Feasibility Study
Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT

Chapter 95: Getting It Back – Part 6

August 25, 2005 (Day 125)
Crime Lab
9:42 a.m.

For the last half hour, Pete and Sofia had been sitting in Warrick's guest chairs reviewing the Mifflin report. At his arraignment, Tucker pleaded guilty but mentally ill. They were out to prove that, at the time of Brittany's murder, he competently plotted her kidnapping and assault.

"Other than tying it in a pretty pink ribbon, the DA couldn't ask for a nicer gift," Sofia remarked as she set down her file.

Pete glared at her, "That's crude."

"What?" She stared at him.

"Mifflin tied a pink ribbon around the vic's neck." Staring at her Pete recalled why he didn't like working with her.

"Oh please…it's a figure of speech."

Warrick interjected, "Explain the plastic bag and the ribbon to me."

"In an interview, Mifflin stated he didn't like the way she was looking at him when he was getting it on with her, so he placed the bag over her head. He said she looked evil." Sofia re-opened her file. "There's no significance to the pink ribbon. It belonged to the vic, she was wearing it at the time she was snatched. The thing that doesn't add up about Mifflin's statement…we know her eyes had to be closed because she fell asleep, lapsed into a coma and died. So she couldn't have been staring at him."

"So, he was delusional at the time of her death?" Warrick surmised.

"He's a rapid cycling bi-polar with psychotic tendencies, so he's frequently delusional when not medicated. It depends on the hour or minute you're talking to him." Shaking her head she sighed, "I'm sure Greg can attest to that."

"I don't care what the shrinks say about his competencies, he was highly competent when it came to planning," Pete declared. "We found a detailed outline of his plot to acquire Brittany and he followed it with precision. He had one for McKenna too and if Nick saw it, he'd probably need a month off to recover."

Sofia raised a brow. "The Blake family is lucky Greg nailed Mifflin when he did, because with McKenna he wasn't planning on a one time shot. He was going to keep her in his apartment." Shivering at the thought of it she said, "As his wife."

The Blakes
9:50 a.m.

On the living room floor, Greg and McKenna continued playing. "You can be the groom. His name is Commitment Conscious Ken…my Aunt Carrie named him that; it took me a while to learn how to say it. She likes to play wedding with me too, she says it's good practice for her special day." McKenna handed him a male doll dressed in a tux and then picked up her favorite doll. "I'm the bride. My name is Blushing Bride Barbie. Isn't my dress pretty, Uncle Greg?"

"Uncle Greg?" Tawny was thrilled to see the father of her babies hitting it off so well with a small child. Now if only he'd stop looking at baby Ashley in fright she'd relax.

"Yes, it's a beautiful dress, Blushing Bride Barbie." From his position on the floor Greg strutted the Ken doll toward the chapel he had made out of cardboard box and using McKenna's crayons decorated it with colorful flowers and green vines. "Oh, look at all the girl guests. It's Still Single Sally, He Should Be Mine Molly and Forever Alone Amy. They're wishing they were marrying me today because I'm the only guy in town…literally."

Sara, who was playing Gin Rummy with Ryan at the coffee table, cracked up. "So Sad Sara would have been in attendance last year."

Stacking blocks for Ashley, Tawny giggled, "She could have sat next to Tired of being Treated Terribly Tawny."

Strolling her Barbie down the aisle McKenna said, "My Aunt Carrie has a giant white dress with lots of sparklies and a really long tail. I heard her tell my mommy it had to have lots of lace because my Uncle Nick likes when she wears lace because he's not a leather man."

"Really?" Greg tried not to laugh. "I figured as much."

Sitting on the floor with baby Ashley on her lap, Tawny asked Sara, "Have you seen Carrie's dress?"

"No." Sara waited for Ryan to discard so she could claim her victory. "I'm more concerned about what kind of dress she's going to make you and I wear as bridesmaids when we're bulging with child in February."

"I know where a picture of her dress is!" McKenna jumped to her feet. "We keep everything hidden here so Uncle Nick doesn't see it. Aunt Carrie says he's too sneaky to keep it at home and he wants to know everything instead of being surprised."

"Yep. Sounds like the control freak we know and love." Greg snickered as he waited at the altar. "Hey, Tawny…you better not do this to me should we decide to do this one day." He paced the doll back and forth. "Where is my blushing bride! Arghhhhh!"

"Trust me…should the opportunity arise, I'll be there early." Lovingly she gazed at the man who less than twelve hours ago cursed her out in a drunken panic. He seemed to be doing much better, but she was counting the minutes until his appointment with Dr. Myers because she knew deep down he was still tormented.

"Not you too!" Ryan tossed down his cards when he saw Sara jump up from the table to look at the wedding binder.

"I can't help it." Sara explained, "Curiosity is what makes me good at my job."

Ryan wasn't buying it. "I thought you were a cool girl because don't wear girly sandals and frilly stuff. I hate all this wedding talk! It's so boring! That's all we ever talk about around here!" Just then he caught a glimpse of his baby sister tugging on Tawny's lacy pink shirt. The pubescent in him returned full force and suddenly he remembered why girls wearing silly frilly girly things were cool. Having seen Star Wars recently he used The Force to will his sister to tug Tawny's shirt lower. A second later when he saw the edge of his dream girl's hot pink satin bra he squealed with delight. In the spirit of the game he named her Big Boob Barbie and wished everyone would leave so he could play house with her.

Pulling himself back on the couch Greg prodded, "I thought wedding talk didn't excite you, Ryan? What's with the happy look on your face?" He knew any minute now the boy was going to dart off to spank his monkey again. Pride washed over Greg as he realized…he, the boy who spent many years fantasizing over dream girls, now had a girl worthy of a young boy's fantasy. It was undeniable cool, albeit disgusting.

