Disclaimer: Some people want diamond rings, some just want everything, but everything means nothing, if I ain't got fanfic!
A/N: Hey y'all! Well I'm glad you liked their date- I thought it was fun, hee hee. Oh, and just to kinda comment about something, someone said they had trouble making the transition from "Manson, punk Greg" to "Classical loving Greg." I know it may seem a little odd, but it can happen. I love listening to Disturbed, Green Day, Simple Plan, My Chemical Romance, and so on, but I also love classical- I play the violin, viola, and cello. So it can happen :-) There are even punk-classical groups, like Apocalyptica. Now without further ado, onto the chappie!"
Dancing With the Law
Chapter Nine: In Which Sara Bares it All, Almost
"Our greatest experiences are our quiet moments." – Nietszche
"Again!" Madame Parajanov tapped her cane sharply against the floor.
She was having Greg and Sara run through a simple routine, which she had finished teaching them moments ago. Not that it was anywhere near perfect of course, but currently she was testing them on how well they remembered the choreography, and how well they kept their holds and position while doing turns and basic steps. Once they chose their music, she would finalise a proper routine.
"Hmm, not as horrible as you could have done I suppose," Esfir commented as they finished and Sara took her part-bow, part-curtsy. "Now back to Ilya's we go for costuming."
The walk over was quick, and before they knew it, Sara and Greg were once again split up and dressed up in flashy costumes. Greg went with a very simple costume of loose black pants and a black shirt. Once Sara's costume was chosen he would add a vest that matched her. Again, he stayed in costume while they waited for Sara to finish, knowing they would be going for pictures afterwards. Just as he was wondering if she would ever be ready, the changing room door swung opening, revealing Sara.
"What do you think?" She asked, nervously trying to cover her stomach with her hands. "I wasn't so keen on it, but Ilya wouldn't take no for an answer."
"Well I think you look sexy as hell," Greg grinned, trying to put her at ease.
Sara was now wearing a skimpy purple costume. Made of lyrca on top, it looked like a bewelled bustier of sorts. Thick straps formed a halter-top neckline, though there were two small straps in back that attached to the band of material holding it snug against her rib-cage. The flirty skirt was made from a mesh material, and went to about mid thigh. Covered with bluish sequins, it caught the light brilliantly as she moved. Around the waist band was a thick strip of material that came around front and crossed down to the hem of the skirt. As a final detail, there were two pieces of sheer material, one in front and one in back, that looked almost like sashes.
"Not slutty or anything?" Sara said, still looking in the mirror, twisting this way and that.
"Not in the least bit," Greg assured her. "And everyone who knows you knows that isn't possible. Maybe for Catherine, but I don't think she could help it."
"Greg!" Sara admonished him.
"What? You know it's true, she did use to strip, which is why I don't think she could help it. If you put her in something like this, than that old attitude would come out. With you, you look like a sexy rumba dancer, and that's perfectly acceptable," Greg defended himself as he slipped on the matching purple vest that was brought over. Sara was given a robe to slip on over her costume.
"He's right, and besides, at the photo shoot I'm sure you'll see much skankier costumes," Esfir commented as she led them across the street to the salon once more.
"The other competitors are going to be there?" Sara asked as she was pushed into a chair, her hair immediately being brushed, tugged, and pulled on.
"Yes. As all the couples will be doing the rumba, the show producers thought it would be nice to have a few group shots to display. So everyone will be in costume and taking pictures."
Sara started thinking about who else would be there other than David and his fiancé. Thinking about that also helped keep her mind off getting her hair and make-up done, though it went much quicker this time. Her hair was slicked back with some type of pomade to help increase shine, and pulled into a sleek chignon at the base of her neck. For most of the Latin dances, hair styles had to be confined as there was lots of upbeat, fast-paced movements, and it wasn't very attractive to have hair flying everywhere.
"All righty, ready to go?" Greg appeared, looking very much the same as he had before, except his hair had been slicked back.
"I think so," Sara stood up and gratefully took his arm. It was kind of tough to walk in her dancing shoes over the rough concrete.
As they entered the studio, Lyle immediately yelled out a greeting, drawing everyone's attention to them. Sara bit back her annoyance at that, and accepted his hug and kiss on the cheek, if a bit stiffly. She couldn't help laughing though when Greg received the same. She then turned her attention to the other couples around the room. David and Amy were there of course, and they were one of the few couples she knew. Greg pointed out Archie and his girl-friend Carla Robles, a pretty Philipino woman with long, curly black hair. She was extremely petite Sara saw as Greg dragged her over to say hi. Not more that five feet tall. She apparently was a new LVPD detective, and shared a love of Mickey Mouse with Archie. They were in the competition because of prior experience. Apparently, Archie had lost a bet and ended up taking a few lessons with her, and decided to stick with it as a hobby.
