Author's Notes:
After 65 chapters and 675 reviews, Feasibility Study (Sequel to Gravity) was pulled on 4/13 by the website when it was reported as an 'interactive story'. I have reposted from scratch eliminating what I hope was the violation and the story is now presented in 8 series segments.
Summary (Picks up where Gravity left off):
After seven months together, Sara and Grissom suddenly wonder if there's room for three. So, being the analytical scientists that they are, they conduct a study to determine whether or not a baby is feasible. During the course of the study they're confronted by many situations they never considered 'in scope' and each one leads them to analyze much more than the original question.
Nick and Carrie met on the last day of the Mike Rodgers trial and were instantly smitten. On their first date they bonded, sharing their similar stories of childhood trauma and their mutual passion for crime fighting. But is a relationship that started as 'love at first sight', strong enough to get them to the altar...and through the unexpected challenges that lie ahead?
Greg is working in the field and playing it, finally seeing the girl action he's longed for since he was a teen. He's carefree... but fate is ready to rock his world.
Warrick, Catherine, Brass and even Lady Heather are all here, as well as lots of new characters, some good and some evil. This CSI family is growing and like most families...it's a bit dysfunctional but when the going gets rough, they find out it's nice to have someone around who cares.
If you would like to read an intimate and detailed exploration of the CSIs' personal lives and their backstories, and you enjoy a story that shifts between drama, humor, romance and angst, then I think you'll like the ride.
The ships in the ENTIRE series are: primarily GS, GrOC, NOC, but also has CW,BrLH, HOC. Every couple will not have equal time on the front burner and the friendships between all the characters are just as important to me as the romances between the couples and a lot of time is spent on the friendships. Just so no one is misled. :-) I've labeled the stories to show which couples and characters are front burner while all characters are in every story...
Feasibility Study (FS 1-20) GS (primary focus) , NOC, Gr, B, C
Caving Under Pressure(FS 21-28) GS, GrOC (major Greg storyline begins), C (and some CW), N ( a little NOC)
Repercussions (29-36) GS, GrOC, BrLH, NOC
Second Chances (37-54) GS (Angst/Including Grissom backstory), GrOC, NOC
Birthday Boys (55- 62) GS, GrOC, NOC (in-depth relationship development begins)
Bluffs, Encounters and Calls (63-71) GS, GrOC, NOC (Nick backstory and Carrie backstory start to develop)
Losing It (72 -89) GS (Gil angst), NOC (Nick angst), GrOC (Greg backstory/angst)
Getting It Back (90 -102 ) All couples/All cast
Feasibility Study
(1st in the FS series)
Chapter 1: News from the Front
Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by KJT
April 29, 2005
3:15 a.m.
After spending the last several hours painstakingly reviewing the contents of six trash cans, Catherine and Sara sought refuge in the break room for fifteen minutes of decompression time.
While Catherine was on the couch flipping through a gossipy celebrity magazine, Sara poured their coffee and decided to liven up the conversation by stirring the pot "Catherine, why do you still need to salivate over the boys in those magazines now that you have a real man in your life?"
"Sara, I'm monogamous, not dead." Tossing the vapid publication aside, she gave a laborious sigh. "Anyway, why should I change? Warrick didn't give up his porn obsession and daily trips to the Pussycat Lounge just because he has me in his life."
In mid-pour Sara froze.
"That was a joke, Sara."
"I knew that." Relieved, she continued filling the last mug.
"The girl can wear La Perla in the bedroom but she's still uptight in the world beyond her front door."
Extending one mug, Sara smiled. "What exactly will be the statute of limitations on the La Perla?"
"I'll drop it as soon as I find something equally scandalous to use as fodder for my amusement." Taking the mug she kicked her feet up on the chair across from her and closed her eyes.
Joining Catherine on the couch, Sara delicately asked, "I've been thinking about something. Remember when you were teasing me about my drawstring pajamas…"
"Yeah."
After glancing around to make sure no one was on their way into the room, she said, "Do you really go home exhausted after pulling a double and put on risqué lingerie? I mean sometimes isn't sleep the first thing on your mind? Do you and Warrick ever go without…"
Eyes still closed, Catherine grinned. "Are you asking me this in a sisterly 'I'm curious what's normal' way or are you looking to compare statistics and declare a winner?"
"I'm definitely not competing because…"
"Smart girl." Opening her eyes Catherine answered the question. "Yes, of course we sometimes we opt to sleep and no, I don't always wear slinky lingerie."
"Thanks." Feeling at ease with her sex life as well as her comfy collection of cotton pajama bottoms and matching tank shirts, Sara settled back against the couch.
"Yeah…sometimes when I'm too tired to put on lingerie, I just go to bed naked. This way when Warrick and I wake up refreshed, we don't have to waste any time."
