Evolutionary Theory by LosingInTranslation

Chapter 6

15:30 – 2007.01.10

Elko County, Nevada (Somewhere off Hwy 93)

The afternoon sun shone through the sparse collection of trees surrounding the rustic looking cabin in the shadow of the rock outcroppings. Little pieces of shade danced along the rooftop of the quiet structure as the wind blew through the trees, shaking the branches to and fro. All was peaceful and tranquil as a single vehicle made its way over the cleared path to the cabin, crunching rock and wood along the way, announcing its arrival to anything within ear shot.

When the Denali rolled to a slow stop, there was no other movement as the engine was cut off. From outside of the vehicle, it was impossible to tell what was going on inside. Everything appeared to be as sedate as the Denali’s surroundings. That was not the case.

The driver had his hands wrapped around the passenger’s head and neck, with his lips firmly enraptured with hers and from the subtle moans and whimpers escaping from their throats, it was obvious there was a lot more than lips involved. After what seemed like an eternity and a half they finally parted as they both gasped for air.

With a sideways smile, Gil sighed, “Riding in the car all that time without being able to do that is absolute torture.”

“Tell me about it.” Sara declared as she reached back and kissed him again quickly.

As she kissed him, he smiled and said, “We’d better get out before we get too carried away.”

She waggled her eyebrows and responded with, “And that would be a problem why?”

He took in a deep lungful of air, steeling himself for a fight. “Because we should make sure that the cabin is operational before dark, I went to all the trouble to secure the place and it would be a shame not to enjoy it…” He could see she was not buying a word of it. “And because after flying all day yesterday and driving all morning, I really don’t think I can handle the strain of trying to keep up with you in the car.” In any other situation, her laughter would have been a deflating act, but between them it was a soothing balm, letting him know that she understood and accepted his reasoning.

“That’s okay… I was only teasing anyway. I’m about to fall over standing up myself.” She kissed him once more on the cheek and opened the door to the Denali as she slid down from the seat.

He snickered when he unbuckled and stepped out of the car as well. Taking in the entire site, Gil put his hands on his hips and asked, “So, what do you think?”

As she looked around, Sara chuckled, “Well, it certainly is out in the middle of absolutely nowhere. How in the world did you pick this place?”

“Well, I’ve been out this way a few times since a case a while back… I like the peace and the people pretty much keep to themselves.” He was putting on his best enigmatic façade as he explained the appeal of the place.

“Yeah, but this is not exactly the highlight of the tourist trade, so where did you find a rental cabin?” Ever the investigator, Sara was not about to let him get away with the mystery any longer.

“It’s ah…not a rental.”

Sara stopped looking around and her gaze bore straight into him at that revelation. “What?”

“I ah…I bought it.” He loved being able to surprise her, and the look on her face made it a perfect one. “I know we said we’d wait until after the wedding to get a house, but this isn’t really a house.” He closed the distance between them and pushed the hair back from her face. “This place came up for sale suddenly last month and I wanted something… Someplace we could go to put it all away and connect and…” She placed a finger over his lips to silence him and he lowered his gaze in response.

She draped her arms over his shoulders and said, “And people laugh at me when I tell them what a romantic you are.” She kissed him and added, “I love it… It’s perfect.”

His smile was back in place when he said, “Well, we should check out the whole thing before making that determination.”

“Wait, you haven’t seen it yet?” That was shocking to Sara.

“Well, I’ve seen some pictures, and my colleague tells me the place is in fantastic shape. Besides, I picked it up for a steal, so, even if you don’t like it, we can always resell it later at a profit.” That was simply too much for her; Grissom the real estate mogul was never a thing she ever expected.

“Promise me that real estate is not part of this new leaf of yours?” He held her tightly as they both laughed at the notion. “Okay, as long as we have that settled, let’s check out this little love nest you bought for us.”

They both went to the back of the Denali and grabbed their bags before making their way up the stairs of the front deck. Once on the deck, Sara took a moment to look around again and gasped at the sight her eyes beheld. The view was simply amazing and seemed to stretch on for hundreds of miles. She stopped him as he unlocked the door by placing her hand on his shoulder. He turned at her touch and instantly knew she had been captivated by the view.

With his arms wrapped around her he said, “Breathtaking, isn’t it?”

Sara looked back at him and smirked as she said, “Whichever way we turned, it seemed that the heavens and the earth had met together, since he enhanced the beauty of the landscape.”

Gil met the quotation with a broad smile and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Feeling a little transcendental today?”

She shook her head as she leaned back into his embrace. “I haven’t read Walden since college, but there’s always been something about that line I couldn’t figure out.” His arms held her just a bit tighter. “Until now.”

Gil looked down at her and said, “Yes, the view is quite spectacular.”

Through her pursed smile, Sara moved out of his arms and said, “We should probably get everything inside before we have to worry about the groceries.”

She was greeted with his half smile and he turned back to the task at hand as he unlocked the door. With the door thrown open Sara moved to walk through it when she found his hands on her arms to stop her.

Gil removed the bags from her hands and made a move as though he was about to pick her up when Sara jumped back, shaking her head. “No way are you carrying me through that door.”

He frowned and said, “But it is customary for the husband to ca-”

“Customary or not… We are hours away from the nearest chiropractor, and I’m not about to have a rescue helicopter hauling you back to Vegas, because you threw your back out trying to carry me anywhere.” She stood firm with her hands on her hips. “That is NOT how I want to spend the rest of my honeymoon, and the first real vacation I’ve had in almost two years.”

Smirking, he nodded his head and agreed, “Point taken.”

Seeing that he was slightly deflated by her comments, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Besides… I have other plans for testing the strength of your back.”

With a sparkle in his eyes, he said, “As you know, I am always up for new methods of experimentation.”

“Mmmm hmmmm… Very much so. Which is yet another reason for us to get inside.” Sara released her hold around his waist and bent down to retrieve the bags from the front deck.

“Right, so, I will get the cooler and the rest of the groceries from the Denali.” He slowly walked down the stairs and then stopped at the bottom to say, “Why don’t you start exploring inside. All I know is that it’s two bedrooms, has a loft and sits on ten acres. We got it as is; furniture and all, but they only had a few pictures. I based my decision on the recommendation of my colleague, and I-”

Sara walked into the cabin leaving Gil to ramble on through whatever it was he had to say. She expected a rustic, somewhat primitive shack, but was stunned speechless as she entered the great room. There was a gorgeous stone fireplace with a rough hewn mantle and a huge overstuffed sofa in front of it. There were two more couches on the other side of the room, along with an easy chair and a coffee table nestled in the middle. In the center of the room was a thick, deep, dark green area rug that was just calling to be rolled on.

She continued to walk through the great room in a daze, barely recognizing that she was carrying anything. When she reached the doorway into another room, Sara bent into the opening to peek through. She found a kitchen, nearly the same size as the great room, with an exhaust hood over what looked like a restaurant grade gas stove. Next to the stove, a full sized refrigerator and a long island counter that practically begged to be used for huge dinners, and baking, and conversations with wine after a long day and the dishes had been done.

When she looked to the left she found an enormous wood table, made in the same rough hewn style as the mantle. Judging from the size and condition, she decided that it had probably been custom made, by hand. There was an odd assortment of chairs and benches surrounding the table giving the whole scene an eclectic and unbelievably comfortable feel. It was the kind of table she had seen in a hundred magazines, with a huge, happy family all around it; the kind of family she had never known. She felt strange to be standing in the midst of such a place, and the feeling had practically paralyzed her as she stood stock still in the entryway to the kitchen.

That was how Gil found her as he came into the cabin with a cooler, stacked with a few bags of groceries. He nearly bumped into her on his way in, which caused him to look over her shoulder, just to see what she was staring at. He looked from the room to Sara and back again, not understanding what was so fascinating about the sight.

“Sara?” She seemed to jump just a little at the sound of his voice. “Everything okay?”

“What? Oh, no, fine… I-I was just looking around.” She moved to allow him entrance into the kitchen.

“Well, it would appear that the reports about the kitchen were true. This could be a lot of fun.” Gil brought the cooler to rest on the counter next to the refrigerator and then pulled some papers down from the appliance. He held them back behind him in the air and asked, “Sara… My glasses are still in the car, can you read this please?”

“What? Oh, yeah, sure.” She set the bags down on the floor and walked toward him until she could reach the papers. She looked down to determine the nature of the papers and said, “Looks like a note from your colleague.”

He was already busy putting the perishables into the fridge as she began to read the note out loud. “‘Hey Doc… The Missus came out and cleaned the place from top to bottom. She took the money you sent for the new mattress and had enough leftover to get all new linens and towels, and stocked the cupboards with the staples. The boys got together and set you up with a cord of wood. They said it was a wedding present, so enjoy. My youngest came out and got the tub running ship-shape, prepped and filled it for you. He finished up over the weekend, so it should be all good to go. Marty came out to check the propane tank and fill it up, and he said the backup generator is working fine. There’s a gas can in the shed and instructions under the cover. Wasn’t sure when you’d get in, so the Missus left you a little something in the fridge and I left you something in the freezer. Enjoy the old place, congratulations, and my condolences to the little lady. –Lt. Alan Brooks… P.S. If for some reason you folks decide to come up for air, I’ve been instructed to tell you to come on in to town so everybody can give you the business.’” Sara turned it over and scrutinized it before she said, “Just how much time do you spend up here?”

Gil looked up from his task in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Well, judging by this, people know you well enough to do an awful lot of work in your name.” Sara gestured around the place and added, “I get the impression from all this that you’ve been up here more than just that one case you worked.”

He smirked as he leaned back against the kitchen counter and shrugged. “A few times…here and there…over the last few years.” He saw the disbelieving look on her face and he finally came clean. “What can I say? I really like it out here. The quiet, the open space, the scenery…the bugs.”

“I knew there had to be a catch.” Sara chuckled at the boyish look on his face with his admission.

“I’ll finish in here, why don’t you keep exploring.” She gave him another smile and picked up the bags as she disappeared down the hall.

He turned back away from the fridge to take in the full spectrum of the big family kitchen. Gil had seen the dazed look on Sara’s face when he walked in, so he knew she had been taken with the room. When Lt. Brooks called him about a good place being available, he knew the man would not be calling him about just any place.

During his last few visits to the Jackpot area he had mentioned that it would be easier if he could find a place of his own. Brooks used the opportunity to tell him there was plenty of land around if wanted to put up his own place, knowing full well that Grissom would never do such a thing. The man’s wife had made it a point on his last visit to grill him about what he was looking for in a place. At that point, he and Sara had not even moved in together yet, so the whole discussion had been a journey into the realm of wishful thinking.

With everything going on in his life after that last trip to Jackpot, Gil never had another thought about the idea of a cabin. When Brooks called him a couple of weeks before Christmas to tell him about the Ramsey place, he was completely surprised. But the moment he described the place, Gil knew that it was exactly what he needed, and everything he had ever dreamed of having. He wanted a shelter from the storm of Las Vegas, someplace he and Sara could leave everything else behind, but at the same time he wanted it to be a place where they could share their lives with the people closest to them. There was also another aspect of the cabin that remained in his mind as a fervent hope when he wired the money for the sale, but even that appeared to be working in his favor as the days passed. His thoughts brought an enigmatic smile to his face which was only removed by Sara’s sudden re-emergence into the kitchen.

“Gil…” She walked right into his arms and began to speak excitedly, “This place is amazing! But there’s no lights in the loft. At least nothing turns on when I hit the switch. Is your kit still in the Denali?”

“You have way too much energy for someone who just spent seventeen hours on a plane, followed by seven hours in a car after only a small amount of sleep. Should I be worried?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“This is what you get when I’ve been cooped up too long and then you turn me loose in a new place to explore. Besides, I napped in the car after you took the keys away from me.” She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and then asked, “Flashlight, please?”

“I took the keys because I wanted to survive the ride without having a heart attack, Maria Andretti.” She scowled at him for a moment, then he kissed her back and smiled, “As for the flashlight, I’ll do you one better.” Gil turned her away from him and reached into the cabinet above the sink, where he retrieved a battery powered spotlight and a box of light bulbs. “Point me in the right direction.”

“Walk this way.” He waited a moment to watch as she walked out of the kitchen. When Sara realized he had not followed her, she stopped and looked back to see him shaking his head.

“Sorry, but I don’t think my hips work like that.” She pursed her lips as she tried to suppress the grin that was threatening to break through. He regarded her with one of his trademarked sideways grins and then motioned for her to lead the way.

As she climbed the stairs to the loft he let the spotlight shine on the stairs at each of her footfalls, lighting her way up the steps. When they both reached the top he brought the light up the wall to find the switch, and as it came into focus he then continued up the wall and across the ceiling, in search of the fixture. There, hanging from the rafters was the dangling fixture, and as he followed along the main beam he found another fixture, both without light bulbs. However, they were both too high up to reach without a step ladder. He would have to dig around in the tool shed to find a ladder in order to light the room. But as he felt her hand on his forearm, he made the decision that it would have to wait until later; much later.

He smiled at her obvious anticipation and began to bring the light down to scan the room. The first thing that the light found was what looked like a lantern hanging from a hook on the wall. He reached out for it and found that it was also battery operated. Turning the switch on it, he was surprised to find it in working condition. He turned it to a higher setting and the glow began to fill the room. That was when Sara’s hand on his arm squeezed. Gil looked up and suddenly realized what had caused the reaction.

The loft was filled with children’s furniture. Three bunk beds lined the one vertical wall, a few feet away from those were a couple of twin beds along the tilted walls, and there were shelves in every available corner. In the space nearest the stair, there were a couple of those fold-up foam couches for children and a few bean bag chairs. The whole loft looked like it was setup to be a children’s nursery, something straight out of “Peter Pan.”

As Sara looked around the room, she suddenly understood why everything seemed to be so open and setup for large numbers of people. This place was a family retreat, a place where a family could come together and share their lives, even when the rest of the world might be pulling them apart. She was struck speechless by the implications the entire cabin had left in her mind, and she just wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck as she was overcome with the realization.

Gil held onto her and laid kisses into her hair, relishing in the knowledge that Sara had been moved by the whole nature of his purchase. When Lt. Brooks described the place to him, he had known that it could be the place he always dreamed about during his own lonely childhood. It could be that house he had seen along the beach near his home as a boy. The house where all the kids were in and out of it every weekend. The house with the music and the laughter every night. The house that came alive with the happy families sharing its peace and joining together in celebration. He spent his childhood staring up at that house from the beach, wishing and hoping that he could one day experience that kind of togetherness, at least once in his life.

He wrapped his arms around her a little tighter and laid his head on hers. “So, am I to take it that we won’t be worrying about reselling?” She only nodded into his neck and he chuckled at her state.

It took a while before they were able to leave the loft, but eventually their stomachs reminded them of the need to change locations. Sara finally got all the bags put away and Gil warmed up the vegetarian lasagna that Mrs. Brooks left for them in the refrigerator. They both made note that they would have to send the Brooks’ something nice for all of the things they had done to get the cabin ready.

With a full stomach, Sara was once again feeling the need to explore. When Gil cleared the plates from the table she quickly joined him at the sink to dry the dishes as he washed them. When he handed her the last glass, he quietly laughed at her obvious anxiousness. That was when he was struck with an idea.

As he wiped his hands dry he looked at his watch. “You know, we only have a little bit of time before the show starts.”

He could sense her excitement when she asked, “What show?”

“Well, the back of the cabin is west facing, and I thought we could settle in with some wine to watch the sunset on the deck.” The reaction on her face was not what he had been hoping for, and he tried to explain himself a little better. “I just thought that after all that time in the plane yesterday and then in the car today, it might be nice to just stretch out and relax a little.”

Sara nodded and smiled at him. “No, that’s fine… I’ll just get our coats an-”

Stopping her as she turned to get the coats, Gil took hold of her shoulders and explained, “I was actually thinking of something else.” He walked her to the back door and pointed to the right side of the deck. In that corner was another wooden structure which looked like an open gazebo. In the center of it was a large round tub with a platform on the side of it and a few steps leading to the top. The whole thing was made from the same cedar as the rest of the deck and was equally pleasing to the eye as it blended into its surroundings. “I thought we could watch the sunset from the hot tub.”

Sara hung her head and sighed. “Can I be honest with you?”

“You never have to ask that question.” He pulled her into his arms and waited for the explanation.

“I ah… I’ve never actually… I mean, I’ve not really wanted to, but I also never have…been in a hot tub?” She turned her head to try and see his face after her confession. He only scrunched up his brows and she decided to explain. “I could never bring myself to…you know…sit in a human soup pot.”

Sara shook as Gil laughed with her in his embrace. “Oh Honey, that is such a classic… It’s just so you.” He turned her around in his arms and said, “You have no need to worry about human soup in this case. It won’t be any different than when we’ve shared a bath. It has been scrubbed, the jets replaced and a new filter system put in. It has been filled with water that was trucked in and placed in that water tank on the side of the cabin. And finally, the water has been treated and sanitized in order to be used in the hot tub. So, as you can see, no human soup, and your germaphobic neuroses can rest their weary head.”

“I am not neurotic.” The pout on her face only made him laugh harder. “Okay, well, maybe a little.” She laid her head on his shoulder and he stroked her hair as he chuckled a while longer.

“Why don’t you grab your coat and go check it out while I get the wine? We still have a little time before sunset for you to decide.” He waited for her to look up and then she nodded before heading back for her coat.

As he pulled the cork out of the bottle of wine he heard the back door open and smiled. Gil mused to himself that it was nice to still have those kinds of little surprises between them. He reached into the cupboard to retrieve the two wine glasses he had brought with them to the cabin, not wanting to leave such a thing to chance when he arrived. He had many plans for the second half of their honeymoon, and this was only the beginning.

The trip to Fiji had been the original plan for the honeymoon, but when he found out that the cabin would be ready in time for the second week, Gil quickly rearranged his plans. He shortened the trip to Fiji, opting for only the sailing and the one island resort where he could meet up with another colleague to observe his research for a day. He was certain that Sara would balk at the side trip to see his colleague, but Gil was pleasantly surprised to find her as intrigued with the man’s work as he was. However, his real joy came from her delight in the sailing portion of the trip: three days and two nights on a sailing yacht. He felt it was important to give her that connection to the water, because he knew she had given it up by coming to Nevada to work with and be with him.

The cabin was a last minute addition, but he had been thinking about it for a long time, so the plans came together very quickly. The memories they made there that week would have to sustain them in the two weeks he would be in Washington, D.C. getting his new career in order. As he carried the glasses and bottle to the back door, he hoped that it was one of many sunsets they would enjoy together at the cabin.

Stepping onto the deck, he quickly glanced around to find his bride, but in the dimming light failed to spot her right away. He must have looked terribly confused as he continued to scan the deck for Sara, because he suddenly heard her clearing her throat. Gil immediately turned in the direction of her voice and found that the sound had come from the far right of the deck.

The sight his eyes beheld made him lose his grip on the glasses, and they began to fall from his grasp. He quickly fumbled in mid air to try and catch them, but only succeeded in finding one glass with his fingers. The other crashed into the deck and shattered into a million pieces. When he looked back up, he found Sara leaning over the hot tub with her head resting atop her hands as she giggled at his predicament.

“Leave it…” He looked at her, and she seemed to be lit up with a golden glow as the setting sun cast its dying light over the bare skin he could see up out of the hot tub. When he failed to be moved from the spot where he stood, she scrunched up her face and asked, “Are you gonna leave me in here all alone?”

That was the only prompting Gil needed as his feet began to think for him, closing the distance between them with some haste. When he reached her, she took the remaining glass and the wine from his hands, and set them down on the little shelf beside the tub. His capacity for speech had not yet returned, and it became unlikely to recover when she looked up at him with those warm and welcoming dark eyes as she rose to her feet before him and then pressed her lips into his with a delicate touch.

Gil was so caught up in the feast for his eyes and the feel of her lips on his that he was completely unaware of what her hands were doing. It was not until the rapidly cooling air of the approaching dusk blew over his back that he realized she had removed his shirt. That was when he reached out to wrap his arms around the damp, bare skin of her back as he kicked off his shoes. Fortunately he still had enough control of his conscious to kick the shoes over by the steps of the tub and away from the broken glass.

After that, everything became a blur, and somehow he found himself naked, climbing over the edge of the hot tub. With her in his arms, they lowered themselves into the steaming water just as the sun was about to disappear below the western horizon. When they finally sat back to catch their breaths, Sara leaned her forehead into his cheek and said, “We ah, sort of missed the show, huh?”

He kissed the side of her face that he could reach and practically whispered, “Not by a longshot.” She smiled at the desire that dripped from his words.

As they settled into the relaxing and still water of the tub Sara stretched her arm over his shoulders and let her hand rest at the nape of his neck to play with the dampening curls she found there. Gil leaned back against the tub and sank into the release of tension being provided by the soothing water and her loving touch.

Sara rested her head on the edge of the tub and released a deep sigh. The grin that appeared on his face was automatic, because Gil always took great pleasure from the little things Sara did to show him that she was happy. When he felt her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, he knew something was on her mind.

“So, what about the bubbles?”

He wasted no time with his response. Leaning forward, he reached for the button and said, “As you wish.” It took only a moment before the jets kicked in and the steaming water became a wash of refreshing bubbles and currents. Unbeknownst to Gil, he had managed to position himself with one of the jets at his back. The sensation was exactly what he needed after the many long hours he spent traveling in the last day and a half. He was unable to stop the moan of pleasure that escaped his throat as he leaned back into the stream of pulsing water.

“That good, huh?”

“Mmmm-hmmmmmmmm.” Gil’s eyes closed, and he practically growled with the wonderfully relaxing feelings he was experiencing as he sat beside the woman he loved in the simmering tub.

He felt her pull away from him and he opened his eyes to see what she was doing, but she was already settling back against his side. In her hands, as she returned to him, were the surviving glass and the wine. Gil watched as she carefully poured the deep red liquid into the glass. He prepared for her to move again to replace the bottle, but she only set it on edge of the tub before she returned to leaning up against him, cradling the glass in her two hands.

“What is the deal with people drinking in hot tubs? The two always seem to go hand in hand, and I don’t get it.” She took the first tentative sip from the glass after she asked her question.

“Well, the hot water increases the overall body temperature and therefore speeds up the reaction of the alcohol through the bloodstream. Also, with an elevated core temperature, the human brain receives an additional feeling of dissociative euphoria, coupled with the disinhibition of the alcohol, it is thought that the combination acts in much the same way as an aphrodisiac.” He looked over to see her smirking and then added his own conclusion to the recitation, “Of course, the only thing that is most likely occurring is the disabling of the conscious mind by rendering the brain cells useless and possibly inciting temporary disruption of brain function.”

“So, you wanted to have the wine in the tub…to disrupt our brain function?”

The sly smirk on her face told him that she had just busted him, but he simply could not resist the temptation to tease her further. He reached for the glass and took a healthy sip of his own before setting it down on the ledge and out of their way. “You know how I have to test these theories for myself.”

He pulled Sara into his lap, and bent her down to capture her lips in a rapturous kiss that had her feeling the warm sensations all the way down to her toes. By the time he brought her back up, Sara had become a serious fan of hot tubs. When she sat up, Sara turned and brought her legs around to straddle Gil’s lap.

She was rewarded for her actions by his hands trailing up the outside of her thighs to her hips, and his lips peppering her collarbone with tender kisses. With the sun long past, the only light that could be seen came from the fixtures under the water and cast a luminous glow on their bodies. The watery shadows dancing around them made the whole experience seem surreal to Sara, but the sensations Gil was creating in her body were real enough to keep her grounded in the present.

Gil found himself completely caught up in his own desires as his hands roamed up and down Sara’s back and over her hips while his lips did their best to caress every part of her body they could reach. The lights in the tub left her with the most delightful radiance and it captivated him completely. His hands continued to run over her skin, exploring and touching her in all the ways he had been unable to during their long flight back to Las Vegas. When his left hand dipped down in between her thighs, Sara instantly arched into him and he realized that she too had been missing the glorious contact of their union.

As she began to clutch his shoulders and purr his name the fog created by the heated water, the wine and their overwhelming desire cleared away just enough for a disconcerting thought to enter his mind. “Sara?”

She only moaned, “Mmmmmmmmm,” and obviously missed the fact that he was trying to speak to her.

Moving his hands up to her shoulder blades and holding her close to him, he begged for her attention a bit more intently. “Sara, honey… We need to stop.”

That finally got her attention and she collapsed into him in frustration, “Good God, why?”

He sighed into her neck and reluctantly said, “There’s a matter of logistics I ah, seem to have forgotten.”

“What are you talking about?” She sat up and looked down into his wary gaze.

He glanced down between them and then back up into her eyes, nearly getting lost in the desire he found there. “Ah, well, the ah, condoms won’t re-”

Sara dropped her head to rest against his and laughed. Gil was confused by her response, but she quickly explained to him the reason for her laughter. “Baby, what day is it?”

He brought his wrist into his line of sight and tried to read the date through his fogged up watch. Apparently the waterproof rating did not apply to hot tubs. “I ah, think…” He squinted at the face as he deciphered the numbers there. “The tenth?”

She looked at him with a knowing glance and waited for that information to register in his head. His brow pressed together as his brain sorted through various items of data associated with the tenth of the month. It was the day that the car payment came out of his account for the Denali. It was the day of the month that he typically received his shipment of live crickets for his various specimens, but he made arrangements with Stephanie to take care of that item. The tenth was when he had to have any reviews in for the following month, but that was no longer his problem. It used to be the day of the month that Sara would need her new prescriptio-. “It’s been a month already?!” His eyes instantly widened to the size of baseballs with the sudden revelation.

Sara did not give him a verbal answer, instead she used her lips to kiss the space behind his right ear, and then she used her tongue to trace along the shell of his ear until she reached the lobe. She sucked it into her mouth and held it for what felt like an interminable period of time before she released it with a resounding pop.

With that sound Gil returned his hands to their exploration of her body with a renewed intensity. The entire exchange had been transformed from a simple display of their desire for one another into a pivotal moment in their shared history. This would be a night he would remember for the rest of his days, and he was determined to make it just as memorable for Sara.

Chapter 13

19:00 – 2007.01.15

O’Halloran Home

A few dozen product brochures were scattered across the coffee table as Thomas leaned back into the sofa while reading one of them. He was about to make a major purchase and wanted to be absolutely certain he got the best product for both value and reliability. He was still in awe that his pregnant wife even suggested he do such a thing, but it was just one more reason why he knew she was the one for him. They had been in sync with one another almost since the first moment they met, but it never showed in grand ways, just those little gestures that told him everything he needed to know.

Stephanie was busy in the kitchen, making a huge dinner, because she expected her uncle to drop in on his way back to town. She said that the newlyweds would have been on the road all day and she wanted to make sure that they had a good hot meal before they got home. Thomas told her that they probably just wanted to get home after being on the road all day, but his wife had once again shown him the error of his thinking when she said that she wanted to make sure they kept up their strength, otherwise Sara was likely to miss her first day back to work.

He realized that his current thoughts probably made him a little too old fashioned, but he took great comfort in the sounds of his expectant wife making a meal in their kitchen. Despite all of their rhetoric, he and Stephanie were horribly traditional people. While Thomas was perfectly at home in the kitchen, his wife always handled most of the duties in that arena, leaving Thomas to tend to the traditionally male roles around the house. When they first started living together back in medical school, he questioned her about the way they had fallen into certain roles, and once again she surprised him with her answer. She told him that she never considered anything to be woman’s work or a man’s job, but that in a real partnership, everyone had the things they were more suited to performing, and that as long as the work was evenly distributed, she saw no reason to change how they worked together. On looking back at the discussion, he had to agree that however it happened, they worked well together.

After reading through the brochure in his hands, he tossed it into the “no” pile, and reached for another, only to find a glass of juice instead. Thomas turned his head from his reclined position on the couch and figured that Stephanie had managed to slip into the room with the drink without him even noticing. He decided he must have been deeper in thought than he realized.

“Hey Steph?”

Instead of calling out from the kitchen, she walked to the entryway, wiping her hands on a towel, “What’s up?”

He turned to look at her and asked, “Are you sure we want to spend this kind of money on something like a TV? I mean, there’s other stuff we cou-”

“Thomas, you have worked really hard to get this far, and you’ve never spent a dime on yourself. So, yeah, I really think you need to do this.” She gave him a look that told him the debate was already decided, but that was not about to stop him from trying.

“But with the babies coming, I just thought that maybe we should put the money into something more practical. There’s all kinds of stuff we need to get and I just think-”

Shaking her head, she finally decided to put a stop to the discussion. “Which is exactly why I’ve never touched any of the money from my other stuff, outside of investing it here and there. Uncle Gil has been helping me with that stuff since I was ten years old, and you know full well that we are not hurting in that area.” She crossed the distance between them and he scooted in to keep his back to the couch and allowed her room to sit beside him. “Just because you don’t like to think about that stuff, doesn’t change any of it. That whole ‘for richer or poorer’ thing goes both ways, babe. And I’ve known since I was a little girl that I wanted a big family, so just because it’s gonna happen faster than we anticipated is no reason to think we aren’t ready for it. You can rest assured that we have more than enough money for you to buy the TV that we’ll both enjoy, buy all the items we need for the twins, send them and any other’s we have to college and still get to take some vacations. Of course, something like the end of the world could come along and mess that up, but then I’m pretty sure we’ll have bigger things to worry about.”

Thomas smiled up at his wife and took her hand. “You know I’m not good at this money thing, right? So, when I start freaking out about spending it, it’s got nothing to do with male pride. I just don’t know how to deal with the whole concept of having enough money to go around.”

She nodded at his explanation and smiled back. “Which is yet another reason you deserve to get this TV. You made attending, and you need to celebrate something like that. And I know you will get a lot out of this little purchase for a long time to come, so it’s also important to me. I want you to experience the rewards of your accomplishments, and this is such a small way to do it.”

He pulled her down into his arms and held her tight. “I knew there was a reason I picked you.”

“Picked nothing… We were set up.” Thomas laughed at their private joke. For years they suspected that their friends had conspired to get them together, and it was confirmed on their wedding day with his Best Man’s speech. Carter finally revealed that he and her roommates worked for months to introduce the couple, because they were convinced the two were a perfect match for each other.

“So, I guess I don’t have a choice… I’m getting a great big, kick ass, HD plasma screen TV.” He was rewarded for his statement with a kiss from his wife. “And if I can quit being a wuss about this thing, we might even have it in time for Superbowl Sunday.”

When he waggled his eyebrows at her she laughed and pulled away, “Football nothing… I just hope you figure it out before March Madness.”

Their teasing banter was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Stephanie looked at her watch and smirked, “Wow, they either left earlier than I thought, or Uncle Gil let Sara drive again.”

Thomas laughed as they both got up from the couch. “Yeah, well, I bet it’s the former… I doubt the man’s heart could handle that after the last two weeks.” He pushed her towards the kitchen and went to get to the door. “Better get that food ready… Who knows how long we can keep them here.”

Thomas walked straight to the door and opened it on the happy couple. “Well, we were beginning to think you two changed your minds and ended up becoming hermits up in that cabin.”

“Not hardly!” Sara exclaimed as Thomas moved to allow them entrance into the house. “I can only take that kind of thing in small doses.”

As Gil walked in behind her he added his own perspective, “Don’t let her fool you… If she’d had access to her email, we could have stayed another two weeks.”

Thomas laughed at the easy banter between them, and it only confirmed what his wife always told him about the couple; they were also a perfect match.

“So, was everything okay while we were gone?” At first Thomas had trouble understanding his question and then it dawned on him.

“Ah!.. No loss of life or limb on a single critter or plant. Although, Steph did end up bringing the spider and that plant from the bedroom back with her after the first week. Seems they weren’t happy being left alone, and so she brought them here.” Thomas shook his head at his wife’s explanation for her actions.

“Oh yeah, I probably should have warned her about the plant. It’s always been a little temperamental.” Sara said.

Gil added, “And Archimedes never liked being alone for too long, that was why I always kept him at the lab with me.”

Stephanie came back around the corner and laughed, “And you thought I was bad… At least I don’t do pets.”

She walked straight to Gil and they quickly embraced. “You guys had a good time, I hope?”

“Fiji was spectacular, and Martin wanted me to pass on his congratulations. And the cabin was absolutely perfect.” Gil held her back to get a good look at her. “Well, you still look the same… I was expecting to come back and find you starting to show.”

She chuckled at his remark and said, “Camouflage.” She let go of him and pulled open her outer shirt to reveal the beginnings of that undeniable bump showing through her t-shirt.

He took her hand and squeezed. That was when she looked in his eyes and saw the emotion building up in them. “Uncle Gil? Are you okay?”

Gil worked to choke back the emotions as Sara came to his side. “I ah, it’s just that… I just realized how real all of this is, and ah, it hit me that your father isn’t here to share it.”

She smiled at the depth of his loyalty to her father and said the only thing that had been getting her through those same thoughts. “But he is here… He made sure I still had you to speak for him.” That was the right thing to say, because her uncle’s face suddenly split with a smile. “Now, before we go and get anymore mushy…how about some dinner?”

Sara spoke for them when she said, “Sounds good, what’ve you got?”

“Fettuccine Alfredo Portobelli, some broiled asparagus, a nice salad and something special for dessert.” Stephanie paused as she watched for her uncle to question her choice of menus. “Don’t worry, Uncle Gil… I also have some herb grilled chicken for the carnivores among us.”

“I wasn’t worried, per say… Just mildly concerned.”

They all laughed as they migrated to the kitchen table, with Sara joining Stephanie at the stove. “You need any help?”

“If you want, you can help take it to the table. Everything else is done.” Sara picked up the salad and the asparagus and turned towards the table.

When she returned to the kitchen, Stephanie was tossing the fettuccine in the sauce. “That smells amazing.”

“Thanks… Though I’m surprised you’ve never had it before.” Sara’s confused look told her she needed to explain, “This is one of the first things me and Uncle Gil learned how to cook. I think I had a version of it at least once a week for two years until we finally perfected it.” They walked the rest of the food to the table and Stephanie bumped her uncle’s shoulder. “What’s this I hear about you never making this for Sara?”

Gil looked up at her with a puzzled expression. “I guess it just never really came up. I don’t really think about it being vegetarian, since I’ve always made it with the chicken.”

“Figures.” Stephanie laughed and shook her head. He was the only man she knew who was capable of having such amazing blinders. “Anyway, dig in… I’ll be right back.”

Stephanie walked down the hall to the bathroom as Gil and Sara exchanged worried looks. Gil was at a loss as to how to ask about their concerns, but Sara was quick on the draw. “Thomas… Is everything okay?”

Thomas looked up from the salad he just dished out with a confused expression. “Huh?” Sara gestured down the hall and Thomas understood her question. “Oh! That’s nothing. She’s just being really careful, is all.”

That was too much for Gil and he asked, “Careful about what?”

“Just with her family history and all, Steph is keeping a close eye on her blood sugar to spot any inconsistencies right away.” When he saw their perplexed expressions, Thomas explained further. “Her Mom got gestational diabetes in both pregnancies and her aunt died from undiagnosed diabetes when she was in college. Steph’s always been careful about getting tested every six months, just in case, but with being pregnant, she and the OB thought it would be a good idea to chart her glucose levels before and after eating.”

“And you need to stop worrying about me, so much, Uncle Gil…” Stephanie had returned from the hall and put a hand on her husband’s shoulder as she came to sit beside him. “I am perfectly capable of handling these things calmly and rationally. Besides, this is only a precautionary measure since I have never shown any indication that I would be prone to diabetes other than family history.”

“I never meant to imply anything else. I was simply concerned by the need for caution.” Gil tried to carefully deal with the situation. “Was there a reason you hadn’t shared this with us before?”

Stephanie and Thomas looked at each other a moment and then they both shrugged. “Never came up… We talked about it with Dr. Fraser on a follow-up appointment after the ultrasound.”

“Well, then I guess you can just chalk this up to my still being a little overprotective.” Gil blushed slightly at his own error.

As they began to eat and talk about the wedding, and the locations of their honeymoon all of the tensions melted away. Sara looked around the table and experienced a new feeling, one she had come to recognize as something that had been missing from her life for far too many years; home. Looking at their faces, softened by familiarity and love, she felt the warmth of their affections and found that she truly felt like she had a family again. Not since she was a very little girl had she felt such closeness with a group of people.

She was drawn back into the conversation the moment Stephanie mentioned Nick and his niece. “You really missed out on this one, Sara. I mean really, when she tore Hodges a new asshole I thought for sure the rest of the techs were going to declare her their queen. If she’d have been of age, they’d have gotten her drunk after that one.”

“What in the world did he do to get reamed like that?” Sara quickly rejoined the conversation.

“She wouldn’t say, at first, but Wendy and Mandy got it out of her at the diner. I guess the little rodent actually tried to put a move on her.” Stephanie’s face showed all of the disgust that her statement implied.

“Wait, isn’t she only like seventeen?”

“Exactly!” Stephanie punctuated her statement by slamming her hand into the table.

Gil shook his head and added his own perspective, “He’s just lucky Nick didn’t witness that little insanity. I’m not entirely sure what would have happened.”

“Nick didn’t get a chance… Bobby and Blake had to pull Wendy off of him.” Stephanie retold the events, but it was obvious she was still aggravated by the whole thing. “Luckily, Nick was out in the field with Greg, and Vartann was able to run interference until they could get Hodges out of the lab.”

“Alex is good with stuff like that.” Gil looked at Sara in confusion, but she just played it off. “So, I take it that means he got called by-”

“Yeah, that’s it.” Stephanie cut her off quickly, and Sara realized they were still under a gag order. “But despite the drama on that one night, it was really great having Neeley there. Wendy is even trying to talk her into coming back for the summer internship program.”

“Sounds like the girl made quite an impression last week.” Gil tried to get back into the conversation.

“Oh yeah… And if she does come back, I think Wendy and Henry will be fighting over her the whole time. Plus, I can bet she’ll be spending her down time playing with Bobby in Ballistics.” Stephanie laughed at her final thought. “Those two were like a couple of kids when someone from PD brought in some kind of sniper rifle to be cleared.” The comfortable laughter that followed her comment signaled the end of that part of the conversation.

When they finished with dinner, Thomas stood to clear the dishes and Gil joined him. As they reached the counter Thomas asked, “So, when do you leave for D.C., Uncle Gil?”

“Unfortunately, tomorrow afternoon. I have to meet with the director of the institute first thing the following morning before he leaves for Europe.” Thomas could tell that it was a delicate subject.

“Well, if you need a lift to the airport, don’t hesitate to call. And if you need any help while you’re in D.C. I can give you the number of a buddy of mine from UCLA. He’s a great guy, and he knows the city inside and out.” Thomas was trying to help as best as he could.

“Yeah, Uncle Gil…” Stephanie called from the table, “Matthew is really fantastic. His partner is the one that works for that publishing house where your book came from. He works for one of the lobbying groups setting up events and stuff, so there really isn’t anything he can’t find, or doesn’t know about.”

“Sounds like a pretty handy guy to know.” His abrupt answer told them that the subject needed to be dropped.

“So, where are the pools at now?” Sara did her part to change the topic of conversation.

“What pools?” Gil’s question shocked both women.

“The marriage pools, of course.” His face showed his shock with Sara’s answer.

“Last I checked, they’d finally dropped half the pool, because more than half the money wouldn’t bet against you, and lets face it, who wants to wait that long to collect on a bet.” Sara and Stephanie laughed at the notion and then Stephanie continued, “So, the current money is on you throwing him out in under six months, or the both of you quitting and taking off for Brazil or something in under a year.”

“There are people actually betting on that?” Gil was taken aback by the audacity.

“Uncle Gil… It’s Vegas. They’ll bet on anything around here. Just be glad it hasn’t made it to the bookies yet.”

Chapter 18

15:30 – 2007.01.16

Desmaiseaux Cabin

Nick maneuvered himself and the Doc up the steps to the cabin’s porch, the whole time listening to the woman grouse about not really needing his help, but her wobbly legs told him otherwise. Each step was a challenge, because he worried about causing her any further harm with his actions, but he knew that she needed his assistance to make it inside without her crutch. He was also still very worried about the tear he had seen in her pant leg, so he was glad when they finally reached the cabin where they could call the rangers.

“It’s really not necessary for you to-”

“Stop like that and complain one more time, and I’m just gonna pick you up again. Consequences be hanged.” Nick gave her a look that let her know he was only kidding and she took it for what it was; some good natured ribbing.

As they entered the cabin, she reached inside the door and found a spare cane, chuckled and asked, “Is it really so awful to say what you really want?”

Nick stood back and tried to understand what she was asking. “I don’t get it.”

She began to work her way to the radio stand when she answered. “Cussing, Stokes… You seem to have an unnatural aversion to using a single curse word.”

“Well, not everyone can make a San Diego sailor blush, ya know.” That got him a good laugh just as she switched on the transmitter.

She was still shaking her head when she called into the device, “RJD-Niner to Ranger Control… RJD-Niner to Ranger Control, come in Ranger Control.”

There was a short burst of static and buzz, and then a voice came back with, “RJD-Niner, this is Ranger Control… Had a visit from that crime scene fella, Roxanne. Was he able to find ya, cher?”

“Roger that, Danny… And a good thing, too.” The Doc looked back at Nick and smirked.

“Why for? Over.” The voice on the other side was filled with concern.

“Had a little trouble with the cart… Get a hold of the USGS guys and have somebody take them out on the alpha trail to pick it up. Over” She turned back to the radio, leaving Nick to wonder again about her relationship with the ranger.

“What kind of trouble, cher? You okay?” All pretense of formality was gone from the other man’s voice at that point.

“I’m fine, Danny… C’est bon… But the cart is probably toast, so make sure somebody can tow it back to the trailer, okay?” Her tone was meant to ease his worry, but Nick got the impression that the man would not be satisfied with her verbal assurances. He would have to get some visual confirmation of his own. Nick understood the need, because if Sara or Neeley ever said anything like that to him, he would have felt the same way.

“Affirmative… You need anything out there? Over.”

“I got what I need… Just doing a little hiding out this week, so souci pas, mon ami.” Nick felt like he was missing most of the conversation, and not all of it was because of the French. He decided that there was a whole other layer to the conversation that he was not privy to, but that obviously carried a great deal of meaning to the two of them.

“Yeah…okay. Look, you be safe, cher. And you need anything, you just holler, now, hear?”

“Affirmative, Danny… RJD-Niner, over and out.” Nick watched as she took in a deep breath and tried to exude a façade of calm when she turned back to him. “So…”

“So, why is it that you didn’t tell him to bring the cavalry down here?” Nick did his best to keep his brow furrowed, but it was no use as the mirth quickly took over.

“Danny worries too much about me as it is… The last thing I need to do is give him a reason.” She started to hobble toward the kitchen, but Nick moved in to intercept her.

“No way… You need to get off that leg, and at least let me help you look after that nasty gash.” He took charge and guided her to the couch to sit down.

“Maybe I should’ve let Danny swing by… I didn’t know you’d be such a girl over a little scraped knee.” Nick laughed, but was not deterred in his course of action.

“Whatever… Insult me all ya like, but I ain’t leavin’ until I know that thing is okay.” She chuckled at his calm response and followed his lead.

“Seriously, I’m fine… I’ll just get out the first aid kit and patch myself up. Kind of like a bike tire. Clean out the hole, scrape it up, slather it in goo and slap on a fresh piece of rubber.” She carefully took her seat on the couch, letting out an involuntary groan to show just how much the day had taken out of her. “So, there’s nothing left to worry about.”

“You really think I’m buyin’ that one?” He gave her a discouraging frown and then he asked, “So, where’s the first aid kit?”

She shook her head and he watched her give in. “Behind the door.”

“And the water?”

She blinked deliberately as she changed gears in her mind. “Ah, there’s a stack of bottled water right inside the kitchen.”

Nick nodded and headed straight for the kitchen. He immediately returned with two bottles of water; one he handed to her and the other he placed on the table beside the couch. His next move was to retrieve the first aid kit. He was suddenly very grateful that

Sara had forced him to attend the emergency preparedness classes for the lab. At the time, he had been frustrated by the interruption in his pursuit of a certain meter maid, but in the years since, he was able to rely on those skills in many times of crisis to get him through. At least this time he would be using the training under less stressful circumstances.

When he returned to the couch with the first aid kit, the Doc held out her hands to take the kit from him and he simply shook his head. “Drink your water.”

She pulled her hat off and slapped it down next to her as she exclaimed, “I think I can handle a couple of banda-”

“Drink your water… You obviously have heat stroke if you think I’m gonna let you double over to patch up that leg after bein’ out in that sun all day.” He knelt down in front of her and laid the kit down beside her feet.

As he took stock of the condition of her pant leg he looked up at her to say, “Are we agreed the pants are a lost cause?”

The Doc tilted her head down and to the side to get a quick look at the offending pant leg. “Ah, yeah, they’re pretty well shredded… Why?” Her answer came as he flipped open the knife that was clipped to his waistband and sliced through her pant leg, all the way up past her knee, in one swift movement. “And they’re pretty much shorts now.”

“Sorry, but I gotta get a good look at the damage.” He reached for the bottle of water from the table and twisted it open. Nick held the rag he retrieved from the kitchen at the base of the injured area and tipped the bottle over to wash away the crud that had accumulated in the wound. Once he had a clear view of the gash, Nick cringed at the sight.

“What?” The Doc tried to look down at the side of her leg, but Nick’s head was in the way.

“Well, most of it is just a nasty scrape, but you got a heck of a rip here, just below the knee.” He glanced up again to look her in the eye when he asked, “Are you sure I can’t talk you into going to the hospi-”

“No way! Not for a little blood. So, you can ju-”

Nick held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay… I get it, okay? I just think this could get ugly if you don’t get it looked at.”

“I’m only gonna be here for a few days, and if it gets nasty I can always call Danny to come haul my butt out of here.” Nick stared into her eyes as he looked for the sincerity of her claim and tried to decide what to do. “Honest… I’m really not a glutton for punishment, and you can bet if I let it go there’d be hell to pay from all kinds of sources for doing something that stupid.”

Nick finally accepted what she had to say and went back to work cleaning out the wound. It took a few more doses of the water bottle to wash away all of the grime from the area. As he pulled the first piece of gauze from the package and poured some antiseptic onto it, Nick thought about the interactions between the Doc and the ranger he witnessed earlier that day.

It was even more obvious after the exchange he heard over the radio that the two obviously had something together. While he had no idea what any of that French was about, it struck him as odd that a park ranger out in the middle of the Nevada desert would not only know French, but also speak with a great familiarity to the Doc, if they were not involved in some way. Finally, Nick discerned that the man had referred to the Doc by her first name and an obvious term of endearment, and that pretty much clinched it for him.

The realization made him sigh a little as he continued to clean the wound, but he was not entirely sure why that notion bothered him. When she flinched, he returned his focus to the task at hand. With his attention once again in the present, it suddenly clicked in his head what he was looking at; the Doc’s torn and battered leg. There were a whole host of faded scars trailing up and down the limb, intersecting, dividing and mapping the evils of her life.

Nick had been hurt many times over the years; pushed out of a second story window, bashed and bruised, knocked around and down more times than he could hope to count, and finally he was locked in a box and forced to suffer through the agony of isolation and passive torture. But through everything that ever happened to him, he knew that his pain, his torment, his struggle was nothing compared to the things the woman in front of him lived through every day of her life, let alone that day out on the highway when her life was changed forever. As Nick gently applied the last of the antiseptic to the Doc’s leg, he silently thanked whatever forces kept him safe over the years, and asked that they keep an eye on the woman in front of him from there on out.

After closing up the gash with a couple of butterfly strips, Nick slathered some antibiotic ointment onto the entire area and then reached for a large pad of gauze to put over the whole thing. When he ripped open the roll of gauze to wrap around the leg it dawned on him that the Doc had been strangely silent throughout the whole ordeal. As he started to wrap the gauze around her leg, Nick looked up into the Doc’s face. He finally saw the flushed and mottled skin on her face and after he secured a small strip of paper tape on the gauze, Nick reached up to hold the back of his hand to her forehead; very hot and unnaturally dry.

Her reaction was slowed, but she was still taken aback by the contact. Before she could offer any kind of protest, the room seemed to spin a little more than she was used to and her eyes rolled up into the back of her head for a moment. Nick’s reaction was swift and definitive; reaching a hand behind her head to keep her from striking it as she nearly fainted. Guiding her backwards, he helped her to lie down as he pulled her legs up and turned her around to lie flat on the couch.

“Okay, that obviously took a little more outta you than ya thought, huh?” Nick put the bottle of water back in her hand before he made for the kitchen. “Drink your water… We gotta get you cooled down now.”

As she sipped at the water and struggled to regain the capacity of speech, Nick was busy rummaging around in the drawers. When he came back out he was carrying two bags of ice and was looking at the two doors off the main room. “Which one is the bathroom?”

She lazily pointed to the one closest to the kitchen with a slightly trembling arm and he nodded quickly to show that he understood and disappeared behind the door. After a short period of rustling through the room, the Doc heard the water cut on and then off. When he came out of the bathroom door he carried a bundle of soaking wet towels.

She tried to lean up from the couch, but was met with his firm hand on her shoulder to keep her in place. “Lay back… You gotta relax and try to cool down.” He stuck the towels between his knees and held out the ice bags. “So, I’m gonna put these in your armpits, and then I’ll take this towel and wrap it around your neck, okay?” When she failed to respond, he took that as a passive approval and lifted each arm before tucking the bags into the space. Then he draped the cool, wet hand towel over her throat, careful to make sure it rested solidly on the large vessels in her neck before wrapping it around to sit at the base of her head. Then, he folded the dripping wet washcloth over and laid it across her forehead. “Okay, just lay still, and relax… It’ll help you cool down a little faster.”

Nick watched as her legs fidgeted a little and he realized that maybe he should prop them up, so he grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and folded it into a cushion that he slid in under her calves to elevate her legs properly. After a few minutes, he noticed that she seemed to be more comfortable, and he decided that it would be a good time to clean up all the mess from his bandaging job.

Once he had all of the trash properly dealt with Nick took a moment to chug down a bottle of water as well. The last thing he needed to worry about was two people suffering from heat exposure. When he returned to the couch to check on the Doc he watched as her chest slowly rose and fell in that all too familiar rhythm of deep sleep. He gingerly pulled the washcloth from her face and checked her temperature once again with the back of his hand. The skin was still warm to the touch, but no longer had that hot, flushed and dry feeling to it. Careful not to wake her, he slid the ice bags out from under her arms and took them into the kitchen.

After dumping the remaining ice out into the sink, Nick found himself overcome with one of those yawns that started in his toes and worked its way all the way up his body, causing him to stretch involuntarily until he was forced to stifle the sound that came from the same place. He glanced at his watch and realized that he had already been up for more than twenty four hours, which perfectly explained why he was suddenly so tired.

When he went back to the couch, he decided that since the Doc was resting, he would just sit back in the easy chair and catch a quick nap before he headed back to the city. He figured it would only last an hour or so, and he leaned back in the chair, stretching out the foot rest as he did. Another yawn enveloped his consciousness and soon he drifted off to sleep as well. To dream of better things, better times and a better tomorrow.

Chapter 19

20:00 – 2007.01.16

Desmaiseaux Cabin

With the darkness of sleep fading away to a soft orange glow that surrounded him, Nick began to wake from a tenuous slumber. The sounds of a popping and crackling fire flooded his senses as the warmth of the fireplace finally registered in his sleep addled brain.

As he took a deep breath he felt the restriction of something around his shoulders and pulled it back to see exactly what it was that covered him. He found the blanket that he had folded up and used as a cushion for the Doc. That discovery reminded him of exactly where he was, and he looked over at the couch to find it empty.

Nick dropped the footrest of the easy chair and removed the blanket before he slowly rose to his feet. Like a hibernating creature woken early from its repose, he stretched and yawned with a sound that was half way between a groan and a growl.

From behind him, in the direction of the kitchen, a response to his verbalization came. “Huh… I could have sworn there weren’t any bears in this part of Nevada.”

Nick dug deeply into his college studies to find the right words. He only hoped that he got close. “Ursus erratus? You know how us cowboys like to travel.”

The Doc’s laughter told him that he either got the joke right, or horribly wrong. “Nice! Wandering man-bears are probably something the anthropologists should be looking into. I think they’ve become a new species or something.”

Shaking his head at her take on his little joke, Nick turned and grabbed the blanket to fold it up. “What’s that I smell?” He folded it in half and tried to discern the aroma that was assaulting his nostrils.

“Definitely a bear… It was the food that woke you up, wasn’t it?” Nick shied away from her question and she chuckled at his reaction. “I just whipped up some shepherd’s pie, so I hope you’re hungry. Otherwise, I’m gonna be eating this stuff all week.”

