I don't own any of these characters. I wish I did though...then I'd be rolling in the cash...
Chap. 1 Grooms Room
Greg sat in the grooms room, one leg bouncing nervously. He shifted uncomfortably in his rented tux. All he could focus on was his shoes.
"You o.k. man?'"
Greg looked up to see where the voice came from.
"Nick. Yah, I'm just trying not to puke." Greg said in a pathetic voice.
"Whats to worry about? You know what she's gonna say."
"But what if she changes her mind?" Greg asked panicked "Haven't any of you seen the wedding singer? Adam Sandler gets left at the alter…it happens all the time. Especially in Vegas."
"Take a deep breath Greg." Grissom said in a calm tone. "After everything you two have been through I doubt Constance is going to walk out now."
Greg just went back to focusing on his shoes.
Nick leaned against the wall and smiled "Man she really turned the lab on it's ear when she showed up didn't she." He said in almost a wistful tone.
"M'hmn" Warrick grunted.
May 8th 2004
Greg walked into the lab nursing a much needed coffee. He passed the front desk and stopped short and backed up.
"You're not Julie." He said.
"You must be a CSI." The girl behind the desk said in a sarcastic tone looking up from her computer for a split second.
"Greg Sanders" He said holding out a hand.
The girl stood up and shook his hand with her multi-ringed hand "Constance" she said "Julie had her baby a month early so the temp agency sent me. She had a girl, named her Jocelyn." She added making a face as she said the babies name. "So you're Greg huh?" she said sizing him up "I can see that. As soon as the other secretaries saw me they said you and I would get on just fine."
Greg stood back and gave her the once over. She was defiantly his usual type. She had short black hair with red chunks running through it. In her nose was a little diamond nose ring. He had noticed with the disapproving face she had made earlier that her tongue was pierced. She was wearing a bright blue sweater that tied up just under her breasts over top of a black tank top. Her frame was small but not fragile. She sad her nails painted dark red with a silver French tip. He wished he could see through the desk at what else she had on but what he could see was what he was going to have to settle for at the moment.
"Well sorry to break your heart but I'm afraid I have other interests." He said holding his palms out as though it was out of his hands.
"I'm sure I'll get over it." She said as she sat back down. "Sara right?"
"What?"
"Sara is your other interest, right?"
"Man the secretaries sure talk fast don't they."
"She's the brunette with the…uh" she motioned to her teeth.
"Yah why?"
"Cause here she comes"
Greg turned to see Sara walking down the hall. He felt his hands start to get clammy.
"Oh…uh…" He stuttered.
Constance rolled her eyes "Follow my lead" she said getting up and coming around the desk.
She sat up on the desk and crossed her legs so that the black skirt he had longed to see earlier hiked up a little, exposing a little more of her well shaped legs. Leaning in she caressed his arm and than threw her head back in a laugh that almost convinced him that he had just told a joke.
Sara slowed her stride as she walked by and then picked up pace again.
"Mission accomplished." Constance said as she hopped off the desk.
"What?" Greg said not sure of what just happened.
"Now she will be thinking of you all day."
"Oh" Greg said with a bit of a smirk "Thanks"
"Any time" Constance said as she went back to her typing "Now you go join her in the break room and pretend like nothing just happened. Shoo."
Greg heard Sara's voice coming out of the break room as he approached.
"I realize that Julie had her baby a month earlier but I'm sure that the temp agency could have sent somebody a little more professional. I mean she's wearing fishnets Grissom…FISHNETS!"
"Granted her attire could be a little more professional but she was all the agency had on such short notice and she is entirely qualified. But I will talk to her about her attire." Grissom said calmly.
With that Greg walked in. "Good evening everyone." He said deliberately not looking at Sara.
"Greg you dawg" Nick said from a corner "Is it true that you were flirting with the new secretary?"
"Well she was more flirting with me but I did throw her a bone." He responded with a smug grin.
"Well she is fine." Warrick piped in.
"Yes she is." Greg said braging
Sara rolled her eyes and left the room.
"Yes she is" Greg repeated quietly.
As he walked by at the end of his shift he stopped at Constance's desk.
"Worked like a charm." He said flashing a smile.
"I know…that Sara chick really doesn't like me." She said grabbing her purse
"Oh?" He asked.
