A/N It is way OC but it's my party….
Chapter Two
A Friend in Need
Brass knew that Gil was avoiding him. It had been two weeks since he had accused his oldest friend of being gay. Gil would not return his phone calls. He never stayed late any longer and he refused to have dinner with Brass and Catherine any longer.
Enough was enough. Who would have thought that Gil Grissom, the original open mind; would be so pissy about this?
He dialed Grissom's landline. He could barely hear the soft trill through the door.
"Open the door Gris!"
"What?"
"Open the door."
"To my house?"
"Yes." Brass said impatiently. "That's where you are, isn't it?"
Gil stood at the door wearing a robe. His blue eyes were alert and clear.
"I am glad I didn't catch you sleeping." Brass said as he moved down the short hall to come to stand in Gil's living room.
"Look, Gris. I know I was wrong, okay. So can you give me a break? I can't believe you are holding a grudge."
Gil stuffed his hands into his robe pockets. He sighed heavily. Sometimes it was terribly inconvenient to have good friends. "Brass, I am not mad at you."
"Then why haven't you returned any of my calls? When I try to catch you after shift you run out of building like a bat out of hell. What gives? We got rhythm. Every first Tuesday we play poker. Every Monday we have drinks with Cath and we have never missed a heavyweight fight held in Vegas."
Gil smiled. "You are right. I have not been a very good friend, but it's not because you thought I was gay. I understand why you thought that. Sara is a beautiful and desirable woman and I have been a fool. I am not mad, okay?"
"Then what is it?"
Sounds came from somewhere down the hall. Sara appeared just behind Grissom and wrapped her arms around his waist. She wore a short black robe, the sash tied loosely around her.
"I thought you were gong to show me your secret spots." She said as her tongue snaked along Gil's ear.
"Cookie…"
Sara jumped and spun Gil around so that he faced Jim. "Brass, what are you doing here? I didn't hear the doorbell ring."
"Sorry" Brass mumbled as he turned his back to the couple. Now he understood why Grissom had pulled the disappearing act. It never occurred to him that Gil would act on his feelings for Sara even if he had admitted them in front of Jim and Catherine. He had expected him to weasel out of the situation like he did with everything involving Sara.
Brass listened to murmuring behind him and what he thought might be an ass slap. Footsteps faded away and a door closed in the background. He turned around.
"I think I have succeeded in embarrassing myself not once, but twice. You could have told me."
Gil shrugged. "I've been busy."
Brass' keys were still in his hand. "So it seems. Is this a secret or what?"
"It's not a secret but it's not like we made an announcement."
Brass scratched his chin. Gris ran a hand over his hair.
"Jim, can I ask you something? Why does it never occur that I might have a heterosexual love life? I mean, when most guys stop hanging out that's the automatic assumption. If you aren't giving into someone's advances then their friends assume there's someone else. You assume I am gay or pissed off."
Brass shifted one expensive loafer to another.
"I don't know Gris. Sometimes you seem like a regular guy. You hang out, drink beer, and talk about women. You seem to like women but you have ignored Sara for years and no one can figure out why. You can work anywhere. For awhile I thought you and Heather were serious but that turned out to be a no-go. It just seemed weird. There obviously wasn't anyone else because you were with us most of the time and Cath saw you coming out the restaurant. It just made sense. I made an assumption based on the evidence."
Gil nodded and looked down the hall. "You got any condoms?"
Brass sputtered at the change of subject. "What?"
"You have any condoms?" Gil asked again.
Brass stared for several seconds. He took out his wallet. He held up one flesh colored wrapper. "Not expired even. Hope springs eternal."
He handed the prophylactic to Gil. "I assume you need it."
"Yeah, we ran out. That's what I was doing out of bed. Want to redeem yourself?" Gil absently as he looked down the hall again.
Brass eyes his friend warily. "What…"
Gil picked up paper and pen form low table and began to scribble furiously.
"Go to Condoms R' Us on Martin. Get me twenty-four pack of the Ultra Thin Lover's Tickler made by Red Dawn. If Margie's there she'll know which ones. We need another pair of the red handcuffs, the Blue Venetian Body oil with the heat seeking glitter, one tub of chocolate body paint and one can…no make that two cans of Love You Lots Whip Cream."
"I don't know if I want the answer to this, but since I am in the deep end. How long you been…"
"Two weeks."
"Since that day?" Brass asked referring to the confrontation in Gil's office.
Gil didn't respond as he handed Brass a sheet of paper.
"How many of these um…" Brass pulled his glasses from a jacket pocket. "Ultra thins have you used?"
"Started out with a twelve pack, just finished a twenty four pack."
Brass put his wallet back in pocket and pulled out his notepad. "Ultra thin by Red Dawn."
"With the Tickler. Don't forget." Gil said seriously. "Put the stuff on the front step. Don't call me; I will call you. Now go."
Brass sat in the car looking at his friend's house. "Why did I ever think Gris were gay? Based on the evidence he should be asking me that question."
He pulled away in search of sex supplies.