Nick smiled as he dropped the folded blanket onto the chair and said, “No trouble there… I haven’t eaten since this morning at my place. I’m practically starving.”

“Perfect… Should be ready in about five minutes. If y-”

“I’ll get cleaned up… Be right back.” Nick quickly disappeared into the bathroom.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

For a cabin out in the middle of nowhere, cooked by a woman who spent all of her time with rocks and dirt, Nick had to admit that it was a fantastic dinner. They chatted casually about nothing in particular, simply enjoying the food and the comforts of companionship. They were well into the meal before a single word was uttered as to why Nick had come looking for the Doc.

“What in the world possessed you to come out here anyway?”

Nick wiped his mouth with the paper towel and smiled as he finished up the food in his mouth before he answered. “Well, see…there’s this ADA who’s about to lose his mind with this cantankerous expert witness he’s got testifying for him, and it would seem that the expert has something of a temper. So, somehow, I managed to get myself appointed translator, messenger boy and conflict mediator between these two characters.”

She smirked from the left side of her mouth, and Nick was fairly certain there was a hint of blush in her cheeks as she said, “Wow, sounds like you’ve got your hands full with those two, huh?”

Shaking his head he said, “You have no idea!” They shared the laughter of understanding and then Nick explained in earnest, “Seriously though… Sinclair’s got some stuff he wanted you to go over for his presentation before your testimony. He’s concerned that he needs all of his ducks in a row, and he’s afraid a loud goose has slipped in to muck the whole thing up. Think you can take a look at what he’s got and give me a few notes to take back to the little rodent?”

The Doc screwed up her smile momentarily and then nodded her head. “Deal… But only if we drop the barnyard analogies.”

“I’ll do my best…” Nick punctuated his agreement with a quick wink and then he got up from the table to retrieve his backpack. When he returned, he had a series of folders and graphic printouts from the attorney’s presentation. “I decided it would be easier to bring these out to you then it would be to get you to come in and see them. And the only other way to deal with it would have been to tell Sinclair where to find you.”

“Thank God you didn’t do that! There’re obviously too many people who know where this place is already. I’d never get any peace if that insufferable little toady came out here.” Nick was a little surprised at her honesty, but he also realized that he probably needed to stop being surprised by anything the woman did anymore. “Which reminds me…I still need to smack Sandi for giving you the location.”

Nick chuckled at her response as he watched her methodically perusing the information he had given her. He decided that humor was probably his best course of action. “Well, considering where I found you, I’d say it’s a good thing I did come all the way out here. I imagine you’d still be sittin’ out on that rock, if I hadn’t.”

“Keep dreaming, Butch… By now I’d be sitting inside the shed at the site and waiting for daylight, so I could use the solar powered radio system.” Nick deferred to her explanation and let it drop at that. He was still convinced that she really needed his help, even if she was not willing to admit it.

“Whatever you say, Sundance.” He nodded in the direction of the materials when he asked, “So, what’s the verdict?”

“Not bad, for a lay person. So, I think it’ll work for the average jury.” She was about to stand up from the table, but before she could move Nick was on his feet and gathering up the dishes.

When he was on his way to the sink she questioned him. “Just what are you doing? I am perfectly capable o-”

“Capable? Of that I have no doubt… But you cooked dinner, so that means I clean up after, and it’s just the way it is, Doc. So, sit back, keep reading and enjoy the slave labor, okay?” Nick heard no further objections, so he set to work filling the sink with soapy water and started washing the dishes as the Doc went through all of the papers he brought with him.

As Nick dried the last of the dishes he remembered something he wanted to mention to the Doc. “Hey, I took my niece out to that Moroccan restaurant when she was in town, and it was a huge hit.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep… I even got her to try that beet salad thing, so I figured it was a success. She told my folks all about it, so I think she was actually more impressed with that place than she was with the Stratosphere.” Nick stood at the sink with a hand on his hip, and coupled with the slightly disgusted look on his face, the sight was simply too much for the Doc to let slide and she started laughing.

Nick looked around to figure out what she had found so amusing, but soon realized it was only him. “What?”

“I’m sorry… But you really are just a big girl, aren’t you?” The hurt look on Nick’s face was enough to make her explain. “Really, it’s nothing personal, but you have a serious connection to your feminine side, Stokes. Just how many sisters do you have?”

He finally understood what had sparked her laughter and demurred to her question. “Five… All older.”

“That explains so much!” Her giggling continued and Nick had to admit it was slightly infectious, so he joined in. He also noted that when she was not trying to show just how independent she was, the woman was actually fun to be around. It started to help Nick understand just how she was able to draw so much loyalty from the people in her life.

“Okay, so this would be the punishment phase for the unforgivable sin of bringing all this paperwork out to you and saving your butt from a night in the desert?” Nick decided to address her issues with him being there with a little humor of his own. Because no matter what she might have said in the open, he knew that she would have been much worse off had he not arrived on the scene that afternoon. However, he also knew all too well how much pride played into various coping mechanisms, so he was perfectly happy to allow her that saving grace.

“That would be correct.” She gave him a crooked smile and returned her attention to the paperwork. “Okay, I need to sign this one, right?”

Nick moved to stand beside her and looked over her shoulder to see the document in question. “Ah, yeah, and I just have to witness the signature, then you’ll be free until Monday.”

“Sounds great to me… I really need to finish this damn report for Defense, otherwise I’m gonna have a bunch of whining generals hounding me.” She got out her pen and placed it in her right hand with the ease of repetition, but Nick could tell it was no easy feat as he watched her sign the document.

However, he was intrigued by her comments. “Defense?”

“Yeah, an environmental impact study on this quarry they operate in North Carolina. They’re trying to find another use for it so they can divert resources elsewhere now that the quarry is depleted. It’s a serious nightmare.” She slid the paper in his direction and handed him the pen with her left hand.

Nick leaned over the table and signed the document. He could feel her stare as he dragged the pen across the paper, but he tried not to let it get to him. He had learned that she used the stares as a way of keeping people from looking at her, so he once again allowed the tactic in the name of maintaining the peace.

When he was finished, he started to gather up the paperwork and organize the folders in his grasp. He stepped away from the table and went to put the items into his backpack again. Nick turned back to the kitchen to give his thanks and say his goodbyes just as the Doc painfully stood up from the table. He could tell she was in pain from the events of the day, but his attention drifted down to her torn pant leg and the bandage.

“Hey, let me take a look at that thing.” Nick went to stand beside her and offered her his arm for support. She stared at it for a moment, and then up at him, before finally acquiescing.

Nick grinned when he realized that he just witnessed a milestone; the Doc had not fought against his help. He tried to suppress the grin, because he did not want to draw any attention to the incident, but he delighted in it, none the less.

He helped her across the room and eased her onto the edge of the chair. When he knelt down to look at her leg, he stopped halfway as soon as he got a glimpse of the bandage. It was seeped through and in dire need of changing. “Yeah, we need to get this thing changed before it gets ugly in there.”

“I’m sure I can figure it out…just hand me the k-”

“Look, I might not’ve been an Eagle Scout, but I have a little training here. Besides, it would make me feel better to make sure it’s all right…okay?” Nick figured that if she thought it was about someone else’s insecurities that she would be more willing to go along. The fact was that Nick was genuinely concerned about the wound becoming infected, if it was not already there. When she nodded her agreement, he knew he had taken the right tack.

He made quick work of the soiled bandage and then set about to clean the area once again. It took him a few minutes to do the job, but when he finally sealed the bandage he was happy with his work. Nick looked up into the Doc’s face with a satisfied smile on his own face. “That’s better. You just gotta keep it clean and the bandage fresh for the first twenty four hours. It really is the best way to prevent infection.”

“So, you can go from cowboy to Dr. House in the blink of an eye?” He could see the humor gleaming in her eyes and it made him chuckle.

“I do what I can.” Nick stood up and took a survey of the room. He realized that he had done what he came to do, and the only things left were the pleasantries of departure and hauling the stuff back to town. “Well, thanks for the dinner and the little adventure.” He looked down at his watch and saw that it was well after ten. He had already arranged with Warrick to have the night off so that he could take care of the loose ends on the heroin case before the grand jury the following week, and he was looking forward to a quiet night at home in front of the television. “I should get moving, so you can get some rest. I really do appreciate your takin’ the time to go through the paperwork and I’ll be sure to keep Sinclair on a short leash from here on out.”

Nick picked up his pack and moved toward the door when he was stopped by her voice. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”

He turned to face the woman to address her comment. “Sorry?”

“You got maybe two hours sleep after being up all night and all day, and you think I’m gonna let you drive back, in the dark, alone? No way, Butch.” She stood up and went to the trunk next to the couch. After lifting the lid, she retrieved a pillow and a big blanket that she tossed onto the couch. “You are more than welcome to crash out on the couch here, because there’s no way I’m letting you ride the roads with those bags you’ve got going there.” The look on Nick’s face resembled that of a puppy trying to figure out a noisy toy as he twisted his head to the side. “That matched luggage under your eyes, Stokes. You look like you’ve been up for days, and a lonely desert highway is no place for tired eyes.”

Nick hung his head as he understood what she was saying. He was tired, and it probably was a bad idea to make the long drive back to Vegas at his current level of exhaustion. He also knew in that moment that his friends were right; he really was a lightweight when it came to pulling the occasional double shift. He was practically useless when it came to pulling the triples that Sara and Grissom were known for over the years. Nick was simply a man who needed his sleep to function.

However, he still felt compelled to grouse at the suggestion from the Doc, “Are you su-”

“No arguments, Stokes. I expect to hear the sounds of your grumbling and growling all night, so just settle in for the hibernation.” The woman turned to head toward her bedroom. “Help yourself to anything in the fridge, there’s some books on that shelf over there and one of those portable stereos in the trunk. I think there’s even some tapes in there somewhere.”

Nick spied a small television in the corner and asked, “That thing work?”

She looked in the direction of his question and chuckled. “There’s no reception out here, and cable hasn’t made it this far yet… We used to use it for replaying some of the video for the project, but now it’s all digital. I can’t even remember the last time we turned the thing on. But, if you’re jonesing, I guess you can turn it on and watch the static for a little while.”

Nick blushed at the implication of her quip and shook his head. “Nah, I think I can make it another night. I was just looking for the scores anyway.”

“Try the shortwave… I’m sure Danny has the whole field covered. He got the satellite dish installed at the station out of his own pocket, because he couldn’t bear to part with his LSU games since he was stationed out here in the middle of nowhere.” The mention of Louisiana State University helped put the pieces of the puzzle together in his mind. The man’s subtle accent had been plaguing Nick’s subconscious, and it was a relief to finally have the answer. It also dawned on him that it was probably the source of the man’s use of French when he talked with the Doc. Well, at least one reason, anyway.

“Not necessary, but thanks.” After she disappeared into the bedroom Nick walked over to the bookcase and started looking through the titles.

He quickly glossed over the top shelf, as the spines foretold of the hours he could spend learning about the wonders of dirt. The second shelf boasted a host of titles in other languages and collections of poetry, which he was as interested in as he was a new hole in his head.

Hope was beginning to fade when the Doc’s voice called out from behind him, “There’s an interesting piece on desert wash patterns for large debris in the academic journal sitting on top of the bookcase. And there’s some other stuff on the bottom shelf, too.”

Just as fast as she had interjected her voice into his space, she was gone, leaving him with better prospects on the reading front. The first thing he did was grab for the journal she had recommended for his education. He decided it was only right that he at least try it out. After all, the worst that would happen was a little boredom, but the best might mean that it made him a better forensic investigator.

He crouched down to check out that lowest shelf and was instantly shocked at the titles he found there. There were a few books bearing the trademarks of some legendary science fiction franchises that stood out against everything else. He looked them over, but he never was terribly fond of the genre, so he kept looking. His next discovery nearly knocked him over: three novels by the popular and accomplished southern writer Pat Conroy. The first one made sense, because “The Water is Wide” had always been well received in all academic circles due to its portrayal of the evils of the public education system in the U.S. But the second title seemed odd, based only on what he knew about the Doc. He simply had a hard time figuring out how she would be able to connect with a story about a young man dealing with an overbearing Marine Corps father while living in the deep south. However, the last book really felt like a surreal choice for the Doc. It was Conroy’s tale of his time on the Citadel basketball team as a young man.

Nick picked out the copy of “My Losing Season” and stared at it as he walked to the couch. He dropped the journal on the side table and sat the book down beside him. Reaching down, Nick untied his boots and then pulled them off, setting them up beside the couch. He grabbed the book and then stretched out over the couch as he tucked the pillow in behind his head.

He read the book when it first came out, but also several times since then. It was a really poignant depiction of the bonds created among young men on an athletic team, and it always struck a tender chord for Nick. He was not quite ready to sleep, and the words in that book would be just what he needed to relax. He would take a nap a little later and then head off on the road back to Vegas.

After a day that started out filled with stress and tension, he had to admit a good book, a warm fire and a comfortable couch after a pleasant meal with great company was the perfect end to the long day.

Chapter 20

06:30 – 2007.01.17

Desmaiseaux Cabin

Long a fan of the avian world, Nick was surprised to find himself rudely awakened by the successive battering of the metal tower outside the cabin by what was obviously a woodpecker fervently announcing his claim to the territory. He rose to his feet and went to look around outside in the pre-dawn light of day.

His eyes caught a flash of movement heading away from the electrical tower and he followed it to the closest tree branch. There he spotted the familiar brown bird with the black bars on its back and wings. When the Northern Flicker fluttered its wings, Nick also found that it was one of the red shafted varieties common to the area.

Stepping out onto the porch, Nick leaned over the rail to watch the woodpecker go about his business. When the bird jumped down to the ground and started feasting on the ants it found there, Nick remembered that the birds used the ants as not only a primary food source, but also the acid from the ants helped them to fight off parasites and aided in their grooming.

Soon, the chill in the air reminded Nick that it was early morning, so he abandoned the flicker’s happy little feeding dance and went back inside the cabin. His mission was clear; coffee. After a few false starts he finally had the coffee, the maker and the cups ready to go.

He looked down at his watch and realized he had just enough time before the coffee was ready to get himself cleaned up, so he went to his truck to retrieve his emergency bag. Not long into his career as a CSI, Nick learned to always keep a spare set of clothes and toiletries in his truck for all of those times when he might not see his home for a couple of days, or his present clothes had gotten dirtied by the work.

Nick made his way to the bathroom and worked to quietly clean up for the day. His plan was to get back out on the road just as soon as the Doc woke up and he could thank her for the hospitality. I can’t just leave without talkin’ to her…for propriety’s sake.

That thought made Nick pause for a moment. He had to wonder why it came to mind with everything else that was going on. But, eventually he shrugged it off and finished up in the bathroom.

By the time he re-entered the kitchen, the coffee was just finishing up and he poured himself a cup. As the warm brown liquid of life heated a path down to his stomach, Nick started to fully wake to the dawning day. After the sigh he released dissipated, he could make out a new sound on the morning air. In order to hear the full breadth of the sound, Nick walked back out onto the porch.

Over in the bushes Nick could hear a mechanical tinkling sound, the high bell-like call of the Black-throated Sparrow. From the sounds of it, there were at least three or four of the desert sparrows over in those bushes. He leaned over the railing once again, sipped from his coffee cup and simply relished in the sounds of early morning in the desert. It was the kind of thing that never ceased to lighten his heart.

As the bottom of his cup became visible, the sun was also making its presence known. Nick was just about to head back into the cabin to see what was in the kitchen for breakfast when a park service truck came riding up and rolled to a stop in front of the porch.

Nick stood up and went to greet the man behind the wheel. Stepping down from the pickup was a dark haired man with the palest complexion he had ever seen in a desert dweller before. Nick nodded as the ranger approached the porch.

“Hey there, CSI Stokes…” The ranger called up to the porch, “What’s it keepin’ you out so long?”

Nick shrugged and said, “Ended up crashing out here last night. Doc was worried about me out on the highway after bein’ up all day.”

“All day? Ain’t that the way it’s supposed to work?” The ranger was obviously questioning him, so he just played along.

“As long as you don’t normally work the night shift. I came out here right after work yesterday, so I hadn’t slept in quite a while.” Nick thought for a moment about telling the man that he also stayed longer than intended because of the Doc’s injuries, but after his conversation with her, he decided that was probably not a wise thing, so he kept silent about it. “By the time we got done runnin’ through the case file it was pretty late, so I just crashed out here.”

“Oh yeah that… Good thing, then. Lonely desert highway is no place for tired eye.” Nick remembered that the Doc said something very similar to him the night before, which only further confirmed his suspicions about the two and their relationship. The ranger nodded up at the house and asked, “So, where she at?”

Nick turned involuntarily and looked back at the door when he answered, “Ah, still asleep, I guess.”

The man looked at his watch and nodded, “Yeah, okay… So, we got that cart, and them boys at USGS are takin’ it in. It won’t be runnin’ for a while, so would you let her know she’s been grounded for a bit, okay?”

“Yeah sure… No problem.” Nick watched on as the man seemed to have become fascinated with the dirt bike in the back of his pickup truck.

“This yours?” Nick nodded that it was and the ranger climbed up onto his tailgate to get a closer look at the bike. “Two fifty?”

“Ah yeah… I haven’t ridden anything smaller since I was a kid.” Nick stepped down from the porch and closed the distance between them. He thought the volume in their voices had the possibility of waking the Doc, and he wanted no part of having irritated her so early in the day.

“Yeah… Hobby bikes, those are. This is nice though.” He went over the tailgate and came in for a closer inspection of the engine. “Looks like you got a good mechanic on this, huh?”

“Ah, well, mostly I just keep it up, but a buddy of mine is real good with engines. So, I can usually count on him for a hand.” Nick was always glad to have Warrick around, but even he had to admit that the man was a damn good mechanic. The only one who had more fun in the CSI garage was Sara, but that was only because she liked tearing things apart to see how they worked. Warrick liked being able to put them back together, and it made him a real talent in the garage.

“Yeah… Andy, me spent lotta hours turnin’ wrenches on our first bikes. Makes for good friends, when you can do that, yeah?” The faraway look in his eyes made Nick wonder what he meant. “Andy loved them bikes… And I think they loved him back. Me? I was too much in my head about the animals to stick with the bikes.”

“Animals?” Nick attempted his own subtle interrogation.

The ranger looked up from the bike. “Huh? Oh, yeah, my background’s in biology. Small mammal biology, mostly. This ranger thing is so I can do half my field research and get my Ph.D.”

“Oh, wow… That’s great, man. What’s your study?”

“Ah, I’m comparin’ the habit behaviors of a small class of rodents between different environments.” As the man explained his area of study, Nick was suddenly aware that he was far more than he ever appeared before. He began to wonder if the good old boy image was just a front that he used with people he did not know. “What’s the same, what’s different, what’s a necessity of the environment and what can be connected to a kind of learned community behavior. That kind of thing.”

“Sounds like a pretty interesting way to spend the time. How long have you been workin’ on this?” Nick tried to keep Danny engaged in the conversation, because he had to admit he enjoyed finding out more about the man.

“Too long… I’m no over-achievin’ genius like them two. I’m just the simple minded step child in comparison.” His comment was innocent enough, but it confused Nick completely.

“What two?”

The man gave Nick his own confused expression and responded as though Nick asked him the color of the sky. “Andy and Roxanne… They’re the only two I know got their degrees like they was in a race or somethin’.”

The name sounded familiar to him, but Nick had trouble placing it. “Andy?”

“Oh! Sorry ‘bout that… I always forget.” He jumped down out of the truck and removed his hat, showing Nick a thick, full head of wavy black hair as it fell down in front of his face. “Andy was the guy what helped her get this place going. Them two was inseparable from the moment they met, so I forget not everybody thinks of them in the same breath.” The ranger leaned back against the side of Nick’s truck and replaced the cap on his head, with the bill sitting up high. “One of them things, I guess, but it still take me a minute to remember ole Andy’s gone sometime. I half expect to pull into this place and see him throwin’ the ball around with them college kids, and thinkin’ up new ways to play jokes on the other rangers. He was a practical joker, that one.” The ranger smiled and Nick could see his eyes light up for a moment. “I remember one time, we couldn’ta been more than ten, but he got it in his head he wanted to see just how fast that little buggy we had would go, so he needed to get him some grain alcohol to make his plan work. He conned this ole boy into lettin’ him haul corn for him, in exchange for a jug of his recipe, on account his grandpappy was feelin’ poorly and needed the recipe to get his spirits up. That ole boy sends his ole lady down to Andy’s place to offer their support, in that time of sadness. Andy, me didn’t sit down for a near a week after that one, I tell you.”

Nick and the man laughed heartily at the old story. When they were done, Nick felt compelled to ask the man another question. “So, you knew the Doc’s fiancé, then?”

“Knew? No way, we was closer than that, for certain. We grew up on the same bayou, both moved to big dirt when our Daddy’s started working for the chemical comp’ny. Me and him is practically blood. He was the one told me ‘bout putting in for this job, sose I could start my research and have some money in my pocket.” Danny looked toward the cabin and nodded. “And he’s the reason I’m still here, yeah. He always told me to watch out for what’s his, you know. Just like I would tell him, too. He took care of my parents after they both took sick, and I was away in the Navy… And now that he’s away, it’s my turn to take care, you know. But like always, somehow I think Andy got the easier way.” Danny winked at Nick as he tried to lighten the mood. Nick stayed quiet, not truly understanding what had happened, or what he had been told.

Danny moved away from Nick’s truck and back over toward the driver side of his. “She ain’t no picnic, friend. But she’s worth every painful moment.” He opened the creaky door and added, “You just let her know she ain’t taking anymore buggy rides for while, and make sure she take care of whatever she hurt out there. And tell her she ain’t so smart, neither.” He climbed up inside the cab of the truck and smoothed his mop of pitch black curls back as he brought the hat squarely down again. Leaning out the window he called back, “Thanks for picking her up, Stokes… And make sure you remember what I said; I’m watchin’ out for what’s his, friend… Always watchin’.”

Nick watched the ranger as he pulled away from the site and wondered what the man meant with his parting words. He stared after him for a while as he tried to put all of the pieces together. What may have started out as a simple errand for a case, had turned into so much more and he was still attempting to understand it all. The ride back to town promised to be full of highly intriguing analysis.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The morning sun had always been an issue at the cabin, but over the years she developed a resistance to it, waiting until the last possible moment before finally succumbing to its beckoning call. When her last corner of darkness was burned away by the sunshine, she carefully opened a single eyelid, and then the other followed shortly after.

The whole experience of waking had been terribly disorienting to her in the years since her accident. When she slept, she was whole, she was happy and she was never alone, but in the waking it would all come flooding back with the reality of the day. Some days she was able to awaken with no memory of the dreams, or the day before, and it was oddly comforting, that blanket of nothingness. However, like most delusions, it would be short lived, and the world would soon engulf her in its pain, its suffering, and its ever demanding need for her attention. To say she was not a morning person was probably the understatement of the millennium.

With her left arm she threw back the quilt and waited for the motivation to crawl out of bed for another day in the glaring reality. That motivation came in the form of the scent of coffee wafting in from the kitchen. The moment she took in a deep breath through her nostrils she was intrigued by its presence. Having found the reason to rise, she clumsily rolled out of the bed and dropped her feet to the floor with a thud. When she sat up on the edge of the bed, her left arm immediately went to the surface to brace her in the upright position. The other hand rubbed over her face and eyes in yet another attempt to fully wake for the day.

When the sound of a truck coming to a squeaky halt in front of her cabin came in through the open window she looked over at the clock on her dresser. It was nearly seven in the morning and she had no idea who would have been there to see her so early. Of course, she was still wondering how the coffee had been made, but that was why she got up in the first place.

She rose to her feet and winced at the sudden pain in her right leg. She was no longer used to feeling a great deal in that leg (years of surgery and the initial damage managed to have killed off much of the nerve tissue), so the pain was unique. She glanced down at her leg and saw a large swathing of bandage and was instantly reminded of the events of the day before. It was simply a testament to the ability of sleep to rob one of their senses, and she was glad that coffee apparently waited for her in the next room.

The walk into the main room was slow and painful, but that was nothing new for her. She had been experiencing those walks for nearly ten years, and she was grateful for each grueling step. The pain was nothing more than a reminder of what she almost lost; her freedom and her life. She may have lost many things in her life, but as long as she was still alive, she considered herself ahead of the game. And it was a game she intended to win, even if it was the last thing she did.

Before she could head into the kitchen and find that coffee, the sound of voices out front drew her sleep fuzzied attention away from the kitchen. As she glanced over the room on her way to the front door she noticed the pillow and blanket on the couch. The sight, the coffee and the voices all added up to the fact that she probably had a visitor or two.

She changed course and went straight for the front door. As her hand reached for the handle, she could hear a truck start up and she pulled open the door to look out the screen for a clue as to who was there. The familiar sight of the bright green and yellow truck backing off the property greeted her and she wondered why Danny had come by just to make coffee, but then her eyes drifted down to the bottom of the steps and the whole thing instantly came back into focus: the blowout, the crash, the walk, the fall, the rescue, the dinner. And Nick Stokes was in the starring role of the whole ridiculous nightmare that compromised her previous day.

His back was turned to her as he watched Danny’s truck motor away, and that was when she looked down at herself and realized what she was wearing. There she stood in the doorway in a lavender, satin, spaghetti strap, tank top and matching shorts. It was a fairly standard choice in night clothes for her, but not something she ever wore in front of anyone (not for a very long time). She knew that other people felt perfectly fine wearing even less than that in public, but she had never been one of them, and certainly not in the last ten years.

She was used to the sight of the criss-crossed lines and the jagged ridges, the darkened divots that spread out over her skin in large patches, the many reminders of the event that changed her life forever. But outside of her family, and a few medical personnel, no one else ever saw that much of her body in the last ten years, and she tended to like it that way. It was hard enough for her to look on the image of her battered and torn body, and she could only imagine the torment it would cause someone else.

She stared out at the man’s back for a moment too long, because he instantly turned around and began to bound up the steps to find her in the doorway. “Oh hey! You’re up, I see.”

There was still a screen door between them and she held onto it with a death grip as she attempted to use it as a shield. He continued to talk, “You just missed Dan… He came by to let you know the cart was seriously crunched, and it’s gonna be a while before they can fix it. So, you won’t be goin’ out to the site for the rest of the week.”

Her mind only allowed her one word and it was, “Okay.”

“He’s a pretty interesting guy. Sounds like he’s pretty devoted to you, huh?” His question was just the thing she needed to break through the stupor.

“Ah, yeah… I kind of inherited him, but yeah, he’s very loyal.” He made a motion to show that he wanted to get back inside the cabin and she finally released her white-knuckled grip on the screen door handle. “Oh… Sorry.”

She stepped back from the door and Nick walked right in. On his way past her he looked down at her exposed leg and saw that the bandage had been seeped through again. “Hey…have a seat and I’ll grab the kit so we can get that changed again.” He walked into the kitchen and paid no attention to her nervousness or anxiety.

She quickly grabbed the flannel shirt off of the coat rack and wrapped herself up in it. The shirt failed to cover her completely, but it was something she could hold onto and that was important. She sat down in the first available chair which happened to be next to her desk and waited for him to come back into the main room.

“I had some stuff in my truck, so you’re stocked up on rolls of gauze and some more telfa pads.” He started talking before re-entering the room and continued as he knelt down in front of her to get straight to work redressing the wound after he handed her a cup of coffee. “The telfa pads won’t stick to the wound as it scabs over, so it’ll be the most comfortable to use...you know, when you go to get some more of these. You’ll need to keep dressing it for at least week, okay?”

She held the shirt closed with her right arm draped over her lap and clutched at the cup as though it were a weapon as she nodded her understanding. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

She could instantly see the concern in his eyes and she felt bad for having made him question himself with her insecurity. “No…not at all.”

“Okay.” He did not sound like it was, but she had nothing she could offer him; not while she still felt so exposed.

He sealed off the bandage once again and stood up. He started talking again and she fought to remain in the conversation, instead of dwelling on her own paranoia. “Well, I just wanted to thank you for the use of the couch, the Conroy and that article. You mind if I take that back with me? I’m pretty sure my friend Sara would like to read it, too.”

“Um, yeah… That’s fine. You can always have Dr. Grissom return it when he’s on campus.” She tried to make the whole thing sound as casual as possible, because she was quite certain that under the circumstances he was most likely just being polite.

“No problem, really. I don’t mind either way.” He folded up the blanket and took it as well as the pillow back to the trunk. “I ah, never pictured you as a fan of Conroy’s work though.”

Her self-consciousness gone for a moment, she answered, “I got hooked on ‘The Great Santini’ because my mother told me it was the perfect description of her life growing up as a Marine Corps brat. Apparently my grandfather was not exactly a nice man, and their family life was oddly similar to the one in the book. After that, I just loved the way he described people and places.” She had no idea why she told him that, because she never told anyone about her family anymore, it was just too painful.

“I love the way he tells a story. Just makes me feel like I can understand what everyone is thinking and feeling and seeing. Like I’m really there. It always makes me feel more connected when I read his stories.” She was shocked at the depth with which he described his interest in the author’s work.

He looked down at his watch and whistled, “Man! I really need to get going. I’ve gotta work tonight, and I’m already gonna have to pull on-call duty for two Saturdays just to make up for last night.” He grabbed his backpack and walked over to her again as he reached for something in the front pocket. “Look, if you need anything, you should try me at this number.” He handed her a card with his mobile number first and the main lab number below it on the front, along with “CSI-3 Nicholas Stokes” in big bold letters. “I work nights, so leaving me a message at the desk can take forever, plus the turnover there is a nightmare, so who knows if I’ll actually get the message.” His mention of the missed message incident refreshed her memory, but it was the shy smile on his face that truly had her attention. “Anyway, I’ll see you on Monday for the Grand Jury testimony, but if you need anything before then, please don’t hesitate to call.”

He thanked her again and said his goodbyes before he headed out the door. She remained seated in the desk chair until she heard his truck as it pulled away from the cabin. She felt a strange pull to follow and got up to walk to the door, just in time to watch the truck exit onto the forest service road.

As she continued to stare at the vacant space in front of the cabin she felt a slight twinge in her right leg. Looking down at the leg, the shirt fell open and she was overcome with an ache she had long thought abandoned.

It was the strangest thing she had witnessed in a very long time. And her reactions to the whole incident surprised her even more.

Chapter 21

20:45 – 2007.01.17

CSI Lab: Break Room

It had already been a long week, especially with Nick being out the night before. So, when Catherine called to wake him up early, he was never so happy to have his sleep disturbed in his life. She called to tell him that his new CSI was in her office and ready to start work that night. She invited him to join her and the new team member for a welcome aboard dinner.

The dinner had been pleasant and Warrick agreed that Cath definitely found the absolute perfect person to join his team. He knew it would be a hard job to find the right CSI for the job, but he had total confidence in Cath’s ability to do just that. He figured that if anyone would know a good match for their team, it was her.

He looked down at his watch and realized that he needed to get things moving if he was going to have his team ready to work that night, so he got up and hoped that Catherine finished with the woman’s paperwork before assignments were done. As he grabbed up his clipboard, Blake leaned inside his doorway. “Hey Chief… Nick made it in and everybody’s ready to go.”

“Thanks, Blake, but we got a little surprise for everybody.” Warrick enjoyed throwing the other man off his game, and his comment certainly accomplished that.

“No kidding? Well, then I better make sure I’m ready, too, huh?” Blake recovered quickly and slapped the wall as he headed off down the hall ahead of Warrick.

Before Warrick could exit the room, he remembered to grab David’s field report on the one case they pulled for the night. When he turned back to the door, he found that it was closed and leaned up against it, with a delightfully mischievous look on her face, stood Catherine. “Where’d you come from?”

She let out a groan of exasperation when she let go of the door, moved toward him and said, “Red tape hell! Do you have any idea the amount of paperwork someone’s got to go through just to start working in the crazy place?”

He chuckled at her candor, “I hear it’s pretty bad. Somethin’ about an acre of forest for every new hire.”

“I can totally believe it!” Once they had closed the distance between them she leaned her head into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m not sure this week could get any worse.”

With his free hand, Warrick stroked her back and laid a gentle kiss onto the top of her head. “What happened to no touching at work?”

“Screw it… It’s not like everyone doesn’t already know, and besides…” She looked up into his eyes and explained, “You at least understand how to operate the blinds in here.”

Warrick laughed softly at her insinuation of Grissom’s need to keep the blinds open in the office, in his strange attempt to appear above reproach. “Yeah, well, I can’t work with everybody starin’ me down the way Gris could.”

Catherine rewarded his answer with a dangerous smile and said, “Well, it’s pretty convenient for things like this, too.” She moved her arms to wrap around his neck and drew him down into a strong and exceptionally passionate kiss.

When they finally parted, Warrick whistled his relief, “Damn woman… What was that for?”

“We’ve been a little busy this week, and I think you’ve missed your quota.” He blushed at the implication and she continued, “I also happen to know that since I finally hired a new CSI, I now have an entire morning free of appointments. And I was trying to figure out just what I’m going to do with all that free time.”

Warrick grinned at the suggestive tone in her voice and then held her a little tighter with his one arm when he said, “I think you better block out that time… It’s just been taken.”

She waggled her eyebrows at him. “I was hoping you’d have a use for that.”

He screwed up his smile as she turned out of his embrace and then added, “And you better get plenty of sleep tonight… You’re gonna need it.”

Catherine turned to regard him with a look of mock surprise, even as he watched the desire fill her eyes, but the conversation was halted from going any further by a knock on the door. Warrick simply called, “Come in.”

A diminutive woman entered the office with some apprehension. “I’m sorry… I was tol- Oh! Director Willows, there you are.” The slight, Asian looking woman seemed to light up a little at recognizing Catherine in the office.

Warrick instantly recognized her from their dinner earlier that evening and greeted the new CSI. “Good to see you made it through the paperwork, Miss Jeong.”

“Please, Mr. Brown, everyone just calls me Mel. Much easier than the name my parents burdened me with, anyway.” She was already full of energy, and Warrick was a little surprised when she jumped at the chance to start work that very night.

Catherine interviewed with her over the phone earlier in the month and had been very impressed with her, so she was invited to come out to Las Vegas for the final interview process. It took Catherine about five minutes to know she was the right person for the job, and it was all because of her answer to one question.

As part of the process, Catherine prepared a series of questions designed to get the most information about a candidate out in the open as quickly as possible. However, it was a simple question about her background that yielded the best response from the young CSI out of Seattle. She asked her, How and why did you hire on with the Seattle PD when you were a grad student? Her response was, “Because I hate coffee, collating useless data for some egotistical professor and working my ass off for nothing… Oh yeah, and because the Seattle PD was short staffed on Asian and female officers with two bachelor’s degrees, PADI Master Scuba Diver Certification with six years as a volunteer Rescue Diver, three years as a Search and Recovery Diver, and I looked really cute in the uniform.” Catherine told him that she figured with both her and Sara gone from Graves, they needed a strong willed and highly capable woman around to keep them honest and on their toes. And, as usual, he agreed with her.

“Will do… Just so long as you drop the ‘Mr. Brown’ stuff. I have no idea who that guy is.” Warrick watched as the woman smiled, without even a hint of a blush. She was definitely going to keep his guys on their toes, and he was looking forward to seeing just how it played out. “Everybody just calls me Warrick.”

Catherine added her own opinion on the topic. “We’re a pretty informal group around here. The job’s hard enough as it is without adding the unease of formality into the mix.”

“Well, that’s gonna be a huge relief. Those guys back in Tacoma are all about the titles and crap. It was really unnerving sometimes.” Warrick smiled at her openness, and instantly realized that the woman was going to be a big hit in the lab.

Warrick turned to Cath and said, “Okay, let me get to the break room and then you guys can follow. I want you to introduce her, and then we’ll turn her loose in the lab with Nick.” Warrick then regarded the new girl and explained, “We used to let new people start right out swimmin’ with the sharks, but we haven’t done that since one of our new folks ended up in the morgue. A lot of things have changed around here since then.” Catherine wanted desperately to reach out to him and offer some comfort, but she resisted the urge, knowing it was the wrong place for such a display. “So, we’ll have you in the lab for the first week, and get you all checked out on policy and such before we let you into the field with another team member. I’m gonna have you work with Nick Stokes until he tells me you’re ready to start handling your own Level Two cases, okay?”

She nodded her head emphatically, “That sounds fantastic! I’ve been interviewing with a bunch of places and everyone seems to have a sink or swim policy with new people, so this is really awesome. I know Tacoma isn’t exactly a hot bed of activity, so there’s a ton I’ve never been exposed to, and I’m anxious to really get my hands dirty now.”

Catherine laughed at her enthusiasm and warned, “You better be careful how you say that… You might be surprised just how much that could come true.” Her mind instantly flashed to the all of the dumpsters she climbed through, the trash shoot she had been lowered through and the countless trips out to the land fills to search for evidence. Being a CSI was never a clean cut job.

“You ever climb through a ten by ten bin filled with fish guts to retrieve a hand?” The woman waited the requisite amount of time for the idea of the smell to sink through before she continued, “Trust me, I know this job is hell on the wardrobe and the olfactory gag reflex. But I’d like to do more than clean up trash runs and process other people’s evidence. So, this place is gonna be like heaven for me; no matter how nasty or busy it gets.”

“Well, you already got my vote. So, let me get started with the guys, and then you can come in after me.” Catherine nodded and Warrick smiled as he left the room.

As he walked down the hall to the break room, he chuckled to himself because he looked forward to the reactions of his team to this new person. They were certainly going to have some adjusting to do, but he knew it was going to all work out just fine.

When he turned the corner into the break room he found Greg pointing at his watch. “Yeah, yeah… Lay off. When the boss wants to talk, you don’t ask questions.”

Greg gave him one of his patented goofy smiles when he said, “Yeah, the boss, right.”

“That’s right…the boss. And don’t you forget who yours is, little man.” Warrick watched as Greg held up his hands in defeat before he continued, “Okay, it’s gonna be a slow night. Blake, Greg… You guys have a suspicious circs at the Four Aces; possible suicide. So, just make sure you’re thorough and take a look at the field report from David.” Warrick tossed the report onto the table in front of Blake and watched as the man immediately leafed through it.

“Nick, you and me are on back up tonight, but I’ll take first call.” Warrick waited for the obligatory complaints.

“Anything up I should know about?”

He was surprised to not hear any grousing from his friend. “Ah, yeah… I was told that our new CSI has been hired and she’s scheduled to start work tonight.”

“She?!” Greg’s face immediately lit up at the news.

“Thus explaining why I’m babysitting the horn dog tonight.” Nick and Warrick both laughed at Blake’s analysis of the situation and at the hurt look on Greg’s face.

“Somethin’ like that… Anyway, Nick, you’re gonna be trainin’ the new girl. She’ll be restricted to the lab for the first week until she checks out, and after that she’ll be working with you until you tell me she’s ready to handle the minor case loads.” Warrick watched as Nick took a few notes and nodded his head. He was actually relieved to see Nick taking the responsibility so seriously, considering the trouble that followed the announcement of his promotion.

“And she’s a level two, right?”

“Yes, she is.” Catherine chose that moment to make her entrance and then moved over, allowing the young woman to also enter the room. “Hey guys, let me introduce you to your new team member.” She waited until she had everyone’s attention as each of the men got to their feet, and then she started. “This is Melinda Jeong, or at least, that’s the name I can pronounce without making a fool of myself, so I’ll let her explain the rest. She’s coming to us from the Tacoma PD and formerly an officer with the Seattle PD, so she’s definitely got the chops to handle this crew.”

Catherine gestured toward Blake and said, “Mel, this is Blake Reynolds, our second lead on Graves, so I’m sure you’ll be working with him from time to time on majors.”

Blake held out a hand and gave the woman a firm but gentle shake. “Glad to have you on board.”

With a hand directed to Greg, Catherine continued, “This is your fellow level two lackey, Greg Sanders. He’s also formerly one of our tech rats, so he has a little bit of a leg up on you around the lab.”

“Pleased to meet you, Melinda. I look forward to working together.” Greg made sure to put on all the shy-boy charm he could muster with his greeting.

“And last, but not least, we’ve got Nick Stokes. He’s the guy who’ll be training you until it’s time to turn you loose. I can also tell you that all that southern gentleman charm is real, so you might just have to get used to him.” Catherine winked at Nick as he blushed slightly from her description.

“And Catherine just likes to embarrass me more than the others, so try not to hold that against me.” Nick smiled as he shook the woman’s hand.

“Well, it’s really nice to meet everyone and I hope we can work together as effectively as your old team. I’ve heard lots of great things about this crew since getting into forensics.” Everyone looked around the room to share a little moment of pride after the woman’s statement.

Warrick decided it was time to get things rolling for the night so he gave the team their marching orders. “Alright, let’s get moving… Blake, you wanna show Mel where she can stow her gear for the night?”

“Yeah, sure, Chief.” Blake held out an arm to show her the direction and followed after her. “We’ve got a locker room where you can keep anything, and there’s some showers over there, too; for those nights when things get really hairy.” Greg followed them both like a puppy looking for scraps and it made Catherine chuckle at the sight.

“Okay, I have got to get home and get some rest. Plus I have to check some homework for Lindsey.” Nick smirked at the public statement, but watched from the corner of his eye as she moved closer to Warrick to say something else more private before kissing him on the cheek. When she walked out of the room, he tried to look away as his friend seemed to enjoy the exchange a little more than he would have if Ecklie was the one talking to him like that.

Once Warrick’s attention drifted back to Nick he pointed a finger at him and declared, “Don’t even say it.”

“Nah, I wasn’t gonna say a word…” Nick looked down at his paperwork and then said, “But I gotta admit, that shade of pink looks good on your cheek, man.”

Warrick immediately went to the sink and grabbed a paper towel to remove the traces of Catherine’s kiss from his cheek. He thought to himself that he needed to talk to her about getting that lipstick that never came off when you kissed. “Thanks.”

“No problem, man.” Nick sat down in a chair and leaned back. “So, things still goin’ pretty good with you two?”

Warrick shook his head as he got a cup of coffee from the counter and answered, “Yeah… It’s weird sometimes, but it’s definitely good.”

Nick furrowed his brow a little and asked, “Weird, how?”

“Well, it’s like we’ve been together forever, ya know? And we’ve only been at it for a few months, but I have to be reminded of that.” Warrick sat down across the table from Nick. “Plus there’s the whole Lindsey thing, man. It’s weird because I’ve been around so long that I know the girl, but now it’s like I’m an instant Daddy or somethin’.”

“But it’s workin’ out, right? No major problems?” Nick was trying to be there for his friend, just as Warrick had been there for him so many times before.

“Yeah, but that’s weird, too, ya know? I guess I just figured it’d be harder or somethin’. No big fights, no trouble with Linds, nothin’ really bad with the movin’ in or anything. Closest thing to trouble we had was with Sam before Christmas.” Warrick shook his head at the memory.

“What? He didn’t like you bein’ with her, or what?”

“Cath thinks it was more because of her track record before me, ya know. That Sam didn’t trust her choices. But ah, I guess he had a little chat with Linds and she told him to back off before he messed things up.” Warrick laughed, “I think Lindsey has been the biggest surprise outta the whole thing.”

“What do you mean? I thought she didn’t fight you on this thing.”

“She didn’t. In fact, she was better about it than anyone else. Cath says the two of them went from barely tolerating each other to hangin’ out again, actually gettin’ along, and all. She said she asked Lindsey what changed their deal and the only answer she had was that she didn’t feel like her Mom didn’t trust her anymore. That her Mom had never let Lindsey even meet the guys she dated before, and she thought her Mom always figured she was a liability, or somethin’.” Warrick sighed at the notion, knowing that Catherine had always put her daughter above everything else, but he also understood how Lindsey could have made that connection. “Cath had a rough night over that one, man.”

“But she knows now that’s not the case, right? I mean, Cath’s always put that girl over everything else, man. Seriously, ‘Rick, I’ve seen that woman torn up over what was best for that girl.” Nick was a little shocked by that revelation. He always admired Catherine for managing to keep it all together as a single mother, and he could not imagine Lindsey feeling anything but her commitment to the girl.

“Yeah, they’ve had some talks since then, and I talked to her, too. I think she gets it now. But that’s what I mean, Nick. All this stuff, this big huge stuff has just fallen into place since we got together. It’s too easy, man.” Warrick shook his head again, as he wondered if the other shoe was really going to drop.

“Well, buddy… I think you just need to be grateful that for the first time in your life, it’s all workin’ out.” Warrick was taken aback by Nick’s analysis of the situation. “You’ve been to hell and back in your life, man… Think of this as the payoff for all that pain.”

Warrick chuckled at Nick’s conclusion and realized for the first time that maybe his grandmother really was right. It’ll all work out in the end, child.

Relieved of his own burden, Warrick sought to help his friend a little as well. “So, you went to get things sorted out with the Doc… Did the night off help get all that done?”

Nick appeared to grind his gears as he tried to change them and he sat up stiffly in his seat when he began to explain, “Ah, yeah, I got all the trial stuff squared away and she’s all ready for Monday.”

Warrick could tell that there was something else there, and so he pressed his friend for an answer. “And?”

“And what?”

“Come on, Nick. You didn’t get back until this morning, and all you did was handle the trial stuff? That probably only took an hour, max.” Warrick watched as a slight blush filled his friend’s cheeks.

“Well, I mean, I had to find her first, and she’d gotten herself hurt after the cart crashed.”

“Wait… You had to find her?”

“Oh yeah, I went out to the site on the bike, and I came across one of them off-road carts I told you about. The thing had a serious blow out, and it looked like the whole front end was trashed, but the Doc was nowhere in sight. So, I had to go lookin’ for her.” Nick had started to fidget with his hands around a coffee cup as he spoke. “And when I found her, kind of off the trail a little, she’d hurt her leg pretty bad, and later I figured out she’d gotten a little too much exposure. Anyway, I got her back to the cabin, patched up her leg and got her cooled down before she went right into a heat stroke.” He glanced over at his friend for a quick moment and found Warrick goading him onward. “But we both kind of took a nap for a little while, and when I woke up, she was makin’ some dinner, so we ate, and then she went through all the trial stuff after we ate.”

“And after that?” Warrick knew there was more of the story to tell, and he was not about to let Nick off that easy.

“Well, she was worried about me bein’ on the roads at night after not much sleep, so she had me crash out there for the night. And I left in the morning after another nap.” Nick brought the story to an abrupt end, but Warrick was not buying it.

“So, what happened between dinner and the time you left?” Nick gave him a scared rabbit look and Warrick laughed, “I’m not lookin’ for details, man… I just can’t believe nothin’ else happened. Not with a smooth operator like you.”

“Man! Nothin’ like that! I just crashed on the couch and did some readin’ while she slept in the bedroom. Nothin’ happened, I swear.” Nick was on the defensive, and that was all Warrick needed to be suspicious.

“Then what’s got you ready to jump out your skin, man?”

Nick slumped his shoulders and Warrick knew he had him. “I don’t know, Warrick, but when I was leavin’ there was this-… I don’t know, this thing. It just felt like, like I didn’t want to go.”

Warrick chuckled again, knowing that Nick was still fighting with what was going on, and nothing he said would make any difference. So he stood up, and clapped the man on the shoulder as he said, “Well, when you get it figured out, you let me know. But at least it sounds like you had a good time out there. I was afraid you’d come back with a black eye or somethin’, the way things always seem to escalate with you two.”

Chapter 26

16:15 – 2007.01.23

Clark County Courthouse: Grand Jury Room

Nick spent the day sitting at the ADA’s table helping him to present the evidence in the case to the Grand Jury. If testifying was a nightmare, being at the table was a frightening hallucination. That was, until the Doc started to testify.

She answered Sinclair’s questions as though she had written them herself, she presented her findings with such clarity he was sure even Hodges would have gotten it, and she engaged each jury member as they asked their own questions. When she was done, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind as to the validity of their probable cause. She had done an amazing job of not only sealing their conviction, but she also charmed the entire jury with her demeanor and congeniality.

Halfway through her testimony Nick motioned for one of the court officers to come to the table in order to ask him to escort Dr. Desmaiseaux from the stand. He noticed that she had a little more of a limp than he remembered. He then realized her newly injured leg might have been the issue. Nick figured that she would be more upset if she faltered when she left, than to have been escorted by an officer, so he took the chance.

All in all, her testimony lasted more than an hour. During that whole time, Nick found that he was unable to take his eyes off of her. The way her hair swept down over the right side of her face, the way she kept the left side tucked behind her ear. He watched her put on and take off her glasses each time she had to refer to her notes, or the maps. He noticed that the chain she kept her glasses on was beaded with what looked like alternating beads of amber and bloodstone. He thought that the red contrasted sharply with the deep rich color of her dark hair. He found that she rarely moved her right hand, instead she left it in her lap so that it remained hidden from the jurors.

However, the thing that stood out most in his mind as he watched her walk past him on the arm of the officer was the way her eyes appeared like dark mirrors. He had no idea what the color really was, because he could only see their dark, almost obsidian texture. His last thought as the doors closed behind her was that he felt like someone could get lost in those eyes.

Before his mind could drift any further into unknown territory, Sinclair drew his attention back to the task at hand. The ADA gave his last statements and thanked the jurors for their time. Nick helped the man pack up the evidence and hoped he managed to get back to the hall before everyone had left the waiting room.

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As she re-organized all of her notes, R.J. remarked to herself that she only wished congressional hearings were as easy as the grand jury process. She thought that things would be so much easier if she could just go in, present her findings, answer a few questions and be back on her way, instead of wading through days of lunatic antics and inane repetitive questions designed to try and stall or crush her findings under the weight of their bureaucratic shenanigans.

Her other thought as she put her notes away was far less academic. She thought that those hearings would also be a lot more pleasant if she always had something like that to look at across the table. The instant the thought registered in her mind she shook her head and chastised herself for having taken such a low road. She had no idea why the thought made it into her conscious mind, but she knew a murder case was no place for such base thinking.

As she closed up her briefcase an officer came into the waiting room. “Doctor… They just released the jury for deliberation, so you can head out anytime you like.”

She smiled at the man and said, “Thank you… Could you find an officer by the name of Don? He put my scooter away for me.”

“Oh yeah, sure. I’ll get it and bring it out to the corridor for you, if you like.” The man was being genuinely kind and she had to admit that it was a much nicer environment than Capitol Hill.

She gathered up the rest of her things and put them in the case before she slung it over her right shoulder. As she limped into the corridor she felt a twinge from the wound she sustained during her last ill-fated trip out to the research site. That was when she realized that her CSI rescuer must have noticed the added limp when he asked the officer to escort her from the stand. The thought made her chuckle, and she realized that she should probably thank him for his efforts.

She had been preoccupied with maintaining her façade of complete control when the whole thing happened, and she knew that she had probably been a little rude to him in the process. She also realized that with the grand jury thing complete, it was entirely likely that she was no longer needed to provide a reason for their searches, so she decided to wait for him so that she could make amends before she no longer had an excuse. It was bad enough that she had to thank him for the rescue without having to seek him out to do it.

Walking out into the corridor she was able to peek into the grand jury room and saw that he was busy packing up the case with that insipid man. Not wanting to have anything more to do with the ADA she decided to wait outside. Little did she know there was a far more frustrating excuse for a human being out in the hall.

“You academic types… You make all your theories and guesswork sound like facts whenever someone shines a camera light in your direction, don’t you.” She turned toward the voice and found a slimy looking man in a three piece suit pointing a briefcase at her in accusation.

“Excuse me?” Others in her life had discovered over the years that those words, when used together, were the equivalent of hearing the following over a loud speaker; Let’s get ready to RRRRUMMMMMMMBLE!

“You heard me…” The man pushed his jacket back with his free hand in an attempt to take on a posture of defiance. “You hired gun experts are all alike. You can twist anything around for your own purposes… For a price, that is.” That was the nail that sealed the lawyer into his own coffin.

“Let me guess… You must be the drug runner’s defense lawyer, aren’t you?” The man snorted to show his dissatisfaction in her question of him. “Maybe if you didn’t spend your life around scumbag, low-life death dealers you might be able to tell the difference between fact and fiction you scum sucking, worm ridden piece of shit.” And so the battle had begun.

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When Nick looked down at his watch for about the tenth time, and Sinclair finally had enough. “Stokes… Just…get out of here. I’ve got the evidence voucher and I’ll log this stuff back in.”

Nick tried to hold back the grin that threatened to fall over his face when he asked, “Are you sure?”

“Please… You’re making me nervous with all that clock watching. Go!” Nick took the man at his word and bolted for the door. It was the first thing the man had ever done to make Nick think he might still be a human being.

Before he realized what he was doing Nick found himself practically trotting to the doors that led into the corridor. He forced himself to calm down as he reached for the handles on the doors, but that thought ended when he heard the raised voices that assaulted his ears the moment the doors were breached.

“I suggest you back right the fuck off me, you sick son of a bitch.”