"You're so full of it." Shaking her head Sara laughed into her steaming mug. "Is Warrick all moved in yet?"
"No, we still have half of his apartment to pack. Between my bum shoulder and his stitched up hand we're not the most effective moving team." Glancing over at Sara, she decided to do a little probing of her own. "Speaking of moving in…how's the ant farm?"
"What makes you think we started it?" While taking a sip of coffee she noted Catherine's eye roll.
"Like the Bug King was going to let it sit unopened for more than hour after we left. How soon did he open it?"
Gleefully she admitted the truth. "Twenty minutes after you left."
"Uh huh." Catherine tipped her mug and drank.
"We're doing a great job with it." She was powerless to stop the smile erupting on her face.
"We? We're doing a great job with it?" The pronoun piqued her curiosity. "So it's a joint venture? You're co-parenting?"
"Well the gift was for both of us." To herself she chuckled, if only Catherine knew the conversation the ant farm had started she'd drop the La Perla jokes and start in a whole new direction.
Surprised, Catherine asked, "So you actually step foot in the bug room on a daily basis now? I thought you didn't like going in there."
"I don't have to because the ant farm is in the bedroom."
"What!" She choked on her coffee. "But I thought the rule was 'no bugs in the bedroom'?"
"Well these are different because they're our bugs." She knew the answer left her wide open and prepared for the onslaught.
"Oh! So he brings his bugs to the new house and they're forced to live in a separate room like second class citizens but the two of you have your own insects and they're part of the family. There's a term for people like you, Sara."
"I'm sure you're going to tell me what it is."
"Wicked step-mother!"
Greg entered the break room in time to hear the women cracking up. Tired from piecing together shattered glass, he remarked, "Oh cool…I could use a joke."
Catherine didn't miss a beat. "Then I suggest you check out your hair in the mirror."
Always the target of teasing, Greg snipped, "I can't wait for Grissom to hire Nick's replacement so I won't be the newbie CSI anymore and you can pick on someone else."
"I wouldn't count on it, Greg." Sara sadly informed him. "She hasn't stopped picking on me since you arrived. But take it from me…they wouldn't pick on you if they didn't like you."
"That's what Sara tells herself to get through it anyway." Having reached her laugh quota, Catherine asked, "Seriously, can we help you with something, Greg? You look a little overwhelmed."
"Yeah." Scratching his head, he realized he had put in too much gel earlier. "I've…uh…been working on piecing this glass door together for…I don't even know how long…and now I need someone to confirm I've accurately identified the point of impact.
"Sounds like a job for Sara." Catherine groaned as she closed her eyes again. "I'll report back for trash duty in five."
Standing up, Sara smiled. "I'd be happy to help, Greg."
"Thanks."
Together they walked out of the break room and down the hall into the lab.
"Sara does my…"
"Looks fine. I hear some women actually like chaotic hair." Stopping in front of the glass covered table, she folded her arms. "Okay, show me your impact point."
"I think it's here." He pointed to the area.
"You got it." After taking a deep breath she blissfully said, "Next you want to look for Wallner Lines on the radial cracks to determine the direction of the breaking force." Ever since she and Grissom discussed the topic of Wallner Lines over rum and foreplay she warmed at the mere mention of the words.
"Wallner lines?" Greg parroted. "On the radial cracks? Could you give me more to go on?"
Grissom walked into the room just in time to hear Greg's questions. "Sounds like you're getting a tutorial on glass fractures." Stopping next to Sara, he grinned. "And you couldn't be in better hands. Sara has intimate knowledge of the subject." Normally he wouldn't allow himself to get distracted but after a hellacious week he was ready for a little levity.
"But why rely on me when you have an expert right here to explain." Stepping closer to her partner Sara said, "Grissom I'd love to hear you tell him the 4R rule."
While looking right into Sara's gleaming eyes, he lingered over the words. "Ridges…on Radial Cracks…are at Right Angle…to the Rear."
"Yeah…that's just how I remember it." Suddenly she wished she had the power to make Greg disappear.
Greg, feeling woefully inexperienced in the presence of glass fracture gurus, sighed. "The two of you really love your jobs, don't you?"
"Yes." They simultaneously replied without unlocking their gazes.
"Hey, Greg..." Grissom pointed to the door while staring at Sara. "Can you run over to DNA and see if you can help Max churn out Catherine's results. She's hounded me about them three times tonight and I'd really appreciate it."
"Sure, boss." Greg headed for the door mumbling. "I guess you guys finally realize how great I was in DNA now that you have to wait for stuff." It was hard going from DNA top dog to CSI bottom feeder but he wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. "I'll stay with Max and until he gets them done."
