DISCLAIMER: Don't own it... No money made... Just for fun and enjoyment.
SUMMARY: Sequel to Displacement. The CSI team and their recently hired coroner Stephanie are back to work solving cases, sharing companionship and generally making their way through the dire world of criminal investigation with humor and friendship... This one will show the development of the relationship between Grissom and Sara and there should be some other surprises down the road as well. Romance/Drama/Angst/Mature Situations
RATING: M for Mature - I'm starting this one out at "M", since we won't be waiting quite so long for the smut this time out ;) Also, there is a sprinkling of language throughout the story.
A/N: False Alarm on the baby front :p Can you tell I am excited for the little guy to get here? But apparently not as excited as my sister. She has been calling me everytime she gets up tonight (In case you hadn't noticed, I work nights), so I am being treated to a whole host of complaints about late term pregnancy... Hmmm, I wonder if this will be useful in the near future for my writing:)
REVIEWS: I am always looking for ways to improve my writing, and your reviews let me know if I am hitting my mark. Thank you in advance for the time you take to review this story.
Chapter 18
The morgue seemed strangely quiet as Catherine walked into the room. There were no bodies, at least no new ones, since it was a burglary night, but there was usually some kind of activity or sound in there. That changed very quickly.
CRASH "Son of a bitch!"
Catherine took a deep breath and turned for the office where the sound came from. "Must be something in the air tonight," she said as she shook her head.
When she peeked around the corner, she found Stephanie seated at her desk, with her head in her hands and a large metal tray lying on the floor against the wall. Catherine took one look at the young woman and the sight pulled at her heart a little. She could tell that Stephanie was in pain, but Catherine had not had any luck in finding out what that was yet, so she had deduced that it was much worse than she could have imagined. She had planned on saying something to Gil about her suspicions, but after his meeting with Ecklie, Catherine knew that was no longer an option.
Catherine cleared her throat to announce her presence, but Stephanie did not move an inch. "Is it that bad, kiddo?"
"You have no idea." The small voice coming from the young woman pulled at those heart strings once more.
Catherine came into the room and took the chair in front of the desk before she spoke again. As she took her seat, Stephanie looked up into Catherine's gaze and that was when the lump rose in her throat. The young coroner's eyes were rimmed with red, but her face was pale, and Catherine was certain she had been crying recently. "Well, you've got my undivided attention."
"If only that would help." Catherine immediately knew the young woman was serious, but that they were not talking about the same things. "Until I can get my hands on those research notes, I'm never gonna figure out what killed that man."
"Since when is that your concern, Steph?"
"Adler had one of the finest minds in all of Botany, possibly in all of life science, and there has to be a legitimate reason for his death, Catherine." Stephanie's voice had a dangerous quality to it that Catherine instantly recognized.
"I'm not saying you're wrong… It's just that there's only so much you can do, Steph." Catherine leaned back, just a bit, knowing she was in a precarious position in the conversation.
"You think I don't know that?" Her anger was boiling to the surface. "You think I don't know what I am and am not capable of?"
Catherine took a deep breath, she knew saying the wrong thing in that moment could make things ten times worse, so she chose her words very carefully. "Stephanie, I'm not saying anything like that." Catherine took her time with her answer, "I'm just worried about how this case is affecting you."
The words hit their mark, and Catherine could see the young woman's anger deflate. "I'm sorry, Cath." It was Stephanie's turn to breathe deeply that time, and when she had regained her composure, she spoke. "It's just a really bad week." Stephanie sunk back into the seat and let her head fall backwards until she was looking at the ceiling.
"I gathered as much." Catherine decided to use a bit of humor to try and lighten the mood, and so she added, "Just try to keep it to a minimum on Thursday nights, okay?"
Stephanie chuckled, but kept her face away from view, "Uncle Gil that bad tonight?"
Catherine shrugged, "With Ecklie on his ass, and that whole business at the Body Farm yesterday… And it's Thursday night." She waited for Stephanie to meet her gaze again, and when she did, Catherine said her final peace, "I just wish those two would wise up faster."
Stephanie laughed that time, "Yeah, I've been saying the same thing… But I have something of an inside track on that one."
That little nugget was too much for Catherine, and her feline nature was instantly on alert. "Oh, now you can't go dropping hints like that and leaving me hanging, kid."
Stephanie gave her a sly sideways glance before the smile broke out on her face, "Sorry, but I had to promise someone that I wasn't going to say anything."
If Catherine had been standing, she would have had her hand on her hip when she spoke next, "Like that ever stopped us before. Who is this 'someone?'"
"Oh, just my old ASL instructor." Stephanie flipped the vague comment to her and Catherine's brow was up in an instant.
"Gil?" She was confused by the comment, because Gil was the only person she knew of that knew ASL who could have taught Stephanie the language.
"I didn't learn ASL until I got out of med school, so that would be a no." Catherine realized that Stephanie was enjoying tormenting her.
Having reached the end of her patience after spending most of her shift keeping the team in one piece after Gil's outburst, she could no longer stand the guessing game. "Stephanie, I am not in any kind of m-…"
"Mary called me to make sure she could get a ride from the airport when she gets here." Catherine screwed up her face, as she tried to figure out who Stephanie was referring to with her answer. "C'mon Catherine, how can you not know who Gil's Mom is?"
The light turned on in her head and she shot Stephanie with a look of complete shock, "His MOM is coming out? When?"
Stephanie shrugged, "Mary didn't say when, she just wanted to make sure I could help her out, because she wanted to surprise Uncle Gil, and she didn't want to stay at his place either."
"Wow! I had no idea… I mean, so Gil doesn't even know yet?" Catherine was still processing the information.
"I don't think I can say… Let's just leave it at knowing that when Mary gets here, things could get really interesting." The look on Stephanie's face was practically impish, but Catherine knew the conversation was over, and her investigation was just beginning. Something like this deserved careful research, and Catherine was going to learn every detail she could possibly discern. I have a feeling that Gil doesn't stand a chance… With Steph AND his mother on his case; he's toast.
