"Second Chances – Part 15"
August 11, 2005 (Day 111)
Tweeters
11:01 a.m.
After paying the cover at the door, Greg rushed into the club. The pulsating throb of the dance music filled his ears and the bare-chested 'birds' swooping around caught his eyes as he frantically searched for one in particular.
Hustling over to the bar, Greg flagged down the bartender. "I'm looking for Tawny. Have you seen her?"
Vinnie, the brawny bartender, wiped his hands on a towel as he said, "Sorry, man, she quit a little over a week ago. Tawny was a sweet piece of tail, but look around…there's plenty of other birds in the sky. They all sing for the right price."
"Yeah…uh." Greg struggled to block the fact that every man in here had probably at one point or another seen 98 percent of his girlfriend's body. "Tawny is my girlfriend…we live together. I'm trying to…"
"You're Greggy? Or do you go by Prince Charming?" Vinnie cracked a wide smile. "Hell, we all know about you! Tawny couldn't stop singing your praises. Told everybody what a great guy you are. She's nuts about you. Never mentioned your screwed up hair though." Grabbing a glass, he said, "Congrats on the baby. Here's a shot on the house."
Finding out that Tawny boasted about him didn't help Greg's self-loathing mood. "Thanks." He accepted the tequila. "Don't mind if I do."
"You look like shit."
"We had an argument," He explained after pounding the shot. "I need to talk to her ASAP and clear something up."
Feeling sorry for Greggy, Vinnie said, "Don't sweat it. Chicks…they can drive a guy crazy. Just unloaded my second fiancée.
"Uh…congratulations? Is Tawny here? I really need…"
"She was here about an hour ago. She was looking for Nolan…the manager."
Greg remembered Nolan from the night he and Grissom came here to question him.
Vinnie winked. "I had to tell her that Nolan was indisposed…a new bird flew in this morning and he was going through the employee manual with her if you catch my drift. I did see Tawny talking to Amber though." He pointed to a platinum blonde dancer dressed in Flamingo pink. "Maybe she knows something. But hey…Amber's working the floor, so if you want to talk to her, you're going to have to take a seat and ante up. If you don't, the bouncers will nail you, 'cause it looks bad if she's giving away anything for free."
"Got it." Greg slid the empty shot glass across the bar. "Thanks for the drink and your help."
"No problem."
Pulling out his wallet, Greg found an empty spot in Amber's section.
Eyeing the new customer's wallet, Amber swooped. "Hey there, pretty boy. You lookin' for a little birdy to land on your lap?"
"Amber, right?"
"Yeah, but I'll answer to anything if you throw some cash my way."
Holding up a twenty, Greg said, "All I want is information. I'm Tawny's boyfriend. I'm looking for her and Vinnie said you might know where she went."
"You're Greggy?" Amber burst into a smile. "She never mentioned your screwed up hair." Planting her stiletto wearing foot on the chair in between Greg's legs she said, "Money in the garter and I'll sing."
Quickly he complied. "Did she say where she was going?"
"Since she couldn't talk to Nolan, she said she was going to Club Paradise to see if they'd hire her. She was crying and I asked what happened. She told me about your stupid fight." Amber groaned, "I called her an idiot for messing up the sweet ride she had with you. Farm girl believes in fairy tales and doesn't know a good deal when she sees it." Salaciously grinning, she placed her hands on the back of Greg's chair. "Baby, I told her to get her ass home to find you and when she did to drop to her knees and beg for forgiveness using as few words as possible."
Amber's D's suspended only inches from his face, Greg announced, "Uh…you've been a big help, thanks. I'm uh…going to try and catch her at Club Paradise."
As he scurried away, Amber yelled, "If things don't work out with Miss Kansas, you come back and see me, Greggy!"
Ponderosa Realty
Incline Village, NV
11:14 a.m.
After completing the seven page Residential Purchase Agreement form and handing over the deposit check, Sara and Gil waited in the office lobby for Becky Knolls and the agent to review the contract.
"Think she'll accept?" Sara asked while rocking back and forth on her heels.
"Honey, it's a full price cash offer," He reminded her while taking her hand and hoping she'd settle down. "Even in Vegas I believe they'd call it a sure thing."
Laughing at herself, she replied, "I'm already attached to our little love nest in the woods. I want it to be official."
"Did you like my choice of closing date?" He inquired with pride in his voice.
"My birthday? I guess you won't be forgetting it this year."
"I didn't forget it last year." He rolled his eyes. "Fool that I was I just chose not to acknowledge it."
