Disclaimer: They're never for sell on ebay.
Author's Notes:
I've got a lot of questions about the direction of the story, whether it's going to be Nick/Sara, Greg/Sara...but to be honest, I'm not totally sure yet. I'm a Sara fan, a Greg fan, and a Nick fan (heck, I'm fans of them all) and I don't know what direction it's going to go. I hope you guys will bear with me until I do figure it out though! I was once told by a writer much more talented than I, that the stories have a way of writing themselves, which they definitely do, as I learned with "Remorse".
I plan to have more tomorrow, I'm only scheduled 8 hours at work, then we've got a meeting to get our schedules for next rotation. Ahhh! I know I'm going to get stuck on Corrections (it's been over a year since I've been on that shift), and I don't want to! Too many hours, too many perverts, too many headaches. I'm hoping that I get Deputy/Patrol this rotation, because at least it's fun! Of course, when I'm working in the office or in the lab, all of the excitement happens out on the streets, and, of course, the last time I was out on the streets, we had a huge Meth bust and the excitement was all in the lab. I never get to be part of the excitement.
Enough rambling, enjoy the story! Please let me know what you think, I've really enjoyed all of the response I've gotten! You guys are the best! Responsemotivationanother chapter soon!
Jenny
Two:
Greg walked through the halls of the lab, enjoying the silence. It was obvious that the swing shift was out in the field on an otherwise quiet day. It was amazing what you could tell by just walking down the corridor, the different things you could pick up on. For example, it was clear that there hadn't been any new, extensive, cases for swing or day shift, because ballistics and DNA were working quietly, and no one was around the fingerprinting station. The hallways were silent and empty, instead of bustling with energy and shouts over employee's shoulders of last minute notes or instructions, as they would be on a fast-paced shift.
He strolled into the locker room, stopping in his tracks when he saw Sara at her locker, wearing the same clothes she had been wearing at breakfast, dark circles under her eyes. He looked down at his watch, raising his eyebrows, they were only an hour from the start of their shift, and she hadn't gone home yet? Did Grissom know she was planning on working through another shift, or even two? Why hadn't he thought to drag her home before he went to bed?
"Um, Sara? You're still here?" Greg asked, walking behind her and putting a hand on her back, "Are you sure you're up to working tonight?"
Sara nodded, silent, and pulled out a fresh pair of jeans and a black, long sleeved shirt. She slipped her blue shirt off, replacing it with the black one from her locker, then turned to Greg, "Are you going to watch me change?"
"Only if it will turn you on." Greg said with a smile, hoping to lighten her irritated mood a bit, "If you're into that sort of thing, anyway."
Sara smiled at him, sleepily rubbing her eyes, "So telling you that I'm wearing a black thong would just entice you to stay longer, right?"
"Are you really?" Greg asked, his face lighting up with excitement, "I've always wondered what type of underwear you wore."
Sara's face blushed, and her jaw dropped open, 'That's none of your business! I can't believe you think about that sort of thing."
"I can't help it, when I see a beautiful woman, I can't get her out of my mind." Greg knew he was pushing it now, it was just a matter of time before Sara told him to get lost and once that happened, he knew she'd be angry for the entire shift, possibly even the next one.
Sara, to Greg's surprise, laughed, "Yet another lame pickup line, Greggo. You never cease to amaze me."
"No, a lame pickup line would be 'So, how would you like it if I did an...internal investigation...of you, CSI Sidle?' I was trying to be suave." Greg laughed, turning away so she could change her pants, barely resisting the urge to turn around and catch a glimpse of her black thong.
Sara rolled her eyes, "It's no wonder you don't have a girl, Greg." She sat down on the bench, indicating it was okay for him to turn around now, as she slipped on a fresh pair of socks and retied her tennis shoes, "You're here early."
"So are you." Greg pointed out, "Well, actually, you're here late, but we won't go there." She whispered a quiet 'Thanks', and he continued, "Did you get anywhere on your case?"
