Scene 9
Grissom stared out at the rain-slick pavement as she drove. The rain had started while she was packing his bags, and had just stopped only moments before and the overcast sky was beginning to clear.
He suddenly wondered where they were headed. They'd made it to McCarran airport, but he assumed she would park in long-term parking since she obviously had made plans for the entire weekend. However, she had bypassed the main building and was headed toward the rear of the property where small privately owned or leased hangars could be found.
He turned to ask why they'd driven back there instead of going to the long-term parking garage, but before he could give voice to his inquiry she smiled and pointed ahead of them to one of the hangars. He sat in stunned silence as she drove through the wide bay doors, and he stared through the windshield in absolute wonder at the sleek, mid-sized jet before them.
The aircraft's name was stenciled onto the fuselage in a bright cobalt colored flourish; "Lucy."
Before he realized it had happened Heather parked her SUV to one side of the hangar far away from the plane, climbed out, and was shaking hands with a tall man in a dark suit.
"It's good to see you again Tom." She said smiling warmly. "This is Dr. Gil Grissom. He will be joining us this weekend…" She glanced back at Grissom with a teasing smile and said to Tom with a slight lilt in her voice, "At least I think he will; if he can bring himself to get out of the car."
He did get out of the car after another second or two and moved to the back of the vehicle to help Heather and Tom transfer their luggage from the Mercedes to the plane's cargo hold. He took time to introduce himself and apologize for his stunned silence. Shaking the other man's hand he repeated Heather's introduction, "Gil Grissom; sorry, she said we were taking a trip, she neglected to mention all this." He said while gesturing to the plane and the hangar around them.
"Tom Havard; doesn't surprise me that she forgot to mention it. Miss Heather likes to keep people guessing." He stated; giving Heather a slight nod.
"That she does." Grissom concurred shaking his head and grinning at Heather as he picked up two of their bags. "That she does."
As they walked to the plane and stowed away luggage Heather informed him, "Gil, Tom is our pilot. Be nice and maybe I'll sweet talk him into letting you visit the cockpit."
Twenty-five minutes later Grissom felt the plane lift from the ground and they were on their way. Five minutes after that Heather released her seatbelt and went over to release the latch on the door of the large kennel that held Hank. "Come on out Hank; it's safe now."
Hank stayed where he was even when Heather offered him a doggie treat. She patted his head and left the door of the kennel open so he could venture out if he chose to, and returned to her seat.
"He's never flown before to the best of my knowledge." Gill offered.
"I figured as much. That's why I thought use of the kennel would be good for takeoff and for landing too; just in case he gets exceedingly nervous. He's handling it well though; I think he'll adjust." She reached into the pocket of her raincoat that was now draped over the seat next to her and extracted another treat and tossed it to a place on the floor half way between them and the large kennel. Hank eyed it longingly, but stayed flat on his belly.
"What will we do with him once we get to…wherever we're staying?"
"Accommodations have been made for Hank as well," was all she said in reply as she smiled at him from her place in the leather seat facing his.
He stared at her thoughtfully and after a long moment she raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"You have a question Gil?"
"I have more questions than I'll have time enough to ask before this plane lands in California."
Well then, just relax and enjoy yourself. We have all weekend. You don't have to ask all of them in the next hour. Do you?"
She watched him struggle with his curiosity for a long moment, and then she sighed and asked, "What's your first question?"
He gestured to the space around them, "Is this yours? Please don't tell me you chartered a plane just to go to dinner."
"Lucy is ours for the weekend; not just today Gil."
"Still… It's too much Heather; too extravagant."
"Will it put you at ease if I tell you that acquiring Lucy for this trip didn't cost me more than a plate of food?"
He didn't know whether to chuckle, or be suspicious so he wound up doing both. "How did you manage that?"
"She belongs to an old friend of mine. I called him; explained that your birthday was today, that I wanted to take you away this weekend and asked if I could borrow Lucy for the trip. He said yes…in exchange for an invitation to Christmas dinner at my place this year, which was rather ridiculous on his part, because he knows very well that he is always welcome at my dinner table; Christmas or any other night of the year."
"An old client of yours; I'm assuming."
Heather smiled deviously, "No Gil… Cal was never a client at the Dominion." She rose from her seat, crossed the cabin and opened an overhead compartment. She came back to him holding two gift wrapped packages, a letter-size envelope and a moderately sized square box that turned out to be very heavy when she lowered it onto his lap. Before sitting back down in her seat again she ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him gently on the mouth.
After she was seated again he stared first at her, and then at the stack of gifts in his lap. For a moment he just sat there and continued starring until he heard the musical note of her laughter floating on the air. When he raised an eyebrow she asked, "Are you going to open them, or just sit and admire the wrapping paper?"