Choosing to focus on the future, she needled, "Does this mean you're getting me the cabin as a birthday gift?"
Brushing a loose strand of hair from her face, he said, "No, we're buying this together. I have something else very special in mind for your birthday gift."
"Now I'm curious." She raised a brow
Raising one back at her, he retorted, "Always a good state for a scientist to be in."
"Speaking of birthdays." Sara tugged him by the hand over to a bench and together they took a seat. "I've decided to throw you a birthday party."
"A what?" He bristled at the thought. "I've never had a birthday party. I don't even like talking about my birthday. The cake in the break room is enough to throw me over the edge. And now you know why I don't like my birthday…because of my father dumping me right before…"
"That's exactly why you need a party." Patting his hand, she explained. "It's time to put the joy back in your birthday. You almost died nine days ago…you have a reason to celebrate. Next year you'll be fifty and you'll have to have a big one…think of this as a warm up. Besides, I've uh…already kind of planned it. You know your team has the weekend of the 20th off for their monthly break. They all have the Saturday night blocked."
"I'm the last one to know about this?" He groaned. "Sara, I don't…"
"Hey! I could have made it a surprise party, but considering what happened when you found a surprise guest in our house last week…I decided to tell you."
"I appreciate that." He shuddered at the thought of coming home to find Sara acting like she was hiding something again. "Nothing elaborate, right?"
"Just the usual suspects over for a nice catered dinner…because I'm not putting up with an evening of harassment about my cooking like last time at brunch. Another thing different from last time…our friends all have significant others…Catherine and Warrick, Nick and Carrie, Greg and Tawny, Jim…I'm not sure if he's up for bringing his mystery lady or not. He's still being very secretive. Do you think he's embarrassed about her?"
"Ahh…" Grissom realized that Jim probably didn't tell Sara because she had enough on her mind. "He uh…"
"Mr. and Mrs. Grissom…" Cathy Sanborn, the realtor, called from her office door. "Congratulations. Becky officially accepted your offer. Your closing date will be September 16th as requested. If you'll step back into my office we'll go over the inspection arrangements and other details."
Beaming with excitement, Sara pecked her husband's cheek. "Thank you."
Delighted by the gleam in his wife's eyes, he commented, "It's going to be a great place to bring the kid, don't you think?"
"Definitely." Together they stood. "You can show him the lake full of insects."
"Who knows…" Grissom whispered in her ear. "We might be able to tell him he was conceived in it."
Club Paradise
11:53 a.m.
Repeating the same drill, Greg paid the cover, entered the club and made a beeline for the bar. "Hey!" He called out to the husky tattooed man wiping the counter. "Have you seen Tawny Cooper? She used to work here and she was coming in to ask for her old job back."
"You buying a drink?" Tony barked. "I only talk to paying customers."
"Whatever you have on tap." While throwing a ten on the bar he canvassed the club for a sign of Tawny. He was relieved that no one was dancing yet because the club just opened for the day.
Slapping the glass of beer on the counter, Tony prodded, "So, you like Tawny, huh? You follow her here from her last gig at Tweeters?"
"Yeah." Not wanting to raise suspicion, Greg took a swig and played it cool. "So you kept my change, tell me what I want to know. Is she here? Where is she?"
"Damn, her knobs really have a hold on you, huh? I don't blame you, she is one fine lookin' girl. Don't hold your breath though Loverboy. I tried to get her to go out with me and she turned me down and my hair isn't screwed up like yours." Tony laughed. "So tell me, are a fan or a stalker?"
Setting down his glass, he gave Tony The Look. "Boyfriend and father of her child actually. Now will you tell me where she is?"
Fishing Greg's change out of the tip jar, Tony nodded. "Sorry about that. She's in the locker room. She's due out for the noon shift."
Greg's eyes darted to his watch. 11:56. "Where's the locker room?" In a panic, he visually inspected the area looking for a locker room sign. "Where is it?"
"Dude…you can't go back there." Tony had seen this look before and he signaled one of the bouncers. "Let me guess…she wants to keep her career and you're opposed. It's not like you're the first guy to want to keep his girl's ass off the stage. Here's a tip…if you can't accept the fact she dances then save yourself some pain and move on, man. These chicks…they have expensive habits…they like the cash. If you don't have the dough to keep them, they keep dancing until they find a Sugar Daddy or become too unattractive to rake in the big bucks."
Another two minutes gone, Greg screamed, "You get someone back there and tell her I'm here to bring her home. She's not coming out to dance today or ever!"
One of the bouncers stepped over and escorted Greg away from the bar. "If you can't keep your voice down, I'll do it for you. Now follow me to the door like a good psycho."