"Uh…I have to go to the bathroom." Ryan dashed out of the room, knocking over a chair in the process.

When the boy was gone, Greg glanced over at Tawny and saw Ashley pawing his bodacious girlfriend's boobs looking for milk. "Honey…I think you're leaving quite an impression on young Ryan."

Engrossed in caring for a baby for the first time Tawny glanced up puzzled. "Huh?"

"Four thousand dollars!" Sara gripped the thick wedding binder with two hands. Carrying it over to the couch she stared at the photo of the off-the-shoulder, pure white, satin and tulle ball gown adorned with lace and sequins.

"What's four thousand bucks?" Greg asked.

"That's how much her dress cost. My whole wedding only cost ninety-nine dollars because there was a mid-week special and we didn't want it videoed."

"My dress is only three thousand," Tawny blurted without remembering who was in the room.

Greg's eyes bulged. "You already have a dress!" Not that it wasn't a sure thing, but the realization she had a dress shocked him. Where was she getting the three grand, he wondered. Then he remembered their slot winnings. After paying the emergency room bill and sending the check to his mom for the diamond ring, ten grand of their winnings was already depleted, but how could he tell her without giving away the fact he bought a ring.

"OH!" Her hands rushed to her mouth.

Sara covered. "She meant her dream dress for when she gets married some day in the future. We were looking at a magazine and she saw one she liked. You know…in case she's invited to a wedding one day…as the bride."

McKenna skipped over to the couch and reclaimed her Blushing Bride Barbie. "My dad says Grandpa is spending too much on the wedding."

Greg decided to exploit the honesty of the small child. "How much is the wedding costing your grandpa?"

"Fifty grand!" McKenna announced, having overheard the term uttered many times.

"That's a little below average where I come from," Greg remarked while thinking of some of the country club wedding extravaganzas he was forced to attend over the years. When he saw Tawny gaping he grinned, "Not that I want something that huge when I get married some day. I'm thinking very classy, but intimate…just family and close friends."

Tawny held up Ashley in front of her and pretended the child was talking. "Sounds perfect."

Without prompting, McKenna continued to spill the beans. "My dad says grandpa is trying to impress Uncle Nick's rich family with a fancy wedding. He also says grandpa spoils Aunt Carrie way too much. He thinks the money would be better spent on college trust funds, whatever those are. Mommy says grandpa loves Aunt Carrie and wants her to have a special day because he's still feeling bad about making Aunt Carrie go swimming when she was little. She still doesn't like to swim." Her focus suddenly shifted. "I like to swim! I take swimming lessons. I like jumping in the deep end."

"Greg!" Tawny stood with Ashley in her arms. "I know you're happily drugged, but try not to be so nosy."

"Fifty grand on a wedding! On something that only lasts hours?" Sara couldn't handle the extravagance. "I can't believe Nick is going for this. He's so practical."

McKenna had an answer for that one. "My mommy says that Uncle Nick will do anything Aunt Carrie wants because she's got him wrapped around her finger. But he's so big and her finger is so little, I don't see how he would fit."

Greg rubbed his hands together, ready to clear things up. "You know that pretty diamond on your aunt's finger…which cost six grand by the way, in case you want to tell your daddy. Well, your uncle bought that for your aunt and that's what your mommy means when she says he's wrapped around her finger. His ring is wrapped around her finger." He couldn't believe how easy parenting was.

"OH!" Happy to finally understand what she overheard, McKenna smiled.

Watching his girlfriend cuddle baby Ashley, Greg imagined how happy it would make him once the seven thousand dollar Tiffany ring hiding in his mother's dresser was on Tawny's finger. Not that he was purposely trying to outdo his pseudo-big brother, but it was a nice perk. Brimming with excitement, he couldn't wait to be wrapped.

Thrilled to have people explaining the strange things she often heard around the house, McKenna quizzed, "What does it mean when my mom says Aunt Carrie wants to jump Uncle Nick's bones?"

Little America Hotel
10:11 a.m.

Lying in bed, Carrie was excited to see Nick returning from his hike. "How was it?"

"Great!" With a sunny smile plastered on his face, he hurried over and sat on the edge of the bed. "But I missed you somethin' awful. If I had my way I'd spend every minute with you, Sweetheart." Taking her hand he pressed a kiss to her ring. "I love you, Carrie. There's no one else in the world I could love more than you. Every woman I've ever known combined into one wouldn't make half the woman you are! I'm the luckiest man alive!"

"Awww!" Gushing from his dreamy statements, she reached out and took his hands. "I missed you too, Nicky." He looked dirty and smelled from hours of outdoor adventure, but she quickly overcame the obstacle and felt the rush of desire. "I'm feeling much better. I mean…" Leaping forward she tackled him against the sheets. "I'm feeling much better. How about it, Baby?" Jumping out of bed she tugged him with her. "Let's pick up where we left off last night."

"Up against the wall!" He snapped his fingers and whistled. "Right now, little lady! Hustle up! There's a peg to be driven!"

Without hesitation, she flattened herself against the wall. "Number four here we come!" That's when she noticed he was eating from a jumbo bag of crunchy Cheetos.

"Si! Si! Numero cuatro!" Nick yelled in Spanish before licking bright orange Cheeto dust from his fingers.

"Can't you finish the Cheetos later?" She edgily asked while wondering why he was shoveling in high fat carbohydrates. It was so out of character.

"They're really good." He shook the bag and dove in for another handful.

