Gil Grissom hated paper work and it seemed to hate him just as much. Or maybe it liked him, because the pile on his desk seemed to be growing very well in the dark environment of his office.
He was re-reading sentence on one of the many documents, when he saw out of the corner of his eye, someone walking briskly past his office. Not an unusual occurrence by any means, but it stuck out to him much like a piece of evidence in a case that didn't seem to fit. He waited a few moments hoping that whoever it was would come back by, calling him away from his desk. When no one appeared, he shrugged it off with the nagging feeling he was missing something.
Frowning he stared down at the papers again, adjusting his glasses. He was normally a focused man, even when faced with things he would rather not do. Tonight however, his mind was wandering and it was starting to grate on his nerves. Being the boss, these things weren't suppose to happen to him, couldn't happen to him.
He was staring out his door, thinking about getting up to get some coffee when Nick Stokes walked by his office, glanced in at him and then quickly looked away. The young man continued down the hall as his foot steps indicated, before all was silent.
Something about that look and that walk didn't fit with normal behavioral patterns Nick had displayed before when avoiding his boss. Grissom sat back in his chair reviewed what had just happened in his head. He liked to think he knew his people, at least well enough to know when something was or would interfere with them doing their job. Gil also had been trying to realize more when he'd said something to be the cause of their problems. He stared off into space thinking about anything he could have done lately that would have Nick acting not at all like himself, when he caught a glimpse of him walking back by his office with the same quick glance his way.
The look mad him feel distinctly uneasy which was also something he wasn't used to and especially not when it came from the young Texan. As the feeling passed, he tried to go back to work but found it harder to concentrate than it had been before he noticed…Gil stopped thinking mid-thought while everything fell neatly into place. The evidence never lies…
Sure enough a few minutes later Nick came back by Grissom's office.
"Oh Nick?"
Stokes stopped and came back so he was in the doorway of boss's office, "Yeah Gris?"
"Could you come in here for a moment please?"
Wearily the younger man stepped into the office. It was obvious by the look on his face that he thought he was in for a lecture.
"How's your case going?"
"Alright. I'm waiting for the results from that stain on the carpet to come back and Catherine just called me from the scene. She said she found some orange fibers around the door frame going into the kitchen. If we're lucky they might match up to those from that jacket. Brass's trying to find the boyfriend but I'm not holding out for that."
"Why have you been walking back and forth by my office all night?" Grissom asked out of no where.
Nick's face showed shock at the quick change in subject, "I haven't been."
"Nicky, you've been by here at least three times in the last fifteen minutes."
"I was just-"
Grissom gave him one of his over the top of his glasses looks and Nick's explanation died on his lips. He decide the truth was a safer way to go, "I wanted to ask you something."
"Then ask me."
"It's not that easy Gris."
"It is that easy."
Nick gave a dark chuckle and let his hands come to rest on his hips, "Really it's not."
"I think you're making this harder than it has to be," Gil cocked his head slightly and raised an eyebrow with a smile that was almost detectable in his features.
Nick stepped farther into the office and shook his head. He locked eyes with the older man who was waiting patiently. Finally Stokes opened his mouth to say something but the beeper on his belt when off and he rolled his eyes, "That'll be my stain."
"Greg's not that bad," Grissom smirked at him.
A wicked grin covered Nick's face as he headed out the door, "I'll tell him you said that."
Gil smirked. He was already dreading the next time he had to go to the lab to get evidence. The young lab tech would try overly hard to impress his boss. In the past, people confused it with flirting, then again it was Greg. It very well could be, "Are you going to ask me?" he said to Nick's retreating back.
"Later!" Nick called over his shoulder as he walked off down the hall.
Gil reached around his desk, putting the last piles of paper work in order before he got to his feet and left his office. He had just finished locking the door when Greg came down the hall.
"Grissom?"
"Yes?"
Greg seem to pause for a moment before focusing again,"Have you seen Nick?"
"Not since you paged him."
The younger man smiled broadly, "Did he happen to say anything to you?"
"About…?"
Sander's face lost some of its flare, "He didn't."
Grissom gave the young lab tech a confused look, frowning slightly, "Do you know what he wanted to ask me?"
"Oh so he did say something!"
"Only that he wanted to ask me a difficult question. What do you know about it Greg?"
The younger man paled, "Uh…Oh man! I just remembered I promised to go eat breakfast with…someone. Later Grissom!"
As he stared after the young man, Catherine moved into his line of vision, "Not staying?"
"Can't concentrate," Gil said tightly.
