Disclaimer: Still not mine. Still hoping, though...
Author's Notes: This is not how I wanted this to turn out...stupid characters writing themselves. Sheesh...Anyway, it's turning in an interesting direction...at least, I think so, hope you do too.
On a side note, did you ever realize how much Scooby Doo and CSI are alike? I mean, they both solve crimes (well, crimes and mysteries), we've got some smart geeky one, we've got a goofy one, a serious one, a pretty one...okay, maybe not...my daughter's obsessed with Scooby Doo, and your mind starts to wander after six hours of Mystery Inc. At least, it wanders until you realize your child has stopped eating the Graham Cracker version of "Scooby Snacks" and has now gone for the Milk-Bone Dog Treats (and, disgustingly enough, likes the dog ones better).
Please let me know if you're still reading...
Jenny
Four:
Greg strummed his fingers anxiously against the table, watching the door intently, waiting on Sara to arrive for assignments. It wasn't like her to be late, and while they still had 15 minutes before shift started, she was usually present and ready to go by now. He hoped she wasn't still angry with him, actually, he had been constantly praying that she wasn't still angry with him since he awoke earlier that evening.
She had already gotten up, showered, dressed, and left her apartment by the time he had stirred. He really couldn't blame her for still being upset, he had overreacted and behaved like a huge jerk, but just because he understood didn't mean he had to be happy about it.
He had been looking forward to at least talking to her, getting a chance to apologize and begging for her forgiveness, but all he got was a note on the door saying she had gone out jogging and would probably take a shower and change once she got to work. She had signed her name with just 'Sara', instead of the cute 'XOXO Sara' that she normally scrawled messily on the bottom of her notes to him.
He couldn't help but be relieved that she hadn't kicked him out of her apartment the moment she woke up, but then again, he knew she wasn't that mean, she'd let him know she was still angry in her own unique way.
Therefore, he had spent the last several hours trying to think of a way to make it up to her, obviously the flowers weren't enough, but had been unable to think of anything that wouldn't be cheesy or embarrassing. After it was clear she wasn't coming home, as her note had indicated, he had hurried home and dressed, hoping to make it to work early enough to talk to her alone, before the others showed up for shift.
Come to think of it, Warrick and Catherine were usually here at least a half hour early, their way of setting their minds to 'work' instead of 'relationship', and Nick was also never one to wait until the last minute to show up. Suddenly, Greg felt like he had missed a memo or something, was he really the only one who had shown up so far when work was supposed to start in 15 minutes? He glanced at the clock again, and shrugged, 10 minutes. Had his clocks been wrong? Were they all here an hour before him and had already been sent out on cases? Did they suddenly meet in Grissom's office before shift?
He was going to walk toward Grissom's office to check when Sara walked in, obviously surprised to see Greg sitting at the table alone. "Where is everybody?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, "Did Grissom already sent Cath and Warrick out?"
Greg shook his head, "Nope, so far it's just me and you. Catherine and Warrick are probably still making out in their car, and Nick hasn't graced us with his presence yet."
"Nick went back to Texas for awhile," Sara corrected, "And Cath and Warrick aren't in the parking lot, I just came from out there."
Sara walked to the coffeepot and poured the (thankfully) steaming liquid into a white styrofoam cup, grabbing the container of sugar and pouring a generous amount into her cup, along with a dash of cream, "I am so tired. I'm getting out of shape, we need to start running more. When it comes time for the desert relay again, we're going to be the biggest disappointment for the team."
"I find it hard to believe you could ever be out of shape." Greg commented, reaching over and pulling out a chair for her, "Can we talk for a few minutes, before the others get here?"
Sara nodded, avoiding his eyes as she sat down, instead staring at the brown liquid in her cup, inhaling the pleasant aroma of the coffee. If the caffeine didn't wake her up, this conversation was likely to. She could feel Greg's eyes on her, silently urging her to look at him, but she refused to give in. If she looked at him, she would see the worry and sadness in his beautiful eyes, and she'd find it impossible to stay angry with him. And at the moment, she really wanted to be angry with him. Didn't she deserve it, after the hurtful words he had told her? After the obvious lack of trust he had for her?