"You must be hungry from the hike." Waiting impatiently for him to finish snacking, she reflected on her sexual progress. It was impossible to fathom that five years earlier the thought of having sex terrified her. Now she couldn't wait to have it…and she couldn't get enough of it. Never before had she felt so alive. Nick ignited a spark three months ago, and then he patiently fanned it into a flame. A couple of weeks ago in the pool house, he kindled it into a raging fire, and after thoroughly enjoying positions two and three, it was an inferno. "My gosh! Enough with the Cheetos already! I'm really ready, Nicky!"

"May I enter?"

"Finally! But why so formal?" She giggled from the question. "You weren't even that formal on our first night together. That night you just said…are you sure, Carrie? Oh I loved that! It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. You're such a gentleman! Oh! But don't be a gentleman right now, because I want you to ravage me like you're going off to war and may never be with a woman again."

When she heard him banging on the wall she knew it was going to be great.

In a naughty whisper she urged, "Don't worry about playing it safe for me…get a little wild. I won't break. You need to release some of that tension instead of holding back worrying you're going to offend poor little sexually repressed me. So, go for it! Maybe even…no, I can't say it…" A heavy blush found her cheeks. "Well maybe I can…feel free to be a little… dirty." Covering her mouth she held in her shock then clarified, "But not too dirty. Not nasty, not that I think you would be because you said you couldn't. Just be playful. Like…flirty dirty. Does that make sense? Is that a real term? I should look that up on the Internet. Oh…why am I telling you what to do? You've done this so many times, Slick Nick. Just give me your best." A nervous smile twittered over her lips. "You were saving your best for me, right?"

"May I enter!"

"Sorry! Yes! Yes, of course!" She shouted when the question was posed louder. "Right now!" Grinning she waited for him to rip off her demure pajamas. Then, remembering to be a flirty dirty vixen she growled, "Don't keep me waiting! Because under these cute little PJs, is a red hot lover ready for…"

"Ma'am?" Standing in the doorway the maid cleared her throat and called out to the woman tossing and mumbling in bed, "Are you sure you want the room made up, Ma'am?"

"Huh?" Carrie sat up rubbing her eyes. "Nicky?"

"No…housekeeping." The forty-two year old crabby woman informed her, "I knocked and asked if I could enter. You said yes, and were yelling something about the room being dirty, but…"

"OH!" Carrie grabbed the comforter, pulling it up to her neck. "No…uh…can you come back later…thanks."

"Certainly." She left, shutting the door loudly behind her.

"My head." Carrie clutched her throbbing skull. "I'm still sick and I'm still holding at three positions." After a gulp of water and three more Advil, she crawled back under the sheets humiliated, horny and hungry for Cheetos. "Ugh!"

The Spring Mountains
10:22 a.m.

Staring at the raccoon crawling with flies, Sean and Gil beamed with delight.

Wendy, on the other hand, shrieked in horror. "How long do you think that's been dead?"

Setting down his kit Gil replied, "I don't know, but it will be fun to find out."

"Cool!"

"Wait a minute." Wendy held up her hand. "That filthy thing is riddled with disease."

"That's why we wear gloves and face masks, Mom!"

Sensing Wendy's discomfort, Gil shied away from the idea. "We don't have to…"

"What!" Sean couldn't mask his disappointment. "Mom! This is exactly what I was afraid would happen if you came along. You're too squeamish about this stuff and…"

"Okay!" Sighing she glanced at her watch. "How about I take the south trail and meet you back here in an hour? That way you boys can have your ghoulish fun and I can enjoy the living scenery?"

Thrilled the experiment was back on Gil assured, "We always take precautions, don't worry. And I won't let him keep anything we bag."

"Thank you for that modicum of relief." Cringing, she thought of Sara's talk about Gil's special refrigerator full of animal parts and once again wondered if her son stood a chance of ever having a girlfriend if he stayed on this gruesome career path. "I'll be back at eleven-thirty. Have um…fun."

The Blakes
11:01 a.m.

Less than two hours into babysitting, the fun was starting to dwindle. With Greg passed out on the couch, there were only two adults to tend to three kids and suddenly they were all a bit more demanding.

"I'm starving!" Ryan announced as he burst into the kitchen. "What's for lunch?"

"Let's have a tea party lunch!" McKenna suggested. "We can make finger sandwiches!" She ran to the pantry to fetch the bread, peanut butter and jelly.

"No! Pizza!" Ryan ran to the freezer to check if they had some frozen ones.

In Tawny's arms Ashley was shrieking. "I don't know what else to do, Sara!" Tawny gently bounced the baby. "What do the instructions say!"

"Maybe she needs another diaper?" Sara surmised while turning on the oven for the pizza Ryan had produced. "Check it."

"AHHHH!" McKenna yelled when she opened the jelly jar and purple gooze oozed all over her dress. "My favorite dress! It's all icky! We need to fix it before it gets a stain!" Tears flew out of her eyes. "It cost lots of dollars and my daddy will be mad 'cause he thought my mommy paid too much for it."

Leaning in for a peek at baby Ashley's diaper Tawny got a nose full of sour poop. "OH! It's definitely the diaper." The foul aroma was stuck in her nostrils and without warning her morning sickness returned. After safely placing the wailing baby on the floor she raced to the sink and hurled.

The sound and sight triggered Sara's memory about the first time she was at the Blake home and their dog carried a poop-filled diaper into the dining room at dinner. The stench made Ryan sick, and then Carrie, who had weak gag reflex, hurled. Seeing his aunt get sick then Ryan, who shared her weak gag reflex flaw, hurled again. "Ryan you should…" But the realization was a bit too late and Ryan was already vomiting all over the floor. "OH!"

The puddle of puke was racing toward Ashley with volcanic lava speed.