"Yah. She flashed a killer look as she walked by. I really got under her skin." She said as she got up from the desk. "Don't worry about it." She added noticing the look on Greg's face "I'm used to it. I got a talking to by Grissom. He thinks my attire should be more 'professional'."
"Yah that was Sara too."
"I figured. No worries." She said walking away.
Greg stood there for a second "Constance!" he called after her.
"Yah?"
"I feel bad for getting you into trouble. Can I buy you breakfast?"
"You don't have to feel bad about getting me into trouble. I can do that all by my self. I will let you buy me breakfast if it will appease your conscience."
"You are too kind." He said laughing.
They weren't too sure how it happened but an apology breakfast turned into four hours of talking and laughing and ended with plans for a date.
When he arrived for his next shift Greg almost spit coffee out his nose when he saw Constance's 'professional' outfit.
She stood up and pirouetted for him revealing a black and red pinstriped PVC business style suit. She had her hair pulled back tight with heavy black plastic frames resting on her nose. She had on black nylons with a back seam and black mary jane style stilettos.
"Promise me you'll wear that tonight." He said.
"You mean you aren't curious about what else I can pull out of my closet? Where's the scientist in you?"
"You just pulled that out of your closet?" He asked.
"I have an extensive wardrobe" she said winking as she sat back down at her desk.
He walked off shaking his head.
"Evening Sara" Constance chirped as her newest rival walked by. In the distance she could hear Greg reeling with laughter. A sound he hadn't produced in a long while.
As soon as Greg got home from his shift he forced himself to sleep so he would be able to stay awake for his date. He had kept it quiet at work knowing how fast news traveled in the lab. Constance had been so easy to talk to. She certainly was a free spirit. He could only imaging how much trouble she had gotten into for her attire today. Greg dozed off with the thought of Connie in her PVC suit.
Greg jolted upright at the sound of his alarm. The long hours he had been working had him in a deep sleep. He almost cursed till he remembered his date. It had been longer than he wanted to admit, even to himself since he had any form of a personal life.
"CSI curse" he muttered under his breath as he climbed into the shower.
Waist wrapped in a towel as he ran gel through his hair he heard a knock on the door.
He cursed as he ran to the door and cursed again when he saw Constance through the peep hole. He opened the door till the chain lock caught.
"Hey," he said
"Hey back." She replied looking through the sliver of open door "I know I'm early so if you want I can wait out here."
"No!" Greg said almost too quickly "Come on in." Greg opened the door and blushed as Constance noticed the towel wrapped around precariously his waist.
"I…uh…just have to get dressed" he stammered as he ushered her to the sofa.
"No hurry" Constance said stiffiling a laugh. She looked around the small apartment. It was tidy and modestly furnished. Most of it looked like dorm furniture which it probably was.
Greg came back in the room while Connie was bent over slightly examining his extensive CD collection. She filled out her red pleather pants terrifically. He enjoyed the view before announcing his presence "Shall we go?" he asked.
"Where to?" Connie wondered out loud.
Greg took a good long look. He had been vague about where they had been going. "Do you like coffee?" he said raising an eyebrow.
Constance looked around the small coffee shop…not a typical first date location but they would be able to talk. Too many first dates happened in a movie theatre where there was no talking.
"You look like a 2 cream, 2 sugar kinda gal." Greg said interrupting Constance's thoughts.
"If it's regular coffee…flavored is amaretto 2 cream, 1 sugar. Iced is vanilla bean iced latte no whipped cream and I like my Italian sodas to be pink grapefruit." She said before leaning in and whispering in his ear as though she had a big secret "And I'm a sucker for mochacheno."
Greg looked impressed…this girl knew her way around a coffee house.
"Well this is no 'regular' coffee but it will be 2 & 2." He said walking towards the counter.
Constance watched him strike up a conversation with the java jockey; he had obviously been here a few hundred times before. He looked great in his faded jeans and graphic tee. Most guys would look like shlubs dressed like that but on Greg it worked.
He came back with two coffees and two slices of cheesecake. Constance took one sip of the coffee and her eyes got wide. 'This is wonderful!' she exclaimed.
"Blue Hawaiian." Greg said proudly 'I helped create it.'
"Well he's cute and brilliant." Connie said in a flirting voice
"You think I'm brilliant?" Greg asked in a mock incredulous voice causing Connie to laugh.
