Warrick Brown was having a bad night. He was supposed to have left to go
on a four day vacation to Mexico with Gina, but his plans were cancelled at
the last minute. Grissom had taken advantage of this and had called him
in. Now here he was working a smash and grab at a pawn shop, an exercise
in ridiculousness in his opinion. He would much rather have been spending
the next four days basking in the Mexican sun alongside Gina. But Gina was
history. Warrick had thought things with her were going places. Last
night right before shift, she'd dropped a bombshell on him. Her ex-
boyfriend had called her and proposed. Now Gina was on her way to meet
some guy named Phil in Cupertino. Where ever the hell that was. He hadn't
seen her for who she really was and in that respect he was glad she was out
of his life. But he was pissed off that she waited until the night before
they were supposed to leave for Mexico on a long weekend. He needed a
vacation. Oh, hell, he'd get one eventually. It worked out well for
Grissom. He was on his way to Topeka. Warrick chuckled. Topeka, Kansas,
couldn't get much more in the middle of the heartland than that.
Warrick collected what he could at the scene and made his way back to the lab. Catherine was sitting in the break room drinking coffee when he walked in. She gave him a friendly concerned look, "Sucks about your vacation."
"Thanks." Warrick replied, heading for the coffee machine.
"Sorry about Gina." Catherine continued.
Warrick glanced over at Catherine, "I'm not. Better now than later." He forced a smile, "I'm just pissed about not getting to go to Mexico."
Catherine smiled at him, "I'm taking Lindsey out for Mexican before shift tomorrow, want to come?"
Warrick chuckled, "Sure."
Warrick poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table opposite Catherine. She took a sip of her coffee and looked at him over her cup, "How's the case?"
Warrick rolled his eyes, "Smash and grab at a pawn shop. You do the math."
Catherine grimaced, "Sorry."
"Where are Nick and Sara?" Warrick queried.
Catherine chuckled, "On their way to the Sierra Nevada's."
Warrick raised an eyebrow, "What for?"
Catherine smirked, "To get a sample of bark from a Madrona tree. Apparently, they don't grow in Vegas, but they found something Sara thinks is Madrona bark on their vic. The closest one, according to Sara, is in the Sierra Nevada Range."
Warrick chuckled, "And you, Ms. Temporary Supervisor, let them go."
"Hey, I'm not giving out favors, they still have to work a full shift tomorrow night no matter when they get back." Catherine replied with a wry grin.
"Why do I get the feeling you've got something up your sleeve, Catherine Willows." Warrick replied with suspicion.
She took a sip from her coffee and grinned, "You'll just have to wait and see."
Warrick chuckled and took another sip from his coffee.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I told you I should have driven," Sara quipped.
Nick glanced over at her with a bemused grin, "I am not lost, Sara."
She narrowed her gaze at him, "What direction are we driving, Nick?"
"West." He stated.
She regarded his answer suspiciously, "You're sure about that?"
He raised an eyebrow, "And you're not."
She let out an exasperated breath, "When was the last time you looked at the map."
Nick chuckled, "Sara, unless the signage on the highway is wrong, we are headed west."
She glared at him, "Nick. I'm not suggesting that the entire Nevada Department of Transportation is wrong. I just think we ought to pull over and check the map."
Nick gestured toward the seat between them, "I put your directions into the GPS."
"It's not like a GPS unit is always right you know." Sara huffed.
"It's not like they're always wrong either, Sara." Nick replied becoming annoyed.
"Oh, so you're saying it's my fault we're lost then!" Sara fumed.
Nick could see Sara was working herself into a frenzy for what reason he did not know. He glanced over at her, "I'll pull over at the next rest stop, ok?"
"Fine." Sara replied abruptly.
They drove in silence for a few minutes as Nick tried to figure out if he had done something to offend her. Finally, he saw a rest stop ahead and turned in. He glanced over at her before unbuckling his seatbelt, "Why don't you go figure out where we are. I'm going to go use the restroom."
Sara slammed the door of the Tahoe as she got out and walked over to study the large area map posted against the outside wall of the restrooms. She wrinkled her brow as she studied it. Damn, Nick was right. They were heading west. She wasn't really sure why she was so worked up. Maybe it was the damn GPS unit. It reminded her of how much of a jerk Hank had been. She was going to have to apologize to Nick and she wasn't looking forward to it. Sara had a hard time admitting when she was wrong. She decided she'd better use the facilities while they were stopped and headed into the ladies restroom just as Nick emerged from the men's restroom.
Nick walked over to the map. He had seen Sara head into the ladies room and decided he ought to take a look at the map just to make sure they were headed the right direction and the that the GPS unit wasn't off. Suddenly, it hit him. Damn. That's why she's so pissed off. That damn jerk Hank. The GPS made her think of that. Women could be so random at times. He was just glad he hadn't done anything himself to piss her off. He shook his head and chuckled. He walked back to the Tahoe after verifying that they were indeed going the right direction and leaned up against it as he waited for Sara to return.
She wore a sheepish expression on her face as she approached him, "Hey, Nick. I'm sorry. We are going the right direction."
He interrupted her, "I know. This is about Hank isn't it?"
She looked surprised, "How the hell did you figure that out?"