Remembering his ID was still in his back pocket, Greg whipped it out. "I'm LVPD. I'm here to speak with Tawny Cooper in regards to an incident that happened earlier today. I need her in a private room ASAP. And make sure she's dressed!"
"I'll get right on that, Officer." The bouncer flashed a silver-toothed smile. "Why don't you wait for her in Champagne Room number one?"
Greg nodded authoritatively. "LVPD thanks you for your cooperation."
Crime Lab
Nick Stokes' Office
12:00 p.m.
The buzz of the office intercom distracted Nick from his pile of paperwork. It was Jim's secretary and he knew he had to answer it. "Hey, Betty."
"You have a delivery."
"A delivery?" He checked his watch. "Did someone order lunch? Great, because I'm…"
"No…it's…you really just have to see it."
"I'll be right there." Curious, he hurried out from behind his desk and down the hall to Betty's. As soon as he rounded the corner and saw the enormous colorful bouquet on the countertop, he broke into a broad smile.
Betty stood and remarked. "I've never seen a flower bouquet made out of napkins before…is this a hot new trend?"
"No…it's uh…an inside joke with my fiancée regarding our wedding plans. I'm thinking it's a peace offering…at least I hope that's what it is and not a creative way to tell me to go to hell." Snatching the card dangling from the purple napkin flower, he sighed with relief. "It's a peace offering. We had this stupid argument over napkin colors."
Smiling, she offered motherly advice. "Any time she asks what you like, say this in the sweetest tone…Sweetie, whichever one you like is my favorite too. Or, if she's the type who likes you to have an opinion then say this with conviction…Honey, I love the second one! Invariably she'll already have the one she wants picked and it won't matter what you think. If the second one isn't the one she wanted then you follow up with…well, then let's go with your choice because you have much better taste than me, Darling!"
"Thanks for the advice, Betty." Chuckling, Nick grabbed the vase off her desk and hustled toward his office.
In the hallway, Pete spied his boss carrying the rainbow bouquet of napkins and was ready to launch a verbal assault.
"Yes, it's a bouquet of napkins. Don't say a word Pete!" Nick warned. "Unless you want the crappy assignments for the rest of the week."
Club Paradise
12:04 p.m.
Pacing the tiny VIP room, Greg tried to rehearse his words. Unfortunately, his practice was cut short when the door opened and Tawny, wearing a black satin robe was escorted in by Ed the bouncer.
When their eyes met, two audible gasps filled the room.
"You want me to stay with you, Tawny?" Ed asked in a protective tone.
Choking back her tears, she said, "No…I'll be okay." Worry blanketed Greg's face and she instantly knew he wasn't here to tell her to go to hell, but because he cared.
Ed flashed a warning glance. "Remember…there are cameras in here. Don't even think about roughing her up to get information out of her."
"Not a chance," Greg answered in an emotionally strained voice as he stared at Tawny's heavily made up and distraught eyes. Used to her natural beauty it was difficult to see her looking so garish again.
When Ed left, shutting the door behind him, they spoke simultaneously.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, trying to mask her appreciation.
"Please give me a chance to explain!" He pleaded while fighting the urge to pull her into his arms.
"How did you find me?" Her eyes began filling as the pregnancy hormones kicked into full gear.
"I went to Tweeters and paid Amber to tell me where you went."
"You went looking for me?" The first tear slid down her cheek. "No…I can't do this. You don't trust me. I'm not going to settle for someone who doesn't trust me. I want a real relationship, Greg. You really hurt me this morning. I can't…"
"I do trust you. I do!" He stepped closer. "What came out of my mouth this morning…I wasn't clear…I hurt your feelings…I know I did, and I'm so sorry because that wasn't my intent at all. If you give me a chance, I know I can explain it better now."
Using the sleeve of her robe, she wiped her damp cheeks. "Two minutes."
"Thank you!" Elated she was willing to listen, he began his plea. "This morning, I never said I didn't believe you. I do believe you, Tawny. I really do!"
"Then why…"
With only two minutes allotted, he had no choice but to speak frankly. "We both know you slept with another guy the week before you met me and I'm not bringing it up as a judgment…you weren't doing anything I wasn't doing. I'm not a hypocrite. I'm bringing it up because even though you said you used a condom, and I absolutely believe you were telling the truth, there is a chance that it could be his baby. The odds are very slim…almost negligible, but the possibility does exist. No method of birth control is 100 percent accurate and even though we're talking less than 1 percent, I can't ignore the fact. At work I see things that defy the odds every day. I wish I could turn off my concern, but I can't."
