Title:- Carnivale
Summary:- Nick and Greg see something in Rio. Response to Unbound challenge, implied GS, GN friendship.
A/N I've not written anything in over a year, real life got extremely grim. This is an attempt at therapy, be gentle.
"Any chance this is a drug-induced hallucination" Nick asked looking at Greg for confirmation.
"If it is I'm having it too and I can't remember getting high!" Greg looked at his shoes in an attempt to stop laughing.
"If it's not we should really take pictures." Nick grinned at his friend and looked back at the scene below them. "You know we could make good money back at the lab!"
"Aaah man, don't tempt me, I value my job too much."
The sight in front of them was not a crime scene, in fact it was nothing that would make any one else stop in amazement, but to the two CSI's it was like stepping into the Twilight Zone.
Nick had been spending a lot of time with friends and family over the past few weeks, he found it difficult to be alone and the gang had rallied round to make sure that there was something going on each evening. Tonight Greg had suggested a trip to the Rio and they had actually paid to take part in the carnival, which meant they could ride on the Monorail that went around the top of the casino and throw gifts onto the crowd below.
It was a fun, light hearted and so totally removed from his daily life that he was enjoying every minute of it. Greg had totally regressed to childhood, which in Nicks opinion was not too long a journey.
Nick had been watching Greg trying to hit on one of the showgirls, though he really didn't think the "Do you come here often" line was going to work this time. But you had to give 10 out of 10 for trying. He had looked down onto the casino floor to aim the next handful of beads and nearly fallen out of the carriage. That's when he had grabbed Greg and pointed down.
In the midst of the crowd of gamblers and tourist reaching up to grab the gifts raining down from above, stood a couple who seemed to be apart from all the chaos around them. The man had just grabbed a gaudy beaded necklace that had landed on his shoulder and was putting it around the woman's neck.
This in itself wasn't unusual, people around them were doing the same thing. It was the way the man was putting it around the woman's neck. You would have thought that the necklace was made of diamonds and rubies, and that it was a precious offering to the Princess who stood before him. As he put the necklace round her neck he stared deeply into her eyes, it was like an oasis of calm within the noise and glitter of the casino. You could tell that they didn't hear the crowd or feel the jostling, in their world there was only the two of them.
The man bent forward slightly and kissed the woman gently on the lips. Nick saw him mouth "I love you", the woman blushed and gently stroked the mans face. Nick and Greg were totally caught up in the moment.
"Wow" Greg sighed.
"Yeah" Nick agreed.
At that moment the woman looked up and looked Nick straight in the eye, caught in the act, he felt ashamed for spoiling the moment and looked away.
"You know maybe we shouldn't say anything , I mean everyone deserves their privacy. You know what those two are like, he'll probably hide himself in his office for a month and she will make life hell for us. Plus you'll get every decomp for the next 6 months." Nick looked expectantly at Greg.
"Hey man I saw nothing, I was too busy fighting of all these excellent ladies" Greg pushed his luck and blew a kiss at the Carmen Miranda look alike.
"Yeah, we'll just forget it, never happened, man. Pass me that other bag of beads" Nick smiled and threw himself back into the joy of the carnival.
In the meantime Sara stared off into space, wondering which one of them would be the first to pretend this never happened.