Alright, if you are reading this then you are a very dedicated reader because I have been the worst writer ever by not updating. I'm really really sorry, and I'll try to write more. It's just that the motivation is not there as much as it was before.
So, here we go…The rating is still for later chapters. This chapter will get some Nick and Anna friendship, and there might be some spoilers as well.
"So, what's your favorite…food?"
Anna gave Greg a sarcastic look, "food…oh…uh…sushi. I really like sushi. How about you?"
"I like pizza and meatball subs…mmmm." Greg leaned back, rubbing his stomach with a dreamy look on his face.
"Alright, you have some odd fantasies. So, what is there to do around here?"
"Well, there are some cases that the crew is working on, but the DNA and trace stuff has already been done. We've been a bit slow for the past few weeks."
"Well, what do you do for fun around here?"
"I listen to music and play games on the internet, but now I have you to talk to. This is the most none scientific conversation I've had with a crew member for a long time."
They sat and smiled at one another for a second, and then Grissom stuck his head in and ruined the mood.
"Hey Greg, I need to borrow Anna from you for awhile. We have a new case, and there are a lot of organics that need to be processed, but many of them need to be collected in the field by a trained hand."
"Whoa, you're sending me out in the field for my first case here. Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Well, I've heard good things about you and we really need someone who knows the types of trees and the chemistry of the earth."
Greg sat there during this whole thing and his mouth dropped. "Wait…why…but, but…I don't get to go into the field."
Grissom looked at him, "Well, this is a forensic biology thing not a chemistry thing. I'm sorry, Greg, but you've gone into the field before."
"Oh, ok…I guess I'll just stay here then." He looked down at his feet and sighed a bit.
Anna looked at Grissom and then at Greg and mouthed "I'm sorry" before she walked sadly out of the door.
"So…what am I going to be doing exactly?" Anna asked Grissom as they walked through the lab.
"Well, you are going to the crime scene where a young girl was murdered; I was told it looked like human sacrifice."
"Uhhhhh…human sacrifice…wonderful…who am I going with?"
"You'll be working with Nick on this one. He's been out to the scene once before and he can prep you on it." With that Grissom led Anna into the break room where Nick was waiting.
"Hey, Kansas, are you ready for your first scene?"
"Well, I guess so. I mean do I have any other choice?"
"No, not really. Okay, so the body was found at the edge of Layton Road, but there were leaves on it that didn't belong to any trees in the area."
Anna looked at him and realized that they might have to go on a wild goose chase for the specific trees they needed. Nick saw the look on her face and hurriedly explained the situation. "Before you got here we identified the type of tree the leaves come from, but do you think you could tell which tree they come from by sight?"
"Probably. I am trained in that sort of stuff."
"I bet you $10 that you can't do it."
"Oh yeah? I'll take that bet. You are about to lose $10 big boy."
Nick dug into his kit and retrieved four different labeled baggies that contained four different specimens of leaves. "Here you are. Go for it."
Anna stared at the leaves on the break room table for about 30 seconds before she knew all the different leaves. "Well, the first one is Birch, the second is California Oak, the third is actually a fern called the Maiden Hair Fern, and the last is from a Japanese Plum tree. You thought you had me with the fern didn't you."
"Damn, I did."
"I didn't know that the Japanese Plum grew in Nevada. That's the key right there. Follow me."
Anna led Nick back into the lab where a computer had been set up in a corner where she had her database of trees and of their locations in Nevada according to forest rangers. She sat down in the chair and entered her password to the database and entered in Japanese Plum and then it was time to wait for the results.
Nick looked pretty perplexed, "You mean this is all we have to do know. We just have to enter the tree into your database and wait for locations?"
"That's about it…results are in…there are three different places where Japanese Plums grow anywhere in a 50 mile radius from where the body was found; lucky for us they're all within 10 miles of one another."
"Wow...can you get us a map of the three areas and then we can go?"
"Yeah, it'll be here…now. I just have to go out to my car and change into some jeans."
"Sounds good, meet me at my Tahoe in 5."
Anna headed out the door and to her car; Nick was close behind her. It turned out that Nick's Tahoe was parked 3 cars down from Anna's Ford Contour. He noticed it quickly, but she was too busy getting her jeans out of her backseat to see him. Nick, being the guy he is hid behind the other car and watched tried not to make a sound. He didn't really think twice about it. It wasn't like he was trying to be a pervert or anything, but he's a boy and he had a chance to see a girl in her underwear. By this time Anna had found her jeans and had successfully pulled off her skirt and was now standing in black lacy string bikini underwear trying to get her jeans on over her shoes. Nick watched her finally get the jeans over her Chuck Taylor's and slid them up her slim legs and let the garment end its journey and land below her slim waist. While Anna was getting her belt on Nick tried to pretend that he was getting something from his trunk the whole time and he also tried to lower his heart-rate.
Anna had finished putting on her belt and headed over to Nick's Tahoe. "Alright, Nick are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Nick and Anna got into the Tahoe, backed out of the spot, and headed to the first area containing Japanese Plum trees. On the ride over they talked about where they had both come from and why they were both in Vegas.
"Well, I was born in Texas and grew up in a very sheltered family. My mother loved to coddle me and make sure that I always had everything, because I am the baby of the family."
"Hmm…Let's see. I was born in Topeka, Kansas and my parents were really open when I grew up. I have one younger sister and I have had a job since the age of 16 so that I could pay for my amenities."
"Wow, I didn't have to get a job until college."
"Well, that's what happens when mommy and daddy pay for everything."
"Hey, hey, hey…they didn't pay for everything. They didn't pay for…uhh…I paid for my own food sometimes. Yeah, like when I went to a restaurant with my friends sometimes."
"Oooo…big boy paid for his IHOP. Congratulations. I paid for a good portion of my clothes, some shoes, a lot of food, and most importantly my own gas."
"Well, that's how life works sometimes. Sorry, I don't mean to sound all snobby. My parents are just a bit more well off than others."
"It's no big deal. I come from a city near one of the richest counties in the country."
As Nick and Anna were talking they reached the first area of trees that they needed to investigate.
Nick hopped out and gestured for Anna to do the same. "Well, here we go."
Sorry for the delay kids, I really didn't mean for it to be this long of a break between chapters. Sorry if this one sucks.
Hoogs