Greg put his hand over hers, squeezing it gently and whispering, "Please look at me, Sara. I'm so sorry I acted like I did, that I said what I said. I know I was wrong, but when it comes to you, I am such an idiot. I say stupid things, I do stupid things, I make a complete fool out of myself and do things that any rational person would avoid doing. I was jealous, and I know I shouldn't be, but I'm so scared of losing you that I unintentionally push you away sometimes. I'm such a jerk, but I'm a jerk who loves you, okay Sara? Please, talk to me, tell me what I can do to make this up to you."
"You're not a jerk." Sara whispered, rolling her eyes and meeting his, "You're just a normal guy. It's natural for you to stick your foot in your mouth and your head up your ass, because that's just what guys do. That's what guys have been doing for centuries," She sighed, "But just because I know that doesn't mean that I have to like it. Nick is my friend, Greg, and I was serious when I said that you can't control who I'm friends with. If I want to hang out with the Chipendale dancers every night for a month, you can't stop me. I won't be in that kind of relationship, okay?"
Greg nodded, looking down and releasing her hand from his grasp, "I know I can't, no one can control you Sara, and no one should. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have jumped all over you like I did."
"You don't have to tell me!" Sara exclaimed, patting his hand reassuringly, "If I would have known my relationship with Nick was bothering you this badly, I would have tried to compromise with you. I just don't like seeing anyone I love, whether romantically or platonically, hurting and Nick's going through a lot right now. But Greg, you have to realize that I want you! If I didn't, we wouldn't be here right now."
Greg was going to reply when Grissom walked in, causing both younger CSIs to quiet instantly, regaining their composure and distance automatically. Grissom laid his folder down on the table, looking around the room curiously, "Where are Warrick and Catherine?"
Sara and Greg looked at each other, then towards Grissom, Sara replying, "They haven't shown up yet. Haven't they called?"
"No, but they could be stuck in traffic, we'll give them a few more minutes to join us. It's been a slow night so far, I've got a decomp and a breaking and entering. First come, first serve. What do you guys want?"
Greg and Sara exchanged a look of distaste, before Sara sighed and responded, "B&E, save the decomp for Warrick and Catherine."
"Are you handing out assignments without us?" Catherine asked, rushing into the room, Warrick on her heels, "Damn Gil, we come in 5 minutes late and we've already missed everything?"
Grissom gave both Catherine and Warrick a stern look, "I had no way of knowing when you would show up, I had to get the rest of the shift started."
Catherine rolled her eyes at Sara, who gave a big smile, kicking her slightly under the table with a 'be nice' look on her face. Warrick walked to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup, his eyes on Grissom, while Greg moped about having a B&E for the night.
"As I was saying, it's been a slow night. Sara and Greg, B&E, have fun. Catherine and Warrick, decomp-floater, bring an extra set of clothes." Grissom said brightly, handing each a slip of paper and turning to exit the room. As an afterthought, he turned his attention back to the four CSIs, "Everyone keep their cell phones and pagers close by, in case something-for lack of a better word- important comes up."
Catherine's face had paled at the word "decomp" and further at the word "floater". The nausea she had finally gotten rid of just a mere two hours earlier was starting to trickle back rapidly. She gave herself a mental shake, reminding herself that this was her job, and since it was her job, she was not allowed to be a 'girl' when it came to the repulsive situations she faced daily at her job.
The entire ride there, all she could think about was how glad she was she hadn't eaten anything for dinner, because a decomp was bad enough, but a decomp that had been rotting in water? Tons worse. She shuddered slightly and turned to Warrick, "You know he gave this to us just because we were late, right?"
"At least it will be more interesting than a B&E." Warrick said with a half smile, "I know it doesn't make it any better, but neither case was one I'd want to fight for."
Catherine nodded, leaning her forehead against the window and shutting her eyes. She was still so tired. Lately her energy had been coming in short, infrequent bursts, often leaving her more tired than she had been before getting the much needed energy. Her fatigue, along with the soothing motions of the car, lulled her to sleep 10 minutes after Warrick started driving.
When they arrived, Warrick was reluctant to wake up his sleeping girlfriend, although he knew he had to. He could see she was exhausted, and he hadn't said anything to her, but he was worried about her. She had been so tired lately, not to mention snippy. Things that he or Lindsey did that wouldn't normally bother her had sent her into a fit of anger or got them the silent treatment for the night.
