Morgan and Greg were leaving from talking with Archie when they heard music from one of the other labs. "What is that?"Morgan asked glancing over at Greg who was grinning. "What?
"The Cranberries and only one person I know listens to them."
The two walked into the lab blaring the music as a raven-hair woman no taller than Morgan popped around the lab to the music. "Hey!" She called out, smiling broadly when she saw who stopped the player. "Greg!"
She bounced over hugging him. "Thea!" Hugging her back. "What are you doing here? I thought you moved away."
"Ya for some family things. Now I'm back and I've seen a lot has changed." Eyeing Greg up and down. "Including you not being a lab rat anymore."
"I wanted to be out in the field."
"It suits you." Motioning to his cleaner look that replaced the crazy hair, graphic t-shirts, and worn jeans. "You clean up well."
Blushing at the compliment. "Thanks." Clearing her voice. "Oh right. Thea meets Morgan. Morgan this is Thea. Before moving away she did a little bit of everything but mainly did trace."
Shaking hands. "I was hired to help around the labs but trace is my speciality."
"It's nice to meet you." Morgan smiled.
"So what brought you back?" Greg inquired.
"I've kept in touch with Mandy and she said that the lab could use some help. Next thing I know I'm getting a call and an offer to come back. And since my family thing is doing well I returned."
Morgan's cell went off. "We caught a case." She glanced up from her phone.
"You girls have fun." Thea joked turning her music back on.
After combing the crime scene the two CSIs were coming back to have everything processed and continue working on the case. "For the millionth time, Thea and I never went out," Greg repeated himself for what seemed like the millionth time but Morgan wasn't letting it go.
Shaking her head. "I don't believe it. You were extremely excited to find out that she had returned."
"That's because Thea was there for me after the whole thing with Ellen and I found out she was just using me. She was the only person who didn't give me a pity look once they found out what happened."
"You so like her and you should ask her out now that she is back." Morgan laughed.
Rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to do that. Now can we go a solve a crime?"
"You didn't deny that you like her."
"If that was even true it doesn't matter. Thea doesn't like me like that." Greg made his way down the hall away from Morgan.
The case the two were working on ended up being a lot easier to solve than it looked after Dr. Robbins examined the two bodies from the crime scene.
Greg found Thea at the end of their shifts as she was getting her things. "Hey, you." He grinned.
"Hey! I heard you girls solved your case."
"Ya, turned out to be the brother over some money."
Slipping on her jacket. "Why is it always about money with people?"
"I have no clue. But the reason I swung by was I thought we could go get some 'welcome back' breakfast. My treat."
"I would so love to but I can't. Mandy and I are getting something to eat and then she's coming with me as I house hunt. Since as of now I'm crashing on her couch." Right on cue Mandy walked in. "Though I'm for a rain check ok? We are so in need of a catch-up so I can tell you how much Marlyn Manson sucks." She laughed.
"It's going to have to because you are so wrong. The Cranberries suck."
"See you are still delusional as ever Greg." Thea laughed leaving with Mandy.
Mandy and Thea sat across from each other in one of the many booths at a breakfast joint the two decided on. "So how are you liking being back?"
Reaching for her orange juice. "I'm loving it. Not that I have to find a new place, because the one I had before moving back to help my parents was amazing. Not to mention the view was spectacular."
"That was a nice place. Especially with that view of the shirt man in his apartment across the way."
The two friends chuckled. "I know right? That was pure gold."
Greg ran into Thea on their way to work. "How'd house hunting go?" He inquired.
Sighing heavily with disappointment. "Awful. The only places that would consider having me as a tenant had mold in over half the apartments. Not to mention every other apartment had a screaming child or two you could hear no matter where you were in the building. And the perfect one laughed in my face because my credit score is like 2 points below what they want for a tenant. I have perfect credit that dude is an idiot."
"Where was this place?"
"The Martin. They got so full of themselves ever since Chris Evans rented one of their places for like a year for him and his family to visit whenever they felt like coming to Las Vegas. But the apartments are so beautiful and I love the spot they are in, it's perfect."
"You really want that apartment." Opening the door for her.
Nodding a thank you as she entered. "More than sex right now."
"Seriously?!"
"Have you seen those apartments?"
"I just never had someone describe wanting something like that before."