He leaned forward setting all of them on the floor carefully, and then picked up the envelope first. It was a plain white envelope that had been written on with bright red crayon. The child-like handwriting across the front read 'Happy Birthday Mr. Gil; From Allison'. He stared at it and then looked at Heather.
"I knew she was learning some letters already, but I didn't think she was this good yet."
"It took a lot of coaching. She made me write down what she wanted to say. Then she practiced copying it for almost an hour before she finally wrote on that envelope. She wouldn't let me write it for her. I offered, but she was adamant about the fact that she was going to do it herself."
Upon hearing those words Grissom took great care to open the envelope without damaging it. Inside he found a printed page with a picture of a ladybug on it that Allison had obviously colored herself. He laughed; amused and more than a little curious about her choice of color. The bug's body was red, her antennae and feet were black, but each individual spot on her body was a different color of the rainbow.
"Well…here's one I haven't seen before." He smiled up at Heather.
"She did it the night before last. Jerome came to get her earlier than expected and wound up staying for supper because she refused to leave until it was done. When she colored the first spot blue, he complained to her that she was doing it all wrong; that the bug's spots were supposed to be black. For a moment she looked panic-stricken; I thought she'd burst into tears. She pouted and asked me if it was wrong. I told her that it was her gift to you and she could make the bug's spots any color she chose, so after that, I think she chose a different color for each spot just to demonstrate her creativity; or maybe just to irritate her grandfather! Of course, this all happened after hunting for just the right picture to begin with." Heather laughed at the memory of the search.
"Oh; was that difficult for some reason?"
"She overheard me mention your birthday to Zelda that afternoon as Zelda was leaving. She got very excited and wanted to go and get you a gift. I suggested she go find her coloring books and pick out a page to color for you. She hurried upstairs and came back down with an armful of books and begged for the crayons…"
Grissom interrupted, "She doesn't keep them with the coloring books?"
Heather shook her head at his lack of understanding. "Gil, she's a pre-schooler. If she had ready access to crayons she'd attempt to draw murals on every wall in the house. If I keep them put away; out of her reach, she has to ask for them and then I know she has them and can supervise."
"She wouldn't do that."
Heather rolled her eyes. "Why do you think she wouldn't… because she's so sweet? I seem to recall a conversation earlier this year; the day before her third birthday I believe… I was describing her and I said, "She is her mother. You contradicted me; telling me, "She's you."
"Yes; I remember that conversation, and I stand by what I said."
"Gil, When I was seven…"
She paused and the smile that played across her lips let him know that she was about to inform him of some wicked childhood adventure she'd had.
"…A friend of my mother's, who had no experience with children, bought me an artist's paint set because I had seen a man painting on a canvas and thought it was fascinating. The set came with two small canvases, and when I had painted both of those…well… I painted other things."
He grinned at her. "Let me guess; you painted the walls too?"
"Hmm… not just the walls. I also painted Turpentine."
He stared at her baffled. "You painted turpentine?"
"Yes; I did Gil. Turpentine was the name Nana Zoë had chosen for her pet cat since he was solid black. Only… I thought he'd be prettier if he were purple."
"You painted your grandmother's cat!"
"Umm hmm… purple." Heather shrugged straight-faced while threw back his head and laughed.
When his laughter subsided enough to allow for speech he queried, "I'm guessing the paint set went in the trash after that?"
"Yes it did… and my mother refused to let me out of my room for the rest of spring break week. I think it was a Thursday. I was in agony until she let me out Monday morning when it was time to go back to school. They sent Turpentine to the groomer's for a bath because Nana Zoë was worried he'd lick the paint off himself and get sick. The groomer charged double the usual price because of the extent of the mess. Dad made me pay for his trip to the groomer's with money from my allowance for the next three months. Mama was livid because he ran through the living room and left little purple kitty paw prints all over the floor." She chuckled at the memory.
"The only person who wasn't mad at me was my grandfather. He howled with laughter; getting dirty looks from everyone else. I still remember him saying 'Oh, leave Heather alone. Look at her! There's not a scratch on her. If that damn cat was stupid enough to stand there and let her paint him, then he deserved what he got!' Nana loved that cat. After his comment I think Papa slept on the couch for two nights."
"Heather!" He laced his fingers together in front of his belly and laughed at the tale. "You were a handful; weren't you? Maybe you're right. You should definitely hide crayons from Allison."
"I do; unless I have time to sit and watch her. Anyway…what was I saying before I digressed into 'The Misadventures of Young Heather'?
He thought for a moment. "She came back downstairs with an armful of coloring books and asked for the crayons…"
"Yes and then she set about searching each book; looking for just the right picture. After several minutes she said we needed to go to the store. I asked why and she said that she didn't have any bugs in any of her books. I didn't have time to go out and I wanted to avoid a temper tantrum, so I told her that the store was closed."