"Ahh," she started to go on about her way.
"Oh Catherine?" he asked turning to face her back, "Have you heard anything about Greg or Nick planning something?"
She had turned to look at him, "Not lately."
Grissom raised an eyebrow, "You mean they have before?"
Nodding she walked back up to him, "Of course. That's usually what people do when they're dating. They plan to do things together."
A look of shock flooded over Gil's face.
"You mean you didn't know?" her eyes wide but amused.
By the way he continued to look at her she knew he hadn't had a clue.
"They've been dating for months…I suppose you don't know about Sara either?"
Grissom frowned, "What about her?"
"Oh boy," Catherine muttered. "Look…Gil…maybe you should ask Nick or Greg about this."
"Maybe?"
She smiled weakly, "Well they could come to you. They must realize that you don't know."
He sighed, "Maybe."
When he got home, Gil went straight for his wine and poured himself a glass. He didn't like to drink much especially when he knew he had to go to work the next night, but hearing that two of his C.S.I.'s were dating each other gave him good enough reason. Gil went out into the living room and took a seat on his couch.
He wasn't bothered by the fact that Greg and Nick were dating, even though they worked together all the time. Obviously it wasn't hindering their ability to perform their jobs, or he would have noticed. It also didn't bother him that they were gay. He'd always had his suspicions about Greg but Nick was a different story.
As he raised his glass to his lips, there was a knock at his door. He tilted his head to the side and let out a sigh, setting his glass down on the table, before going to answer the door. When he opened it, Jim Brass's face met his own.
"Jim?"
"Can I come in?" He sounded worn.
Gil moved away from the entrance enough for Jim to pass, "Something wrong?"
"Catherine told me that you just heard about Sanders and Nick."
"I don't see why that would bring you all the way out to my house."
Brass looked pained, "I should have told you."
"You knew too?" Gil asked in slight anger, "Was I the only one that didn't know? Does Ecklie know?"
"Why do you think you're even higher on his shit list?" Brass gave a humorless chuckle.
"He thinks I-"
Brass took a deep breath, "All he knows is that you haven't said anything to them about keeping their 'relationship' out of the work environment."
"Jim I want to know everything," Grissom said, staring him in the eye.
"About Nick and Sanders?"
"About everything. Nick and Greg, that Sara thing-"
Jim looked surprised, "You finally realized that Sara has been all over you?"
"What!"
"I'll take that as a no. Do you have any more of that?" Brass pointed to Gil's wine glass that was sitting on his coffee table.
"Am I going to need it?" the Senior C.S.I. looked furious.
"Probably, and I could use some of it too."
After Jim left, Grissom managed to get a few hours' sleep before he had to head off to work. He left early and arrived as Ecklie was getting ready to leave.
"Gil, I've been meaning to talk to you about-"
"Conrad if it has nothing to do with a crime being investigated by this lab during my shift I don't want to hear about it."
The other man frowned, "Gil, your team-"
"My team has done its job, which is more than I can say about your team. I don't care what happens between my people, as long as they know what they're here to do and they get it done."
The other man glared at him, "You're not going to-"
"Oh I'm going to do something all right," Gil mumbled as he walked off.
That night, as his C.S.I.'s gathered in the meeting room, Gil went into the lab and asked that Greg attend the meeting as well.
Once Greg was in the room, Grissom closed the door, "Before I hand out assignments tonight I want each and every one of you to tell me the truth. I don't care what it's about and I don't care who it's going to affect. Ecklie is breathing down my neck about inter-office relationships that I knew nothing about and Brass came over to my house this morning to tell me a few very interesting things. Now each and every one of you is going to tell me what I need to know."
Gil's eyes focused on Nick's face first, "Nick?"
The Texan blushed, "I uh…I've been…uh…"
Greg moved over so he was closer to Nick, "We've been dating each other for that last few months."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Nick blushed even more, "We thought you would try to tell us not to and that it was a bad idea."
Sara shook her head, "It is a horrible idea."
The young lab tech rested a hand on Nick's shoulder, "Oh and your crush on Grissom is a good one?"
She blushed darkly and turned her head away from them both crossing her arms over her chest.
"Greg that was uncalled for," Gil said quietly.
"She's just mad because she's the only one that hasn't hooked up with someone!"
Sara glared over at him, "That has nothing to do with it!"
"Sara…" Grissom warned giving her the eye.
She continued to glare but said nothing.
Gil sighed and turned to Catherine and Warrick, "Well?"