"I can't either," She sobbed as panic boiled in her. "Is that what you're hoping? That it's not…"
"No!" Breaking the room rules, he took her hands. "The last thing I want…I swear to god…the last thing I want is for this baby to be anyone else's. At first, I was terrified at the prospect of having a baby with you, but now…I'm terrified at the thought of it not being my baby. I want this…I want us. I find myself falling for you a little more every day."
The affirmation was so close to the magic three words she always longed to hear. "You do?"
"Yes!" Moving his hands up to her shoulders, he breathlessly explained, "Today when you left…when you said you wouldn't let me near you or the baby…I felt my whole world come to a grinding halt. I know it's crazy…I know it hasn't been that long, but I already can't imagine you not being a part of my life. I never would have told my mother about you if I wasn't serious. I wouldn't have invited you to come to work and meet my friends if I didn't plan on having you around."
"Really?" On a dime, her tears switched gears from sorrow to joy.
Cupping her tear-soaked face with his hands he lovingly said, "When I'm driving home from work, I'm counting the minutes until I see you. When I'm parking my car, I'm already thinking about your smile. When I hold you in my arms after a long night at work, I feel rejuvenated instead of wiped. I love sharing my apartment and my life with you. I want you…the baby…I want us. So you see…it's not that I don't believe you. I just need to know to see on paper what I already know in my heart…it's my baby." Gulping for air, he stated, "Sorry, I know that was longer than two minutes but I had a lot to get off my chest. Tawny…will you please come home with me? Will you give us another chance?"
Nodding, she melted into his arms. "I didn't want to go out on stage. I was sitting in the locker room getting sick to my stomach. I don't want this life back. You've made me see I can be so much more and I want to be more. I know it was nasty to tell you I wouldn't let you see the baby, but I was so angry...I wasn't just angry at you either…I have so many memories of…I guess I have something to discuss with Dr. Myers at my next session, huh?" Glancing up into Greg's eyes, she whimpered, "I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain, but you really shocked me."
Gripping her tight, he soothed, "I know I did and I'm sorry, I just wasn't thinking. Remember when you said I had 999 cool points left…start deducting."
Half laughing, half crying, she replied, "100 sound fair?"
"Way too generous." Wiping her running mascara, he softly said, "We need to talk things out before blowing, okay? It's not good for the baby."
"I know it's not. I read that stress on the mother is horrible for the baby." Sniffling, she said, "So that's why I want to do the test in four weeks. I know you've said you were against it, but I can't live like this for nine months. It's too stressful. I already made an appointment for September 7th. Please…I know there is a slight risk, but I think the tension of not knowing will be more dangerous to the baby and me."
"I agree." Taking a deep breath, he nodded. "September 7th we'll know for sure."
"Since it's after the trip to California, I'll understand if you don't want me to go."
"Oh, you're going. No way you're getting out of it." Smiling he pecked her lips. "You're just afraid to meet my mom after what Catherine told you about her."
Before she could reply, Ed threw open the door. "Okay...I'm breaking this up. I let it go on long enough for you to kiss and make up, but now I'm livin' up to my hardass rep and kicking you out. Tawny…the boss wants to know when you're gonna get your ass on stage."
"Ed…I need to tell the boss I'm not coming out of retirement after all."
Shoreline Cabins
12:41 p.m.
Standing in the living room holding the bottle of champagne the realtor had given them, Grissom asked, "Should we open it?"
"Definitely, we'll make it my last hurrah before I'm pregnant," Sara answered while heading to the kitchen. "I didn't see any champagne flutes, but there are wine glasses in the cabinet."
While working on the cork, Grissom casually asked, "Find any good wine up here?"
Reading between the lines, she assured him, "You can just ask me if I drank."
"Did you?"
"Lots." Grabbing the wine glasses, she turned smiling. "Gatorade…water…Sprite." Confident, she strolled over to him and said, "I think we can officially declare me free of alcoholic tendencies since I got through this crisis without hittin' the bottle once."
"Absolutely." Sobering for a moment he admitted, "The last time we argued…the day you were drinking…you said your father drove your mother to alcoholism. I didn't want to be responsible for…"
"You wouldn't have been. It's a choice." Breathing deep, she admitted, "My mom had a choice…she had several…problem was she always made the wrong ones. My dad made worse ones. I realize that now. It's like what you said about your parents, now that you understand things for how they really were, you don't fear making the same mistakes. I feel the same way about mine."