“Not until you admit your findings are total crap, you elitist cow!”

That was all Nick needed to hear before he burst out of the grand jury room and headed straight for the ruckus. He was not the only one, as two of the court officers also arrived on the scene at the same time. Nick immediately positioned himself between the Doc and the lawyer in the hopes of dampening the fire that had obviously been kicked off.

However, his efforts were thwarted when the Doc moved around him as she said, “If you think these guys could keep me from kicking your scrawny ass up and down this courthouse, you got another thing coming you pathetic excuse for a man!”

“You heard her!? She threatened me! I want her arrested.” The lawyer immediately tried to convince them of her wrong doing, but the officers had other ideas.

“I might… If I wasn’t checking with the doctor about whether or not she was gonna press charges against you for assault.” The sheriff’s deputy was dead serious and Nick’s face went white with the possibilities.

“What?! What happened?!” Nick looked back at the Doc to make sure she was okay while he waited for the officer to explain.

“Pretty much shows a man’s character when he tries to knock a crutch out from under a woman like that.” He turned to the Doc and asked, “How about it, Ma’am? You wanna press charges?” He then stared back at the lawyer when he added, “Or would you like us to turn around while you smack him in the head a few times with that crutch?”

“It’s a conspiracy! When I tell the judge exactly what you pe-”

“Headley, give it up you moron.” Sinclair appeared behind them. As the other lawyer turned to face Sinclair he finished. “You can try all the histrionics you want, but we both know the judge is sooner to believe two court officers, a highly respected CSI and an assistant director of the EPA over a second rate, bottomed out, once disbarred hack of a lawyer.”

“Not to mention the fact that if you come at me with your ex parte crap again, I’ll have your bar license mounted on my fucking mantle, you little reptile!” Nick found that he had to restrain the Doc as she actually got physical with her last exclamation. It was made even harder by the fact that he was trying not laugh.

The sheriff’s deputies led the man away from the group as Sinclair turned back to them while Nick attempted to calm the Doc down. “Well, I think this has made me realize one thing… If I ever come close to ticking you off that bad, will you please warn me so I can try to fix it before I end up dead?”

“You came close last week… If it weren’t for this guy intervening, you might have found out just how real those threats were.” She was deadly serious, but Nick still had to struggle to refrain from smiling at the humor of it all.

Sinclair pinched his face and nodded his head. “Good to know… Stokes, thank you for the save and thank you both for the testimony. I’m pretty sure this one is a slam dunk, and the judge won’t have a choice but to accept your findings as justification for the warrants.”

Nick nodded his head, but the Doc simply stared him down. Sinclair took the hint and slinked away back into the shadows. Nick was just glad that he was no longer on the receiving end of one of those looks.

“So, you’ve had a big day… You got all dressed up, charmed a jury, and destroyed two lawyers’ egos without even breaking a sweat. Nicely done.” Nick decided humor was his best course of action, since it had become impossible for him to hide his smile any longer.

When she turned to him she was still filled with the same bluster she once directed at the attorneys, but it quickly faded, and in its place Nick thought he saw a bit of delight in those impossibly dark eyes. “Yeah, well, you should see me in a congressional hearing when I really get going.”

“That would be somethin’ to see, I imagine.” Just as he predicted earlier, he found himself a little lost in her eyes as they spoke. He shook himself from the reverie and spoke to clear the rest of the cobwebs. “So, seriously… Are you okay?”

“I’m fine… But that guy was about two seconds away from having a nasty lump on his pointed head.” She took in a deep breath, and leaned on her crutch a little more than usual.

“Hey, let me get your scooter from the bailiff’s office.” Nick was about to head off to get the item in question, but he found that Don had already retrieved it. “Or somebody else could’ve already done that.”

“Looks like you don’t have the market cornered on manners, Stokes.” She turned to the deputy and said, “Thanks, Don. You’ve been a huge help the last couple days.”

“Hey, anytime, Doc.” He gave her a playful bow and said, “It’s been a pleasure. And thanks for explaining that whole drainage thing for me. I’d hate to get ripped off with something like that.”

“No problem, and remember, it’s your right to ask for their EPA compliance documentation. If they can’t produce it, just call your local field office. With the enforcement of the Storm Water Management Practices fines, no builder can afford to have the EPA breathing down their necks.” The Doc held out her left hand and the deputy gladly shook it. “If you have any trouble at all, call my office at the campus and one of my people will be happy to walk you through the process.”

“Thanks again, Doc. You’ve been great.” Nick watched as the deputy walked away.

He was about to say something when she beat him to the punch. “Stokes… You and me have some unfinished business.”

Nick was confused, so he tried to figure it out. “I can’t imagine what that might be, but I’ll tell ya what… I was really impressed with your testimony today. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better expert witness in my life, and I really wanted to thank you for stickin’ with this thing, so would you care to join me for a little dinner?”

Chapter 27

18:00 – 2007.01.23

Wooden Spoke Steakhouse

As the very well dressed maitre’d escorted them to their table, she still tried to reconcile the reality of the restaurant with the impression she had gotten when Nick mentioned it. Naturally, when he suggested a great steakhouse that reminded him of a place in Dallas, she assumed it would be plank flooring, tack on the walls, checkered shirted waiters and western music over the loud speakers. She never expected an elegant and opulent place with black lacquered walls and chrome trim everywhere. It was way more than she could have ever pictured, and it certainly assuaged her fears that they were overdressed for the place. She was also very happy that she decided to go with the charcoal wool dress suit that morning.

After she saw the suit that Nick wore the day before, she decided that she needed to pull out all the stops to present a convincing image to the jury. It was the first time she ever presented testimony in a criminal trial, or for that matter anything less than a senate subcommittee meeting. So, she had been unsure of the manner of dress and went with something she felt would be a median mark the first day. But when she saw the sharp, obviously tailored navy suit, she knew that it was serious business and she needed to bring it up a notch for the second day.

When Nick held out her chair so that she could take her seat at the table she looked more closely at the suit he chose to wear that day. It was a black, single breasted, one button wool suit that was well tailored to his frame. Unlike the starched white linen shirt he wore the day before, he had chosen a cotton broadcloth shirt in French Blue. His black silk tie had a trick to it though, because when the light caught it just right she saw a deep blue reflection, and it made her realize that it must have been one of those rich, two-color silks. All of it put together told her that the man not only possessed good taste, but that it also seemed to lean towards the expensive side.

As Nick sat down across from her, he unbuttoned his jacket and noticed that she was looking at his tie. “It’s a little much, huh?”

She was caught. “What?” She tried to cover, but knew it was pointless.

“The tie… My sister-in-law gave it to me. Said I needed to put some color with my suits. I didn’t realize how much it stood out until we broke for lunch today. I should save it for dinners with the family.” His explanation said a lot about his commitment to his family and it reminded her of something.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about your niece… How’s she doing?” She sat back as one of the waiters came up to place their napkins and fill their water glasses.

Nick smiled as the man left and answered, “She’s doin’ good. Really gettin’ into this chemistry class she’s takin’ this semester, so she doesn’t have a lot of time for her uncle. She’s havin’ a great time though, so I guess it’s all good.”

She shook her head and said, “Yeah… Being an undergrad is such an exciting time in life.” She had not meant to say that, but the thought took over her mind as she opened her mouth to speak.

If Nick noticed the slipup, he never let her know about it, and for that she was grateful. “I’m just glad she’s figured out what she wants so early. And that she didn’t just slip into the comfort zone our family provides.”

“What’s that?”

“Oh well, my father’s a judge, my mother’s a first rate defense attorney, my brother’s a deputy chief in the U.S. Marshals, all but one of my sisters is a lawyer, and all but two of my brother-in-laws are too.” She was a little shocked by his admission and then she realized something.

“So wait… That makes you the black sheep, doesn’t it?”

Nick blushed at her question and said, “Yeah… I’m the only one in the family who’s never been to law school. Even though my sister Maggie is in business, she went to Yale Law first. It’s a source of great contention in my family.”

She smiled at the idea that Nick was the guy who bucked the system.

The conversation took a back seat as their waiter came to the table.

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Nick had been pleased with himself from the moment they walked into the restaurant. When he mentioned the place to the Doc, he instantly knew that she was worried they were going to some cheesy western knockoff family steak joint, instead of the upscale, old school steakhouse they were seated in at that moment.

A few years back his mother made it a point to tell him that a family friend had plans to open one of his steakhouses in Las Vegas. When it had its grand opening Nick received an invitation and managed to get Warrick to come along with him for a double date. Warrick had gotten the same wrong impression about the place being another hick paradise, and Nick was forced to warn him that he needed a suit and tie for the restaurant.

He had seen the look on the Doc’s face as they walked to their table, and her shock at the elegance of the place gave him a little thrill of satisfaction. Several times during their dinner he caught her looking around the restaurant.

The meal had been fantastic for many reasons. One of those reasons being that he enjoyed the fact that the Doc was not one of those women who refused to actually eat in public. She ordered a dinner salad, a great big ribeye, the mashed potatoes, green beans and she even helped him with the appetizer. As he looked over the table at her, he could tell that she was enjoying her dessert.

While he picked at his cheesecake he kept stealing casual glances over at her. He still had not been able to put a finger on her eye color. Her hair was no question, the way it reflected the light instantly reminded him of the way a raven looked as it strutted in the sunshine. If he had been pressed to give an answer, he would have said that her eyes were black. However, his mind simply could not wrap around that possibility.

Apparently he had not been as casual with the looks as he thought, because she asked, “It’s the eyes, isn’t it?”

“Wha-… Huh?” All attempts at smoothness disappeared in that instant.

“My eyes… Everyone thinks I’m either stoned or possessed.” She put her fork down and leaned forward a little so that he could get a better look. “They are just a seriously dark brown. My parents even had me checked out for aniridia when I was a baby.”

Nick nodded when he finally caught the traces of brown around the edges of her eyes. “What’s aniridia?”

“Basically, it’s the absence of an iris. Aniridia’s a genetic condition that leads to a whole host of other problems. The pediatrician told them I just had an over abundance of melanin. Told them my hair should have been their first clue.” She sat back in her seat again and Nick had nearly followed her over. He found it almost impossible to breakaway from her gaze.

“Yeah, from a distance, you really can’t see the brown at all.” He shook his head just a little to break the spell and then looked down at his dessert to find a mutilated mess.

She looked over the table at his plate and said, “You know… If you’re ready to go, we don-”

“No, sorry… I guess I just wasn’t as interested in the cheesecake once it got here.” He pushed another piece across the plate and screwed up his face as he said, “It was also a little dry.”

As if on queue, the maitre d’ appeared out of nowhere. “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Stokes… Was there a problem with your dessert?”

While he tried to shyly explain the problem to the man, he watched the Doc struggle to keep her laughter in check. He felt foolish under so much attention, but he should have known better than to have called ahead to get a good table. The owner of the restaurant and the manager both knew his parents, so they were bound to fawn just a little simply out of respect for them.

When the man finally left them alone, Nick felt the need to explain the situation. “I have a little confession to make.”

“Don’t tell me… You’re actually some oil baron’s son and this is all just a hobby for you?” She beat him to the punch and snuck in a little joke.

“Not hardly.” He had to laugh at the very idea, and he knew his father would have laughed as well. “No, but my folks do know the guys who run this place. Which is why we’re kinda gettin’ the VIP treatment.”

“I had a feeling it was something like that.” He smiled to know that she had played along with this little stunt. “Besides, it really is a nice place and the food has been fantastic.”

“Thanks for playin’ along, anyway.” He decided to call her bluff on the rest, “And don’t worry. Everybody I’ve brought here has had the same idea, that it was gonna be one of those fake western places like those crazy chains. They definitely don’t think it’s a jacket and tie kinda place. But this is what I grew up with around my folks. Lawyers aren’t real good with sawdust on the floors and horseshoes on the walls.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t really sound like a great place to discuss the latest ruling from the appellate court.” Nick laughed at the image her comment brought out in his mind; his proper, well-dressed mother sitting around a wagon wheel table with her colleagues trying to discuss the implications of the latest precedent setting case as the sounds of “On the Road Again” played overhead. She laughed as she watched the humor spread over his face. “Liked that image, huh?”

“You have no idea.” Nick shook his head and tried to get himself back into the moment. “Seriously, though… I hope you enjoyed yourself.”

“Honestly, I really have had a great time.” She put her napkin down over the remains of her dessert and folded her arms into her lap. “So much so, that I almost forgot what I wanted to do tonight.”

Nick suddenly became nervous and waved for the waiter. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He looked down at his watch and saw that they had been in the restaurant for close to two hours. “I let the time get away and I’m probably keepin’ you from somethin’.”

The waiter reached the table and immediately apologized, “I’m terribly sorry, was there something you needed, sir?”

“Ah yeah, we’re fini-”

She spoke up and interrupted him immediately, “Could we please get some coffee? And I think we’re both done with our desserts.”

As the man cleared the dessert dishes Nick looked on with a dumbfounded expression. The waiter apologized again and told them he would return with their coffee shortly.

The moment he was gone Nick tried to ask her what was going on, but she held up her hand and said, “Sorry… I think you misunderstood what I was saying.” She took a deep breath and then continued. “What I was trying to say was, I’ve been having such a great time that I almost forgot what I wanted to tell you in the first place.” Nick blushed a little with her admission and then he folded his hands into his own lap and waited for her to finish. “Look, I realized that I was being a little difficult last week and I wanted to apologize.”

“Hey, I know what a pain in the neck Sinclair can be, so honestly I was happy to help o-”

“Stokes… Do you always try to make it so hard for somebody to apologize to you?” Nick lowered his head and then gestured for her to continue. “Thank you… And not just for that. I did want to thank you for helping out with Sinclair, but more importantly… I wanted to thank you for coming out after me that day. I’m sure it didn’t appear that way, but I really was grateful you’d found me.”

“I hadn’t planned on doin’ any rescuin’, but I was glad I could help. Even though I’m sure you would’ve been fine on your own.” Nick tried to play it off for both of their benefits.

“The last thing I need is to spend a couple days out in the desert right now, and it would’ve taken me at least that long to make the walk on my own; especially without my crutch. No matter how independent I like to think I am, even I have my limitations. So, thank you…for everything.” The humility in her voice was intriguing, and Nick knew that it had taken everything she had to admit something like that. He was sincerely impressed that she took the time and pains to thank him that way.

“Honestly, it wasn’t that big a deal. And besides, it gave me a little time off from work to play around on my dirt bike. Can’t beat that at all.” Without even thinking about what he was doing, Nick winked at her to punctuate his statement. Once he realized what he had done he worried that she might have taken his gesture the wrong way, but that was forgotten as he became completely taken aback by her reaction. She tucked her hair behind both ears and smiled.

The left side of her smile was full and bright, while the right side almost imperceptibly turned upward, but the whole thing lit up her entire face like a Christmas tree. If Nick thought her eyes were unbelievably captivating before, he certainly found something else to keep his undivided attention.

Chapter 28

21:10 – 2007.01.24

CSI Lab: Locker Room

One hour and fourty five minutes. That was how long it took her to get to work. She spent almost a half an hour of that time just trying to get onto the highway, and the rest of the time was spent getting shoved onto various ramps and loops going into several wrong directions until she finally got off the highway and took the long way around. The logic of that decision was quickly thwarted the moment she got stuck attempting to cross the strip and spent another twenty minutes cussing out the realtor for convincing her she wanted to live on the west side of the town.

The only thing that had kept her from calling the condescending harpy and giving her a few pieces of her mind was the fact that she had actually listened to her parents and merely leased the condo until she got to know the town. Her mother always said that condos were horrible investments and she knew full well that if she bought something like that in the first month of her move to Las Vegas, she would spend her lifetime hearing about it. She was also proud that she managed to wrangle a short term lease out of the guy, because if she had to spend two hours getting to work every night for the next year, there was likely to be bloodshed.

As she rushed into the locker room, Mel glanced at her watch and saw that she was already late for assignments. She knew that she was stuck in the lab, but it was still good to be there for assignments so that she had an idea of what was happening on her shift. She quickly stuffed her jacket into the locker and reached for her lab coat. The moment she slammed her locker door she was nearly scared out of her skin by the sound of the voice at the doorway.

“Hey Jeong...” She grabbed at her chest to steady herself and heard Nick chuckle. “Sorry about that… Hey, where’s your kit?”

She was confused as to why she would need an evidence kit to work in the lab and her face betrayed that confusion. “Um, it’s ah, in the back of my car… Why?”

“Leave the lab coat, grab your jacket and let’s roll… We’ll swing by your car on the way out.” Nick went to his locker and grabbed his own jacket. When he turned away from his locker she had not yet moved. “Look, you already missed assignments, and we need to get movin’, okay?”

His mention of her lateness snapped her away from the stupor and she said, “Yeah, about that… I got stuck in tra-…” She was stopped from further explanation when he held up his hand.

“Doesn’t matter… Let’s go.” He started to walk away, looked down at the object in his hands and then turned back to her. “Oh… You might want to put this on, too.” That was when he tossed her the black garment.

She held up the black fabric and found a strip over the chest pocket with white letters stretched across it that read, JEONG. She looked from the vest to Nick and back again. Then she asked, “What’s this for?”

“It’s got more pockets than a windbreaker. Besides, I don’t think they make those small enough for you anyway.” Nick leaned back against the doorjamb and smirked. “And we gotta wear distinctive clothing when we’re on scene.”

The implications of the vest suddenly hit her. “I’m going in the field?!”

“Yeah, and let’s move it. I’ll explain the case on the way.”

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Mel was going through the call sheet as Nick told her about what happened during assignments. He gave her the low-down on the bar brawl that Blake and Greg were sent out to. She nearly lost it when he ended the explanation by telling her that it was a bar that catered to off-duty drag queens and showgirls. Mel could only imagine the fun Greg was going to have handling that scene.

When she looked up from the sheet she saw a familiar sign; a sign that had come to represent her arch nemesis. She found that she was unable to contain her anger. “Argh! I hate this interchange!”

Nick laughed at her display and said, “Don’t tell me… You were late tonight because you got yourself stuck in the Spaghetti Bowl?”

“What the hell is that?”

Nick pointed at the signs and said, “This is… Where ninety five and I-15 meet up. Widely considered one of the most congested interchanges in the U.S. Everybody knows you gotta have a plan before you even attempt this thing.”

She heaved a deep sigh and said, “Well, I wish somebody would’ve told me.”

“The best part is when some tourist gets the bright idea to slam on the brakes so they can take a picture of the Vegas skyline… Seems the best view on the ground is from the highway.”

Shaking her head she chuckled, “Well, I don’t think I’m ever gonna complain about Seattle traffic again. It may have sucked, but at least it made sense. Too many people in cars, that makes sense. Twelve million ramps and loops going in the opposite direction you really want to go makes no fucking sense at all! And it’s the middle of the night! How did rush hour become nine freaking o’clock?!”

“It’s Vegas, honey… It doesn’t even get started until after dark.”

Mel stared at him for a few minutes after his last remark. At first she was taken aback by his comfortable use of a word she usually considered derogatory, but then she thought about something that the assistant director said about the man. She claimed that his Southern gentleman routine was no gimmick. Fortunately for him, she had been forced to deal with the boys club for so long that she always stepped back to evaluate the situation before she said anything. In this case, she honestly figured he was just used to using those terms without any thought, but that did not stop her from feeling a need to call him on it.

“Honey?”

Nick looked over at her confused. “Huh?”

“Honey… Have we already reached that point?” She watched as he blushed once he realized what happened.

He cleared his throat and said, “Sorry ‘bout that… I ah, I guess I ah-…”

“Don’t sweat it, Stokes… All the girls have told me about you.” She noticed that Nick choked back his first reaction to that statement. “In fact… Wendy tells me that you’re the last gentleman left in Vegas. But if you want to keep on my good side, watch that ‘honey’ crap. I’ve been dealing with that macho bullshit my entire adult life, and my first reaction is to haul off and cold cock the offender.”

Nick appeared to struggle with her explanation, but then he said, “I’ll be sure to remember that. And I’ll do my best on that front, if you can leave the dockworker at home.”

Her brows immediately squeezed together as she tried to work out what he had meant. “Sorry, ah, but I’m not real comfortable with the language… Especially from women.”

She nodded and smiled, “You got a deal. Besides, if my mother heard me talking like that, she’d be feeding me peppers until my eyes popped out.”

“All right… We got about five minutes before we get to the scene.” She re-opened the folder as he got back to business. “Tell me what you know from the sheet?”

“Four seventeen, domestic disturbance. Looks like there’s been a few visits out to this place, but nothing more than separating the two with no charges filed.” She read from the file and saw nothing extraordinary about it.

“Good… We’re heading to the hospital to collect evidence from both of the parties involved. The big things to remember when we do this kind of thing is to stay objective, always keep the officer in sight and never let your guard down.” Nick cast a quick glance her way and said, “Domestic cases are never easy, no matter what’s gone down. So, keep the cards close to your vest and if you get into any trouble, don’t hesitate to ask for help, okay?”

“Yeah… And thanks. I’ve never been on one of these before.” Mel took a deep breath as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

“I know… I pulled your caseload record.” As he put the car into park he turned to her and said. “Domestics aren’t the worse thing you’ll come across, but they are the most unpredictable, so stay on your toes and you’ll be fine.”

As soon as they made it inside the emergency room they were separated. Nick went off with an older detective while she was escorted to another room by a uniformed officer. She looked into the doorway and found that she had been chosen to collect from the wife.

She took her pictures, pulled scrapings from the fingernails and asked all the right questions, but the woman seemed to be oddly distant through the whole experience. She notated the swollen and split lip, the darkening eye and the bruises that were already beginning to rise around her wrists; bruises that looked like someone held her forcefully.

It was obvious that the woman had been in a fight, but Mel got a strange feeling from her through the entire procedure. The woman never seemed to engage her directly and only answered her questions with vacant interest. Mel decided to chalk it up to shock, made all of her notes, and left the room when the nurse showed up again.

Once she was outside she stopped to talk to the officer. “Hey, were you ever out to the address on the earlier calls?”

“One… ‘Bout six months ago. Noise complaint from the neighbors. At the time they told us it was the new surround sound system, and there didn’t look to be anything to it, so we told them to keep it down and made our reports.” The officer kicked at the floor and then said, “I guess we should’ve looked deeper, huh?”

Nick walked up and said, “Don’t sweat it, man… You did your job. If they weren’t showin’ any signs, and you guys only got a noise complaint, there wasn’t any reason to suspect anything else.”

“Thanks, Nick.” The officer smiled at Nick’s attempt to put him at ease and Mel noticed that her partner seemed to have a good relationship with the uniforms. In her experience it was the mark of a good investigator, because it showed a person’s ability to work with all levels of people. “Hey, you gonna play softball for the lab again this year?”

She watched as Nick shied away from the officer’s question, “Oh, I don’t know… Seems like you boys could use the break. I mean, it might be nice if you guys got to win a few this year.” He winked at Mel as he turned away from the uniform.

As they walked down the hall the officer called back, “Keep dreamin’ Stokes!”

When they got into the car the curiosity finally became too much. “So, what happened with the husband?”

Nick started the Tahoe and put it into gear as he answered, “Not much… He’s unconscious.”

“Seriously? What happened?” She was a little surprised to hear that the husband had been hurt badly.

“Stabbed…and there was enough blood loss that he slipped into a coma. Seems the wife delayed calling the cops. Det. Brass said that the calls out to the residence have been escalating over the last six months. First some simple noise complaints, then the neighbors claimed they heard screams, then some broken windows, one four-seventeen where the officers only found the two hollerin’ at each other.” Nick paused a moment before he continued, “Next call they said there was some furniture thrown over, and it was obvious they’d been tusslin’, so they took the husband out and he stayed at a motel or somethin’. Call after that had them both with marks on the face, but nobody was pressin’ charges.”

Mel sat back in her seat as they got back onto the highway and headed to the lab with the evidence they had collected. “So, what now?”

“We take the evidence back, do a little digging on the happy couple and hope the husband comes out of it to answer some questions.” Nick glanced over to her and asked, “How’d it go with the wife?”

She shook her head as she tried to process what had happened. “I’m not sure… But something’s not right. It was almost like she didn’t care about any of it. How can you not care about getting slapped around?”

“You’ve already decided what happened out there, huh?”

“C’mon, Stokes… Isn’t it obvious? The wife got tired of being his punching bag and took things into her own hands. Classic case” She was very sure in her conclusion, but it intrigued her that he was still so close lipped about it.

“Jeong… I learned the hard way; nothing’s ever that simple.” He smirked and said, “It might look like somebody tried to drive a guy off a cliff, or that he got robbed, but you’re never prepared for a drunk rube simply trying to outlive his own stupidity.”

She chuckled at his explanation and knew there had to be a great story to go with it, but she was more interested in their current course of action. “So, what do you think happened?”

He shrugged and said, “I’ll tell ya…once I’ve seen all the evidence.” And that was his final word on the subject.

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Mel already sent all of her evidence to the proper labs and started working through the databanks to see what else was out there. Her first stop was to check the local hospitals for the wife’s visits, but all of her efforts had proven fruitless. As she drummed her fingers onto the counter she decided to try another approach and started looking up only the last name to see what came up. The first thing that grabbed her attention was volume of listings for a William Hastings; the husband.

As she scrolled through all of them she found that he definitely had a frequent flyer card at Desert Palm Hospital. Broken nose, lacerations, head trauma, busted fingers, broken ribs, and one case where he had a puncture wound in his arm a few weeks ago when he claimed he fell onto some ornamental iron at his house. All of it added up to a man in hiding. She managed to stumble onto the rarest of reported domestic abuse cases; woman on man. Mr. Hastings was being abused by his wife.

Just as she was writing out her findings, Nick came into the computer lab and asked, “What’ve you got so far?”

She leaned back in the seat and sighed, “Man… I swear I thought these were an urban myth.”

Nick slyly smiled and said, “What’s that?”

“Stokes… This guy has been his wife’s punching bag for almost a year. They’ve been married for a year and a half, and about eleven months ago Mr. Hastings made his first trip to the ER at Desert Palms Hospital. It’s been steadily escalating since then.” She shook her head and added, “How can a guy actually do something like that? You saw him… Is he some mouse of a guy, or what?”

Nick shook his head and said, “Not at all… Looks to be about my height and build.”

“I still don’t get it… How could a guy put up with that and not fight back? Or why not just walk away?” Mel was completely unable to accept the reality of their case.

“Unfortunately, we do a lot of things that don’t make sense in the name of love.”

She shook her head and smirked, “A gentleman and a romantic… I didn’t think people like you were still around.”

Brass chose that moment to walk into the room. “We’re a dying breed, aren’t we, Nicky?”

Nick laughed at the older man’s entrance and said, “Something like that, Jim.” He turned to her and said, “Mel, this is Det. Jim Brass. He’s the lead on our case and a generally decent guy.” She nodded and then he continued, “Jim, this is our newest addition, Mel Jeong.”

“Man, am I glad you said the name first. Looking at that badge, there’s no way I’d have gotten that one right.” Jim stepped forward and offered his hand.

As she shook his hand she explained, “Pretty easy, really. Just look at my face and remember it’s damn close to young.”

Jim laughed at her explanation. “Nice… I’ll keep that in mind.” He turned to Nick and asked, “So, what’ve you got for me, Nicky.”

“Well, the knife you logged in is consistent with the husband’s blood, and Wendy is running it for DNA now. But the biggest stuff came from Mel’s medical record search.” Nick turned to her and waited for her to speak up.

Mel was completely flustered by his trust in her abilities. She spent too much time around people all too eager to take the glory, so being put front in center was a new experience for her. “Oh yeah, it would ah, appear that Mr. Hastings was being abused by his wife. He’s been in and out of the Desert Palm’s ER for nearly a year.”

They were interrupted when Brass’ pager went off. As he looked at the message he smirked, “Well, looks like we’re gonna have our answers soon enough.” He looked back at the two CSI’s and said, “The husband just came out of the coma… You wanna ride over and see the interview?”

Nick shrugged. “Nah… Evidence already told us the story. The rest is just window dressing for the jury.”

As soon as Brass left the room Nick dropped the folder onto the counter in front of her. “Since this is your first closed case… You get to fill out the paperwork.”

She shook her head and smiled, “And so the honeymoon is over.”

Chapter 31

19:00 – 2007.01.26

Grissom Townhouse

After pulling up in front of the townhouse Sara leaned her forehead down against her hands as they rested along the top of the steering wheel. While the shift had been long, it was no worse than the average one, but it certainly took its toll on her both physically and mentally. However, Sara knew the toll had nothing at all to do with the work; she simply missed her husband.

She chuffed at the thought, and at the fact that she even had a husband. If someone asked her the year before if she thought she would be happily married, sharing her life completely with another person, not to mention that it would be Grissom, she would have laughed in their face. As she leaned back into the headrest she had a few more chuckles regarding the notion.

Sara expelled a huge breath and finally found the energy to get out of the car. Slowly, she made her way to the front door, and stopped at the mailbox to retrieve another stack of journals. The end of the month was always fun for the postman in their neighborhood. She even suggested to Grissom that he give the man a little bump for Christmas, to make up for the increase in journal activity since she moved in. When he had stared at her blankly for a few moments, she realized that he never thought about leaving something for his postman at Christmas. She just shook her head and added the beleaguered and obviously unappreciated civil servant to her list of people to shop for that year.

She tucked the journals into her bag and retrieved her keys. Making quick work of the bottom lock, she moved to the deadbolt and placed her hand on the knob. She was surprised when it turned and the door opened without unlocking the deadbolt. Instantly, she knew what had happened; Stephanie must have come over to make dinner, even though she specifically told her to stay home.

Grissom’s niece had been very protective of her since he departed for Washington nearly two weeks before. And while she appreciated the concern, Sara was beginning to get frustrated with the younger woman. It appeared that Stephanie had made it her personal mission to keep Sara fed and entertained while Grissom was away.

When she stopped by the processing room that morning to remind Sara about the basketball party at their house on Saturday, she was certain that she had made it clear to Stephanie that she had some things to do around the house, in addition to being on call, and that she would be just fine on her own. As Sara stepped inside the townhouse, that certainty had swindled down to nil. The whole house was permeated with the delightful odor of Italian cheeses, Portabello mushrooms and fresh baked bread. If she had not been starving after skipping lunch, she would have yelled at the interloper, but instead Sara left her bag on the receiving table and hung her jacket in the closet.

Sara took one last deep breath, expelled it forcefully and started down the hall to the kitchen to do battle with the over zealous young woman. “Steph… I could have sworn that I told you to stay home tonight.”

She turned to look in the living room for Thomas, but found no one. And for that Sara was grateful, and infinitely happy Stephanie had not turned it into a huge deal as well. Grissom had been gone for ten days, five hours and thirty-seven minutes, as she looked down at her watch to see the second hand pass the mark, and she already came to question the wisdom of his new position. The last thing she needed was to be around Stephanie and Thomas as they tried to involve her in everything going on with their pregnancy. She appreciated that they wanted to include her, but what they did not realize was that it was nothing more than a constant reminder that Grissom was not home.

All of those thoughts were forgotten when she rounded the outer edge of the kitchen island. Smack dab in the center of the kitchen with a dish towel thrown over his shoulder, stood a smirking vision of her missing husband. “Obviously I’m not what you were expecting… But I hope that you aren’t too disappointed.”

Sara stood there with her mouth moving in an involuntary manner, oddly resembling a gasping fish out of water, as her brain processed the sight her eyes beheld. Without thought, her feet began to slowly move her toward the object. As she closed the distance between them, her eyes filled with unshed tears. When there was no longer space separating them, she reached up and put one hand behind his neck to rest in the soft curls along the nape, while the other rested along his collarbone. She leaned her forehead into his cheek and after several moments of silent bliss she barely whispered, “Ten days, five hours and thirty-nine minutes is too long.”

He took in the scent of her with a deep inhalation, and then uttered on the exhale, “Fourty two minutes, twenty eight seconds… Your watch is slow.”

Sara lowered her head into his neck and chuckled, “I’ll get a new battery.” As she raised her head again her cheek brushed past his and she made a new discovery. “Where’d that come from?”

He squeezed his brows together in confusion, but then she brought her hand up to stroke the hair along his jaw. That was when he realized what she had been referring to with her question. “Ah… It would seem that I was a little distracted when I left here, and I forgot my beard trimmer.” His raised eyebrow brought a slight blush to Sara’s cheeks as she shyly looked away. “And apparently no one at the Jeffersonian uses a barber, so I was forced to go au naturale.”

She pursed her lips for a moment and carefully examined the newly overgrown beard. Finally, she came to a conclusion. “I kind of like it. It softens your appearance a little. And the longer hair,” she ran her fingers along the back of his head, through the curls she found there and it sent little tingles through his whole body, “is a definite turn on.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He smiled, but then he thought about the first part of her statement. “Was my appearance too hard before?”

Sara forced herself not to laugh at his worried question. “Not hard, per say…but definitely someone not to trifle with. I always assumed you just kept it trimmed like that to intimidate suspects.”

“So, I go from hard to intimidati-” Sara brought her hand up to his mouth and covered it to stop him from talking.

“Striking… That’s the word I would have used. Distinguished, striking, with a pinch of dashing thrown in for good measure.” She winked and waited for the blush in his face to die down before she replaced the hand with her lips. When she pulled away, Sara found that he had closed his eyes with the kiss. “You never heard me complaining, did you?”

When he opened his eyes he found her dangerous smirk waiting for him. Running a hand through his now bushy beard, he decided to play along. “I would rather it was a bit more kempt, but then again…I considered just shaving the whole thing off.” Her mouth immediately fell open and he knew she had been had. Gil pulled her to him tightly and laughed outright. “Oh-ho…sorry, Honey, but I just couldn’t resist.”

She moved her arms to wrap around him and she laid her head on his shoulder as she pouted, “Fine, but just make sure you don’t go handling any razors without clearing it with me first.”

He quirked an eyebrow and stated, “I was not aware I had lost the rights to my own grooming decisions. Are there any other areas of my personal domain I should know have been turned over to your authority?”

Gil watched as Sara chewed on the question for a moment and then her answer was demonstrated to him with perfect understanding as her hands made their way down his back until they reached his backside. The next thing he felt was Sara’s hands taking a firm hold of his buttocks. The sensation of her hands on his body reminded him in brilliant clarity just how long it had been since they had been in each other’s embrace, and it stoked the embers of his desire to be with her. His only thought in that moment was that he needed to kiss that smirk off her lips. And so, he did.

With lips pressed and tongues intertwined, their hands roamed over one another’s bodies in a frenetic pace. It was as though they were in a race against time to cover every inch of the other’s body. The homecoming started out sweet, and intimate and casual, but it quickly became a dance of excitation and deep seeded need. With no regard to time or place, they began to push clothes aside, tossed them onto the floor and knocked furniture around in a haphazard fashion. In scant moments they were both bare above the waist as their hands continued to survey every slope and valley on their torsos.

Breathlessly, they slowed the pace as Sara leaned her forehead into his and gasped, “What…about…the…food?”

Gil smiled and panted, “Oven… Knew…it…would…be…a…while.” Sara’s gasping grin was his reward for thinking ahead. But the real prize came when she grasped his head in both of her hands and brought her mouth to bear on his in a kiss that made his knees wobble for just a second.

He needed to take control if he was going to last at all. In the past he had gone years between engagements of a sexual nature, but always with the ability to handle things himself. Ten days sleeping on a colleague’s fold out couch did not leave any room for such things, and in his current state, a warm shower was enough to get him ready.

Before his resolve weakened again, Gil turned her back toward the counter and pinned her there. When he moved in to kiss at the crook of her neck he felt her hands move to the button of his pants. As he worked his way back to her mouth he heard the tangs of his zipper being opened, and before he knew it, Sara was feverishly pushing his pants and shorts down his hips. That was when he realized he was not the only one desperate for their joining.

When he felt her hands moving back around to the front Gil knew that he had to take action. Reaching down, he grabbed behind her knee and pulled it up along his leg until it rested on his hip. Sara immediately caught on and wrapped her leg around him, while draping her arms around his neck as she moved in to lay a few tender kisses beside his left ear.

If he had been concerned Sara might be dismayed that he was only indulging his own needs, it was quickly dispelled as she whispered her breathy plea. “Now… I need you now.”

He needed no further encouragement as he reached down to raise her up to the edge of the counter. She hooked her ankles together behind his back and pulled herself into his chest as she continued to kiss along his neck. If her words had not convinced him about his current state of grooming, the fact that she continued to run her fingers through his hair and his beard pretty much clinched it. With each stroke of his jaw and each pass through his hair, he received a rush of excitement under her touch.

However, the time for contemplation was over when he felt her begin to grind her hips into him, telling him exactly what she wanted, what she claimed she needed. He moved to position himself, but before he did anything else he felt an overwhelming need to tell her, “I love you.” He waited as she moved her head to look him dead on, and that was when he saw the raw and powerful emotion in her eyes. “I love you so much… I never want to be apart this long again.”

Her answer came, not in words, but in the press of her lips to his, and in the feel of her tongue as it sought out his. The kiss was deep and passionate, and spoke volumes about her love for him. Within a fraction of a moment, the surge of desire that ran through him became unbearable, and he lunged forward, pinning her into the counter and the cabinets as he fought to bring them both into position. There was no more hesitation, and nothing between them as they finally joined together in one upwards thrust.

In the beginning, the gasp that escaped Sara’s throat would have caused him endless worry, but with time and patience he had learned the difference in the sounds she made. However, his mind was not preoccupied with anything else in that moment; nothing but the feel of Sara as he moved inside of her, the heated breath that pushed over his shoulder as she buried her face into his neck, the scrape of her fingernails over his back as she fought to maintain her hold on him, and the ancient rhythm that they fell into as their bodies melded together as one.

He became lost in the sea of sensations that washed over him as he pushed his way over the edge. Gil was so lost in the act that when he reached the pinnacle, he was taken by complete surprise. His fierce groan echoed throughout the townhouse and signaled his pained release. Once the rhythm slowed he collapsed against her, his weight holding her in place, but she simply held him tighter as her own breath panted in his ear.

They stayed in that position for quite a while, both struggling to regain their strength. Sara was the first to speak. “Hey…”

He was slow to respond, and all he was able to muster was a grunt to show he was still alive. “Can we ah, move this little…homecoming?”

Gil took in a deep breath, as he tried to gather the strength to speak. Once the oxygen started circulating in his head again, he realized that he had left Sara in a rather precarious position. “I’m sorry…” He struggled to lift himself away from her, but she refused to let go of him. “Are you okay?”

“I might be walking funny in the morning…” He had managed to maneuver himself around enough to see the weary smirk on her face. That, coupled with her comment, made him laugh out loud. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Sorry… I guess I got a little carried away.” He shied away from her gaze a moment, but she was not having it, as she dipped down to capture his lips in a tender kiss.

When he looked back up he found her smiling face and it made his heart warm even more. “I just thought that since I have been at work all day, you’ve been on a plane for six hours, and I’ve just spent the last…” She looked at her watch and said, “twenty minutes sitting on a pile of what was once finely grated cheese, I’d kind of like to get cleaned up.”

Gil immediately went upright and helped her down off the counter. He reached around to help brush off the debris when he said, “Oh, Honey! I’m so sorry.”

She giggled and asked, “Is it melted?”

He cringed as he pulled a gob of the melted cheese from her cheek. “It would appear so.”

“Then all is forgiven…” He moved to look her straight in the eye in the hopes of understanding why she was still giggling. “I know I asked for cooking lessons, but I never pictured it would be like this.”

Gil smirked at her joke and wrapped his arms around her as he kissed the top of her head. “Next time maybe we should actually cook something.”

She chuffed, “I don’t know about you, but I was cookin’ pretty good there.”

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After turning off the hot water, Sara leaned back into Gil’s chest and returned to their comfortable embrace amidst the soapy water of the tub. She laid her arms atop his and then intertwined their fingers as she said, “See… Now we have at least another half hour before it cools off again.”

She bounced with the laugh that came from deep inside his chest. “If we keep doing that, our whole bodies are going to be pruned.”

With her slender fingers threaded between his thick ones she snuggled back into him more and asked, “Have you got a better idea?”

He cocked an eyebrow, even though he knew she would not see it and then said, “If pressed, I am certain that I can come up with something.”

Sara picked up his arms at the wrist and wrapped them around her middle. “Then consider yourself pressed.”

A rakish smile tickled at the corners of his mouth. He dropped his head and laid his lips along the line of her shoulder, causing her to loll her head to the opposite side and allowing him total access. As he continued to pepper her ivory skin with gentle kisses, her hand moved up to caress the side of his head, which once again confirmed her approval of his inadvertent new look.

Gil’s attention was not solely on her neck, which was proven when his left hand began to slowly slide down her torso, savoring each decadent scrap of flesh on its way. With his right arm, he held her tightly to his chest, delighting in the scant weight of her on his body. When his left hand finally reached its target at the junction of Sara’s thighs he was glad to have kept his right arm around her as she writhed against the contact.

The quiet whimpers that came from his wife told Gil that he was on the right track as he continued to stroke her folds. And when she turned her head back towards him he decided to pull the guttural sounds from her throat with a rich and powerful kiss that left them both gasping for air. When he released her mouth, Sara struggled for air and then was forced to fight for her purchase on consciousness when Gil managed to take her to the brink as his fingers entered her, while his thumb continued to caress the nub.

Caught up in the cascading flow of sensations, Sara spun around in his grasp and pushed him back against the tub as they sunk further into the water. He was still in shock from the speed of her maneuver when she came in to capture his mouth in a rapturous kiss, her hands pressed firmly into the sides of his face and keeping him in place. When she brought her knees up to lay on either side of his hips, Gil was busy wrestling with her tongue inside of his mouth.

Each moment of oxygen deprivation was like a gift to him. And when she finally released her desperate hold on his lips they were both panting from the exertion. He tried to gather enough firing neurons to speak the depth of his emotion for her in that moment, but was not quick enough, because Sara leaned her forehead into his and gasped, “God, I love you so much, it hurts.”

Her strained words made his heart beat stronger, but when she began to trail her lips down the side of his face and made her way to his ear, Gil’s blood began to pump strong enough to pound in his skull. Any chance at speech was lost when her tongue came in contact with the shell of his ear, sending powerful waves of desire coursing through his body.

When she began to touch her lips to the space behind his ear he was frozen in place, completely unable to move. She ran her tongue sensually along the bottom line of his beard, sending him crashing over the edge of oblivion as she reached his other ear and sucked the lobe into her mouth for a tender nibble.

The only thing holding him above the water was the fact that his arms were gripped tightly around the edge of the tub as she arched her back, ground her hips into his groin and started to make her way down his chest with her hungry lips. Gil was completely caught up in the unbelievable attention Sara was giving to him. It was in those moments that he came to the undeniable realization that as much as he knew that he belonged to her, and that she was his in every definable and indefinable way imaginable. This was the woman he had chosen to spend the rest of his life worshipping, the woman he was bound to body, mind, heart and soul, and in that moment it could never be more clear to him.

However, his momentous discovery was quickly buried when all coherent thought disappeared from his mind as Sara drew his nipple into her mouth and rolled it around with her teeth, bringing it to a painfully hardened peak. He had never realized how sensitive his own nipples were until the first time Sara’s mouth made contact with one, and he somehow managed to forget that fact until the moment she would once again descend and take the formerly neglected nub within her lips.

So overwhelmed in the cascading surges of pleasure throbbing through his body, he was taken by complete surprise when he felt her hand running along the length of him, as she pressed it into his belly. He had long since begun to harden, simply being close to her was enough for that part of his biology to kick in, but the feel of her long, slender fingers stroking down the underside of his shaft was enough to step up the process to a painful level.

His breath caught in his throat as her hand reached his sac and she began to massage the hardening masses between her fingers. He continued to be amazed at the depth of her knowledge when it came to understanding his body and his needs. When she moved her head up to attack his mouth once again, she drew the breath from his throat and sent his heart racing.

It all became too much for him, the feel of her hand wrapped around his thickness, stroking him to a dangerous hardness, her tongue dancing with his, her heated breath blown over his face was all serving to chip away at his control. In an instant all resolve vaporized and he wrapped his heavy arms around her, forcing her to crash into his body and sending the soapy water over the edges of the oversized tub. With the tables turned on her, he proceeded to assault her mouth with his own powerful kiss. He moaned into her throat when he felt her breasts pressing into his chest as they writhed beneath the warm water.

When he released her mouth she arched her back, sat up, and looked down into his eyes. He saw the most unbelievable hunger for him there in her smoky gaze. He knew what that look meant, and he was glad for it. She reached down for him and he took her by the wrist, bringing it to his lips for a tender kiss before he placed her hand over his rapidly beating heart. Her smile told him that she understood, and when she pushed up from his chest he positioned himself as she slowly lowered onto him.

Gil watched as a myriad of sensations showed across her face until she had buried him to the hilt and her eyes began to roll back just as the heavy lids closed and she began to chew on her lip. It was a beautiful vision that he knew belonged only to him and he treasured it deeply.

His hands moved up to her hips as she began to roll them, and they fell into their own comfortable rhythm. The feel of her walls gripping him was enough to bring him down to his baser self, and he found himself pulling her onto him as he thrust upward. Soon they were both lost in the act and all time ceased to exist as they moved in unison, the water lapping at the sides of the tub in a steady beat.

Without conscious thought, Gil’s head was thrown back against the tub and his hand moved back toward her center. When her pace increased, she had both hands holding onto his shoulders, the nails digging lightly into the skin as she struggled for leverage in the act. Gil struggled to maintain the last of his control, with his head back and his eyes closed as the small contractions of her walls began to pump him even harder. He knew that he was running out of time and his hand slipped in to rub over the button at her core, in the hopes that he could give her everything that she was giving him.

The first sign that his plan had started to work was when he heard her stuttered whimpers, but the tightness around his shaft soon took over his mind. All semblance of control was lost when her hands moved up his neck and into his hair where she began to tangle her fingers within his moistened curls. The feel of her strong, slender fingers twisting through the hair on his head, massaging his scalp as she rocked over him was the most tantalizing sensation he had ever felt, and it dashed any hope that he would ever cut his hair very short again.

He added a bit more pressure to her nub and began to stroke it in unison with their coupling and within moments he was awash in the powerful spasms surrounding his shaft, and he found himself totally at lost in the sensation. They both cried out in their moment of ecstasy, slowly coming down from their frenetic joining until Sara collapsed against his body in a trembling heap. His arms immediately wrapped her up in a firm embrace as he laid kisses in her dampened hair, their heaving breaths passing over the other as they fought to find reality once again.

They stayed in that same powerfully satiated position until the temperature of the water began to affect their moods. Slowly, they got out of the water and dried each other off before they finally went into the kitchen to eat some of the dinner Gil had prepared earlier.

Sitting at the table, in their robes, with Sara in his lap, they ate some of the Baked Ziti Alfredo straight out of the pan. They laughed at the fact that they were acting like slobs, but neither had the energy for any of the civilities of dining, nor were they interested in being apart for even a moment.

Once their stomachs had been dealt with, they made their way affectionately to the bedroom. The entire time there was never more than a fraction of a second, or a single centimeter of space between them. As they snuggled down into the warm comforter, their arms and legs intertwined, sleep came easily for them both.

The hours slipped by as they slumbered in absolute bliss until they were finally disturbed into semi-consciousness at the hands of a bleating cell phone. Sara turned away from Gil, hoping not to disturb his sleep completely, and she battered around the night table for the offensive device. She overturned a picture frame before she finally palmed the object emitting the horrendous sound.

She fumbled with the flip phone for a moment and then brought it to her ear as she rasped out, “Sidle.”

“Oh God! I’m so sorry, Sara… I didn’t mean to wake you up. You got called in last night, didn’t you? God, I’m sorry. I’ll be really quick, I swear.” A few times Sara tried to speak, but it seemed to only amount to a grunt as Stephanie continued to ramble through her dialogue at a breakneck pace she was simply not prepared to handle that morning. “Look, I just wanted to remind you about the party tonight. And I know basketball isn’t really your thing, but Cath and Lindsey are gonna be there and they’re gonna try and help me figure out the nursery stuff, and I’m cooking and all the guys are gonna be here and…”

As Sara continued to try and get a word in edgewise, Gil reached over and turned her back to face him. He took the phone from her and held it to his ear for only a moment before he said in an overtly stern voice, “Stephanie…” The tone worked because Stephanie finally stopped talking and the other end of the line was silent long enough for him to add, “Do not call back,” and he closed the phone before he tossed it onto the floor.

Sara was about to protest, but he rolled over to press his weight into her as he stared down into her eyes. She had seen that look before, and she had only two thoughts in that moment: Please God let there be no calls; and I really hope we have Gatorade in the fridge.

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Stephanie stared at the phone with a look of absolute shock on her face for several moments before she finally closed it up and shook herself out of the moment. She went straight for the fridge and wrote down a note on the pad there.

Thomas looked over his shoulder as he finished the last of the breakfast dishes and asked, “So, did you convince her to come over after all?”

“Not exactly,” was her cryptic answer. When she walked out of the kitchen he went over to read the note she left and nearly fell over laughing as he realized the meaning behind it.

Steph –

Remember to take extra

Gatorade & Protein Bars

to work Sunday night…

Sara’s gonna need ‘em!!!

He called out into the living room through his laughter, “I take it Uncle Gil made it home?”

Chapter 32

17:30 – 2007.01.27

O’Halloran Home

Friday afternoon had been an exercise in patience, as she struggled with the delivery guys, the installation guy and the cable company. Throughout the entire ordeal Stephanie had begun to question her wisdom in having Thomas get the full ball of wax. If she had only known that HD was really just a dyslexic way of saying Damn Headaches, she never would have suggested getting one.

The first headache came when the half-assed delivery guys tried to leave it in the middle of her living room. She went off. She went off so bad that before she was done, they had the television, as well as the stand, unpacked, assembled and set up in the exact spot she and Thomas picked for the thing, in addition to apologizing for their earlier behavior. Stephanie decided in that moment that there was some serious power in pregnancy hormones.

The second headache came in the shape of the most ludicrous cable guy she had ever met in her lifetime. After listening to the idiot man-child of the century go on and on for nearly an hour about what a horrible investment those plasma screens were and how much trouble she was going to have with the thing, Stephanie was prepared to have the man’s tongue cut out and sitting in a dissection tray. She actually found herself staring at the knives in the kitchen as he droned on about the Toshibas and Sonys he installed earlier in the day, and how one of them had already started misfiring. If Thomas had not walked in the door to deal with the man when he did, she was not going to be responsible for what happened to the astoundingly irritating man in her living room.

When she woke up from her nap, she went downstairs to find Thomas on the phone with headache number three: the cable company. He had apparently been on the phone with them for nearly an hour to get their HD receiver turned on. It would appear that they had been going round and round about the functioning of the unit itself, and whether or not he was going to be responsible for the repairs if they sent a tech out and they found that the problem was not one of their units.

She immediately grabbed the phone from him and told the person on the other end that if they had sent out a tech with more on his brain than bullshit, they probably would not be having these problems in the first place. She went on to tell them that it did not take three hours to hook up the freaking cable to a fully functioning, brand new, out of the box, certified and guaranteed plasma flat screen TV. She also told them that they owed her four hundred dollars, because she was capable of billing her time at two hundred dollars an hour on a consult, and they wasted that much of her time sending a moron to her house. They immediately sent a supervisor to the house, and within twenty minutes he got the whole thing working, registered and receiving an absolutely brilliant broadcast of a classic football game from the seventies on one of the many ESPN stations.

By the time it was all said and done, Stephanie missed four hours of sleep, spent close to five hours dealing with imbecilic mouth breathers, managed to avoid killing one excuse for a human being, had two hormonally charged hissy fits, and put several people in their place just so that Thomas could have some tangible evidence of his success. And just as she was questioning the price she had paid, she came around the corner from the kitchen and saw the look on his face. The awe and wonder she saw there as he watched Johnny Unitas lead the Colts to victory was worth every single, agonizing nanosecond of torture.

He invited her to join him on the couch, and they had spent the entire night watching everything they could get their hands on, including some old tapes of the two of them playing ball back in college. It was one of the best nights they had spent since they found out about the twins.

As she stood in the kitchen browning the coarse ground sirloin for her father’s famous firehouse chili recipe, and felt her husband lean down to place another kiss on her neck with his hand planted in the small of her back, Stephanie decided that it would have been worth three times the trouble to see Thomas so happy. He rarely did anything for himself, and more rarely let her do much for him, so this was the perfect marriage of the best of both worlds. Of course, the gratitude sex wasn’t half bad either.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Stephanie turned the heat down on the stove, but was stopped by her husband’s insistent voice, “Got it, Babe.” There were comfortable and familiar moments like that which reminded her just how long they had been together. She was not even twenty when they first met, and while everyone always considered her mature for her age, she was still not much more than a girl. But more importantly, she had very little experience in relationships of any kind.