The corner of her mouth went up. "You never had that freaky sex that makes you question everything about yourself. But deep down you know that it's what you want because everything about it was perfect. That was the apartment."
"Who are you?"
"Age-old question." Thea laughed heading in the opposite direction that Greg was going.
A few weeks had passed since Thea had returned. Everyone had been so busy that even Greg and Thea hadn't even had time to reschedule for the welcome back meal Greg invited her to.
That night was no different when Greg walked into the building to start his shift. They were busy that night because of the multiple conventions going on. And when that happened, it usually meant they were going to be drowning in stuff that needed to be done.
As Morgan and Greg were walking out of one of the many labs heading to talk with Henry. Morgan slammed into Greg in the middle of the hallway. "Why'd you stop?" Looking up from the folder she was reading.
Everyone by now was staring at the woman walking down the hallway exuding confidence as she wore leg, thigh, arm, and shoulder armor that was royal purple with silver trim with a matching breastplate. Chain mail peeped under the exposed skin around her thighs where the leather shorts didn't cover. The shorts are connected to a leather corset around the waist giving easy movement. The exposed skin on her face, chest, and arms was painted a light purplish-blue. There was a cap attached to the back with the hood pulled up causing the long white-blond hair to pop out from underneath it as holes were cut out so the pointed ears were exposed. Contacts were worn so the female's eyes looked like they were reddish orange giving off like they were lit like a fire.
"Hey, girls." She winked walking past them.
Questioningly looking at each other. "Thea?" Greg cautiously spoke as his attention went back to her.
Calling over her shoulder. "The one and only."
Greg told Morgan that he'd meet up with her later as he chased after Thea. "I have so many questions."
"I swear if any of them are digesting I'm going to use one of these weapons I have, on you."
The two stopped when they heard their names called from D.B.'s office. "Yes, Russell?" Greg said once they were in his office.
Motioning towards Thea. "Is this some freaky sex thing I should know about with you two? Because if it is I need one of you to be on a different shift. Or should I be worried?"
"You called me telling me you guys needed help. I said I couldn't, that I was in the middle of something. And you told me that it better be a good excuse to why." Motioning up and down herself. "Here is my why. There is a comic con in town and I make extra money as a cosplayer. I even had cleared the time off when I first started back here."
"So this is like a second job for you?"
Placing her hands on her hips. "Yes. Can I get back to what I was doing or are you that desperate for help?"
"Can you help Henry get caught up in toxicology before he falls apart at the seams? Then you can leave."
Shrugging a shoulder "Sure no problem."
"Hey, Thea!" Russell called after her. "What are you anyway?" He asked when she looked back at him.
"Sylvana from World of Warcraft, Duh. I love the character and she's a great money maker."
Eyeing her up and down a second time. "Don't take this the wrong way. I can see why." He told her.
"Thank you." Scrunching her nose when she smiled proudly. "Also, this one is in my top 3 best sellers. I gender bend a few male characters and oddly my Severus Snape and Lucious Malfoy do very well and will make you rethink many things about yourself." Thea giggled leaving the two in Russell's office.
They stared at each other confused. "I thought Hodges would be the one I needed to worry about. Thea is seriously making the top of my list."
Greg looked back at the door. "I need to go catch up to her and find out what this gender-bend thing is she does." He chased after Thea.
Halfway to where Henry was working, Greg was stopped. "There you are. We have to go back to the crime scene." Morgan approached.
"We do?"
"Ya, we missed something and I think whatever it is is back at the house."
Nodding in agreement with a heavy sigh. "Ok, let's go." His curiosity for what Thea did was now on the back burner.
Their case took a weird turn when their suspect was murdered in one of the very swanky hotels on the strip. The ding of the elevator announced the arrival of the two on the floor. Morgan and Greg stepped off of it taking the turn towards the room at the end of the hall. The police and David the corner assistant were already there along with a small crowd of people wondering what was going on.
Making their way through the crowd that had evidentially started because humans were curious when it came to such things. "You are such a stalker Sanders." The female voice called out.
Greg stopped to look at who was talking to him. Standing in a well-fitted three-piece black suit with royal purple trim, nautilus shell cufflinks and matching jacket buttons. White hair with gray streaks was held back in a fishtail braid. Her makeup was done with purple, aqua green, and silver eyeshadow, all sparkly as they faded into one another while her lips were a deep cherry red and a nautilus shell necklace hung from her neck stood Thea. "Oh wow. You look amazing as…" Looking her up and down again. "Ursula?"