"Yeah," Warrick mumbled.
"I meant tell me about the two of you."
Catherine looked surprised, "What's there to tell?"
"Apparently you've been flirting with each other off and on for months, or so Jim tells me," Gil said giving her a leveling look.
Warrick looked over at Catherine, "That's all it's been."
"Is it going to stay that way? Because if it's not I'm going to have to give you a lecture about keeping things professional, and if I have to do that, I might as well make it a group lecture."
Everyone remained silent looking everywhere but at Gil.
"Alright. Everyone knows that since people are dating each other it means I'm going to have to pair you off so you don't get distracted while working a case. If you do end up with someone that has the potential to distract you, I don't want to hear that it did. You are at work, so I expect you to do just that. Is that clear?"
Everyone mumbled in some form or other that they understood him.
"Good. Catherine," he held up a piece of paper, "You and Sara are working together tonight."
Catherine raised an eyebrow but took the sheet and looked it over before handing it to Sara. They both got to their feet and left without a word.
"Warrick, you're alone tonight. B&E down town," Gil handed him the sheet.
"Right," he mumbled leaving.
Finally he set his eyes on Nick, "You're working with me tonight."
Greg looked at Nick then Grissom nervously before turning to leave.
"Greg, just a minute," Grissom said as he stared intently at Nick's lowered head.
"I believe the two of you wanted to tell or ask me something. Would you care to tell me what that was? Or do I already know?"
"It doesn't matter any more," Greg said quickly, glancing at Nick.
"I would still like to know, Greg. I was important and now it's not? Some how that doesn't make since," Gil kept looking at Nick who was still refusing to look at him.
Greg glanced at Nick for a moment before turning to Grissom, "He thinks you're-"
"Please don't!" Nick said looking at Greg, "It'll make things worse."
Grissom narrowed his eyes for a moment, "Nick, let Greg finish. I doubt whatever it is, could make things worse."
"He wanted to ask you, if you wanted to join our happy two-some and make it a three-some," Greg said, never as Nick pleaded at him with his eyes not to.
"Oh," Gil looked at Nick who was blushing a dark red color and determinedly kept his eyes away from him. "I thought he was in love with you."
Greg smiled a little, "He is, but he likes you too. I was just first because, I was available and accessible. That and the fact that he's been scared to ask you because you're his boss and you're straight as far as he can tell."
Grissom frowned, "Well I'm not adverse to the idea of male companionship on a sexual level but-"
"It's not for you and besides that it would be bad for the lab," Nick spat out. He quickly got to his feet and pushed past them both and head off in the general direction of the locker room.
Greg tried to follow him, but Gil grabbed his shoulder lightly, "Do you like me Greg? Or was it only Nick?"
"That doesn't matter now. He's right about the whole lab thing and well…you're straight too."
Grissom looked at Greg for a moment, "You're right,"Greg smiled and tried to pull away from him but Grissom held onto his shoulder, "It would be bad for the lab."
The shocked look on Greg's face, made Gil smile. The older man licked his lips in thought before he spoke again, "However Catherine always has wanted to be the boss."
"You mean you would-" Greg's cheeks colored red slightly but there was a smile at the corners of his mouth.
"As I was trying to tell you, I'm not adverse to male sexual companionship, but I've never had two lovers at the same time. I was never social enough to be that lucky."
"Only if we were very careful Greg. I'm not only your boss at the moment, but I could also be a father to both of you. I'm not young."
Greg smirked, "Were you ever young? I always thought you were born this way."
Grissom gave Greg a reproving look, but it lacked in seriousness, "If I was never young Greg, I have a feeling that you'll never be old."
"Nick will be both so-" The young man stopped mid-though, "Are you going to tell Nick now or after work? Because this might count as a distraction."
"Now. I think it would be more of a distraction not to. I just fount out that he likes me and he knows that, it'll bother him all night if I don't say something."
Nick ran his hand through his hair before punching his locker. He cursed loudly and kicked at the bench.
"Nick?" Gil walked into the room to see the limping, hand waving CSI.
"I'm fine," Nick said shortly, looking up at him for a moment, "I'll be right there, and don't worry. This won't affect my work. It never has before."
Gil looked surprised, "How long have you felt this way Nick?"
The other man shrugged and opened his locker to get his jacket out, "Can we not talk about this?"
"We need to," Grissom said softly.
"Why? It's fine. I understand," Nick said, even though his eyes were watering and his voice wavered a little.
"Nick," Grissom said sternly, "look at me."
Warily he looked at him.
