A Definite Bet

Chapter 4

A/N: For everyone who has reviewed, you get a big slice of cake :) Thank you for all of your wonderful comments!

Ahhh, cake; was there really anything better in life? Sometimes, all a woman needs is a large piece of cake and a fine glass of wine. At least, those were Catherine Willows' thoughts as she took another bite of the delectable dessert. Grissom and Sara had chosen wisely: a white cake with a raspberry filling to complement the chocolate buttercream frosting.

The couple stunned their friends and colleagues when they not only cut the cake in the traditional manner, but also as they fed each other a small piece. When it was Sara's turn, Grissom muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "feed me woman." And Sara just smiled…well, smiled before she smeared the fluffy mixture all over his lips and chin. Grissom took the retaliation in stride; he started to laugh. This again shocked everyone because he never laughed. Not at Greg's antics or Brass' cynical comments or Hodges' attempts to cover his age. Nothing. Amused by her husband's response, Sara chuckled too. Catherine had always thought Grissom was the most intelligent man she knew, but even more so, because he married the one person who could make him laugh.

After the plates had been passed around, Catherine sat with Brass, Nick, and Greg as her daughter Lindsey showed her pictures from the wedding on their new digital camera. The many images included Catherine and Grissom standing together after the ceremony, Warrick dancing with Jacqui, and Nick and Lindsey sitting next to each other, with his arm around the girl. Catherine quietly teased her daughter about that picture being Lindsey's favorite. Lindsey's eyes opened wide, and she gritted her teeth. "Mawwwwm." She obviously didn't want Nick to hear their conversation.

Catherine smirked, then asked "Do you think you've taken enough pictures?"

"No way," Lindsey shook her head. "There's a ton of memory still on here, and I need another good one of Uncle Gil and Sara." Lindsey craned her head to the right, as if looking for the newlyweds. She spotted Sara, and waved the brunette over to the table.

As Sara approached the small group, Lindsey put the camera to her eye. "Say cheese!" The flash hit Sara's unprepared face and she stopped in her tracks, blinking her eyes, trying to regain her eyesight.

"Thanks Lindsey. I didn't need to see anyway," Sara rubbed her eyes again.

The young teenager giggled. "Sorry. Just everyone said I should get as many pics of you as I can, since the next time we see you in a dress will be when a snowstorm hits Las Vegas."

Sara crossed her arms over her chest. "Really? And just who said that?" She looked at the residents of the table. Everyone smiled innocently and avoided her stare, Catherine included. Before they left the house earlier that evening, Catherine had told Lindsey to get a picture with a date and time stamp so they could document the one occasion her colleague wore a dress.

"Now how could you accuse us of saying something like that?" Greg answered, straight faced. "We're your friends. We would never say those things."

"Right Greg. You're so convincing, I almost believe you," Sara told him, equally sarcastic.

"Before you disown us, you have to answer the million dollar question," Brass said.

"And that is…" Sara prompted.

"Why is Ecklie here?"

"I have no idea. He hasn't said anything to me or Gil."

"C'mon, Sara," Nick motioned his hand to her. "You invited him."

She drew her shoulders up. "Doesn't mean I know why he's here. I didn't think he'd show up."

"But you guys did invite him," Brass said with his chin resting in his hand.

"Yeah…we…did," Sara reluctantly admitted.

"Isn't Ecklie that skinny, bald-headed weasel that made Mom and you guys fill out those crappy, five page evaluations?" Lindsey asked.

"Lindsey!" Catherine exclaimed.

"Whaaat! That's what you said when you were talking to Jim on the phone."

Catherine thought Lindsey had made it past the age where she repeated everything her mother said. Apparently, she was wrong.

Sara chuckled along with the others. "Actually…that is a rather accurate description of Ecklie."

"Well, if he's all those things," Lindsey pointed out, "why invite him?"

"Ask your mother. It was her idea."

Catherine swallowed the last bit of cake, and shook her head. "Hey, all I said was, it would look good if he got an invitation to show you two didn't hold a grudge. That you had moved on. And despite him being-," she didn't want use the earlier portrayal her daughter gave, "Ecklie, he's still our boss. Sometimes you have to bite your tongue and swallow your pride." And Catherine knew that all too well.

A few weeks ago, Grissom had called her into his office for a private meeting. He had informed Catherine she would be supervisor of graveyard, effective the day he and Sara left for their honeymoon. Dumbfounded, she asked if he decided to quit. He said no, but explained that he had to step down to prevent defense attorneys from challenging his and Sara's cases because of their combined personal and professional relationship. Ecklie had approved the decision, so all she had to do was accept, which she happily did.

However, Ecklie had later made it quite clear he could have vetoed Grissom's choice for the supervisor predecessor. She knew his threat was in lieu of her outburst over the teams' evaluations of Grissom and Sara. The highly irritated subordinate in her wanted to lash out, but that sort of action would cost her the promotion. Instead the wiser and more mature woman prevailed. Catherine promised she would approach him in a more professional manner when it came to any problems, but she would not tolerate any more secretive actions against staff members. After a few quiet, tension filled moments, he proceeded with the appropriate paperwork.

"That is true Cath, and those reasons are about niney-five percent why he got an invitation," Sara said.

"What's the other five percent?" Greg inquired

Sara smiled thoughtfully. "The other five percent was the 'grownup' part of me that wanted Conrad Ecklie to know that after all the time he stayed at the lab watching us, his 'professional behavior for the good of the lab' lectures, and those worthless evaluations, this marriage was going to happen, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it."

"No, you don't hold a grudge at all," Nick smirked. "I bet it was a joy mailing that particular envelope."