"Mob boss Ursula." Placing her hands in her pockets. "Wasn't on my roster for today. But because I was called in to work last night and fell asleep with my makeup on, this is what happened. It's a good thing someone was kind enough to make a call to an apartment manager and put in a very good word for me. My place isn't to far from here and I was able to go home and get my stuff. Though I have to say if I had to pick who'd be following me everywhere I would have picked Henry. He is a little skittish talking to people, typical behavior of a shy stalker to scared to talk to women."
Passing his kit from one hand to the other. "My money would have been on Hodges. He would be the kind of person do to such a thing. He does live with his mother."
"Greg come on, we have work to do," Morgan called out from behind the crime scene tape.
"Too bad, you are cuter than either one of them." Thea winked at him.
Morgan and Greg combed through the room with a fine tooth comb, they were determined not to miss anything. This killer wasn't going to get away with another criminal act. They both knew the answers they were looking for were right under their nose, they just needed to find them.
Hours later Greg was coming out of work with a case solved in utter chaos and not what either he or Morgan had thought. They were happy it was solved but were left with unclear feelings with all the answers they had. Scratching his head as he approached his car, Greg found Thea leaning against it waiting for him. She was still in her Ursula cosplay. "What are you doing here?"
Nodding towards their work. "Mandy told me about the case. Kind of left you guys with junky feelings, even though you have been able to find ways in stalking me." She joked in hopes of lightening the mood some.
"We put a 10-year-old who's some kind of genius, tested high up there, throw everything away for life. His future was so bright. Yet he killed two people all because he liked how it felt knowing he could take someone's life."
Thea reached out hugging Greg. "You guys did a good thing despite the outcome." Holding him tight.
Greg kept his arms around Thea. "Thanks."
They stood there in the hug for a few minutes in silence. "Where's Morgan?" She asked taking a step back.
"She went to find her dad."
"Well the con has ended, I could go for the rain check on that welcome back meal. What do you say?"
Greg grinned. "I could go for that."
"Oh, just because you had a bad case doesn't mean you are getting out of paying for this meal. You did ask me." Going around to the passenger side of his car.
"It's worth it so I can say I had a meal with mob boss Ursula." Climbing in the driver side.
After their meal, Greg walked Thea to the front door of her place. "How are you feeling? Better now?"
Sticking his hands in his pockets as they stood before her front door. "For the most part. It sucks having to put a child away like we did."
"What would have sucked is everything that kid would have done if you guys didn't catch him now." Unlocking her door Thea went inside with Greg following.
Looking around the apartment. "You weren't kidding. This place is amazing." Going over to the windows that looked down on Las Vegas.
Slipping her shoes off. "It's a little more than I'd like to pay in rent. But considering my last place I got a great deal because someone was murdered in it. They were having a hard time trying to rent it out, no one wanted to live in such a place but they were obligated to let people know what happened in the apartment."
"You were ok living in a place where someone was murdered?"
"Considering the amount of money I saved for a 2 bedroom 2 and a half bathroom at the panorama. It was worth it."
"You were the one who took that apartment?!" Greg spun towards her. "I heard that murder was horrendous. There was so much blood."
Removing her jacket. "Took them like a month to get the place clean of all the blood. Even some of the floor and walls had to be replaced because they couldn't get it clean." Hanging it on the back of her sofa.
"You weren't weirded out to stay at a place with such a gruesome backstory?"
"I've seen weirder stuff at work. You being one of them."
"Says the cosplayer."
Wetting her lips slowly as she smirked. "Like you haven't thought about what it would be like to sleep with me dressed like this." She let out a light laugh when she saw him blush. "It's as hot as you think it is. Now I would love to continue this. But I'm in desperate need to get this purple off that I've been in for two days."
Getting the hint. "Sure, of course. I'll see you at work." He told her as he left the apartment.
Thea's windows were open as she lay in the back of her car in the parking lot at work when she jolted awake hearing someone tapping on her car. Rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. "Greg?" She groggily asked as she sat up. "Everything ok?"
"Yes, I came to see if you were ok. Someone said they saw you sleeping out here."
