Spoilers: Hmm, Overload for sure, and probably every a bit of every other ep from the series. We know them all!
Note: Finally figured out the page break problem!
Post Mea Culpa
Chapter 3
The radio in the Denali played softly in the background. As soon as Nick picked her up, he changed it from the classic rock station he was listening to the jazz station; he knew Catherine was on a jazz jag lately. He glanced over at her as he drove them towards Sahara. She was staring out the window; she seemed so distant these days. Days? Nah, it was longer than that…she hadn't been Catherine in awhile. Not the Catherine he knew; his Catherine, or so he liked to think.
They, the team rather, used to get together now and then, barbeques and that sort of thing. The favorite topic of discussion? Work. They discussed current cases, previous cases, partook in ribbing each other about those previous cases -hey, remember when Nick did such-and-such on that DB in the aquarium case? Then they talked about day shift's cases, cold cases, the newest advances in forensic technology, their ranking as the Number 2 crime lab in the nation, and if Grissom would submit a purchase req. to procure those newest advances in forensic technology so they could maintain their #2 status; hell, bump it up to #1, even! He loved those geek-fests; that's what Sara dubbed their gatherings. Afterward he always volunteered to stay after and help Catherine clean up. He washed, she dried. The simple, mundane task warmed his heart in ways his masculinity would be ashamed to admit publicly.
Things changed though; she changed for reasons he didn't understand even before Ecklie's dastardly deed and he missed her. Nick hated the idea of his team being split up, but he guiltily felt joy in being under Catherine's command. He hoped things might go back to it way used to be between them, which is probably why he had been feeling so nostalgic lately.
"There were some shards of reflector collected from the gutter a couple of houses down from our vic's." Catherine spoke suddenly shaking him from his trip down memory lane and back to reality. "I ran them through the database and the match is positive for the vic's car. It got me thinking," She stared out the window as she spoke. It had been awhile since they worked a case together since they had been understaffed because of the breakup. Well, it technically wasn't his case, but she needed some answers to put it away and Nick was always willing to dive in and help when needed. He had been an apt pupil under Grissom and reminded her of him in so many ways. Now that Nick was under her wing, she could see so much of Griss' technique in him that she knew she could rely on his intuition and judgment as she had with Grissom.
"Thinking….?"
"The vic owns a '98 Buick Riviera. The shards I found are a match for that Make and only a few houses down from where he lived? "
Nick looked thoughtfully for a moment "What did she hit?"
"And was it motive for murder?' The answered his question with a question.
They arrived at the crime scene only minutes later. Nick used a utility knife to slice through the bright orange official notice covering the front door that threatened a hefty fine and jail time for trespassing. They wandered to the garage that housed a 1998 Buick Riviera. Nick flipped on the light switch as Catherine honed in on all of the light reflectors. She knelt down beside each corner of the vehicle, holding up a flashlight to carefully examine each light housing unit for breakage. Nick raised the garage door and proceeded to scan the driveway with his eyes, looking for anything.
"Bingo!" Catherine called from the driver's side.
"What is it?" Nick walked briskly back inside and crouched behind her.
She cleared her throat; he's too close again… "Check it out" she shined the flashlight on the broken reflector covering turning signal.
He leaned in on her right, closing in on the already short distance between them. He didn't say anything, just cocked his head and squinted his eyes. He splayed a hand in front of him for balance and leaned in closer, his chest brushing lightly against her back. She froze for a moment as every hair stood on end. She closed her eyes only briefly, delighting in his closeness. She could feel the tension in his body. Suck it up, girl, she warned herself before she enjoyed it too much.
"Hey, what is that" he mumbled and swung around to her left as she moved in the same direction attempting to move out of his way, but she misjudged the direction he took and collided with him instead nearly toppling over. "Whoa, careful now" he chuckled gravelly and caught her by the waist.
She glanced back at him, knowing any attempt to conceal that slow burn fleeting across her face would be in vain. He caught her gaze and smiled knowingly, but being a true gentleman, didn't say a word. His mama taught him it was never polite to call attention to a woman's blush in such moments. Instead he only cleared his throat and pointed at the forgotten object of their attention.
"Look here" he said softly and pointed to what seemed to be hairs caught in fissures of the intact portion of the reflector.
"Fiber?" she questioned prematurely "No" she answered herself a moment later. "It looks like hair."
"I'll get my kit" Nick stood and headed for the SUV. He smiled to himself as he walked away from her. He hadn't seen her look like that in a loooong time. That's the Catherine he knew; the playful one who, for all the exposed secrets in her past, would blush whenever he was near. They played along like that, teasing one another and as far as he knew, both reveled in it. It was harmless. Well, maybe for her it was, but it affected him in a way she didn't know. Maybe she picked up on the way he was feeling for her. Is that why she changed? To not give him fodder for his imagination; to let him down easy? That would certainly explain why they didn't hang out like they used anymore. Maybe he could explore that.
He returned with the kit and she spoke with her new Boss voice. "There is dried spatter here-I'm thinkin' blood."
"Let's just see" He opened his kit and took out the equipment they would need. They tweezed the hairs and dropped them into a bindle. They sprayed the area with Luminol and it glowed pink.
