EPILOGUE – Part 1 of 5
7 months later…
Pacing the courthouse lobby Nick questioned his performance on the witness stand. Was I clear enough? Did I connect with the jury? The blood spatter evidence seemed to hook most of them but during impact angle analysis several of them glazed over from the math and I'm almost certain juror nine dozed for five solid minutes.
Putting a hand on Nick's shoulder Grissom smiled. "You're wearing down the tile."
"The wait is killing me."
When the Prosecutor called late yesterday afternoon to inform the team that the Rodgers verdict would be read the next morning, he also warned them not to get their hopes up for a conviction.
"You were excellent on the stand, Nick." Grissom assured him. For months he watched Nick harbor the guilt of bringing Mike into Sara's life…into their lives. The trial was a chance for Nick to get some closure. Hoping to reassure his co-worker's confidence, Grissom added, "I knew I couldn't do it as well as you Nicky, that's why I put you up there." After what Mike had done, and almost done, to Sara, Grissom knew he would be too emotionally involved to do the job well and as far as payback was concerned, ego had no place in an equation where the stakes were so high.
The enormity of the compliment overwhelmed Nick and he broke into a proud smile. "Thanks for the props, boss." The chance to nail Mike Rodgers for the murder of Samantha Hatcher was a gift from Grissom. It was a chance to redeem himself even though none of his team members, Sara included, thought there was any reason he should feel responsible for Mike's nefarious actions.
The Prosecutor also agreed that Nick was the logical choice to take the stand. Nick, like Mike, oozed good boy charm, which the Prosecutor felt would significantly help with the female jurors. Also, Nick had a way of presenting evidence without sounding like a heady scientist, always helpful when you had a panel of non-academics.
Nick of course realized the flip side of the coin. If he didn't do a good enough job and the jury found Mike not guilty…a murderer, rapist and potential stalker of Sara Sidle, would be walking the streets by noon today.
When it came to the jury believing the evidence, Nick, like Grissom, knew the odds were stacked against them. Sometimes good theatrics from a defendant eager to take the stand trumped good science
The prosecutor predicted the defense team would attack Wendy Blake's character as a witness. The prediction turned out to be a gross understatement…they annihilated her. They drudged up college acquaintances who testified that Wendy was a party girl with a jealous streak over her sister's boyfriend. By the time the defense was done, the Prosecutor actually believed Wendy's gut-wrenching testimony wouldn't matter at all, maybe even hurt the case.
Then Mike Rodgers took the stand and things got worse. Having months in jail to perfect his performance, Mike didn't disappoint. If testimony was eligible for an Oscar nomination, Nick was certain Mike's name would show up on the finalist ballot this year. The bastard glowed when discussing his first love, Samantha Hatcher, wept like a baby when he recounted losing her and went on and on about Samantha's parents still treating him like a member of the family for years after losing their daughter. All of that was before the defense attorney got around to discussing Mike's character.
Because the death of Mike's wife had been ruled accidental, it wasn't allowed into evidence. Nor was the accidental death of Tamara Carter, a fiancé of Mike's, that the team discovered while working the case. What was allowed? An endless parade of glowing character witnesses. They even had a little old lady babbling on about Mike rescuing her poodle from a well.
When Warrick joined the guys in the lobby, Grissom immediately asked, "How's Sara?" Checking his watch he noted it had been ten minutes since she went to the restroom.
"They're BS'ing and fixing their lipstick, stop worrying. Catherine said they would be out in a minute" Shoving his hands in his pockets Warrick exhaled sharply. "Did the prosecutor give us odds?"
"80-20 against us." Nick grumbled.
Out of breath, Greg joined the group. "Sorry I'm late."
Nick shot him a look. "You were hitting on that court reporter weren't you?"
Waving a slip of paper, Greg grinned. "Who has the phone number of a gorgeous woman?"
Grissom snatched the paper. "This is a courthouse Greg not a bar. We're here for a verdict and you're trolling?"
Warrick groaned, "Not much of a team player, Greggo."
"Hey!" Greg grabbed the phone number back. "Easy for the two of you to pass judgment. You already took the lab's best babes off the market. I have no choice but to outsource because Mabel in Trace, squicks me out, Diane in ballistics has that weird toe thing going on and every other female already turned me down or slept with Nick…or both."