Sara nodded, tears filling her eyes. She took a deep breath and tried to fight them, mentally yelling at herself for showing her weaknesses, her lip quivering slightly. She closed her eyes, trying to steady her voice before speaking, "There was another child, a son, who died of poisoning 6 years ago. He had been sexually abused, but the day shift wasn't able to prove the father was molesting him or killed him. I interviewed 11 of the girls from the beside table photos, all but one confessed that he had molested them, three had said he forced sex on them. The last girl says that he never touched her, but he had asked some personal questions that had made her nervous, about her period and sexual life, and she had left without staying the night. The other 6 girls are going to come in tomorrow."
"Why don't you take tonight off, since you've got to be here tomorrow to talk with the girls." Greg suggested, knowing she wouldn't agree, but wanting to try anyway. It was his duty to look out for her, that's what friends did, especially in this line of work. At the end of a grueling shift, it was his duty to keep her sane, he knew she'd do the same for him, she had plenty of times since he started working in the field.
Sara shook her head, "I just need a pot of coffee and some cold water for my face, then I'll be ready to go. I've handled worse."
"I know." Greg replied quietly, wrapping his arms around her pulled her head onto his chest, resting his chin on top of her brown hair. Her hair always smelled like coconuts, no matter what time of day, when she had washed her hair, what sort of case they were working on, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, her hair smelled of sweet coconuts.
"So..." Sara said softly, pulling away from Greg and giving him a huge smile, "Care to share some of your expensive coffee with me?"
"Depends, will you come out to eat with me on break?" Greg retorted, "I know of a great Chinese restaurant a few miles down the road."
Sara shrugged, "Small price to pay for such wonderful coffee...I'll even buy."
"Now you're talking." Greg teased, pulling her to her feet as they started walking towards the break room. "If you need an extra hand with your case"
"Thanks." Sara said, cutting him off, "I...Well, I may take you up on it. Just don't worry about me, okay? There's so many people worse off, going through so much, don't waste worry energy on me."
Greg tilted his head, giving her a quizzical look, "But Sara, you're my best friend, I'm going to worry about you no matter what. I care for you."
"Aw, Greg, you're my best friend too...just don't let Catherine hear you say that." Sara warned, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head on his shoulder, "I'm lucky to have you, you know."
"Believe me, I know." Greg joked, pulling away before the excitement his body felt began to become obvious by her touch. "Why don't you go home and grab a few hours of sleep, I'll tell Grissom you'll be in later."
Sara rolled her eyes, "You're a broken record. Over, and over, and over again, that's all I hear. Warrick and Catherine are off tonight, I need to be here."
Greg gave up arguing, and helped himself to a cup of coffee, "We're both off next Friday. Want to grab a movie or something?"
Her response was cut off when Grissom entered the room, looking relieved to see them, "Oh, good, you two are here already. We've got a major case unfolding, all hands on deck. There was a private party at the Bellagio, the Governor's daughter's wedding reception, and there was gunfire. So far there are 4 dead, 5 injured. I'm calling in Catherine and Warrick, grab your kits and meet me there. Nick's on his way."
"Gris, I'm working on a huge case." Sara started, but he cut her off quickly, "I think 24 hours was enough to start with on your homicide. Humor me with a few hours at the Bellagio, and I'll be more than willing to send you back to your workstation for the rest of shift."
Sara made a sour face, stifling a yawn as she and Greg went to the locker room to get their vests and jacket. It was going to be a long night.
Catherine and Warrick sat in a secluded booth, illuminated by candlelight, sharing a plate of lasagne, sitting as close as they could without being on top of each other. Of course, if they could be sitting on top of each other, they probably would be.
"I had a reason for taking you out here tonight." Warrick said softly, his voice husky, as he poured her a glass of wine, "I've been planning this for a few weeks."
"I knew there was a reason we both had off on the same night, that hardly ever happens." Catherine replied, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. For all of the years she was with Eddie, he had never gone to so much trouble for her. She felt guilty for the attention, although she was thrilled to be the focus of it. "So what is your reason?"