"I've got you!" Sara swooped in, rescuing the frantic baby as the family dog rushed over to lap up Ryan's regurgitated breakfast.

Having purged, Tawny left the sink to rejoin the group, but as soon as she saw the dog smacking its vomit-covered lips she rushed to the sink for another energetic round of dry heaves, which inspired Ryan's gut to do the same.

"My dress is getting purpler!" McKenna jumped up and down while jelly clumps dropped off her dress.

Meanwhile, Ashley shook with discomfort and fear in Sara's arms, covering her ears.

Standing in the middle of chaos Sara attempted to prioritize…the dog eating the vomit is gross but not an emergency, the two vomiting people aren't in physical danger, the white dress covered in purple jelly juice is a time sensitive issue and the screaming baby is uncomfortable and getting on my nerves. A moment later her plan was formulated. "McKenna! Follow me. While I change the baby, you take off the dress and put something else on. Then you can watch your sister in the exer-saucer while I spray some stain stuff on your dress and wash it. Dog…you clean up the vomit and then you're staying outside the rest of the day. Hurlers…you'll eventually stop."

Pleased with her parenting plan Sara hurried from the room.

Western World Apparel
11:14 a.m.

When he saw Carrie's fiancée Nick hurrying into the store, Ren postured. "Hey now…I thought we had an understanding last night. You said…"

"I meant what I said." Disarming the man with a smile Nick stated, "I'm here to shop."

"Oh." Ren relaxed and leaned against a rounder of jeans. "Whatcha need?"

"It's not for me, it's for Carrie." Glancing around he replied, "I want to take her riding and she can't wear those red snakeskin boots she had on last night. I want to get her some ropers…nothing fancy, something that will give her an authentic feel." Grinning, he told the man, "She's never been riding before. She's scared of horses. When she was little, a carnival pony tossed her and she's still holding a grudge. I'm hoping to change her mind because I grew up riding and one day when we have kids, I'd like to have a pony"

Ren motioned for Nick to follow. "I've got just what you need. Distressed leather buckskin ropers and my father's phone number. He owns a dude ranch outside of town. I'll let him know to be expecting your call. Since you know your way around a stable and you're friends of mine, he'll let you have the run of the place and set you up with his best horses for a reasonable price. This way you won't have to take her on a regular boring trail ride."

"That would be great, thanks. You ever come to Vegas, Ren…we'll give you the royal tour."

"I don't know…Sin City is a little too fast for me." Handing Nick a shoebox he smiled. "Size 7 and I know for a fact they fit."

"How many pairs did she try on when she was here?" He imagined it was at least a dozen.

"Oh…'bout a dozen. She wanted to buy some, but thought you'd tease her so, she didn't." Adjusting his hat he added, "She also said you were saving up for a nice house and she should start curtailing her spending."

Glancing inside the box he nodded. "She's uh…got a thing for shoes."

"And now you're feeding her habit." Ren chuckled at the man who would agree to his fiancée's crazy idea to take off her engagement ring and pretend they're strangers in a bar. "Just curious….you ever tell her no? Or do you indulge her twenty-four seven?"

The Spring Mountains
11:24 a.m.

"How much time do we have, Mr. Grissom?"

"About five minutes." He had Sean searching the area off the trail for clues about the raccoon's cause of death.

"I found a beer bottle!" With his gloved hand he lifted it.

"Sean…" Gil used his tone to correct the boy.

"Sorry!" He returned the bottle to its place and grabbed the digital camera he was borrowing. "Photos first then collect the evidence."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. It took Greg a while to remember that too." He placed an evidence number next to the bottle. "Go ahead."

Sean focused the camera and snapped two pictures of the bottle in question. "Do you think the raccoon could have drunk the beer and died of alcohol poisoning?"

"I like to wait until I finish processing the scene and collecting all the evidence to start building my theories." Smiling at the boy's enthusiasm he added, "But there wouldn't be enough alcohol in one beer to kill a raccoon." He handed the boy a bag. "Don't forget to label it."

"I won't." He grabbed the marker out of his back pocket, filled in the blanks and dropped the bottle inside. "I see something shiny by that fallen tree over there."

"Be careful walking through the brush," Gil cautioned.

"I will." Sean warily navigated the rocks and spiny bushes until he saw the glint of metal. "Mr. Grissom!" He shouted. "It's a gun!"

"Don't touch it!" Gil rushed over.

"Do you think someone shot the raccoon?" Sean knelt down next to his teacher. "It kind of looks like the gun Uncle Nick has when he comes home from work. I was at his apartment once and I saw him take it out of his holster. But it's not the kind of gun people use for hunting and people don't usually hunt raccoons. Do you think someone shot the raccoon just to be mean? But the gun doesn't look broken, so why throw it away?"

"That's an excellent question, Sean." Gil stood and surveyed the area.

Sean rose, mimicking his mentor's actions.

And while they were both consumed with searching the landscape they heard a terror-induced scream.

"That's my mom!" Sean blurted as he rushed for the trail. "Mom!"

Gil hurried after him.

"Mom!" Sean followed her frantic shriek until he saw her standing on the trail clutching her chest.

"Wendy!" Gil raced over. "What is it?"

"In there!" Lifting her trembling hand she pointed to an area off the trail. I had to go to the bathroom and when…" Gasping for air she forced the words out. "There's a body…a young woman…her head is…" Shaking uncontrollably she clutched Gil. "She looks just like my sister in the photos from the police report. She's dead…very dead. Even if I wasn't a nurse I'd know. Her pants are down around her ankles too, so…" Memories of Mike Rodgers raping her came flooding back. "Oh god…I didn't need to see any of that. The nightmares only stopped a few months ago."