Greg could always be counted on to provide the comic relief. In this tense situation, the guys simultaneously appreciated having a stress reducing laugh.
Catherine and Sara exchanged curious glances as they approached the boisterous bunch of boys.
Sara smiled, "Care to let us in on the joke?"
Relieved to see Sara smiling, Grissom moved to her side. "You okay?" Since jury deliberation began she wasn't sleeping much and when she did, she often tossed and turned.
With a confident nod she replied, "Just needed a few minutes to put my game face on. I'm not going to let that bastard see me sweat."
Motioning for her to follow him, Grissom and Sara moved away from the group. With his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't instinctively reach out to comfort her, Grissom soothed, "Honey, whatever happens in there we'll handle it."
"I know." The reassurance in his eyes was all she needed. "I'm not worried for me. I want justice for Samantha and Wendy and I want to keep that creep off the street."
"Of course." He breathed easier.
As Catherine watched Gil and Sara talk on the fringes of the group, she couldn't help but smile. There they were soothing each other but to anyone outside of the team it would appear they were discussing mundane lab results.
It was this way from the moment they began their relationship…consummate professionalism. Sure there were differences, the two most noticeable: they both smiled a lot more and they almost always had matching nights off. As far as work performance, they were more effective on the job than ever…as if that were even possible since they were perfectionists to begin with.
They were so good at hiding their personal relationship that one day in the break room Max Clark, the DNA tech who filled Greg's spot, decided to ask Sara out. It was one of Greg's favorite stories to tell because it was the first time he pulled something over on the new DNA guy.
Sara was sitting at the break room table working on her dissertation while Greg, Grissom, Nick and Max were across the room gathered around the water cooler.
Max curiously inquired, "Boss, I've only been here a few months so I'm not sure what the protocol is about this sort of thing. Greg told me I should ask you."
"Shoot." Grissom replied as he took a sip of coffee.
"I want to ask out Sara but I'm not sure if it's against department policy."
After desperately trying to swallow his coffee without spitting it, Grissom replied, "Greg told you to ask me this?"
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Greg replied, "Just trying to help out the newbie."
Grissom unemotionally answered the question. "Officially the only department policy is two people under the same supervisor can't marry but really Max, interoffice dating isn't recommended."
Surprised Grissom was playing along; Nick decided to push the envelope. "Boss…does that mean it's okay for an employee to marry her supervisor?"
"No, Nick." Grissom shot him a look. "That's not okay either."
Hiding his smirk behind his mug Nick mumbled, "Just checking."
"Cool! Then I won't get in trouble for taking Sara out." Max grinned. "And when it works out and we decide to tie the knot, then one of us will have to find a different job."
Nick chuckled into his mug. "Fat chance pal."
"What did you say?" Max asked.
"Sara's a great gal!" Nick slapped him on the back. "What are you waiting for Maxie, go for it."
While Max approached the break room table, Grissom, Nick and Greg watched on the sidelines, ready to see Max shot down.
"Hi Sara." Max remarked as he sat on the edge of the table.
Her head buried in a book she didn't look up. "Do you have my results from the Lopez case?"
"I'm here for another reason actually." Looking back at the guys he was glad to see they were all egging him on with gestures.
" Sara…after shift today…."
While noting some figures she replied. "Uh huh."
"I was uh…wondering. Would you like to have lunch with me?"
Finally looking up, she smiled brightly. "Sure, that sounds great. I'd love to go out with you, Max."
While Max broke into a huge grin, Nick, Greg and Grissom's mouths dropped open.
"Cool!" Max headed for the door.
"Oh Max." Sara sweetly called after him. "You didn't mean a lunch date did you? You meant a co-worker kind of thing, right? Because I'm in a serious relationship and I wouldn't want to lead you on."
Nick and Greg, released an audible gasp along with Grissom.
"Yeah, that's what I meant." Max brushed off his disappointment.
When Max was gone, Sara walked over to the coffee pot smirking. "Gotcha! You know, just because I have my head in a book doesn't mean I'm not listening." Narrowing her focus on Grissom she teased, "What's your pulse at now, honey?"
How Gil and Sara managed it Catherine couldn't fathom because she and Warrick had slips all the time. Like yesterday for example…
Standing in the DNA lab waiting for Max to return, Catherine and Warrick were in the corner of the room discussing plans for their next night off.