Four hours, 3 coffees, a slice of cheesecake and 2 biscotti later they got back into Connie's car.
"I haven't laughed that much in a long while." Greg said with a huge smile.
"That's what I've heard around the office" Connie said in a serious tone. "You can't let your work get the better of you. I've worked enough jobs to know when and what to leave at work."
Greg looked down "Easier said than done."
They drove back to Greg's apartment in silence.
Connie pulled up in front of Greg's building "I didn't mean to end the date on such a down note." She said apologetically.
"No, it's o.k." he replied looking into her green eyes 'You were right. I need to distance myself a little.'
She looked at him softly, he looked so small and lost in his big life. She knew from their earlier conversation that he had wanted to be a CSI for the longest time but now she sensed he was overwhelmed with it all. From the lab cases were numbers and facts, not faces and lives.
"Connie…"
"Greg…" They spoke at the same time.
With that Connie leaned in and kissed him.
Greg was temporarily taken aback. She was more forward and outgoing than the girls he was used to. It didn't take him longer to recover and respond in kind.
Greg could feel him self responding physically to the kiss as he pressed his lips against hers harder. In what seemed like an eternity wrapped up in a second Connie pulled back slightly.
"Would you like to come up for some coffee?" was all Greg could muster.
"If I drink any more coffee I won't sleep for a week but I would like to come up." Connie said shutting off her car.
The trip to Greg's apartment was a blur of kisses and elevator buttons. Once inside the thought of coffee or anything edible was forgotten.
Connie slipped Greg's shirt over his head quickly.
"I don't usually move this quickly" she said blushing slightly but with no intention of slowing down.
"Neither do I but I don't mind" Greg said before pressing his lips to hers as he guided her to the bedroom.
Greg woke up to the alarm. He was surprised to find him self in bed alone and undressed. The bed beside him was unmade but empty. He turned off the alarm and got out of bed. That's when the smell hit him. He tossed on a pair of pants and headed towards the kitchen. In there he found Connie making breakfast.
"Hey sleeping beauty." She chirped
How could she be so chipper he wondered. He himself was exhausted, elated but exhausted.
"Hey yourself" he mumbled as he looked around the kitchen. It was full of cooking paraphernalia he didn't even know he had. He searched until he found what he was looking for. She had even made coffee, this one was a keeper.
As he approached her he noticed her body tense. This was very different from his last memory of her.
"I…uh…hope you like french toast." She stammered uncomfortably.
"I love french toast…but first I like coffee." He said raising his now full cup.
He sat down at the table and watched her move around his kitchen with ease. Her eyes looked up every so often but darted back down to the task at hand when she saw he was still looking at her.
"Constance…" he started sensing her discomfort
"Breakfast is ready" she said coming in with two plates, two cups of orange juice, maple syrup and cutlery on a cookie tray. She put the breakfast down and sat across from Greg, shifting nervously in her seat.
"Constance…" he repeated.
"Greg I just want to apologize for last night." She said poking her French toast with her fork.
"Apologize?" Greg asked incredulously
"Yes…I don't know what came over me. I'm not usually like that and…well I used to be…but I'm trying to change…and…" She stammered still looking at her plate.
Greg got out of his seat and walked over to the very nervous Constance. Taking her face in his hands he looked deep into her green eyes.
"I don't care what you used to be like…last night was wonderful. You helped me forget what I've seen. You were just what this way too serious CSI needed."
Greg watched Constance's eyes soften as she leaned in and kissed him.
Greg walked into the break room with a bounce in his step.
"You look chipper" Catherine commented
"Do I?" Greg asked in a knowing tone as he poured his coffee.
"Yah man" Nick piped up "if I didn't know better I'd swear you…NO!"
"I'm not saying anything" Greg said as he sat at the table unaware that Sara was behind him keeping very quiet.
"Was it the new secretary?" Warrick asked leaning in.
Greg just kept stirring his coffee.
"Swimming in the company pool Greggo?" Nick asked
"Greg" Sara snapped "We have a case to get started on…if you're not too busy otherwise"
Greg's head snapped up and he knew there was going to be hell to pay one way or another.
"Uh…yes'm." He said as he walked out of the room but not before giving a proud look to the guys.