"It's ok to feel things. I'm honored that you feel this way about me."
"I shouldn't have said anything to Greg, then he wouldn't have talked me into telling you and then you wouldn't have ever found out and-"
"Nick, I'm glad I found out," Grissom smiled slightly at him.
"Yeah right. Now you'll ignore me," Nick slammed his locker door shut and turned so he back was to Gil as he pulled on his jacket, "Well you won't need to because I've already decided to switch to days."
"You don't need to do that," Gil came up behind him and put a hand on his back, "You're staying on nights where I can keep an eye on you."
Nick turned around so fast, Gil wasn't even sure it was humanly possible, "What you think I'm going to kill myself because you don't love me back!"
"No!"
"You don't think I have what it takes to be a CSI without you there to hold my hand? You're scared that someone else will finally realize what a screw up I am if I go where you can't protect me? Is that it!"
Grissom's mouth hung open in shock, "Nick I don't think that about you at all…"
"The fuck you don't!" Nick yelled at him, "I never have a case by myself and when I do it's just a B&E! You don't trust my work! You never have!"
Grissom stood in shock for a few seconds, "Nick I'm-"
Catherine's head popped into the locker room, "What's going on in here? Nick? You ok?" Her eyes moved from him, to Grissom.
"Fine!" Nick spat as he brushed past Gil, angrily and out into the hall.
Gil sighed, "I thought you were going to your scene?"
"I was. I came back for my jacket. What happened after we left? What's wrong with Nick?"
"It seems that he has a crush on me," Gil shrugged, going to his own locker.
"Still? I thought he gave you up when he got Greg," Catherine raised an eyebrow and opened up her locker and starting sifting through it.
Grissom turned his head toward her, "You knew that too?"
"Come on Gil, not even Sara can keep from rolling her eyes when you go into one of your lectures. Nick never does. He listens to every word you say. He's even quoted it back at me before."
"You wouldn't happen to remember when he started doing that, do you?"
Catherine stopped going through her things and looked at Gil, amusement clear on her face, "He's been doing it since he was hired, Gil. I'm surprised Brass didn't mention it to you. He seems to have mentioned everything else."
"Oh not you too," Grissom whined.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped at him angrily.
The night supervisor sighed, "Nothing. I need to go." He grabbed his own jacket out of his locker and then closed it moving toward the exit, "Oh and Cath? Could you tell Greg something for me?"
"Why don't you tell him yourself?" she asked suspiciously, still obviously ticked at him.
"I can't. Just tell him I'm still working on the problem," Gil left the locker room and Catherine stared after him.
"What problem!" she yelled after him, but when he didn't answer she rolled her eyes and slammed her locker door shut too.
When Gil exited the lab, he saw Nick standing next to his vehicle, waiting for him, "I thought you left?"
Nick stared at him but didn't say anything.
Gil chewed on the inside of his cheek. This wasn't going to work, "We're working together so you're-"
"I said this wasn't going to affect my work didn't I? Open the door and let's go."
"Sure," Grissom went around to the driver's side and unlocked the doors and climbed in, putting on his seat belt. Nick opened up the back door and slid his case in before getting into the front passenger seat.
Gil turned on the engine and rock music flooded out of the speakers, much to Nick's surprise and disgust. Noticing Nick's look, he quickly pushed the 2 on his preset station channels. Country music filled the vehicle and the younger man shot Gil a look of surprise.
"You listen to country?"
Grissom glanced over at him as he backed out, "Sometimes. Surprised?"
Nick looked like he was about to smile and say yeah, but then he remembered who he was talking to and shut his mouth and looked out the window.
It was a long drive to the scene. Nick refused to talk to Gil, not matter what the other man did to try and spark some conversation. It didn't help much either that every song played on the radio seemed to be about telling someone they loved them and the results. At one of the stop lights Nick reached over and turned the radio off. When Grissom chanced a look over at his profile, the younger man's figures where warped with emotion.
At the scene Gil slowly got out, while Nick quickly jumped out and grabbed his case out of the back seat.
"What took you guys so long?" Jim asked jokingly.
"Traffic. Catherine and Sara's case," Gil said, getting his own kit out of the Tahoe.
"Yeah I heard about that one. Arson at ninety miles an hour. That's going to be a fun one."
Grissom smirked, "I thought Catherine would enjoy the challenge."
"Where's the body at?" Nick interrupted, looking at Brass.