Tucking her hair behind her ear, Catherine said, "I think we should get a room at the Bellagio and never leave the bed."
"Except to let in room service. We'll need something..."
"Strawberries for the champagne." Her eyes sparkled.
"Whipped Cream." He salivated just thinking about it.
"To lick off your…"
"AHEM!" Max dropped his pile of folders on the table. "My ears people! You know the boss once told me that interoffice dating isn't recommended so you better learn to be more discreet."
Catherine nodded. "Thanks, we'll try harder."
Warrick concurred. "Absolutely we'll get right on that tomorrow night."
But Gil and Sara's perfect level of professionalism didn't bug Catherine half as much as the meta-connection the two of them seemed to develop around five months into the relationship.
When she worked a scene with them she was often unnerved by the fact that Sara and Gil could be across the room from one another and still know what each other were thinking. Why didn't Warrick and I have this kind of connection she wondered? A couple of weeks ago she finally figured out the puzzle. It wasn't some spiritual connection linking Gil and Sara's minds when they were forty feet apart. They were reading each other's lips and slipping in a few signs.
When Catherine asked him about it over one of their regular breakfast meetings last week, he told her that once Sara knew about his ear surgery and the potential for the problem to reoccur she wanted to be prepared so he was teaching her. It was the perfect opportunity for Catherine to needle him…
"Sounds like Sara is in it for the long haul, huh?"
Grissom only smiled.
"You know, for better or worse, in sickness and in health." Catherine teased, "Time to start shopping for a ring don't you think?"
"You know that's not possible."
Chuckling, she pointed out "Hey, department rules only prohibit the piece of paper, not the diamonds! Haven't you heard? They're a girl's best friend."
Nick's voice boomed through the courtroom lobby refocusing everyone on the trial. "Room's open! Verdict time!"
Filing into the fourth row, Nick, Grissom, Sara, Warrick, Catherine and Greg presented a united front. They worked together to bring the case this far, together they would accept the jury's decision.
Grissom watched Wendy Blake, arm in arm with her husband, sitting defiantly in the first row in full view of the Rodgers. Days earlier when he expressed his apologies to her for the trial being so difficult on her she told him that no matter how degrading the process was she had no regrets. Mike Rodgers had no power over her anymore and after freeing the secrets which haunted her for over twenty years she was finally at peace and her family was stronger than ever. Seven months ago he wouldn't have comprehended her words. Today he had no problem.
When the court clerk opened the verdict slip, Nick lowered his head, preparing for the worst. Sara, on the other hand, turned her gaze toward the accused for the first time. In her mind she calmly said, this is for Samantha. She's watching through me.
A hush fell over the room when the clerk started to speak. "State of Nevada versus Michael Rodgers. We the jury in the above-entitled cause find the defendant, Michael Rodgers, guilty of the crime of murder of Samantha Hatcher. Dated April 22, 2005. Signed, Juror number six."
Nick couldn't believe his ears so he glanced over at Grissom who simply remarked, "You heard right. Science trumped theatre." Breaking into a grin, he boasted, "I've never been more proud of forensics or you."
The clerk continued. "We the jury find the degree of murder to be that of the first degree. Dated April 22, 2005. Signed Juror number six."
Sara released the trapped air from her lungs and smiled…directly at Mike. A deer in the headlights of an eighteen wheeler wouldn't have looked shocked as he did and on behalf of Samantha she savored the moment. "Busted," she mouthed in his direction hoping he could read her lips.
Outside the courthouse Nick, Sara, Warrick and Catherine celebrated their victory while Grissom spoke to Wendy Blake and her family in the lobby.
Glancing around Nick huffed, "Where the hell is Sanders?"
Laughing Sara pointed down the block. "Chasing a skirt…a very short skirt." Greg had told her a month ago, now that he was a full-fledged CSI he loved answering a woman when she asked, 'so what do you do for a living' because Crime Scene Investigator sounded much sexier than Lab Tech and got better play with the ladies. From watching him lately Sara knew Greg was trying to get asked the question as frequently as possible. Now that she was no longer pursuing her own catch it was cute to watch him fish.
Shaking his head, Nick steamed, "That guy…"
"Oh please." Catherine shot Nick a look. "Like you didn't act the same way. Listen, Peter Pan, just because you finally decided to grow up don't ruin it for the boy. Greg needs to sow some wild oats so one day he can grow up and be man."
