Title: Lions, Tigers and Bears
Summary: [Reconciling "Butterflied" and "Suckers"] When Grissom's Valentine's Date cancels, he calls a long lost friend to save the day. Now it's just them, dinner...and the mating rituals of lions, tigers and bears. Oh my! [G/S]
Pairings: Grissom/Sara
Rating: PG
Category: Humour/Romance
Archives/Links: I'd be honoured, and you'd be insane. Just ask!
Author's Notes: Thanks to all the readers who have taken the time to review. You're all dears. And as for the chocolate – one of those things you pick up somewhere, and then when I came across the chemical's name in my Biology textbook…I really couldn't let it go. :-)
And I hate to ask this of my readers, but a short epilogue has been mentally "written", but I'm not sure if it's necessary. Any opinions about it would be welcome.
Disclaimer: All rights to CSI belong to those lucky SOB's that make their living off of it.
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Sara rushed into the break room with only minutes to spare, much to the surprise of her coworkers.
"Miss Sidle!" Nick exclaimed in mock surprise. "You're late!"
"I'm not late," she snapped. "I just didn't show up before you did. My mother phoned. Wanted to see how I was spending Valentine's Day."
"She thinks you need a relationship, huh?"
"She sent me a good luck charm to carry around with me tonight," Sara explained, rolling her eyes. "I believe her exact words were 'Sara, hun, you need to get laid."
The trio snorted.
"Not while you're on my time."
Sara jumped and faced Grissom.
"So does that mean I can bring Greg to the layout room after shift?" she teased.
"As long as you don't mess up the evidence."
Catherine watched Sara's face closely, expecting her to be angry. Instead, a smile slipped onto her face and Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. Grissom must have called her.
"Nick, Sara- you have a couple of home invasions on the west end. About two blocks apart."
If it was possible, her smile grew as she snapped up the paper he offered.
"Awesome," she said, quickly glancing over the details. She folded the paper and prepared to separate the details of the two cases. "Nick, you want the one on Girardi or Blake?"
"Doesn't matter, I'll still be done processing before you are," he challenged.
She laughed loudly. "You are soo-"
Grissom's voice cut her off.
"Process both scenes together."
She couldn't remember the last time his voice had been so firm, which was saying a great deal considering the events of the last few months. She was almost tempted to dare his authority, to tease him into pacification. She had done it before, but something told her today was not the day.
"Fine. I'm going to go get a jacket. Meet you there Nicky?"
"Sure thing," he confirmed, flashing a grin.
Sara left, and Nick stared at his boss.
"Grissom, man, what did you do to her?"
"What you're talking about?"
"Don't even insult my intelligence Gris. She phoned me today…to congratulate me on the promotion."
"So?" He gave the younger man a blank stare. "Sara's a professional. What did you expect her to do? Throw a book across the room?"
"She-" Nick paused to find the right word. "She just bounced out of this room. Now you either apologized for whatever stupid thing you did to make her pissy with you in the first place or she got laid."
"Well I didn't apologize."
Nick blushed slightly at the revelation. He hadn't been aware of anyone in Sara's life, and while he was happy for her, her sex life was not something he was particularly interested in. In fact, it reminded him of the time he walked in on his oldest sister and her boyfriend his first Christmas in university.
As Grissom handed out assignments – an assault for Catherine and a smash 'n grab for Warrick- the wheels of Nick's mind were turning. Who was it?
~::+::~
"So, did it work?"
Sara glanced at her partner.
"What?"
"The charm your mother sent you. I may have to borrow it if it did."
She raised one eyebrow.
"Who says I'd let you?"
"Awww, come on Sara. I could really use it," he tried making a puppy face, but found he couldn't stop laughing long enough. She lightly punched his arm and headed towards the first house.
Nodding to the officer on duty, she slipped into the house and set to work.
"So, who was it?"
"I am not even going to acknowledge that question."
"Do you have it with you?"
"Yes."
"Can I see it?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Sara sighed, pulling something out of her pocket. She tossed it to him, still intent on the crime scene. Nick looked at it. A small ladybug plushie, maybe two inches long. The traditional black spots were replaced by distressing pink hearts, and he was pretty sure the real insects weren't so cutesy.
"Doesn't look like a charm to me."
"It's the sentiment behind it."
"As long as it works, right?"
"I never said it worked," she grumbled. Her cheeks were flushed- this really had gone too far. Her mother had called. She had even said what Sara had told the others. Why she had mentioned the "charm" was beyond her- probably just to explain away its presence.
Sighing in frustration, she turned to the occupants of the house. The youngest child was about eleven, and Sara was not looking forward to talking to them. She hated home invasions.
The difference between burglary and home invasion -- infliction of terror.
Nick caught her glance, and must have read something in her eyes.
"I'll go talk to the family," he said quietly, handing her back the ladybug.
She smiled. "Thanks Nicky."
As he made his way towards the family, he heard the father's voice rising in anger.
"This is ridiculous! Three women attacked in the last month, and now my intruders come into my house while I'm here?!?"
"Well, at least I know why Grissom made Sara and I stick together," he said to himself. His boss's comment had struck him as odd at the time, though he hadn't given it much thought since. Another Grissom quirk.
Nick interviewed the witnesses, taking a few fibre samples and fingernail clippings. By the time he was done Sara had finished the living room, and they moved to the next house.