Greg's words were lost on Sara and Grissom who were lost in each other's eyes.
"You made Greg disappear." Sara chuckled lightly. "I was wishing I could do that."
Wishing he could do more, he exhaled his frustration on a breath. "I wanted to steal a few minutes with you because it's been a busy week."
"Sure has." Between Nick's unexpected switch to day shift, Warrick and Catherine's injuries and unusually heavy caseload, they had pulled doubles and triples all week, which meant when they weren't working they were sleeping or getting ready to go to work. "I've missed you." Her voice ached for his touch.
"And I've missed you." Grissom replied with longing. "Today, we need to leave here on time, turn off our pagers and phones, get some rest and when we wake up this evening..."
"I'll be counting the minutes." Her smile grew.
"Sara…since we're alone, I have something I want to tell you and I think it's better I tell you now rather than when we're in bed and not in the talking mood." Actually, he was afraid if he told her while they were in bed it would somehow kill the mood.
From his jacket pocket he pulled a folded letter-size paper. "I know we haven't spoken about this since…"
When Catherine saw Grissom holding her lab results in his hand, she burst into the room, rushed over and snatched them. "It's about damn time! You need to talk to Max because I can't work with this kind of turnaround!" Papers in hand she marched toward the door. "Greg never took this long!"
"Catherine that's not…"
"Oh!" At the door she stopped and gingerly refolded the papers. "Uh…these aren't my lab results from DNA." Returning it to Grissom she averted her eyes. "These are your results. Your personal lab results." Mortified, she began backing out of the room. "Sorry about that I shouldn't have assumed they were mine."
Irritated, he gladly confirmed her assessment. "No…you shouldn't have." Of course without Catherine's nosiness, Sara would be in San Francisco, he would be miserable and the lab results wouldn't have been necessary. So as irritated as he was…he couldn't be angry.
Smiling, she attempted to make light of the situation. "But hey…it's not like you have anything to be embarrassed about, right?"
Cringing, Grissom replied, "Yeah…I'll be the judge of that."
"Does anyone care to clue me in?" Sara snipped at Grissom. "Lab results? Honey, why am I always the last to know about your health issues? If you won't tell me, maybe Catherine will."
As she recovered from her faux pas Catherine began to see the humorous potential of her intimate knowledge. "I think General Grissom should report the news from the front." Before walking out the door, she announced, "Sara, by the way…you don't have to worry about La Perla jokes anymore."
Perplexed by Catherine's cyptic comments and Grissom's flustered expression, Sara prodded, "Exactly what kind of personal lab results are listed on that paper?"
Shaking off his embarrassment, he confessed. "They're uh…feasibility study related."
"You mean…" Sara gasped. "General Grissom? News from the front? Are we talking about…" Anxiety seizing her, she barely squeezed out the word. "Soldiers?"
"Yeah." With pride, he handed over the piece of paper. "I went to the doctor on Monday."
Taking the paper, she frantically exclaimed, "Monday! But we only talked about it on Saturday afternoon. You called first thing Monday morning?"
"Yes and the office happened to have a cancellation for that afternoon." Concerned over her reaction, he thought maybe he misinterpreted her intent. "I'm sorry; I thought we were serious about investigating. Did I …?"
"I was serious…we were serious…but six days later and you already have your results?" Breathing rapidly she blurted, "You're always so damn slow to act on personally significant things. You've thrown me by acting so fast on this particular issue. Why so fast?" Her mind raced with possible explanations…the most alarming being that he was ready now.
Confident they were still on the same page about the study, he relaxed. "Simple answer…once a guy knows there's a chance duty might call, he wants to be certain the troops are capable of getting the job done. It was on my mind."
"You were worried?"
"I was curious." He laughed. "And that's not the same thing. I'm a scientist. I needed proof."
Clutching the paper she tried to open it several times but couldn't bring herself to read it. To read it would make the study…the potential outcome…everything…so real.
"Sara…" Reaching out he put his hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Speaking as an expert in biology I assure you…you won't get pregnant from reading the results." Then remembering where he was, he quickly removed his hand.
After cracking a nervous smile she needled him. "There's that word coming from your mouth in reference to me…again. Another slip?" Taking a deep breath she opened the paper to review the results. "Hmm…"
Deciding humor was the best way to battle her nerves she gave a laughter-laced analysis of count, mobility, morphology and motility. "Number of troops…one hundred million strong. They know how to mobilize. Plus…they're in excellent shape and physically conditioned for the arduous journey. An army like this will most certainly be able to answer the call should they be summoned for active duty." Re-folding the paper she chuckled, "Very nice scores. Not that I was worried."
Enjoying her levity, he quipped, "I've always done well on tests."
"Want to hang it on the fridge when we get home?"