Warrick chimed in. "I don't think Nick's tension has anything to do with Greg. I think it's directly related to the fact that he's gone many months without a woman. Remember how tense Grissom used to be."
Nick groaned. "Who would have thought the day would come when Grissom was having more sex than me."
While turning six shades of red, Sara snapped her fingers. "Hello. I'm standing right here. You can shut up now."
Warrick apologized while laughing along with Nick and Catherine. "Sorry, Sara." Like siblings grating on each other, they loved teasing Sara when Grissom wasn't around. Although she acted ticked most of the time they knew she enjoyed the twisted camaraderie.
Returning to the original conversation, Nick said, "Okay, okay, I'll cut Greggo some slack."
After setting up Sara and Mike with an almost disastrous result, Nick had taken a long, hard look at his own reckless courting practices. The self-analysis combined with conversations with Warrick, discussing the benefits of being in a committed relationship with a woman, led Nick to a conclusion. Fleeting relationships were no longer satisfying and dating as a sport wasn't going to work anymore. Unfortunately he hadn't found his dream girl yet.
Catherine smiled, "Nick, you don't want to be like one of those ex-smokers who go all holier than thou when someone lights up. It turns people off and they won't learn a thing." As she learned in the Parenting Your Teen seminar she attended last month, when you tell people they're forbidden to do something, it only makes it more enticing. "Educate Greg and support him, then he'll make the right choices and if he doesn't make sure he knows he can come to you for help."
Placing a hand on Catherine's shoulder, Warrick said, "Listen to her Nick, she's a pro at this stuff now."
As a man who never knew his father and had lost his mother at an early age, Warrick knew the impacts of instability in the home. If it weren't for his grandmother taking him in and coming down hard on him he might not have made it to eighteen.
At the time he was too stubborn to appreciate his grandmother's actions and managed to find quiet ways to rebel such as gambling on the sly but now as an adult he knew the profound influence she had on his life and was eternally grateful. To honor her, when the time came, he drew upon her life lessons to help out Catherine.
About three months into their relationship Warrick sat Catherine down for a heart to heart. He started the conversation with a recollection…Catherine telling him that she feared Lindsay's apple didn't fall far from Eddie's tree. He pointed out that Lindsay wasn't becoming Eddie, she was becoming Catherine…rebelling, running, reaching. Lindsay actions were those of a girl trying to prove she's tough when really she's wounded and looking for comfort.
At first, Catherine wasn't receptive of the message...
Standing in Warrick's living room, Catherine yelled, "I can't believe you're trying to tell me how to be a parent. What do you know about being a parent? How can you stand there and judge me?"
"I'm not judging you." Calmly he explained, "You keep bringing up all these problems you have with Lindsay and I thought we were close enough now for you to hear my opinion. I think you need to make some changes. I've felt this way for a long time, Catherine. It wasn't my place to tell you before but…"
"And it's still not!" After grabbing her purse she bolted out the door, slamming it behind her.
"Damn." Warrick walked to his desk and grabbed his keys.
But before he could get out the door, Catherine was coming back through. Tears welling up in her eyes, she said, "You're right. I need help with this. I'll listen to what you have to say." The tears started to roll. "I don't know why I do what I do."
Tossing his keys he took her in his arms. "We'll figure it out."
Crying on his shoulder she realized it had been many years since she had a soft place to fall. "I'm sorry for yelling."
"Don't worry about it." He soothed knowing her anger wasn't directed at him. "Baby before you can be a better mom to Lindsay, you need to ask yourself a few questions. Like what are you still running from? What are you still trying to prove? Why can't you stay home once in a while and just be a mom instead of being out on the town with me showing everyone you're the life of the party?" Wiping away her tears he whispered, "You can stop trying to prove how fun and sexy and beautiful you are because I already know that. You don't have to be that girl anymore. You can relax. I'm not going anywhere."
His words, his delivery, his eyes…they all assured her she could believe him and she nestled further into his embrace. "A girl could love a man who says those kinds of things."
"Good." He kissed the top of her head. "Because he'd be happy to love her back."
"Hey!" Brass grabbed the team's attention. "I know, I know, I'm late." Adjusting his tie he quipped, "But that's how it is when you're the top dog…you get mired in bureaucratic B.S. and miss all the fun."