Thomas had been surprised when they began to get to know each other that not only was she so young, but innocent as well. However, the real reason he was surprised was because he had never met anyone in the same position as he was since arriving at college. Thomas had grown up at a Jesuit school from the age of eleven, in the dormitories with the brothers, and he was completely sheltered from any kind of sexual interactions. With Stephanie he could feel comfortable, because there was no pressure to perform. Circumstances kept both of them from that final step in their development. So, when all was said and done, they finished their growing up together. It was one of the many things about their relationship that she treasured.

An enigmatic smile was still plastered on her face when a large pair of hands came from behind her and planted themselves on her burgeoning belly, “How’re the little Midget’s doing today?”

Stephanie leaned back into the hulking man behind her, “I thought you guys were going out of town this weekend?”

“Are you kidding?!” The big man looked down at her from his elevation and explained, “When my favorite rookie package tells me he’s getting a state of the art plasma screen, you really think I’m gonna go spend a weekend listening to the wind whip across the plains?” The big burly man wrapped his arms around her and gave a barrel laugh as he spoke. “Besides, Carter told me you were finally starting to show and I just had to see it for myself.”

He looked down over her shoulder from his taller vantage point and snickered. Stephanie slapped at his forearms and said, “Don’t you dare say a word… I’m doing just fine, for somebody having twins.”

He moved his massive hands back to her swelling abdomen and asked, “So, have they started doing the mambo yet, Midget?”

“Not yet, but it could happen any time now.” She covered his hands with hers, vividly illustrating the significant size differential and sighed.

“Don’t worry… If they’re anything like their old man, they’ll be trying to cross the goal line in no time flat.” He looked down at her face and asked, “And if you need someone to do some blocking, you know where to go, right?”

“Yellow pages, under Robert ‘The Road Block’ Tanner, body work and removal service?” His deep bellowing laughter sounded throughout the kitchen and caught the attention of her husband.

“Tanner, are you manhandling my wife again?” Thomas came into the kitchen with Carter close at his elbow. Robert had been the first person he had met when he left the Jesuit school for college, and Carter had been his roommate that first year. He truly enjoyed having the two men in their home, because they were his family. Robert was a veteran blocker for UCLA and was assigned to the new freshman running back, while Carter had been just another scared kid thrust into the world unprepared. He and Carter quickly became best friends, so it had only been natural for Thomas to introduce him to his self-appointed big brother. When Carter introduced him to Stephanie years later, the favor had been repaid.

“Your wife, maybe…but she was my buddy long before you greased your way into her life, Rookie.” The big man slid Stephanie to his side, but kept his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Thomas laughed at the man’s description of his wife. They had indeed been friends. Robert was three years ahead of Thomas in school, and was already performing duties as an intern when Thomas had been accepted into medical school. He was also a peer counselor at the medical school and met with Stephanie when she had come down for her interview. The two instantly hit it off, and Robert once again appointed himself brother protector, that time for Stephanie. By the time Stephanie set foot on the campus in Los Angeles, she and Robert were already behaving as though they had spent a lifetime with each other. The only thing that had saved Thomas from the wrath of the big brother when he and Stephanie started dating was the fact that Carter had run interference between him and Robert until it was too late for him to do anything about it.

“Save it for the game, boys. Besides, it’s been mentioned to me recently that I apparently have enough to go around.” Stephanie turned back to the counter to finish her preparations. Thomas chuckled as his wife managed to push the big man when she gave him that deadly glare.

Carter decided it was time to speak up, “Robert! I told you not ta give her any grief about showin’!” Carter had been refereeing between those two since the moment she walked into their lives. Sometimes he felt like their babysitter, instead of Robert’s partner. But through it all, Thomas knew that his best friend enjoyed every minute of it. Carter had lost his family when he moved away from Oklahoma to go to UCLA, but Robert and Stephanie had done their best to make up for it.

“C’mon, Carter. I can’t let something like that slip by unnoticed.” He turned and put his meat hook hands over her shoulders and massaged them briefly, “She knows I’m just playing with her. I got nothing but love for my favorite Midget.”

Stephanie elbowed the big man in the ribs and then waved her arms to move them out of her kitchen. “Would you three get out of here so I can finish this?” She gestured towards the living room and said, “Why don’t you go watch your old football films on the new TV and regale each other with tales of what great big college heroes you were, and leave me and my enormous belly alone.”

Thomas’ and Robert’s eyes lit up at the suggestion and they held up their arms in surrender as they made a beeline for the television. Carter, however, stayed behind, his hands deep in his pockets as he waited for Stephanie to acknowledge him.

“Okay, spit it out… What do you want?” Stephanie had not even bothered to turn around as she posed her question.

Carter paced in a short space, obviously uncomfortable with what he had to say. “I ah, know I’m not supposed to notice things like this, but I ah, saw you at the hospital… Meetin’ with ah…”

“The head of Endocrinology?” He stopped in his tracks when he realized she had busted him “And with my weight gain, plus the fact that you probably know from Robert that I have a family history with diabetes, so you’re worried that something is wrong, but you didn’t want to say anything with everyone else around. Which is why you talked Robert into coming over early…” She was finally facing him when she paused. “Is that about right?”

He blushed at her assessment of the situation and clenched his face when he answered, “Somethin’ like that.”

Stephanie crossed the open floor and reached out to her dear friend to take his hands when she said, “Carter… I am a doctor, and so is Thomas, and frankly, we make horrible patients. I was worried about all of those things that I mentioned, and I wasn’t satisfied with my OB’s opinion, so I went to Dr. Tryblauski for a second.”

Carter instantly realized that he had probably been worried about nothing, but he still felt compelled to ask. “And what did he have to say?”

“That while it’s a good thing to be aware, sometimes too much knowledge can be a dangerous thing.” She and Carter shared a good laugh at that. “Seriously, he told me to keep monitoring my sugar and if anything changes out of the norms then I could worry. But he honestly doesn’t see any kind of problem, based on my previous testing history.”

“So that means the weight gain is-”

“Well within the norms for sixteen weeks… And for the record, the weight gain has been steady and appropriate. However, thanks to my recent inability to exert myself too much, my abdominal muscles are not really up to snuff, so the bump came up a little earlier than anticipated.” She managed to catch his gaze when she added, “But if you breathe a word of that to Robert, I will have your head on a pike… Got it?”

Carter smiled at the threat of bodily harm and then asked, “So, since we did come over early… What can I help with?”

She pointed at the table and then went back to her pan on the stove. “I got all the stuff for you to make your cornbread over there on the table.”

Carter looked from the table to Stephanie and back with a perplexed expression on his face. “But we were supposed to be goin’ out o’ town this weekend… How’d you know I’d be here to make that?”

“Carter… You are a six foot two, toe-headed, string bean of a man who likes to wear his stethoscope with an elephant head cover on it.” He blushed at her description of his normal hospital attire. “You aren’t exactly stealthy, my friend.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Catherine came barreling into the kitchen just in time to catch Stephanie reaching up for some bowls out of the cabinet over the fridge. As she stretched, Cath could see with perfect clarity her blossoming midsection peeking out of her t-shirt and it made her chuckle as she came up beside her to take the bowls.

Stephanie looked down as she handed over the bowls and blushed when she pulled the t-shirt back down. “Don’t you start now, too.”

She shrugged as she turned to put the bowls on the table and said, “Did you hear me say anything?”

“You’d be the only one today.” Stephanie instantly went back to work at the cheese grater.

Before Catherine could say anything else they were quickly joined in the kitchen by a young woman with a shocking amount of reddish blonde, intensely curly hair. “Hey Steph… Where’d you want the beer?”

Stephanie turned into the casual hug from the other woman and said, “Thanks Sandi… Just put ‘em in that cooler over there by the table.” As soon as Stephanie had spoken the name Catherine had remembered the face.

“So, I recognize most of those people in the living room, but who the heck is that enormous ape out there?”

“Hey now… He’s not an ape… He’s a hairless gorilla from the lost land of the dinosaurs.” Sandi and Stephanie enjoyed a private joke that Catherine was not quite tuned into, so she assumed it was a young thing. “Seriously, though… That’s Robert.” When Sandi gave her a puzzled look she elaborated, “Carter’s partner?”

“OH! Right… I wasn’t at that party, remember?” Sandi finished putting the bottles into the ice of the cooler as she explained.

“That’s right… David walked around like a lost puppy that whole night.” That time Catherine was able to join in on the laughter.

“Well, I better get back out there… So, I can explain to him what everyone is talking about.” She shook her head as she walked back to the living room. “David is so not a sports guy, but bless his heart, he tries.”

Catherine walked back to Stephanie’s side and said, “I hear they were finally able to set a date?”

“Almost… She’s presenting in two weeks and once they accept her dissertation, she’ll know when they can set the date.” Stephanie continued to the grate the cheese as Catherine picked at the chunks of leftover Colby.

“Well, I’m sure David is relieved, regardless.” Lindsey chose that moment to come bounding into the kitchen.

“Hey Steph… I need a password to get onto the internet.” She managed to snuggle her way between the two women and snagged a chunk of cheese for herself.

Stephanie turned to Catherine for her silent approval and the older woman shrugged and reached over for the grater. “Go on… I’ll finish this stuff.”

The two walked passed the assemblage in the living room completely unnoticed, and giggled on their way up the stairs. The sight of a roomful of people staring opened mouthed at a television set was simply too much for either to bear without humor.

Everyone stood in the living room staring into the crystal clear screen as a football team donned in white uniforms with blue trim and wearing golden helmets executed a successful play. Two of the men stood a bit taller than the others, their chests extended a bit more and wistful smiles played at the corners of their mouths.

Warrick was the first to break the silent tribute. “Damn… Hard to believe you two didn’t go pro.”

Robert clapped his buddy on the back and said, “Seein’ as I was scrubbed in on the surgery that put those knees back together… I’m still amazed the guy made it to his senior year. Talk about a train wreck!”

Thomas grimaced and said, “And if he wasn’t such a good surgeon, I wouldn’t still be walking around either. Been saving my ass since the first day we met.”

Stephanie chose that moment to walk back through the room on the way to the kitchen. As she was about to pass behind Thomas she stopped and took a closer look at the item in question. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, Robert… If you saved it, where the hell did you put it, because I’ve been searching for it for years.”

A cacophony of howls filled the living room as Thomas hung his head to hide the blush that rapidly filled his face. As Stephanie sauntered back into the kitchen Thomas hollered out to her, “Thanks a lot, Babe.”

Carter decided to intervene on his friend’s behalf, “Awright now… Let’s save the trash talkin’ for the games.” Thomas nodded his head and was grateful for the save. “So, what games are we watchin’ anyway?”

Thomas clicked the remote control and brought up the NCAA sports package guide and said, “No UCLA tonight… So, I was thinking about watching the Michigan State - Ohio State game until the UNLV game comes on.”

Warrick shrugged and said, “Sounds like a plan to me…” He turned his head to the kitchen and spoke in a voice loud enough to carry to the inhabitants there, “Of course it might be nice if we had somethin’ to eat out here.”

The voice of a certain blonde hollered back, “Watch it, Brown… I know where you sleep.” Greg gave Warrick a shove to the shoulder after hearing Catherine snipe at him, as everyone laughed while they took up their seats for the game.

The game was not the main event for Greg. He was more interested in the company and the technology involved with the marvel before him, so he asked, “Hey, what kind of specs are we looking at, Thomas?”

“On the beauty before us? Well, you are staring into a Pioneer PDP-5070HD Plasma Screen HDTV, fifty inches of redesigned Deep Encased Cell Structure to improve brightness, image accuracy and panel efficiency, a new First-Surface Pure Color Filter for enhanced contrast, color and reduction in light reflection on screen, a Crystal Emissive Layer for deeper blacks and increased brightness of images, new and improved red and blue phosphors creating a brighter, purer and wider color space, improving the overall HD experience, a new Dielectric Layer for improved light management and efficiency of the panel, and a wide viewing angle of 160° - horizontal and vertical with no color shift or picture distortion.”

“DUDE! What, did you memorize the whole brochure?” Greg was completely blown away by the description.

Thomas simply shrugged, “Yeah, well, it took me a little while to decide on a model, so I ah, wanted to make sure I knew what it was I was buying.” Everyone chuckled and then he asked, “You want to hear about the video processing? Or would you rather just watch the game?”

The whole room erupted with, “THE GAME!”

The crowd thoroughly enjoyed watching basketball on a state of the art television as they consumed large quantities of chili, cornbread, chips and dip, along with a healthy portion of the various beers that arrived at the house for the occasion. At one of the commercial breaks the group began to talk football again. Sandi asked, “Did you catch any of that Ohio St. game?”

Everyone in the room cringed at the memory, but Mel was the one to speak up. “That was like torture, huh? Who knew they’d fold like that at the end? I thought for sure they had it sewn up when they didn’t pick Michigan for the game.” She found a sea of nods to meet her statements. “I lost a hundred bucks on that damn game.”

Warrick winced at the mention of her gamble and offered up a little sage advice. “Never bet on a bowl game, Mel… You got teams full of people tryin’ to prove something, and you never know how you’re gonna handle that kind of pressure until you’ve experienced it. Way too many unknown variables for any kind of a sound bet.”

Mel smiled and nodded her head to show she understood, but then she asked, “You a bettin’ man, Warrick?”

“In my youth… Not anymore. Too many variables.” He winked at Catherine who stood at the edge of the room as she leaned against the wall. There were a lot of things he no longer gambled on, but it had nothing to do with the variables. It had everything to do with the known quantities.

Greg sat on the floor working with Lindsey on a chemistry equation when he piped up. “So, you couldn’t talk Sara into coming over, huh?”

Stephanie smiled cryptically from her perch in front of Thomas on the easy chair as he rubbed her shoulders. “She ah, had other things to do this weekend.” Thomas chuckled at his wife’s vague description.

Brass decided not to let it remain a quiet matter when he said, “Yeah… Namely Gil.”

Greg and Warrick both cringed at the mention of their former boss and mentor. “Brass, that’s just not right. I can’t have those kinds of images in my head.”

Wendy added her own rhetoric to the mix. “You think that’s bad… Try having a conversation with the woman on the phone and then finding out why she keeps having you repeat what you’ve just said… I have enough nightmares to last me at least a week.” She shuddered at the thought.

David put the capper on it when he said, “They’re still newlyweds… What did you expect? They’d be sitting around doing crossword puzzles and reading Thoreau?”

The comfortable laughter spread through the room once more.

Mel shook her head and said, “From everything I’ve heard about these two from Nick… I’m almost afraid to meet them. I won’t be able to keep a straight face.” That comment brought several chuckles from the crowd. “That reminds me… How come Nick isn’t here?”

Stephanie and Warrick both stiffened at the question and gave each other guarded looks when Warrick said. “He had…other plans this weekend.”

Chapter 36

06:30 – 2007.02.01

Las Vegas Country Club

Nick stood up and stretched out his back as he blew out a heavy breath. When he looked down at his watch, he cringed and knew exactly why his body felt like it had been tied to the back of a charging horse; twelve straight hours of processing the golf course explosion scene. Nick hated “all hands” cases, and this was the capper of them all. There was nothing quite like an explosion at an exclusive country club to bring the brass out in full force.

The other factor contributing to his general displeasure with the situation was the fact that it had been twelve hours and they had yet to reach the epicenter of the explosion. There was so much collateral damage from the massive flash-fire that erupted on the golf course that they had an astounding volume of evidence to process. When they arrived on the scene, they were forced to wait as the fire department worked to put out the fire that was still burning on one of the water hazards closest to the utility area, which appeared to be the source of the explosion.

He worked side by side with Mel all night, and they determined that the flash-fire appeared to have set off a chain-reaction of mini explosions extending throughout the area bordering the epicenter. She commented about the use of dangerous chemicals for fertilizers so many times over the course of the night, that he had gotten the very clear impression that she was something of an environmentalist. She and my sister Rachel would get along great.

Several times he noticed that she was collecting samples of the soil and swabs of any liquid they came across as they worked towards the center of the explosion. It led him to wonder if she was collecting evidence for the case, or to prove that the club had been violating some EPA standard.

The fact was, he was very impressed with her techniques and knowledge over the course of their working together, but this case proved that she truly would be an asset to the team, and most likely the lab as well. She seemed to have an innate knack for keying into the most obscure and minute piece of evidence in each of the cases they worked. And most of the time, those items turned out to also be the most valuable in closing the case. The only thing she really seemed to lack was more confidence in her work, as she was constantly seeking out the approval of those around her. In a lot of ways, she reminded him of himself… Once upon a time.

Nick took another chance to stretch his back as he surveyed the whole scene. When his eyes landed on Blake and Greg on the other side of what was left of the golf cart repair shed, he squinted in an unconscious gesture as he tried to figure out why they looked so animated. Mel looked up from the box of samples she was sealing and followed his gaze.

She tossed out her casual analysis of the scene before them. “I don’t know what it is, but those two seem to be butting heads a lot lately.”

“Is that so?” Nick realized that since he had been working with Mel in the field, he and Greg had not worked a single case together. As he thought back over the previous couple of weeks, he realized that Blake seemed to make a concerted effort to pair off with the rookie whenever he could. Nick began to wonder if Blake thought he was going to have a chance at becoming Greg’s mentor. Fat chance! Nick knew that without a doubt, Greg would always look to Grissom in that respect. Greg might be willing to learn things from other people, but his hero would always be Grissom. And Nick had to admit to himself, that he felt much the same way. He might owe a lot to Catherine for the years they worked together, but when it came to advice or guidance in their field, he would always think of Grissom first.

Nick was shook from his thoughts as he heard the strained voice of their former lab rat. “NO FREAKING WAY!” When he turned to see what had happened, Nick saw (even from that distance) that Greg’s face had turned a lovely shade of pissed off.

Nick handed Mel the evidence bag he sealed and took off at a trot to see what kind of trouble was brewing between those two.

“”Forget it! There is no way I’m going to violate about fifty different protocols to do it your way. Which, by the way, is quite possibly the most idiotic thing I have ever seen!” Greg had managed to amp himself into a frenzy by the time Nick reached the remains of the repair shed.

“Hey Greggo… What’s up, man? I can hear you all the way to the clubhouse.” Nick put a reassuring hand on his young friend’s upper arm and waited for his answer.

However, Blake apparently had his own ideas about how the situation was to be handled. “Stokes, this is between me an-”

“It was between you two… But when the whole department and the club staff is listening in, it becomes everybody’s business. So, why don’t we try to cool things off a bit and take another approach.” Nick watched as every nerve in Blake’s body tensed up, and Greg bit back about twelve things he planned on saying. “Now, I got no idea what’s goin’ on between you two, but I do know that an ‘all hands’ crime scene is no place to play it out.”

They were all given a little reprieve when Nick’s pager went off and he looked at the display screen for the message. “And there’s no time to worry about it now, either.” He looked up at Greg and said, “Warrick needs you to start running some of this evidence back to the lab… They just got a fresh crew in to start processing. And Blake-” Before Nick could finish, the other man’s pager also went off. “And I bet that’s Cath for you.”

Blake looked down at his display screen and nodded his head. “I gotta get to the PD and help Brass process some guy they just pulled in for questioning.”

Everyone nodded together and then they started to pack it up for their respective tasks. Nick went back to Mel and shook his head when she laughed.

“I feel like a babysitter some nights.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes…they need it.” Nick laughed at her analysis and then his pager went off again and he cringed at what was next. When he looked down at the display an amused smirk appeared in the corner of his mouth.

“Good news?” Mel asked as she got back to work on a bit of debris she was attempting to liberate from the soil.

Nick turned the pager around to show her the screen and that was when she saw: “Thnx Man… U R0xr!”

She chuckled and shook her head as she said, “Is that guy ever gonna grow up?”

“Let’s hope not… Things’d get pretty borin’ around here if he did.” Nick’s sideways smile accompanied his comment as Mel reluctantly agreed with his assessment.

They went back to work and continued to make their way into the epicenter of the explosion. Slowly, they collected each and every bit of debris, working inward on a grid pattern and careful not to miss a thing. They switched back and forth on collection and sealing duties, to keep both of them from getting burned out.

When Nick’s cell started to play the Joan Jett hit “I Love Rock N’ Roll,” he stood up to brush his hands off on his jacket, and pulled off his gloves before reaching for the phone. However, it was too late, because Mel heard the ring and was already laughing. He blushed and said, “Excuse me a sec,” as he turned away from her to take the call.

He walked a couple of paces away to afford himself a little privacy. “Hey, what’re you doin’ up so early?” He looked down at his watch to verify the time and saw that it was still early. “You’re kiddin’ me?...When did you leave?...Caught the last flight again, huh?” His voice became a little softer as he spoke and Mel could tell that whoever it was, was obviously someone with which he was comfortable. She tried not to eavesdrop, but she was an investigator after all, and the whole lab had been buzzing about what Nick was doing with his spare time.

“So, are we still on for this weeke-…Okay…I was just checkin’…No, I got it all set up and ready to go…Not a problem. Besides, I kinda like it out there…Haven’t had a bad time yet…Hey look, I’m at a scene right now, so can I-…Yeah, okay, gimme a call when you get back…See ya this weekend.” He waited as the person on the other side of the line finished talking and then closed up his phone. Mel could tell that he enjoyed the call from the way his shoulders relaxed during the brief conversation.

She was about to make a comment about his obvious change in mood when he turned around, but what she saw on his jacket stopped her cold. “Stokes… Don’t move.”

He stopped in mid-motion and used his eyes to survey the ground around him. That was when he spotted the problem. His eyes looked over the discolored marks on his jacket, and the tiny holes that were already forming in the center of each mark. “What the hell?!”

Mel shook her head as Nick watched her set her jaw. “DAMNIT! I can’t believe I didn’t put this together before now!”

“What?” Nick was confused by her outburst.

“Sodium Hydroxide! Why the hell would they be using lye on a frigging golf course!” Nick finally understood where her line of thinking had taken her.

“Now slow down, Mel… We gotta wait until we’ve got all the evidence in and-”

“Yeah, yeah… I know, but you have to get that jacket off before it starts eating through the rest of your clothes.” She walked up to him and made a twirling motion with her hand. “Turn around and I’ll take it off.”

“I can take my ow-”

“Without gloves on? I don’t think so.” He finally relented and turned around. She started to pull the jacket over his shoulders when she added, “Besides, it’s gonna take a helluva lot more than you in a t-shirt to get my motor running.”

Nick blushed at her insinuation and fought to come up with an appropriate comeback. He was at a loss, so he just said, “I’ll try to remember that for future reference.”

She decided to go easy on him and dropped his jacket into an evidence bag. “Hey, let’s make a run to the Tahoe and drop this stuff off… That way I can grab my chem kit and we can find out what’s really involved with this mess.”

After they arrived at the truck and started to pull everything out to finish processing the scene, Nick took a look at his clothes. He thought about the presence of lye in the area outlying the point of explosion and made a decision about the rest of the scene. “Mel, let’s suit up for the next run.”

She scrunched up her face and asked, “You really think so?”

“We got no clue what was really in that groundskeeper barn… I say we suit up, collect a few samples and then send the HazMat guys in there for the rest.” Nick had already retrieved their hazard coveralls from the back of the Tahoe. With the small one outstretched to Mel he added, “I’d rather be safe, than sorry… Ya know?”

She appeared to think over his suggestion for a moment, but then she quickly nodded her head and agreed. “Yeah, if it’s even one of the things I’m thinking it is, we could get in too deep before we know what hit us.” Mel took the coverall from him and immediately stripped down to her skivvies and started to wriggle her way into the suit.

Nick only blushed slightly, but he was not able to stifle the little chuckle that escaped him as he watched her. “What’s so funny, Cowboy?”

“Just, ah, not used to someone so anxious to get into a coverall before.” Mel realized that she had forgotten where she was again, but she laughed at his obvious discomfort.

As she pulled the zipper up to her neck she shot him a raised eyebrow and said, “Then you should see me get into my dive suit.” That got the red to come up in his cheeks a little more to her liking, and then she giggled. “Sorry, but I’ve spent so many years having to change into a suit of some kind in the most bizarre situations, that I don’t even think about it anymore. I didn’t mean to embarrass you, really. I just don’t really give a shit about baring a little skin in the name of efficiency.” Nick nodded as he tried to regain his composure when she added, “Besides, you ever try to get into a dive suit, in the dead of winter, with twenty cops standing around and NOT expose yourself? It’s totally pointless, so modesty was just something I learned to live without. And it makes you really popular with patrol.”

Nick laughed at the thought of a bunch of grizzled cops standing around speechless as a CSI stripped to their skivvies at a scene. He could only imagine how quickly the guys down at PD would be jumping to call out CSI after that happened the first time. “Ah, do me a favor…for future reference?” She shrugged as she pulled the breath mask over her head and rested it on her chest. “Have one of us work as a shield from now on… Vegas isn’t exactly as easy going as Seattle… You’re likely to start a scene of your own with a stunt like that.”

She chuckled at his admonition, but she came back with. “Hey, might be the fastest way to pay off the rest of those student loans.” Nick only shook his head as he pulled the coveralls up his legs.

“Or get you into a different line of work.” Nick finally managed to get the better of Mel with the somewhat shocked look on her face, but she quickly recovered as she gave him a wink and smile.

“Point taken, Boss.”

They went further into the point of origin for the explosion and found a few more items of interest for their investigation. Nick oversaw Mel’s collection of some more trace samples before he finally gave her the signal to clear out. The closer they got into the epicenter, the more Nick began to think Mel might have been on to something about the source of the explosion. It was glaringly obvious that the explosion was chemical in nature, but they were going to have to let the HazMat guys finish up the scene. They had everything they needed to prove their case either way by that point, and after a little more than thirteen hours on the scene, Nick needed a shower and decent cup of coffee.

When they reached the lab, it was obvious that tensions were still running high between Greg and Blake. Nick was sure that something had been building up for a while, because he never knew Greg to take offense to anything very quickly. But no one was in any kind of shape for resolving the situation. And since Blake was finishing up with Warrick down at the hospital, Nick decided that the best thing to do was to send Greg home. He and Mel were taking the first overtime shift, and someone needed to have a fresh head once the results of their tests started coming in, so the logical choice was to have Greg get some sleep, and to come back later.

The two worked side by side, cataloguing and preparing all of the evidence for processing and by the time they were ready to start running the whole batch through trace, they realized it was too big a job for just one person. Nick also possessed little faith in the ability of their day shift chem tech. As much as he despised Hodges, at least the little worm could get the work done, and done right. Mel decided to pitch in and help get all of their chemical analysis done. Having been a former lab rat herself, she was the natural choice. As Nick watched her cart the last box of samples into the Trace Lab, he flipped open his phone and called in a favor.

“Hey, Henry… I didn’t wake you, did I?...Awesome…Hey, Man, you heard about the explosion right?...Well, looks like some kind of chemical deal…Yeah, lots of trace, lots of mysterious liquids…You think maybe you could come in a little early and put some of those mad scientist skills to work, Man?...No worries, Buddy. I’ll get the overtime approved…Yeah, you know how that dayshift monkey is, right?” Nick knew there was one way that he could get the chemist to come into the lab, and he was not above using it to the full advantage. “Yeah, so I’ve already got Mel in the lab runnin’ samples, but there’s just too much for one person, ya know?” Nick was fairly certain he heard the other man’s pulse begin to quicken through the phone, just at the mention of the new member of the CSI team. “So, you think you can come in and give her a hand?...That’s awesome, Henry. Thanks for steppin’ up, Brother.” As Nick closed up his phone and started to lay out the other evidence on the table, he chuckled to himself and said, “Like takin’ candy from a baby.”

When Nick had finally finished putting everything together, cataloguing each and every piece, and checking on Mel’s progress shortly after Henry arrived, he looked down at his watch and groaned; he was twenty one hours into a shift. He chuffed at the knowledge and said (to no one in particular), “Wouldn’t Sara be proud.”

“About what?” Greg’s characteristically chipper voice came from the doorway when Nick turned to see the revived CSI.

“Just that I’ve managed to stay up this long without whinin’.”

Greg grinned at his joke and then slipped in beside him to get caught up. “So, where are we at with this thing?”

Nick took a deep a breath and launched right in. “Tons of trace materials… And at last count, I think Mel and Henry had ID’d about seven different flammable chemical components. Sara is trying to get us an inventory of the stuff being stored in that barn from the country club, but the office was damaged in the blast, so we might have to wait until tomorrow when the city inspectors finish determining if the structure is safe.”

“Gotta love the bureaucrats, right?” Greg looked over his shoulder towards the Trace Lab and asked, “So, you had Henry come in to help Mel while I was gone?”

“Yeah… No way that dayshift character could handle even half that load, and I knew Henry had been off last night, so he’d be fresh and eager to help.” Nick noticed that the little green-eyed monster had appeared on Greg’s shoulder as he watched the two working the evidence from a distance. “But, hey… Why don’t you go in there and see if you can get Mel to stand down for a little while? I bet she could use a break, ya know?” Nick was beginning to understand why his mother always thought he would have made a decent lawyer; he really was good at convincing people to do things with ulterior motives.

“Yeah, I should get her some coffee or something, too, huh?” Greg turned to Nick with a wide grin and a sparkle in his eye. “Thanks, Man… You really are the best.” And with that, Greg practically skipped out of the Layout Room.

As Nick watched the younger man leave, he could not help but chuckle at the scene. That was how Stephanie found him, full of mirth, as she commented on the departing Greg Sanders. “And people say I have too much energy… What did you do…promise him a new puppy?”

Nick shrugged and said, “Close… I told him to go help Mel.” Stephanie laughed outright at his obvious joke.

“Nice… Good to know that some things will never change.” As she walked into the room Nick noticed that she was still wearing a lab coat. Stephanie normally walked around outside of the morgue in just her scrubs, not being one to advertise exactly who she was, so he thought it was odd to see her in the coat.

As she came to stand beside him and looked over his shoulder at the table, he finally understood the reason for the change in wardrobe. The coat slipped open just enough for him to recognize that undeniable clue as to her present condition. He clicked his jaw to the side and then said, “Nice coat.”

She instantly looked down and realized what he was really referring to, blushed and gave him a playful nudge with her elbow. “Watch it… With all these hormones, I’m no longer responsible for my actions.”

“You don’t have to tell me… I’ve got five sisters. And I thought they were dangerous before they got knocked up.” Stephanie laughed at the joke and it served to lighten Nick’s mood a little. He knew how sensitive most women were about their appearance during pregnancy, and he also knew from experience that it was always best to tender everything with a little humor.

Stephanie pulled out the stool beside him and rested on it for a moment. “So, I’m here, and David has all four bodies ready to go… You wanna observe?”

“Four?” Nick was confused, because he only knew of three fatalities from the explosion.

“Yeah, David brought the head greenskeeper in about a half hour ago… He didn’t make it.” Nick blew out a breath and shook his head at the new information. “Warrick was going to stop in to update Catherine, and then he’s gonna meet us down there.”

Nick nodded his head, and stood up to leave. He locked the doors to the Layout Room before he followed Stephanie to the morgue. As they passed the Trace Lab, Nick noticed that Mel was still hard at work, but with two doting assistants instead of one. He shook his head and chuckled as he walked by.

When they reached the morgue, Nick found David just finishing up with the prep on the last fatality. The assistant coroner looked a lot like Nick felt at the moment. That was when he realized that the poor guy had been going at it all night and all day.

Stephanie walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder when she said, “David… Go home. Sandi’s gonna kill me as it is.”

“No worries there… She’s on high alert for the presentation. I’m not entirely sure she’s even noticed that I haven’t been home yet.” David shrugged it off and was about to turn away when Stephanie held up a stack of pink note sheets.

“I think you might want to check the battery on your phone.” He took the notes and immediately reached for his phone. The timid look on his face told Nick who the notes were from. “Go home, David.”

He shyly nodded his head and walked back to the office. Nick chuckled at the site and then Stephanie walked to him and said, “She’s been trying to get him home for the last six hours. She even called me at home to ask when he could leave. That’s why I came in early.”

Nick looked around the morgue and asked, “Where’s Doc Robbins?”

“Visiting a college with his daughter. Be back tomorrow.” Stephanie blew out a hard breath and said, “So…no sense waiting for Warrick. Let’s just get started.”

By the time Warrick finally got back from the hospital and briefed Catherine, they had already started the preliminary autopsy on the second victim; the young greenskeeper. Nick and Warrick went through all of the effects that David removed from the body as Stephanie began to open him up.

“According to Sofia’s notes… Jason Hannity… Part time greenskeeper…” Nick read off the victims statistics. “Horticulture student at WLVU… Nineteen years old… Organ donor.”

“Not enough left donate.” Warrick shook his head as he looked over at the slab Stephanie was working from. “So, what’s a kid workin’ part time at a golf course cuttin’ grass doin’ in the storage barn in the middle of the afternoon?”

“Are they morning or night cutters at this club?” Nick looked up from the notes to ask his question.

Warrick flipped through Brass’ notes and found the statement from the manager of the course. “Morning… Different section every day at four AM.”

Nick slapped the folder he was holding against his thigh and exclaimed, “Nothing about this case makes any sense!”

“You think that’s bad.” Stephanie’s voice came from behind them and they both turned. “Check this out.” She used her forceps to retrieve a large swath of fibrous material from the gaping hole in the young man’s chest.

Warrick squinted at the material and tried to figure out what it was, but came up empty. “What is that?”

Stephanie shook her head and looked over at Nick. “Obviously somebody’s getting pampered.” Nick smirked at her implied meaning and garnered a dirty look from Warrick.

“And that’s supposed to mean what?”

Stephanie shrugged as she dropped the material into the bag that Nick held open for her. “Just that it’s obvious you aren’t making your own coffee anymore.” Warrick hung his head once he understood her joke. Stephanie continued, once he had caught on, “It’s a chunk from a stack of coffee filters.”

“Which means…” Nick did not get a chance to finish because Catherine came into the morgue and finished it for him.

“It looks like Jeong’s little theory is starting to pay off.” She had in her hands a thermos and handed it to Warrick as she passed him on her way to the other side of the room. Nick and Stephanie shared a conspiratorial chuckle as they watched the handoff.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“DAMNIT!” She consistently continued to be frustrated as she processed all of the trace samples from the explosion. Mel had just found the eighth different chemical component from the scene. There were just too many chemicals for her to come to an irrefutable conclusion and she was quickly running out of patience.

“Another one?” Greg looked up from the microscope as he asked the question with which he already knew the answer.

“Ammonium Nitrate… Like that’s a fucking surprise at a golf course.” She put the printout on the stack with the others with great reluctance. “This is getting ridiculous! How the hell am I supposed to figure out what they were making in that friggin’ barn if they have EVERYTHING UNDER THE GODDAMN SUN IN THERE?!”

At the end of her outburst the printer began to spit out another report. Henry timidly took the sheet off of the printer and held it to his chest. “What does it say?”

He looked over at Greg for reassurance, but he only shrugged noncommittally. Henry took a quick peek and then looked back at Mel like a frightened rabbit. “I-I-I I’m not sure I ah, want to say.” She regarded him with a very serious death glare and he said, “Number nine… Trichloroethane.”

“Gun cleaner? They had gun cleaner? Why the hell would a golf course have GUN CLEANER?!” Mel’s anger and frustration had reached its height.

Greg cringed, closed his eyes and then barely spoke, “Because they also have a trap and skeet course.”

“AAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!”

That was the moment that Nick chose to come back up to the lab. “Looks like I got here at a bad time.”

“If you’re here to tell me about a tenth chemical component, then turn right back around.” He could instantly tell that she was serious.

“Okay, then I won’t… Henry, Hodges will be here within the hour.” Nick watched as Henry showed signs of relief and disgust all at the same time. “Mel… I know I can’t make you leave, but I can make you take a break. There’s a couch in the break room, and it has been used by many before you.” He walked up to her, laid his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You need to shut your brain down for a little bit, Mel… You’re not gonna be any good to me fallin’ down tired. And I need you good if this turns out to be what I think it is.” Mel looked up into his eyes and nodded her head. She knew that he was right.

“Awright then… Greggo, you’re with me. I need to get back out to the scene, and there’s no way I should be drivin’.” Greg perked up and leapt from his seat.

“Henry… As soon as Hodges gets his scrawny butt in here, I need you to get back to toxicology. Steph’s gonna have some samples for you to run ASAP, okay?”

Henry smiled and nodded eagerly, “You got it, Nick.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they finally made it back to the lab, Nick knew what he needed to know about the chemicals being stored in that barn, and about the employees at the country club in order to start putting all of the pieces together. The only thing he still needed was the chemical analysis.

He had taken another nap in the Tahoe as Greg drove them back from the club. They spent about five hours combing through all of the invoices for the groundskeeper’s supplies. They knew every single chemical that was supposed to have been stored there, and it was the things that were not on that list that were going to turn the tide in the case.

As he and Greg walked into the lab, they were immediately assaulted by Hodges. The man looked practically ashen from fear. “Stokes… Can I have a word with you about this partner of yours?”

“Hodges, I ain’t got time to play around tonight… Have you finished running those samples?” Nick knew he was being short with the man, but it was nearly four in the morning and almost two days had passed since the time he originally clocked in, so his patience was seriously at an end.

“That’s what I need to talk to you about…” Hodges looked around to see who might have been listening and then said, “If you have a problem with my work, then I would think you would have the decency to tell me to my face and not bring some kind of ringer in here to show me up… In my own lab, no less!”

“Hodges… I don’t have a problem with your work. I have a problem with your work ethic and with you. When we have an all hands case, why is it you go home right on time while everyone else is putting it to the screws to get things done? I called two people this afternoon to come in and get these samples crankin’… You never even responded. Henry was here so fast he made my head spin. YOU didn’t bother to come until I asked Catherine to call your sorry butt in herself. So, save your paranoid ramblings for somebody that gives a damn and get the hell outta my way.” Nick was so angry by that point that as he pushed past the aghast lab tech, he failed to notice the quiet round of applause that his tirade managed to garner.

Nick popped his head into Warrick’s office and said, “I’m ready when you are.”

Warrick looked up and saw the red in his friend’s face, so he had to ask, “You okay, Man?”

“Yeah… Hodges.” Nick rolled his eyes as he answered.

“’Nuff said… Hey, what’s this I’m hearin’ about a beef between Blake and Greg out at the club?” Nick reluctantly walked into the office and pushed the door closed.

“Greg’s not really talkin’, but I’m gettin’ the impression Blake’s tryin’ to take over as Greg’s mentor, or somethin’ like that. Mel says he keeps contradictin’ stuff that Grissom showed Greg how to do, and Greg’s been less than receptive about it.” Nick shook his head and added, “I think Greg’s takin’ this whole thing a lot harder than we figured. Maybe you and Cath need to have a talk with Blake. Tell him to lay off the little guy?”

Warrick heaved a sigh at Nick’s analysis and nodded his head. “Yeah, I can see that now… I’ll sort it out. Thanks for the heads up, though.” Nick nodded his agreement and they both relaxed a bit before Warrick got up from behind the desk. “All right, I’ve already got everybody else in the break room… Just waitin’ on you.” Warrick grabbed a couple of folders and walked out the door after him.

When they walked into the break room, everyone was indeed ready to go, and as Nick sat down, Mel handed him a cup of coffee. He could tell that she had not gotten a whole lot of rest, if any at all, but she was still motoring along. They were the only two on the team that plowed straight through the case from start to finish.

“All right… Nick’s got point on this one, so let’s see what he’s got.” Warrick immediately deferred to Nick, and he was grateful for the confidence.

“Mel… How many chemical components did you end up with?”

She passed him a copy of the reports and said, “Nineteen.”

“Go ahead and list them off and let’s see what we’ve got.” Nick took out his inventory report and prepared to check off the items one by one.

“Okay… Acetone, Alcohol – both ethyl and isopropyl, Ammonium Nitrate, Anhydrous Ammonia, Ether, Freon, Hydrochloric Acid, Hydriotic Acid, Hypophophorous Acid, Iodine, Lithium metal, Methanol, multiple phosphates used in fertilizers, Red Phosphorous, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium metal, Sulfuric acid, Toluene, Trichloroethane, and finally…there were faint traces of diesel fuel.” Mel looked up from her list and found a smiling Nick to meet her recitation. “What?”

“How faint were the traces of diesel?”

She shrugged, “Not enough to suspect bomb making materials were involved.”

“Sounds in line with what I found.”

“What did you-” He slid the inventory list across the table to her and the same smile spread over her face.

“And what if I told you the HazMat guys also managed to recover a significant amount of aluminum, melted glass, metal pails, the remains of several hot plates and enough blasted out gas cans to fill a dumpster, to go along with the same trace materials on the kid found at the epicenter, and the chunk of coffee filters we found embedded in the blast wound on his chest?” The smile had managed to make it to the faces of Greg and Warrick with his veiled question.

The information that the two had uncovered finally began to dawn on Blake as he said, “Damnit! A freaking Meth Lab?!”

“Seems our boy the horticulturist changed his major last semester.” Warrick handed over the young man’s school record when he added, “He apparently decided that the phrase ‘better living through chemistry’ might apply to him… Too bad he was a C student.”

Blake chewed on that information for a little while and then he nodded at Nick and Mel. “Great job, guys… That’s the last thing I would’ve suspected from that mess.”

Nick looked over at Mel and said, “Helps having a chem tech workin’ with ya sometimes… Especially one that doesn’t have her nose buried somewhere dark and dank.”

They all laughed about his obvious jibe, but more importantly, they were just happy to be done with that case. No one was more happy about it than Nick and Mel. It had been two days of marathon CSI work, and they were both dead on their feet. They really needed the long weekend that they had both been promised. And with any luck, they would both enjoy it, too.

Chapter 41

23:20 – 2007.02.06

Boulder Highway: Shoulder

Cars zoomed by at breakneck speeds, whipping up the air into a fierce howl with each vehicle that passed by Nick’s crime scene. He hated any murder scene, but on the side of a major highway was no place to be collecting evidence. The only thing that made him feel even mildly secure was the fact that the boys from the Nevada DOT yard had brought out a couple of crash trucks to protect the scene from any oncoming traffic.

He stood up from his crouched position and took another look at the back end of the victim’s car for anything he might have missed. They had already collected minimal trace evidence of paint from the bumper and the crumpled trunk. It had not been easy to find, given the amount of blood left on the vehicle from the victim.

As Nick continued to scan the area he thought about the victim. A twenty two year old woman, a new mother, on her way home after a visit to see her family in Utah. According to her husband, she had gotten him to stop the car so that she could get something for the baby out of the trunk. He asked her to wait until they got home, since they were only twenty minutes from home, but she pleaded with him to stop because she wanted to keep on the schedule they had set for their two month old daughter.

Neither of them saw the truck that clipped her and their car as it crossed over the white line and into the shoulder where they were parked. The husband blacked out from the impact and came to when a passing motorist stopped to call emergency services and lend aide. By that time, the wife had been run over by a second vehicle due to the fact that her body landed just over the white line in the right lane.

When his gaze fell back upon the spot where the body had lain, Nick noticed something catching the light of the passing headlights. “Hey, Mel?”

Mel stood up from the road where she had been collecting some broken shards of plastic. “Whassup, Boss?”

Nick squinted at the mostly clear residue that reflected the light. “Let’s get a sample of this and run it through trace. It’s probably nothing, but it’s not like we’ve got a lot to go on here.”

“Yeah, sounds like a plan.” Mel went about her task immediately.

“I’m gonna do a once over on the whole scene again, and then when you’re done we can head back to the lab.” Nick pulled off his gloves and stuffed them into the paper bag in his kit.

As he walked around to the front of the car, he noticed that Detective Vartann was finishing up with the last witness statement. Nick continued to look through the area with the aide of his flashlight. Just as it had been with his first pass, there was simply nothing to find. But his search kept him from noticing the approach of the detective.

Mel finished collecting several swabs from the oddly milky residue Nick had found on the asphalt. On a hunch, she decided to check the car for any of the same residue. It would have been easy to mistake it as simple road grime. She took out her flashlight and ran it over what was left of the bumper and side panel at an odd angle, hoping to catch the same reflective glint of the residue. When she failed to find any, she expelled a big sigh and blew the strands of hair away from her face. Without the obstruction to her view, she noticed that Nick was in a conversation with the detective assigned to the case.

Normally, she would not have paid their conversation any attention, but the detective looked like he was about to be caught passing a note in class as he passed something to Nick. She chuckled to herself, as she figured it was just another one of those guy things she was never supposed to understand. Mel watched as Nick chuckled and clapped the detective on the back as he walked back to the rear of the vehicle again.

“If you’re done, we can clear out of here.”

Mel nodded her head and gave him half a smile. “Anytime you are, Boss.”

The ride back to the lab was uneventful, with the two of them joking about Hodges’ latest attempt at garnering her attention. The lab rat had been nothing, if not persistent, but in the same vein, she had been nothing, if not perfectly clear about her lack of interest. But nothing seemed to work with that guy, so she decided to look at the humor of the situation whenever possible.

When they stopped at the front desk on the way in, Nick was given several messages, so he sent her on while he dealt with them. After logging the evidence in, she took the few prints they had pulled to the print tech. She had not gotten many chances to get to know the night shift print tech, so she decided to use it as a chance to do just that.

As she rounded the corner into the lab she called out to the woman at the terminal, “Evening… I got a few print lifts for you.”

She seemed oddly distracted as she looked around the room. “Ah, yeah… Just ah, leave them in my box.”

Mel nodded her head and asked, “This is for that hit and run me and Nick pulled…are you sure about that?”

She looked up at her suddenly. “What? Oh, yeah I just have to wait for-” The print tech was interrupted by the arrival of the A/V tech. “Archie! It’s about time.”

“Sorry, Mandy… I was just checking my messages up front when I got your page.” He clapped his hands together and rubbed them conspiratorially. “So, what’ve you got for me?”

She planted her hands into the counter and leaned towards him. “I need you to override this stupid security lock on my print database. It keeps locking up with every print I try to run through the database.”

Archie shrugged and said, “I get the same thing when I go through the DB. Just use your scan card.” He seemed to be having trouble understanding her problem.

“Yeah, right… If I hadn’t lost my card…that would work fine.”

Archie cringed once he knew what the real problem was. “Sorry… I didn’t hear about that part.” He looked around quickly, as though he was checking for prying ears and then whispered. “Give me a few, and I might be able to set you up with a dummy scan card.”

“I don’t care what you do, just please hurry. I’m already getting behind in here.” Mandy looked positively at her wits end as Archie left the lab.

Mel decided she had a little leverage to use in order to get her prints run first. “Obviously you’re having some technical trouble tonight…” She leaned over the counter and scanned her card through the security device. “But I can work across the hall, if you can move my prints to the top of the pile.”

Mandy let loose a deep sigh, “Thank you! You’ve got a deal.”

As Mel walked out of the print lab she decided she had made some important points with that small gesture. And with the prints about to be processed, she setup in the Layout Room directly across the hall from Mandy’s lab. That was where Nick finally caught back up with her.

“Good news, Jeong… Hodges is out sick.” Under any other circumstances having a tech out sick was never a good thing, but with Hodges being out that meant only one thing.

“Why don’t you take over and run that trace on our case?”

“Yes!” She grabbed up the few items from the trace and was about to walk out of the room when she caught sight of Mandy. “Crap! I have to stick close so Mandy can use my scan card.”

Nick’s face lit up as though a major idea just crossed his mind, and then he fell into a knowing smirk. “Ah, don’t worry about that one. I’ll cover it.”

As she made her way down the hall, she turned back just in time to watch Nick walking into the print lab as he withdrew something from his pocket. If Mel had been paying more attention, she might have recognized the object he pulled out of his pocket, but she was more concerned with working the trace evidence.

She was just finished prepping the last of the residue samples and loading them into the GCMS when Nick came walking into the Trace Lab. “Got anything for me yet?”

Mel shrugged and said, “I’ll have it less than thirty minutes. Pull up a chair and wait with me if you like.”

“Sounds good to me.” He took the stool from the other side of the counter and dropped onto it. “So, how’re you doin’ with the climate change?”

“Oh man… I never thought I would miss having to blow dry my hair every day. Damn is this place dry!” Nick chuckled at her complaint. “But I do like not having to waste all my quarters in the dryer. And that I don’t have to worry about mold growing under my doormat.”

He shook his head when he responded, “I can’t even imagine livin’ someplace like that. In Texas we had some humidity from the Gulf, but Seattle’s just gotta be insane with that stuff.”

“I was definitely looking for a change, I can tell you that.” She looked at her watch and then started flipping through the case report so far. “Hey, did we get anywhere with that paint transfer?”

“Not until we have something to compare it to… Totally generic flat black bumper paint.” Nick leaned back against the wall as he brought his hands up behind his head.

“You were saying yesterday, that your father wanted you to play football? He a big football fan?”

Nick tilted his head and then nodded, “Yeah, I guess so… I mean, he’s planted in front of the tube on Sunday’s during the season, and he catches at least one Aggie game a season up in the Station. But I think it had more to do with wanting me to do something he did. I’ve kind of always been the black sheep in my family.” Nick gave her half a smile and added, “I guess he figured if I played ball, people would still think I was his kid.”

“Was there ever any doubt?” She knew from experience that she could joke with him about that kind of thing.

“Not in our family… But I got the impression he had a hard time explainin’ me to his buddies down at the courthouse.” Mel nodded, knowing intimately what it as like to not live up to a parent’s ideas about their child.

“I understand… You should have seen me trying to explain the diving thing to my father. He just didn’t understand why I wanted to wear that suit and crawl around under the water. Not when I could have been working with him, or getting college credits, or learning better Korean.” She sighed as she thought about her own tenuous relationship with her father. “It’s funny when they raise you to do what makes you happy and what you’re good at, but how they still get disappointed when you don’t do it exactly the way they pictured it.”

“Oh yeah… I know that one.” Nick squinted at her for a moment and then asked, “So, are you still close with your Mom?”

“Mostly… She’s better at it than my father, but I’m still hoping they’ll come around in the end.” She smiled to herself a little and then added, “But she did run interference for me with my father for a long time. So, I guess she’s had longer to figure me out.”

Nick nodded once again, “Oh yeah… I know that one, too. Mom’s are good that way, I guess.”

Before they went any further, the GCMS began to spit out a report. “And for the million dollar question…” She grabbed at the report as it printed out and then read the findings. “Okay… Now this can’t possibly be widely used out here.”

Nick scrunched up his brow and asked, “What is it?”

“Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate.” She looked up to see Nick’s completely puzzled expression. “It’s an herbicide and insecticide… It’s mostly used to pressure treat lumber against decay and specifically termites; Southern Yellow Pine, Douglas Fir, Hem Fir, and Spruce Pine Fir. Used in a lot of those Built Green homes.”

“Built Green homes?” Nick was instantly intrigued.

“Yeah, you know… Those houses they build with specific environme-”

“No, I get that… I just know that there’s only one place in town that handles that kind of thing.” Nick turned to the computer terminal and started typing away.

Mel moved to stand beside him as he pulled up the website for a trucking company that handled “environmentally friendly” building products. “With any luck… These guys also use GPS to track their shipments.”

Mel just stood back as Nick pulled out his phone to make the call. She shook her head and remarked, “Damn, Stokes… You are good.”

As he waited for someone to pick up on the other end of the line he winked at her and said, “You don’t even know the half of it.”

Chapter 44

02:00 – 2007.02.12

CSI Lab: Morgue Offices

Nick had been walking around in half of a daze for the entire shift. His mind was racing with everything that happened over the last two weekends and he still did not have a single answer as to what was really going on. Mel was busy fighting for space in the Trace Lab, so Nick used the distraction to head down to the morgue and check on a final autopsy report. In reality, he was hoping to catch Stephanie in a talking mood.

Stephanie had become his primary sounding board ever since Sara’s transfer to days, and he could really use an extra brain to figure out the mess he was in this time. He walked through the autopsy room and passed two bodies waiting for transport to a funeral home. He thought it strange for David to have left them out like that on such a slow night, but shrugged it off as he made his way to the offices.

As usual, the door to Stephanie’s office was sitting open, so Nick rapped his knuckles against the frame and poked his head in just a bit. “Anybody home in here?”

Stephanie looked up from the report she had been reviewing with a broad smile playing over her face. “Nobody but us chickens… Come on in.”

“Hey… I was just lookin’ for that Tulley report.” Nick slowly made his way into full view and found the young coroner seated behind her desk. He gave her a shy smile and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“Sorry about that… I was just reviewing all of my reports from last week before I sent them out to the copy service. I’m a little behind tonight.” He watched as she flipped through the piles on her desk in search of the right file. “I don’t think I realized just how much David did until I had to deal with these blasted temp guys. But that’s what I get for letting him have an extra night off.”

Nick chuckled at her frustration and shrugged, “No sweat… I just had a free moment, so I figured I’d save you the trip.”