While the couples had their individual pictures taken, Greg and Sara made their way around the group, introducing themselves to the other couples. Paul and Summer Baltes were married, and Summer was one of the law consultants for the police department. Michael and Sharon Jameson, a slightly older couple than all the rest as they were in their fifties, both worked at the lab. Sharon as the dayshift secretary, and Michael as the janitor. Blake and Tara Kennedy, no relation to the famous Kennedy's, were the next two they met, and wished they hadn't. Both worked for the police department, but were snotty and stuck-up, claiming they would win because they knew everything about dancing. Greg and Sara simply smiled and quickly moved on to meet the next couple. Dominic and Adele were extremely nice, though very quiet. They were also police officers, working with the Narcotics unit. The last couple to meet was Samantha Englewood, a rookie cop with LVPD, and her partner Lucien Gray.
Sara and Greg were the last to be called up for their couple shots, but it went fairly quickly as Lyle used many of the same poses as when they had been there with their waltz costumes on. Their favourite pose this time was the one where Greg was resting his hands lightly on her hips as he stood behind her and slightly to the side, with his head resting on her shoulder. Sara had her hands resting on top of his. It was just fun and comfortable, and suited them both.
"Attention please!" Lyle called out, and everyone moved in close. "Thank you. Now, we're going to be doing the group shot, so first things first, gentlemen, please line up tallest to shortest, and then ladies, if you would be so kind as to join your partners."
They did so, and then Lyle had them count off into two groups. The two groups formed a slight "V" shape, with the tallest couples on the ends, and the shorter ones closer to the center. They stood with their bodies angles slightly towards the camera. The two girls closest to the center, Karla and Amy, were instructed to prop their outer foot on top of a colorful box with the competition logo on it. Behind them stood their partners, Archie and David respectively, than each of the other couples. The woman in front, with her partner just behind her.
Lyle tried several other poses, such as keeping the "V" shape, but having the couples face each other instead. He also had a more sporadic arrangement, randomly placing couples in various positions based on which colored costumes looked good near each other, or which people's skin tones complimented each other. Everyone was having fun and joking around, except for Blake and Tara who continuously flaunted the fact that they had top-of-the-line costumes, equipment, practice facilities, instructors, and so on. However, they were more or less ignored.
"As fun as that was, I'm glad to be able to put this back on," Sara commented as Greg held her robe out to her. Many of the other women were doing the same, as the building was chilly.
"Yeah, and we've gotten to meet everyone else, which is cool," Greg agreed. "Oh, I swore Archie to secrecy, and asked the others not to mention anything as we want it to be a surprise."
"Good."
"Yup, though it's not a big deal. A lot of them said they were doing the same thing. Except for Blake and Tara who have been announcing it at every opportunity they can," Greg wrinkled his nose as they walked back to the studio.
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"I'll see you in a few hours," Sara called as they walked out to their cars, another night of work over.
"Yup at the gym, we need to go over our rumba moves, and pick some music," Greg nodded.
"Actually," Sara paused, looking hesitant. "I kind of found a song I would really like to use."
"Sure," Greg shrugged. "Just bring it tonight. I'm sure it's great if you picked it."
Later that afternoon at the gym, Greg walked into and headed for the room they always used. As he neared the classroom, he could hear bits of a haunting melody trickle through to his ears. Opening the door, he saw Sara already stepping in time to the music.
"Is this the music you wanted to use?" He asked, once the music had finished.
"Yeah," she nodded. "I accidentally downloaded it, and the words just fit my feelings for Grissom at one time. It always used to put me in a melancholy mood because I would wonder what was so wrong with me that he wouldn't give us a chance. So I think I need to put some happy memories with it."
"Sounds like a plan," Greg chirped as he pulled on his dance shoes and stood up. He planned on keeping things light, cause he wasn't about to let Sara get herself down.
"Ready?" Sara asked after they moved into position.
When he nodded, she clicked play, and the soft sounds of "You're the Only Place" sung by Nick Lachey drifted out, encompassing them in melody. Greg divided his attention between focusing on the steps, and listening to the song. He could see why it had captured Sara's attention. Besides the haunting melody that just seemed to invade your soul, the words were strikingly beautiful, even if he didn't care much for the actual singer.
"Wow, I think that's the best we've ever done those," Greg said, referring to the steps. "I'd say it was all because of me, but I don't want to sound too egotistical."
"Well I'm sorry to say you just failed at it right there," Sara commented, a hint of a smile playing about her lips.
"Did I? Then thou must punish me, fair maiden, for my gross indiscretion!" Greg fell to his knees, hands clasped in front of him in a beggar's position.
"All right, just let me think," she rested a finger on her chin in mock-contemplation. "Dinner."
"Huh?" Greg was taken surprise by the request, and got to his feet.
"Dinner, before the Nevada Symphony Orchestra concert," she clarified. "I mean, if I'm going to have to dress up so formally, I might as well make it worth my while, hadn't I?"
