6) One Seventh

Greg hummed to the song on his MP3 player, oblivious to the ride to the basement. The doors opened and he turned, running into Grissom.

"Oh, sorry!" Greg said, stepping off.

Grissom didn't say anything in return. Greg turned to continue down the hall.

"Greg," Grissom called.

Greg turned; Grissom had his hand against the elevator door to keep it open. Greg pulled an earbud out.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

Greg's mind raced fast for a lie. "Just… Checking… On… Some evidence from the morgue."

"On which case?"

"I… Dunno. I was just told to get it."

"By who?"

What was with all these questions? Geeze! "Sara."

"She didn't say what case?"

"I didn't really think to ask."

Grissom nodded. He dug a box out of his pocket.

"Don't take too long. There's a couple cases I need you to review. Here. Catch."

Greg watched him toss the object through the air to him and was quick to catch it. He turned it over in his hand, staring at the cover. It was a box of chalk. Greg's head jerked up, but the doors had closed. Greg looked back at the box of chalk. He suddenly burst into a run, racing to the room. He burst in, flicking the light switch, half expecting the writing to be gone. But it wasn't. There wasn't anything changed or erased. But there was more added to the THINGS LAB RATS ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED TO DO list. Greg walked over to the wall, reading the two new items added to the list in the mystery handwriting that had added number twenty-three.

31. Never trick a superior into believing Vaseline is acetate gel.

32. Never replace cocaine with baking powder to amuse co-workers.

33. Never use the break room microwave to test the "sparkality" of unknown substances.

Greg turned when he heard someone come in, half expecting to find it was Grissom. Instead it was Gina and Archie. The two walked up, looking at the list.

"Did you write those?" Archie asked.

Greg shook his head.

"Who wrote those?"

"I…" Greg looked at the box of chalk he held. "I think Grissom did."

"What!?" the two screeched.

"You told him!?" Gina hissed.

"NO! I didn't tell him. I never said a word to him. But he gave me this box so he had to have known that we were out last week. I think that's his handwriting."

The three looked back up at the list.

"Maybe we should erase nineteen through twenty-three," Gina said.

"That would ruin the integrity of the list," Archie rebutted.

Greg shook his head. "We don't erase anything. Ever. Especially if Grissom knows and hasn't said anything." Greg handed Archie the box. "But I gotta go. Have cases to review."

"Good luck with that."

Greg headed for the door.

"And see if you can figure out if he really knows about this place," Gina added.

"No promises."

Greg closed the door behind him, slipping out of the room.

#

Reviewing cases meant a lot of reading and little talking. Greg sighed, looking out into the hall. Nothing exciting was happening out there, either.

"Greg," Grissom said.

He looked at him. "Yeah?"

"Did you use the spell checker on this document?"

"I dunno. Maybe."

"This is not how you spell tachycardiac."

"You want me to correct one word for a thirty page report?"

Grissom smiled. "No. One word can stay."

Greg smiled, even chuckled a little. Grissom looked up.

"What?"

"I was just thinking of something about the spell checker. It was nothing." Greg focused on the report in his lap.

He didn't notice Grissom staring at him, contemplating something. "Listening to animated dogs is never good," Grissom said.

Greg looked up. "What?"

"I said listening to animated dogs is never good."

Greg looked away. When he looked up back, Grissom was reading.

"Where did you hear that?" Greg asked.

"I read it somewhere."

Greg saw a golden opportunity to find out if Grissom did know about The Wall. "Where? Sounds like something I'd like to read."

"Somewhere around here. I think it was in the basement." Grissom looked over the top of his glasses with a knowing smile.

Greg smiled back. So he did know about The Wall and he wasn't going to do anything about it. Sometimes he was an amazingly cool supervisor.

"Damned animated dogs," Greg told him

Grissom chuckled and that amused Greg. It was rare that he educed a chuckle from Grissom.

"Who told you about it?"

"No one."

"Grissom, it's kinda secret and—"

"No one. A couple months ago I was looking for an old case file and saw the light on in the room. That's how I found it. You and your fellow vandals should be more careful with that, lest Ecklie or someone else finds it."

Greg didn't argue. Grissom wasn't prone to lying without a really good reason, and this wasn't one of those good reason times. The two went back to reading their reports. Greg couldn't concentrate though, because he realized now might be a good time to ask another question that had been burning.

So he came right out with it. "When did Sara think she was Princess Mononoke?"

Grissom only smiled and told him, "Have you heard the commercial, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?"

Greg smiled. "Yeah."

"If it's not written on The Wall, it is never told."

Greg laughed. He tried. Maybe he'd have to ask Sara someday.

"Touché." Greg went back to reading. But every once in a while he smiled as he pictured Grissom adding lines to the list, and realizing the hard to believe image wasn't unimaginable. He had to have the world's coolest supervisor!