Disclaimer: I do not own Greg Sanders or anything relating to CSI. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer, the genius that he is. Beth and the rest of the characters are mine, though.
Author's note: For those of you who haven't read Chemistry, just know that Beth and Greg are newly married at this point.
Greg stood, lifted Beth off of the porch swing and pulled her close to him as he spoke. "There's something I want to show you."
"And what would that be?"
"It's a surprise. "
"Ah, I see. It's a surprise. So what do you have planned?"
"You just don't get it do you." With that, he took her hand and spun her around in a circle until they were face to face again. "If I told you, silly, it wouldn't be a surprise. Now stop asking me questions. It won't get you anywhere."
"But Greg…" She tried her best to look as pitiful as she could. She looked at him with the biggest, saddest puppy eyes that she could conjure up.
"Oh, don't you even go there Beth. I have worked up an immunity to your pathetic weapons of destruction a.k.a. those eyes." She pointed her finger at him in defiance and then let out a sigh of defeat.
"Alright, I surrender. But can we go now? The suspense is killing me." She raised her hands in mock surrender and Greg took her right hand and led her gracefully down the walkway towards the car. She could tell by the sparkle in his eye that he was up to something, and she could only guess as to what it was.
He led her to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her. She slid in and waited patiently for him to settle into his seat. He started the car and they sat in a comfortable silence as he backed down the driveway. When they had been on the road for roughly ten minutes, she started to speak.
"Greg, are we-"
"No."
"But can't you just-"
"No."
"But I just want to-"
"No."
"But-"
"No."
"Alright, alright, you win. I won't bother you anymore. I will let you rule the evening as the dictator you are and I will simply be your humble servant and blindly follow your every whim."
"Now that's more like it!"
"Greg!" She playfully hit him on the shoulder, and put the matter to rest. She took note of her surroundings and realized that she had never been to this part of Vegas before. Again, she wondered what Greg had in store for the evening.
They had been driving for approximately half an hour when Greg said, "We're almost there. It's just up the street."
"Greg, where are we?"
"Does the word surprise mean anything to you?" She stared at him with a blank look on her face. "Apparently not."
They sat in silence for a few more minutes until Greg turned left onto a side street and parked in a small parking lot. To her, the whole area seemed to be a little bit on the sketchy side. "Greg…"
"Can't you just wait a few more minutes? The parking lot isn't the surprise." His laughter and apparent comfort with the area calmed Beth's mind and she shook off her uneasiness and prepared to enjoy the evening.
Greg led her to the back door of a dirty-looking building. He knocked on the door and someone opened it just enough to see who was knocking. Greg was the first to speak. "Hey, Frank. It's me. You want to let us in?"
"You know Greg, I can't let just anyone in this place." Frank opened the door all the way and he whistled when he saw Beth. "So this is the Great and Wonderful Beth that we've all heard so much about. My name is Frank. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Frank was a tall, muscular man. He was the kind of guy you wouldn't want to meet alone in a dark alley. His lip and eyebrow were pierced, among other things. He had short brown hair that was gelled forward and spiked up in the front. He was wearing loose fitting blue jeans and a tight black muscle tee. She assumed from his appearance that he was the crass biker-type and was pleasantly surprised when he spoke to her. He actually seemed to be a pretty good guy, and she felt bad for jumping to conclusions. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Frank. So, would you mind telling me where we are?"
Greg spoke before Frank had the chance to answer her. "Now Beth, that's cheating." He turned and whispered something to Frank who then smiled and nodded. "Beth, Frank here will take you to your seat. I have a few loose ends to tie up, and I will be with you shortly." Apparently Greg could see her tense up. "Honestly Beth, you have nothing to worry about. You of all people should know that appearances can be deceiving. You need to rely on the hard evidence. Now just follow Frank and enjoy the evening." With that, he slipped around Frank and through the door.
"Beth, Greg's a great guy and he has quite an evening planned for you. He's actually been planning it for quite some time now." He turned to enter the building, and motioned for her to follow. He led her through the door and down a small, dark hallway. She could hear voices and music coming from every direction. The rhythm of the music was contagious and she found herself starting to move to its beat.
When Frank led her around a corner, Beth was assaulted with lights, music, and a crowd of people. It took her a few moments to adjust to the sudden onslaught of light and sound, but when she did, she was amazed at what she saw.