Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters... now, do you feel accomplished?
AN: Sorry it took too long for the update. I had finals. And, Equestrian Babe, if you're reading this, I AM working on your challenge. )
When I got out of high school, I thought I was in trouble. I didn't know what I wanted to be. There was an endless string of possibilities that I had considered. I once thought of becoming a musician, but I thought that music was really more of my hobby, not something I wanna devote my time on. Lawyer—too much paperwork. Businessman—I stunk at statistics. Doctor—I'd have gray hair before I become stable with the job. Psychologist—too many questions. When I got to college, my degree was undetermined. It wasn't until I was halfway through my first year in college that I decided to major in chemistry.
Chemistry was something that I could be flexible with. I could do research, be a chemist, have it as a pre-med… I then discovered this fascination with law. So, I mixed it together. What do I get? Forensics. When I was in college, forensics was something that a few people took. I think that's partly my reason of becoming a CSI. Not a lot of people become CSIs, so I wanted to be one of the few.
On to the lab…and its merry band of workers…
Gil Grissom was the coolest guy I've ever met. But that's just between you and me. Grissom is cool because he never changes for others. He's his own man. And as I sometimes resent that attitude, Griss handles it really good.
Without Grissom, I'd be living with my granny and be a cab driver, just as I had been in college. He spared me from being thrown out by the LVPD for being irresponsible. Grissom let me stay because he said he couldn't afford to lose another CSI.
Grissom taught me in different ways. He taught me things that I knew, but he made me really understand it. Like that one time where I was acting supervisor and the case involved such personalities and emotions… what with Brass and his daughter and all. Grissom gave me an experience that led me to believe that things are never as easy as they seem.
Catherine and I have the chemistry that's unspoken. It just seems natural. I'm talking about the teamwork, the personal stuff, even sometimes the best-friend vibe. Cath was the woman who balances out the whole Graveyard Shift, in my opinion. She's our motivator, our reference with the personal aspect of the job, our guide. She was the one that gets us going when we become too much of realists and think that nothing good's going to happen after a lot of mistakes. Catherine gives us everything she can give; nothing more, nothing less. Well, sometimes, she does more.
Being in the Swing Shift, I've noticed her change. In some ways, bad, in some ways, good. Sometimes, she kinda takes the "boss role" over the top—but I know that sometimes she needs to. I like the fact that Catherine hasn't forgotten the fact that we were (namely just Nick and I) once on the same team and we still are. She doesn't pull ranks on us.
Catherine, just like Grissom, was never really a boss to us. Sometimes, she buys us beers after shift to cool off. When was the last time your boss did that?
Over to Greg Sanders. Greg was, most of the time, the butt of my jokes. And Nick's. We have our fun days every time we come across each other. These days, those were rare.
I've taught him a thing or two about working as a CSI. I taught him about organization and self-representation. I'm glad that I did, because it benefits both if us. My granny always told me that helping another person would start a bridge of success.
Anyways, Greg had matured, I've noticed. Every time I walk past the DNA lab, I expect booming music, crazy antics, and that spiky hair moving about. No matter how much time had passed when Greg was no longer a lab tech, I'm always struck at how serious the lab had become. I never got used to it, and I probably never will.
Nick. Nick is the best friend anyone could ever have. He never puts himself in front of us. Nick is like a character off of a children's book—the hero. I've sometimes criticized him for trying to be the knight in a shining armor, yet he never changed. And I'm glad. Nick and I were tight. We've always been like the two star football players in the high school, hanging around each other. I told him this and he laughed, joking, "Where the hell have you been all these years?" I laughed at what he said when I came to the realization of what he said—we were nothing like two football players in a high school. We're a couple of geeks, and we're proud.
These days, though, our friendship has been serious all of a sudden. We rarely hung out for the sole purpose of having fun. We're going to therapy together, right after I told him that I blamed myself for his kidnapping. I mean, it was a freakin' coin flip that determined who was going to face death. He told me that I was being ridiculous for thinking about that whole coin flip thing, but I insisted. Nick was still Nick, always there for you, even if he was the one who had a load of problems to deal with.
Nick, though, has been different. I mean, he used to be such a happy camper. Before all this, he was the billboard of smiling and happiness. Now, he's bitter and as much as he tries to hide it, we notice it. Some nights, I lie in my bed praying for my old best friend to come back.
Sara and I hated each other for during her first years here. Besides, her first assignment was to investigate me for Holly Gribbs' death. I mean, come on!
Over time, that hate dispersed. Sometimes, it comes and goes, but I like butting heads with her every once in a while. Sara was the person you would want to recruit as a telemarketer—she's relentless. But then again, that telemarketing job will not work out for her, because she's not a people person. Hey, I'm just glad I'm on her good side right now.
Sara was what a regular person would call a workaholic. I call her dedicated. Okay, she is a workaholic, but that's because of her dedication. To her, everything gets screwed up if a case is left unsolved. I actually admire her dedication to her job, but sometimes I actually feel bad for her. She seems to have no release. And in this job, you'll go nuts without a release. That's why Nick and I always get together every chance we get. She works out on our gym, too. …Something tells me that I'm being a third wheel, though…
Brass was another person I hated in LVPD. And just like with Sara, the hate just faded away. I for one, have no idea why we were like dogs and cats, but we were.
Brass is funny as hell. He has this spontaneous, obscure, comedy going on. Even when we're interrogating a suspect, he uses wit. Along with his sense of humor is his protectiveness and helpfulness. Although I hated the times we despised each other, I sometimes enjoy it because I wanted to have the full "Brass experience."
Doc Robbins was probably the only on I didn't butt heads with. He's awesome, that Doc Robbins. He always lightens up a death of someone…
Nick and I always have fun with David in the lab. David was weird… in a certain way that's hard to explain. He's not a typical weird guy, that's what I'm saying. David was like Greg—minus the camaraderie.
Hodges. He's so full of it, you know? Hodges isn't someone I hate; he was the guy who pisses the hell out of me without ruining my day. The guy was a snoop. I mean, the guy was trying to get the inside scoop with me during the Rachel Lyford case. I gave him a good back talking.
There's this newfound respect I have for him, though. Nick and I do. Hodges was the one who told us about those bomb charges… Wow… the man actually has integrity!
Bobby Dawson, the ballistics guy, I rarely see him. Every time I do, I'm not working solo… Coincidence? Anyhow, every time Nick and I, Nick's accent seems a little more pronounced. We have our own little Texas in here.
Jacqui Franco…she's…really something. She's one of the few lab techs that you actually be friends with. Jacqui has this sense of humor that not everybody sees. She's so cool because even though she's only a lab tech, she catches up with us.
Archie, my man. I rarely need Archie because my specialty is Audio/Visual. But when I do, she's like a les perky Greg. He's a nice guy to work with. Of course, he's also my go-to guy when it comes to video games.
Working here has been a pleasure. I was certainly not the guy who dreamt of being a CSI when I was a kid. But if all this is a dream, I beg you not to wake me up.