"Most of it's out back by the pool," Brass turned and led them down the driveway and through the gate into the back yard. Beside the pool, on the far side, was a body of a shirtless man in black shorts, whose handless arm was dripping blood still into the pool. The man's other hand was beside him and was still attached to his arm, unfortunately it was missing a few fingers.
Nick set his case down, opened it and got out a pair of gloves, "Is the coroner en route?"
"Should be here in a few minutes," Jim said, as he watched Nick lean close to the corpse.
"There's something on his chest," Nick frowned leaning in a little closer, "Looks like black and red paint chips."
Gil turned to look at Brass, "You said most of the body was by the pool?"
"Yeah," Jim pointed to the open patio doors, "the rest of it is down stairs, in the dungeon."
Grissom gave him a confused work, "Dungeon?"
Brass laughed, "Oh yeah. You're going to love this."
Leading him down the stars Brass showed Gil a room that he could have sworn he had seen at Lady Heathers. There were crops, whips, paddles hanging from one wall and next to them was a large med-evil style wooden cabinet proudly displaying a multitude of devices, all carefully locked away.
There was a table in the middle of the room that had two leather straps attached to the top along with a padlocks and a slits cut in through the wood. In a pool of blood lay, what Gil hoped, were the missing fingers and hand of the man upstairs.
"Well, this was a crime of passion."
Jim grimaced, "How do you figure that?"
Gil pointed to the cabinet and wall, "Those are for pleasure. This," Gil nodded to the table, "was about torture and revenge."
"Gil this stuff is all about torture to me, so save it."
Just then Nick came down the stairs and stopped in shock a few steps from the bottom, "Whoa."
"Welcome to the dungeon," Jim said moving over to some chains and leather cuffs hanging off the wall. He used his pen examine one of the cuffs. "Looks like it's been chewed on. Teeth marks."
Grissom came over to look, "From our dead guy maybe?"
"Or maybe from whoever killed him," Nick's voice was tight, as he looked into the locked cabinet through the metal bars. "Whoever it was probably got sick of being kept here, and being treated like dirt. They snapped and-
"Nick?" Gil said quickly, "May I see you outside please?"
Without even looking at Grissom, Nick turned and ascended the stairs.
"Is there something I should know about?" Jim asked.
"No," Grissom went up the stairs after him.
He found Nick standing at the gate to the front yard, with his back toward the pool. The younger man had ripped off his gloves and was standing with his hands on his hips angrily staring out at the street.
"Nick is something wrong?" Grissom asked softly, regretting the words as soon as they'd left his lips. Of course he wasn't ok.
"Besides the fact that everything in the world keeps reminding me of how screwed up my life is now? I can't leave, but I can't stay either. I can't deliver evidence to Greg by myself and after this case I can't even work with you any more because you're a distraction to me! No Gris. Everything is JUST fine."
"Nick…" Gil started, he sighed and lowered his voice, "If…"he struggled for the right words, "Nick I care about you, and if…you can't work under me any more, I'll understand." He pulled his keys out of his pocket and held them out for Nick to take, "You don't even have to work this case. Take my car and go back to the lab and fill out the paper work. I'll sign it."
Nick turned and looked at Grissom in shock, "What?"
"I'm letting go," Grissom grabbed Nick's hand and pressed the keys into his palm, and closed his hand around them. "You're a good CSI, and if you think I'm holding you back, then…get…as far away from me as you can. You deserve the best."
"Grissom?" Nick looked down at his hand and then up at Gil's face, "What's going on?"
The older man turned and walked back towards the pool, "Would you tell Greg something for me?"
Nick blinked, "Greg?"
"Yeah, tell him thanks anyway," Grissom disappeared into the back yard.
Nick walked into the lab and past the desk to Greg's lab. He paused at the door to watch Greg dance around while he worked, still managing to do everything perfectly, "Greg?"
The younger man kept dancing, spinning himself around a one part, screaming into his fake microphone.
Sighing, Nick stepped into the lab and flicked off the radio, "Greg!"
"Oh! Nick!" Greg continued to dance around his lab looking into a micro scope, "Where's Grissom?" He looked up and gave him a seductive look, "You're not supposed to be in here with me alone."
Nick frowned at him, "Greg. Stop dancing for a minute, will you?"
"You're not happy? How can you not be! This is great Nick! You, me, G-"
"Grissom told me to give you a message."
Greg stopped dancing. He knew the tone that Nick was using and if he didn't stop messing around he'd be sleeping alone in the morning. Well maybe not alone but defiantly not with him, "What?"
"He says Thanks anyway," Nick watched as Greg's face fell.
