ever worked with," Grissom concurred.

Greg grinned, "Well – okay, then.  I suppose you're allowed to have a bad day.  You know what the say about old scientists."  When Grissom looked at him blankly, Greg just grinned, "Old scientists never die – they just quit reacting."

~*~*~*~

"Hey, Sara."  Nick grinned at her as he walked into the break room.

Sara looked up at him and grimaced, "Nick."

"How're things?"

"Good. You?"

"Good."

Silence.

"You and Grissom seem to be pretty – close – lately," he smirked.  "What does he think of your outfit."

"He likes it just fine," she murmured.  "At least it's better than yesterday's costume."

Nick pretended to be offended, "I liked yesterday's clown outfit.  It really lightened the mood around here."

Sara stood and cracked her knuckles, "Who's mood?  Certainly not mine."  She paused, "I'm thinking that for tomorrow, you're going to let me choose my OWN outfit."

Nick grinned, "Really?  Now, why would I do that?"

"Because I know who you got the clown outfit from."

Nick's grin faltered, "What are you implying, Sara?"

"I'm not implying anything, Nicky," Sara replied sweetly.  "Just keep in mind – I'm a damn good CSI, and I know how to hide bodies."

Nick snorted, "You are such a poor sport.  You didn't hear me threatening you when you had me in thongs."

"You told me you were going to give me a wedgie," Sara retorted.

"A wedgie – that's really comparable to threatening to kill Mi – someone."

Sara grinned, "I wouldn't really kill her, Nicky.  But I do know a lot of things about you that she probably doesn't.  I could tell her all sorts of stories…"

"Fine," Nick snapped, "Be that way.  Wear what you want tomorrow – but it better be sexy."

Sara smiled, stepped closer, and patted Nick on the cheek, "It will be, Nick.  Oh – and have you told anyone else yet about Grissom and the thongs?"

Nick sighed, "You trying to steal all my fun, Sidle?  You don't want me telling anyone about that, either?"

Sara got a firm look to her face. "You tell anyone, your ass is grass, Nicky."

Nick gulped. He was sure that even though he was stronger, in a fight, Sidle would win.

~*~*~*~

Warrick walked into a quiet house when he came back from dropping Lindsey off at school.

It sort of surprised him, as he stepped into the cool darkness and removed his sunglasses.

"Catherine?"

He poked his head into the kitchen, but she wasn't in there. He went up the stairs, ducking in the place where he usually hit his head on the turning steps and climbed all the way to the top floor.

He found her in her bed, curled up in fuzzy pajama bottoms and a cotton T-shirt, looking very worn out and ready to call it a day.

"Catherine?" he asked as he sat down next to her. "What is it, baby?"

Warrick reached out his hand and touched her hair, but she pushed it away and shrank into a ball into the mattress. He knew that something had been bothering her for several hours, since they had gone over the Wrigley's house, but he hadn't had a chance to ask her about it yet. Especially since Lindsey was home when they got back to her house.

"You can trust me, you know."

She finally looked up at him, and he saw that she had been crying. It almost broke his heart to see her so distraught.

"Catherine. . ." he reached out and brought her against him, her body feeling limp against his, and very small. "Okay, you need to start talking right now, baby."

Catherine sniffed and shook her head. "How long is this going to last?" she asked at length.

He wrinkled his forehead.

"How long, Warrick? How long until you. . ."

"Until I what?"

". . .leave. . ."

He almost laughed. "That's what you've been worried about?" He chuckled lightly as he pulled her against him again, kissing her forehead as her head fell against his shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere."

Whatever comfort she must have derived from his words was soon lost somehow, as she pushed away from him and looked in his eyes-only moments later.

"But. . .why? Why aren't you going anywhere, War? Why not? What do I have to offer you? I'm a single mother, I'm seven years older than you, and all the guys I have ever dated have been jerks, so there must be something wrong with me!"

She stood up and walked to the window, leaving Warrick looking confused, still sitting on the bed.

"There's nothing wrong with you."

She turned around, her cheeks glistening with tears. "There has to be something wrong with me. Because I know that you're perfect, so it must be me."

Warrick stood up and wrapped his long arms around her shoulders, pulling her head against his chest and resting his cheek against her soft hair.

"Do you really think I'd be wasting my time with you if I didn't think you were perfect, Catherine?"

She sniffed. "I know that you're only interested in my body."

"What?"

She pulled from his embrace again, but he held her firmly against him. "I know that you're only into my body. I see the way you look at me. I know you've always had a crush on me."

He let go of her shoulders and moved his hands to her face, his thumbs brushed the tears away from her eyes.

"I am so appalled that you would think that I would spend so much time with you and Lindsey if I didn't really love you." His gray-green eyes became very serious. "I really love you, Catherine. I don't whore myself on women just because they have great bodies. If I did, trust me, there are a lot of other women I could be with tonight who would be less complicated than you are. I love you, Cathy. With all my heart. And I love Lindsey, too. I don't know where this is going to go in a few months from now, but I do know that I want to be with you as much as you'll let me, and I'll never hurt you if I can help it."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes so she could reach him. "I love you too, Warrick. I do."

Warrick smiled, "How could I not love you?  You're a wonder, woman."

_______________________

Author's Notes: 

Wow! Where did all of this angst come from? I don't know. Maybe Michmak
and Zambonigirl are having RL troubles? Nah! But I promise that fluff will come back soon!