"We won!" Nick proclaimed.
"The victims won," Sara was quick to correct him. "But we get to share the victory."
Catherine chimed in. "Another great day for your lab, Sir."
"You guys make it easy on me. Now if only I could say the same about the day shift." He rolled his eyes. "What a crew."
Sara teased, "Not every team can be the best. Isn't that why you're getting the big bucks now, to straighten everyone else out?"
During the three weeks following the Ecklie fiasco, the Director hounded Grissom daily to take the AD spot. While fully acknowledging that Grissom was politically dense, the Director felt they needed someone with a clean reputation and a penchant for honesty to help recover from the recent scandal.
Grissom of course didn't consider the offer for even a moment but try as he might to point out his disinterest, the Director wouldn't relent. It didn't help matters that during the same three weeks the Director was demanding more of his time and energy Grissom was trying to build a relationship with Sara. Try as he might, work kept getting in the way. Their second date ended abruptly when he was summoned by the Director to straighten out problems on the swing shift team then everyday after that something always came up.
Although Sara and Grissom managed to find small blocks of time together, it was never enough and always left them wanting more. When two people realize they've wasted years, they want to make up for lost time.
Finally, one day, Grissom thought of a way to solve his, Sara's and the Director's problem.
Sara recalled it well, so well, she was sure she'd never forget that day as long as she lived…
It was eight o'clock at night and Grissom just walked through Sara's door. Although they both had the night off it didn't guarantee they wouldn't end up at work, considering the way things were around the lab.
After greeting her with tender kiss, he asked, "Were you able to get some sleep?"
"I did. I feel great." She smiled. "What about you?"
"Yes. I think those were the only six consecutive hours I got in weeks."
Holding hands they walked to the couch and fell back into each other's arms. "You may as well take the job if the Director is going to make you do it without the title."
"Never." He sighed as he pulled her closer.
Looking into his eyes, she asked a leading question. "Too much time away from the field?"
Recognizing a defining moment when he heard one, he replied, "Too much time away from you." He paused to brush a kiss over her lips. "I just got a life. The last thing I want to do is spend more time away from it."
"Plus you would miss being in the field." Grinning she said, "It's okay to admit it's not only about me."
"Okay, I'd miss that too." Smiling back he said, "But I'm hoping after tonight the problem will be solved for all of us and the lab."
"How so?"
Brimming with pride, he related the details. "This morning after you left work, I marched into the Director's office and told him if he respected me enough to give me the job then he should respect me enough to take my recommendation and give the job to the person of my choice. Then I said if he didn't listen to me then I might have to consider leaving the lab and going elsewhere. I told him to give the AD position to Brass and let me get back to my job and my life."
"Whoa." She straightened up against the couch. "Quite a bold political power play for you." She knew he wanted Brass to get the job but never thought he would demand it.
"Well…I can't take all the credit, I thought of the perfect replacement but it was Catherine who told me how to execute the plan. She pointed out that I had all the balls in my court."
"Do you think the Director will meet your demand?"
Grinning, he happily informed her, "He was inviting Jim to dinner when I walked out of the office. By tomorrow morning I'm hoping I have a new boss and my old life back." Immediately he corrected the statement. "My old work life back."
Sighing, she glumly said, "You're still on call tonight though, right?"
"Third on the list."
She nodded. "I'm seventh."
"Catherine is in charge." He shrugged. "I'm sure she can handle whatever comes up."
Sara started to perk up. "It's Tuesday…lowest crime day of the week." With a tentative smile, she asked, "Do you think we could…"
He lit up. "I definitely could and since I'm your supervisor I say you can."
"Okay then." Jumping up from the couch Sara walked over to her desk to shut off her pager and cell phone.
Standing up, Grissom pulled his pager off his belt and cell phone out of his pocket, powered them down and tossed them on the coffee table. "Done."
"Just in case." Sara shut her home phone off. "Now, no one can contact us unless they bang on the door."
Grissom quickly pointed out, "And even then, we don't have to answer."
"That's true."
With a smile rising on his face he said, "Now we have all evening."
"Actually, I'm not expected anywhere until work tomorrow night."
"I don't have to be anywhere until then either."
An awkward silence enveloped the room as they stood ten feet apart eyeing each other, contemplating what they just discovered.