"That's because it took me hours to get that purple makeup off. I got very little sleep because of it." Climbing out of her vehicle. "Remind me to never leave that on for two days."
"You want to go get some coffee?" He offered.
Running her fingers through her hair. "That would be amazing."
The two came back after their coffee run laughing over a story that Thea was sharing. "No way that happened."
"God's honest truth. It's why I stopped cosplaying Jessica Rabbit." Finishing her coffee. "I should get back to work. Call me."
"Stalk you." He joked as Russell was walking by.
"I worry about you two." Greg quickly walked away from Russell before he could say anything more.
The next few weeks the two occasionally got coffee before work to catch up with everything that was going on. Pulling his phone out of his pocket Greg quickly found Thea in his cell and hit her name. It rang a few times before he heard. "Hey, you! What's up?"
"Hey, I was wondering it's a beautiful day would you like to get some coffee and take a turn through that park again from last week?"
"I'm going to have to take a rain check on that. I'm actually at the airport on my way to see my parents."
Stopping by his car. "Is everything ok?"
"Yes, it's their anniversary so I'm going to visit them. So I'll call you when I get back ok?"
"Sounds good. I'll stalk you when you get back."
He smiled hearing Thea laugh through the phone. "Sounds good. Later Greg."
Sarah and Greg were on a case that led them to being quarantined which turned into an awful experience. At one point Greg called his grandmother and chatted with her for a bit in trying to keep a positive attitude. On the inside he was flipping out but he didn't want to lose it in front of Sarah. She was already having a hard time and he wanted to do everything he could to keep her calm and happy. The years of working together and everything they had been through, even after she knew how he felt about her in the beginning turned into love of a family member. Greg always had a soft spot for Sarah that when she was hurting he wanted her to be ok and happy.
They were quarantined for two weeks because the CDC needed to make sure that they were clear and that neither one of them was infected. There was a slim chance that if one if not both were infected they would survive since the fatality rate of the virus is at 80%. It didn't help their worry when they heard that.
It had been a very long two weeks of worrying if they had the virus and if they did they were going to survive it in the off chance they had it. When Sarah passed out from what they thought was the virus didn't help things whatsoever. So when they were cleared by the CDC neither one wanted to be alone, they went back to work instead of just going home like it was suggested.
Greg was coming out of the locker rooms for the employees to find Thea making her way through the hall. She was hard to miss in a green wig with braided pigtails and thick bangs, a green dress with puffy sleeves, and a puffy skirt with white trim on the shoulders and around the bottom of the skirt, with a pair of green knee-high platform boots. When Thea noticed him while making her way through the people littering the hallways, she grinned making her way over to Greg. "I go on vacation to see my parents and you get quarantined?! Are you ok?"
"Sarah and I were quarantined for 2 weeks. How are you now just hearing about it?"
Placing her hands on her hips. "I turn my phone off most of the time when I visit my parents. I hadn't checked it when I got back this morning. The only reason I found out what happened was because I ran into Mandy at a mutual friend's costume birthday party."
"Well, that explains you being Patty O'Green from Rainbow Brite."
"How'd you know that's who I am?"
"Henry told me you were on Instagram and since I needed to keep my mind off of being in one room for 2 weeks, I checked your page out."
Thea laughed. "You are such a stalker." Linking her hands behind her back Thea leaned up kissing Greg's cheek. "I'm glad you are ok though."
Touching his cheek. "If getting quarantined for 2 weeks gets me a kiss on the cheek by you. What does a guy have to do to get more?"
"You want more?" Moving closer to Greg. "All you had to do was ask." Greg's hands went to Thea's hips when her hands cupped his face as their lips met. They stood there in their little bubble as they embraced while those around them walked past. Some stared as they tried to register the display of affection going on. Thea felt Greg begin to laugh during their kiss. "What's so funny?" She asked pulling away but not moving from her spot.
"I never in my wildest dream would have thought I'd be standing in the middle of the hallway at work after being quarantined kissing Patty O'Green."
Smirking up at him. "If you think that is funny. Take in what it looks like from those who have stared going by or from afar." They both laughed as they pictured it.
Greg eventually found himself at Thea's place where they ended up sleeping together in multiple places of her apartment. Stirring, Greg rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he woke to find he was alone in bed. Slipping on his boxers when he climbed out of bed, he made his way out of the room in search of Thea.