She shook her head at his self-deprecating manners and pointed at the couch. “Thanks, but go ahead and have a seat… I’ll find it eventually.” Stephanie slowly got up from her chair, and that was when Nick noticed she had gotten a little light headed. She recovered quickly, but it worried him a little.

It must have shown on his face, because she chuffed at his reaction and said, “It’s all part of the process, Nick… So, quit wrinkling that brow at me.” She went through the pile in the basket on top of the filing cabinet when she finally found the file she was looking for. Rounding her desk, she kept the report in one hand, while the other clutched the front of her labcoat. “At nineteen weeks, I’m dealing with the whole blood volume buildup, and it tends to cause a little bit of low BP from time to time. But you have enough sisters to not worry about this stuff, so what’s the deal?”

Nick blushed at her question and then he admitted, “Yeah, well, I kinda didn’t hang around for all of that. My sister-in-law is the only pregnant woman I’ve ever been around, and I tended to keep my distance. She’s not exactly what I would call my favorite person when she’s not coursing along on the hormone tidal wave.”

Stephanie accepted his answer with only a small chuckle. However, when she switched hands to give him the report, her labcoat fell open causing Nick’s eyes to widen in shock at how large she had become. “Whoa! When did that happen?!”

She looked to where he was pointing and blushed as the smile came over her face. “Yeah, that.” Her hands instinctively went to her swollen abdomen. “They apparently decided there wasn’t enough room behind those abdominal ligaments, so they went ahead and stretched them out for me.”

“It’s been less than a week since I was down here last… That can’t just be from a week.”

She slowly moved to take a seat beside him on the couch, but Nick stood up quickly to lend his support for the move. Stephanie shook her head again and then said, “There’s two of them in there… And they work well together, I guess. My doctor said that it usually takes a couple of weeks before the ligaments get stretched out that much, but she figures these little monkeys are just over-achievers, too.”

Nick laughed at her response, but he was still blown away by the change in the young woman. “Man, this is just makin’ me really glad I wasn’t around for Rachel’s pregnancy.”

“One of your sisters had twins?” Stephanie was instantly curious.

“Ah, yeah… Two boys, fraternal though. But I suppose I can understand what you mean about workin’ together. Those two monsters leave a path of destruction wherever they go.” Nick thought back to his sister’s tale of the volcano experiment and smirked at the memory.

“You’ll have to give her my number… I don’t know anyone who has any experience with twins, so I’m flying a little blind here. Outside of the few books I’ve found and what my doctor’s told me, I have no idea what to expect.” She shifted a little on the couch and brought her knee up as she twisted around to face Nick. “And Thomas is starting to freak out a little.”

Nick shook his head and said, “Nothin’ to worry about… You guys have so many people around to help you out, you’ll never have a problem. Those rugrats don’t stand a chance. They got doctors, and detectives, and investigators, and lawyers around them at all times. They won’t have any opportunities to get into too much trouble.” A wicked thought passed through his mind and then he added, “Well, at least not any trouble without one of us instigatin’ it.”

Stephanie’s laughter filled the office when she replied, “Thanks a lot! That makes me feel so much better!”

Nick turned a little to face her as well. “Anytime… Just doing my part to help out.”

Her smile was still firmly in place when she shook her head and finally asked, “So, are we done with the small talk yet?”

Nick cringed once he realized he was caught. “That obvious, huh?”

“Only to the trained observer… What’s on your mind?” She leaned her head into her hand as she propped her elbow up on the back of the couch and looked into his eyes.

“Might be easier to say what isn’t on my mind right now.” Nick sighed with the weight of his thoughts bearing down on him with his slumped shoulders.

“Okay… How about we try a different tack… What happened with the Doc this weekend?” Nick instantly stiffened with her question, but when he looked into her caring eyes, he knew that it was all right.

However, he still needed to know, “How’d you know anything happened?”

She exhaled sharply and answered, “David called me from D.C. on Saturday, asked if I had seen you, and when I told him I hadn’t he had a little conference with Sandi, after which there was a certain amount of laughter and a definitive ‘atta girl’ heard from Sandi…” The intensity of Nick’s embarrassment instantly appeared on his face. He was going to have a really hard time facing David after that. “I put the rest together myself, and judging from the red in your face, I’d say I was pretty accurate.”

“Well, I don-… Not exact-…” Nick took in a deep breath and tried to calm himself down so that he could speak without sounding like a stuttering fool. I’ve already got the fool down pat without the stutterin’. “But nothing happened… Not really.”

“You seem pretty messed up for ‘not really’. So, what really happened?” She tilted her head into her palm, and watched him intently, not giving him any chance for escape.

He exhaled with a full breath in a hurry and then threw his head back into the cabinet to release some of the tension. “I don’t know… We went out to the cabin, and I guess when she asked me out there I figured it was somethin’ to do with the site, or the kids in the camp, or somethin’. And I don’t know, but we got out there and the camp was empty. At first, I didn’t think too much about it. We just started makin’ dinner, and talkin’, and stuff, ya know.”

Nick ran the events of that first night through his mind as he told the story to Stephanie, hoping that there had been some obvious clue to let him know what was happening. “And just before we got ready to eat I asked her what we were gonna be doin’. Honestly, I just thought maybe she wanted me to run through some more gun safety stuff with the kids, and maybe give ‘em a chance to shoot off a few more rounds, or somethin’.”

Stephanie stopped him with a hand on the one he had resting on the back of the couch. “Shooting? What gun safety stuff?”

Nick was startled by her question at first, but then he realized he never told her about the previous weekend. “Oh! Well, the weekend before, she asked me to setup some kind of gun safety class for the kids in the camp. I guess after that body washed up down there, some of the kids had started bringin’ guns into the camp. She and Boone were a little worried about a bunch of teenaged science nerds with weapons gettin’ crazy or somethin’. So, I talked to Bobby and took his gun safety materials out there, set up a little target shootin’ for ‘em and walked ‘em through the whole deal. I also suggested they all take the hunter safety classes at the DOW. Figured it made sense in order to keep ’em all from shootin’ off appendages or hittin’ each other by mistake.”

“So, that’s what you did all weekend at the cabin? You taught gun safety to geeks?” Stephanie laughed at the reality, knowing that the rumors running through the lab had been far more salacious.

“Yeah, that’s why I was getting’ so ticked off at everyone for the crap that was goin’ around the lab.” He paused for a moment and then mumbled, “And because of that last day.”

Stephanie proved that she could indeed read lips when she asked, “What happened the last day?”

The red rising in his cheeks told Stephanie volumes about what Nick was about to say. “Well, we were all just kinda messin’ around, ya know. And somebody had brought some balloons, and there was this water jug that nobody was drinkin’ out of because it tasted like plastic.”

“Say no more… Balloons, excess water and college students pretty much tells me all I need to know.” Stephanie chuckled at the image of Nick playing with a bunch of college students and some water balloons.

“Anyway, the Doc was in the cabin talkin’ to the guys at the ranger station on the radio, and she was missin’ out on all the fun… Soooooo…” The mischievous look on his face sent Stephanie into a giggle before he continued. “We had Boone call her outside as soon as we were all hidden around the front door… When she got to the bottom of the steps, we got her from all angles; in front, from behind, on both sides and I was up on the roof with the monster balloon.”

Cringing with the image of a thoroughly drenched geologist in her head, Stephanie laughed. “Oh man! You didn’t?”

“I really did… You should have seen her. Looked an awful lot like a drowned rat.” Nick laughed at the memory, but there was also a careful glint to his eyes as he relayed the story to the young coroner. “I thought she took it really well… At first.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Yeah, when I went inside to get cleaned up, and pack my gear for the trip back to town, she really let me have it.” Nick’s face took on a faraway look and he continued, “She told me how irresponsible it was to waste the water, how she’s already got an armed pack of scientists running around and she doesn’t need someone whipping them up into a frenzy, and how her research has already been disrupted enough by my antics, and-”

“And basically gave it to you with both barrels and a grenade for good measure?”

“Absolutely! Steph, I thought for sure she was gonna come unhinged on me. And then…” Nick ground his jaw and then finished, “She really did unload on me with both barrels… From a SuperSoaker Water Cannon!” He shook his head as Stephanie broke out in laughter. “Chased me out of the cabin with that damn thing and I nearly knocked myself out when I fell backwards off the porch.” His smile was careful, but very obvious to Stephanie as he continued with his tale. “Whole camp saw me fall on my tail. I guess she decided to take pity on me, and told them all to get back to packin’ it in for the day. When we got back inside she told me that it served me right for leading a coup like that. And that I should count myself lucky she didn’t wait until after I had changed.”

“Probably didn’t want you messing up that truck of hers.”

“That’s exactly what she said!” Nick chuckled at how Stephanie’s mind seemed to work on the same track as the Doc’s. “But it was good, ya know. It felt kinda like we had a real friendship, or somethin’.” He shook his head and then spoke in a tone that sounded like his mind was a million miles away. “I haven’t felt that free or happy in a long time.”

“And then you came back to a building full of gossip mongers and you started questioning everything you thought about the whole thing, right?” Once again, Stephanie was dead on with her analysis.

“Exactly!” He leaned back against the cabinet again and sighed, “I spent all week tryin’ to sort through all that crap, and I finally just decided that I wasn’t gonna worry about what everyone else was talkin’ smack about. I was perfectly happy just havin’ this great new friend.”

“Sounds like a good idea… So, what changed your mind?” That was the question he had been asking himself all night.

“I don’t know, exactly… It just sorta changed over the weekend.” Stephanie could tell by his expression that he was still working it out in his mind.

“Okay… So, what did you do all weekend?”

He shrugged and recounted the details of the weekend. “Well, we just had dinner Friday night. By the time we got there and all, that’s pretty much all we could do. Saturday, we went out to the main hikin’ trail with one of them off-road carts. Took it way up into the park and then we took off on foot. She’s got this really wild brace for her bad leg, and it’s got these motors to help her along. Looks like somethin’ outta the NASA catalog.” Stephanie thought he looked a little like a boy with a shiny new toy as he talked about the device. “Anyway, she showed me this spot in the park that was just amazin’. From that ridge, you can see the whole desert disappear into the haze from the heat. It was just the most serene and peaceful spot I’ve ever found in Nevada. I swear I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat up there, Steph.”

“Sounds great… Thomas and I will have to check out that park after the babies get here.” Nick looked back at her and once again marveled at the size of her belly. While he was glad to have missed his sisters’ hormone fits, he also missed the magic of the whole thing. “What happened after that?”

He exhaled sharply and then continued with his story. “We managed to make it back to the cabin before dusk, so she went in to get cleaned up and I took a walk around the outer area of the camp. There’s a ton of sparrows and songbirds around that place, and they’re most active at dawn and dusk.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt you, but I’ve noticed something about you since I got here, and the curiosity is killing to me… What’s the thing with you and birds?”

Nick looked away and smiled before he answered her question. “I don’t know… I guess it’s one of those constants in life kind of things. Birds are predictable, and I always know what they’re about… Birds do what makes ’em happy. My grandmother told me that’s why they sing so much, because happiness just makes you want to sing.”

“That’s nice… And much better than the Animal Planet line you give everyone else.” Stephanie winked at him so that he knew he had been caught.

“Yeah, well, I think you’re the first person to ever really ask.”

“Thomas will tell you it’s because I’m too nosey for my own good.” She shrugged it off and then went on. “So, it sounds like you were getting the grand tour of the area last weekend… Is that why she asked you out there?”

“Sort of… She said it was to thank me for helpin’ out with the gun thing, and for getting’ her through the grand jury and all that stuff. She noticed that I was curious about the area, and said she didn’t have anything else to offer me, so she thought a quiet weekend in the desert would be a good way of expressin’ her gratitude.” Nick pondered on that memory a while longer and then added, “But I don’t know… It just felt different somehow.”

“Like there was more to it?”

“…I guess so. I mean, all we did was hang around together, ridin’ around the park, had a couple of nice dinners. I even managed to pull off some pancakes Sunday mornin’ without screwin’ it up too bad.” Nick blushed as he recalled the mess he made in the kitchen before she woke up that morning. One of these days I really need to learn how to cook.

“Okay… I’m still not sure what made you change your mind about the whole thing.”

He nodded, took in a deep breath and then forged on ahead. “It was, ah… Saturday night.” Nick shifted uncomfortably in his seat and leaned forward as he turned his gaze away from Stephanie. “We were watchin’ this old movie after dinner, ‘cause it was based on this book we both liked a lot, and well… It gets kinda slow at this one point, and between traipsin’ around all day, and me bein’ off my normal sleep schedule, and I might’ve gotten a little carried away with the fire in the fireplace, ‘cause it was really warm, and-”

“And you both fell asleep?”

Once again Nick cringed as Stephanie put the pieces together. “Yeah…” He still could not bring himself to look over at her reaction, so he painfully moved forward. “And when I woke up, I think I must’ve forgotten where I was for a minute, or somethin’… ‘Cause I sort of hugged her.”

“Sort of?”

He peeked over at Stephanie from the corner of his eye and shrank at her shocked expression. “Well, yeah… I guess she kinda leaned into me when she fell asleep and I kinda had my arm wrapped around her, or somethin’.”

Unable to restrain herself any longer, Stephanie busted out laughing. “‘Or somethin’?!’ Are you nuts?!”

“Well, I don’t really know what happened because I was sleepin’ at the time, and well, it just sorta happened, and now I don’t know what to do.” He was panicked at that point. Having actually told the story out loud seemed to make it all the more real to him.

“How did she react when she woke up?”

“The next morning?” Stephanie stared at him wide eyed with surprise.

“You stayed like that ALL NIGHT?!”

It was Nick’s turn to be shocked that time. “NO! I just laid her down on the couch and covered her with a blanket. Then I sorta dozed off in the chair for the rest of the night.”

Stephanie sat back in the sofa once more and thought over what he said, but then she had another question. “Who fell asleep first?”

Nick was suddenly struck with the fact that he had no idea who had fallen asleep first. He shook his head and answered, “I honestly don’t know… It just sorta happened.”

“What happened the next morning?”

“Ah, well… She was embarrassed about fallin’ asleep and makin’ me sleep in the chair again.”

Stephanie interrupted with that part, “Again?”

“Oh yeah… When I went out there about the case before the hearing, she got a little heat exhaustion and I ended up dozin’ off in the chair after she fell asleep. It’s actually a pretty comfortable chair.” Nick shrugged it off as though it was unimportant, so Stephanie signaled for him to continue. “Anyway… We had breakfast, after I tried to destroy her kitchen makin’ pancakes. Then we kinda bumped into each other a lot gettin’ ready to head back to town. The whole thing had just gotten really awkward, ya know.”

“Like there was an elephant in the room, but nobody was talking about it?”

“Yeah, I guess… Sure, we talked and stuff on the drive back, but it was like we were avoidin’ somethin’ the whole time. I don’t know if she was waitin’ for me to say somethin’, but I didn’t want to put too much stock in all that crap everybody’s been sayin’, so I couldn’t bring myself to say anything about it either.” Nick heaved a huge sigh and then flopped back into the couch. “I’m just not used to this crap!”

Laughing, Stephanie relaxed a little and asked, “What crap, Cowboy? Women who don’t throw themselves at your feet? Or ones that can reason above the average thirteen year old?”

“Ya know… I was kinda hopin’ to avoid some of your normal abuse this time around. I really need to figure out what’s goin’ on… And fast.” Nick lay back shaking his head as he tried to put it all together.

“What’s the rush?” Stephanie was confused by his need for such a quick resolution.

“Well… We’re havin’ dinner Wednesday night, so I don’t wanna have the wrong impression and get my brains bashed in with that crutch of hers.”

Stephanie instantly broke out into a fit of laughter, which confused Nick to the absolute end. “What’s so danged funny about that?”

As she worked to control her laughter she reached up and pulled the calendar down off the wall. “That’s why!” She handed it to Nick who looked it over as he tried to understand what she found so amusing. Eventually, he looked down at the date for Wednesday and saw the small print that announced just what holiday it was. That was when all the color drained out of his face and his eyes went wide. “That’s right, Slick… I guess this means I should congratulate you, or something.”

He slammed his eyes shut, hoping that it would help with the burning sting of realization and asked, “For what?”

“Oh, I don’t know… How about your first relationship with someone whose IQ is greater than the average fungus, or maybe for the longest adult relationship of your entire life? It shouldn’t matter that you didn’t know it was happening until after you’d already been dating for what? A month?” Stephanie’s laughter made her nearly double over, but Nick was still reeling from the news.

“Whatever you do, please don’t tell Sara yet… She’s gonna kill me as it is. She hears about this and I won’t live long enough make it to the date, let alone find out if you’re right.” That was too much, even for Nick, and he joined Stephanie in laughter.

Chapter 45

16:30 – 2007.02.12

Stokes Pickup

His mind had been processing volumes of information since his conversation with Stephanie. Nick began to wonder just how observant he really was if had missed so much along the way. The signs were there, right in front of his nose the entire time. The dinners, the trips to the site, the casual conversations over coffee and donuts in her office; all of it added up to the fact that Nick Stokes was obviously a very dense man.

He should have figured it out when the whole rest of the world was convinced of the fact, but something in his mind told him not to look that deeply into their interactions. Nick was simply happy to have fixed the problems surrounding their meeting, so he never looked for anything more. Had he really been happy settling like that?

Why did he bring the coffee and donuts to her office at least once a week? Why did he make excuses to go out and see her, when a simple phone call would have done the trick? Why had he been so insistent about setting things straight with her when he got back from Texas? Had there been something deep in his subconscious that propelled him to make a connection with this woman?

To no one in particular, he said, “The answer to that one’s pretty damned obvious…” He shook his head as he continued to drive to his destination.

After talking to Stephanie, Nick had been unable to sleep, so he finally gave in and called Sara. If there was one person who knew him well enough to give him some advice, she was the one, so he asked her to meet him for lunch. And in typical Sara fashion, once he had gone through the whole long drawn out tale, she just laid it all out for him in no uncertain terms. “Quit being a wuss and take the plunge, Bonehead.”

He chuckled as he recalled their whole conversation. She sat patiently, listened to his recounting of the previous weekend, waited as he pressed forward with all of the things that were bothering him and then she let him have it. Sara told him that he needed to decide what he wanted and to just go for it; consequences be damned. She reminded him that she had almost lost everything, because she failed to take her own advice, and she did not want to see him go through the same hell. That was when her words truly hit home for Nick.

The last thing he wanted or needed was to spend years dancing around the truth and suffering for every wasted moment. He decided in that very second that he was going to jump in head first and see what happened. It was time to actually join the world again, instead of just watching on the sidelines. He had been doing that for far too long.

He hated to admit that the abduction still had any kind of impact on his life, but the truth of it was always there, staring him down in some perverse game of who would blink first. He finally blinked, and that meant he had to accept the fact that he was living his life in fear. If you could call what I’ve been doin’ livin’.

Neeley was the first one to hold up a mirror to his face about that. Her insights scared him a little, but only because of how accurate they had been. He never re-engaged the world following his abduction, cutting himself off from everyone and everything along the way. She reached out to him, and gave him a tether to the world once more. But if he was going to truly come back, he needed to reach out with both hands and grab hold of life once more. He had always lived that way before, but circumstances had definitely made him gun shy. Nick knew that he needed to stop letting them control him, or he would never be able to survive. He was already a survivor by circumstance, and now he needed to be a survivor by choice.

When he got home after talking to Sara, he had lay in bed thinking about what it was that he wanted out of life. And the answers surprised him.

He wanted to be happy. He wanted to be a better CSI, and he wanted to look into maybe getting a master’s degree. He wanted to help his niece find her place in the world, which meant he was likely to have to deal with his sister-in-law. Oh well, it can’t all be good stuff, I guess.

As he continued to figure out what he wanted, he knew that he also needed to be a better friend. He should have been there for Warrick during the whole transition to shift supervisor, and he should have been there more for Greg as he struggled to make something of himself out of the upheaval. And while he knew Sara was doing just fine, he wished he had been more supportive to her before the wedding. If nothing else came out of this little evolution in his life, then that would be enough for him.

But the one thing that kept coming back to him as he tried to work it all out was that he did not want to be alone. Solitude was simply not for him, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he was good with it. He needed someone to share every aspect of his life, above all else.

Since the abduction, Nick had done his best to close himself off to most everyone around him. A few people had been able to sneak in under his guard (namely Sara and Warrick), but if truth be told, he did everything in his power to limit his involvement in everyone else’s lives. He never wanted to feel such a sense of loss again, as he did when he thought his life was being torn away from him. For some reason, that meant not reconnecting with the world once he was freed. He turned off his emotions, shied away from anything resembling closeness, and tried to keep his distance.

At times, his true nature would leak out, breaking through like a flood of anger or sadness. Those moments did more than scare him, they were a source of embarrassment. They showed him he was still weak, and he wondered if he would ever be strong enough to resist ending up in that box once more. The only difference at that point was the box he was currently in was one of his own making. When he finally understood that fact, he was forced to come to terms with all of the things he had done to set himself apart. And that was where he found himself when he ran into the Doc at that mall.

If he had been a person taken to signs, he would have picked up on that little coincidence right away. But, he just shrugged it off as good luck, because she was one of things he was trying correct in order to make amends with himself. The dinner they shared that night was the first bright spot in his quest to sort himself out. It had been strangely comfortable, and within a short amount of time he made the first real connection to another person since his abduction. And with every interaction that followed he felt more and more at peace around her. There was just something about the woman that made him want to learn more about her. She was like some fantastic mystery that he wanted to read from cover to cover. He never met anyone that intrigued him the way she did. He also never knew anyone that could set him off-balance the way she did with nothing more than a quirk of her eyebrow.

With that realization, he knew that he had a choice to make. Was she the one he wanted to share his life with?

He inhaled sharply and held the breath for a few moments before he was ready to admit to himself he really did want to find out the answer to that question. For the first time in his life, Nick really wanted to try.

It was that realization that had gotten him out of bed and put him out on the road. He had yet to actually sleep since getting back from the cabin, and even then the sleep had been restless. But his mind would simply not rest until he had finally taken that last step. He was ready, and he wanted to make sure there were no more questions in anyone’s mind. As he pulled his truck into the parking lot of the On The Rocks Boutique, Nick knew he made the right choice.

Several times he noticed that the Doc wore things with an unusual reddish stone. He had spotted the beads in the chain she wore her glasses on, in a pair of earrings she wore during the grand jury trial, and as a small pendant on a chain she wore that last weekend. After he saw the earrings in court, his curiosity got the better of him and he looked it up.

He discovered that it was a form of jasper referred to as Cave Creek Jasper, named for the place where it was commonly found, and different due to the predominantly red coloring. He learned that it was often confused with bloodstone, because of the rich red and brownish red color of the stones. From their conversations he knew that R.J. was from the same area where the stones were found, and decided it must have been a conscious decision on her part to always keep it close to her, probably as a reminder of home. But it was when he found a little blurb about the history of the stone that he decided it was exactly what he wanted to find. It would seem that jasper was considered to be a warrior's stone in Native American culture, and was used for creating protection, often from their own dangerous desires. But they also felt it was helpful in turning a person’s ideas into reality. He was not sure if the Doc had known the history of the stones, but in his mind, he could imagine that she had chosen it for all of those reasons. And that’s what brought him back to the rock shop.

As he pushed his way into the door he was instantly greeted by the shining smile of the little old lady who had helped him pick out Sara and Grissom’s wedding present. “Well, I’ll be!” She clapped her hands together when she recognized him, and though Nick did not think it was possible, her smile brightened even more. “I was JUST talking about you, Honey!”

“Thanks… I think.” Nick was not really used to the overly dramatic and demonstrative woman. As she made her way around the counter, he tried to decide if she reminded him more like one of Santa’s elves, or like a female leprechaun; her curly, pale reddish hair, those rosy cheeks and her emphatic, pixie-ish voice, all hidden behind a broad smile and those enormous glasses. “I ah… Was ju-”

“You know, Sweetie, I’ve got those boys looking high and low to find you the amber with those inclusions you wanted, but so far they’ve been coming up short. But don’t you worry about that, because I told them I had a special customer looking for that piece so they are on the hunt. First one they find is yours, no questions asked.” As she got to his side, she instantly took his arm and started leading him into the warehouse. “Now, tell me what else I can do for you, Honey?”

“Well, I was lookin’ for somethin’ kinda specific… And not just a rock, but I thought you might be able to point me in the right direction, at least.” Nick tried to stay on track, because he knew from his limited experience with the woman that she tended to go off on a million tracks all at once, so he was going to have to work hard to keep up.

“Ooooo… That sounds intriguing. So, tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll betcha I can find it faster than anybody else. Gimme your best shot, Sweetie.” She continued to lead him through the warehouse and Nick did his best to match her stride for stride, without tripping.

“Well, I’m looking for something, like jewelry maybe, but it needs to be made out of a specific kind of jasper. You wouldn’t happen to know anybody that works with Cave Creek Jasper…locally?” Nick had to work hard not to fall over when the sprightly woman came to an abrupt halt in mid-stride.

She released his arm and planted her hands firmly on her hips when she asked, “Jasper? Cave Creek Jasper?” The look she gave him made him think he had just asked the most ludicrous question in all of time.

“I’m pretty much outta luck, huh?” He tried not to look too dejected. He knew it was a long shot from the beginning, but he just had to give it a try.

“HA! Not only are you IN luck… But I can take care of you myself!” Nick was in a state of total shock at her answer. So much so, that when she spun him around he was like a willow branch and just went with the flow.

When he finally came to his senses, he asked, “Are you serious?! I was totally sure I was gonna have to wing it with somethin’ else.”

“Honey… You are really gonna love what I’ve got for you.” She was practically marching him towards a set of small offices off to the side of the warehouse. “I don’t get too many people looking for jasper, you know. But I happen to keep a small supply of the stuff here because of my daughter. I have no idea where she picked up her creative streak, you know, but she does the most amazing things with rocks and gems. And you know she sells this stuff all over now that the internet is so big, so I knew exactly what you were looking for the moment you mentioned that Cave Creek stuff. Really pretty rocks actually. The reds are just so deep and dark in that stuff, almost looks like bloodstone, but so much richer in color.”

The woman continued to drone on and on, just like Nick remembered. He decided that he better try to get a word in edgewise if he was ever going to get out of there. “Right, well what I’m lookin’ for is maybe a necklace or a bracelet with it, but maybe with a Southw-”

“I know just the thing for you, Honey. Marlene does these really nice necklaces with those beads.” She paused long enough for him to interject.

“Well, it’s ah, not for me. It’s a, ah, a gift for a, ah, well…” Nick was having a very hard time talking to the woman. And not just because she was staring him down with that amazingly bright smile. No, it was because it would be the first time he verbalized all of the things he had been piecing together in his mind.

“Sounds like you got something cooking, Sweetie… This gonna be a peace offering, or something a little more?” She turned away from him to look him in the eye, and he could see from her expression that she was already figuring things out on her own. The only response he could muster was to let the blood rush to his cheeks as he shyly looked away. “Right… So, let’s say we go take a look at the stuff in my daughter’s office, shall we?”

Nick offered the woman his arm as she led him to the office. Once inside, he was immediately greeted with the younger version of the woman he had already met, except that her red hair was a deep auburn, and instead of enormous glasses, she wore a tiny pair of half glasses. But other than that, they were totally identical, in stature, body type, and most of all, that same beaming, electric smile.

“Marlene, THIS is Mr. Nick Stokes.” At the mention of his name, her face immediately lit up a few more watts. “And he’s looking for something from your Cave Creek Jasper collection.”

As bright as her smile had been, the shock that appeared in her eyes at the mention of the stone was much more vivid. She swallowed and reluctantly said, “Well, I’ll have to check and see what I’ve got… Ummm, can I talk to you over here for a second?” She slowly got up from her desk and went to the cabinet at the back of the office.

Nick tried to focus his attention on something other than the two women as they spoke in hushed tones. But, between his close proximity to them, and his indescribable curiosity, he could not help but eavesdrop, just a little. He was unable to make out everything they said, but they were obviously having a difference of opinion over what she had to show him, and she kept asserting that she was working on something for someone else.

“Hey, ya know if it’s gonna be a problem… I can always just go with the old standb-”

“Don’t be silly, Honey… I’m sure this is gonna be just what you were looking for.” The older woman took the box from her daughter’s grasp and then whispered to her, “Will you trust me on this one? It’ll be ten times better this way.”

Marlene bit back the response she wanted to give her mother and plastered on a new smile. “It’s really the only Cave Creek Jasper I have right now… And it’s a very unique southwestern piece.”

“That’s kinda what I was lookin’ for. She seems to have a lot of that kind of stuff around and I wanted something that would go with these earrings I’ve seen her wear.” Nick was speaking without thinking at that moment, and the more he explained himself, the more Marlene and her mother traded glances. “They’ve got this little dangly part that’s shaped like a tear drop with that kind of jasper, and they only stand out because of her hair, so I thought maybe a necklace like that would go really nice with ‘em.”

He had no idea where it had come from, but the older woman left the box with her daughter and came up to him, wrapped her arms around him, saying, “I can’t even tell you how happy you’ve just made me, Sweetie.”

Just as fast as she moved to wrap him up in her embrace she had slipped out of the office, leaving Nick to stand there in a complete stupor.

Her daughter chuckled at both her mother’s reaction and Nick’s obvious state of distress. She maneuvered her large girth around to his side of the desk and that was when Nick finally realized the woman was extremely pregnant. “Don’t worry about Beulah… She’s just been very worried about her these last few years.” She sat on the edge of the desk with the box tucked into the arms she had crossed above her belly. “I think she was worried about her being alone once she’s gone. Beulah’s getting up there now, and she’s convinced she owes it to Nathaniel to make sure the little monster is gonna be okay without her. And with the constant reminder to me that she’s been the closest thing to a grandchild she’s ever had, because I took my sweet time giving her one, I guess I can see why she’d be worried.”

Nick shook his head as he tried to make sense of what either woman was talking about. Apparently their appearance was not the only thing identical in the women; their conversation style was also eerily similar.

“Personally, I think she’s fine… She’s just pig-headed. And opinionated. And stubborn. And too smart for her own good. Oh well, it works for her, I guess.” Suddenly, Nick began to understand what had been going on. “But there’s one thing I can guarantee you.” Marlene held the box away from her belly and then opened the lid for Nick to look inside. “She will absolutely love this.”

From the moment his eyes caught sight of the contents of the box, he knew that he had come to the right place.

And more importantly than that, he knew exactly what he wanted.

Chapter 47

15:00 – 2007.02.14

Reynolds

Blake was still trying to brush the last vestiges of sleep away from his eyes when the back passenger door to his car opened. Just as he was about to greet his son, a yawn took over his ability to speak. Trent laughed at his father’s predicament and said, “Nice to see you, too, Pop.”

“All right, wiseguy… Cut the old man some slack, okay?” Blake turned to smile at his son as the boy strapped into his seat belt. “How was your day?”

“It woulda been great, but some stupid girl had to mess it up.” He could see the frustration on his son’s face, but he had to struggle not to laugh. Blake knew that in a few years, his son’s “stupid girl” problems would be a very different dilemma.

“And ah, how’d she do that, Trent?” Blake checked his mirrors and pulled away from the curb.

Trent crossed his arms over his chest and turned his face into a foot as he explained, “She put one of those girly cards in my desk and the whole class saw it. The guys were teasing me all day!” His son turned to the window and then he said, “I hate Valentine’s Day!”

While Blake knew that everything in a nine-year-old’s life carried a short attention span, he also understood that his son would not believe him if he explained it that way. There were only a few things that helped to soothe a little boy’s ego, and he knew just the trick for his little man. “Tell ya what kid… How about we make some pizzas tonight…after we make a run to the hobby shop?”

“Seriously?!” That instantly got his son’s attention. “Can we get the Tomcat, Pop? Please?!”

Blake smiled. He had no idea whether or not Trent’s fascination with military aircraft would last into adulthood, but in the meantime it gave him a chance to relive his own childhood of model building with his son. “Okay… As long as you remember to leave all the cutting to me, right?”

“You bet! Thanks, Pop!”

It may not have been the kind of Valentine’s Day most people looked for, but when he saw the beaming smile on his son’s face, Blake Reynolds decided it was probably the best one of his life.

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15:30 – 2007.02.14

O’Hallerans

Stephanie had made one serious sacrifice in moving to Las Vegas to follow Thomas, and that was leaving the ocean. She always shared a very special relationship with the water, and being so far removed from a major body of it had been more trying than she liked to admit. She missed the sea air, the salty spray, and the soothing sounds of the tide.

Thomas had known from the start that it would take a lot of getting used to for his wife to accept the desert city as their home. But he made a promise to himself that he would do everything he could to make this place work for her. When he shared his concerns with the head of surgery, he found the perfect way to help her through the transition.

He woke her early, practically dragged her out of bed, and drove her all the way out to Lake Mead with a blindfold on, having to listen to her constant complaining about the situation throughout the drive. When they finally got to the marina, he carefully led her out of the car and all the way down onto the docks until he found the space he had been to the day before. With a great flourish, he removed the blindfold and waited for her reaction.

She looked around for a few moments and then asked, “You’re taking me fishing for Valentine’s Day?”

He instantly realized the problem, turned her back to the right spot and pointed at the twenty two foot Catalina sailboat. “No… I’m taking you sailing. Or actually, I’m letting you take me sailing, since I still can’t figure these things out.”

Stephanie smiled and leaned back into him once she understood what had happened. “Where did you get a sailboat from?”

“It’s Dr. Fraser’s boat… Or, at least it was.”

She immediately turned in his arms and fixed him with a shocked stare, “Whose is it now?”

Thomas shrugged and answered, “Well, it’s yours… If you want it.”

“You’re kidding, right?!” Stephanie was at a loss for anything else to say.

He wrapped his arms behind her waist and said, “Look, I got a really great deal on that television, thanks to Warrick. Dr. Fraser’s son doesn’t use it anymore, so he was looking to unload it, cheap. And I know how much you love sailing, and what it means to you that you learned it from your father, and I wanted to do something to let you know how much it means to me that you’re making a home in the desert because of me. This is the closest I could come to giving you the sea.”

Reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck, she smiled. “How’d I get so lucky? Smart, good looking, sentimental and incredibly romantic. I guess it’s a good thing I married you when I had the chance.”

Thomas kissed her sweetly, moved his right hand down to her belly and added, “And it’s a good thing, too… Otherwise I would’ve had a lot of explaining to do with these little munchkins.”

With his hand rested on her belly he suddenly felt a very strong movement. Stephanie giggled at his frightened reaction and said, “I think they’re trying to tell us something.”

“What’s that, are they already getting territorial with the old man?”

“It’s more like, ‘Feed Me, Seymour!!!’” He dropped his head into her shoulder laughing at the bizarre sound of his wife’s altered voice.

Thomas reached over her to grab the basket he had dropped on the dock and took her hand. “Come on… I want to be in the right spot for the sunset. And by the time you get us out there I can have all of this food ready to go.”

She leaned into his arm as they walked to the back of the boat. “You just want to get me in the middle of the lake, so you can have your way with me.”

He set the basket down inside the boat and then helped her into it when he answered, “Nah…” He left her side to release the boat from its moorings when he slyly added, “I want to get you into the middle of the lake so that you can have your way with me…again.”

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16:00 – 2007.02.14

Grissoms

Sara managed to slip out of the lab a little early, thanks to her supervisor’s insistence that she still looked pale. Andrew had been worrying about her all week, ever since her little dizzy spell Monday morning. The only thing that saved her from being sent home early then was the fact that she had returned from her lunch with Nick in much better shape. Apparently finding out your friend is about to take a big step in his life is really good for your health. She walked around the rest of the day with a big smile on her face.

She really felt fine, but had to admit that she was anxious to get back home. Not counting the fact that it would be their first Valentine’s Day together, they had finally found a house, and Grissom decided to start the packing right away. She was more than a little worried about his packing skills, considering he had never packed anything, other than his butterfly cases, since college. Sara was seriously concerned about how they would find anything after the move.

As soon as she walked into the house, those fears were quickly put to rest. Sitting outside of the hall closet was a numbered and tagged box, with an inventory worksheet taped to the side of it. She leaned down to read his handwriting and found the following list:

Women’s Gloves - 3 Pairs (2 Strays)

Men’s Gloves – 2 Pairs (4 Strays)

Newsboy Hat – 1

Women’s Scarves – 12

Men’s Scarves – 2

Umbrellas – 3

Rubber Boots – 1 Pair (Size 12 – Men’s)

Jumper Cables – 1 Set

Candles – 1 Box (12 ct)

Not only had he listed each item contained in the box, but also the size and potential user of the item (where applicable). She had to stop herself from laughing out loud. Apparently, he was just as anal retentive about packing, as she was about cleaning.

Just as she was about to hang her jacket up in the closet, Grissom called out from the living room, “What are you doing?”

“Hanging up my jacket?” She was confused about why he asked the question.

His chuckle told her that he was getting closer as he spoke. “Not that… What are you doing home so early? I wanted to have all of this stuff cleaned up before you arrived.”

“Oh… Well, I was just doing paperwork and Andrew told me to get out of the lab. He has some strange notion that newlyweds should be together on Valentine’s Day.” Sara turned into his arms as he came up to hold her.

“When’s that?” He scrunched up his brow and looked down at her with the question.

She sincerely hoped that he was not referring to the day with his question as she asked, “When’s what?”

“You said something about Valentine’s Day.” He was still fixing her with that puzzled expression and she knew that he had indeed missed the date.

She sighed heavily and then rested her head on his shoulder when she said, “Gil… I can’t believe you forgo-” When she could finally see over his shoulder the words died in her throat. There in the middle of the common area of their townhouse was a pile of pillows and throws, with a few soft lights flickering around it. It was not quite dark enough outside yet to give her the full effect, but she had to admit that it was still very romantic. She pushed up from his shoulder and looked directly into his smirking countenance. “You tricked me.”

“Yes, well, seeing as you got home early and ruined the magic… I thought it only fair.” With his smirk firmly in place, she reached up and kissed him tenderly. “Now, why don’t you get cleaned up and find something more comfortable to wear, while I finish getting dinner ready?”

Sara pursed her lips together as she tried in vain to hide her smile. As she nodded her head and moved away from him, she was suddenly very happy that she picked up a little something for him in celebration of the day. The thought of his reaction to her gift put a little saunter into her walk down the hall. She simply had to grin when she realized that he was watching her walk away as she heard him draw in a breath through his teeth to show his pleasure in the view.

Grissom had to shake himself from the images Sara’s little walk managed to conjure up in his mind. He would have plenty of time to explore those thoughts after he finished in the kitchen. Making quick work of the salad, he set about to get the fruit and cheese plate finished. His last chores were to check the temperatures of the fondue pots and to open the bottle of wine. He picked out a crisp 2004 Robert Mondavi Pinot Grigio to go with the light fare of the dinner he prepared.

He was actually quite proud of the menu he managed to concoct on a whim. When he meandered through the organic grocery store that Sara frequented, he had been lured by the fish monger into purchasing some yellow-fin tuna steaks. He knew that he needed to make something special for dinner, so he set about to make those steaks his center piece. His inspiration came as he took stock of their kitchen in preparation for the move. He discovered two fondue sets that once collected dust in two separate homes, and now did the same in the back of a cabinet in one. Once he determined that they were in perfect working order, he plowed through his cooking texts to discover the most elegant treatment for the fish. He found it in the form of a collection of Asian Broth Pot recipes.

He removed the dish in which the Lemon-Coriander Tuna had lain for the appropriate marinating time and set it on the counter. He then carefully transferred the cubes of tuna steak onto the small serving dish. He also took the other serving dish out of the fridge and set it down on the tray with the fish. Tempura vegetables were the perfect accompaniment to his seafood treat. His little fondue feast also afforded him one other benefit, in that he would be given the pleasure of feeding Sara himself.

However, the pride he felt at having arranged the whole scenario and his anticipation for the activities that came with it were all wiped away the moment he turned at the sound of Sara clearing her throat behind him. When his eyes fell on her, all thoughts of the carefully prepared meal were thrown to the wind.

A seductive smile slowly blossomed on her lips and then she said, “I ah, picked up a little something for the occasion.” She glanced down at her nearly bare legs and then brought her eyes back up to lock with his when she asked, “How’d I do?”

Gil visibly swallowed and drew in a heavy breath as his eyes took in the sight before him. He was not yet capable of intelligible speech, but his eyes worked to commit every centimeter they beheld to his perfect memory. She stood at the end of the kitchen island, her hip just barely resting against the cabinet. Her unbelievably long legs were nearly bare, and only the very top was covered by the most delicate silk and lace in the color of the palest cotton candy. As his eyes trailed further up her body, he saw where the hem of the camisole began as the decidedly feminine shorts disappeared beneath it. He continued to follow the camisole to where it hung loosely over the swell of her breasts and then he watched the thin, lace strap disappear underneath the top of the matching robe. His eyes still transfixed by the vision in pink, he followed the robe back down her body and found that it stopped at the middle of her thigh. And that was when he was finally able to breathe once more.

When he looked up to meet her highly suggestive gaze, he was not only unable to speak, but he also could not move. Once he took another breath, the added oxygen reminded him that a decision needed to be made. He turned back to the kitchen and tried to clear his head enough to proceed with the next logical course of action.

Sara, however, made her disappointment known. “Well, that’s not exactly the reaction I was looking for.”

Gil gripped the counter tightly to keep some semblance of control before he finally took action. He quickly dumped the plate of tuna back into the dish it had marinated in, covered it and the vegetables and threw them into the fridge. He then whipped back around and turned off both of the fondue pots in a flourish before he took one more deep breath and launched himself at his very own piece of pink paradise.

Apparently, dessert had already been served.

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17:30 – 2007.02.14

Stokes-Desmaiseaux

Nick stood in front of the elevator doors for several minutes working up the courage to push the button. He straightened his jacket for the sixth time, checked to make sure his shoes looked good one more time, and ran his free hand along his waistband again to be certain his sweater was tucked in just right. He had not been this nervous about a date since his high school prom.

Looking down at the little desert garden in his arm he marveled again at what the quirky woman at the plant shop had put into that piece of Mexican pottery. It was like a miniature version of one of the patio gardens he had seen the last time he was in Mazatlan, complete with a path of tiny stones made to look like a cobblestone street. But the best part for him was the fact that there were lots of colors in the pot. Nick always thought of cactus and the like as nothing but green. However, in this tiny desktop garden there was red, and yellow, and orange, and even a slight touch of purple. He only hoped that it worked.

He took one last deep breath and set his jaw before he finally pushed the button to call the elevator. Just as he was exhaling that breath, the doors opened to reveal the surprised and smiling face of the Doc’s assistant. “Nick!”

“Oh hey, Sandi.” Nick tried not to look as nervous as he felt, but when she stepped off of the elevator and was forced to gently move him out of the way, he knew that he failed miserably.

The blush rose in his cheeks and he looked down as he said, “Sorry, about that.”

She simply shrugged at his embarrassment. “No sweat… I’m used to moving David around like a piece of furniture when he’s nervous.”

Nick chuckled at her having caught on. “Thanks… I think.”

Before he had a chance to say anymore, Sandi looked at her watch and exclaimed, “Oh shoot! I gotta get moving or David’s likely to have a coronary.” She started walking backwards down the hall talking as she did, “My parents, in their infinite wisdom, chose tonight to come into town. So, we get to share our romantic dinner at home with both of our parents.” She cringed at the notion and shook her head. “Poor David is running on like no sleep and he had to fix dinner. If I don’t get home quick, he’s likely to spontaneously combust!”

Nick waved to her as she continued to get further away. “Good luck with that, and give Super Dave my best!” She nodded, turned forward and took off at a trot.

The ding of the elevator, as it was about to close, brought him back to the task at hand. He reached out to stop the door from closing and took another deep breath as he stepped into the elevator. The time had come and he needed to meet it head on.

When the doors finally opened on the office floor, Nick girded up his courage and stepped forward. He took those last few steps through the hall to calm himself until he reached the door marked: Dean of Geology, Dr. R.J. Desmaiseaux, Ph.D. From experience, he knew he had the right door, so he drew in another calming breath and knocked.

“The doctor went home!” He recognized the voice and chuckled. She was obviously hiding from someone.

He slowly pushed open the door and cautiously poked his head inside. “Even for cowboys bearin’ gifts?”

The smile he found as he turned his head towards her desk told him what he needed to know, but her voice gave him a little more. “Hey you! Sorry, about that…” She pushed away from her desk and smiled just a little brighter. “It’s mid term suck up season around here, and for some reason these idiots taking my undergrad class think they can just show up and charm their way to a better grade or something.”

Nick laughed at her explanation. “They obviously don’t know who they’re dealin’ with… They’ve at least gotta bring jelly donuts.”

“Ha! You got off easy.” She leaned back in her chair and gave him a sly grin when she added, “Besides… I had other reasons for letting you off the hook.”

Nick bit back his smile a little and nodded his head. “Oh sure… Because gettin’ your tail caught in a meat grinder is the easy way out.” He was treated with her laughter for his joke.

“So, what’s this gift business you were talking about?” She crossed her arms over her lap and waited for him to respond.

“Oh yeah…” He carefully balanced the pot on his hand behind his back and spun it around to the front as he explained, “Well, I got to thinkin’ that I needed to do somethin’ nice for last weekend, and then I found this crazy plant lady over off of Fremont Street.” Once the desktop garden was in full view he beamed with his accomplishment and said, “So, I thought this might be a nice way to brighten up your office.”

She stood up to get a good look at the potted garden and smiled brightly. “Wow! This is amazing, Nick.” R.J. looked over each plant and then said, “Oh man! I haven’t seen some of these in years. You couldn’t know this, but my Dad’s hobby was his desert garden. This is just awesome, Nick… Thank you, but you really didn-”

“Just leave it at thank you…” He turned the corner of his mouth up into a smirk as he set the pot down on her desk. “Because that’s how my mother and father raised me, so you’re just gonna have to smile and enjoy it.”

She did just that and said, “Thank you, Nick… It’s very nice, and I do really appreciate it.” R.J. looked through the garden again and then smiled back at him. “What I was trying to say before is that it wasn’t necessary, because last weekend was about me thanking you for everything.” R.J. paused before she finished what she had to say. “And because I wanted to let you see that it’s not all about the work. It really is a beautiful place out there.”

“No kiddin’…” Nick shook his head with his wonder at the memories. “The view from that ridge is permanently burned into my mind. I think that was even better than the Grand Canyon.”

“Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far…but it is one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever found. I go there a lot when I need to think something through, or just to reconnect.” He watched as a shy smile came to her face and she added, “It was nice to be able to finally share that with somebody.”

“What? You mean you don’t take all the guys up there?” Nick had been kidding, but he watched as a shadow seemed to fall over the Doc’s eyes.

“I’ve never gone up there with anyone else… I only made it up there on foot a few years ago.”

Nick took that piece of information with a tremendous amount of weight. “Well, then I really should thank you… And I’m honored you chose me to share that with.” He poured all the sincerity he was capable of into those words. “Thank you.”

She seemed lost in time for a few more moments before she shook her head slightly, as though clearing away the fog, and glanced at her watch. “Um, gimme a sec so I can shut this place down and then we can head out for dinner.” She reached for her crutch and started to move towards the other room.

“I’ll get the lights… You’re too slow.” Nick winked at her as he passed the desk to walk into the next room. She chuckled at his joke and shut down her computer.

When Nick got back to her main office, he found the Doc standing against the doorway looking at her watch. “Took you long enough, Slowpoke.”

Nick shook his head. “Yeah, yeah… How about we race to the elevator for a best two out of three?”

“Nah… I’ll let you keep your ego intact tonight.” She gave him a very subtle wink as she turned out of the doorway. As he followed her out, he could not help laughing at the whole exchange. But when he watched her walk ahead of him, he suddenly realized that she was wearing a skirt. Her gait was strong that day, and if not for the crutch, Nick would have been hard pressed to know the truth of her condition. She walked with a certain level of strength, but also just enough femininity to remind Nick of all those other things that attracted him to her. She had a quiet grace about her, and despite all of her efforts to hide behind her harsh demeanor, she really was a beautiful woman.

Reaching the elevator, Nick quick stepped it to hit the button ahead of her, and then turned to ask, “So, where’re we goin’ anyway?”

“You nervous, or something?”

He shrugged when the doors opened and he put his arm in the path of the door as he gestured for her to go in ahead of him. “Naw… I just thought it made sense to know where I was drivin’.”

As he stepped in after her she gave him a puzzled look and said, “Well, seeing as I’m the one that asked you to dinner, I don’t imagine you’ll be driving anywhere.”

“Alright then…” Nick nodded to her logic, and then he asked, “So, where’re you takin’ me for dinner?”

The elevator dinged to show they had reached their floor. Nick once again held his arm in the path of the door and motioned for her to go ahead of him. As they walked to the parking lot she finally said, “Well, seeing as I totally wasn’t paying attention to the date…” Nick was suddenly very nervous at her revelation. “The only decent place I could get us a table was at the Fez… You don’t mind going there again, do you?” His mind was spiraling off into a million places, and it did not immediately register that she was still speaking to him. “That’s okay, isn’t it?... Nick?”

“What?”

R.J. laughed at his obvious confusion and chuckled, “Well, it’s nice to know I am still an engaging conversationalist.” She shook her head and repeated, “Is it okay that we have dinner at the Mataam Fez again?”

When he shook his head that time, it was more like an around the world head bob, somewhere between a nod and a bob. “Ah, yeah…that’s fine.”

After hearing her say that she was not thinking about it being Valentine’s Day when she had asked him to dinner, it instantly made him re-think all of his previous assumptions. If she had not known about the date, was he really dealing with the scenario that played in his mind all week?

If she was not on the same page, then he was forced to question whether or not he was on the right track. Nick knew how he felt, and he knew that he wanted to explore the idea of a relationship beyond friendship, but he was no longer certain if the feeling would be reciprocated. He felt for the box in his jacket pocket and wondered if he had taken the whole thing too far.

As they were walking to R.J.’s truck, they were about to step from the curb when she reached out to hold onto his arm to maneuver down to the asphalt. The feeling of her hand on his arm was positively electric, even through the leather of his jacket. When he placed his other hand over the Doc’s and looked over at her face, the smile he found there cleared away some of the lingering doubt. She continued to hold onto his arm even though they were crossing the smooth parking lot. So, with the rest of his doubt put to rest, he took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm.

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19:00 – 2007.02.14

Willows-Brown

More times than he cared to admit, Warrick felt guilty about the amount of time he and Catherine spent apart because of their schedules and their work. It was probably fallout from his recent divorce, but he often found himself bending over backwards to make extra time for her, and for Lindsey. It usually resulted in overextending himself, and Catherine giving him the business for trying to do too much. But he was bound and determined to make this relationship last; he had a lot riding on it.

For Valentine’s Day, he pulled out all of the stops. Warrick called in favors all over town, and made absolutely certain that the night would go off without a hitch. He managed to snag a reservation in one of the private nooks at the Bellagio’s Picasso restaurant, found the perfect dress (with a little help from Lindsey) at an exclusive boutique in the Forum Shops, and had an amazing spray of orchids and white lilies sent to her office.

He was a little surprised to find Lindsey’s note when he woke, telling him that she and her grandmother had taken the dress and things over to Catherine that afternoon. But he was glad for the extra time to himself to get ready. He made sure to use the aftershave Catherine had given him, picked out the sterling lavender silk shirt that she commented about before, and slipped into his favorite black suit. It was the only suit he could wear and not feel like he was in a costume. He had gotten it back in his gambling days, after a particularly big win, and it was custom tailored to fit his frame. When he took one last look in the mirror, he was convinced that she would be happy to see him.

Before he left the empty house, he went to the refrigerator to retrieve the three roses he hand picked from the florist’s and tied with a white silk ribbon; a pale pink with blushing red tips, a creamy white, and the softest peach he could find. In his mind, any idiot could hand his lady some red roses without a single thought, but he wanted something that suited only Catherine; his Catherine.

That last thought carried him all the way to her office with a satisfied smile on his face. He still felt a little thrill every time the thought crossed his mind. Warrick never dreamed that he could really have her, or that she would ever want to be with him, and the reality of their relationship still amazed him at every turn. He was happy, and it was his lifelong goal to make sure Catherine was just as happy as he felt in that very moment.

When he finally pulled up in front of the CSI Offices entrance, the sun had long since set and the lights from the strip cast an elegant glow all around. Warrick took a calming breath, grabbed for the flowers on the seat beside him, and stepped out of the car. The closer he got to her office, the more nervous he became, but it was all washed away when he caught a quick glimpse of Catherine through the windows of her office.

She was adjusting her earrings in the mirror she kept in her office, and he saw that her hair was swept up on one side, but still hung down to her delicate neck in the back and on the other side. It was the best of both worlds for him; the cascade of her hair, and the view of her luscious neck.