He wasn't worried about her being pregnant, she was on Depo shots, but he was worried that something was wrong with her. And even though she never said anything to him, he could tell she wasn't feeling well all day. He just hoped it was a virus or something that would go away quickly, so they could have peace restored throughout the apartment. The last thing they needed right now was to be at each other's throats all the time, especially with Lindsey involved. She had grown up with her parents fighting, and now that Warrick was stepping in as a paternal figure, he didn't want her to have any memories of him and Catherine not getting along.
Warrick gently shook her shoulder, whispering softly, "Cath, baby, we're here."
"Go away." Catherine moaned sleepily, swatting at his hand.
"Catherine, sweetie, it's time to work." Warrick said a little louder, shaking her a little harder.
Catherine's eyes slowly opened, and she yawned sleepily, "We're there?"
"Yep, it's time to catch some bad guys." Warrick said with a smile, opening the door and grabbing his kit. He was getting Catherine's out and handing it to her when Brass walked up, notepad in hand.
"What do we have?" Warrick asked, eyeing the cabin they parked in front of wearily. It was a nice looking cabin, or, Warrick was sure it would be once it was cleaned up. By looking at the outside, Warrick could assume it was a vacation home for one of Vegas's more financially stable families. It wasn't too uncommon for someone living in the city to have a cabin at Lake Mead.
Brass pointed to the distraught older couple standing near a few uniformed officers in the front of the cabin, "Martin and Jane Anders use this cabin as their "home away from home" off and on throughout the year. They arrived tonight and were planning on staying for two weeks while on vacation. Mrs. Anders was going to unpack while Mr. Anders set up the Jacuzzi. When he pulled off the cover, however, he found a body. The Anders hadn't used this cabin in three months, which is when they drained the Jacuzzi, and the last time they were here, they had no visitors."
"So a body was in the sealed Jacuzzi for up to three months? This is going to be..." Catherine began, her face describing the word she was trying to come up with.
Brass smirked, "Just go ahead and say it, disgusting. Yes, it is. Needless to say, the Anders will not be using that Jacuzzi ever again."
"How are we even going to bring the remains in?" Warrick asked Catherine, who was wearily eyeing the porch which would lead to the back deck and their body.
Catherine shook her head, "I don't know, and as far as I'm concerned, that's David's problem. Let's see what we can find here..."
Sara threw the file down on Grissom's desk, a red stamp marking 'Complete' staring bolding at him. Looking at the clock, he nodded with a smile, "In half a shift, nice work."
"His prints were all over the place, He was in the system already for burglary charges, and he's a store employee, which gave him access to the codes he used to rob the safe. Open and shut case, the moment he was brought in, he confessed to everything." Sara said with a bored sigh, "Got anything for Greg and I to work on now?"
Grissom shook his head, "Not right now, why don't you and Greg go grab a bite to eat, I'll page you if something comes in. If we don't have anything by the time you've enjoyed a leisurely meal, you two can start reviewing cold cases."
"Highlight of my week." Sara replied dryly, walking out of Grissom's office and grabbing Greg in the hallway, "Let's go get something to eat, than we can finish that talk from earlier."
"Only if you let me buy." Greg said, falling in step beside her.
Sara shrugged, a smile on her normally tense face, "Well, if you're going to twist my arm, how can I refuse?"
"Resistance is useless." Greg said, his eyes twinkling with happiness and relief. If she was going to eat with him, and was willing to talk, she obviously wasn't angry anymore. Not being angry meant that they could discuss their problems without screaming, which meant maybe if he made his move to go a little further than flirting and simple kissing she wouldn't protest.
If they only knew that leaving the lab would be the worst decision they had made in months.
Nick paced around the living room of his parent's house like a caged animal, waiting to pounce on the first thing that came in it's path. He hoped it would be his sister, Hailey, because he had a few lessons he wanted to teach her about loyalty to your blood.
Of course, Hailey hadn't shown up, like the traitor she was. Nicole had stopped by briefly on her way to work to give Nick a package to bring to Jessica, along with a letter (which from the width of the envelope must be over twenty pages) to give to their sister. Melanie and Steven were expected later that afternoon, and Karen was even supposed to come by that evening for dinner. So, for now, it was just Nick and his parents. And as angry as he was with everyone else, he knew their actions stemmed from the two adults sitting in front of him.