"What?" Greg asked angrily, "He said he would…how could you turn him down? This is what you've always wanted!"
Nick frowned, "He's letting me move to day shift, Greg. I'll be able to work better without-"
"Day shift! Nick, are you insane? This is Grissom we're talking about! You've always wanted-"
"I've always wanted to be a good CSI. He admits he was holding me back. I'm filling out the paper work and I'll be transferred to days."
Greg narrowed his eyes in anger, "You're giving him up for a day shift? Nick you love him!"
Nick glared, "He's keeping me back, Greg. I'm going no where."
"No! He was willing to risk his job to be with us and you just- I can't believe you!"
"W-w-what?"
Greg glared at Nick's shocked face, "He was going to talk to you about it. Going to tell you before you left so you wouldn't be distracted by someone you thought only liked you as a friend."
Nick swallowed, "He wants to join us?"
"Yes! Obviously you turned him down! I don't understand you," Greg sighed.
"He never told me! He came in the locker room to talk to me and I-" Nick stopped and his eyes widened, "Uh oh."
Greg's eyes softened, "You didn't let him talk did you? You just started yelling at him."
"How was I supposed to know what he was trying to say!" Nick whined.
"You better go back to the scene and tell him," Greg said before spinning back around to work.
"I can't do that!"
"Oh you're going to do it," Greg's voice was very confident, "I'll drive you over to his house if I have to, but you will tell him."
Nick frowned at Greg, "What if I refuse to go?"
"Then I'll date him myself, and I don't care if you like it or not. Grissom doesn't deserve to be treated like that, and besides you have a case to work."
"Yeah…I do," Nick smiled at the back of Greg's head, "Thanks."
"No thanks needed. Someone needs to keep you in line," Greg pulled out the print results from the printer and such it away.
Nick laughed and left, digging Grissom's keys out of his pocket.
Gil carefully bagged the cuffs and chains he had removed from the walls. He hadn't spared anything so far, and he was just waiting for the locksmith to come and open the locked cabinet so he could finish down here.
He tried not to think about Nick, who was probably sitting in his office among all the incased bugs, filling out his transfer form. It was the right thing to do though. Obviously he embarrassed Nick so much in the meeting room that he lashed out and finally said how he really felt. Now, Gil wasn't even sure if Greg had been telling the truth about Nick being the one that wanted him into their relationship.
"Grissom?"
Gil looked up to see Nick standing on the last step of the stairs. He hadn't even heard him come down, "Nick?"
Nervously the younger man stepped off the stairs and walked over, "Need some help?"
"I thought you wanted to-"
"Yeah well, Greg kicked my butt and basically told me how it was," Nick looked into Gil's eyes warmly, and smiled at him.
For the first time in many years, Gil felt himself blush, "Greg?"
"Yeah. He said I was throwing something important away if I switched swifts."
Surprise covered the older man's face, "Really?"
Nick moved into Gil's personal space, "Yeah."
Grissom's blushed darkened; his eyes searching Nick's face, "Nicky I-"
"Locksmith! Anyone here?"
Nick pulled away from him smiling softly, "I know, Gris."
Gil nodded, smiling his own weak smile, "Down here!"
Gil and Nick finally returned to the lab close to the end of their shift. Both of them smiling fondly at the other one when they thought it was ok.
"Gil!" Catherine called out angrily as she saw him walk into the lab with all of his evidence bags, "Do you have your cell phone off again?"
"No," he looked down at his phone and saw that it was off, "oh. Well, I'm here now. What did you need?"
"I just wanted to tell you that Warrick's case is the same as ours. The stuff that was stolen from his B&E is the same stuff that was used on that other car."
Gil nodded, "Well good. Then you can all work together on it. How is that going by the way?"
Catherine frowned, "You're not going to tell us to stay professional around each other again? And fine thanks for asking."
"No. You're all good at what you do and you were before I knew. I just had to say all that so Ecklie couldn't say I hadn't," he turned and went onto Greg's lab where Nick was already waiting for him.
Catherine could see, even from where she was standing, the shy smile Greg gave to Grissom and the look of affection Gil was giving both Nick and the young lab tech. Her eyes widened when she saw Nick mouth the words 'My place then?' and a nervous laugh seemed to escape from Greg who nodded and Gil looked like he was blushing but smiling.
"That explains a lot," she mumbled to herself as she stood and watched them for a moment more, before going off to break the news to Sara. Someone had to explain to her why Grissom had never taken her up on any of her offers.