He decided it was time to put on a little of that charm, which had always served him well in the past. Even if Catherine saw right through it all, she still liked the gesture. He leaned against the doorway and tilted his chin down to look at the tender stems in his hand when he cleared his throat to get her attention.

Catherine instantly whirled around to see who had entered her office, even though she was intimately familiar with the timber of his voice. She took in the full picture the instant her eyes found the source of the sound. He was wearing that suit that always made her a little crazy. It was cut so perfectly to him that it showed his amazing physique and gave her an ample view of that exquisite backside. She gave him one of her patented smiling leers, with one hand planted firmly on her slightly cocked hip. But when he looked up and their eyes locked, she actually felt all the air that escaped her lungs with the gasp that came from the heat of his green-eyed gaze. Damn, he’s good.

Warrick found it hard to hide his smirk when Catherine gasped as she looked into his eyes, and so he used it to his advantage. Without breaking their locked gaze he practically breathed the words, “Are you ready to go?”

She nodded her head a few times before the words finally found their way to her throat. “Uh-huh.” Catherine slowly walked around her desk and grabbed for her tiny clutch purse, but when she went to pick up her shawl, Warrick stepped forward and took her hand. He brought it to his lips for a feather soft kiss and then looked deep into her eyes when he said, “Let me.” He replaced his hand with the flowers and grinned when he heard her delighted draw of breath at the sight.

With the shawl in both hands, Warrick draped it over her invitingly bare shoulders. He placed his hands over the shawl and then leaned down to inhale her scent as he whispered into her uncovered ear, “I knew you’d take my breath away in this dress.” Her quickly stifled squeak told him that she was delighted with his obvious approval.

The flowers tucked into her arm, Catherine took the feel of his hand on the small of her back as her signal to walk forward. Warrick paused only to lock the office door as they left. So far, the night was working out quite nicely.

The drive over to the Bellagio had been devoid of words, but the symphony of sighs, deep breathing and restless fidgeting was like poetry to Warrick’s ears. He knew that it took a lot to keep Catherine that quiet, under any circumstances, so her silent inspection of the flowers, and her enjoyment in what they were both wearing warmed his heart with its full impact.

The dinner was absolutely perfect, with every course a delight to the palate and a feast to the eyes. The intimacy of the place had been touted to Warrick on several occasions, but he had never been given the chance to try it out for himself. As he watched Catherine reveling in all of the elegance and pampering, Warrick decided that if nothing else came out of this magical night, he was going to make sure they did something like this again and again. He was most surprised by the joy in his own heart as he saw how much Catherine enjoyed the entire experience. It really did make him feel ten feet tall to make her happy, even in small ways.

As they headed back to town after a little drive to his favorite scenic spot for a little recreational kissing, Warrick decided that the only disappointment of the evening came from the fact that he still had to get to the lab to run the shift. And as they pulled into the driveway at the house, he glanced down at his watch. He was already going to be a little late for the extra hour he managed to wrangle out of the swing shift supervisor.

Catherine saw the frustration in his expression and put a gentle hand on his knee. “This was the best night I have ever had… Thank you.” She leaned over to his side of the car and laid a sweet kiss on his cheek. “No one has ever gone to this much trouble to make me feel this good… This loved.” She stroked her hand along his other cheek and brought his eyes to look into hers when she added, “Thank you, Warrick.” The kiss that followed was hot enough to have melted the entire piece of Detroit steel that surrounded them in that sensationally passionate moment.

With his forehead leaned into hers, he sighed, “I just wish I could do this all the time…” There was a slight shake to his head when he admitted, “Maybe then you could understand even half of the way I feel, Cath.”

Her breath instantly caught in her throat with Warrick’s words. The power that he poured into each syllable reached all the way to the very marrow of her bones. If there had been any lingering doubts about the depth of his emotion for her, it had been destroyed by the entire night, and burned to cinders by his words. She knew then that this was the man she would spend the rest of her days sharing every ounce of love she had left to give.

It took them a few moments to gather up the strength to part from their connected position, but the flickering lights that came from the house told them that they had an audience with which to report the events of the evening, in detail. Catherine glanced up at the door and sighed, “Think we can sneak in without her noticing?”

“Probably got the whole place wired… She’s been bustin’ at the seams for days, so I’m sure she’d kill us if we even tried.” Warrick’s sideways grin gave Catherine the answer to the only question she had about the evening.

“I was wondering how you managed to pull all of this off on your own.” Catherine turned back in her seat to get out of the car when Warrick put a soft hand on her knee to stop her.

“Let me get that for you.” He stepped out of the car and crossed to the passenger side. When he opened the door, he held out his hand for her to take on her ascent. He watched as one lithe and luscious leg stretched out of the car to rest on the concrete. He delighted when the other one joined it and the bottom, scalloped hem of the delicate pink dress fell to her knee once more as she rose from the seat. The dress clung to all the right places, and billowed ever so gracefully around her legs. He knew the moment that Lindsey held it out to him that it was the right one for her dancer’s form. It moved with her in a perfect accompaniment to her natural beauty and elegance of motion. “And for the record… Lindsey is responsible for finding that dress, but you are the one makin’ it work.”

“Well, then maybe there’s hope for her taste in clothes yet.” Catherine gave him a salacious wink that made him clutch at his chest as he bit his bottom lip to keep from saying anything else.

As they walked to the door, there was never more than a centimeter of space between them. Warrick knew that his own private hell was going to be sitting through an entire shift with the image of her walking in that dress in his mind.

Catherine opened the door and half expected a squealing teenager to meet them at the entrance, but what they found was an odd quiet in the house. The only sound came from the stereo in the living room, as the very faint sound of soft music emanated from that direction. They looked at each other with puzzled expressions and took a few cautious steps toward the living room. What they found was a thousand times more shocking than anything their minds could have imagined.

All around the living room were softly lit candles, dancing in an invisible breeze throughout the room. The stereo was indeed on, and Catherine could tell that it had been turned on recently, because it was still on the first CD in the rack. On the coffee table was a bottle of wine and two glasses, but there was also a piece of paper. Warrick slowly walked over to the table and picked up the note, handing it straight to Catherine as he looked around the room with incredulity.

The note was from Lindsey. Catherine instantly recognized her daughter’s barely legible handwriting.

Mom & Rick,

I had Steph drop me off at Becky’s house, we’re studying for the chemistry test tomorrow, and I wanted to give you guys some space tonight. I hope I got the right wine, and that you liked the dress.

I want NONE of the details tomorrow, but you do have to tell me if it worked.

Love,

Linds

P.S. Steph called in to somebody named Blake to cover for Rick… He’s only on-call until mid-shift. Happy Valentine’s Day!

The furious blush that fell over Catherine instantly intrigued Warrick, and so he looked over her shoulder at the handwritten note. “Oh man… That kid is spendin’ way too much time around that woman.”

Catherine chewed back the million other things she could have said about that remark, put a hand over her mouth and nodded her head. She finally mustered the ability to speak without laughing and turned to where his face was sitting just over her left shoulder to say, “So…now that we have all this free time… Is there anymore to this little scenario you’ve cooked u-” Her words were silenced when he grabbed her waist from behind, spun her around to face him and brought his lips to bear down on hers.

By the time the world came back into focus, as he released her mouth and began to trail his heated lips down the length of her neck, Catherine could distinctly feel the zipper at the back of her dress as it slid down. When she felt him push the straps over her shoulders, and the dress began to slowly slide down her frame, she knew that she was about to be treated to the entire spectrum of his passion, and the full depth and breadth of his love for her.

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20:15 – 2007.02.14

Stokes-Desmaiseaux

Nick sat back in his seat a little, feeling the full effect of the incredible amount of food they had consumed over the course of their night; their date. He became completely convinced it was a date when they were led into the alcove in which they sat. First of all, it was all the way in the back of the restaurant, and it was about half the size of the one in which they first shared a meal. Instead of watching each other from across the table, they were practically sitting against each other behind the table, which had to be removed for them to reach their seats on the heavily padded bench.

The final clue that it was an actual date was the simple fact that they were both in obvious states of anxiety throughout the night. Even though their conversations were just as comfortable as any other they shared, there seemed to be an underlying subtext to everything they said. Adding to Nick’s nervousness was that little box in his jacket.

He wanted the moment to be right when he gave it to her, and so he waited; waited for just the right opening. And there they were, with the meal practically behind them, and he had yet to find that perfect moment.

With that thought in his mind he nearly jumped out of his skin when R.J. put a hand on his arm to get his attention. “Sorry about that… Didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted some more tea.” She gestured at the tea pot which sat to the left of his plate.

“Oh yeah, sure.” He reached for the pot and was about to set it in front of her when she held out the cup for him. Nick gave her a shy smile and carefully took the cup in his other hand. With as much flair as he was able to muster, he made a production out of pouring the last of the tea into her cup. His reward was the muffled giggle he heard beside him. He turned and presented the full cup when he said, “Your tea, Madame.”

Nick saw the slight blush that came to her cheek, but R.J. quickly recovered as she took the cup and said, “”Why thank you, kind sir.”

He laughed out loud to hear her use such genteel language. “Okay… Where’s Doc and what’ve you done with her?”

“Yeah, yeah… I know it’s a stretch, but every once in a blue moon, even I can find some manners.” With the cup in her left hand she sipped at the steaming tea. However, Nick’s attention was shifted to the other hand as he watched her push a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it in behind her ear. That was when he saw that she was wearing those same dangling earrings with the teardrops of Cave Creek Jasper at the end.

He must have been staring, because she self-consciously cleared her throat to get his attention. “Ah, sorry… I was ah… Nothin’.”

She turned away for a moment and when she brought her gaze back to the table he could see a more guarded look on her face. “I forget sometimes…when I get comfortable. It’s the one thing I can’t really cover up.” At first he was not sure what she was talking about, but then he realized that she must have thought he was staring at her hand.

Nick instantly felt ashamed at having his own misstep seen as repulsion. He watched as she tucked the hand into her lap and away from sight, but he was compelled to right the miscommunication. “No…” He reached for her hand and brought it back to the table, holding it in his and turning it over before he finished, “I don’t have a problem with either of your hands, as long as they aren’t throwin’ a punch at me.”

He ran his thumb over the top of her hand until she finally looked at him again. “I wasn’t looking at your hand… I was staring at your earring.”

With her left hand, she reached up to the left ear and pushed the hair back to touch the earring there. “My earring…why?”

Without a doubt, he would never find a more perfect opening. The corner of his mouth turned up and he asked, “Well, I was wonderin’…is that Cave Creek Jasper?”

R.J. met his gaze full on at the mention of the stone, and her surprise was crystal clear. “How did you know that?!”

“Well, you ah, wore those to court…that first day. Anyway, I ah, did a little research and figured what with where you were from and all, that it was probably that one over the others. And I thought it was really nice and I ah…” Nick instantly recognized that he was losing the moment as he continued to blather on.

He decided that it was time to go big, or go home. However, his timing was a little off, which was demonstrated by the arrival of their host. The man quickly did his business, taking the last of their plates and leaving a pot of Turkish coffee before he hastily departed the alcove. Nick was intrigued by the man’s fast exit, until he and R.J. both looked down to see that he had never released her hand.

Instead of letting go and making a joke to ease the anxiety, Nick turned back to face her again. “As I was so eloquently saying… When I noticed that you were wearing the earrings again, I thought it must’ve been a sign.” He finally released her hand to reach up and gently touch the earring for a moment. Through the entire display, Nick noticed that she never once dropped her eyes from his, and while he found her intense gaze almost hypnotic, he managed to stay on task. He reached into the jacket beside him and retrieved the box. “Because when I saw them the first time, I couldn’t help thinking that they were missin’ somethin’.” He brought the box into view and set it down on the table in front of her. “Somethin’ like this.”

He tilted his head in the direction of the box and she finally broke away from his eyes to look down on the table. “What’s this?”

He shrugged and waited for her to open it. Slowly she reached up to the box as she gave him a curious glare.

When she finally began to lift the lid away from the box, her confusion took over. At first, all she could see was a square of cotton batting. She carefully pulled the batting away and watched as the soft lights of the restaurant began to reflect from a thin strand of metal. The instant her finger made contact with the metal she recognized it as a silver chain and picked it up. As the other end of the chain came into view she was unable to stop the gasp that came from her throat. Dangling from the other end of the polished silver chain was a large teardrop shaped piece of Cave Creek Jasper, dotted with the moss colored agates she was familiar with in such a large piece. There were also tiny cylindrical beads of the same jasper alternating with silver ones on either side of the teardrop, part way up the chain. It was an absolutely perfect match to the earrings she had chosen to wear that night.

R.J. looked back up at Nick with a look of complete astonishment. She could not imagine how in the world he had been able to find exactly what she had been looking for over the course of the last year. “Where di-… I mean, how did y-… I ah…”

Nick chuckled lightly and reached out for the necklace. “Well… I never thought I’d see the day… If I had known it took jewelry to make you speechless, I would’ve tried it months ago.” He opened the clasp of the necklace and waited for her to move her hair out of the way before he settled the pendant over her collar bone and fastened it behind her neck.

The move brought him dangerously close to her, and he had to maintain his control to pull back from that position. When he sat back in his seat he felt a certain pride in the way the necklace looked around her neck. He watched as she looked down to see it there, just as she brought her left hand up to gently touch it.

“I have no idea how you did this, but…thank you.” It was Nick’s turn to be speechless. He had not expected that kind of reaction from a simple necklace, and it threw him for a loop. “I had one of these…once.” She stroked the teardrop as she explained, “But it was…lost.” R.J. dropped her hand to his forearm and squeezed it. “Thank you, Nick.”

He would never know exactly what it was that caused him to proceed as he did. Whether it was their proximity to each other, the look in her eyes, the feel of her grip on his arm, the raw emotion in her voice, or the tremble of her lip, but something had spoken to his soul when he took the hand she rested on his arm and held it, as the other hand reached up to touch his fingers to her cheek. Without knowing why, or even with any form of conscious thought, Nick leaned forward and slowly, softly brought his lips to hers with the barest of space between them. He hovered there for what felt like an eternity, as though he was waiting from some voice to tell him how to proceed. His cue never came in the form of a voice, but in the gentle touch of her lips to his as they met in the most glorious union Nick had ever experienced in his entire life.

Chapter 48

19:00 – 2007.02.17

Grissom Home

There was only one rule for poker night; stay away from the bedroom. Sara could deal with a lot of things in life, but a bunch of smoking, blustering, scratching men sitting around a table telling lies and tall tales as they played cards and ate disgusting food was not one of them.

Whenever Grissom had one of his poker nights, she was either gratefully out for the night, or locked away in the bedroom with the stereo on and plenty of reading material. She enjoyed playing a good round of cards, but Grissom did not play cards.

Poker was not typically a game to him, and while their competitive streaks worked well in other aspects of their lives, it did not translate well for poker night. He had tried to include her the first time it came around following her move to the townhouse with disastrous results. When the night was over, a very sullen man came to their bed. They both agreed that poker night would simply have to remain something separate in their lives.

This night was a little different from Grissom’s traditional poker night. Normally it was the same cast of characters; Doc Robbins, Jim Brass, Professor Rambar, and Grissom’s old friend Dr. Ben Huttner from the UNLV Body Farm. Occasionally, Warrick sat in on a game, but only when one of the regulars was absent. Sara often referred to the scene as the Algonquin Forensics Roundtable. But this was a completely different roster.

In an attempt to stay connected to “his guys,” Grissom decided to host a poker night with the old crew. The only addition to mix was Stephanie’s husband Thomas. Grissom truly enjoyed the man’s company, and he seemed to fit in well with the rest of the guys. His regular night was all about the poker, but this one was about his relationships with the men.

As soon as Warrick and Greg had shown up, Sara excused herself to the bedroom. She heard Greg’s protest at her absence as the door closed, but she also heard Warrick’s explanation; poker night was not a place for women. Over the soft playing stereo she heard Nick’s voice calling out when he arrived, but other than that it was relatively quiet out there. So, when the phone rang suddenly, Sara clutched at her breast when her heart nearly leapt from her chest.

Reaching over to the nightstand, she picked up the phone. “Hello.”

She was greeted with all the sarcasm Stephanie had to offer, “What? No ‘Sidle?’”

“Only at work…” The younger woman had been giving her a hard time about the continued use of her maiden at the lab since returning from her honeymoon. “What’s up?”

“I need two things… First, I need you to help me with a foreign activity, because I am not about to go in that place alone.”

Sara was confused, so she asked for clarification, “What place?”

“The baby furniture store.” Unable to help herself, Sara released an exasperated sigh. “I know, I know… You don’t want to go. But please hear me out… I’m riding a serious hormone wave this weekend, Catherine is on some trip to Reno with her parents and Lindsey, and I need somebody with a clear head to keep me from going over the edge and buying giant bunny beds or something. Pleeeeeease be my chaperone?!” By the time Stephanie had finished pleading with her, Sara was completely unable to stop laughing.

“Okay, okay, okay! But only to keep from having the image of Gil and Thomas in a room filled with fuzzy pastel lambs and bunnies everywhere.” Her response garnered a healthy laugh from the younger woman.

“Bless you! I seriously need a chaperone right now.” Stephanie’s response sounded like a loaded statement, but she knew better than to get her started on the phone.

“So, what was the other thing?” Sara tried to get the conversation back on track.

“OH! Tell Uncle Gil that Thomas is running a little late. And he just said that you have to drive, in case he gets paged. Is that okay?”

“Not a problem… We can take Gil’s Denali, since I don’t think you’d fit in my Hybrid safely with that cargo.” The image of Stephanie trying to maneuver into her small car before she was pregnant flooded Sara’s mind, and she did not want to even contemplate how the woman would fit with the added girth as well.

“Good thinking… We should be over there shortly, and the store is expecting us. Which kind of scares me, but that’s how they work, I guess. See ya then!” And in no time flat Sara heard the click of a closed line.

Stephanie never waited on ceremony, and it often left her head spinning. When she mentioned it to Gil one night, he simply chuckled quietly until Sara forced him to explain his laughter. That was when he told her that he had been saying the same thing about her for years, and that it was not until she brought it up that he had ever made the connection between the two.

At the time, Sara was not nearly as amused as he was, but when she thought more about it she realized how right Gil had been. In many ways, she and Stephanie were very much alike, but she also knew that the younger woman was leaps and bounds ahead of her at the same age. Stephanie was just another girl who had benefited from the struggles of those that went before her; Sara just happened to be her specific predecessor.

Sara quickly changed her clothes and prepared to enter the testosterone drenched dining room to relay the message. As soon as she walked out of the hallway the abrupt silence was practically deafening.

Greg stood behind the table and looked like he was flash frozen in place. Nick was quickly trying to extinguish the cigar he had obviously just lit, and Warrick’s hand was left extended as though he was still dealing out the cards. “Don’t worry guys, I’m only here to relay a message and get some keys.”

Grissom turned to smile at his wife and then stood up from the table. “Who was on the phone?”

“Steph… She wants me to go somewhere with her tonight, and wanted me to tell you that Thomas is running late, but he’s on his way soon.” She walked right up to him and he put an arm around her back as the guys continued their almost stupefied expressions. “And I need the keys to the Denali, please.”

Grissom reached into his pocket and retrieved the requested item. “Just remember to turn off the front airbag with her in there.”

Sara rolled her eyes and said, “Thank you… I almost forgot about that.” She took the keys from him and they exchanged a quick kiss before she turned to go back to the bedroom. Before she reached the hallway, Sara called over her shoulder, “And remember, I am not fronting any of you breakfast money just because my husband cleans you out tonight.” When she closed the door to the bedroom that time, it was to quiet the howls and moans she left behind her.

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Poker was a test of wills in his mind, so to use it as a means to stay connected to the young men that had been a part of his life for many years was a foreign concept. But if it meant he would continue to have these remarkable people in his life, then he was willing to let go of that little piece of control and allow them into his circle. Besides, he still had his other two regular games to keep his skills honed.

His monthly game with Brass and the other old timers had been his only social activity for many years. He always kept to himself, always held it all in, but once a month he could just be one of the guys. Albeit, one of an exclusive, highly educated, deeply intellectual group of guys, but still satisfying in its own right.

The other regular game occurred once a year, every year, in a different hotel for an entire weekend. It was a relatively high stakes game that he was first invited to as a struggling student at UCLA. At the time, he had been in way over his head with the others at the table. That first year, he never made it to the second day as a player, but he stayed the whole weekend and learned more than he could have ever imagined about the game and the people who played it. The next year, he managed to make it to the final day, walking away with a conciliatory percentage of the pot. With that money, he was able to start his first body farm experiments, and make it to the following year with a second place showing. In all the years that followed, he never walked away empty handed; some years better than others, but he always left with something. It was an accomplishment that he would never be able to share with anyone, because these were private games, and not open for discussion. It had always been one of his most dearly held secrets, and a source of private pride.

When he had gotten the call at the beginning of November with the details of the next game, he was faced with a horrible dilemma; he really did not want to go away for a weekend without Sara, and yet he knew that to refuse the game once meant he might never be invited again. However, his trouble was quickly settled the next day when he and Sara were curled up on the couch pouring through their various journals, and she asked him where he was going that year.

“What do you mean?’” He was confused by Sara’s question.

“Well… Isn’t your big poker weekend every November?” Her voice was so casual for such a monumental discovery. He had no idea how she could have learned about his game, because he only ever told one other person about those games. And Mac would never have betrayed his confidence.

“What poker weekend?” He tried to play it off, hoping that she was only pumping him for information.

She shrugged as she got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen. “Sorry… I didn’t know it was some big secret. I just figured…nevermind.”

When she disappeared behind the refrigerator door, he got to his feet and went to her. “Sara… What makes you think-”

“Look… I didn’t know it was such a touchy subject. I just wanted to know when you were going away. No big deal.” She took a drink from the bottle of water she removed from the fridge and he knew that it was time to come clean.

He walked up to her and took her in his arms when he asked, “How did you figure it out?”

She leaned in to the embrace and answered, “When I heard about how you financed your first body farm experiments with poker winnings… And I knew you weren’t going to any conferences like you told Catherine… And…” Her voice trailed off, and he suddenly became even more intrigued by her method of discovery.

“And?”

She kissed the space behind his ear and giggled, “It always took a week before the cigar smell went away.”

He should have known better than to ever believe he had been fooling anyone on his team, let alone Sara.

Poker was a means for many things to Gil Grissom; income, understanding human behavior, social interaction and finally friendship. It was that last one which prompted his game that night; the friendship of men he once taught, men he led, men who looked up to him, and looked to him for advice. But most importantly, they were men that had become an integral part of his life, and he sorely missed seeing them every day.

His first week back from D.C. after their honeymoon, Gil had practically driven Sara crazy with questions. How is Nick holding up with the transition? Is Greg finishing his proficiency tests successfully? Have there been any rumors about Warrick taking over the shift? What has their reaction been to the new people? By the end of the week Sara had taken all she could and told him point blank, “If you want to know, ask them yourself!”

He knew that she was right, but it was not something he had ever been very good at doing; communicating on a personal level. It took years for him to open up to Catherine about anything, and she was the most demanding friend he had ever known. His relationship with Sara took even longer to reach a comfort level. Grissom simply did not know where to start, or how to go about altering his relationship with those men.

It was Stephanie, in her not-so-quiet wisdom that came up with the answer to his dilemma. “You’re too bow-legged for their pick-up games, so why don’t you just have a poker night.” While he had been less than thrilled by her analysis of his physical fitness, Grissom was forced to admit that she had a point. And so, a new tradition commenced that evening with the arrival of Warrick, Greg and Nick.

But that left another young man out of the equation. Grissom knew more than anything that his goddaughter’s husband also belonged in that exclusive group of men.

His first meeting with the young man who would bring so much happiness into the life of the girl who always called him “Uncle Gil” might have been considered uneventful to any witnesses. However, he knew from the moment Stephanie introduced the lumbering, athletic and charming boy to him that he was going to be there for the long haul. However, not until Stephanie moved to Las Vegas did he finally come to know him for the fine young man he had developed into.

Grissom was duly impressed by his reputation at the hospital, his attention and caring for Stephanie, and his commitment to their relationship, as well as both of their careers. The other thing that struck him, as he planned for his first poker night with “the boys” (as Sara had dubbed them) was that Thomas had become a large part of the same group of young men he would be inviting into his home. And with that realization he made certain to include Thomas in the invitation for this new tradition.

Grissom checked his watch again as the guys settled in with their food and drinks. Brass, who rounded out the table as the sixth man, immediately picked up on his old friend’s impatience and decided to lighten the mood with a little humor as he set up his place at the table. He began to arrange his chips when he said, “That’s the trouble playin’ with a doctor… Only people I know who work more than we do.”

Greg, not being the most observant person in the world sometimes, contradicted him with his question. “I thought Steph said this was his first weekend off in like a month.” Nick groaned the instant Greg said it and he looked up at to the Texan with a confused expression on his face. “What?”

Warrick shook his head at the younger man and said, “You want some advice for tonight, little man?” He only waited long enough for Greg to turn in his direction when he added, “Don’t open your mouth that wide… You’re liable to get your foot stuck in there at the knee.”

While Nick chuckled at Greg’s bashful expression, Grissom simply shook his head, instantly understanding that the guys were attempting to cover for their friend. Before anything could be said, they heard the front door open, and the sounds of a man and woman having a few words.

“Uncle Gil… Will you please tell Thomas that as long as you’re expecting us, we do NOT have to ring the bell and make you get up just to answer the door?” Stephanie crossed the room quickly to greet the older man.

At her appearance, Grissom immediately stood from his seat, as did Nick and she smiled at the both of them while Thomas slowly entered the main room. He waited to answer as she reached out to embrace him and landed a quick peck on his cheek. Finally seeing an opening with which to respond, he answered, “In all fairness, you would both be correct. I believe Thomas is acting out of a show of respect, while you would be led by your sense of familiarity. So, either one is completely acceptable.”

Thomas blushed at his answer and timidly approached the table. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.”

Stephanie shook her head in disgust and then squeezed her godfather around his midsection with her right arm. “Okay… This is obviously a male bonding thing, so I’ll let it slide this time.” She looked around the room and then asked, “So, where’s Sara?”

“Happily in exile…” He tilted his head towards the hall. “In the bedroom.”

“What, she doesn’t even get to come out for all this…” She looked over at the kitchen counter and saw all of the sliced meats when she said, “Oh yeah… I bet she would be happy to get away from that mess, huh?”

“That and I can’t stand the cigars that always manage to make their way to the table.” Sara gave Nick a direct stare as he attempted to hide the cigars he brought with him.

Stephanie immediately caught on to Sara’s glare and responded. “Nick! Don’t tell me you are smoking those nasty things, are you?”

Nick cringed with her question and barely said, “Not if it means you’re gonna keep yellin’ at me like that.”

She threw her arms up in frustration and waved him off. “Stupid boys!”

Sara chuckled at Stephanie’s display and went to guide the young woman to the car. “C’mon, Steph… Let’s leave Gil and the boys to their little game. I’ll even get you a smoothie to take the edge off.”

“Ooooo… They have this new one with blueberries and peaches and lime sherbet.” With the pregnant woman’s attention properly diverted, the two quickly disappeared from the house.

The men continued their silent setup until they could hear the garage door closing, when Thomas clapped his hands together and asked Nick, “You got enough of those to go around, Cowboy?”

Nick instantly cracked a smile and the tension simply melted away from the table as he passed the cigars around and Grissom brought out the ashtrays.

Brass looked around the room and gestured with his newly lit cigar at the boxes that were stacked in all of the corners. “So, Gil… What’s with all the boxes?”

As he started to shuffle the cards, Grissom nonchalantly answered, “Oh… I finally found a house. It closes at the end of the month, so we’ll be moving soon.”

Nick reared back in confusion at that revelation. “So, why are you packin’ up now? You bored or somethin’ already?”

“No, Nick… It took nearly two weeks to get Sara moved in here. And that was just moving things from her place to this one. I have not moved in ten years, and I am quite certain most of this stuff was not part of that move.” They all shared a comfortable laugh at their former boss’ expense. If they all knew one thing about Grissom, it was that he was a prolific collector of books and oddities of science. “And besides, it’s the one domestic activity, other than cooking, where I can show Sara up.”

And it was with that decidedly male expression of competition that point that boys’ night truly began.

They had been playing comfortably for just over an hour when Greg was no longer able to restrain his curiosity about Thomas’ tardiness. “So, big man… What’s up with you being late tonight?”

Thomas instantly stiffened at his question. As he was about to attempt an answer, Nick came to his rescue. “Little man… The guy is livin’ with a six foot plus pregnant woman, and you expect him to get anywhere on time? You must be dreamin’!”

A little bit of the tension was wiped away with Nick’s assessment of the situation. But Greg seemed bound and determined to keep his foot firmly wedged in his own throat when he asked, “So, what’s that like? Are you gonna need some ah, reading materials to get you through this dry spot, or what?”

Warrick and Brass both cringed at the younger man’s audacity and simply waited for the axe to fall. What they had not anticipated was Thomas’ honest confusion at Greg’s question. “What are you talking about?”

Greg blanched at the question and looked straight at Grissom for some kind of clue as to how he could proceed. Grissom seemed oblivious of the problem, so Greg continued with a little caution. He leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner and softly explained, “Well, I figure things have probably cooled off, ya know…what with all those hormones and stuff.”

“Speaking from a purely biological perspective,” Grissom interjected in a matter of fact tone. “It is a known fact that the hormone fluctuations in the human female can generate a wide variety of effects, and no two women experience them in exactly the same way. Many find that they have increased energy and focus, while others will require frequent rest periods and often cannot maintain their pre-pregnancy attention levels. And while there is a common loss of some desires, there is an equally common increase for others. It is simply a matter of basic biology as to which side of the equation a woman will fall on.”

Several of the men watched Thomas as Grissom described the biological realities of pregnancy, and gave each other knowing looks as they all witnessed Thomas becoming more and more embarrassed with each passing moment. Everyone that is, but Greg, who was completely engrossed in Grissom’s explanation.

“If the hormone levels tip from one side to the other, a woman could experience a marked change in frustration levels, alertness, libido, allergic reactions, joint pain and general attitude. For instance, while many women find a complete lack of sex drive at a certain point in their pregnancy, others find themselves on the other side of that coin.” Grissom proceeded to deal out the cards without a second thought as to the loaded nature of his little lesson.

Greg, however, immediately seized upon notion to question Thomas. “So… Which side of the coin are you living with?” The waggle of his eyebrows only added to the suggestive nature of the question. But it was the sudden raise of Grissom’s brow directed at Thomas that had the big man sweating.

There was a physical tension that descended upon the table as they all waited for the young doctor’s answer. He visibly swallowed back that enormous lump which rose in his throat and said, “I ah… Well, let’s just say that I’m ah… Um…” He took a deep breath and tried to sink in his seat when he picked up his cards and finally answered the horribly dangerous question. “I can neither confirm, nor deny anything… Except it wasn’t my fault I was late tonight, and I’m not saying anything else…with her Uncle Gil sitting so close.”

Chapter 52

18:55 – 2007.02.23

Desmaiseaux Townhouse

As he rounded the same corner he had ten minutes before, Nick looked at his watch and cursed his bad luck. He was sure that he followed the directions to the letter, but for some reason he doubted himself the first time around, and since he still had fifteen minutes he decided to double check, just to be sure. That was when he managed to get himself lost. The only thing that saved him was running into Det. Sam Vega at the convenience store Nick stopped at to get his bearings straight. The veteran detective pointed him in the right direction and wished him luck. He was sure that all of PD would have the info by shift time Sunday night, but he had more important things to worry about.

Setting the parking brake on his truck, he took in a deep, calming breath and slowly blew it out. He needed to settle his nerves, but the fact that he was sitting right outside of her townhouse was doing nothing to help the situation. Somehow, he seemed to have managed to keep things on an even keel with the Doc in the two weeks since that kiss, so the last thing he wanted after she invited him to her place for dinner was to be late.

That kiss. Whenever he let his mind wander, it always seemed to land smack dab on that kiss again. There had been other kisses since that night, but that one always stood out in his mind and was still making his heart race just a little, simply from thinking about it. It was one of those perfect moments in time, where everything just sort of fell into place and it all made sense, even if only for a moment. When he thought about it, he would find his fingertips reaching up to his lips, as though he needed confirmation that it had really happened. He still felt the warmth of her lips pressed into his, the intake of her breath as they slowly pulled apart, and the taste of her salt as it still lingered on his mouth.

Taking in another deep breath, he made himself ready to walk to her door. As he blew that breath out, he reached into the passenger seat and retrieved the bottle of wine. She expressly told him not to bring anything, but that simply would not do. And besides, wine is always a safe bet. He even made sure to call Grissom and ask which kind would be the safest thing to get for most any dish. Nick was sure that the man would question him about the call or the request, but he only gave him the exact type, brand and vintage that he should pick up. His former boss even suggested a store where he was sure to find it, and that if Nick wanted, he would have been happy to call it in for him so that he only had to pick it up. The mirth in the older man’s voice as he made the offer caused Nick to chuckle just a little. Seeing how much Grissom had changed in the last six months, he began to wonder if he ever really knew the man at all.

As he stepped down from the truck, Nick straightened his clothes more from nervousness than an actual need. After all, it was pretty hard to mess up jeans and a crew neck sweater. When he was getting ready for the dinner, he half considered dressing up just a little more, but he remembered R.J. telling him not to get all fancy, because there was no dress code at her place.

Nick finally managed to take those last few steps to her door and then looked at his watch. He still had one minute to spare. Breathing a sigh of relief, he pressed the doorbell. It was quite possibly the strangest doorbell he had ever heard. As soon as he pressed the button he distinctly heard, “Ding Dong…DAMNIT!” He tried very hard to suppress the smirk that turned up the corner of his mouth.

The moment the door swung open, he knew exactly what the problem was. R.J. stood in front of him with her hair obviously wet, her shirt only half tucked in, and the collar of the shirt was turned under on one side. He could instantly tell that she was very frustrated with her current state, but it was pretty much impossible to completely wipe the smile off of his face.

For a brief moment, she tried to maintain her indignant posture, but that was all it lasted before she smiled for an instant when the blush rose in her cheeks as she hung her head. “It’s not funny.”

Nick reached down and tipped her chin back up with a finger tucked under it when he said, “It is just a little funny…but it’s also kinda nice.” As her eyes met his he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Disheveled, drowned rat looks good on you.” That time she laughed.

“Thanks… I think.” She saw the bottle in his hand and cocked an eyebrow at him, “You brought something anyway?”

“It’s all that good home trainin’… I just can’t show up anywhere empty handed.” He passed the bottle over to her and she let him inside the door.

Instead of walking out of the entryway and looking around, Nick brought his hands to her neck where he pulled her damp hair back and straightened the collar of her shirt. “You might want to double check your button technique.”

R.J. looked down at the mess she had made of her shirt and blushed again. “Note to self… Fifteen minutes is not enough time.”

With his face screwed up into a question mark, Nick asked, “Enough time for what?”

She gestured at her poorly executed wardrobe change and exclaimed, “Isn’t it obvious?”

Nick shrugged and answered, “It’s definitely a statement.” The wink he shot her way told her that he really was fine with the whole thing.

“Well, my day has pretty much been an exercise in futility from the moment I woke up. So, I’m really hoping this isn’t the capper to end it all.” He could tell by her voice that she was frustrated, but there was nothing he could do to stop the smirk from appearing on his face. Apparently, if she let you get close enough, angry and frustrated was another good look for her. “What?”

“It’s nothin’…” He made sure his face gave away his sarcasm when he added, “I was just wonderin’ if there’s a poor soul out there still tryin’ to find his ego after gettin’ destroyed by one of your tirades.”

R.J. fixed him with a steely glare and said, “Not yet… But there’s still time.”

For just a moment, he thought she was actually serious, but when she finally smiled he caught on to the joke. After they both laughed at the situation, he asked, “So, is there anything I can do to help with dinner?”

“Shit!” She turned on her cane and went straight into the house, leaving Nick to wonder what was really going on.

“Was it something I said?” He timidly tried to follow her path, but was distracted by the sight his eyes beheld.

In every conceivable direction were rows of industrial metal shelves with countless artifacts, samples, journals, notebooks, surveys and geological materials. He felt like he had just walked into a less inviting and overcrowded version of the rock shop warehouse. It gave way to an almost cave-like feeling as he made his way through the immense collection of materials.

When he came to an open corner in the wall at his right, he found what was probably supposed to be a dining room. Instead, it looked like a war room for geologists. Crowded with white boards, maps, map rolls, a bunch of core samples leaning in one corner and a mess of survey equipment resting against the other, the big table in the center covered in more maps and datasheets was the only thing that gave any kind of indication that the room was intended for another purpose.

Making it past the last row of metal shelves, he finally spotted her standing in the pristine and perfectly functional kitchen. Every surface and appliance was made of brushed metal, and the shelving was nothing more than restaurant grade baker’s racks. It was all very sterile and unfeeling, almost like the whole place was an institution, instead of a home.

Nick found he was unable to refrain from commenting about the conditions. “I’m gonna guess you don’t get much company here, huh?”

R.J. laughed at his careful remark and watched as he blushed a little from her response. “You could say that… This is where I work when I don’t want any distractions, so it’s a matter of form fitting function, I guess. But you’re right…I think Sandi and David are probably the only people who’ve been in here in almost ten years. Even my parents only ever visited me at the cabin.” She gestured to the darkened corner at the end of what was probably the living room and said, “That’s pretty much the only thing to have survived the research expansion over the years. And I don’t get to use it nearly as much as I’d like to anymore.”

Nick tried to peer around the darkened mass, only to find a tiny sliver of soft light leaking out of the space. He looked back to her for confirmation and she said, “Go ahead and check it out. It’ll give me a chance to get this in the oven and finish getting dressed.”

He took a few timid steps towards the corner, until the light grew larger in his field of view. By the time he took a few more steps, he was able to make out some thick, heavy, black walnut bookcases from the darkness. As he peeked around the first case, he was amazed to find that they were actually arranged in a tight square, blocked off from the rest of the house, with only a small opening to provide access to the books contained within, but there was just enough room in there to accommodate a big overstuffed sofa.

Looking around the space, he found an old standing lamp and table with a soft pink light that shone from under the shade. His next discovery was found at the end of a bookcase, on a deep shelf that held an old-school hi-fi system, complete with a turntable. Directly underneath the stereo was another large shelf filled to capacity with at least a couple hundred LP’s. He casually flipped through them, only to be surprised by the number of old jazz and blues artists.

He took another survey of the area when it registered to him that all of the colors in that little area were dark and rich and inviting. It was almost like a microcosm of sanctuary from the perfunctory nature throughout the rest of the home. He began to understand so much more about how R.J. operated; cold, hard and functional on the outside, but deep inside was filled with all the comforts and intellectual pursuits of fancy.

Once he was able to pull himself away from the whole feeling of the library nook, his attentions turned to the other items contained within those walls. Grissom had once told him that you could learn a lot about a person by the things they chose to read. The books on her shelves were a far cry from the analytical texts surrounding them in the outer collection; travelogues, classics, poetry ranging from classical to French and modern styles, philosophy, and the complete C.S. Lewis library. There was also an ample supply of the Southern elite he already discovered at the cabin (Williams, Faulkner, Conroy, Welty, and O’Connor). However, the hardcore science fiction novels appeared to outweigh the rest, with the likes of Piers Anthony, Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Timothy Zahn, Douglas Adams, & Ray Bradbury making up the bulk of those shelves. But, along with those heavy hitters, there were also a bunch of Star Wars and Star Trek related novels. He decided that those were obviously her guilty pleasures, and it made Nick chuckle a little to imagine her curled up on that couch as she became lost in the adventures of Princess Leia in a galaxy far, far away.

Upon further inspection, down in a dusty corner of the farthest bookcase, he found a clump of motorcycle maintenance and racing books, programming guides and computer language bibles, some photo albums, yearbooks and some odd bits of paper here and there between the books. However, the inch of dust on those items told Nick that they must have remained untouched for a very long time. That was when he realized that those must have belonged to her fiancé, and he stored that bit of information away for another time.

As he continued to look through the shelves, he knew that Grissom was right, you really could learn a lot from what a person read for their own fulfillment. In front of him, every tome spoke volumes about the person in the next room, and all of it made him want to learn even more.

When he heard R.J. make her way back to the kitchen, Nick pulled himself away from the private library nook. After rounding the last bookcase, he stopped to lean against the corner of the wall and watched as R.J. went straight to work in the kitchen.

It never ceased to amaze him how adept she was in the kitchen. She skillfully made quick work of the asparagus and set them to steam on the stove. It was so much fun to watch, that he could not find it in his heart to tell her just how much he hated asparagus.

He observed how she carefully drizzled a light orange liquid over the steaming bowl of rice, and then vigorously tossed the rice with a large spoon. The actions were in direct opposition with one another, but her grace of motion kept them in perfect balance and flow.

Once it registered to him that she was placing the food onto the small bistro table sitting just outside of the kitchen area, he snapped himself away from his observational post and stepped in to offer his assistance. “Anything I can help with?”

She looked up from the table and smiled. Drowned rat might have looked good before, but Nick practically came unglued when she smiled up at him with those dark mirrors dancing in the light and framed by her silky raven tresses. “Thanks… But I’m just waiting for the timer on the chicken.” As she straightened up, he watched as what appeared to be concern played over her face for a moment.

“What’s the matter?”

She bit down on the left corner of her bottom lip and frowned. “Well, I seem to have forgotten that Sandi took the other chairs when she moved out, and I only have the one.”

Nick could not believe what he heard, but he never meant to voice the comment that went flying out of his mouth. “Sandi lived here?! You’ve got to be kidding me!”

R.J. immediately went on the defensive. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

His embarrassment shone brightly on his face, but Nick held up his hands to show surrender and tried to explain, “Sorry, it’s just that I can’t imagine somebody like her making it even two days in such a cold and sterile space. It’s like the backroom at a museum or something.”

“Gee thanks!” When she started laughing at his explanation, he visibly relaxed just a little. “Do you really think the whole house looks like this?”

“Well, everything I’ve seen so far, outside of that tiny little nook over there.”

He could tell she was about to defend herself again when she was suddenly struck with an idea. “OH! There’s a chair in the office we can use.” She was about to hobble past him when Nick realized that she was not wearing any shoes on her feet, and was not entirely sure she was wearing either of her braces.

“Here…” He touched the top of her right forearm to stop her, but before she could protest, the timer on the oven went off. “You get the food, and tell me where the chair is. I’ll get it.”

R.J. gave him a careful stare for only a moment before she grinned a little and said, “Okay…this time. Down the hallway, second door on the left.”

As he started down the hall, she called after him, “And if you look in the first room on the left, you’ll see how Sandi was able to bear being in such an unfeeling and industrial environment.”

Nick shook his head as he made his way down the hall to find the chair. As he was about to pass the first door on the left, his curiosity got the better of him and he peeked around the open door. The room positively exuded softness with all of the pastels and some subtle earthtones. Nick was instantly struck with the very girly feel of the whole thing, and he knew without a doubt that Sandi had decorated the room herself.

Once his curiosity was placated, he returned his attention to the task at hand. However, as he looked up at the first painting on the wall he was overcome with the intensity of the landscape he found there. Looking around the hallway, he found several more absolutely amazing oil and acrylic paintings of different desertscapes. They were all breathtaking, but more than that they seemed to have a very unique perspective in each one. He found it difficult to pull himself away from them, but he tucked away a few questions about the paintings to slip into conversation later and finished his walk to the second room on the left.

The door was pulled closed, so he cautiously pushed it open. As he stepped through the doorway he was overcome with the sensation that he had just entered a different place and time. If he had not caught sight of the computer on the intricately inlaid, hardwood desk and hutch, he would have sworn that he had just stepped into an old Spanish mission structure. The walls were painted in the same color as the redstone of Sedona, the shelves appeared to match the desk (complete with their own pieces of inlaid design) and carried small pieces of handmade pottery. If Nick had ever wondered about her connection to the place that raised her, it was answered in crystal clear clarity by everything in that room.

When he heard her calling after him to see if he needed any help finding the chair, Nick realized just how long he had been gazing through the room. He quickly grabbed the guest chair by the door and made his way back to the kitchen.

As he exited the hall, he found R.J. just about to sit down, but she stopped as soon as she heard him. “Please… Go ahead and sit. No need to wait for me.”

He put the chair down in front of the open place setting and quickly took his seat. “Sorry about that, but I was a little mesmerized by the paintings in the hallway. Are they all one artist?”

She nodded her head and handed him the salad bowl. “Actually, yeah… That’s my Uncle Petey. He has a very unusual perspective in his paintings, and they always remind me of the way the valley looked to me when I was a little girl.”

“That’s it! I was trying to figure out what that perspective was doing for me. It was like looking through a child’s eyes at the wonder of the desert.” Nick piled some of the salad into his bowl as he shook his head at the revelation.

R.J. smiled at his conclusion and added, “Well, that would be one way to put it.”

Nick handed the salad back to her and said, “I don’t get it.”

“My Uncle Petey is my mother’s baby brother, in a lot of ways…” She carefully pulled the salad into her bowl with one hand, and then explained, “He was institutionalized for being feeble minded when Momma was a teenager. He’s basically just an overgrown ten year old. But he’s such a gentle soul that I can’t understand why anyone would have put him away.”

His face took on a solemn expression as he remembered his grandmother talking to him about a cousin with a similar fate. Shaking his head he replied, “Different times, I guess. They just didn’t know what we do about all that stuff. And what they didn’t know scared ‘em.”

“Yeah, when Momma was old enough, she petitioned the state to allow her to take custody of her brother. After their parent’s died she did everything she could to get him out of that place. Unfortunately, the state was not willing to let an unmarried college student have custody of anyone. So, when she started dating my Dad, she told him up front that if things got serious between them, she was going to be a package deal.” A smile finally peeked through the sadness.

“How’d your Dad react to that?” Nick knew that he was setting her up for a punchline, but he was enjoying it.

“He took her to the home where Uncle Petey was staying. Dad sat them both down and asked my uncle if it was okay that he married his big sister.” Nick laughed at her answer, and then she continued. “To Momma’s surprise, my uncle took it very seriously, and asked my Dad if he was gonna be able to take care of her like a husband was supposed to, and if he had at least fifty dollars in his pocket.”

“Why fifty dollars?”

She laughed at his question and explained, “He had just watched some movie that said it cost fifty dollars to get married, so he wanted to know if my Dad could afford it. Because Uncle Petey told him he couldn’t give him any money until he finished collecting his soda pop bottles at the end of the month.”

“That’s great…” Nick smiled from ear to ear, soaking in the warm feelings her story evoked in him. “That’s really a great story.” Even though Grissom claimed that you could learn a lot about a person from the books they read, Nick knew that you could tell even about a person by learning what kind of people they came from.

The rest of the dinner was filled with the normal topics of conversation, the fluff used to occupy the uncomfortable spaces of nervousness. When it was all said and done, Nick managed to win the argument that it was his responsibility to clean up the dishes. She fought as much as she thought was necessary to give him the impression that she was not giving in, but the fact was that she always hated doing the dishes, so she was glad for the help.

The only compromise he was willing to offer her was that she could find something for them to listen to by the time he was done. Carefully using her pedestal cane to make her way over to the hi-fi, R.J. did her best not to lose her balance or stumble. When she had been getting dressed earlier, she managed to break one of the buckles on her ankle brace, and so she was trying not to make an idiot of herself by falling over her own leg.

When she reached the turntable, R.J. lifted the lid and chuckled at the layer of dust she found there. It just reminded her how little time she spent at home ever since Sandi had moved out the year before. She never liked to admit it, but having her there was one of ways she had been able to cope with all of the other loneliness in her life. Just knowing that there was someone else around made it easier for her to be in the house she once shared with another.

She started flipping through the albums at the far end of the shelf to find something appropriate for the rest of their evening. R.J. took in a deep breath to clear her head and then blew it out in a rush. When she originally suggested the dinner, it was under the impression that Nick was most likely working over the weekend. But then he went and made arrangements to get the night off, and that was when her nervousness started to amplify.

While she truly enjoyed his company, and was extremely attracted to the man, R.J. was having a very difficult time dealing with the realities of a new relationship. She had been flying solo, on autopilot for so long, she was not entirely convinced she even understood what it was she was doing anymore.

As she withdrew an old Billie Holiday album from the shelf, R.J. decided to try something new; taking someone else’s advice. When she had let it slip to Sandi what she was to be doing that evening, the young woman told her to “Just relax and let whatever’s going to happen, happen.”

Just relax, and let it happen naturally. She spent her entire childhood listening to those same words. Her parents were always trying to get her to slow down, take things in stride, not force anything, and to relax. R.J. always met their advice with a snort and a stronger determination to achieve whatever goal it was they felt she was rushing at the time. However, after ten years of living on sheer will and focused on nothing but goals as the markers of her success and relative happiness, she began to understand what they were trying to teach her all those years ago.

Without a doubt in her mind, R.J. knew that her life was empty. She always felt that she had disappointed her parents with that fact; all the way to their graves. Her professional goals could be as weighty and important as she could have ever dreamed, and their successful achievement could shape the history of mankind, but the only thing her parents ever wanted for her was to be happy. In that respect, she felt like an unbelievable failure in their eyes.

Her body and her mind may have survived that horrible wreck, but her heart and soul had been sucked from her chest in a blinding instant of twisted metal and broken bones. After the accident, she used all of her energies to rebuild her body and prove to everyone that her will was stronger than their science. During those first six months of recovery, she never once considered the damage done to her heart. She simply ignored that reality, and with her back turned on it, it only grew into a hideous beast of a thing waiting for a vulnerable moment to pounce on her.

That moment came when she was finally able to return to the townhouse, alone. R.J. insisted to her parents that she would be fine, and that they should not change their own plans in order to follow her back to Nevada. As soon as the door was closed and the lights turned on, everything came crashing down around her.

With the darkness lifted, her eyes immediately focused on the worn and battered jean jacket near her hand. She drew in a sharp breath at the sight, but that was a mistake because she was standing close enough to smell the bubble gum he always kept in his pockets. Franticly scanning the article of clothing she found the tear in the left sleeve, where he had caught it on a barb while chasing her around the backside of the cabin after she had turned the hose on him.

Her heart began to pound in her chest and she needed to break away from the jacket to save herself. That was when she stumbled and fell to the floor. Her hand searched for the source of her fall and came into contact with Andy’s mud-covered hiking boots. Losing her balance and crashing into the floor became more than a physical act. She also lost her hold on that carefully controlled façade she used to keep everyone and everything at arm’s length. There was nothing left to protect her from the growling snarling beast of grief that smothered her in unbelievable pain.

It had taken several days before the tears began to dry up, and it was to be weeks before she spoke to another living soul. Her next move set the tone for the rest of her life; she went to work. Work would be the salve to all of her wounds. It would be the one thing she could always control. It was the one thing in which she would never find fault. It was the only thing she still had to connect with her past; her past with him.

As she stood in front of the hi-fi, she realized that for ten years she kept that promise, at the expense of everything else. She had been so lost in thought that she nearly fell over from fright when Nick hollered from the kitchen with a question about the dishwasher.

“What?” She really had no idea what he said when she hollered back from the library, but she was not prepared to face him just yet.

“Where’s your dishwasher liquid? It’s not under the sink.” Luckily for her, Nick had chosen to stay in the kitchen and call out his request.

“Inside the pantry door… Middle shelf.” She looked around her after setting the turntable arm to autoplay, and found that she had dropped the album cover onto the floor. When she precariously balanced the cane into her hip to reach down and retrieve the cover, a book came loose from the dusty section of the bookcase. If she was someone who believed in signs, that certainly would have been a big one.

Bringing the book up with her, she brushed off some of the dust with her twisted right hand to reveal a UNLV seal and the year; 1996. R.J. was mesmerized with the plain jacket of the yearbook. There was a sliver of paper sticking out from the pages, and without thinking, she slowly opened the book to that page. She was instantly met with all of the ghosts from her past.

The page she found was a feature piece on her research team, complete with pictures. Staring back at her was someone she no longer recognized; herself… Her old self. When the slip of paper began to slide down the page, she finally broke her gaze from the spectre of a life lost to find the handwritten note.

Hey Docs!

Thanks for letting us hang out with your crew to get this silly PR piece done for the Dean. We had a real blast at the site and the camp!

Here’s hoping the survey is done before we graduate and we’ll get to do the follow-up.

Thanks Again!

-The Media Major Monkeys

Between the music drowning out any other sound from the small, enclosed space, and being lost in her thoughts, R.J. failed to notice the approaching footsteps of the other inhabitant of the house.