Warrick brushed his hand against her cheek, kissing her lips gently, "Catherine, I've had feelings for you for a long time. The first time I saw you, I knew you were special. First, as a friend, then a 'special' friend, and now as a girlfriend. Cath, I love you. I love Lindsey. I"
Warrick's statement was cut short by the phone's shrill ring. Sighing, he answered it with a gruff, "Brown."
"Warrick, it's Grissom. I know you and Catherine had plans tonight, but I need the two of you to come in." Grissom said, his tone apologetic, "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't absolutely necessary, of course, but the Sheriff wants everyone on the case. It involves the Governor. Meet me at the Bellagio."
Warrick groaned, this wasn't how he wanted to spend the evening he had worked so hard to prepare. "Right now?"
"You know I wouldn't have called unless it was absolutely necessary," Grissom said once more, "As soon as possible, okay Warrick?"
"We'll be there." Warrick said slowly, hating his job for the first time. He shoved the phone back into his pocket, frowning at Catherine, "We've got to get to the Bellagio, Gris needs us to work a case."
"But it's our night off." Catherine moaned, not wanting to leave just as badly as Warrick, "What about Sara and Nick? Greg?"
"We're all on it." Warrick replied, flagging down the waiter for their bill, "We're going to finish this tonight, after we get home, where it's just you and I, some soft music, chocolate covered strawberries..."
"Let's get this case over with and just do that second part for a week." Catherine replied, "I always knew you were good with the ladies, but I never knew you were this good."
Warrick smiled, despite how upset he was about being called away from something he considered so important. "I love you Catherine."
"I love you too, Warrick." Catherine replied, slipping her hand under the table and letting it graze his thigh, then move a little higher, "After work, right?"
Warrick moaned, shifting in his seat, "Definitely, baby."
They arrived at the scene half an hour later, not too surprised to see that Grissom, Sara, Greg, and Nick were already marking casings and conducting interviews. Greg trailed behind Grissom as Grissom identified each occupant of the room against the guest list he had acquired from the Governor, Greg taking snapshots and deciphering each person's relationship to the Governor and his family.
Sara was flagging each shell casing, while Nick was flagging the bullet holes in the walls, along with the location the victims had been shot at. Catherine walked over to Grissom, who had instructed her to start interviewing and fingerprinting the uninjured guests, while sending Greg to search the corridors of the floor they were on, looking for anything that could narrow down the list of suspects from everyone to anything but. Warrick, in the meantime, was instructed to search the perimeter of the building, from the casino to the parking garage, to spot anything that didn't belong.
It was several hours before Catherine had finished conducting interviews, and was taking the multitude of cards to the lab for processing. She walked over to Sara, who was now marking her 113th bullet, the strain on her back evident as she stood, a grimace on her face.
"I'm going to take these back to the lab. Everyone contributed voluntarily. What did you find?" Catherine asked, eyeing the sea of yellow markers on the floor.
Nick spoke up, rotating his head to prevent a stiff neck, "We're thinking 4 or more shooters, we've found several different types of bullets, some possibly from a semi-automatic weapon."
"Actually, some seem to come from a police issue gun." Sara added, "We'll need to analyze them more closely, of course, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it was someone in law enforcement. The governor didn't have too many friends."
Warrick walked up to the trio, his kit in his hand, "I have a gun from the parking lot, I'm bringing it back to the lab. Want me to bring anything back for you guys? After I drop this off, I'm headed to the hospital to meet with the victims and give Grissom a hand."
Catherine and Sara handed over their evidence bags, and looked around at the shambled room. Catherine nodded towards the emergency exit door, "I'm going to check that out, along with some of the doors that aren't frequently used, check for prints or fibers."
"I'll go find Greg." Sara said, arching her back and trying to stifle a yawn. She had now put in over 36 hours of work, and was definitely ready for some sleep. "If he's doesn't need any help, I'm going to head back to the lab and start going through everything we've got."
"I'll finish with the bullets." Nick offered, taking her remaining markers and scanning the floor for any casings she might have missed.
Sara had only been out of the room for a few seconds when Nick and Catherine heard the sound of glass breaking, some muffled yelling, and a single gunshot.
TBC