"She didn't miss a beat. She looked up at me and asked, 'Nana is the internet closed too?'
"After I finished laughing, I went and typed 'coloring books' into a search bar and up came hundreds of sites, so I picked the first one, and typed 'bugs' into that site's search bar. After that I let her choose from the options and printed the one she chose. Shortly after she picked the one you are holding. Jerome showed up to get her and the rest you know."
"All that just for a picture?"
"Yes. This was very important to her Gil. Then…it was yesterday when I was wrapping one of those other gifts that she climbed up on the stool to watch and then told me she wanted to 'wrap' hers too. So I gave her the envelope and told her she could put it inside that. That satisfied her until I started writing on the gift tag. Then she wanted to make sure she followed suit with her gift as well."
He stared down at the brightly colored picture in his hands. "After all that I should have this framed."
"It'll make her day if you just stick it on the front of your refrigerator."
"Okay, but you have to bring her over so she can see it there"
Heather's only reply was to stare at him quietly.
"What?"
"You want me to bring her over to your place? Are you sure about that Gil?"
He stared back. "Yes; I'm sure. Is there some reason why you shouldn't?"
"How many people have you invited over in the last three months Gil?"
He didn't have to think about his answer, "One; you."
"That's what I thought. You don't like having people in your personal space Gil, and if you find adults bothersome; let me assure you an inquisitive three year old will stretch you to the limit; especially when she sees all your bugs and terrariums."
"You think it'll scare her?" He frowned.
She leaned forward in her seat, reached out, and gently took hold of his hand. "That isn't what I meant. Nothing about you, or your hobbies, will frighten her. Allison will have a million questions, and she'll want to look at, and touch everything."
"You really think so?" he was still frowning, but the frown on his face was no longer one born of fear. It had become one that was accompanied by concentration."
"I know so, Gil and I'm surprised you mentioned bringing her by, knowing how you feel about having people over."
"Bring her by sometime after this weekend. I'll hang her picture. She can look at the terrariums. It's okay with me.
Heather was more touched by his words than she could say so she simply nodded.
He studied her face. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yes. Just surprised."
To change the subject she picked up a small gift from the stack at his feet and handed it to him. "Here; open another one."
He looked at the tag on the small package she'd selected. What he saw there surprised him.
"Gil' was written in a neat script that he recognized at once although the gift giver hadn't bothered to sign her name. "This is from Catherine."
He shot Heather a confused look.
"Yes; that was what she intended to give you, before I phoned her and asked for help to get you away from the office. She agreed to help even though she'd already gotten you that. Allison and I picked it up at her house yesterday afternoon and then drove out to the airport, because when I told Allison that she couldn't join us for this trip she asked if she could at least see the plane so I drove her out and left the gifts here last night."
He opened the gift as he asked, "Did Allison like the plane?"
Heather chuckled nodding her head; "To get her off the plane last night without a tantrum, I had to promise to take her on the next flight. She wanted to sleep here last night.
"She wanted to spend the night here on the plane?"
"Yes she thought that would be fun. She's fascinated by planes; about six months ago I took her to the airport to pick Jerome up after a business trip. As soon as she saw him she asked him if he was ready to come home yet. Apparently she though he'd been at the airport the entire time he was away. When we realized what she thought, we took her to a window and let her watch a plane take off so she'd understand that he wasn't working at the airport. She's been enthralled with planes ever since."
Heather watched him push tissue paper aside, and lift a nice pair of charcoal gray leather gloves from the small box in his lap. He examined them, and slipped them on to test the fit.
He flexed his fingers. "They're a nice fit; and just in time too. My gloves were starting to look a bit worn."
He pulled them off and tucked them into the pocket of his rain coat. He picked up the last gift wrapped package and grinned at her. "What's in here?"
She shrugged mysteriously. "Something to keep you warm on all those cold desert nights when you're off at some crime scene."
He gave her his 'Grissom' stare and gave the box a gentle shake before tugging at the ribbon and tearing the paper away. Seconds later he lifted a leather jacket from the box and eyed it with appreciation while she studied his reaction. The black leather was soft, supple, and cool to the touch after having been stored in the overhead bin of the plane all night. He set the empty box aside and stood to try the jacket on. As he slipped into it he realized that there was a heavy inner lining for added warmth. Heather rose to her feet and stepped close smoothing the jacket across his shoulders, and tugging gently here and there; to appraise the fit. He zipped it closed, and checked the length of the sleeves.
She stepped back studying him from a greater distance. "You wear it well. Do you like it?"
"Yes I do; very much. Thank you."