~::+::~
Shannon Tully was a 21 year old waitress. She was also bitter and eager to get to work before her boss fired her. Sara rolled her eyes and motioned to Nick to deal with her.
A preliminary assessment of the scene showed a lot more to process, and Sara set to work quickly. Nick joined her in a few minutes, and they verbally sparred as they collected samples.
"You know, you never did tell me who it was."
"Nobody."
"Someone at the lab?"
"No."
"You're a terrible liar Sidle. You're going about seventeen shades of red."
"Like you could tell in this light."
"Who is it?"
"Nobody."
"Greg?"
"No."
"Warrick?"
"No!"
"Archie?"
"NO!"
She began to giggle uncontrollably.
"You do realize the absurdity of this scenario, don't you?"
"You're going to tell me who it is, or else."
She stopped laughing suddenly.
"I think I got blood," she said.
"Makes sense. Shannon said she thinks she hit one of the guys with a candlestick…" he paused, peering under the couch. He came up, producing the piece with a flourish. "And here it is."
"Good."
"So, are you going to tell me who it is?"
"No."
That woman was about to see how stubborn Nick Stokes could be.
~::+::~
Grissom heard a knock at his door and looked up from the pile of paperwork he had been avoiding.
"Hey. Do you mind if I eat in here?" Sara inquired.
"No. Take a seat," he offered, motioning the file-covered chairs before he turned back to his work. She pulled the folders off one and sat down.
"Thanks."
"What's wrong with the break room?" he asked, not looking up from the report he had in his hand.
"Nick and I are taking a lunch break. It looks like a bunch of teenagers got high and thought it would be funny. Either way, we really can't get anywhere until Greg gets back to us with the DNA. We have a detective checking emergency rooms…one of the guys got creamed in the head with a candlestick."
"Good. Why are you here?"
"If I sit in a room with dear ol' Nicky I'm going to punch his lights out."
He looked concerned.
"Why?"
"He has spent the last five- count them, five- hours trying to guess who I slept with. After the third time he suggested Hodges, I had to get away."
The situation would have been funny if it wasn't so desperate. Grissom chuckled, and Sara was tempted to punch him.
"It's not funny."
Grissom looked sorry. It was a hard image to reconcile with her mind.
"You're right, it's not. I'll talk to him."
"Don't bother."
"I'm the boss, remember? A sexual harassment suit wouldn't look good for the department, and I don't want to lose my CSIs over something so stupid."
She glared at him, shocked he could think so little of her. Then she saw a gentle grin that matched the sparkle in his eyes, and she laughed.
"Look, if it gets out of hand, I have his sister's phone number. He talks and Miss Annabelle Stokes gets a phone call."
"That's truly evil," he teased, knowing full well that the last person Nick wanted to cross would be his sister.
"Thank you."
They lapsed into silence; the only sounds the shuffle of papers, the clacking of keys and the sound of her fork scraping against the cardboard takeout container. Grissom felt his eyes drawn to her, Nick's words from earlier still fresh in his mind.
"What?" she asked, her fork halfway between her food and her mouth. Amusement had settled in the corners of her mouth.
"You haven't smiled for a long time."
"I smile."
"Not like this."
She opened her mouth to demand an explanation, but found she didn't know what to ask.
"It's a good thing." He assured her. "You're enthusiastic about your work again. You've been…worn out lately. Close to burn out."
"That's ridiculous."
"It's been fumes and luck for the last three months Sara. You should have been forced into a vacation. I've told you before, and I meant it; the lab needs you."
Those words had hurt her then, drove home how he saw her; now they were a balm.
It helps to have a friend, she wanted to tell him. It wouldn't have done any good though, and confused him. He wouldn't understand. Had someone asked a week ago, he probably would have said they were friends, despite not speaking. He was funny like that. She stuck her fork in her mouth and chewed.
He had turned back to the computer, and the silence came again. Both were absorbed in the respective tasks, and that was fine by them. Her beeper went off, and she looked.
"There are my results. I'll see you later," she said, throwing her empty container into the garbage as she left. She stopped at the door and grinned at him. "Oh, and Grissom—quit playing solitaire and get back to work."
~::+::~
Shift was over, and Grissom finally finished filing reports he had been meaning to for months.
"Grissom. We're going for breakfast. You up for it?" Warrick asked.
"Sure."
"Okay. Same place as always. Meet you there."
Catherine was –as always- the first one present. She had grabbed a booth near the back, and waved the others over as they arrived. Sara was the last to arrive, and the others had ordered. She grabbed a chair and pulled it up.
"Hey Greggo," she greeted the lab technician. "First time?"
"That Cath here will admit to," he confirmed, winking.
"Just make sure the boys here don't tamper with your food," Sara stage whispered to him.
"Spoil the fun, why don't you?" Warrick frowned.
Greg laughed it off, but when the food was up a minute later he jumped to get it. Nick and Warrick went with him, coming back with six plates.
"We ordered for you," Nick explained to Sara, who had taken over his seat beside Grissom.
"Thanks Nicky," she grinned, looking over her plate. She nearly choked.
"What?"
Sara glared at Grissom, and his mouth quirked slightly before he regained composure.
"Brownies for breakfast?"
…………………………
~FINI~