"Either that or frame it." After tucking the results away he shoved his hands in his pockets to fight the urge to hold her. "Sorry my doctor's visit came as a surprise. Trust me…I would have enjoyed having you with me to handle things."
"I bet!" Her laughter deepened. "Did it take a long time?"
"Are you kidding?" Her hearty laughter was infectious and he quickly succumbed. "What man belabors the point when there isn't a woman involved?"
Finally catching her breath, Sara said, "Let's uh…look for Greg's Wallner lines while we talk about the study."
Sweetly he replied, "Now I know you're nervous."
Side by side they leaned over the table. With their backs to the row of windows their facial expressions wouldn't give them away and passersby would assume they were just working through the glass fracture evidence.
Sara kicked off the conversation. "So I guess it's my turn to get checked out."
"There's still plenty of time so you don't have to rush if you're not..."
"I already called for an appointment on Monday morning but the first they can see me is three weeks from now."
Baffled by her behavior he asked, "If you called first thing then why were you so tense about me calling for an appointment right away?"
"Because…" She bumped her shoulder into his. "We're so in sync on this it's unnerving. Neither of us thought about it, then the word pops up and suddenly we're both thinking about it. We agree to investigate. And now….we both made appointments on the same day. What's the significance?"
"We're both anal-retentive, perfectionists who can't stand the thought of being the one who will cause the endeavor to fail?"
Chuckling, she placed her hand on top of his and lifted it to a radial crack in the glass. "There's one explanation."
Slipping his hand out from under hers, he moved them both to a different crack. "And here's another." Locking his eyes on hers, he whispered, "It was the easiest part of the study to fulfill. It's purely technical. And…in the unfortunate event something was seriously wrong with one or both of us, this particular study would end and we wouldn't have to think about it and make a decision because the decision would have been dictated for us."
"Yeah…" Lacing her fingers over his, she smiled. "I see one more." Taking his hand, she guided it to a third radial crack. "We were hoping for some good news quickly because we really didn't want the study to end just yet."
"I think this crack is the most significant one."
"Yes." Eyes locked, their faces were inches apart.
Overwhelmed by the moment, Grissom murmured, "Do you have any idea how much I want to kiss you right now?"
"I think I can relate." She purred.
He inched dangerously closer. "I've never been much of a bad boy but…"
"You keep playing with fire, Scarecrow and you're gonna get burned because I won't settle for one kiss." To make the tease more effective, she lowered her voice to a sultry whisper. "After one kiss, I'll want another…a longer, slower kiss that will drive me wild and when I'm burning up with desire…a kiss, no matter how deep, won't be enough to satisfy my hunger so I'll need more…much more, and I'll need it right here…right now. Still want to kiss me?"
Caught between a rock and a hard place, he squeaked, "You're not helping my judgment."
"I think you're all talk. Even though it's four a.m. and we're alone, you know you would never kiss me in the lab. Would you?" Eager, she wet her lips. "You're bluffing."
"Am I?" As he moved in for the kill he met with disappointment instead of her lips.
"Not gonna happen."
While he watched her slip further away he groaned, "That was one hell of a tease, Honey."
"Well I never had a chance to play hard to get when I was chasing you so I thought I'd try it on for size now." Chuckling she broke the bad news. "Sorry but this incredibly tortuous sexual tension we're experiencing will have to remain unresolved until an appropriate opportunity presents itself."
"And when it does, it's going to be…"
The sound of the lab door swinging open caught their ear and they turned their focus to the glass on the table.
Sara whispered, "See…we would have been busted."
"Catherine has her results!" Greg announced as he bolted into the room. "Funny how quickly things happen when I'm involved, huh?" Resuming his place at the table he said, "Okay you were just about to show me how to find radial cracks.
"Grissom and I already identified them." Sara cheerily announced.
"But Sara would be happy to review the information with you. She loves talking about Wallner Lines."
"Damn." Greg stood in awe. "The two of you are glowing over a bunch of shattered glass. Seriously, am I in the wrong job? When am I going to feel as passionate as you about this stuff?"
"I doubt that will ever happen, Greg." Grissom, finally able to compose himself, headed for the door. "Oh and Sara… the County can't afford to pay you any more this week so…supervisor's orders…no overtime today. When your shift ends you run for the door!"
"Understood." She nodded while mouthing the words can't wait.
"Greg…you stay until you have a full report on that glass. I don't care how long it takes you." To be more convincing, he sternly added, "I want answers on my desk by my next shift. No later! Got it?"
"Got it. Absolutely."
When Grissom was gone, Greg turned to Sara. "Damn. What's up with him? He's awfully militant today."
Sara cracked a smile big enough to rival the radial cracks in the glass. "Yeah."
Thanks for reading!
Maggs