"Yeah, but it would've been better if Gil had let me frame it for Ecklie," Sara deadpanned.

"What didn't I let you do?" Grissom walked up behind his wife and put his arm around her waist as Nick, Catherine, Brass, and Greg snickered while Lindsey rolled her eyes. Shaking her head with a grin Sara answered, "Nothing."

Lindsey immediately started to prepare the camera. "Great! Now I can get a nice of picture of you two." At Grissom's raised eyebrow, Lindsey pouted and gave her best puppy dog eyes. "Please, Uncle Gil."

Sara turned her head slightly to face him. "What's wrong? You don't want to take a picture with your wife?"

"She might be upset if I was in a picture with you instead."

"Har har," Sara elbowed him in the ribs.

Grissom pulled Sara closer, and placed his cheek next to hers. "Go ahead, Lindsey."

Lindsey stood, posed with the camera. "Say 'You complete me.'" The group laughed when the couple's smiles transformed into 'hell no are we saying that' expressions.

"Just kidding. All right, 1…2…3." The flash went off, and camera captured the image of the blissful pair beaming, standing cheek to cheek with Sara's hand over the hand Grissom had resting on her waist.

"There's the happy couple now."

Everyone turned their heads when they heard Ecklie's voice. Grissom and Sara pulled apart, probably from the shock of him addressing them. Catherine could have sworn she heard Nick and Greg's jaws hit the floor.

"May I speak to you two for a moment?" he politely requested.

"Sure, Conrad," Grissom answered in a confused tone. He gestured his hand forward, and Ecklie led Grissom and Sara away from the table. Five heads swiveled to watch them leave.

"Oh to be a fly on the wall for that conversation," Catherine commented.

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While she had been surprised to see him at the reception, Sara had decided not to obsess over Ecklie's presence. There wasn't any reason to be melodramatic. Ecklie could no longer bother Grissom and Sara because they had proved they could behave in an appropriate manner at the lab, and the department didn't have a policy against inter-office relationships. Plus, the assistant lab director did receive an invitation. Up until a few minutes ago, he hadn't said a word to her or Grissom, and that didn't bother her in the least.

The three of them stopped in an empty area, away from the other tables. Sara caught glimpses of several of the guests looking in their direction. She paid them little attention as Ecklie began to speak.

"First off, I wanted to congratulate you, Gil, on your new position. Director Michelson informed me that he put you in charge of research and development."

"Thank you, Conrad," Grissom replied. "Although I was confused to hear the news from him since he said it was your idea."

Ecklie avoided the statement. "I'm just pleased there's someone to research new equipment and techniques. Hopefully we can bring the lab into the number one spot."

You mean Gil will do all the work, and you'll take the credit, Sara thought. She had happily shared Grissom's enthusiasm when he had told her about his new position. For Grissom, it meant he'd get to spend more time running experiments and less time in administrative meetings.

Grissom answered in an even tone, "I'm not making any promises."

"I just want you to do the best that you can." She hoped Ecklie didn't notice her roll her eyes. It was sickening how good the man could be at politics.

Ecklie continued, "I also wanted to thank you both for your continued efforts. I know the last few months have been trying."

Trying! Sara yelled in her mind. He's one to talk. He was the reason why those months were "trying."

"We wouldn't give anything else, but one-hundred percent at the lab." Grissom squeezed her hand and smiled at her. That same triumphant smile he gave whenever he finished on of his crossword puzzles or when he beat her at Quiddler.

"And I never expect less from either of you." He looked at his watch. "I have to be going, but I wanted to give you this." From his jacket pocket, he pulled out a cream colored envelope and handed it to Sara.

"I didn't want it to get lost among the other presents," he said.

For the briefest instant, Sara regarded him as if he was about to give her a poisonous insect. "Thank you…Conrad." The words felt clumsy and foreign in her mouth because she had never thanked Ecklie before. For anything.

Ecklie then made the strangest, most unusual gesture; he placed his hand forward as if he wanted her to shake it. She slowly took his hand, and he gave it a quick pump. "Congratulations, Sara."

She looked at him in disbelief as he made the same gesture to Grissom. "Congratulations, Gil. Good luck to the both of you." And with that he left.

"What the hell was that about?" Sara asked as soon as she saw Ecklie walk through the doors.

Grissom didn't answer her. He kept staring straight ahead, with a small frown and slightly narrowed eyes. Sara had seen this look at the lab and out in the field a few times. She knew he was trying to get the situation make sense, but having little success doing so. "Maybe…maybe…that was his way of apologizing," he finally offered.

"You don't believe that any more than I do."

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"So what did Ecklie say?" Catherine posed to the question to the couple after they walked back to the table. They appeared as confused as ever, which quashed Greg's theory about Ecklie reassigning them to different shifts.

"He…" Sara stopped, as if she had trouble forming the next words, "…congratulated us. I mean, honestly said congratulations. Not one snide word from his lips."

Greg didn't seem convinced. "Yeah right, Sara. What did he really say?"

"I'm serious Greg! He even gave us a card." She showed them the neatly labeled envelope.

"Even I wouldn't expect that from him," Catherine admitted. "What does it say?"

Sara opened the card, and read aloud the generic, not too sentimental wedding greeting. She stopped reading, gaping for a moment before saying it was signed, Best Wishes, Conrad Ecklie.

"And that's not all," she extracted a green, plastic card. "He even gave us a hundred dollar gift card to Barnes and Noble."

"I guess there is some good in Ecklie after all." Greg shrank back as seven pairs of eyes stared him down.

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TBC