Chapter 17:
Not a few hours later Nick and Warrick walked into the locker room to find the women loitering around, for lack of a better verb. Alex was helping Jen safety pin the seams on a shirt Sara had pulled on inside out. Catherine was modeling Sam's cowboy hat to herself in the mirror. Olivia and Shannon were putting makeup on in the same mirror while Sam French-braided Tasha's hair.
"What's going on?" Warrick said as he tried to make his way to his locker.
Sam tied off the end of Tasha's braid. "We're gettin' outta here. Catherine and Shannon said they'd show us where to go to have a good time in Vegas."
"We made them promise us nothing too cheesy." Jen said from under Sara's extended arm.
"What exactly are you doin' here, then?" Nick asked as he watched Alex pull out needle and thread from Jen's carryall.
"You don't expect us to go out in our work clothes do you?" Catherine asked.
Warrick pointed at Sara and her entourage. "What's with that then?"
Sara sighed as Alex put a few quick stitches in the shirt and then handed the needle to Jen. "According to the fashion police, I had to change my top. It wasn't nice enough for them. I didn't have anything so I borrowed this from Shannon. They had to take it in a little."
She scowled as the men chuckled and Jen shuttled her off around the lockers to turn her shirt right side out. Greg boogied his way in, caught sight of the women, and pulled his ear buds out. "Headed out for a night on the town, ladies?"
Shannon looped an arm through his. "Yep. Wanna come?"
"I'm always ready for a night out with a bunch of beautiful women."
"What're we? Chopped liver." Nick asked incredulously.
"All y'all can come as long as you behave yerselves." Sam said, rescuing her hat from Catherine.
"I'm making sure to bring Elliot. How about you guys round up Grissom and Brass? Tell them it's mandatory on pain of death and a pile of paperwork." Olivia joked.
The three men saluted sharply and dispersed. A few minutes later Brass, Grissom, and Elliot were hauled into the locker room, cuffed. They stood there, glaring at the women.
Tasha held up her hands in defense. "Hey don't look at us; the handcuffs were their idea, not ours."
Olivia walked over to Elliot and began fixing his shirt. "I'd say we take advantage of the situation and get them ready for tonight, ladies."
Sara and Jen eagerly agreed and went to work on Brass and Grissom. Grissom started to splutter and found himself backed into a locker.
"Don't fight us Grissom. You're going with us whether you like it or not. If I have to go, you have to go." Sara said as she slid his glasses off and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.
Brass opened his mouth to say something but Jen beat him to the punch. "Don't try pulling rank dude. We don't care because half of us don't work for you and you're coming no matter what you say."
Elliot gave a resigned sigh and allowed Olivia to divest him of his tie and the cuffs. Grissom and Brass' cuffs followed after they agreed to go with little argument.
They trooped to the hall only to be stopped by Conrad Ecklie.
"And where do you all think you're off to?"
"We're just going out for a little bit. I think we deserve it." Catherine answered.
"And who's going to man the lab, I ask you?" Ecklie asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Grissom looked at his watch. "Day shift started an hour ago, Conrad. We have no reason to be here and you have no reason to stop us."
"Besides, you can't fire us. We don't work for you." Olivia said as she looped an arm through Elliot's. Alex took his other and they proceeded to lead him down the hall.
Tasha and Jen each grabbed one of Brass' arms. "Us too."
"Same here." Sam said as Nick slung an arm round her shoulders.
"Don't forget me." Shannon said as she grabbed Greg's hand and pulled him down the hall with the others.
Warrick wrapped an arm around Catherine's waist. "We'll be seeing you."
That left Grissom and Sara. "Don't worry. We'll have our pagers and phones on if anything huge comes up."
Grissom offered his arm to Sara. "Shall we?"
Sara took the proffered arm and they followed everyone else out the door much to Ecklie chagrin.