"We both have more than just the purchase of this cabin to celebrate," He announced as he popped the cork and proceeded to fill the wine glasses she was holding. Taking one in his hand, he offered a toast. "To a whole new beginning for us…as individuals and as a couple."
"I'll drink to that!" Lightly clinking her glass to his and taking a sip she grinned. "What else should we do to celebrate besides the customary honeymoon accompaniment to champagne?"
"How about that Scrabble game you mentioned earlier?" Raising his glass toward the shelves built into the rear wall, he pointed out the game board. "But only if you're in the mood to lose."
"Is that some kind of challenge?" Turned on by his cockiness, she hustled over to grab the game and the dictionary that was on top of the box. "What are we going to wager now that personal information is free of charge?"
"As you said, the customary honeymoon accompaniment to champagne is out so…" Pausing for a sip and a thought, he came up smiling. "Oh…I know what I want when I win."
"The look in your eyes has me very intrigued." Walking to the front door, she suggested, "Let's play on the table outside because tomorrow night we'll be returning to the oven known as Las Vegas and I want to enjoy this perfect weather."
With a glass in one hand and a bottle in the other, he followed her out the door.
"Name your prize," She demanded as she took a seat and began setting up the game board on the patio table.
Reclining in the padded chair, he let his snooty intellectual side emerge. "Did you know that bats consume their body weight in insects every night? No…I'm sure you didn't know that delightful detail."
"You are correct. Somehow, in the course of my lifetime, I missed that fascinating factoid." Tossing her best smirk, she added, "But I'm fourteen years younger than you so…you've had more time to acquire information."
"Low."
"Three letter words won't get many points in this game, Baby." Shaking the tile bag, she filled with unbridled optimism. "Luckily, my vocabulary is well beyond my years." She held out the bag for him to pick a letter.
"As I was saying…" He selected a tile…an E…and showed it to her. "Bats consume their body weight in insects nightly, eating as many as one thousand flying insects per hour."
"Impressive." She flashed her T tile. "You're first."
Selecting his remaining six tiles, he boldly announced, "When I win this game, I will request your presence for a night of bat watching on the beach. Together, we'll hold hands and watch bats ingest thousands of insects…dreamy, isn't it?"
"What a shame that you're going to lose because I really think I would enjoy such an educational activity." Plucking her six tiles she grinned, "When I win, you know what you're going to have to do?"
Lining up his first play on his tile holder, he sighed, "If you feel like wasting your breath telling me about something that's never going to happen, go ahead."
"When I win, you're going to ask me to dance." She immediately saw terror flash in his eyes and played on it. "In public. And you will continue to dance the night away with me until I say I've had enough."
"Thank you for the extra motivation." He began laying out his first word. "Not that I needed any."
TROUBLE
"Ten points with a double word score makes it twenty, fifty bonus points for using all seven tiles in one play gives me a total of seventy points. Trouble...you're in it already." Jotting the score he snickered, "I hope you brought something warm to wear tonight."
"Why would I need something warm to wear when I'm dancing?" Eyeing her competition with a sultry gaze, she rasped, "I'll have your body pressed against me and that's always more than enough heat for me."
"Trying to distract me?"
"Is it working?"
"It would if I knew I could get lucky." He guzzled down the remaining champagne in his glass. "But since you made it clear that I'm in a regeneration holding pattern for twenty-four hours…I know you're bluffing and therefore am unmoved by your tawdry tactic."
Reviewing her pathetic letters once more, Sara feigned optimism. "I'm just letting you get ahead so when I crush you…it hurts twice as much."
TOES
"Playing the S on trouble gets me ten plus another five for toes for a total of fifteen. Toes…think you're going to step on mine when we're out dancing?"
"We'll never know." Wasting no time, he placed his word.
FRABJOUS
Instantly he saw her doubt twinkle in her eye. "What?" He asked in an innocent tone. "You're not seriously doubting it's a real word, are you?" Gaping at her, he shook his head. "If you challenge it, you'll humiliate yourself." Lifting the bottle of champagne, he refilled both of their glasses without saying another word. He didn't have to…the seed was planted and now her own mind would do the rest of the work.
"Frabjous?" Searching her mind she doubted its validity but then a little voice inside warned that she had heard the word somewhere before. Staring her opponent/husband down, she saw nothing but smug resilience in his eyes. Go with your first inclination! Frabjous is probably something you heard Greg say in reference to his hair! Go with your initial gut feeling…that's how it always worked on tests. If it really isn't a word he'll never let you live it down. "I challenge."
"Splendid." Handing her the dictionary Grissom grinned uncontrollably.