"I'm glad you're pleased." she whispered coming in close so that he felt her breath on his neck as she tugged the jacket's zipper back down.
As she slid her hands slowly up his chest and over his shoulders, she licked her lips and the sight of her doing so left him barely aware of the fact that she had just removed the new jacket and tossed it onto a nearby seat. She gently pushed him back down into his seat, then lifted her skirt slightly as she straddled him.
In spite of the fact that his hands instinctive came to rest on her hips and fitted her body to his, he tensed slightly. "Heather, we aren't exactly alone up here. The pilot is just on the other side of that door." He inclined his head toward the door in question.
She smiled as she removed her blouse and tossed it away quickly. "Tom's isn't going to come back here Gil: he's a little busy flying the plane right now. As long as we're quiet he won't have a clue."
He started to speak again, but forgot whatever he was about to say when he felt her hand gently stroke him through the fabric of his slacks. When she nipped at the sensitive flesh below his ear and then licked the same spot, he forgot everything else.
Sometime later after his mind returned to normal function and he once again became aware of his surroundings, he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head to rouse it from the place between his neck and left shoulder. At some point after their tryst had ended she'd repositioned herself to sit sideways across his lap, and cuddled close; allowing herself to be held. In response to the kiss she lifted her head and offered him a sleepy smile then stretched in his arms.
After a moment longer she spoke. "We should tidy up. We'll be landing soon."
"Okay, if we must." He whispered into her hair; realizing that he hadn't slept yet as he tried to stifle a yawn.
Before moving out of his embrace she glanced in the direction of the open kennel. Hank hadn't gotten brave enough to risk coming out during flight, but he had calmed enough to curl up and go to sleep.
"Hank has the right idea Gil. When we land, let's go check into our room and take a nap before venturing back out."
"Fine by me." He said smiling as she rose from his lap and smoothed her skirt back into place as she went to bolt the latch on the kennel door once more in preparation for the landing.
"They redressed and picked up the discarded wrapping paper and as Heather lifted the last piece from the floor she called out, "Gil you forgot to open the big heavy box."
"I did not forget. I was distracted." He raised an eyebrow of affect.
"Is that so?" she smiled playfully.
"Yeah… someone started undressing me… remember."
He sat down and she lifted the plain white box into his lap once more and then sat down herself; this time choosing the seat right beside his and propping her chin in her hand; watching him eagerly.
He recognized unabashed curiosity when he saw it, and her interest amused him. "Why so curious, don't you know what's in the box already?"
Her eyes went wide as she shrugged and shook her head. "That one's not from me. It was sitting in one of the seats when I boarded last night with Allison. Tom said it was from Cal; something to kick off your birthday celebration."
He opened the box and found another box inside it; this one wooden and adorned with a logo that caused him to blink twice. He stared for a moment and then opened the wooden box before asking "Louis Tres; Heather… why would a man I've never met send me a $600.00 bottle of brandy?"
Heather smiled slyly and shrugged. "Read the card."
Gil had overlooked the small envelope in his shock. She picked it up and handed it over to him then watched as he extracted and read the small card. After several seconds he glanced at her with a raised eyebrow and began to read out loud.
"Gil, any man Heather is willing to spend an entire weekend with; much less ask to borrow Lucy for the occasion, has to be someone worth getting to know. I hope to meet you soon. Best wishes for your birthday. Sincerely, Bruce Calvin."
He stared at Heather incredulously. "Bruce Calvin…as in Las Vegas's own software engineering multi-millionaire, Bruce Calvin?"
Heather nodded. "Yes that's the one." She smiled and shrugged as if this were nothing impressive.
"How do you know him?"
"How we know one another is something that we treat with a great deal of discretion Gil."
"You… did say he was never a client; correct?"
"Correct; let's just say he introduced me to someone you are very fond of."
"Okay; who?"
She looked him in the eye and arched one eyebrow perfectly. "Lady Heather."
Gil wrinkled his brow. "Come again."
She took hold of one of his hands and clasped it in both of hers. "Gil, I wasn't born a dominatrix. I may have been born with the right personality, may have always possessed the aptitude for it, but becoming a dominatrix is something that is learned; something that one is taught. It's a skill that one has to study to become good at."
"Okay, so what… this guy taught you how to be a dominatrix."
"In a manner of speaking, yes he did."
"How did that get started?"
"Well…we are about to land, and this is a conversation best saved for a different time, but you weren't entirely ignorant of the roles of domination and submission when we met. How did you learn?"
"Research; as needed for cases."
"Well, Cal and I were friends, and one day at his house I stumbled upon some of his toys. When I asked about them, he explained. That was how it began…"
Tom Havard's voice sounded over the intercom asking them to please fasten their seat belts for landing.
She smiled at Gil. "I'll fill the rest in later."