Chapter 1
Graveyard, minus their "fearless leader", were pursuing their usual pre-shift activities in the break room. Nick and Warrick, sitting on the floor in front of the TV, were goading each other over a videogame; Catherine was sitting in a chair at the table, with her feet propped up, perusing a Vogue magazine; Sara had her back propped up on an arm of the couch, legs curled under her, lost in the world of the book in her hands.
Grissom entered the room, all of his attention focused on glaring a hole in the paper he was holding.
Catherine was the first to notice his entrance. "You look about as happy as a cat being dropped into Lake Mead."
This comment had Sara dragging herself out of the weavings on the pages in front of her, and smirking at the comment.
Catherine raised an eyebrow at her best friend. "What's got your boxers in a bunch…or is it tighty-whities in a twist?"
Half of the mouthful Nick had just taken of his drink was spat back out of his mouth while the other half ended up exiting his nose.
Warrick's body rocked back and forth with the forceful coughs that were wrought upon him.
Sara was doubled over on the couch, almost in fetal position, her frame shaking uncontrollably with laughter.
Grissom was standing stock still with his mouth open staring at Catherine with a look of utter shock but that at the same time asked, "Why am I even surprised?"
Catherine, meanwhile, slowly swiveled back and forth slightly in her chair, a self satisfied smirk on her face; all around giving the impression of a smug cat.
Sara finally recovered sufficiently to get enough oxygen into her lungs to form words. "So…what is it, Griss? Boxers or briefs?" The muscles in her face were battling each other, one set determined to keep her expression neutral, while the other was dead set on laughing again.
Grissom was finally able to drag his irate gaze from the strawberry blond to direct it at the brunette.
The two other members of the team with Y chromosomes snickered as Nick wiped his face and the liquid he had sprayed on the floor with a napkin and Warrick's mingled with the remnants of his coughing fit. All laughing from them died a sudden death when they became the supervisor's next targets.
The man whom everyone in that room admired but also loved to tease at any turn they could, gave each face one last glare. Nick looked appropriately contrite. Warrick was taking his and Nick's cups over to the sink, trying to compose himself. Sara's face was fixed into an innocent look, but her eyes sparkled suspiciously. Catherine was wholly unrepentant, smirking at him broadly.
He shook his head, having his own small battle against laughter. He returned his attention to the paper that had been on the receiving end of his wrath. "The comment pertaining to my choice of underwear I shall leave at that it as for me to know, and for you not to. As to why I am rather irritated, our team has been 'cordially invited' to the Las Vegas law enforcement annual picnic this Saturday."
Catherine looked like someone had stuffed about a pound of lemons into her mouth as she accepted the seemingly innocent piece of paper as if it was an invitation to hell from the devil himself. "Why don't they just say 'you are cordially commanded'?"
Sara learned in that moment that it was quite possible for your stomach to drop faster than the laws of physics permit. "Uh…this is one of those 'we can't get out of it so save our lives' things, right?" She glanced over at the two men she considered her brothers, more so than her own biological one.
They looked like they were about to be led off a torture session in the London Tower, which probably would have been less painful considering what they would be forced to endure.
Catherine appeared to be trying to incinerate the "invitation" with her eyes. "Oh, you can, but unless you are lying on your death bed, you can expect to have your entire shift 'disciplined'."
"An entire day of making nice with Ecklie and day shift…" Nick looked like a kid who had just been told that summer had been canceled, "yay."
Catherine groaned. "Linds is gonna love this. She doesn't get along with any of the other kids." She balled up the summons and chucked it at the trash bin; it bounced off the rim and flew to Sara who caught it without even glancing at it.
"Look," Grissom's voice broke through the graveyard-like atmosphere in the room, no pun intended, "I know none of us like having to go through this…again, but that can't be helped so let's just get to work, shall we?" He turned his attention to the slips in his hands.
Sara's expression seemed to be playing one-on-one tag with nervousness and annoyance.
"Catherine and Warrick, assault and battery. Two DBs in the Bellagio fountain, Nick; Sara you're with me."
"In the fountain!" Nick's eyebrows shot up as he took the slip from his boss.
Grissom felt something was missing; his gaze searched the room and settled on Sara, who was rolling the balled up paper around in her hands. He frowned worriedly at her disquiet.
"Sara?"
She continued to find something in the middle of empty air fascinating.
"Sara!"
Her head shot up, she looked almost like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Yeah?" She wrestled the guilt out of her expression.
"You ok?"
"Yeah, uh, what have we got?" She scurried to cover up her inattention.
"You, Nick and I have two dead bodies in the Bellagio Fountain." He wasn't buying her quick recovery.
"Cool," she leapt quickly, too quickly, out of her seat," let's go!" She tossed the wadded up paper into the trashcan without looking, making her getaway out the break room doors.
Grissom's eyes narrowed slightly as he followed her quick retreat.
Nick stood almost gaping.
Grissom's head popped back into the through the doorway. "Nick!"
Nick's head shot up at his boss's annoyed tone and he wisely bolted out the door, leaving the object of his utter amazement behind.
Grissom watched his figure rapidly head down the hall before glancing back into the break room, searching for what the younger man could have found so fascinating, but not locating anything. He spotted the invitation that Catherine had crumpled up sitting on top of the pile of trash in the can and gave it a brief final scowl before following his CSIs.
8
Sara had made it to the car first and was sitting in the driver's seat. She drummed out a nameless rhythm that belonged only to her on the steering wheel while she waited. She gnawed on her lower lip, probably harder than she had ever gnawed on any piece of meat before she became a vegetarian. She knew none of her team members were, to put it lightly, happy having to spend their Saturday around people they had no desire to even see in the office. But the truth was she was more nervous about something that she was going to end up having to reveal to them, a little sooner, and definitely not the way she had planned. 'Hey guys, surprise!' she snarked in her head. She pursed her lips distastefully. Yeah, this was gonna be fun.
8
Thank you so much for the reviews:)
Staraice: Yeah I don't like that either, but Grissom in the episode was the one who referred to Catherine having Lindsay being a diversion and yeah I did kinda need to do it to tie it all in.
CJ Lauren: I try:)
gilgrissom007: Thank you!
stokeslover-4eva: Well here is the next chapter!
Adenara Yatman: Thanks:)
Sugar Pill: Thank you very much! And I will try to read your story ASAP!
spooky-phoenix: Yeah, after I bought the CD I immediately fell in love with the song. As far as pairings, not immediately, but I have to say that I am GS. So, I think, that at least for a few chapters you should be ok with them, but after that…(shrugs) I will be having several other pairings, probably all the team will find someone, most likely through the efforts of two devious younguns. (grins)
Please let me know if I made any mistakes because I was up late writing this and I am always grateful when people let me know when I have made mistakes. Praise and constructive criticism only please! Flames…(grins) well, my friends can probably tell you what I do with those! Mwahahahahahahaha!