Anxious, she flipped through the pages and when her eyes hit the word, she shrieked. "It means splendid!"
"I think I just said that." Raising his glass of bubbly, he remarked, "Frabjous…a combination of fabulous and joyful. Coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass." With verve he recited the quote. "'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'"
"Keep this up, Smarty Pants, and you might be leaving Tahoe alone again." Lifting her glass, she snarked, "Does that sound frabjous?"
"No…it sounds low," He remarked in a sullen tone as he averted his eyes.
Feeling terrible, Sara reached out and placed her hand on his. "I'm sorry…that really was low."
"Yeah…" He confirmed in a dejected voice right before he burst out laughing. "Like your score!"
"You bastard!" She shrieked while half-laughing. "I really thought I hurt your feelings!"
"That's called a bluff, Honey. It's as important in this game as an extensive vocabulary." Seeing her ire build, he reminded her, "You know that sizeable chunk of change we just spent on this cabin? Let's recall its humble beginnings…before investing…before interest."
Wrapping her fingers around the stem of her wine glass, she sighed, "Poker winnings."
"Yep." Reaching over he tapped his glass to hers. "Here's to my mastery of the bluff." After they sipped he sweetly said, "You know the one thing I've never been able to bluff? My feelings for you."
"Aww…what a frabjous thing to say!"
Greg's Apartment
1:44 p.m.
With her chin resting on Greg's chest, Tawny gazed into her lover's eyes. "That was…"
"…passion-fueled make up lovin'," He replied through a smile. "And while it was fantastic, I would rather have skipped the drama leading up to it because that was…"
"…scary."
"Yeah." Looping his arms around her, he pulled her closer until they were lying on their sides, their noses touching and their eyes connected. "But we're okay now."
With a lingering kiss they confirmed his statement.
"I just fell a little further," Greg whispered while stroking Tawny's hair.
Her smile filling the room, she slid out of his arms.
"Where are you going?" He asked in a puzzled tone.
Giggling, she replied, "If you're falling, I don't want to slow you down so I let go."
"You've got it all wrong," He informed her in a husky tone, as he snaked toward her. "All objects, regardless of their mass, free-fall with the same acceleration. So whether I'm alone or…" Covering her body with his, he lit up. "…or whether you're in my arms, I'm falling at the same speed."
Carried away by the intensity in his eyes, Tawny swooned. "Then I'd rather we be together every step of the way."
"Exactly what I was thinking."
Outdoor World
Lake Tahoe
2:22 p.m.
As Grissom stood at the counter waiting for the clerk to return, his cell phone rang. Breaking into a grin, he grabbed the phone ready to give or receive some ribbing. Then he saw it was Brass calling, but answered it anyway. "Grissom."
"So, she didn't kill you and throw you to the fishes."
"Disappointed?" He snipped.
"You must not be having too good a time or you wouldn't have answered the phone."
"For your information, I have my phone on because I'm out shopping for toys for my date with Sara tonight."
"Toys?" He chuckled. "That's funny…Heather told me you weren't into toys. Ha! I hope my yank of your chain didn't leave a mark around your neck. I wouldn't want you to have to explain it to the missus."
Mildly amused, Grissom retorted, "The mark around my neck will pale in comparison to the one around yours when Sara finds out who your mystery lady is before you manage to confess. Trust me…she has very strong hands."
"Like I was going to drop that bomb on her when she was already edgy." Sighing, he said, "All kidding aside for a minute, is everything okay?"
He responded in a sunny tone. "It's frabjous!"
"You sound like Scooby-Doo."
"Hold on a sec, Shaggy." After nodding at the clerk, Grissom pointed inside the glass case. "I need two of these night vision binoculars, thanks."
"Night vision binoculars?" Brass guffawed, "What the hell kind of role play are you planning? Which one of you gets to be the prey and run naked through the woods?"
Laughing at the erroneous interpretation, Grissom said, "Nice guess. Actually, we're going down to the beach tonight to watch bats ingest their weight in bugs."
After a moment of silence, Brass groaned, "If anyone else said that I'd think it was code for something kinky but coming from you…I believe it to be true."
"Sara lost a bet." He handed the clerk his credit card.
"And that's what you came up with as your reward? Oh man…I would have thought Catherine coached you a little bit better, grasshopper."
Ready to move on, Grissom said, "Hey, thanks for calling to check up on us."
"Hold up, Batman, don't hang up the Bat Phone just yet. I have a business reason for calling too. When are you going to talk to Catherine about the supervisor position? I'm working on paperwork for your new position and I need a start date and a replacement."