Making his way down the hallway he stopped in front of the second bedroom, the door was wide open. As he stepped inside the room he couldn't help but think that this was the most well-organized, colorful room that felt chaotic with everything that was going on in one space. There were 3 mannikins that were just the torso with started projects for cosplay against the wall straight across from the door he just entered. To the right there was a table with a heavy-duty sewing machine in the middle with well-labeled drawers sat on either side of the table. The wall that had the door leading to the rest of the place had shelves of fabric that ranged to every color of the rainbow and in between. He walked to the other side of the room where an armoire was against the same wall as the door he came through. Opening it Greg found all her cosplay outfits. "I see you found my workspace." Thea grinned from the doorway in his shirt.
"This is the most well-organized chaos I've ever seen."
Giggling Thea went over to the closet on the last wall of the room. "The room took me an afternoon to get set up. The closet took me an entire weekend to do." Sliding the doors open. The closet was a built-in makeup station equipped with a large round light-up mirror, table, and drawers that filled the entire closet. With holders for all the tweezers, brushes, sponges, and so forth in clear glass containers that were easy to see. Above it all was a shelf that held a bunch of hat boxes. "Needed a place for all the makeup for my cosplays and somewhere to store my wigs." When she saw his eyes flutter to the shelves.
"How do you make money off all of this? It must cost a fortune." Examining the outfits more closely before him.
"Shopping sales for things and knowing when and where to buy the fabric, makeup, and other things for accessories. Like after the holidays is great. Also, for any of the cosplays that I retire, I'll pick them apart and see what I can reuse for other cosplays. I'll also occasionally dress up for a kid's birthday party as a character. Which is a great way for some extra cash."
Taking in all the outfits that were hanging up. "How'd you get into the….." Looking over to her. "Gender bend? That's what it's called?"
Nodding yes. "A male friend of mine with a few of his friends did Sailor Moon. I thought it was cool and started dabbling in it myself."
"You ever use these costumes in the bedroom?"
Pointing at him. "No, we are not at the point where it's being incorporated into the bedroom."
"How'd you know I was thinking that?"
Tucking some hair behind her ears. "Because I dated this one guy who when he found out I cosplay wanted me to dress up in super slutty versions of characters he found hot. Then do a strip tease for him. Or the ever so cliche wear the Princess Leia metal bikini. I told him no I didn't want to do that and I never saw him again."
Arching his eyebrow. "You said you knew from experience how hot it was in the bedroom and cosplay."
"I never said I knew from experience. I've only been told how hot it is by friends who do that in the bedroom. I honestly haven't found someone I'm comfortable enough to try such a thing with to see if I'd like it or not." Making her way to the door to the rest of the apartment. "Now, are you hungry? I have breakfast made if you want something."
Following her to the kitchen. "That guy is an idiot for leaving you. Especially in that way."
Getting some plates when they reached the kitchen. "Thanks but not necessary, he is that typical kiddy pool shallow jock who doesn't have an original thought in his head. He is only good for a romp between the sheets and he was just ok at that."
"Why go out with him?"
Grabbing some plates out of the cabinet. "I love the movie Thor and he had a vague resemblance to Chris Hemsworth."
"So you like that type of guy?"
Placing the plates on the counter Thea went over to Greg wrapping her arms around his neck. "He was just someone to pass the time with. I like my guy's scrawny, and slight stalkers that were once a lab rat because I prefer to have conversations beyond how many reps you did at the gym. What about you?"
His hands went to her hips. "I don't fancy guys that way..." He softly smiled when she laughed at his joke. "As for my women. I like them opinionated lab rats that cosplay, who'll argue that I should love The Cranberries because she loves the."
"And I will never stop arguing with you about that till you love them." The two never gotten to breakfast when their kiss turned into morning sex.
They laid tangled on the couch in the living room. "Don't hate me for this. If we ever get to the point to do the cosplay in the bedroom. We are doing one where you are Patty O'Green." Greg brought up.
"Seriously?" Thea looked up from where her head laid on his chest.
"The other cosplays I've seen you in as Sylvana and Ursula as well as on instagram were amazing. You look perfect. Seeing you as Patty O'Green was what did it for me."
Thea blushed while she leaned up to kiss Greg. "You have yourself a deal."