His voice was once again the source of her sudden fright. “I haven’t heard this one in y-” As he turned the corner of the cases, the book fell to the floor with a thud and Nick instantly saw her startled expression. “Sorry about that… I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” His smile beamed throughout the tiny alcove. “Let me get that for you.”

When he leaned over to retrieve the fallen book, he looked at the cover and immediately recognized it as a yearbook. “Uh-oh… Are you tryin’ to hide the evidence here? Embarrassin’ pictures of you with a face full of braces? Or maybe a picture of you in the A/V club in high school?”

R.J. sucked in a quick breath and tried to regain her composure. “Don’t be silly… I didn’t even go to high school.”

Nick handed her the book, hoping to use it as a gesture of faith, he winked at her and asked, “Don’t tell me…another one who just skipped straight to college, right?”

She was grateful for the change of subject. “Not hardly! No, I was too much of a trouble maker, so my folks had me work with tutors while we traveled around the world for my father’s work.”

“Ah-ha… So, this isn’t a new thing for you, huh?” He punctuated his comment once again with a wink.

“Something like that.”

There was a pregnant pause in the conversation, and Nick looked around them nervously, as he tried to figure out the logistics of the space.

R.J. must have picked up on his discomfort and tilted her head toward the sofa. “It’s a little claustrophobic in here if you aren’t sitting on the couch.”

His smile came out automatically. “After you.” Nick was rewarded for his gesture by the first real smile from R.J. since dinner.

He waited for her to carefully take a seat on the big sofa and once again he noticed that the brace she normally wore on her ankle was missing. His curiosity got the better of him and he asked, “So, are you tryin’ to prove a point, or somethin’?”

Following his pointed finger to her bare ankle, R.J. blushed for a moment and then took in a deep breath. “Not exactly… More like, I shouldn’t try to get dressed in such a hurry, unless I enjoy breaking the buckles on my brace.”

“Oh man…” Nick looked around in a futile attempt to spot the offending item in question. “Is it beyond hope? ‘Cause I could take a-”

“It’s fine… I’ll just get it fixed at PT on Monday. And I have a spare around here somewhere.” Her hand grazed over the cover of the book once more and drew his attention away from her ankle.

“All right.” Fidgeting in his seat, Nick desperately tried to think of a way to turn things back around. “So, was there somethin’ in there you wanted to show me?”

Her grip on the book tightened at his question, and he was suddenly very sorry that he had asked. “Look, I wasn’t try-”

“No… It’s okay.” She tried to shake some of the nervousness as she spoke, “I just hadn’t looked at this in a very long time. I think I was trying to forget about it.”

“What is it?” One day, Nick thought, I’m gonna learn how to keep my curiosity in check, before it really gets me into trouble.

“The last picture that was ever taken of me.” She quickly corrected herself, “Other than my driver’s license and passport photos, that is.”

Slowly, she began to open the book, as she continued, “The Dean wanted to have some promotional stuff done about the project, so he sent a couple of communications majors out to the site for a week.” R.J. looked away from the book for a moment and explained, “See, we used to take crews out there for one and two week sessions when we were gathering data. While the data was being processed, I taught on campus. It worked really well. With a ton of kids, we could get several weeks’ worth of data in one session.” She finally had the book open to the right page and held it out for Nick to see.

He leaned over for a closer look as she went on. “It was the last session I ran before we finished the first phase of the park survey. It was the last one before the accident.”

Barely a glance at the page gave him a small piece of her life, captured in time. Her hair was much longer, and tied back in a thick braid. She wore shorts and a sleeveless camp shirt, but the thing that struck him most was the broad, unguarded smile on her face. It was obvious that the picture was taken in the middle of a laugh, with her head thrown back just a little to expose her neck to view. His breath caught in his throat as Nick realized that he knew that expression.

Nick looked up from the page and sought out her eyes. “I don’t even know who that person in the picture is anymore.” There was a pain in her voice that nearly broke his heart. “I can’t even fathom that I was ever that person.” With her words, a tear tumbled its way down her cheek, but Nick brought his right hand up to catch it with the thumb he stroked along her jaw.

Shaking his head, he took the book from her grasp with the other hand and rebuffed her conclusion, “You’re wrong.”

Her eyes shot up to meet his with a profound confusion playing over her face. “You are that person, R.J.… And I can prove it.” Nick took his hand away from her cheek and reached into his pocket.

He took in a deep breath and brought his wallet around into full view. “I’ve been carrying this around with me since that first weekend out at the cabin. Everybody was just kind of wakin’ up and millin’ around that Saturday, and I’d gotten up with the dawn. I was usin’ the quiet to get off a few pictures of the camp. Ever since the first time I saw the cabin, I was just so overcome with the beauty of the whole place. And I was just tryin’ to take a still of the cabin and the shadowed area beside it when I caught some movement at the end of the porch, so I zoomed in.” Nick opened the wallet and paused as he drew in another deep breath. “When I got the camera focused in, I was-… It was like I was forced to snap that picture to capture the moment. I just had to have that picture.”

With the air caught in his lungs, Nick pulled the picture from his wallet and gazed on it for a moment before he turned it around and passed it to her. She held his gaze for a while as she stalled, before finally looking down at the photo. R.J. found herself staring at her own image. She was standing on the edge of the porch with her right hand being held up to tuck the hair behind her ear, and from the small flash of fiery hair in the corner of the picture she had to conclude that she had just laughed at something being said by Sandi as the picture was taken. It was eerily similar to the picture from the yearbook, and it forced all of the air out of her lungs. However, the words she was about to hear would prove far more difficult to breathe through.

She looked back up into Nick’s eyes as he sighed, “It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I was afraid it might be my only chance to ever see that look on your face.” He squeezed his eyes shut tight and said, “I haven’t been able to let go of that picture ever since. I never wanted to forget such a perfect moment. A moment that showed me…anything is possible, if you’re just willing to try hard enough.”

When he opened his eyes again, he turned slightly to share her gaze completely. He could see the confusion in her face and knew what he had to do. He leaned forward and gently touched the right side her face with his fingertips. As she leaned into his tender touch, her eyes fell closed and he suddenly felt like everything had finally fallen into place for him.

With his lips hovering over hers he whispered, “I’m willing, Roxanne.” Her frightened eyes flew open with his words as she struggled to come to terms with the meaning behind them.

Seeing her search for something to say, Nick waited patiently for her to find a way.

As she worked to come up with a way to voice her thoughts, R.J. pressed her forehead into his for support and for some kind of connection to him. “I-I’m-” R.J. swallowed hard and fought to find the words. “I… I’m scared.” Nick closed his eyes because of the pain dripping from each of those hard fought words. The vulnerability she showed him in that moment opened his heart to her completely. He wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in his arms and keep her safe from ever experiencing pain like that again.

His mind began to search for the right words to express his emotions, but there was nothing to rival what he felt in that moment. When his own eyes started to fill with unshed tears, he did the only thing that felt right; he kissed her. Gently, tenderly, and filled with as much promise as he could muster, he kissed her lips in reverence and with hope.

If there was ever any doubt in Nick’s mind before, it was completely wiped away when she not only accepted his gesture, but returned it. Their first kiss was more than a milestone, it was the thing dreams were made of, and the kisses that followed were always sweet, but this was a completely different realm of kissing. It felt as though he was promising her the world without saying a word, and she accepted each of his offerings, all the while supplying her own covenants to him.

Words became meaningless after that, and Nick knew that if he was ever going to have the ability to express the way he felt, he had to demonstrate it. As his left hand cupped her cheek and held her close for the kiss, his right slowly moved from her shoulder to slide down her back. His fingers splayed to take in as much of her as they could, and he danced them over the expanse of her back.

Lost in his own motions, Nick was almost startled when her left hand came up to grasp the back of his neck and helped to draw him further into the kiss. But when she twisted around on the sofa to face him, he was ready to take the kiss to a deeper level. When he thrust his tongue past her lips, he was delighted to find her welcome to the intrusion as her tongue began to writhe in unison with his. It quickly became a dance of decadent pleasure shared between two people, but it was the feel of her right hand pressed into his thigh for some leverage that made Nick lose control for a moment as he practically captured all of the air from her lungs with the depth of the kiss.

When their lips finally parted, they both gasped for every breath of air they could muster in a short span of time. Nick recovered first, and started to explore other areas with his heated lips. First item on the menu was the left side of her face, as he kissed his way across it to reach the space behind her ear. As he ran his tongue along the back of the ear’s shell, he could feel her hot breath escaping into the crook of his neck where she tried to kiss him.

Once his curiosity for that side was satisfied, Nick pulled back and out of her reach to flash R.J. a dangerous smile as he moved to the other side of her neck. Switching his hands, he brought the right up to rest below her ear on left side of her neck, while the left hand took pleasure in stroking along her back as his lips descended along her hairline to the right side of her neck. When he began to drag his lips across the underside of her jaw Nick felt a distinct, but reserved flinch from R.J. and it stopped him in his tracks.

Careful not to leave her head unsupported, he continued to hold her at the nape when he looked up into her eyes to ask, “Did I hurt you?”

He nervously watched as she breathlessly bit down on her bottom lip. “Not rea-”

He pulled back further in a panic. “I’m sorry, I just got a little carried aw-”

R.J. brought the fingers of her left hand up to cover his mouth. “I’m fine.” She did her best to pour every ounce of sincerity into her words as she explained, “It’s just…I-I’m a-a little…worried.” She took her hand from his mouth and leaned forward to press her cheek into his as she avoided looking him in the eye when she admitted, “This is all kind of new to me.”

Nick sat there for a few moments as he let those words sink into his mind. When they had filtered through his overwrought brain he held her away from him and asked, “You aren’t saying you’ve never-”

“God no,” she laughed. “No, no… It’s just-…” He could see that she was struggling with what she had to say, but he was at a loss about how to help her, and so he waited. “It’s been a…long time.”

When it finally dawned on him what she had been trying to tell him, his eyes widened and he reached down to bring her lowered gaze back to meet his. “No one?”

He watched as she clicked her jaw from side to side and then shook her head very briefly. Nick heaved a huge sigh, drew her into his arms, and held her to his chest. After a few moments, he brushed the hair away from the left side of her face and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Well, then I guess that means I’m not the only one nervous here.” He was relieved when he felt her chuckling into his chest.

She looked up from his chest and said, “I’m sorry, I ju-” That time it was his turn to silence her with a finger to her lips.

“No apologies. We just need to relax…and see what happens.” He gave her one of his most tender smiles, hoping to relax them both in such a tense moment.

However, he was not prepared for her to sit up from his embrace and smile back at him with a sparkle in her eyes that sent jolts of electricity coursing through his body. “That sounds like fantastic advice.” Between the surprise at her move, and the magnitude of the kiss she laid on his mouth, Nick was thrown backwards into the arm of the couch with R.J. resting over his chest.

Fortunately, he was quick to catch on, and to catch up. Nick began to run his hands up and down her back, alternately, doing his best to reach every inch. With each pass, they drifted lower and lower, until his right hand rested over the swell of her ass when his left arm wrapped around her shoulders. In one gentle motion, and with her attention diverted by squeezing her cheeks, he managed to spin them around until she was flat on her back beneath him.

Nick lifted up on his arms to hover over her with an almost predatory glint in his eyes as he gathered up enough breath for his next move. Dropping down to rest on his elbows, he began an assault on her neck as he felt her hands run over his back. He was careful to keep nearly all of his weight off of her, with one leg on the floor while the other knelt beside her legs on the sofa.

When he found a white line peeking out from the collar of her shirt, Nick paused just long enough to focus on the object. Running from the right side of her neck, and vanishing below the shirt on her shoulder, he finally came into direct contact with the evidence of her past. To his surprise, he found himself intrigued by the sight, and set out to explore the phenomenon, with his lips.

He followed the path of the scar down her neck with supple kisses until he reached the barrier of her shirt. His curiosity was not satisfied yet, and so he reached up to pull the fabric away. The skin felt thin under his kisses, but it was also more taut than he imagined. As he pressed his lips along the pale and slightly raised flesh he tried to imagine what his own scars might feel like. While they were no match to the few that he managed to catch a glimpse of on her body, they were still there; constant reminders to him of the horrific events in his life.

The feel of her fingers tickling through the bristly hair at the nape of his neck interrupted any further exploration as a chill ran through his spine with the contact. He returned his mouth to hers for another deep and pleading kiss. Nick was amazed by the way her eyes lit up even more when they kissed, and he found himself fighting to keep his eyes open every time, just to see the glimmer in those darkened pools.

His next assault was guided by the pull of her left hand on his neck, which sent him down along the left side of her jaw to the ear. As he kissed the space below her ear, his nose was buried in her hair and he inhaled through it to fill his nostrils with her scent; berries and something that instantly reminded him of the timberline. When he exhaled the delicious scent, it came out like a heady sigh. Everything about her was intoxicating, and Nick struggled to maintain his control.

The control slipped further from his grasp when he felt her hot breath over his left ear, just before she drew the lobe into her velvety soft lips. But when she pulled it in over her teeth and touched it to her tongue, he grunted from the intense sensations that simple action created in his body. Nick found himself panting into each kiss he trailed down her neck. For someone who had suggested that they relax and take things as they came, he was finding it increasingly difficult to follow his own advice, as he fought his baser desires. In that moment, with the heat from their bodies pouring into the space between them, Nick knew one thing for certain; he wanted her, all of her. But, when he nudged her shirt to the side, he was sure that he felt her tense, just a little, and it made him question if it was the right thing.

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, he forced himself to straighten his arms and push away from her so that he could see her eyes when he spoke. After several heaving breaths, he opened his eyes to find an equally overwrought beauty below his gaze. It was a struggle to keep from simply diving into her arms and forgetting about everything else, but he was just not that kind of guy, and he never could be.

Before he could find the words to explain himself, R.J. reached up with her left hand and stroked the side of his face. His eyes closed for a moment and he reveled in the feel of her skin touching his, and then she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Nick shook his head and explained, “Nothing… I just-… I don’t want to rush you, if yo-… If you’re not ready, I’ll underst-” The guilt he saw well up in her eyes made the words stick in his throat. The last thing he wanted was to cause her any pain, but that was exactly what his doubt had done. Nick could not bear to look her in the eye any longer, and he hung his head in shame. “I’m sorry… I jus-”

It was her turn to bring his gaze back to hers as she pulled his chin up. He watched as a tear fell from her eye, and right as he was about to speak again, she stopped him with a subtle shake of her head. “That’s not it.” He gave her a puzzled look as he tried to process the meaning behind her words. “I want this…” She sighed and sank further into the sofa as her chest fell with the exhaled air. “God, do I want this.”

In any other frame of mind, Nick would have chuckled at her exasperated admission, but as it was he was glued to every syllable that fell from her lips.

“It’s just not easy…knowing that you can…” He watched as she drew in first one and then two breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Nick had no idea what could be so difficult for her to tell him, but he was filled with a need to take as much of the pain from her that he could. He reached up and brushed some of the hair from her face with his left hand, and as he tried to tuck it behind her ear he noticed it again; she flinched.

At first, he thought he might have hurt her with the gesture, but when he watched her draw the locks of hair back down around that side of her face he finally understood. “Don’t.” Her eyes instantly shot to his at the sound of his voice. He pushed the hair back again and leaned down to kiss the barely visible scar that ran along her jaw. “I don’t care about that…” He stopped himself, and then looked her in the eyes when he started again, “No, I do care about it, because it reminds me what an incredible person you are, but I don’t think it defines you, or that it takes away from the fact that you are a beautiful woman.” He could see in her eyes that she was not entirely convinced and he tried to think of some way to prove her wrong.

Nick reared up and rested on his knee when the idea struck him. He reached for the hem of his sweater and pulled the whole thing straight over his head, revealing his own slightly marred body. There were pencil thin lines on his arms to show where he had been shoved through a second story window, but the small raised dots and circles completely covering body told the most gruesome story.

He took her right hand and pressed it into the small surgical scar on his chest as he leaned back down to her. “They had to dig out a mess of fire ants that managed to burrow into a cut I’d gotten when I had to shoot out a light in the box I was being kept in.” She drew in a sharp breath with his explanation. “The rest were just regular bites, but they’ve mostly faded now.” He stopped when she began to trail the fingers of her left hand up along the scar from the big gash on his right arm. “That was from a picture window somebody decided I should be thrown through.” He gave her a cautious smile when he added, “Course, the knock I took to the head was probably the worst part. But I’ve been told it might’ve knocked a little sense into me, so it was most likely worth it.” Her timid smirk was his reward for revealing to her the comedy of errors that his life had been.

With his hand covering her right hand as he pressed it tighter into his chest he explained, “These scars…they’re just the reminders of the things in our past that we’ve overcome. They aren’t who we are, and they certainly don’t make us any less than we are just because of them.”

Nick leaned over her once more and kissed her tenderly on the lips before he sat back up and brought her with him. “And when you’re ready… We can try this ag-”

Once again, he found her fingers pressed over his mouth to silence his words. She held his face between her hands and then said, “I can’t promise you I won’t be a little awkward at first, but I can promise you that I want this.” She kissed him on the mouth, searing his lips with the heat that she fed into the act before slowly pulling away and adding, “I really want this, Nick… I want you.”

The fire that she stirred within him as she stared straight into his eyes was more than enough to convince him, but as he lunged forward to capture her mouth, she stopped him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she whispered into his ear, “Just not here…” He pulled away suddenly to look into her eyes when she finished. “End of the hall.”

She was about to push off from the couch when a bright and broad smile spread over Nick’s face as understanding finally filtered through his brain. With a speed and grace that he was not aware he possessed, Nick managed to capture her in his arms and lift her up into the air, as he stood up from the sofa. Her surprised yelp was silenced by his lips as he chanced one more kiss before maneuvering them both out of the library nook.

R.J. wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on, as Nick swiftly carried her through the house. He was stunned to find that he enjoyed feeling the weight of her in his arms, the way she gripped his neck and shoulders, and the delicate touch of her warm breath over his skin. But he found that the most satisfying aspect was the simple fact that she never so much as batted an eye when he had lifted her up into his arms.

As they reached the door at the end of the hall, she smiled timidly and he was unable to resist kissing that smile. When she returned the kiss he turned to the side and nudged the door open with his shoulder.

Nick had expected to find a pitch black room, so he was not surprised when R.J. reached out for the switch. However, what he had not expected was to be completely blown away once the lights came on. It felt like she had just lit a few dozen candles with the flip of a switch, because the light in the room was so unbelievably soft, and the effect was amazingly enhanced by the deep chocolate brown paint on the walls.

After he had stood speechless for a while, R.J. leaned into his ear and softly reminded him, “I told you it wasn’t all cold.”

An embarrassed smile turned one corner of his mouth and he turned his head to look her in the eyes. “Point taken.”

He moved toward the big four poster bed and carefully came up on it with one knee before he gently lay her down. Nick followed her down to the mattress and nuzzled into the crook of her neck to kiss at the skin there. He continued to hold himself over her on his arms as he worked his lips around her collarbone.

The feel of her fingers running over his head, through the short hair, and tickling at the tiny hairs on the back of his neck made him close his eyes against the little tendrils of excitement it sent coursing through him. And when she ran her right hand over the outside of his arm, the heat from her touch made it hard for him to stay balanced above her.

Bringing his head back up from her neck to look her in the eyes, he tried to figure out another way to attack the problem. He worried about leaving any of his weight on her, but he was also desperate to explore her body. As he worked out the mechanics in his head, staring down at the space between them, R.J. reached out with her left hand to rest alongside his neck. A slightly sinister smile played at the corner of her mouth and she breathed, “If a Mack truck couldn’t do it, I really don’t think you pose a threat.”

That time he could not help but chuckle as he hung his head in shame. His cheeks were hot with embarrassment when he hesitantly looked back up. “I just don’t want to h-”

“We’ll figure it out, but we can’t both be afraid here.” She took his chin in her grasp and held up his gaze when she added, “Otherwise it’s liable to take all weekend. And at this rate, we’d spontaneously combust before anything good happened.”

Those were the perfect words to finally break through Nick’s nervousness. He fell onto his side next to her in the bed and laughed as he rolled over onto his back. “No kidding!”

She rolled up onto her side to look at him as she laid her left hand on his chest. “Just to clear the air… I have a weak right side, and that knee is pretty much useless without the brace. Other than that, I’m made out of more titanium than porcelain, so I promise, I won’t break.”

He closed his eyes when he felt her fingers as they started to trace a circle around the scar on his chest. Relishing in the feeling of her touch, Nick sighed with the contact, however he became a little lost when he suddenly felt her hair brush over his chest as she leaned over to kiss the raised mark in his flesh. When she pulled back, she let out a tiny giggle and said, “Just don’t expect any gymnastics.”

Nick rolled back onto his side and propped his head on his left hand. “Just so long as you can accept that I can’t stop worryin’ about it…” He ran his right hand down the length of her arm and explained, “Because I know that it’s not as simple as you’re tryin’ to make it sound.” His hand made its way back up her arm before it dipped down over her shoulder to rest on her neck. She nodded in agreement and Nick leaned toward her to seal their deal with a kiss.

As the kiss deepened, Nick felt her hand move to his side and pull him closer. When he tried to do the same thing, his knee made contact with something hard and metal. R.J. immediately turned away from him to her other side, completely mortified. Instead of getting tense about the situation, Nick simply reached out for her right arm and gently pulled her back to him.

He laid a kiss into the center of her palm and brought it up to his cheek. “Help me.”

At first she looked confused by his words, but it quickly made sense to her and she shyly smiled at his request. “The pant leg has a Velcro seam.”

His screwed up grin met her admission, and before he sat up, Nick kissed her sweetly. Sitting up on his knees, he smiled and then reached for the seam of her pant leg. It took him a moment to figure out where it began, but once he did it was an easy task to separate the seam.

With the leg finally exposed, he instantly realized just how much that simple brace did to keep her walking. It had a fully functional joint at the knee, and a series of straps running along the rails on either side of her leg, with a form fitted plastic sleeve around the lower leg. He took a moment to marvel at the efforts R.J. went to in order to survive in the world, and then he went to work removing each of the straps.

As he was taking the various straps off of the brace, R.J. leaned forward and propped herself up on her left arm. Nick smiled back at her, just to let her know that everything really was fine with him. When the last strap was undone, he tried to figure out how to remove the brace with that sleeve at the end. Just as he was about to ask her for advice, Nick found the fastener for what he thought was a plastic sheath. It was actually two pieces of plastic sandwiched around her lower leg bones, with a layer of foam on the inside. Once it was free from her leg, he gently placed it on the bench at the foot of the bed.

Returning his attention to the exposed leg, Nick was unable to resist reaching out to run his fingers over the tender, battered and scarred flesh. He could trace over the many surgical scars, but the ones that he found himself drawn to were far less smooth. The jagged, raised and discolored patches of skin all over her right leg were hard to miss, and even harder to forget. He dragged the backs of his fingers over the torn flesh until he could no longer resist.

Lowering his head, Nick’s lips found the worst of the scars as he kissed the rendered flesh. He wanted to draw whatever pain there might have been away with the touch of his lips to the skin on her leg, but instead he felt her shudder at the contact as he moved to the space above her knee.

When R.J. rolled back onto her side, he crawled his way back up alongside her body until he was once again resting beside her. His hand immediately moved to twine in her hair as he drew her into a kiss. The deeper the kiss became, the closer he wanted to be to her. The need quickly became too much for him, and yet he was still unsure about using any of his weight on her.

The solution came to his mind as her hand ran up his side again. In a flash, he took her into his arms and rolled them over until she was resting on his chest. Without missing a beat, she used the new position to begin an assault on his neck with her mouth. Nick sucked a breath in through his teeth when he felt her tongue running behind his ear.

As she continued to kiss and lap at his neck, his hands began to freely roam over her back. When Nick’s hand brushed over the waistband of her pants, he brought the other one inside of it to pull her shirttails out. Before long, he had the shirt pulled all the way out, and he began to bring his hands up under the shirt to make contact with the bare skin beneath it.

He felt her suck in a breath with that first contact of his hands all over her bare back, and it made him smile. By the time she reached his collarbone with her lips, Nick had managed to work one hand around to the front in order to start on the buttons of her shirt. With the other hand, he trailed down her spine until he found her pants again, and then he moved it over them to find his target. He squeezed her ass and made her back arch just enough for R.J. to grind her hips into him, causing him to groan at the contact.

Bringing her mouth back to his ear, R.J. panted, “Might be easier if we switched places.”

Her words made Nick release a deep sigh, and he moved to wrap his arms around her, bringing her down into his body. He stayed that way for a few moments before he whispered, “I don-… I’m scared.”

R.J. laid her left hand on his cheek and moved her head to kiss the other cheek. “I promise… I’ll let you know if I get even a little worried.”

Several heart beats, and a few deep breaths later, Nick finally had the courage to nod his head in agreement. Slowly, as he kissed into the crook of her neck, he rolled them back to their sides. R.J. kissed his cheek one more time and then continued to roll over to her back. Nick sighed and then leaned up on one arm as he reached in to kiss along her collarbone. With his other hand he went back to work on the buttons of her shirt. From that angle, he was able to make better progress and his kisses trailed down lower, following the edge of her bra. By the time his lips reached the space between her breasts, he had finished with the last button of her shirt.

He raised his head as he dropped the shirt to either side of her torso and his eyes drank in the sight of so much skin bared to him. His chest tightened with all that his gaze beheld, and the deeper meaning behind it all. But when he felt her left hand tug on his arm, Nick looked up into R.J.’s eyes to see something even more captivating than her body; he saw her unbelievable desire.

Any fear that remained was burned away by the fire he found in her eyes and he moved his body over hers. He still kept most of his weight from her, but he managed to cover her body with his without becoming uncomfortable. Nick pushed the hair away from her face and dipped down to capture her mouth in a rapturous kiss that left them both breathless and sent their hearts racing.

The flames burning in his blood took over at that point and he started to drag his lips down the length of her neck, stopping only to slide his tongue over her jugular and into the dip where her collarbones met above the sternum. Her strangled whimper told him that he should continue the path he had already started.

His lips once again found the space between her breasts, but this time his fingers came up to release the clasp of the bra to give him even more access. The feeling of release caused R.J. to arch up into him just enough to make Nick reach out to grasp her at the sides. Holding her in place, he began to drag his cheek up along the inside of the right breast until he felt the bud of her nipple grazing his skin. Once he felt the superheated bit of flesh, he quickly replaced his cheek with his lips and he began to tease the nub into a hardened peak. Satisfied with her aroused whimpers and his work, he repeated the process on the left one, to equal satisfaction.

He looked up to see that R.J.’s head was thrown back and it exposed her angular throat. It was a beautiful sight and brought a delighted grin to his face. It also gave him the courage to try his next move.

With his tongue, he began to trace the outline of her nipple and then he blew a tiny bit of air over the pebbled flesh. The slight moan that his ministrations elicited from her throat was enough to send his blood boiling. When he could wait no longer, he sucked a tender and aroused bud into his lips. After a few passes with that technique, he felt her hips rolling with her arousal and it drew his attention to other pursuits.

Once again his lips set out to explore more of her skin, but this time they made their way down over her stomach until they reached the navel and the top of her pants. His hands then trailed down from her sides to skirt the edge of her waistband as Nick nibbled at her navel. He quickly popped the button of her pants, and then slowly brought the zipper down to the end.

Nick had to shut his eyes when her scent filled his nostrils as he began to drag R.J.’s pants down over her hips. He tried counting by sevens when he felt the pressure in his own pants increase as the smell of her arousal flooded his senses. When she rolled her hips to help him remove the pants, it only increased the strength of the aroma. Subconsciously, Nick licked at his lips as he drew the pants the rest of the way down her legs.

Reaching down, he ran his hand up along the inside of her left leg, reveling in the feel of her skin against his. He rolled the hand over to the top of her thigh and around her hip. When Nick slipped his fingers beneath the band of her panties he felt her hand on his head. He looked up the length of her body until he found her face and smiled.

He moved back up her body to offer his reassurance, and along the way he stopped to kiss at her breast once more. But when he brought his lips back to hers for a loving kiss, he found her arms wrapping tightly around his back which made him lose his balance and crash into her body. Before he could worry about the implications of that act, she began to run her hands all over his body while her mouth worked to draw the breath from his lungs with a powerful kiss.

By the time he could grasp what had happened, R.J. had managed to unfasten his jeans and had done a pretty good job of pushing them down his hips. Once he realized what she was trying to accomplish, he moved to help her by raising himself up and then worked to shrug out of the denim. But he was frozen in place when she reached into his briefs to wrap her hand around his already swollen member. Unprepared for the sensation, Nick was unable to verbalize anything, and the grunt that erupted from his throat surprised them both.

For a while after that, everything seemed to happen in a blur. The rest of their clothes seemed to disappear into thin air. Wherever the clothes went to, a condom seemed to appear from. Before he truly understood how they had gotten there Nick was covering her body with his completely while he pushed her dampened hair away from her face as he looked deeply into her eyes. From so close, he could see the tiny flecks of brown as they danced around the edges of her irises. He watched as a bead of perspiration trickled down along her hairline. Nick did everything he could to remember that exact moment; exactly the way she looked, the way she smelled and the way she felt beneath him.

R.J. reached up and kissed him sweetly as her hands drifted down over his ass. He knew she was ready, but he just wanted to drag it out as much as he could. When he felt her left hand begin to slide over his hip, he knew that she was done waiting. He quickly brought his right hand down to stay hers before he moved his own between them.

Slowly, he guided himself into her, his eyes closed against the sensations flooding his body and soul in the moment of their union. He gradually slid in, leaving plenty of time to adjust for both of them. It was almost painful, but it was important for him to take his time.

He felt her right hand as it slid up to the middle of his back, but it was the feel of the fingers of her left hand pressing into his cheek as she gripped his ass that made him grit his teeth. The intensity of the act was already taking its toll on the both of them and he was still entering her.

When he was in far enough, he moved his right hand down along her hip and ran it down to the back of her knee. Slowly, he raised her leg along the side of his and helped her to wrap it around the back of his thigh. He then slipped both of his arms under her shoulders and kept himself propped up on his elbows.

In one more act of tenderness, Nick peppered her lips with soft kisses that he then began to trail along her jaw until he was able to nuzzle into her neck. When he felt her left leg squeeze him a little tighter, he sank into her fully, drawing a gasp from her throat and a guttural groan from his.

He felt as though they had joined fully with that complete thrust and it caused a pulse to begin in his groin. That pulse compelled him to move within her walls, and he soon found that they were moving together in an increasing rhythm. It quickly became difficult to tell where he ended and she began with their bodies rocking in perfect synchronicity. Her hips rolled through each thrust and repost, working to keep as much of him with her as possible.

Before long, the friction of their bodies and their actions created a slick sheen of sweat to form over them, and served only to make the act even more seamless. They held to each other as much as they could, their breathing became shallow and followed the same rhythm as their coupling.

His heart wanted it to last forever, but his body warned him that the end was near as he began to pick up the speed of his thrusts. Nick wanted to warn her as well, but he had gone beyond the power of speech. Instead, he panted into her ear, and hoped that she would understand. When he felt her right arm as it moved up to wrap around his shoulders at the same time that her left dug into his hip as she tried to grip him tighter he knew that she was also nearing the end. However, he was not completely prepared for what that meant.

When her walls began to clamp down around him in a series of powerful spasms, his mind practically exploded with the force of a star going supernova. It also kicked his thrusts into high gear, and before he knew what had happened, he found himself pounding into her until he discovered something brighter than the explosion of a star; the entire universe going out in a single blast as he finally released into her with a scream that could have brought the heavens down around them.

It took a few minutes before he was able get the oxygen to stay in his lungs long enough to enable him to move again. Once he had a few of his wits about him, he made the move to take care of business as quickly as possible before he returned to the bed.

Tucking her neatly into his arms as they lay on their sides, he drew the covers over them before they both drifted off into a desperately needed state of slumber. Nick held her close to him as he pulled her hair back out of the way, and then he laid his head down beside hers. He could tell from her slow and even breathing that she had already slipped into dreamland. He smiled and sighed into her neck as he craned his down to kiss her shoulder. The last thing he did as he too drifted off to slumber was to offer his prayer into the ether. “God… I love this woman.”

Chapter 53

21:00 – 2007.02.25

CSI Lab

It was shaping up to be great night in the lab as Stephanie took the elevator up from the morgue. She had an armful of final reports to deliver, and for the first time in months she had not spent any of her weekend at the office. It had taken some doing, but she and Doc Robbins finally put together a halfway decent weekend and float staff for the morgue. As her hand moved down to rest on her ever growing belly, she smiled, “And just in time, too.” Stephanie was starting to feel the drain of carrying two extra little beings around with her everyday, so she was very happy that they finally solved the staffing issues in the morgue.

When the elevator doors opened to let her out onto the main level, Stephanie stepped through the door and was instantly spotted by the over-exuberant receptionist. “Dr. O’Halleran! How are you tonight?” The smiling little woman quickly rounded the corner of her reception desk, leaving a confused A/V tech standing in her wake.

“I’m doing just fine, Judy. How about you?” Stephanie always tried to turn the focus away from herself, but Judy was never dissuaded by the tactic.

“Oh, just fine…” Once the diminutive woman reached her, she immediately had her hands on either side of Stephanie’s slightly protruding belly. “And how are these precious angels doing tonight?”

“They’re taking turns with the hiccups today, but other than that, we’re all doing just fine.” As if on cue, the baby on the left started up with another round of hiccups.

“Oooooo… Isn’t that just precious?!” Stephanie held the reports away from the action and just shook her head at the woman’s reaction.

Having returned to his wits, Archie approached the pair and chuckled softly at the scene before him. “Hey, Doc… You got anything for Sanders in that stack?”

Stephanie smiled at his attempt to break her loose. “When did you become his messenger service?”

“Since he took over my lab on some attempted abduction case over the weekend. Poor guy’s been going through about sixty hours of surveillance footage since last night.” She handed off Greg’s report and waved to him as he headed down the hall in the direction of the A/V lab.

It took several more minutes of conversation before she was finally able to get away from Judy. However, when the phones eventually began to ring, the vibrant woman was forced to abandon her hostage. Over the past few weeks, Stephanie discovered that there were three basic categories of people one encountered while pregnant. The first were those like Judy; always touching her belly without invitation and with no understanding about when a request for information was out of line or too personal. The second group of people was comprised of those who were excited for her, but who never seemed quite sure what to say or do when she was around. And the last group seemed to view her as a warning post and did everything they could to not be near her. Unfortunately, most people around the lab seemed to fall into that first group.

As she passed by the DNA Lab, Wendy hung out of the doorway. “Hey Lady! Did you hear the news?”

“Which? That Catherine’s finally gonna get that new GCMS in here, or that Hodge’s managed to finally get a date without using his credit card?” There was one thing the pregnancy had not changed at all, and that was her sarcasm.

“Nice!” Wendy laughed and shook her head. “No… I just heard from Neeley, she’s coming out here for her Spring break next month.”

“Well, that’s great. I know Sara was upset that she didn’t get a chance to meet her, and Catherine wanted another shot at signing her up for the summer internship.” Stephanie nodded at the information.

Wendy gestured for her to come into the lab as she looked around to see who was listening. Stephanie, instantly intrigued by her behavior, stepped inside to find out the impetus for the cloak and dagger act.

When the DNA tech closed the door, Stephanie really knew something was up. “Hey… Sara’s not here, or I’d get her to talk to him.” Wendy looked around once more to avoid prying eyes. “Nick’s a real mess. He should be all happy, since he’s getting out of babysitting duty as of tonight, but he looks like he hasn’t slept in days, and I swear I don’t think his face could get any longer.”

After a few moments of trying to figure out if she was kidding, Stephanie shook away the cobwebs that this new information covered her mind with and said, “What the hell happened?”

“I have no idea, that’s why I’m asking you to talk to him. I know you guys have gotten kinda close and-”

“No… I just-…” Stephanie stopped herself and knew that it would take far too long to explain her confusion than it would to just agree to her request and move on. “Look, I’ll talk to him. But don’t expect a report.”

Wendy held her hands up and replied, “Not looking for one… I just hate seeing the guy look like that, and I figured you could help him out.”

Stephanie left the DNA Lab in less of a good mood than she when entered it. After her dinner with Sandi and David Friday night, she was sure things were finally looking up for the long suffering Texan. News of the big dinner between him and the Doc was a welcome treat, and Sandi had been so sure that everything was on track for the two. And after the news of Neeley’s next visit, she was sure Nick’s sudden change of mood had nothing to do with family, so that left only one thing.

She walked into the Break Room just as everyone was congratulating Mel on making it past her probationary period. “Well, looks like I’ve got good timing.” All heads turned to see her as she stood in the doorway, and the moment she saw Nick’s tired and worn face, Stephanie knew that it had to be bad.

“Hey, Mama… How’s it runnin’ tonight?” Warrick instantly came up to Stephanie and took the reports from her, before he leaned in to give her a quick hug. She was used to the attention from the normally standoffish man ever since the time he spent living with her and her husband. He and Thomas had become as close to brothers as was possible, and he was probably just as excited about the babies as anyone else. However, she was surprised when he held still for a moment longer and whispered into her ear, “Talk to our boy for me.” When he pulled back she gave him a quick nod and then looked around the room for the others.

“I actually had a whole weekend to myself, and all the reports were waiting for me when I came in, so I decided to celebrate and bring them up myself.” Her eyes eventually landed on Mel and smiled, “But I hear there’s some other celebrating being done up here tonight.”

“Yeah… They finally decided to let me roll without my training wheels.” She hazarded a quick glance over at the dark cloud in the room before turning back to Stephanie.

“Well, we’re glad to have you on the team, Mel.” Stephanie looked over at Nick, who, to his credit was trying to look happy for the woman, but who also seemed to be nothing short of miserable. “And now that I have done my job, I will leave all of you to yours.”

She walked to the door under a chorus of goodnights and thanks, but she stopped short of actually leaving the room. Stephanie looked back and called to Nick, “Hey, Cowboy… When you get a chance, come and see me. I need to go over a case with you tonight.” He nodded his head and she smiled back at him.

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The traffic fatality had done a good job of taking up all of her conscious thought for most of the shift. There was nothing sadder than a teenager, with her whole life ahead of her, sitting in a coroner’s drawer because of a stupid mistake.

As she closed the drawer on the mangled body of the unfortunate youth from the drunk driving crash, she wondered if that was what her parents thought of when they worried about her in college at such a young age. They were always very explicit about their willingness to pick her up from anywhere, regardless of the time, as long as it meant she got home safely. Stephanie made a mental note to follow the same course with her own children, since it had been so effective for her.

When she looked down at her watch, Stephanie realized that she made it nearly halfway through her shift without hearing even a peep from Nick. She turned to go to her office and page him when she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of the ghost in her doorway.

Her metal clipboard clattered to the floor in her fright. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Nick!” She clutched at her chest and heaved a few breaths to calm down. “Don’t you know better than to scare a pregnant woman like that?”

Her question seemed to pierce through the fog in his mind and he lurched forward to retrieve her clipboard. “I’m sorry… Really… I jus-” The words died in his throat as he stood up to hand it to her. The moment she made eye contact with him, she could see the pain his gaze held.

She reached out to lay a hand on his forearm to comfort him and said, “You’re okay, this time…” She placed a hand over the right side of her belly and smirked, “Besides, I think you might’ve even cured the little parasite’s hiccups.”

He looked confused. “Hiccups?”

“Yeah… One of those little joys. The fetus’ll sometimes get little hiccups as the digestive system is developing. It wouldn’t be so bad, but they seem to be taking turns. Makes it really fun when I’m trying to sleep.” Stephanie gestured with her head for him to follow her into the office.

“So, what’ve you got in the box?” She pointed at the small decorative box he held in his right hand.

Nick looked down at his hand, as though he had forgotten that he was holding something. “Oh! Umm… My mother sent cookies. Said they were good for dealing with those cravings, and they have a lot of fiber. Whatever that’s about.” Nick handed the box over to her and she set it down on her desk for a closer inspection.

As she lifted the lid, her face lit up with delight. “These look like oatmeal cookies… With chocolate chips.”

“Yeah, she doesn’t use a lot of sugar in those, but a lot of cinnamon and other spices, plus whole oats. And believe it or not, they actually taste really good. Momma always hated us eating a bunch of junk, so she only made semi-healthy cookies.” Nick shrugged as he sat down in the guest chair.

“I’ll have to send her a thank you.” She grabbed one of the cookies from the box and plopped a piece into her mouth. “Oooo… These are awesome!” She struggled with the crumbs as they tried to fall from the corner of her mouth when she spoke.

“Didn’t your mother teach you not to talk with your mouth full?” It was the first real sign of life Stephanie detected from the sullen CSI.

“She tried, but there was only so much she could do.” She managed to get a tiny chuckle from him with her retort.

He waited for her to finish chewing the cookie, but Stephanie could tell he was stalling. “So, which case are we talkin’ about?”

She leaned back in her chair for a moment, and then carefully stood up. He followed her path with his eyes as she moved over to the couch and propped up her legs. “Sorry, we’ve reached the swollen ankles portion a little sooner than I was hoping.” Stephanie patted the other end of the sofa for him to join her. “Come on… Don’t make me act like a slacker all by myself.”

Begrudgingly, Nick got up and moved to the sofa. She could tell that he was quickly catching on to her ploy. “Is this like a last meal for the dyin’ man?”

“Nah, just trying to soften you up before I go in for the kill.” She winked at him as he sat down on the couch and said, “Sorry, but I was raised by a teacher and a cop… You don’t get out of that without learning how to interrogate with the best of them.”

“So… What am I in for?” Nick leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he ran his hands over his head.

“Well… Apparently I was elected, in some secret meeting, to be the one to ask you what the hell is wrong.” She reached over and put a hand on his shoulder when she added, “I guess they figured you wouldn’t go off on the pregnant chick.”

He huffed at her joke, but he still kept his focus away from her.

“What happened, Nick?” He shook his head and offered no verbal answer. “Okay… Didn’t you have a date with the Doc over the weekend?”

Nick nodded his head once, but continued to keep his silence.

“All right… We can do this all night, if you want, or you can just tell me what’s got you looking like the end of the world is taking a bite out of your ass. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll start talking, buddy.” She waited for him to look up, but he remained frozen in place.

Just as she was about to launch into another round of questions, he spoke. He spoke in the smallest voice she ever heard, and Stephanie had to ask him to repeat himself. “She’s in D.C.”

Her face scrunched up into a question mark, and she wondered why that was such a big deal. “Okay… And that’s why-” She was stopped when he growled so loud and deep that the windows in her office rattled.

He threw his head back and slumped into the couch. “She went to D.C… Left me a note and took off. No goodbye, no explanation, no nothin’… She just left.”

Stephanie was beginning to get a clearer picture, but the details were still terribly fuzzy. “So, she drops a note off with you and takes off?”

“Not exactly…” He closed his eyes and then said, “She left it on the nightstand...at her place.”

“Whoa! Let’s back this train of thought up a few tracks… Nightstand? Her place?” Nick’s face filled with a faint trace of blush and Stephanie knew there was a hell of a lot more to the story. “All right, Stokes… Start explaining.”

“Obviously you knew about the dinner… Sandi?” Nick turned his head to see her nod and then went back to staring at the ceiling. “I should’ve known.” He blew out a sharp breath and continued. “It was…amazing. The whole thing. The dinner, her place, the library, the paintings, the office… It was perfect.”

“Okay… Sounds great, so far.”

“It was better than that… I was able to connect to her in a way I’ve never connected to anyone else, ever. God! I even talked about the abduction!” Stephanie knew from her conversations with Sara and Warrick that Nick never talked about that episode in his life, so this was a serious revelation. “I even showed her the picture.” He was shaking his head in defeat as she watched him sink further into the couch.

“Picture?” At her question, he reached into his pocket and pulled the photo out of his wallet to hand to Stephanie.

When she looked at the picture, she instantly recognized the cantankerous professor, though she looked nothing like she did the day she first walked into the morgue. Here she was laughing; her face lit up. Stephanie held it out for Nick and asked, “How-”

“I took it that first weekend I spent out there… I haven’t been able to part with it ever since.” That revelation forced all of the air out of her lungs in a rush. “It was perfect, Steph… The whole thing…” He paused as he thought about the night and shrugged. “We had it all, and it was the most amazing experience of my life. But I guess I was the only one who felt that way.”

“What do you mean?”

Nick was silent for a while, and when Stephanie looked over at him, she watched a single tear as it fell from his cheek. “When I woke up in the morning… She was gone.” Nick cringed at the memory, but went on, “All I got was a note beside the bed on the nightstand. It just said, ‘Had to leave for D.C., don’t know when I’ll be back. Later, R.J.’” He closed his eyes, as though reading the note in his mind again. “That was it.”

“Wow…” Stephanie was at a loss for anything that she could say.

“Yeah… I have the most unbelievable night of my entire life, connect with someone on a level I didn’t think I was even capable of, and she walks out like it meant nothin’…” He expelled a full chest full of air and then turned to her to ask, “You think this is my punishment for all those girls I never called back?” Stephanie could tell that he was trying to be funny, but she was still reeling from what had happened to him.

“Nick… I don’t know what to say, but I do know that you deserve a lot more than that.”

His sigh was the only thing heard for a few minutes. His voice was the next. “You wanna know the really funny part?” He waited for Stephanie to acknowledge his question. When she only stared blankly, he answered his own query, “I still love her.” He shook his head with a resignation Stephanie had never witnessed in him. “I just wish I could have told her that…” His last words faded out as he spoke them, but she was pretty sure that he said, “when she was awake.”

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David slipped past the office unseen and found a little niche in the back hallway of the morgue to hide while he furiously dialed the phone. He kept watch for anyone entering the area as he waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up. The moment he heard the familiar greeting, he cautiously whispered, “I think I know why she took off… And it’s way worse than we thought… You better be sitting down for this one.”

Chapter 54

16:30 – 2007.03.01

Metrocenter – Las Vegas Metropolitan PD & Clark County Sheriff Offices

Grissom slowly made his way through the maze of offices and cubicles that comprised the Metrocenter building. All throughout his tenure with the Las Vegas Crime Lab, he never enjoyed being in the building, but this would be his last expedition through the catacombs that made up the Metrocenter offices, so his face bore the evidence of his pleasant mood.

He nodded and smiled at each person who took notice of his journey through the building. It felt strange to be so happy about ending his career, but he knew that it was the right thing to do. He had given a lifetime of service as a forensics investigator, and he more than earned the right to live the rest of his life as he saw fit.

It was that thought which produced the smile that currently resided on his face as he continued on his path to the sheriff’s office to break the bad news. And it was that smile which seemed to fade as he watched Nick walk toward him as he spoke angrily into the cell phone.

“No, I don’t want to leave another message… I’ll just leave the same one. Please ask her to call Nick, as soon as possible. Yes, that’s all… Yes, I’m sure she knows the number… Thank you.” He closed up the phone with an agitated snap just as he was about to plow right into Grissom.

He stopped just short of the collision and struggled to gather his wits about him. “Well, you are either very late into a shift, or starting very early,” Grissom noted as he checked his watch to be sure of the time.

“Neither… Well, it’s not-” Nick closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. It was obvious he was attempting to hide his problems from his former boss and mentor. “I had court… And I stopped by after to pick up the evidence from the ADA.”

Grissom decided to give the younger man a break, and went along with the dodge. “Ah yes… Good plan. Those ADA’s are always losing the evidence they scream and holler for us to acquire.”

“Yeah…” Nick found it hard to keep up the front. He just did not have the heart to follow through with the lie.

“Yes…” Grissom looked at his watch again and said, “I have an appointment with the firing squad. So, I’ll let you get out of here. I’m sure you’ll want to get a little sleep before your shift.”

“Warrick told me to take the night off, so I’ll just be hangin’ out. But thanks.” Nick was about to turn and walk away when he offered, “Good luck in there.”

“Thank you.” Grissom suddenly came upon an idea for how to draw the young man out. “Actually, since you have the night off, maybe you can do me a favor.”

Nick looked back at the older man with a little hope. “Ah, yeah, sure.”

“I have a date with the poker table at Brass’, and Sara will be home by herself tonight. If you could call and see if she wants to grab a bite, or something…I would greatly appreciate it.” Grissom knew that Nick would never fully open up to him, but Sara was always able to get at the problem with minimal effort. Of course, after the entire night shift had contacted them over the course of the week expressing their concerns for the sullen and troubled man, he knew someone had to reach out to him.

“Yeah, sure… I can do that.” Neither of them were fooled by the ploy, but they both went along with it in order to save face for the other.

Grissom watched the younger man walk away. As soon as he was out of voice range, he flipped open his phone. “And a fine hello to you, too… No, I understand, but I wanted to warn you… Well, I ran into a very long faced Texan, and I convinced him that you needed some company tonight… Yes… Not yet… I’ll be walking in there shortly… Yes, dear… I promise… Not too much smiling… No, I will not do anything to make things harder for Catherine… Okay… Love you, too… Love you, too.” He closed the phone with a beaming smile that took a few more moments to fade sufficiently enough for him to proceed to his meeting.

Upon reaching the door to the Sheriff’s outer office, Grissom took a deep breath, removed all emotion from his face, and prepared for the worst. When he opened the door, he found it; Conrad Ecklie.

“Gil.” The rancor in the inflection of the man’s voice as he spoke his name could not have been any clearer than if he spat the word in his direction.

“Good afternoon, Conrad.” He nodded at the sheriff’s administrative assistant and then moved to take a seat in the reception area. “I hope this meeting wasn’t too disruptive for you.”

The insipid little man gave a curt snort, but Gil was fully aware that Ecklie had been digging around to find out about his possible employment status since he first mentioned the leave of absence.

Before anymore could be said, Catherine walked into the outer office, after Under-Sheriff McKeen opened the door for her. They were already engaged in a conversation as they entered, “Well, with this new grant, I can’t see why we couldn’t upgrade all of the outdated equipment, but I also want to be sure we make allowances for some additional support staff.”

“That’s the way it should be, Catherine.” They both quieted their conversation when they became aware of the two men waiting in the office. “Conrad, Gil… Did we get the time wrong?” Jeff McKeen innocently looked to Catherine for an answer, even though they were both fully aware of the meeting particulars.

The sheriff chose that moment to enter the reception area from his private office. “No… Right on time as usual, Jeff.” The man turned to regard Catherine and greeted her, “Catherine, glad you could make the time.” His glance then fell onto the other men in the room. “Conrad, thank you for coming in… Gil…” He tilted his head and said, “This is your dog and pony show, shall we get started?”

Gil simply nodded. “Of course, Ben.”

The sheriff held out a hand to gesture for everyone to enter the office as he stepped to the side. Catherine was the first one in, thanks to the old school mentality of the men in her present company. Once inside the private office, everyone moved to an available seat, though they all waited until she had taken hers, before they finally sat down.

Once comfortable, Grissom looked up to find four pairs of eyes staring back at him. The tension in the room was so thick that he doubted even a chainsaw could cut through it and emerge unscathed. When he received a nod from the sheriff, he cleared his throat and prepared to drop the bomb.

“Just to clear the air first… Ben and I had a meeting this morning, and he felt that it was important we present this to everyone, in order to avoid any miscommunication.” Conrad Ecklie visibly shifted in his seat, glaring at everyone in the room, but the majority of his hostility was directed at Grissom.

“As you are aware, I chose to take an extended leave of absence, in part to clear my head after a very tumultuous year. However, there was an additional reason for my need to free myself from the tensions and strains of the lab. Over the last few years, I have grown increasingly unhappy with the current climate in forensic investigations. It has transformed from a realm of practical science and objective analysis of the evidence to one of political maneuverings and subjective manipulation of the truth.” Grissom looked directly at Ecklie as he spoke those words, which earned him a look of acrimonious fury.

“Truth be told, the only reason I have lasted as long as I have is because I simply didn’t believe there was anything else out there for me. That has proven to be a faulty assumption on my part, in more ways than I could have ever hoped.” When he looked in Catherine’s direction, he could see the glassy reflection from her eyes. Grissom felt comfortable in the knowledge that Catherine was equally happy with his decisions in recent months. And if he had been the least bit worried about her opinions on the matter, her declaration following a shared dinner over the weekend washed all of his doubts completely away. She had stood up at the table and offered that in all the years of their friendship she finally felt like he had his head screwed on straight. Catherine never was one to mince words.

“As such, when I was approached by the Dean at UNLV with the prospect of forming a graduate program in forensic science, I began to seriously consider a return to the world of academia.” He heaved a sigh and explained, “In recent years, training and instruction have become disposable in municipal forensics, and are often met with the decree that there simply wasn’t room in the budget for making certain that our people were properly trained. It became an individual’s burden to further their education and training. With these practices running rampant throughout the system, it has furthered my conviction that our scholastic programs are in dire need of overhauling, if we are to continue to have properly trained and prepared investigators for the future of forensic science to remain viable.”