"No problems here," he smiled. "I would love to take you out for dinner. The concert's on Sunday though, so you're going to have to take off work."
"That shouldn't be hard. I've got almost all my sick days and vacation leave, not to mention a guy on day's owes me if Grissom complains about needing another CSI."
"Cool cool then," Greg stretched his arms above his head with a slight groan. "Run through it again?"
"Of course," Sara laughed. "And make sure to watch the tempo, you occasionally got off count by half a beat."
"Ma'am yes ma'am," he saluted before moving into position.
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"Oh Grissom," Sara called just as he was about to walk out of the break room.
"Yes?" He paused and turned to face her.
"I'm taking tomorrow night off," she told him. "If you do get short handed, Jefferson from day's will be on call."
"Why?"
"Do I need a reason?" She crossed her arms, slightly exasperated.
"No," he shook his head. "Just curiosity I suppose."
"Well curiosity killed the cat," she mumbled as he turned to walk out.
"And satisfaction brought it back," he called over his shoulder as he left.
"Damn you and getting the last word," Sara griped, though there was a hint of amusement in her tone.
The previously tense relationship she had had with Grissom was now very much relaxed, and back to as it had been when they were friends. Sara knew a large part of that was due to the fact that Greg was slowly filling her thoughts. As much as she tried to deny it, she knew she was starting to care for Greg in a way that was more than just friendship. And she was scared of that almost. Every other relationship she'd been in had ended in ruins. She was afraid that if they did try the whole relationship thing, and it didn't work out, than she would lose that friendship they had.
"Hey hey," a knock on the door frame made her look up.
"Hey Nick," she smiled as he and Warrick walked into the room. "Warrick."
"Hey girl, how you been?" Warrick gave her that easy-going smile of his.
"Pretty good. Staying busy," she shrugged slightly, motioning to the paperwork in front of her. "I swear, this is never-ending."
"I know the feeling," Nick held up his own pile of papers.
"Hey are you guys finishing-" Catherine started to ask as she breezed into the room, but saw them doing the paperwork in question. "Good."
"Hey Cath, can I ask a favor?" Sara turned to the other woman as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Sure, what is it?"
"I need a formal dress by tomorrow, and I don't really have any idea where to start," Sara smiled sheepishly. "Do you think we could go shopping after shift, and you could help me find something?"
"I'd love too," Catherine beamed, already thinking of what would look good on the brunette. "Where are you going?"
"Dinner at the Bellagio, then to a concert done by the Nevada Symphony Orchestra."
"And are you going with someone?" Catherine asked, eyebrow raised in question.
"Perhaps," Sara answered teasingly.
"Ooh, Sara's got a date," Nick chuckled.
"Shut it Nicky," Sara stuck her tongue out at him.
"So who's the lucky guy?" Warrick asked, grinning. "After all, to get you to accept a date, he must be something pretty special."
"I think he might be," she answered, and everyone was surprised to see a soft smile play about her lips as she spoke.
"And his name is?" Catherine prompted again.
"For me to know and you to not find out."
"Aw c'mon, why not?" Nick whined slightly.
"A girl's gotta have some secrets," Sara shrugged lightly. "Besides, I don't know if this is going to turn into anything serious or just be a casual couple of dates. Maybe once I know a little better, I'll tell."
"I guess we can accept that for now," Warrick spoke for himself and Nick.
"Well I won't," Catherine smirked at Sara. "I'm determined to find out at some point while we go shopping. And speaking of that, are you done with that, cause we can get out of here early?"
"Sounds like a plan," Sara nodded, then turned back to Nick and Warrick. "See you guys later."
"Take pictures!" Warrick called as she and Cath walked out.
"So, any specifics on the dress?" Catherine asked after they had dropped off their paperwork. They were now headed for the strip.
"I just want it long. No short dresses, cause I've got ugly knees," Sara laughed lightly. "And maybe a darker colour. I think I look better in those."
They arrived at the strip, and before long, Sara was changing in and out of dresses as if the world was going to end. Eventually though, nearly two hours after they had started, Sara found one that both suited her tastes, and met Catherine's approval. The gown was floor length, and in a deep purplish-grape colour. A-line in cut, it was chiffon with a satin lining. The top of the bodice was knotted towards one side of the gown, forming straps which were more like shoulder panels that flowed loosely down her back and past her waist.
After taking Catherine out for a late breakfast as thanks, Sara headed back to her apartment. Feeling happy that she had found a dress, and confident in her choice, she found herself very much looking forward to her second date with Greg.
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A/N: Well that's it for this chappie. Maybe kind of a weird place to leave it, but I can't say I care. Anyways, for those who are interested, links to both the costume and her dinner dress will be in my profile. Other than that, if you're so inclined, leave me a review letting me know what you think.