Gil recalled Wendy seeing those detailed photos for the first time during the Rodgers trial and how the images of her sister's cracked open skull and blood-drenched head rocked her to the core. "It's okay," He soothed while grabbing his phone. "Deep breaths."

Sean took his mother's hand. "I love you, Mom." Seeing her cry brought back memories of what he saw when he was supposed to be in bed sleeping…his mother bawling in his father's arms every night of the trial. Crying about her dead sister, about the man who killed her and the nasty things the man's lawyers were saying about her.

"No service." Gil snapped his phone closed. "Sean…can you grab the yellow crime tape out of my kit, please?"

"Yes, Sir, Mr. Grissom." He dashed off to follow orders.

"I need to check the body, mark the area and then we'll return to the trail head and use the ranger phone to call this in."

"Okay." Wendy sniffled while regaining her composure. "So much for a relaxing hike."

Little America Hotel
11:51 p.m.

Carrie was coming out of the bathroom when she saw Nick walking into the room. "How was your hike, Honey? Relaxing I hope." He looked refreshed.

"Very." She looked rested and renewed.

A grin emerged on her face when she recalled her dream earlier and how similar it was to this scenario. A moment later when Nick gave her a hug she realized his aroma was the same as in the dream too. "Did you run the trail?"

"Four miles."

That explained the smell. "What's behind your back?" If it was a bag of Cheetos she was sure she'd die laughing.

Stepping away he produced the Western World shopping bag. "I got you a present."

"Really!" Anxious for the surprise she snatched the bag and trotted over to the bed. "OH!" Euphoric, she pulled out the box. "You bought me shoes! That's so much better than Cheetos!"

"Huh?" Trying not to laugh at her enthusiasm for footwear, Nick joined her by the bed.

"The distressed leather ones!" After caressing them, she breathed in the enticing smell of the fresh leather boots. "I tried these on at the store. I loved them."

"I know." Sitting on the edge of the bed he unlaced his hiking boots. "A little wren told me." He chuckled.

"Thank you!" She tossed her arms around his neck. "I'm feeling much better by the way." It was the perfect mirror of her dream except for one thing…Nick's rancid foot odor wafting from his now bare feet. In the dream she could get over it, but in reality it was a deal breaker. "Uh…you probably want to hit the shower after your hike, huh?"

"Yeah." He grabbed his boots, and crossing the room, tossed them in the closet. "Oh…I called my mom about the band. She's gonna work on it." He decided not to tell her about the rest of the conversation and the surprise until later.

"Awesome!" On the bed she watched him shuck his clothes and planned her attack. "We'll talk more after you get out of the shower."

"I reek, huh?"

"But in a very studly way," She giggled while removing the balled up paper out of her new boots.

Sensing a kiss would be out of the question, Nick marched directly into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. "I'll use extra soap to increase my odds of gettin' lucky later!" He joked while turning the handle to hot and quickly steaming up the room. "If you're feeling up to it tomorrow, I'd love to drive to the Grand Canyon and hike down a few miles. I've done it before, it's not too hard. You'd do fine."

"Sounds great!" With her man lathering up, Carrie hurried to dress like her newest character….Country Girl Carrie.

"And on Saturday I plan on taking you horseback riding." Shampooing his hair he told her the truth. "That's why I bought you the boots, Darlin'. I hoped they would get you in the mood for a little western adventure."

She knew there had to be a catch. "Well, at least I'll look the part while I'm terrified." Carrie stepped into the boots and headed for the bathroom. "And I do think the boots have the potential to get me in the mood!" She snickered while glancing down at them.

"Don't worry, I'll break you of your fear, Darlin'." Certain he would no longer offend her nose, Nick turned off the water.

Posing in the doorway wearing only Nick's black cowboy hat with her hair tucked up under it, one of his thin white t-shirts, and her new boots, Carrie asked in a seductive tone, "How do they look?"

Dripping wet, he pushed back the curtain. "What's that, Sweetheart?" Glancing up after cinching a towel around his waist, Nick's jaw dropped. There was Carrie looking as sexy as could be in the doorway. "Whoa." With his eyes glued on her thighs he stepped out of the tub.

"I was asking about the boots, Baby." Carrie took a step closer. "So, you're gonna have to lower your gaze."

Peeling his eyes off her thighs he momentarily glanced down at the new boots and then immediately drifted upwards to that delicious place the t-shirt teasingly skimmed. "Fantastic."

With confidence to spare, Carrie strutted over and wrapped her arms around Nick's dripping body, pressing her chest to his. One feel of his muscles and she knew she wasn't dreaming this time, and her fantasy was finally about to become reality. "Did that shower cool you off?"

"Yes…but you're undoing its work." Just as he was about to kiss her she stepped back. That's when he noticed the white t-shirt she wore was now soaked and clinging to her obviously aroused body. "You look a little chilly, Baby." Rendered incoherent by the passion firing within, he stood gaping.

"See somethin' you like, Tex?" Backing up she grinned uncontrollably. "I think you must."

He loved it all.

When she was against the wall she purred, "In case you haven't guessed…I'm playing the part of Carrie the country girl who has no emotional baggage that might hinder her lover's ability to let loose and get wild." Watching him simmer with desire she grew more comfortable with the tease.

The confidence she exuded fueled him to a fevered pitch. Unlike the night before, he had no doubts about what she wanted and he had no qualms about giving it to her.

Running her fingertip over her moist bottom lip she urged him into action. "What part do you want to play? Since you're supposed to be relaxing on this vacation maybe you should play the part of Nick, the guy who would love to release a little tension with his fiancée who's aching for him to take her right here, right now." Reaching up she removed the Stetson, letting her full head of chestnut hair cascade over her shoulders. "Sound appealing?"