Sara broke the moment by walking toward the kitchen. "You want a drink? I mean since we're not expected to be anywhere we can have a drink, right?"
"Definitely."
"Great." The corners of her lips tipped into a smile. "I'll see what I have."
While she was in the kitchen Grissom picked up an issue of Forensic Science Communications from the end table. "Did you read the article in here on glass fractures?" He held up the publication for her to see.
With a trembling hand, she poured two shots of rum in her glass, one in his and very little coke in both. "The part on Wallner lines?"
"Yeah."
"Good information." Returning to the living room she handed him a tumbler. "Rum and coke, that's all I have."
"That's fine."
He took a sip while she gulped.
"Grissom…" Her voice wavered. "Can I…I need to ask you…" She took another sip before breaking into a nervous smile. "I have to get something out of the way here. When you said you didn't have to be anywhere until tomorrow night were you thinking… were you... planning to stay?" Over talking her point, she rambled on. "I mean…stay the whole night…together…but not necessarily in this particular room."
After swallowing another sip of his drink he cautiously replied, "That depends…do you want me to stay?" He set the half full glass on the end table.
Finishing her drink she put her glass next to his. "If you want to stay… then, I want you to stay." As nervous as she was about him staying, the thought that he might not spend the night made her tenser. "So um…do you want to stay?"
Locking his eyes on hers, he boldly said, "I'd love to stay, Sara."
"Good." Breathing deeply, she said, "Good. I'm glad we got that out of the way." Suddenly she was twice as nervous.
Taking the magazine out of his hand, she plopped on the couch. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like discuss Wallner lines until the rum kicks in."
Joining her on the couch, he snuggled up beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "We can discuss Wallner lines as long as you'd like."
Smiling she nestled into his arms. "Tell me something about them."
"Wallner lines are almost always concave in the direction from which a crack is propagating."
"Very good." Confident in her knowledge of glass fractures, she tossed the magazine aside. "By observing the Wallner lines on radial cracks can you determine the direction of the breaking force?"
"Yes, you can." Taking her hand in his he spoke softly, "But it's very important that you observe the Wallner lines only at the point of impact."
While quivering from his touch she forced out her next question. "What if the impact point is not preserved?"
"The glass must be reconstructed." He smoothly replied before bringing her hand to his lips and brushing a kiss over it.
Closing her eyes she dreamily asked, "What about the 4R rule?"
Between whispering each of the four R's in the rule, he planted a kiss on her neck. "Ridges on Radial Cracks are at Right Angle to the Rear."
"Um…very… good." Although she knew Grissom was often verbally inarticulate whencommunicating his feelings, she quickly realized he was quite confident communicating physically. "Is the um…4R rule reliable with laminated glass?" His touch sent her body temperature soaring and she was certain he could see the flush of desire on her cheeks.
"No it's not." He murmured while nibbling on her ear. "Tempered glass either, right?"
A pleasure-filled gasp slipped through her parted lips before replying. "Absolutely right."
Caressing her cheek while gazing into her eyes, he whispered, "Anything else you want to discuss about glass fractures?"
Every inch of her aching for his kiss, she stammered. "No…you were... very thorough."
Tenderly he asked, "Is there anything else we should discuss, Sara?"
"No…I…" Breathless with anticipation, she moved her hands up his chest until they rested on his shoulders.
"The rum kick in yet?" He sweetly inquired while grazing his lips over hers.
"Who needs rum when I have you?" She murmured before pressing her lips to his.
The next morning, when Sara and Grissom turned on their cell phones they were pleased to find out Jim Brass was the new Assistant Director of the Crime Lab. Now Grissom would no longer be at the Director's beck and call which meant more time for nights like the wonderful one they just shared. To celebrate, Sara 'cooked' breakfast, bananas and chocolate, the only two edible things she had in her kitchen. When she apologized for the lack of decent food, Grissom swore it was the best meal he ever had…in bed.
Brass taunted Sara. "So what's on the brunch menu tomorrow? Are you cooking Sara?"
Nick cringed. "If that's the case I'll bring the antacids."
"Very funny." She rolled her eyes. "You can rest easy. Grissom's cooking."
Catherine excitedly said, "Finally an invite to the mini-mansion. I can't believe you've lived there for two months without giving any of us even a peek. Well, actually I can."
Brass muttered under his breath to Nick and Warrick, "Probably too busy christening the rooms."
The guys enjoyed the joke while Catherine pressed for more details. "Sara, please tell me you didn't let the bugs move in with you."
"Of course the bugs moved with us! They have their own room." Laughing she replied, "He's an entomologist and they're his kids. Warrick, you wouldn't tell Catherine to leave Lindsay behind if you got a place together would you?"
"Hell no."
Catherine nodded while still shivering at the thought of all the bugs.
Sara assured her it wasn't a bug free for all. "We're very good at compromising. You know like…bugs are fine in certain places, just not in the bedroom. And since I'm a vegetarian, no meat in the kitchen. The bugs' meat stays in the bug room.
Catherine summarized. "So no bugs in the bedroom, no meat in the kitchen."
Brass grabbed Nick's shoulder and whispered, "I guess Grissom should be thankful that meat is allowed in the bedroom." They clung to each other while turning red from laughter.
"I heard that." Sara rolled her eyes. "And you wonder why we didn't have you guys over sooner." Turning back to Catherine, she said, "Besides, we couldn't have you over to eat until the dining set came in."
"Yeah, I heard about this table." Catherine chuckled. At one of their breakfast meetings a few weeks ago, she thoroughly enjoyed giving Grissom a hard time about it…
"How much was it?" He already told her but she wanted him to say it again.
"You heard me." He laughed before taking a bite of eggs.
"You are spoiling her rotten! She doesn't seem to mind either." Laughing she joked, "I always suspected Sara had a father-figure issue but I never thought it was a sugar-daddy she was looking for."
"I enjoy buying her things so maybe I'm one being spoiled." He could tell Catherine wasn't tracking. "How old were you when you received your first gift from a guy?"
"Thirteen. Matt Muldoon." Wistfully she recalled the moment as if it were yesterday. "Eyes as blue as the sky and a blinding million watt smile. Gave me a heart locket and I swore I would never take it off."
"How old was he?"
"Seventeen." After swirling her drink around, she took a sip.
A little stunned, Grissom stated his concern. "That's a pretty big age difference."
Catherine choked down her drink and blurted, "Excuse me? When you were seventeen your gift to Sara would have been made by Fischer Price!"
He droned, "I meant developmental age at the time not chronological age."
"In that case." Catherine flipped her hair. "I was the one robbing the cradle because as it turned out, Matt Muldoon was seventeen going on very immature. He cheated on me with a cheerleader. Found them behind the bleachers. I told him I threw the locket away but I still have it." Snapping back from the moment, she asked, "Before I took that bittersweet stroll down memory lane, did you have a point you were trying to make?"
"Yes." He lowered his fork. "Matt Muldoon was seventeen when he first started giving girls gifts and since he was a ladies man he probably hasn't stopped. I didn't start until last year. Same number of gifts... different timeline for giving them…he gives gifts to many women...I give all of mine to one."
She gave him credit with a nod. "Okay…but you bought her a million dollar house. Are they paying you off scale at the lab or are you taking checks from Sam Braun?"
"Neither but I'm not worried about going bankrupt any time soon." He smirked, knowing what was coming next.
"Sounds like a blank waiting to be filled." Sitting back she ordered him to give it to her. "Start talking."
It was part of the arrangement. They would go out to eat every couple of weeks. He would always order meat because it wasn't allowed at home. They took turns picking up the check. In exchange for helping him with any relationship questions, he filled in a blank from his life. Although the day she had to help him understand the dynamics of a woman's monthly hormone levels she demanded two blanks, which he agreed was more than a fair price. Lately though, he had a lot less questions so she was eager for a piece of the puzzle.
Grissom began his tale. "Well…when I came to Vegas I started playing poker and as you know already, I was pretty good at it. I was in the tournament circle for a while and suffice it to say I pocketed a bit of cash."
"Enough to buy the palace?"
"No. Enough that I had to invest it so I wouldn't get creamed by the IRS." Grinning he explained. "Twenty years ago Vegas wasn't the residential boom town it is today."
"Ugh." She dropped her head in her hand. "Don't tell me…you're one of those lucky SOBs with foresight."
"No. Not at all." He continued. "I bought the land thinking one day I would make the biggest body farm in the country."
"Of course. I should have guessed…bugs." She rolled her eyes. "But today the land is smack in the middle of the suburban sprawl path and you cashed out for a bundle."
"Blank filled." He raised his glass. "I could buy her several houses, let her fill each room and still have money to spare."
Baffled, she asked, "So why are you still working Daddy Warbucks?"
He was a bit surprised she even had to ask. "Because I love my job."
"Of course." She sighed. "Why did I even bother to ask? Oh and from now on, Mr. Moneybags, you pick up the check." She rolled her eyes. "I can only imagine how much money you're letting her pour into your bedroom."
Laughing, Sara warned the gang. "I'm telling you right now. No one goes in the bedroom. You guys will just snoop around looking for fodder for your twisted jokes."
Brass feigned an offensive tone. "Frankly, I'm shocked by that accusation."
"Guess who has a second phone number!" Greg rejoined the group bragging. "Two phone numbers in one day! Nick…are you sure you don't want to start hanging out with me to find a woman. I'm an atom and they are the free electrons just waiting to bond with me."
Sara was quick to expand on his theory. "In order for an electron to bond to an atom, the atom first has to be unbalanced. Are you unbalanced Greg?"
Before Nick could add his own smart ass remark, Grissom joined the group bringing Wendy Blake and another woman with him. "Nick…you have some fans."
Wendy immediately extended her hand. "I can't thank you enough, Mr. Stokes."
With boyish charm, he returned the handshake. "I was only doing my job, ma'am."
Wendy gestured to the petite brunette standing beside her. "My sister-in-law wanted to meet you too."
"Hi." The perky thirty year old wearing a fitted Tahari tweed suit and genuine smile, reached out for a handshake. "I'm Carrie Blake."
"Nice to meet you, Carrie." Nick clasped her hand. "I'm Nick Stokes."
The rest of the group took a step back to listen and observe.
Greg turned to Warrick, whispering, "She's real cute but not his type. Nick's a leg man and she's barely five-three. Plus the suit…kind of stuffy. He likes his women flashier."
Catherine chimed in. "That's a $500 dollar suit and you don't know what kind of lace may lie beneath. Maybe she's a librarian…you know what they say about them."
Greg made a mental note to go to the library tomorrow.
Carrie released Nick's hand and said, "I'm an attorney in Seattle. I wanted to tell you that I was very impressed with your presentation of the evidence."
"Thank you." Nick gushed. "Like I told your sister-in-law, it's my job."
Catherine whispered to Greg. "You want wager a little money on this?"
"How much?"
"Twenty bucks says they leave here with plans for a date."
"You're on."
It was Wendy's turn to gush. "You should be flattered, Mr. Stokes. My sister-in-law has quite a reputation in Seattle and she doesn't toss a compliment lightly."
Carrie rolled her eyes. "If you call a few death threats a reputation, then I guess I have one."
Curious, Sara asked, "What kind of attorney are you?"
"I specialize in victim's rights and work in conjunction with the Prosecutor's office. Specifically I help bring justice to abused children. The death threats were a result of me bringing down a church that had some non-traditional practices where children are concerned if you get my drift."
Nick's tone turned warmer. "Now I'm impressed."
Smiling at her sister-in-law, Carrie said, "The death threats…that's why Wendy and my brother are trying to talk me into relocating to Vegas."
Catherine, having inside knowledge regarding Nick's past, slapped Greg on the shoulder and whispered. "Another wager for you…hundred bucks says they're engaged by Christmas."
Wendy, sensing a connection was being made, suggested, "Mr. Stokes, maybe you could help convince Carrie that Vegas is a wonderful place to work and live." Then she returned to her husband and other family members.
Cracking a smile, Nick said, "I'd be happy to give it a shot. Carrie, if you would like, I don't have to be at work until ten. I could take you around the city and maybe out for some dinner."
"I'd like that," She sweetly replied.
"We can always use another crusader in Vegas." Sara said as she winked at Nick. "So do your best." Then turning to Carrie she said, "Nick is a CSI but he's also a philanthropist. He and I started a non-profit organization that provides backpacks filled with comfort items to kids who end up in the foster care system, many of the kids come from abuse situations."
"Really?" Carrie beamed with delight. "I'd love to hear more about it."
Catherine snickered in Greg's ear. "That's twenty bucks, Sanders. Cough it up. And save your pennies because you're going to owe me a hundred by year's end."