"Mom, Dad, you raised me to respect you, your decisions, your morals, your wishes. Everything I learned, everything I believe, it all came from the two of you." Nick began, his hands trembling with emotion. "And I do respect you, I would trust you with my life, I love both of you very much."
He looked at his parents, who remained silent, urging them to continue silently with their eyes. He took a deep breath, "You raised me to look out for my sisters and brother, to protect them. You taught each one of us that if it meant we had to lay our life down for the others, it should be done, no questions asked. Keeping that in mind, you also taught us to be honest, to be dependable, to have a strong set of morals and stick to them. Dad, you told me that doing the right thing would always mean I had a home to come home to, that if I was honest and open with you guys, then you'd help me, no questions asked."
He wiped a few tears that had managed to escape from his eyes, his voice shaking, "I did the best I could. Jessie called to tell me she murdered someone and covered it up. What was I supposed to do? At the time I didn't know the details of this twisted family coverup operation going on, at the time I didn't know you two were handling it, at the time all I knew was that my sister was in trouble, my lab was handling it, and if I know Greg and Sara like I know that I do, they'd figure it out eventually. I did the one thing I knew would help her out, legally and on the stand, I told her to confess before they figured it out, to make a deal with the DA, to cooperate fully, anything to keep her away from the death penalty."
His mother was the first one to try and speak, but Nick cut her off, his voice rising as he furiously shook his head, his face red with anger and unshed tears, pent up emotions and frustration coming to the surface as he shouted, "Maybe if someone would have told me what was going on, maybe if Jess thought your plan would work, maybe if I would have done things differently, we wouldn't be here right now! But that night, when she called, I took control and I tried to protect her. I'm sorry that you don't agree with how I handled it, and I'm sorry that I somehow disappointed you, but you can't shut Jessica and I off from the family, it's just not fair! I did what you taught me to do, Mom, Dad, I protected her the best way I knew how! And I know you probably don't believe this, but I'd give my life for her, I'd take her place if I could, hell, I would have confessed if I could have, but I couldn't. And the two of you, working with the law, you guys know that my hands were tied on this!"
Nick sank to the floor, burying his head in his hands, his anger draining, "We did the best we could by you, all of us. Even Hailey, when she'd turn her back on us, she stands behind her beliefs, she won't budge no matter who's on the other side. Nicole is the most loyal one of us all. Karen was loyal to Travis, she stayed with him while he beat her senseless, because she was taught that marriage is the most sacred event in a person's life, that once you marry someone, you are bound to them, no matter what kind of monster they become. And Jessica, she was just protecting Karen! And I was protecting Jessie, and if you can't see that, then I have just lost all the respect I held for you."
The last sentence came out in a whisper, and Nick's mother dropped to the floor beside her son, pulling him into a tight embrace. After a few seconds of resisting and pushing her away, he went limp, accepting the comfort he hadn't received in so long. She held him close, whispering soothingly, "Nicky, you have this totally wrong. I know you did what you had to do, and I know you were just looking out for Jess. We aren't punishing either of you for doing the right thing, we never would...it's just..."
"Nicholas, do you have any idea how hard it is for us to imagine our precious little girl murdering someone? How hard it is for two respectable citizens like your mother and I, in our position, to come to terms with the fact that we tried to cover up a homicide? How are we going to face Jessica in prison, when we were just as guilty as she was and we're free to go on with our lives? Do you know how sickened and guilty that makes us feel? How ashamed?"
Nick looked up at his father, his body still trembling, "You should be ashamed, but not for those reasons, you should be ashamed because you abandoned your daughter when she needed you the most. She looks like hell, she's miserable, she's depressed, and she's looking at spending the rest of her life like that. It's not about how you think and about how you feel, it's about Jessie, who's spending her 34th birthday in prison, and will spend every other one in there until she dies."
He wasn't able to hold his emotions in any longer, and began to loudly sob, "I can't do it anymore, I can't be the only one supporting her, I just can't! I want to, I want to visit her every day and keep her spirits up, tell her she's going to go home soon, but I just can't! I can't tell her it's going to be okay, that she will go home, because I know she won't. I can't watch her beauty, her spirit, her passion...it's killing me. Mom, Dad, if I don't get help, you're going to lose both of us."
TBC