Grissom scanned the room for their general feeling and then delivered the bad news. “So, I will be making my leave of absence the transition into my retirement from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. The work I have done throughout my career has put me in the position I now find myself, and I sincerely believe that it is time for me to move on. I will be taking the position with UNLV, in addition to an At Large Fellowship in Entomology with the Jeffersonian.”

There was only a moment of silence before it was violently destroyed. “You pompous, self-righteous son of a bitch!” Conrad Ecklie was quite obviously unhappy.

Rising to his feet, Conrad turned to the sheriff as he pointed an accusatory finger at Grissom and declared, “He planned this all along! He set this whole goddamned thing up from the very beginning!”

Catherine did her best to chew back the smirk that threatened to envelope her face as Conrad lost it. His attention shifted to her and he exclaimed, “You knew about this, too… Didn’t you?!” He did not wait for her to answer before he launched into another tirade, “Don’t even try to deny it! You two have been working against me this whole time!”

Finally, having taken all of Ecklie’s hissy fit that he could stand, the under-sheriff stood up and flatly said, “That’s enough, Ecklie!” He turned to get a nod of approval from the sheriff before he continued. Upon receiving it, he turned to Grissom and offered, “Gil… Thank you for letting us know about your decision before the end of your leave. And we will do our best to keep the lab progressing in the direction you have worked so hard to bring it. I’ll have HR give you a call to discuss all of the particulars of your transitioning out of the position.” Grissom nodded his head in understanding. “I hope you will allow us to celebrate your years of service to the lab, before you are officially gone.”

“Thank you, Jeff. I have already promised my wife that I would not slip away into the darkness, so yes…I would be honored.” Grissom gave Catherine a quick glance when he noticed that her struggle to contain her smirk had been lost.

Catherine cleared her throat, as she fought against the laughter being stirred in her gut. “Gil… I have one request… On behalf of the lab.” He nodded and she asked, “As the pre-eminent expert in entomology in this region… May we still call on you for the occasional consult?”

“Of course, Catherine. I could never deny such a request…” He gave an amused look to the sheriff and added, “Besides, I think my wife would make my life a little difficult if I even tried.”

“Quite right, Gil…” The sheriff stood and walked toward him. “I’ve already thanked you once today, but just to be clear…” He held his hand out to Gil and said, “Thank you for everything you’ve done. Without you this lab would be a far cry from the level it has been lifted to since your arrival. And I have personally and professionally benefited from your extensive and prestigious work over the years.”

“Thank you, Ben. I have been very proud of the things I was able to accomplish as a part of this lab.” Grissom nodded politely to everyone assembled, but it was obvious that Conrad was not happy.

The sheriff glanced in Ecklie’s direction and then asked, “If you don’t mind… I think we have some work to do.”

“Thank you all for your time.” Grissom turned to exit the room, as Catherine excused herself for a moment to walk him out before he left the reception area.

“Best performance, ever… Oscar worthy.” She gave him a pat on the shoulder and a quick peck on the cheek for good measure.

When the door closed behind her, several stern voices leaked through the walls. “Thanks, Cath…but I really think you want to be in there for that.” His sarcastically raised brow brought a smile to her face and she simply shook her head before heading back into the office.

Once inside the office, Catherine was immediately thrust into the melee when Ecklie made his accusation. “And you! You’ve known about this all along! You probably planned this with that arrogant bastard from the start. Anything to get your little boy toy int-”

“ENOUGH!” Even the sheriff had finally taken all he could stand from the ranting and raving Conrad Ecklie.

Conrad looked practically stricken with the sheriff’s rebuff. “Ben… He set this whole thing up.”

“Then thank God for Gil Grissom.” The sheriff moved to sit behind his desk, as Catherine and McKeen moved to the guest chairs, which left Ecklie out of the loop. “If he hadn’t, we’d have been left with a political, ethical and logistical mine field to negotiate. By not announcing his retirement until now, his departure never affected the lab rankings. Plus, we weren’t forced to completely re-staff a shift, and play a serious gamble that a green crew could pull it off. Having Brown in place during several high profile cases as the interim supervisor, while still improving in the rankings with all of the hard work being done by Xiang and his day shift crew, we should be able to not only move back up into the top five, but we could actually be as high as number three.”

Conrad was not ready to give in quite so easily. “Fine… Then who are we going to get to replace Grissom? We already spent the discretionary budget getting Xiang in here.”

McKeen spoke up first, “My recommendation would be to promote Brown to the full supervisor’s position. He’s more than proven himself during the interim assignment, and that country club case alone was enough to garner him some serious accolades throughout the entire legal system in Nevada. He’s received honors for his work with reconstruction theories, and his re-creation analysis procedure has become SOP throughout the forensic investigative community.”

With his mouth open to protest the recommendation, Ecklie was stopped cold when the sheriff agreed. “With that decided… What should we do with the swing shift position?”

Catherine immediately offered her analysis of the situation before anything else could be said. “Blake Reynolds is the likely choice. He has the seniority, the experience and he’s been getting his feet wet on the administrative end of things. I believe that the swing shift spot is the perfect match for him. He’s not our strongest investigator, but he’s good with the staff, and he’s a real wiz on the administrative side of things. We all know that the swing shift isn’t much more than a shuffle job; making sure that cases are moved around to the appropriate shifts, and keeping all the paperwork in order.”

“Then we’re settled… Brown will take Graves, Reynolds will phase into the Swings spot, and Catherine…” The sheriff made a few notes on a pad and then looked up again. “That leaves you with finding two more CSI’s to fill in the gaps. And both will need to be Level Three’s to make up the difference.”

She nodded and then asked, “So, this means we’ll move Sibley to the Swings second lead, and Stokes on Graves?”

Just as the sheriff was about to agree, Ecklie started up again. “Ben, you have to know that this is a rigged game. You can’t possibly think Stokes is stable enough to handle the second lead. Even Grissom didn’t think he was ready!”

The sheriff sat back in his chair and pondered that thought for a few moments before he started to shake his head. “If you had asked me a few months ago, I would have agreed with you. But from what I’ve seen of this young man in the time since then, I think he’s evolved into a very capable investigator, and has done a fantastic job with training that new girl on Graves, as well as working very well with the DA’s office to get convictions on every case he’s pulled in the last two months.” He looked directly at McKeen when he asked, “A hundred percent conviction rate in the last sixty plus days, isn’t it, Jeff?”

“That’s correct. He also managed to help us get back into the good graces of the folks in the science department at UNLV with the work he did with their head of geology.” McKeen was practically smiling when he finished his answer.

“Then it’s settled… Catherine, go ahead and put out the call for those positions, and get the paperwork for the promotions to my office by the end of the week.” Burdick went back to some of his own paperwork as the two stood to exit.

Catherine stopped as a thought occurred to her and then asked, “How would you like to handle the announcement of Grissom’s retirement?”

He shrugged and then simply said, “The three of you can handle that… I’ll make my speech at the retirement party. And Catherine… I’ll leave the party details to you. I have it on good authority that your parties are legendary.”

The two left the office and Conrad Ecklie behind. Neither one was interested in the temper tantrum he was about to throw. When McKeen held the main door open for Catherine to exit out into the Vegas sun he finally said, “I’ll give you four to one, Ecklie’ll be lucky to get away from that little fit without a suspension.”

“I never bet against a sure thing.” They laughed all the way to their cars.

Chapter 57

18:30 – 2007.03.03

Offices of the Environmental Protection Agency; Washington, D.C.

It had been a very long and excruciatingly exhausting week, and she had no one to blame but herself. As she trudged through the corridors of the EPA offices on her spare crutch, she cursed her idiocy once more. The least she could have done was to get a rental scooter, or better yet, to have taken the time to get the spare brace for her ankle. As a spike of pain shot up her left leg, she decided that maybe it was for the best after all. She needed something to distract her from the more excruciating pain of why she was there in the first place.

She spent an entire week filling out mindless requests for information (something she normally left to the administrative staff), and pouring through report after report of nearly everything that had been released by the EPA in the last year. Anything and everything she could find to appear as though there was a purpose for her being in the D.C. office. The truth was, beyond a mindless day of testimony in a federal court case the following week, she really had no business in town at all.

The thought crossed her mind that she should have gone to visit with her uncle in Arizona, but Uncle Petey inherited the same knack for knowing when she was hurting just like her mother. And the last thing she wanted was for someone to ask her what the problem was, not when she was pretty much in the dark about it herself.

After the first two days of mindless busy work, she began to question her true motivations, but there was always another phone call to remind her why she came; why she ran. At first, she just wanted the calls to stop, for it all to fade away, but when the calls did stop earlier that day, she felt an ache more powerful than she could have ever imagined.

Her voicemail message had been an attempt to distance herself from the issue, and anyone else who might want to bother her in the process. Unfortunately, it only caused her desk phone to ring off the hook. When she stopped answering that phone too, the receptionists became irate. Eventually when that became a losing battle, she flipped on the out-of-the-office assistant on her phone and went back to her condo. The last thing she needed was to have the entire EPA aware of her personal problems.

Before long, the four walls of her tiny condo became too much to bear and she decided to head back to the office to pick up some notes that she could go over before she was due in court on Monday. It was after hours on a Friday, so she was fairly certain there would not be a single soul left in the building. Normally, she would have simply gone in early to review her notes before going to court, but this was a criminal proceeding in federal court, so she wanted to have the information perfect in her mind. It was only luck that it might also serve to distract her mind over the weekend.

As she hobbled along the sidewalk to the front doors of the building she tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but her mind continued to wander. It kept wandering back to her townhouse exactly one week before. It wandered to a shared meal. But more times than not, it wandered to the memories of the most amazing night she would never have again.

When she stopped to retrieve her keys, she also reached up and wiped the wayward tear from her cheek. With the keys in her hand while leaning on the crutch at her side, she began to struggle with the heavy glass door. But thankfully, the security guard in the lobby saw her fighting with it. Otherwise, she would have been stuck out in the foul weather that had descended upon the city.

It was unseasonably cold in the District for the first week in March, which did not bode well for the Cherry Blossom Festival. As soon as she thought about the festival she wondered if she could hold out that long. She never liked staying in the city for very long, but it had one benefit that she could not deny; there were no memories to haunt her in D.C.

Finally reaching the doors to her section of the offices, R.J. leaned heavily against the wall and pulled the security card out of her briefcase. Whenever she was in D.C. she remembered why she had gotten that scooter in the first place; walking that much was just so draining.

Once inside the offices, she slowly limped down the hall to her private office. As soon as she opened the door and flipped on a single light, she saw the stack of messages piled on the end of her desk. She never realized just how many calls she fielded in a week until everything had been reduced to those little slips of pink paper, taunting her with their urgency and questions.

With a grunt, she dropped her briefcase onto the desk and picked up the slips of paper to begin sorting through them. When she got to the end of the stack, she checked back through them without really knowing what she was looking for. Not until her third pass through the messages did she realize that she desperately wanted to see that same repetitive message with the number that was permanently etched into her memory. Preoccupied with her failure to find that name and number, she released a heavy sigh and dropped the slips onto the desk, completely unaware of the silent figure seated behind her in the dim light of the room.

“Hoping someone else would call?” The voice that came out of the darkness nearly made R.J.’s heart leap right out of her chest. She spun around at the sound to find a man in her office. “Probably would have if you hadn’t made it so damned hard to get a hold of you.”

He leaned forward and once the light caught his face she instantly recognized his bearded face. “Jesus Jack! Have you lost your fucking mind?!” Her gasping breath immediately followed her scream.

“Not yet…” He clenched his jaw tightly before he finished his answer. “But it feels like I’ve lost a friend… Unless you’ve got a damn good reason for being in town this long without talking to me.”

The guilt immediately welled up in her chest when she heard the accusation in her friend’s tone. “Jack… It’s n-…” She slumped back into her desk and hung her head. “How’d you find out I was here?” R.J. first tried to answer her own question, “Sandi called you, didn’t she?”

“No… I called her, and I can tell you that it was not a good conversation.” Jack stood up from his seat and immediately crossed his arms over his chest. “I still can’t believe neither of you let me know what was going on.” He walked up to R.J., and would not let her continue to look away. “I tried calling you so we could set up a dinner for next week, since I knew you had plans to be in town. When I couldn’t get through, care of your wonderfully informative message, I figured you were hiding out at the cabin.”

She shook her head once she understood who had told him where she was at. “Danny?”

“Yeah…Danny.” He took her hand and led R.J. to the couch where they both sat down. “What’s going on, R.J.? You’ve got everybody worried about you, and Sandi is convinced you’ve gone off the deep end.”

“I can’t believe she talked to you.” She futilely tried to deflect his attention.

“I wouldn’t exactly call her a willing accomplice. In fact, I got a lot more out of that fiancé of hers, and that’s not saying a whole lot.” He leaned back into the couch and sighed. “Which reminds me…after that whole conversation, I think I might owe them a really great wedding present.”

“What did you do?”

“I’ve picked up a few things from all that work with the FBI… So, I managed to needle some information out of them.” R.J. tensed at his explanation, and began to wonder exactly how much he knew.

“About?”

“About you being an incredible ass.” She cringed at his answer. “And I’m being kind. Tell me what’s going on.”

“What…are you my shrink now?”

“Ha! Like you’ve ever seen a shrink.” Jack turned into the couch and faced her dead on. “Not that I think it would’ve helped. You’re too damned stubborn for anything like that to work.” He chuckled to himself a little, “Reminds me of somebody else I know, but anyway… What’s going on with you?”

“I honestly don’t know anymore.” She fell back into the couch and looked up at the ceiling.

“Let’s pretend we’re back in college, and we’ll just talk this through until it either makes perfect sense, or until we have to get to class in the morning.” Jack attempted to get a chuckle out her, but instead, she only sighed.

“It doesn’t matter now anyway… What’s done is done.” The defeat in her tone was enough to make his heart constrict.

“Oh wow… I never thought I’d see the day.” Jack leaned his head into the arm propped up on the back of the couch. “What the hell happened?”

Her silence was the only thing to meet his question. He allowed her to remain quiet for a while longer, but his anger and frustration began to show on his face as he waited. He had foolishly believed that the worst of the accident aftermath was behind them, but seeing her pained expression told him that it was doggedly hanging around.

In their youth, he had befriended the stars of the graduate student roster while he was still an undergrad. R.J. and Andy had been shining lights in the sea of dark and foreboding personalities of the science department. He was instantly drawn to them, and they became fast friends. There were some nights where he never made it back to the dorms, instead they would stay up all night talking through theories, and philosophy, and any of a handful of other off the wall topics that would enter their conversations.

Over the years, they became more like his family than the people who shared his bloodline. And to his surprise, they knew him better than he ever realized, since they had known about his family legacy long before he felt comfortable enough to tell them, but simply ignored it. Their relationship was the only simple thing in his life, and he treasured them both dearly.

That was what made the whole thing that much more heartbreaking. He was devastated when R.J.’s parents called him to tell him about the accident, and he nearly lost it when he learned of Andy’s death. However, he was overjoyed when they told him their daughter had survived. The R.J. he knew would come through that tragedy and blow them all away. And in that respect, he was proven right. Physically, she had come through the ordeal with flying colors, having broken every limitation they tried to give her.

At first, he thought she was doing well with the recovery. However, after he began hearing about her abrasive behavior through the grapevine, he realized she might need a little more attention. But when he got the first call to come bail her out, he knew she was not handling the emotional part of the recovery very well at all. They talked from time to time, but it was never the same. They were still friends, but she was no longer that bright shining light he used to know.

This latest development was further proof that she was not the woman he once knew. The R.J. he knew would never let anything get away from her without a fight. The R.J. he knew would never run and hide from anything or anyone. Everything in front of him was a horrible reminder that the R.J. he knew had died a long time ago.

“I’ve been denying it for a long time, but I guess I really did lose two friends on that highway.” The look she gave him cut straight into his heart, but he pushed forward in order to make his point. “The only thing I can be grateful for is that Andy isn’t here to see what you’ve become. This would’ve killed him.”

“That’s not fair, Jack.”

“I wasn’t trying to be. I’ve got Danny calling me with this great news a few weeks back. Tells me that he hasn’t seen you smiling that much since before the accident. Says you cancelled on a dinner with him because you had plans. He even goes on about some guy you’ve had out at the cabin a few times. This all sounds like great stuff, and I’m thinking, ‘Hey, she’s finally getting her shit together.’ And then less than a week later, I find this cryptic voicemail.” Jack paused to take a deep breath before he continued, “At first, I was hopeful, thinking that maybe you took off to the cabin with this guy and you’re out having a good time. So, I called Danny to get the good word, and instead I find out you’re here, and haven’t so much as sent me an email. And now… Now I’m here to get answers. Sandi’s not talking, Danny’s worried sick, and nobody’s been able to talk to you in a week.”

Once again he was met with her silence, but he was no longer in the mood for it. “Damnit Roxanne! Start talking!”

He watched as the wall finally disintegrated and she began to scream, “What the hell do you want me to say?! You want me to tell you that my life sucks. That all I do is work, and it takes everything I have just to make it through every fucking day. Or how about that it’s been ten years since I’ve felt anything but pain, and that when I did finally feel something it scared me so bad that I ran as fast as I could without any thought, or logic to what the hell I was doing… Is that what you want to hear? Well, then fine! I’ve been reduced to a raging bitch with no life and no hope of ever finding one… Happy now?!”

Jack watched as her whole body began to tremble the moment the last word rocketed from her mouth. It had been a lot of years since the last time he witnessed that kind of reaction from her, but at least it gave him a little hope. “Do you really think it makes me happy to see my friend hurting this bad?” He reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. “I just want to help.”

She crumpled under the weight of her outburst and his touch. “You’re too late… There’s nothing left.” The tears started flow and the sobs followed shortly after.

Jack scooted across the couch and wrapped his arms around her just before she completely collapsed. “Aw, man… Come on… Just let it out. Let it all out.” He was never very good at dealing with that kind of intense emotion, but their friendship was very important to him.

It took several minutes before her sobbing began to calm. When he felt it was appropriate, Jack reached in and pulled the hair away from her face as he tried to get her attention. “Now, what’s this crap about it being too late? This from the woman who wrote most of her master’s thesis in the twenty four hours before she had to submit it… You know better than I do that it’s never too late.”

She chuffed at the thought. “Trust me… After what I’ve done, it’s too late.”

He mulled over everything he knew about the situation, put together a few things from what she had already said, and then realized that it all fit together. “Okay… So, let me see if all the abuse I’ve taken in the last couple years has paid off. You met this guy… The cowboy with the bad hair, according to Danny.” He was nearly certain that he felt her chuckle just a little. “And I’m gonna bet this is the same guy you were complaining about at Christmas… The conceited, condescending, overgrown frat boy, if I remember correctly.” He chuckled at the memory. “Which is funny, since we were totally joking about how we thought you were only that mad, because you had the hots for the poor guy.” She sat up instantly and fixed him with an incredulous glare. “What?”

“I can’t believe you said that!”

He shrugged and gave her an innocent looking smirk with those puppy dog eyes. “Well… It’s obviously true.” The blush that quickly rose in her cheeks confirmed his assumption. “So, where was I? Oh yeah…you were busy trying to keep the sexy cowboy cop away, but he wasn’t buying it.” Jack waggled his eyebrows at her and she blushed again. “At some point, I’m guessing you just kind of wore down, or maybe you let your guard down for just a second. Just long enough for all those trees to get out your way, so you could see that huge friggin’ forest you were standing in, and he was the lumberjack. Am I getting close?” Jack sat back a little into the couch with a smug look planted firmly on his face.

“I wouldn’t want to stop you now… Keep going.” He could tell that she was a little more relaxed, and that helped him to continue.

“Okay… So, this burly hunk of man flesh is there, and you’re still trying to figure out why, I bet. Because obviously you’ve never looked in a mirror, which still amazes me. Anyway, you’ve got this guy following you around like a lost puppy, picking up any crumbs you’re willing to offer him, but when it starts to get a little bit serious, you freak out.” When he looked into her eyes, he could see that his attempt to lighten the mood might have gone too far. He had not intended to hurt her with his analysis, but he needed to get her to actually talk. “That’s about right, huh?”

A dark cloud passed over her face and she replied, “Maybe a little more accurate than I’d like.”

Laying his arm over her shoulders, he brought her head to lean into him and said, “Yeah, well, at least it’s progress.”

“How do you figure?”

“This is an actual relationship with another human being… Normally, I’m just paying for lawyers to keep you from getting sent to Club Fed because you made another senator cry.” That time she really did laugh at his joke. Unfortunately, the release from the laughter naturally morphed into wracked sobs once again.

It took him a minute to realize what had happened, but once he did he held on tight. “Hey… Come on… Figuring this out has got to be easier than keeping you out of jail.”

“Not if there isn’t anything to figure out. It’s done, Jack. I screwed it all up, and it’s gone now. He’s gone.” The sobs were not as strong, but the tears were still flowing freely.

As he held onto his dear friend, one thought repeated over and over again in his mind. Finally, he knew when he was out of his element, but he also knew the answer to the problem could be found by someone else.

He squeezed her in a hug once more before he stood up from the couch and turned to help her up. “Let’s go.”

“As much as I would love to get the full on Jack Hodgins Cure All for Anything that Ails You, I’m just not up for a night of unlimited tequila and Tabasco.” He laughed at her assumption and shook his head as he held out his arms to help her up.

“Nope… No tequila…” He decided that might not be the best promise and then said, “Well, there might be some tequila, because quite frankly, it does help… But no… I have a new cure all for anything to do with relationships.” He smiled when she gave him a raised eyebrow. “Angela’s my new secret weapon… She’s got this great knack for figuring out other people’s screwed up relationships.”

“I really don’t think this is within her power.” She took his hands and slowly pulled herself up.

“Don’t underestimate the woman… You should see how she’s been working on these two people at the lab. Total genius, I tell you. One night with her, and you’ll be on the next flight home to get all this mess sorted out. Guaranteed!”

He helped to gather up her things and they both made for the doors.

It was a quiet trip down to the lobby, where they both signed out of the building with security. When they reached the front door R.J. asked, “So, how’d you get in the building in the first place?”

He shrugged and said, “That was easy… I just told Zach if he didn’t hack me a security card, I’d tell everyone at the lab about his Scooby Doo PJ’s.”

As they walked through the front doors, she chuckled, “You are a cruel man, Jack Hodgins… Funny, but cruel.”

From the shadows, a man in a plain topcoat stepped into their path and held up a hand when he asked, “Dr. Roxanne Desmaiseaux?”

“Hey, watch it buddy… You don’t know who you’re messing with here.” Jack looked back into the building and watched the security guard reach for the phone.

The man nodded back to the shadows and then pulled something from his coat. When he spoke again, it was with a badge from the U.S. Marshal’s office in plain view. “Dr. Desmaiseaux, I’m afraid we’re here to take you into protective custody.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” R.J. instantly resisted the man’s advance.

As Jack tried to stand between her and the Marshal, two more men appeared from a car on the street. “I need to see some ID before I even think about letting you near her.”

The security guard had called in backup and they were both standing at the door, as the first guy called out, “Is everything all right, Doc?”

When she turned to reply, one of the other Marshal’s quickly moved to intercept the men. R.J. turned back to the first Marshal and demanded an answer, “You better start talking, or I’m gonna start screaming. And if there is one thing on me that works perfectly, it’s my lungs.”

“We need to get you out of the open, Dr. Desmaiseaux.” He looked around cautiously and continued, “Can we discuss this in the car, please?”

“Not without a damn good reason.”

The man groaned at her insistence and spoke through gritted teeth, “They told me you were a pain in the ass.”

“You don’t know the half of it, pal…” Jack stayed positioned between R.J. and the Marshal. “And if you don’t start explaining, I’ve got friends in the FBI, who I’m sure will be happy to rip you a new one for this crap.”

“Dr. Hodgins, we need to get her into cover before something happens, so I really don’t care what influence you think you can use to bust my chops.” He signaled a fourth man and the doors to a dark colored SUV opened up. At the same moment, the other two men appeared on either side of R.J.’s elbows, prepared to scoop her up into the SUV. “Now, step out of the way before you get hurt.”

“Lay one hand on me, and I guarantee you’ll be pissing blood for a month.” Both men at her sides actually looked frightened by her claim. She turned back to the first Marshal and restated her demand. “What the fuck is going on?”

The man’s face was seething red when he finally admitted, “There’ve already been attempts on two of the other witnesses. We have to secure everyone until the trial is over.”

All of the blood drained out her both hers and Jack’s faces with the news. “But that could take weeks!”

“I’m sorry, but we have to protect the integrity of this trial, until the people responsible for these attempts have been apprehended.” He nodded to the two men at her sides and then each took her by the arm.

“Wait!” She pulled out of their loose grip and reached out to Jack. “I have to go.” He nodded and handed her the briefcase he had been carrying for her. The Marshal to her right took the bag for her and passed it to the first Marshal. She took Jack into her embrace and whispered, “Don’t worry about it… I guess it just wasn’t meant for me to have it easy.”

In a few brief seconds, Jack found himself standing alone on the sidewalk waving to a vanishing SUV. After a while, he heaved a sigh and shook his head. “There’s gotta be something we can do to fix this.”

Chapter 58

17:45 – 2007.03.03

Grissom House: Spanish Trail

He went to check on the movers progress when he noticed that it would only be a few minutes before the pizzas he ordered earlier arrived. As he watched them unloading the last of the items from the truck, Gil knew that the movers would be finished in no time flat. When they returned to the entryway from depositing the last items in their carefully recorded locations, he was just closing the door after paying the pizza delivery man.

Gil set the pizzas down on the table that had been left in the entryway and then turned to the lead man on the moving crew. He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved the envelope with the payment for their services. “I want to thank you and your crew for taking such care with all of our things. You were also terribly patient with my meddling and I appreciate it.”

The man took the envelope after wiping his hands off on a handkerchief. “Not a problem, Dr. G. We’ve never moved bugs before, or worked with people as organized as you and your wife. Made the job real easy.” The man smiled and held his hand out to shake Gil’s.

“Yes, well, I’d like to say that we’d use your services again, but I sincerely hope this will be our last move.” Gil was more than hopeful of that fact.

The younger man behind him laughed when he interjected, “You already got the perfect house and the perfect missus… There’s no point in chancin’ fate, huh?”

“None at all.” Gil smiled at their analysis of his situation. He turned back to grab a trio of pizzas from the stack and handed them over. “A little thank you for all you’ve done.” The men seemed pleased with his gesture. “There’s also a cooler with water and sodas just inside the garage, so please help yourselves.” Gil then reached back into his pocket to retrieve another envelope. “And this is for all of your trouble.”

The lead man flipped open the envelope and instantly beamed to see the generous cash tip. “Thank you, Dr. Grissom… Kinda makes me wish you might move again, ‘cause you’ve been very kind.” He turned to his men and gestured for them to take it outside. “We’ll be out of your hair in no time. Thanks for the dinner and this.”

Gil watched as the men finally departed, offering a hail of thank you’s and good luck’s as they exited the newly furnished residence. When the door closed behind them, he felt a sudden sense of accomplishment wash over him. Somehow, they managed to get everything into the house without a single fatality, and with everything in the proper room. The only thing that they had left to do was to unpack and start hanging pictures and cases on the barren walls.

When he turned back to gaze at the boxes in every corner in sight, he realized they still had so much left to do. That was when he knew it was a good thing he managed to give himself a couple of weeks to handle the unpacking himself. The last thing he wanted was for Sara to use any of her leave time setting up the house, when he had much better things for her to be doing with any extra energy she might have at the moment.

He picked up the pizzas from the entry table and made his way through the maze of boxes to the kitchen. Setting the two boxes down on the counter he was reminded of his wife’s infinite wisdom. She insisted that they stop and pick up some disposable plates and cutlery when they began their drive to the new house that morning. As he looked around the kitchen, he realized just how long it would take him to find all of the dishes, wash them and get them put away again. Both he and Sara were typically opposed to buying disposable anything for the house, but they reconciled their green tendencies by purchasing plates with the highest recycled material content.

As he tore the packaging from the plates and set about to prepare their dinner, he suddenly found a long, slender pair of arms snaking around his middle. He smiled when he felt Sara lean her head over his shoulder to see what he was doing. “I was beginning to wonder where you’d gotten off to.”

Sara squeezed his middle a little tighter and answered, “I was just trying to get a little jump on putting things away. But I smelled Angelo’s pizza, so I came up for air.”

Gil looked around the kitchen and then made the pronouncement, “We need more furniture.” Her giggle in his ear filled him with a warm, comforting feeling.

“You are too much, you know that?”

He turned to face her, holding her arms around his sides. “And why is that, my dear?”

“Because I seem to recall someone who looks a lot like my husband telling me that we needed to take our time with the furniture purchases, so that we only got the things we truly needed and wanted.” She gave him a quick peck on the lips and then asked, “That was you, wasn’t it?”

He pursed his lips together and appeared to be thinking over her question. “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time I was wrong… After all, it wasn’t that long ago that I never thought I could have this, so obviously I cannot be trusted when it comes to you.” He dipped down and laid his lips along her neck.

“Mmmmm… Oh yeah… Totally can’t trust you.” Sara’s head lolled to the side as he continued to kiss her neck. Her attention was solely on the feeling of his warm lips on her skin, and then, without warning, the aroma of the pizza sitting on the counter wafted into her nostrils and her stomach decided to makes its own demands for attention with a sound emanating from its very empty depths.

Gil pulled away from her laughing. “Well… I suppose we need to take care of other appetites first.” He enjoyed the blush that rose on her cheeks and turned back to the counter with a broad smile on his face. “We don’t have chairs for the breakfast bar yet, and the old table still needs to be put together, so we’ll have to eat here.”

Sara reached around him again and gave a gentle squeeze before she grabbed a pizza box in each hand. “I have a better idea.”

When she started walking to the steps that led upstairs he called out, “Where are you going?”

She cast a highly suggestive look over her shoulder and answered, “You get the plates and something to drink and meet me upstairs.”

He required no further incentive as he watched her saunter up the stairs. Gil quickly set about to gather up the things he needed and practically bounded up the steps. He was already out of breath when he reached the door to their new bedroom, but the sight his eyes beheld would have knocked all of the breath from his lungs regardless.

The bed was not only assembled, but there was fresh bedding on it, and throughout the room candlelight danced along the walls. The only thing missing was, “Sara?”

Her voice drifted in from the bathroom, “Be right there.”

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but…” He looked around the room once more, and noticed that everything was already in place; the dresser and chest of drawers were set up, the lamps were in place, the alarm clocks on the nightstands, the pictures stood up on all the appropriate surfaces. He realized that Sara had set up the entire bedroom on her own, and he was feeling guilty, and a little concerned. “You didn’t do all of this yourself, did you?”

“Before you get all tied in a knot…” Her voice was still muffled from the bathroom walls as she answered, “I had the guys set up the bed and they put the furniture in the exact places on your diagram, so I simply put everything else away and made the bed.”

He chuckled at her explanation and shook his head. “So, this is where you’ve been hiding all afternoon?”

When she spoke again, it was from directly behind him. “I wouldn’t call it hiding.” He spun around to find her standing in the doorway wearing nothing but an old, worn denim shirt.

“Whoa…” It amazed him that there were so many ways she could take his breath away.

Sara walked up to him, laid a hand on his neck and smiled. “I love that you still do that.” She kissed him sweetly and then reached down to take his elbow when she added, “But food first… I’m starving.” As if on cue, her stomach joined the conversation again.

“Right.” He followed her lead to the bed, where she climbed in and then laid out on her stomach, facing the settee at the foot of the bed where she had set up the pizza. Instead of lying down, Gil sat on the end of the bed and set the two cartons of milk down in front of them, before he put a slice of each pizza on their plates. When he looked over, he found Sara’s shining face smiling up at him. “Dinner is served, Madame.”

She pursed her lips in a smirk and shook her head when she reached for the carton of milk in front of her. Before she started to shake the carton up, Sara read the label and chuckled. “Are you trying to make a comment about my figure?”

He scrunched up his brow in confusion, until he looked down at the carton in her hands and saw that he had given her the wrong one. He picked the other one up and quickly replaced the skim milk in her hand with the whole milk he should have given her in the first place. “No… It would be a comment on my own, actually. Since I haven’t been in the lab I seem to be eating a little more, or doing a little less, and it’s beginning to show.”

She rolled over until she was on her side next to him, and then she reached in to lift his shirt up in the middle. “Hmmm… Still looks pretty good to me.” Sara leaned up and kissed the slightly soft mid-section on her worried husband.

“Thank you…but I’m still going to work it off.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “After all… I still have to be able to keep up with you.”

Clicking her jaw while she fought the grin on her face as she rolled back over, Sara shook her head and said, “You’re just trying to make me forget about my vampire special over here.”

“Not at all.” He picked up his own pizza slice, covered in roasted garlic, spinach and mushrooms and crammed a big chunk of it into his mouth.

Sara immediately followed suit, and the consumption of the pizza turned into a gluttonous race. When it was all said and done, they managed to put away half of the two pizzas. As Gil threw his napkin down onto his plate, he turned to watch Sara gulping down the last of her carton of milk. She gasped and smacked her lips as she pulled the carton away. Before he could make a comment about her manners an incredible blast of air, in the form of a resonating burp, slipped past his epiglottis and erupted from his mouth.

“Damn! That was impressive.” Under most circumstances, Gil would have been mortified to have something like that happen, but his comfort with Sara had grown to the point that he was only mildly disturbed by the gastric intrusion.

He pounded his chest with the head of his fist and grimaced when he said, “I think next time…no green peppers and onions.”

She pointed to the top of the dresser and said, “There’s a roll of Tums in my purse.”

Shrugging, he started to clean up the pizza mess and played it off, “I’m fine now.”

When she flopped over onto her back she replied, “Not for you… I’m starting to feel that garlic sauce.” He chuckled at the sight of her on her back, as she clutched her middle.

“Yes, dear.” He got up from the bed and took the box with the pizza in one hand, and all of the trash in the other. He dropped the trash into the box of other refuse and set the pizza box on the dresser next to her purse.

As he started rifling through her purse in search of the antacids, a grin spread over his face. If someone had told him a year ago that he would be searching through a woman’s purse in any other circumstance than to seek evidence, he would have laughed at them. Instead, there he was, digging through not only a woman’s purse, but his wife’s purse, no less.

“Front pocket, and what’s so funny?” Sara questioned him from her prone position on the bed, with her head hanging backwards over the edge.

Turning around to find her looking up at him from her upside down perspective brought out a full smile and he answered, “Oh nothing… Just remarking to myself that I never imagined I’d ever be digging through my wife’s purse for antacid as she lay nearly naked on the bed behind me.” He walked back to the bed as he took one of the tablets from the roll before he handed it to her.

Taking it from his hand, she laughed at the incredulous picture they must have presented. “Yeah, well… If you had told me a year ago that I would be lying in bed, in a house that we shared, in your old shirt, waiting for both of our indigestion’s to die down before we jump each other’s bones… I would have had you committed.”

He dropped down onto the mattress laughing. “Yes… Well, I suppose we’ve both been through a great many changes over the last year… Haven’t we?” He took the roll from her hand as she popped the tablet into her mouth and smiled. “But, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” He kissed the back of her hand and smiled.

She raised her brow and came back with, “You don’t see me going anywhere, do you?”

When she looked at him with that seductive smirk on her face, the raise of her eyebrow never failed to do something to the temperature and circulation of his blood. He turned her hand over in his and pressed his lips into her palm, before he answered, “And I am grateful for that fact, every single day.” His next kiss glided down to her wrist, where he attempted to kiss in time with her pulse. He was rewarded for his efforts with the low purr that came from deep in her chest.

As he leaned forward to continue his path down her arm with his lips, he kicked off his shoes and slowly brought his entire body onto the mattress. He quickly abandoned her arm as he came to lie beside her, and began to kiss at her neck while his fingers worked to relieve her of his shirt. With her long fingers kneading their way into his hair, he moved down along her collarbone until he reached that little dip in the middle. He pulled up for a moment of contemplation and reverence before he descended into that space with his tongue. The moment his tongue made contact with her heated flesh, Sara hummed with her approval.

By the time he reached the space between her breasts with his tongue, his free hand had already begun to slide up along the outside of her thigh. With the touch of his hand over her leg, Sara drew her knee up in preparation of his next move. He smiled into her belly with the knowledge that she knew him so well, and not wishing to disappoint her, he continued on his present course.

Stopping first to kiss the top of her thigh, Gil slowly made his way to the inside, and then trailed down. When he reached in with is hand to open the petals, Sara’s hands immediately grasped his head by the hair in anticipation of the need for balance and it brought a salacious smirk to his face. He moved in to oblige his waiting bride, but before indulging in the first taste, he blew a slow breath over her moistened folds which caused her to whimper and writhe under the teasing air.

Witnessing her reaction thrilled and excited him, and he surged forward to rake his tongue through her core in response. Once he was completely enveloped by her scent, he became lost in the act for a time. There was only the taste of her on his mouth, the slide of his tongue, the feel of her nub between his lips. He was brought back into the larger world by the grip of her fingers into his scalp and the buck of her hips as she became wracked with her climax. As he continued to lap at her core, he could feel his own tension rising, just as hers was fading from the final crescendo.

When he began to kiss his way back along her body, he reveled in the sheen of perspiration that had appeared during his ministrations. Hearing her hums and purrs as he slowly returned to her neck sent warm tendrils of arousal tingling through his body. He covered her with his weight and it made him feel complete to connect with her in that way.

He could feel her hands as they moved underneath his t-shirt, dragging it up along his back as she pulled him in closer. He relished in the knowledge that Sara also felt complete in his grasp, and her desire to have him closer equaled his own. But when she began to tug at the shirt in her attempt to relieve him of the garment, he realized that she had moved past simple desire and turned headlong into wanton lust. He lifted his mouth from her neck for only a second, but she immediately ripped the shirt off over his head, throwing it to wherever it might land.

Before he knew what was happening, she managed to practically flip him onto his back as she forcibly rolled him over. He would have laughed at the turn of events, were it not for the fact that she quickly attacked his mouth in a breathless kiss. As her tongue invaded his mouth, he was shocked by the mixing of flavors in that euphoric and passionate exchange; of his salt blending with hers, of the meal they shared, of her sweat and his, and the sweet taste of her climax. It made his head swim, more than any oxygen deprivation ever could, and his memories danced on those waves of glorious pleasure.

As she finally released his lips with a resounding pop, he was surprised to find that she was sitting astride him, grinding herself into his hips. He felt the painful stirring that her motions created in his groin and found himself grunting from the sensation. He tried to hold her to him, but she quickly batted his hands away and grabbed his wrists as she leaned forward and brought his arms up over his head to lie on the bed before she kissed his mouth once again. When she rose up from the kiss, he could see the burning desire in her eyes, and he knew that without a doubt this would be another night for the record books.

Gil took her silent instruction and left his hands out of the equation as he folded his arms and tucked his hands up under his head. His reward came in the form of her warm and succulent mouth as she laid decadent kisses onto the space behind his ear, and down the line of his beard along his neck, and onto his chest where her fingers already tickled over his nipples, until her lips also found their way to the sensitive flesh.

Sara had long ago introduced him to the sensitivity of his nipples, and the intense arousal that could be triggered through her careful attention to them. With his eyes slammed shut, she drew the first one into her mouth, grazing it ever so gently with her teeth by applying pressure to it with her tongue. It was such a delicious sensation, that he often forgot he wanted to observe the way she performed the maneuver until she began to move on down his body. Such was the case once again, when he felt her heated lips kissing along his softened mid-section.

By the time he was able to lift his head to see what she was doing, she already had her hands in the waistband of his sweatpants. He could feel her fingers as they searched along his hips and then she hooked her fingers around the band and began to drag them down over his hips to his legs. He lifted up to assist her and was treated to a nibble at his navel as she worked the pants off of him.

Without the heavy fabric attempting to restrain him, he looked down to find himself twitching in anticipation of what came next. She raked her short nails back up along his legs, reaching forward as she scooted back up the bed. When she made it to the dip above his thighs, Sara ran her thumbs along the crease and down into groin as she massaged the tensing muscles she found there.

His hips lurched forward of their own volition the moment he felt her hands graze the length of him, and he fought the desire to move his hands from behind his head. When he felt her hand move to cup him he groaned, but when she finally took him into her hands all of the air moved out of his lungs in a rush.

The first touch of her lips to the head sent a spasm through his back, making him arch into her. Instead of rearing back away from the unconscious thrust, she merely took him into her mouth, which caused his vision to blur and his voice to drop down into the primal range of guttural emissions.

He could actually feel the blood pumping into his groin as she stroked him with her hands and teased him with her lips and tongue. Gil struggled to hold on, to make himself hold back. He was not a young man, and it taunted him at every turn, but it also gave him the experience and control he needed to maintain. However, that was sometimes not in the cards. Not when Sara set her mind to something, and this would be one of those times.

She began to work him over with both hands and her mouth; dipping down and drawing back, massaging and stroking him, working him into a rigid frenzy. He quickly realized that she had a plan and he always enjoyed her plans, so he decided to finally let go of his hard fought control. There was one person in the world that he was willing to give over control to in his life, and he had never regretted it from the very first moment.

He felt the pounding pulse of his blood, and the pressure of her mouth surrounding him, and her grasp working him further into a torrent of excitement. When the heat began to build upon itself in his groin he knew he was close. His legs tensed and he tried to verbalize that he was nearing his release, but his voice was beyond the point of functioning, and it only came out in a barely recognizable grunt.

In the moment immediately prior to his total loss of control, Sara braced one hand on the top of his thigh and descended on him again. Once his control had completely evaporated, so was any conscious thought.

He was lost in a sea of intense gratification, floating along on the current until he felt a comforter being pulled up to his chest and his arm lifted up for Sara to tuck into the space beside him. Words continued to elude him, and his very first conscious action was a simple sound. “Mmmmmmm…”

As he shook his head to clear the fog created from their passion, Gil could hear Sara’s contented purr into the side of his chest. “That’s another one.”

Gil finally found a few words that he could speak. “One what?”

She squeezed him tightly and chuckled, “It’s another room we can check off the list.”

He was confused by her answer. “What list?”

“Of the rooms we still need to christen.” His barking laughter met her answer as he recalled their impromptu coupling in the laundry room after they closed on the house, and the overheated trial run of the steam shower the weekend before, after they had checked on the results of the painters, and finally, the testing of the sturdiness of the kitchen counters the previous night. It had just become his favorite to do list.

Chapter 59

14:15 – 2007.03.08

Stokes Condo

He could feel the warm breeze blowing across his neck, the sun beating down on his head and the sweet smell of sage and bluebells wafting through the air. The sound of the wind in his ears as he crossed the open plain only made him urge the horse onward. The only thing he wanted was to close the distance between him and the horizon, paying no heed to the obstacles that lay before him. He simply needed to run; to run and run some more until there was no place left to go, no ground left to cover, no horizon ahead, nothing. He just wanted nothing.

As the darkness of the vanishing horizon fell over him, he could feel a deep chill seeping into his bones. He shivered from the chill’s icy grip around his heart, and just as he started to feel his blood begin to crystallize, Nick bolted up from the bed and suddenly recognized that he had merely been in a deep sleep, and it was just another nightmare.

With his head hung over the side of the bed, he reached up to wipe away the cold sweat that formed over his face during the troubling dream. He slammed his eyes shut as his hand pulled the sweat down from his skin, and he tried to remember the details of the dream, before all traces of it slipped away.

He thought the restless nights and dreams filled with desperation were behind him. It had been months since he was last awoken in terror, drenched with sweat, frantic for the comfort of reality. Nick was sure that he had worked through the last of his demons, but apparently one still remained, and it was haunting him with great regularity ever since the morning he woke up alone, in a cold bed.

Finally working up the energy to lift his head from the edge of the bed, he glanced over at the clock on the nightstand; a little after two in the afternoon. When his head crashed back into the mattress, he let out a ferocious and exasperated groan. He had just worked two back to back doubles, and yet his body (and his mind) saw fit to only give him eight hours of sleep. Nick wished he could have slept for an entire week, but no matter how hard he tried, he could never go more than eight hours in a single stretch.

When he managed to pull himself up out of the bed he looked down to find that he was still fully clothed. He hung and shook his head at his incredibly rumpled state. His extreme level of exhaustion left him incapable of doing more than losing his shoes from the front door to his bedroom, and as he patted his pockets he discovered that his phone and wallet seemed to have made it somewhere else as well.

As he began to root around for the missing items, he noticed that his landline was off the hook, so it would seem that he also found enough sense to shut out the rest of the world when he finally made it to bed. He was about to return the handset, but then he decided to let the salesmen and the survey takers continue to speak with his voicemail. If it was really important, they would have called his cellphone.

He found the shoes easily enough, as he stubbed his toe and tripped over them, nearly crashing into the kitchen counter. Barking a few choice words at the offending footwear, he continued on his search. The wallet was next, as his hand fell onto it while he struggled to keep his balance after nearly knocking himself out during his tumble, but the cell phone remained a mystery.

Before he could solve the mystery, nature decided to call on a different extension and he clumsily made his way into the bathroom. After taking care of business, Nick realized that his breath had become an issue for even himself, so he quickly brushed his teeth and did a fair job of gargling with what he hoped was mouthwash.

As he walked back into the living room, he rubbed his hand over the top of his head and managed to create quite an ingenious new look for himself with the short hair that had recently appeared atop his head. When he passed by the mirror near the front door he actually scared himself for a second.

“Damn… Looks like I’m seein’ Sanders’ barber now. Coiffe d’Weedwhacker.” He chuckled to himself, realizing just how tired he must have been in order to cause him to laugh at his own bad jokes.

He finally gave up on his quest for the cell phone in lieu of finding something to eat. First stop, the fridge.

Opening the refrigerator, he spied a quart of milk and reached in to pull it out. He carefully opened the top and then cautiously leaned in with one eye closed in order to take a quick sniff test. After not feeling an immediate desire to empty his stomach into the carton, he decided that it was safe for human consumption, and proceeded to gulp the remaining contents.

The ice cold milk felt good rolling through his throat, and when it reached his stomach, the feeling of emptiness faded just a little. It also helped him to open his eyes a little more clearly, because there on the shelf, in two distinct pieces was his cell phone. He shook his head as he tried to figure out how in the world the thing had gotten there, but knew instantly why it was in two pieces.

Nick managed to knock his cell phone from his belt at a scene the week before, and ever since then the battery would simply not stay attached, if it was jarred in anyway. He was still waiting for his replacement phone to arrive, and so he was forced to suffer in the meantime.

He picked up the phone and quickly reassembled the pieces before turning it back on. He could only imagine the number of messages he was about to find on his voicemail, and he was definitely not looking forward to getting hollered at for being out of touch for so long.

Once it was assembled, it booted right back up and he waited for the start up sequence to finish. He cracked a little grin when he watched the welcome message scroll across the screen. “Cheese it! It’s the Not-Cops!” was emblazoned in the LCD display, which could only mean that Sanders had once again lifted his cell phone to play with the settings. Nick was fairly certain that the younger CSI would never totally grow up, no matter what.

Once the boot up sequence was complete, he awaited the tell-tale tone that signaled the messages he would have to return. To his great surprise, only two messages appeared.

He keyed the phone to retrieve the messages and then grabbed his pad and pen to write down any important information.

The first message was also no great surprise. “Hey Nicky… It’s Warrick, man your phone’s off the hook and your cell went straight to voice, so I really hope that means you’re actually sleepin’, brother… Anyway, when you get this message just drop me a text to let me know, but I’ve got you covered for the weekend. You’ve already pulled ten hours of OT this week and the bean counters are all over my ass on it. Get some rest, man. See you at the party… And for the record the AD says if you don’t get your happy butt to the party, she’s gonna show you what a bad haircut really is, so do me a favor and follow her advice. Take it easy man.” He laughed as the recorded voice cut in to inform him of the necessary steps in order to delete, save or replay the message.

As he waited for the second message to be queued up, he smiled and was suddenly very happy to have Warrick and Catherine for his bosses. They were two people that he knew he could always trust to look out for him.

The second message started out as dead air, and just as he was about to hard key the delete for a hang-up call, he heard a timid voice begin. “ahem… Ah, well, um… Hi, Nick.”

His heart actually stopped beating the moment he recognized her voice.

“I ah, well… I know I’m the last person you probably want to ah, talk to right now, but um…”

There was not an ounce of air left in the room when he heard her stunted speaking.

“I ah, um… Well, I’m actually kind of glad this went straight to voicemail, because, well, I ah… I’m not sure if you wouldn’t have hung up, or…something…”

His head began to pound in time with his racing pulse.

“Look, I know you probably just want me to stay gone, but I was ah… Well, I was sort of hoping that we could maybe talk, but I’ll understand if you just delete this message…if you haven’t already that is… Anyway, I made arrangements to fly in tonight… Ya know, if you maybe wanted to talk, or something… So, if you don’t show, I’ll understand, really. Um, I’ll email my flight info to you as soon as I know what it is, and I’ll be waiting on the arrivals deck if you wanted to um, talk or whatever.” He was still trying to process all of the words that filtered into his ear from the voicemail when he heard a decidedly masculine voice interrupt the message, mumbling something to her about them having to get moving, or they would be late for a date? Before he could even try to connect the dots she cut back in on the message and said, “Sorry, I’ve got this crap going on, but I can explain it all…if you still want to talk to me. Anyway, I-I’ll send the email…and I really hope…that I-I can see you t-tonight. For…whatever. bye…nick.” Her voice trailed away into a pained whisper at the end, and it left him standing, frozen in place.

Nick had no idea just how long he stood there in complete and total shock, but eventually the sound of the voicemail prompt broke through the haze in his mind as it demanded his attention, when it threatened to hang up the line for him. He quickly hit the key that would replay the message.

By the time he listened through the message for the third cycle he was finally able to make sense of the words she spoke, even though the message itself was still completely incomprehensible to him.

Through repetition, he also managed to decipher the words from the unknown man in the background. He called her by title and name, and where Nick originally thought he heard something about a date he discovered that the man was referring to something to do with a judge. He stood there staring at his cell phone, as though his intense gaze would force the device to divulge the darkly held secrets behind that mysterious voicemail.

Suddenly, he remembered that she mentioned something about an email and he walked in a blind stupor toward the laptop sitting on his coffee table. Eventually, his computer booted up and he managed to navigate his way to his email. Instead of solving the mystery, he found nothing in his email from her. There was only a note from Neeley reminding him when to pick her up, one from his sister Connie reminding him about their parents’ anniversary, another mindless forward from one of his old college buddies which was quickly deleted, and then the last one was addressed from the U.S. Marshal’s email server, so he was fairly confident that it would be his brother also reminding him about picking Neeley up.

When he opened the email, Nick was even more confused than ever. At first he thought Danny had sent his daughter’s flight itinerary, but it showed a connecting flight from O’Hare to McCarran. He looked at the rest of the flight schedule and found the origination flight beginning from Reagan National Airport.

Nick stared at his computer screen for quite a while as he tried to figure out why Neeley would be flying all the way to D.C. from Dallas, and then back through Chicago to Las Vegas. That was when he saw the date listed on the flight; tonight. He scanned the rest of the email in the hopes that he would find the name of the traveler, but it was nowhere to be found. However, he did find that the email was carbon copied to another address, an email address with which he instantly recognized the name.

Without knowing why, or even how, he began dialing David Phillips’ cell phone. He needed some part of the whole thing answered, and if it meant waking David up in the middle of the day, then so be it.

He listened to the ringing of the phone; one ring, two rings, three rings- “Uh, hello?”

“David… It’s Nick Stokes. I ah, didn’t want to wake you, but I gotta talk to Sandi.” Nick was sure that David probably looked at the phone to confirm who he was talking to with the pause that followed his request.

“Well, I’d like to help you, but ah… She’s out at the site until tomorrow.”

Nick squeezed his eyes between his thumb and fingers as he grimaced at the information. “Great… Um, I’m sorry, Super Dave. I’ll let you get back to slee-”

“Ah, Nick?” David interrupted him before he could get off the phone. “What’s the problem? I mean, is there something I can hel-”

“I don’t think so, man… But thanks for askin’.”

He still sat with the phone in his hands long after the conversation with David was over. There were just too many pieces missing from the puzzle. When he glanced back at the computer screen, he saw that her flight would arrive at a little after six o’clock. Looking at his watch, he knew that he had just under two hours before the person with those missing pieces arrived.

He wanted answers, and if he was going to get any, he needed to get them from her. Nick would get those answers, one way or another.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Nick climbed into his truck, he looked at his watch for approximately the fiftieth time to see that he did indeed still have time; time to get there, time to back out, time think about it again, time to decide. He stared out of the windshield for quite a while, trying to sort it all out in his head before he was willing to put the key in the ignition.

The questions started floating around in his mind again. What would he say? