A/N:
a) So I deleted my other story. It sucked.
b) Oodles of thank-yous to those who read and reviewed.
c) I updated! I updated!
d) This chapter, well, it skips around from person to person but I intended it to be in Grissom's point of view.
e) Wow, don't any of you guys feel conflicted whether to call Grissom Gil, or Grissom.
f) Yeah, I'm just weird.
Alternate Angles Are
Chapter 2: Strictly Business
For the first time ever, Gil Grissom was leaving his office on time. And, for the first time ever, he was grateful to leave behind the mess of a lab that's been utter chaos since Ecklie had been appointed supervisor. There was only one slight problem: Catherine. Catherine and her problems. As for now, he already ruined his own day by snapping at Sara and then feeling guilty about it…he also forgot to turn in some paperwork regarding a request for some new lab equipment that Mia's been pining for, and oh! He also forgot to eat in the last, say 12 hours. No, Gil Grissom was yearning to walk out of those doors and hop into his car and drive on to his somewhat quirky little townhouse. But he can't. No. He can't. What on earth does Catherine want now?
"Are you listening to anything I'm saying, Gil!"
No. Grissom sighed wearily and furrowed his eyebrows. This was a sure sign that his patience was wearing thin.
"Yes."
"Good, so are you going to keep me posted on the Lauren Steven's case? Because I've been trying to get Sara to tell me about it, I mean, come on! It was my case to begin with! I left three messages on her cell. This isn't the first time she hasn't updated me on my cases. Gil, do something about it! You don't do anything about it!"
"Catherine, all I'm saying is that you shouldn't be harassing my criminalists because your cases are being handed over to my shift!" Grissom spat angrily.
Oh, he could feel a monster of a migraine coming along. Where were his meds?
With case files in one had and an empty LVPD mug in the other, Dr. Gil Grissom strode down the Labitrail behind Catherine Willows. He just didn't understand their relationship anymore. Catherine was the closest thing he ever had to a best friend in Vegas, hell, anywhere. She always put her foot down when he became hesitant and she yanked his head out of the microscope every time he needed it. Yet, ever since the shift split and the Sara/Ecklie/Catherine blowout, they didn't speak to each other, only on a professional basis. Obviously, she should have remained furious at him for siding with Sidle for unexplained reasons. Of course, she had the right to remain furious at Sara, especially after the insults Sara spewed at the woman, but still, what did aggravating Sara about this case do anything for Catherine? Their usual amiable bickering flew out that window, along with their mutual respect and everything else they used to share. What happened?
"She took my case, Grissom! She wouldn't even tell me how far she's progressed on it. She brushed me off and left without a word, or-or anything…Gil!"
Catherine's natural blonde hair flipped in a mad rage as she turned around to retort. She had her hands stuffed in her lab coat and her usual piercing blue eyes looked faded and downcast, like the day's weather. Like Grissom's mood. All at once, Grissom saw Catherine Willows. He really saw her: her hair, her eyes, her height, her expression, and her age. She was burned out from her job and her losses. Grissom pursed his lips and surveyed the specimen before him from toe to head, in the methodical way he did. He was digging for a sliver of that bond they used to have. But it was gone.
"I'll keep you posted as soon as I hear something from Sara. I sent her home, she's had a long day."
The fluorescent lights of the lab highlighted the hallway floor's coffee spillage as Grissom and Catherine's argument came to a grinding halt before they parted their ways. Grissom would proceed into the break room to get some water while Catherine would fly into the locker room, to change, go home, and sleep, since she pulled a double today. Yesterday. It didn't matter, the days have started rolling into one colossal jumble of madness.
"Sara!"
Nick yelled into his cell phone but when no one answered he threw it against the wall. Warrick looked too stunned to move or clean the mess as the pair of shift supervisors stepped delicately around the mess and into the break room. Nick knocked over the trashcan and stalked to couch.
"Nick, what's wrong with Sara."
Grissom was the first to speak up as soon as he broke from his reverie.
He didn't know what's been going on with her lately. She's been making mistakes, little and minor mistakes, but mistakes, all the same. Sara's dropped blood evidence, and she even forgot to date her paperwork. And today, she forgot to label the swab she was going to take to Mia, and that's why he had snapped at her. Naturally, he felt guilty, but he needed at least one competent and experienced C.S.I. on his shift. Sophia, well, Sophia was Sophia and Greg was no expert. Sara was all he had left of his original night shift, and he didn't want to lose her because of some laughable paperwork mistake. That's a lie. He didn't want to lose her, ever lose her. She was a competent and experienced C.S.I. but she was also much more than that.
Nick was slightly shaky now but he managed to control himself long enough to sputter out a brief explanation to what had happened without panicking.
"I was making my coffee, and I got a phone call. It was Sara but there was a lot of static so I had some difficulty understanding what she was saying. She was rambling, and I thought she was drunk…I thought she needed a ride home. Sara, oh, she was whispering and she was so afraid…"
Gil dwelled momentarily on the DUI incident last year. She was no alcoholic but she did these crazy things sometimes that instigated alarm bells and sirens in his head. In everyone's heads. He worried about her more than anyone else. These stupid stunts set off Grissom and left him endless nights of tossing and turning.
"I'll go pick her up."
Grissom stood up and felt his pockets for his keys.
"I'm not done yet…she isn't drunk. She's in the trunk and someone took her, Grissom!"
Grissom froze and processed the information. Yet, he couldn't. He just couldn't. The four of them stood in a stunned square, each imagining the morbid outcomes of the situation if things didn't turn out all right. Her phone call had been cut off nearly two minutes ago, yet it feels as if they lost her for nearly two days.
"Where was she last?"
A question was released from the lips of Ms. Willows as she pulled out her phone. She expertly flipped it open in a strictly professional manner, although her eyes were brimming with unshed tears and her foot started to grind nervously into the floor. Everyone knew that Catherine rarely lost her cool.
"In an alley off the Strip. I'll, um, I'll go trace her call."
An immediate answer and proposal was posed by Warrick and before he even got a response, he was out the door, heading for the lab. He turned around once, only to see Catherine give him a reassuring smile and he forced one in return. His steps down the hall were filled with purpose. He would never let another C.S.I. down again in his life.
Gil ran his hand absentmindedly through his hair. He was in charge again, they looked up to him. They all did.
"Nick, go put an APB on Sara's car. And get Brass. He'll put everyone to work on this…this case. No one leaves until Sara is found. Understood?"
Nick stood up and nodded his head in consent while straightening his posture. His face remained impassive but he was struggling to keep his emotions under check.
"Catherine? You and I are going to call in Greg and Sophia. All hands on deck. Then we're going to inform Ecklie of this situation and handle it from there."
Catherine also nodded in understanding, then dialed in Greg's number. As Catherine was waiting for the goofball of a C.S.I. to wake up and pick up his phone, Gil's thoughts were ricocheting off the walls of his skull and pounding on his brain. He felt isolated and terrified for Sara; picturing her tied up and suffering was too much for him to handle. He felt a shiver go down his spine. He couldn't lose her, not like this. Never like this.
Meanwhile, an unnerved C.S.I. awoke to her captors. She blinked blindly in the sun as the trunk opened slowly. The towering body that rose before her activated her woozy mindset. Terror gagged her thoughts as she frantically tried to break lose from her defenseless position. A solitary voice fled the mouth a man she never wanted to see since her childhood.
"Hey, doll. Did'ya miss me?"
A/N:
a) Aloha, it's been weird. Until next time...perhaps Saturday, May 7th, or Sunday, May 8th.
b) Ooooh yeah, re: Mock Trial, I wooed the jury with my witty charm.
c) Reviewers:
Isa: I'm glad you enjoy this story. Stay tuned for more.
silence89: Cool.
forensicsgirl: I'm thankful for your observations. Oh, and straight A's on exams!
Space-Case7029: Thanks for noticing, you see, I was trying to establish the fact that Sara's DUI wasn't just between Grissom and herself. And her record. I mean, everyone knows about these things. It's just how those things go.
And Everyone Else: Thanks for reviewing because it's a good thing to do. Yes, it is. Next time, offer some criticism because it helps me decide what to do next. I do have a storyline up until the fourth chapter, but I need some guidance or reassurances to write to my full potential.
d) R.S.V.P.
REVIEW S'IL VOUS PLAIT!