In an instant, he was at the wall slamming his damp body into hers and answering her question in a demanding kiss.

When they broke for air she panted, "Does this mean you think the boots look good on me?"

"Hell, yes." Recalling everything she wanted to hear in her vulnerable state the previous night, he spoke and meant every word "The boots are hot, Baby." While grazing his mouth over her delicious body he lavished her with ego-boosting confessions. "They're so hot…like you…look at what you've done to me in two minutes…I hope you're up for it because I have to have you."

"And look at what you've done to me by bringing me home a pair of boots. I'm throwing myself at you." Gasping as he tantalized her body, she moaned, "Mmm…I love flowers, but nothing revs me up like a new pair of shoes."

Thrilled by her enthusiasm, Nick knew he'd be surprising her with more shoes in the future, thinking…I brought home boots and got flirty, country girl Carrie jumping me in the shower. I wonder what would happen if I brought home some sinful black stilettos. In his phone conversation with his mother she said he had to work on relaxing around his wife. Always one to follow parental orders, Nick let every worry float away and lost himself in the moment.

In the steamy bathroom the temperature soared. "It's getting too warm in here to be covered up." Grinning she wrapped her fingers around the edge of his towel and yanked it off, revealing exactly how prepared he was to forge on with the endeavor. Barring an emergency evacuation of the hotel she knew for certain the peg would be driven home momentarily.

Driving his hands under Carrie's wet shirt, he rapidly freed her from it and fused their moist chests. Savoring the feel of their slippery bodies pressed together, he laced his fingers through her curly hair and caressed her with his eyes. "You're gorgeous, Carrie. I love you and…I've never wanted you more."

"Right here?" She purred while tossing his hat and gliding her hands over his slick shoulders.

Letting his hands drift over her hips he curved them firmly around the backs of her thighs. "Right now." Lifting her legs, he coaxed her into position while stealing an ardent kiss.

"Don't keep me waiting," She pleaded. He was taunting her like she had done to him when they were experimenting with position two and she was in control of the defining moment.

"Listen to you…are you begging me, Baby?" Delaying the pleasure he watched the flicker of longing in her eyes and enjoyed the feel of her frantic body squirming against his. He couldn't believe she was the same timid lover from three months ago. Her sexuality now in full bloom, he found her allure intoxicating, her touch electrifying and her words provocative. Certain she was enjoying the tease he continued it. "I know how much you want this…I read all about it on the Internet."

"That's right." Running her fingers through his wet hair, she studied his lust lit eyes. "But you want it even more," She taunted right back. "Give in…and when you do, don't hold back because I want the full experience."

"Oh you do, huh?" Devilishly he moved forward, but halted at the last second.

For old time's sake she rasped her favorite line, "Come on…bestow some knowledge on me, Stokes. I'm ready for another lesson and only you can teach it to me." Writhing in anticipation she skillfully locked her legs tighter around his waist, and gripped his shoulders a little harder…just like her new book suggested. "Mmm…I can tell you won't be able to wait another second."

He proved her right, joining their bodies and mouths in a ravenous rhythm.

The Blakes
12:11 p.m.

"That's number four!" Tawny grabbed a clean diaper and lamented to Greg, "How can such a little thing pee and poop so much so often? And we'll have double the diapers with twins!"

Standing next to her at the changing table Greg offered, "Let me do this one."

"Have at it." She stepped aside, gladly letting him handle the mess.

"What did you eat, little girl?" The poop was like a thick green paste. "Your mom is a wacky vegetarian and she's probably making you eat a bunch of weird sprouty stuff. My kids will eat hot dogs and cookies like kids should and we won't have this issue."

"Uh…no they won't." Tawny interjected. "Not all the time anyway."

"What about donuts?"

"Only on special occasions." A smile erupted on her lips. "Oh my god…we haven't talked about how we'll raise our kids. What if we have totally different ideas? People usually talk about this stuff before they get engaged, get married and have kids so they know if they're compatible. We're doing everything backwards!"

"Let's leave the traditional way of doing things to Carrie and Nick."

"Except our wedding…you meant what you said before, right? Classy, yet intimate." Hoping she wasn't being too bold she shyly asked, "Is it okay to talk about this? Even though we're not officially…"

"I don't mind." He winked at Ashley. "If you don't mind."

Vulnerable, Tawny said, "Not to push you but, I've dreamed of wearing a beautiful dress and walking down an aisle since I was McKenna's age. I used to have Barbie and Ken weddings just like her. Having lost so many of my dreams, I really want that one to come true…if it's okay with you. It doesn't have to be expensive, I just want it to be nice and most of all…normal. Not some tacky thing with donuts served as a joke."

Halting his diaper duty for a moment he pressed a tender kiss to Tawny's lips. "I meant what I said…an intimate traditional wedding. Trust me, my mom is on standby waiting to help you plan…and pay the bills. So, dream away, Sweetie."

"Thank you."

"Thank you for putting up with me."

Ashley's loud babble snapped them back to the moment.

"Oops! We forgot about you, didn't we?" Greg laughed as he grabbed another pile of wipes. "We should buy stock in Pampers because we're going to need a lot of these wipes and diapers."

"Seriously! How the hell are we going to do this, Greg?" Clutching her head she panicked. "How are we both going to work, and how am I going to finish school while taking care of two of these…" She looked at Ashley giggling on the table and her voice warmed. "…these adorable little babies?" Her fear returned with a vengeance. "And Ashley is fourteen months old so technically, she's not even a totally helpless little baby. In seven months we're going to have two tiny needy babies!" She paused her tirade to instruct, "Don't forget the powder. She likes the powder."

"How much?"