"Well, well, this just got interesting." Catherine mused as she swabbed the newfound evidence. "We should process the vehicle at the lab" she stood and punched numbers on her cell phone to get a tow; the second time she had to call for a tow that day.
Nick wandered out to the well manicured backyard as they waited. For the love of God he could not understand why people insisted on having lush, grassy yards in the middle of the desert. He never considered himself to be an environmentalist but common sense dictates water conservation in this arid climate. He smiled furtively, remembering that a couple of years ago he installed a misting system in Catherine's lush, sod covered yard and it was nice. She held Lindsey's birthday parties in her yard. He or Warrick usually got stuck doing grill duty.
"Think there's something out here?" Catherine appeared in the sliding door off the kitchen.
He turned and half smiled "Dunno, I was just checking it out."
"I wish I had a green thumb like Mrs. Millson." She mused, surveying the flowerbeds.
"Your place is nice" Nick offered.
"Not like this" Catherine sighed and walked toward towering stalks of gladiolas.
"How's that misting system? Still working for you?" He shuffled a couple of steps toward her, hands shoved in his back pockets.
"Great, although Lindsey gets more use out of it than I do. She says it helps keep her cool while she's tanning" she shook her head at the antics of her pre-teen daughter.
"Tanning? What for?"
"'All the girls' have tans." Catherine rolled her eyes.
"What does she care? She's too young worry about stuff like that." He scoffed and shook his head at the thought of Lindsey. She was a good kid and he had adored her since she was in pigtails.
"That's my daughter: precocious. She's caught up in teen magazines, clothes and nail polish these days." Catherine's tone was strange.
Nail polish triggered a memory for Nick and he laughed, blurting it out almost as quickly as it came to him. "Hey, do you remember when Sara gave her a little manicure set for her birthday?" And Lindsey was so excited she wanted try it out on Sara right away?" He clapped his hands remembering how Sara looked horrified and Lindsey sat so sweetly before her with her new nail polish. "Remember that, Cath? She had that hot pink stuff and got it all over Sara's fingers? That was so cute."
Catherine nodded. She remembered that and other stuff too. Linds used to like it when he came over because he would hang out with her, watch videos with her. He would tease her and ask her stuff like "Why did he do that? What happens next?" and she giggled as she explained and re-explained the plots to him. Or he played games with her and let her win every time. She loved checkers and she had a rug sized checker game that she would drag out whenever he came by. He hated checkers and Catherine knew he hated checkers and offered to rescue him, but he would see the disappointment creeping over Lindsey's face and say "That's okay Catherine, I love playing checkers". He was so good with her.
Catherine's smile faded as she glanced at Nick who looked miles away, probably in 'Sara-land' by now, judging by the goofy grin plastered on his face. That was the difference between them. He mentions a piece of their history and she thinks of him with her daughter while he is clearly thinking about his co-worker-turned-lover and her hot pink nails. She sighed resignedly; no way could she compete with that. "I'm gonna wait for the tow" she announced and went back inside.
His smile faded as he followed her with his eyes. Now, why did she do that? Just up and leave? He was sure his earlier suspicions were correct-she must have known he was feeling something for her and was trying to put some distance between them. Nah, don't forget she's blushing every time you get within 2 feet of her, man! There's gotta be something there. Why then, is she so hot and cold? He ran the gamut of possibilities through his head. Maybe it's because she's a supervisor now. That makes sense; could be considered inappropriate for them to have a relationship. He didn't remember seeing anything in the employee handbook about fraternizing.
Maybe she thinks he is too young for her. Well, maybe chronologically, but he was wise beyond his years. He had enough happen to him to mature him more rapidly than others. She even knew about some of it. Catherine was the only one he knew he could trust with his darkest, most painful secret. They had spent evenings talking over a bottle of wine, well, mostly he talked and she listened. He loved that about her. She would just listen. Maybe she thinks he wouldn't make a good father to Lindsey because of that secret. They all saw the pattern of abuse repeat itself in their work; children of abuse often become abusers themselves. It was a sad statistic but certainly not prophetic for all abuse survivors.
His jaw clenched. Never! Never ever would he harm anyone! That's why he became involved in law enforcement-to protect others from what he suffered. Put 'em away, make 'em pay. Make her pay for what she did to him. Shake it off Nick, he told himself but that evil voice snuck up on him again. Damaged goods. He gulped, holding back a looming emotional reaction. He was damaged goods and he knew it. Catherine knew it. She would only see him in that light. That was it.
No, that couldn't be it, could it? She wasn't shallow. She's an investigator, her training involved psychology as well as biology and chemistry. She knew, more than any of them, the value of delving into human behavior. She taught him that. She could peer into one's psyche, sift through the layers of ego, and id and all of that psychological-mumbo-jumbo, to see what drives people to do what they do. What did she see in him? A hurt little boy or a latent monster? A man who would give his life to protect another? Just like she would die to protect her child. Certainly she didn't think she would have to protect Linds from him, did she?
"Tow's here, Nick," Catherine's call came faintly across the house, shaking him from his thoughts.
They drove back wordlessly, each lost in their own thoughts. They passed by the gas station, where Catherine's SUV remained, stranded.
TBC