"Oh…uh…I suppose I could call her from here. She's probably waiting to hear how things are going anyway."
"Call me back when you have answers, rrokay, Scooby?"
Catherine's House
2:32 p.m.
Lounging in bed, Warrick brought Catherine's cell phone to his ear. "Hey Gris, how's it goin' in Tahoe?"
"Great! Thanks for asking. How are things at home?"
A smile smoothing over his lips, Warrick replied in a satiated tone, "Oh…I've got everything under control."
"Is Catherine around? I have to run some work stuff by her."
"Uh…I know she's dying to talk to you. Yeah…the curiosity is killin' her. If she could, I'm sure she'd snatch the phone from me and ask you a bunch of questions." Trying not to laugh as he watched his significant other squirm, he said, "But…she's tied up right now."
After a moment of silence, Grissom replied, "Why do I get the feeling you don't mean that metaphorically? Uh…okay…have her call my cell when she's free."
Greg's Apartment
3:25 p.m.
While Greg slept in the bedroom, Tawny straightened up the rest of the apartment while watching TLC's Perfect Proposal, a reality show devoted to the planning and surprise execution of the ideal marriage proposal.
Taking a seat on the couch, she watched the show's finale…the romantic proposal on the beach as the sun set across the water. The boyfriend's heartfelt words incited tears of joy from his girlfriend's eyes and as he slipped the ring on her finger, she boomed, 'Yes!'. It was perfect…just perfect.
Tawny's eyes veered to the two DNA reports still on the cushions from this morning's incident. Four weeks seemed like an eternity and the odds, while 99 percent in Greg's favor, brought no comfort at all. Having been on the losing side of every equation in her life thus far, it was impossible for her to visualize a positive outcome.
Her eyes returned to the TV screen and the sheer bliss on the newly engaged girl's face. And while she watched the euphoric scene, a particular line from Greg's DNA tutorial popped up in her mind. 99 percent of the code is the same for every human. Only 1 percent makes us unique. That's why he's so worried, she thought…as a DNA Specialist he knows better than anyone how significant 1 percent is sometimes. In four weeks she'd know if her story would be unique.
The TV announcer's voice caught her ear. First comes love, then the proposal, then A Wedding Story! Coming up next on TLC...one happy couple prepares for their big day. But can they survive the planning stage?
Nick and Carrie's Apartment
4:37 p.m.
Trying to balance a bag of groceries, a bottle of champagne and a dozen red roses, Nick opened the front door and stumbled inside.
"What are you doing home so early?" Carried shrieked from the kitchen. "I came home early to make you a surprise romantic dinner!"
Clutching his purchases, he announced, "I left right after shift so I could go shopping and cook you a surprise romantic dinner!"
"Awww." Wiping her hands on her sauce covered apron, she rushed him with open arms and over the pile Nick was holding, she snatched a quick kiss. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch last night!"
Setting down the bag and the bottle, he scooped her up with his free arm. "And I'm sorry I was such an insensitive ass. Instead of trying to BS my way through, I should have told you I had a stressful day and wasn't in the mood to talk about wedding stuff. I was having a really hard time on the job yesterday."
"Why do you insist on you holding this stuff in? It's not healthy. If you keep doing it, one day you'll explode," She chided as she poked him in the ribs. "I'm your future wife. You don't always have to be Smooth Stokes you know. What are you afraid of? That I'm going to give the ring back if I find out you bleed like the rest of us humans?"
"I don't know…I just feel like it's my job to keep it together for you…to suck it up and leave it at the door." Shrugging, he released a heavy sigh. "I never saw my dad come home from court and dump cases on my mom."
"Just because you didn't see it, doesn't mean it didn't happen." A devious smile emerged. "Did you see your parents having sex seven times?"
"No!" He felt a blush creep over his cheeks. "Not once, thank you very much."
"And yet they had seven kids? Hmm…" Taking the bouquet of roses from his hands, she shook her head. "Have you connected the dots yet, Sweetie?" Winking she said, "Have a seat and think about it while I put these gorgeous flowers in water and grab my big tough cowboy a light beer."
Collapsing against the couch cushions he said, "I'm guessin' you're lookin' for a little deductive reasoning, Counsel?"
Across the room, filling a vase with water, Carrie nodded. "Go for it."
"My parents had seven children. We weren't adopted and the stork doesn't exist. They had sex, I just didn't see it. Even though I didn't see my dad vulnerable after a hard day at the office and leaning on my mom for support, doesn't mean he didn't do it in private."
