A/N: lol, glad you guys liked it… isn't it funny that three of the seven people who reviewed were vegetarians? ANYWAY…
Egyptianmyth: Thank you! And I plan on having a long and healthy relationship with this story! ;-)
VeganCSI: lol… well, as I'm sure you know, I'm not a Catherine hater… I love Cath to bits! But I wanted to try something different, and Ivy has reasons to hate her! Lol, thanks for cheering me on!
mrsbloom1984: lol, thank you!
Sahariah: yeppers… stress isn't cool… and believe it or not, in real life, I don't have a thing for Warrick! I'm Nickys' girl all the way! Poor beans… hope you like the update!
Carrie/ Navaer: lol, hi there! Glad you liked it!
Maddy-CSI: Oh, I don't have anything against Cath, in fact, I lurve her, so I won't be killing her off… just thought it would be fun to mess around with Ivy. I'm a Brillow, anyway… lol! Yay, I'll go read those soon! I am stuck on Crash and Burn! I don't know where to go with it… wah!
Alicat Sanders: lol, thanks Alice! I know, I know… however, it was a response to a challenge, and it required Warrick or Archie… I'm writin, I'm writin!
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I know, you're probably thinking I'm a total weirdo for being so in love with a man I have barely talked to… but something about Warrick... I can still see him through the window, just eating his lunch, talking with the other CSI's. I turn around completely, staring openly at him. Like he'll notice, anyway.
Shit.
I duck as quick as I can, forgetting entirely that the whole wall is made of glass. Damn, damn, damn… he saw me staring at him… he can still see me crouching on the ground like I'm being fired at. Standing slowly, I swallow my pride and walk into the room. He watches me with those brilliant green eyes. I sit shakily, picking at my sandwich and ignoring my soup. Suddenly, I'm not hungry.
"Ivy?" I look up; he said my name? It sounds like sugar rolling off his tongue… like he was meant to say it. Staring into those eyes… oops, he probably said my name for a reason.
"Yes?"
"Can you come outside with me?" My breathing becomes ragged and panicky. Probably not a good idea for me to be alone with Warrick… but what can I do? He grabs my hand, leading me out into the hallway, out of sight of the break room, out into the parking lot where he leads me to a car. He sets himself onto the hood and pats the car next to him, inviting me to sit down. I do so nervously, ready to dart if I do anything to embarrass myself.
"Nice out here, huh?" The gentle breeze is blowing his hair around… I want to reach out and touch his face.
"Yeah…" I'm staring, and I know it… thankfully, he's looking into the distance and not at my star-struck expression. "So, Warrick-" all right, I know before I felt stupid saying Greg's name, but this is RIDICULOUS! It's just a name, I should be able to say it without hearing wedding bells in my head… wait a sec, wedding bells? I'm 25, and he's probably younger than me… he certainly looks like it… oh damn, he's staring at me. Oh wait, I said something… what was it? Crap!
"Yeah?" Feeling stupid, I try to pick up where I left off.
"Is there a reason you pulled me out here?" Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no problem with sitting here outside with him, just the two of us and the beautiful Vegas sky, but if we stay here much longer, I don't know how I'll be able to stop myself from leaning over and kissing him.
"Uh, yeah… I was just wondering if you needed anything." Oh, damn… "I know the first day at a lab can be stressful." I nod, transitioning between watching his lips and his eyes as he talks.
"No, everything is great so far." I smile thankfully at him, and he smiles back. Suddenly, I feel like sobbing. Warrick obviously doesn't know what he makes me feel inside; hell, I can't even explain what I'm feeling. I hop off the hood of the car, leaving him sitting there alone. "We should probably get back inside. People will wonder…" I can't finish. I walk slowly inside, though I feel like running as fast as I can.
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Shift is over sooner than I expected… we all just finished processing some evidence from a B&E a few days ago… I managed to avoid Warrick and Catherine the whole time, also processing some of that information in my head… Catherine is obviously in love with Warrick, or at least in lust with Warrick. He probably likes her, she's a much more qualified CSI than I am, and after all, for all I know, they could already be dating. At least I can go home and try to get it out of my head… the throw my things in the passenger seat of my car and start the engine slowly. The headlights flood the rest of the parking lot; my heart stops as I see Warrick unlocking his own car, the car that we sat on together not too long ago. His coat is flung casually over his shoulder, and one hand is in his pocket as the other fiddles with his keys. I just watch him for a moment… then I force myself to look away, to pull away, and to leave the place where we met. I can't help but laugh at myself when I realize that there are tears in my eyes.
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I finally arrive home; it's a welcoming sight. The porch light is on and through the window I can see my living room, waiting for me. Smiling, I jump out of the car, grabbing my bag, and run to the front door. I grab the knob and twist it; my sister had been coming by, and she always forgets to lock it back up. Everything I exactly where it belongs, and the cinnamon apple candles I left burning have filled the house with their beautiful scent. I drop my purse on the counter, sighing heavily. Sure, work was pretty easy today, but I'm emotionally exhausted. I kick off my shoes and put them by the door, then make my way across the soft cream-colored carpet to my couch. I sink into it, blissfully groaning as it lets me sink into its cushions. I turn over, ready to fall asleep, but I can't… his face flashes across my mind and immediately I feel awake. Warrick Brown… I feel so confused about him. It's truly ridiculous how I feel right now… he's the only thing that I have cried over in almost 10 years now, and I don't even know him. Then something occurs to me; he pulled me outside to ask if I needed anything? He easily could have asked me that in front of everyone else… I grin as I realize that there's a slight chance he may like me; after all, I haven't (as far as I know) made a bad impression with him, and I do hold the cards by automatically getting the position of 'mysterious new girl'… I close my eyes to better imagine his handsome face. I see him smiling, dancing, and holding me close as we twirl about my living room together… my eyes snap open. This is the most luscious kind of torture imaginable. Sure, it sucks that I've just met this wonderful man, but in a way, it signifies that something could happen; despite all my past experience… something could happen.
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A/N: Kind of short, but I need inspiration! So review away, and thanks for reading!