He grinned, "I'm a CSI, Sara. I'm also your friend and I sort of put the pieces together."
Sara laughed, "Good. For a minute there I thought you were reading my mind."
Nick raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Hey, I'm just glad you're just mad at the GPS and not me."
"Damn technology." She smirked.
Nick glanced at his watch, "We have another hour or so to drive, so we'd better hit if we want to be back in time to get a little sleep before next shift starts."
The young CSIs got in the Tahoe and continued west toward the Sierra Nevada Range in search of a Madrona tree.
Warrick collected what he could at the scene and made his way back to the lab. Catherine was sitting in the break room drinking coffee when he walked in. She gave him a friendly concerned look, "Sucks about your vacation."
"Thanks." Warrick replied, heading for the coffee machine.
"Sorry about Gina." Catherine continued.
Warrick glanced over at Catherine, "I'm not. Better now than later." He forced a smile, "I'm just pissed about not getting to go to Mexico."
Catherine smiled at him, "I'm taking Lindsey out for Mexican before shift tomorrow, want to come?"
Warrick chuckled, "Sure."
Warrick poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table opposite Catherine. She took a sip of her coffee and looked at him over her cup, "How's the case?"
Warrick rolled his eyes, "Smash and grab at a pawn shop. You do the math."
Catherine grimaced, "Sorry."
"Where are Nick and Sara?" Warrick queried.
Catherine chuckled, "On their way to the Sierra Nevada's."
Warrick raised an eyebrow, "What for?"
Catherine smirked, "To get a sample of bark from a Madrona tree. Apparently, they don't grow in Vegas, but they found something Sara thinks is Madrona bark on their vic. The closest one, according to Sara, is in the Sierra Nevada Range."
Warrick chuckled, "And you, Ms. Temporary Supervisor, let them go."
"Hey, I'm not giving out favors, they still have to work a full shift tomorrow night no matter when they get back." Catherine replied with a wry grin.
"Why do I get the feeling you've got something up your sleeve, Catherine Willows." Warrick replied with suspicion.
She took a sip from her coffee and grinned, "You'll just have to wait and see."
Warrick chuckled and took another sip from his coffee.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I told you I should have driven," Sara quipped.
Nick glanced over at her with a bemused grin, "I am not lost, Sara."
She narrowed her gaze at him, "What direction are we driving, Nick?"
"West." He stated.
She regarded his answer suspiciously, "You're sure about that?"
He raised an eyebrow, "And you're not."
She let out an exasperated breath, "When was the last time you looked at the map."
Nick chuckled, "Sara, unless the signage on the highway is wrong, we are headed west."
She glared at him, "Nick. I'm not suggesting that the entire Nevada Department of Transportation is wrong. I just think we ought to pull over and check the map."
Nick gestured toward the seat between them, "I put your directions into the GPS."
"It's not like a GPS unit is always right you know." Sara huffed.
"It's not like they're always wrong either, Sara." Nick replied becoming annoyed.
"Oh, so you're saying it's my fault we're lost then!" Sara fumed.
Nick could see Sara was working herself into a frenzy for what reason he did not know. He glanced over at her, "I'll pull over at the next rest stop, ok?"
"Fine." Sara replied abruptly.
They drove in silence for a few minutes as Nick tried to figure out if he had done something to offend her. Finally, he saw a rest stop ahead and turned in. He glanced over at her before unbuckling his seatbelt, "Why don't you go figure out where we are. I'm going to go use the restroom."
Sara slammed the door of the Tahoe as she got out and walked over to study the large area map posted against the outside wall of the restrooms. She wrinkled her brow as she studied it. Damn, Nick was right. They were heading west. She wasn't really sure why she was so worked up. Maybe it was the damn GPS unit. It reminded her of how much of a jerk Hank had been. She was going to have to apologize to Nick and she wasn't looking forward to it. Sara had a hard time admitting when she was wrong. She decided she'd better use the facilities while they were stopped and headed into the ladies restroom just as Nick emerged from the men's restroom.
Nick walked over to the map. He had seen Sara head into the ladies room and decided he ought to take a look at the map just to make sure they were headed the right direction and the that the GPS unit wasn't off. Suddenly, it hit him. Damn. That's why she's so pissed off. That damn jerk Hank. The GPS made her think of that. Women could be so random at times. He was just glad he hadn't done anything himself to piss her off. He shook his head and chuckled. He walked back to the Tahoe after verifying that they were indeed going the right direction and leaned up against it as he waited for Sara to return.
She wore a sheepish expression on her face as she approached him, "Hey, Nick. I'm sorry. We are going the right direction."
He interrupted her, "I know. This is about Hank isn't it?"
She looked surprised, "How the hell did you figure that out?"
He grinned, "I'm a CSI, Sara. I'm also your friend and I sort of put the pieces together."
Sara laughed, "Good. For a minute there I thought you were reading my mind."
Nick raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Hey, I'm just glad you're just mad at the GPS and not me."
"Damn technology." She smirked.
Nick glanced at his watch, "We have another hour or so to drive, so we'd better hit if we want to be back in time to get a little sleep before next shift starts."
The young CSIs got in the Tahoe and continued west toward the Sierra Nevada Range in search of a Madrona tree.