"Just a little." Stepping closer she watched Greg squeeze the cornstarch powder and listened to Ashley's giggle. "You're very good at this for never doing it before."

"This kid is much nicer than that other one I had to hold, and this diaper thing isn't as bad as I thought. I've dealt with much messier stuff at work. This is a breeze." Holding up the fresh diaper he turned it a couple of times. "They don't label these front and back?"

"The tabs go in the back."

"Oh." He opened it, slid it under Ashley and fastened the tabs. "There you go little princess…all clean. Now let's put your colorful little shorts back on. I like your taste in clothes by the way…very flamboyant." After securing them, he tickled her tummy causing a riotous giggle.

"Wow…I'm seriously crushing on you, Chuckles." Tawny felt her pregnancy hormones notch up. "You're going to make a great daddy. Just like my dad."

Lifting the baby he decided to give holding one another try. "There you go…nice and easy." Gently he swayed her. "Now, Ashley…I'm really trying to score big points with my girlfriend because I messed up last night and lost five hundred cool points. I need you to help me out here. Whatever you do, don't cry."

"Uh oh." Anticipating a flood, Tawny lunged for a tissue off the baby's dresser.

In the sweetest voice Greg sang to the baby, "When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you." Humming he rocked her in his arms and watched Tawny well up.

"Oh my gosh." Tawny blotted her eyes while watching her future husband and father of her children dote on a baby for the first time. "You're killing me."

So he sang a little more. "If your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star as dreamers do."

Ashley cooperated by letting her eyes flutter closed.

"Awww." Tawny pointed to the crib. "Try to put her down. The instructions said nap time was around noon."

"Okay." Still singing he slowly walked to the crib and when he arrived there he lifted her up and over the rail.

"You sang her to sleep." Tawny was in awe of Greg's parenting skills. Then she saw the baby flip out of his arms and smack face down on the crib mattress. "OH! Oh my god! Is she okay!"

"How did that happen!" Panicked, he grabbed the startled and screaming baby. "Sorry! Sorry!"

But Ashley's tears were nothing compared to McKenna's.

"I'm really sorry," Sara apologized for the third time. "I didn't know the ladybugs would fray and get ruined if I put the dress in the washer." Now, after the fact, she noticed the hand wash only label. Bending down she took McKenna's hand. "I'll ask your mommy where she got it and I'll buy you a new one."

"Really?" She sniffled.

"I promise."

"But I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Aww…you won't." Instinctively she hugged the little girl. "Thanks for thinking of me."

"I like you."

"Really?" Since kids usually didn't like her, she pushed to find out how much. "Do you like me more than Greg?"

"No. He's really funny and I like his fluffy hair."

"More than Tawny?"

"No. She's really pretty like a Barbie doll."

"More than your brother Ryan?"

"Definitely! He smells and is a real meanie sometimes."

Sara smiled. "I'll take it." Standing up she took her by the hand. "How about some ice cream?"

"I already had cookies. My mom doesn't let me have two desserts."

"That's why it's fun to have a babysitter." Sara led her towards the kitchen. "They let you break the rules."

"How many scoops can I have?"

"How many do you want?"

She pondered the question and went for broke. "Four!"

Little America Hotel
12:31 p.m.

Basking in the afterglow of number four, Carrie rested her head against the steamy bathroom wall. "That was…" Words escaped her.

While enjoying his fiancée's erratic breathing and the last quivers of her satisfaction, Nick murmured, "Was it everything you dreamed it would be, Sweetheart?" It was more than he ever dreamed of with her and every inch of him was thrilled with the experience. But he had a suspicion that she thought otherwise, except for the last part.

"The last part…oh…you're so good at...it's like you have a secret map to my…oh…" Reaching up she pushed her damp hair from her face. "But that was post-position so I don't think it counts when ranking this one on the official position enjoyment scale." To herself she thought…and this one would absolutely be fourth out of four. I should have listened and stayed away from the perfumed garden.

"Yeah, good thing you waited for me, because Travis would definitely have left you hanging afterwards, not that you would have remembered." Peeling himself away from her he grinned, "Now that we've done it, I'll tell you. Driving the peg is really much more satisfying for the man. But you insisted, and you know me…I like to let you learn the hard way."

"HA! Well thanks for the lesson and thank you SO much for the intensely pleasurable afterthought." Pressing her palms against his sweaty chest she winked. "I'm feeling relaxed, how about you?"

"Oh yeah." So much so, he was ready for a nice long nap. Truly the only thing preventing him from already sleeping was the fact that they were standing in the bathroom.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I've got another surprise for you." She twittered with anticipation.

Laughing he confessed, "Honey, if you're thinking of going for number five I'm afraid you're gonna have to wait. I put my heart and soul, among other things, into number four and I'm not eighteen years old anymore."

"This surprise is better than sex," She joked. "For me that would mean eating chocolate while shoe shopping, but for you, it means…any guesses?"

Intrigued he replied, "Something sports related?" He smiled assuming she was about to put on a ballgame for him.

Proudly she informed him, "Right before you returned I used the hotel concierge to get us two tickets to tonight's Diamondbacks game against the Mets in Phoenix. Second row, third base line. Do I know how to take care of my man or what? Who loves ya, Baby! So we need to shower, get dressed and hit the road! I'll drive so you can rest…since you had a busy morning, hiking and all."

"No way! That is the best surprise! I haven't been to a professional game in years. That's one thing I hate about Vegas…no pro ball." He gushed with school boy enthusiasm. "Mind-blowing sex and a Major League Baseball game all in one day…now I'm seriously thinking I'm dreaming."

"Nah…you'd be eating Cheetos." Giggling she headed for the shower.