"Very good." She placed the roses in the middle of the dining table and delivered Nick's beer. "Thank you for the beautiful flowers."
"You're welcome. Thank you for the drink and the forgiveness." While guzzling, he patted his lap, inviting her. "Okay…let me hear that voice of reason that made me fall in love with you the first night we met."
Snuggling into his arms, she softly said, "Your parents protected you from dealing with their adult burdens and that was a wonderful gift. Some of the kids I work with are witnesses to everything their parents do…they see them empty bottles of vodka, shoot up heroin, listen to them call each other horrible names, watch them fight and beat each other. Some of these kids are scarred for life." Smoothing her hand across his cheek, she smiled. "You're unscarred, but I think you also have a false sense of reality because your parents did such a tremendous job of hiding everything from you. You have almost a Stepford mentality about what a husband should be…perfect all the time. I don't expect you to be perfect all the time, Nick. I expect you to be human."
"I love you, Baby." Cinching his arms around her he smoothed a loving kiss over the delicate curve of her lips.
"Tell me why you were having a hard day yesterday." She steadied him with her eyes.
"It's like this…some cases aren't upsetting at all. You know…the ones where there are no real victims. Some affect you because you'd have to be inhuman not to feel anything for the victim and others rock you to the core. Everyone has their triggers on the job." Settling back with her arms firmly planted around him, he said, "Kids…you know they affect everyone, even Grissom loses it when the vic is a kid. For Sara, it's rape and domestic violence that sets her off."
Nodding she said, "Makes sense considering her family background."
"Yeah." He paused to fill his lungs before continuing. " Right now, Greg's having a hard time handling brutality no matter who the victim is…it's like he can't handle knowing people can be so animalistic. He'll get used to it. You learn people are capable of incredible darkness…some seem born that way and others turn if the conditions are right." Tilting his bottle he took a long sip.
Making sure he knew she was listening, she said, "I've seen enough in my work to empathize. Sometimes I wonder, if the average person knew what was hiding out there would they ever leave home? Luckily, the animals are a small minority."
"Well, one of the small minority spent some time at Dirk's Motel yesterday." Swallowing hard, he told her, "I have several triggers, one of which is young girls who get caught up in a life they can't escape and wind up dead. When we arrived on the scene yesterday, we found what was left of a sixteen year old prostitute." His voice shook. "Some girl from Nebraska who stopped in Vegas to make some money before moving to LA and ended up spending twenty four hours in hell before she was finally allowed to die." Sorrow echoed in his voice. "It took hours just to…damn…"
"It's okay." Carrie rescued him and when he was ready, she asked, "Did you catch the animal?"
Nodding, Nick forced the words out. "Got a hit on CODIS around noon. He's off the streets."
"Nice work." She smiled proudly.
Eyes hooked on one another, their connection deepened.
Finally, Carrie lightened the mood. "Kind of nice dropping a little weight off those big shoulders, huh Tex?"
"Kind of nice having someone around to listen."
Winking, she remarked, "I believe it's one of the perks of marriage…along with the more obvious ones."
"I'm looking forward to making it official." Taking her left hand, he kissed her ring.
Looking him straight in the eyes, she asked, "You want to bag dinner and find a chapel?"
"What?" He studied her face. "You aren't serious! No! You're only saying that because I've been so antsy. I'm not believing that's what you really want…not for a minute because, Baby…spontaneity is so not your thing!"
"Not usually but…" Shrugging, she jumped off his lap. "…I'm in a crazy mood right now! Let's do it!"
"Get back here, Missy." Taking her hand, he yanked her down on the couch. "I know having a real wedding means a lot to you and your family…and my family. Hell, according to your brother, you've been planning a wedding since you were a little girl dressing up in your mama's old veil."
"There's photo evidence of that I'm afraid!" She giggled in humiliation. "I dressed my dog up as a flower girl. I'm pathetic…I've even been watching A Wedding Story on TV. Do you think I'll be disbarred if the County Officials find out I'm watching sappy reality TV?"
"See…that's what I'm talking about." Tossing her hair off her shoulder, he vowed, "No chapel for us…we're going to do this the old fashioned way. Someone in this town has to be traditional! I promise I will tell you when I'm not in the mood to talk napkins, alright?"
Happy he was getting into it, she quizzed, "Soooo…which color do you like? Crimson or lilac?"
With conviction, he replied, "I like the second choice."
"Really?" She wrinkled her nose. "Because I was thinking crimson."
Remembering the other line Betty gave him Nick enthused, "Then let's go with your choice because you have much better taste than me, Darlin'!"