"Why do you keep mentioning them?" He followed her into the tub and turned on the water. "Thank god we got that pregnancy test or I'd be sure you're pregnant and craving Cheetos."

The Training Zone
12:45 p.m.

Upon completing David Hodges' body assessment Irving scolded, "You've been eating too much junk food, Man. You're fluffy…like Gil. What's with you lab rats? Haven't you ever heard of work-life balance? You can work and live a healthy lifestyle too."

"I've been in a funk," He retorted while mopping up the sweat on his brow. The treadmill test almost killed him.

"For how long?"

"A decade."

"I think funk is traditionally used for time periods of less than a year." Walking to his desk he groaned, "What makes you so sure you'll be able to stick to an exercise plan now?"

"Because I had sex last night and I want more!" Clutching his towel he wasn't sure if he had said it out loud. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Hodges inquired.

"Not at present." He reached for a blank training chart.

"I was engaged once and the experience almost killed me. It's taken this long for me to get my mojo back!"

"I can empathize." Irving glanced up while tapping his pencil on the desk. "I was engaged too, about six years ago. She broke it off because she wanted to go to Paris and discover herself. She discovered a guy name Henri instead."

"OH! Another skank!" Hodges took a seat in the guest chair next to the desk. "Mine went to LA to be discovered as an actress!"

"Did she make it big?"

"She was in a tampon commercial." His anger built just thinking about it. "To this day, whenever I see a tampon, I see red!"

The Spring Mountains
Crime Scene
12:51 p.m.

"Mr. Grissom?" Sean left his mother sitting alone on a boulder and walked over to the crime tape. "Any new details yet?"

"A few." Gil crouched under the tape and joined the boy. "We know she was shot in the back of the head." Not wanting to make it too grisly for the young boy he left out the gory particulars. "Other than that, there were no injuries to her body and she wasn't abused in any way."

"How long has she been dead?"

"The coroner estimates about twelve hours." Gil glanced at his watch. "Wendy…" He called over. "I'll only be about twenty more minutes." Since he was on suspension he shouldn't be there at all now that the Relief Shift covering for Days was on the scene. He was also cognizant that he had to get back to town in time to take Greg to Dr. Myers.

"Okay, Gil." She took another sip from her water bottle and tried not to think about the dead girl only two hundred yards away.

"Mr. Grissom…" Sean lowered his voice. "I heard my mother say the victim's pants were around her ankles. My mom went back there for privacy to go to the bathroom. Do you think the victim was in the woods to go to the bathroom and that's when she got shot? Although at the time of death the trail would be empty so she really didn't need to leave it to go to the bathroom, but maybe she was shy."

"That's exactly what I was thinking, Sean." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "But now we have to figure out why someone wanted to shoot her and who. That beer bottle you found…it may have the killer's DNA on the rim."

"Really!" He filled with pride and shouted. "Then it would be like I solved the crime!"

"That's right."

"This part is even better than the bugs, Mr. Grissom!" Sean glanced over at his distraught mother. "This part makes me feel like Spiderman. I'm helping put the bad guys away. I hate bad guys like the one who hurt my mom and killed my aunt. You and my Uncle Nick took down Mike Rodgers, I want to grow up and do the same thing."

"I'm sure you will, Sean, but there's so much to learn first." Standing there watching the passion for the job flicker in the boy's eyes Gil said, "Any other thoughts about the crime?"

"I have a theory, but you said not to talk about theories until the scene is processed and all the evidence collected."

He humored the boy. "I'll make an exception since you aren't legally allowed to process the scene now that it's part of a murder investigation."

"Well…" He took a few steps away and pointed up the trail to where they found the raccoon. "What if this bad guy wasn't bad, but just stupid?"

"There are plenty of stupid people walking the streets." Intrigued, Grissom walked over and stood before the boy.

"After finding the gun and the dead body, you went back and inspected the raccoon and discovered it was shot."

"Right."

Suddenly Sean was losing confidence. "Never mind…it sounds dumb now that I'm saying it out loud."

"Never be afraid to toss out a theory. Even if the theory itself isn't correct it can lead to other thoughts and ideas that are valuable." Grissom counseled, "Remember our discussion on the discovery of Penicillin? Great ideas often come from nothing special."

"Okay." Stuffing his hands in his pockets Sean took a chance. "When my dad's football friends come over to watch games they sometimes drink a lot of beer and get silly. One time a guy even fell in our pool with all his clothes on in November and then did water ballet."

"That's why it's against the law to drink excessively and drive. Alcohol impairs brain functionality."

"What if the killer was so drunk he didn't know what he was shooting at?" Sean spoke rapidly as his confidence grew. "He shot the raccoon and then he hears something in the bushes and thinks it's another raccoon coming for him, so he shoots…but it's really his girlfriend going to the bathroom. After he shoots her he realizes what he did, throws the gun and runs away."

Gil stood silent and ran the boy's scenario in his head. "That's not a bad theory at all."

"Really?" Sean breathed a sigh of relief when his mentor didn't immediately dismiss it.

At some point in the discussion Wendy had joined them. "I love that theory." She placed her hands on her son's shoulders. "It's not malevolent."

"And probably why it came so quickly to an innocent boy, but not to a bunch of jaded criminalists."

"So you think I might be right?" Sean glanced up at his mom who was smiling.

"The evidence never lies, Sean." Gil returned behind the crime tape. "And in time we'll know the story. As soon as I know if the evidence is telling yours, I'll tell you."

Author's Notes:

Next Chapter: Getting It Back - Part 7

Teaser: What's really going on inside those beautiful minds?

Posting: Late Friday/Early Sat.

Thanks for reading and leaving your comments!

Maggs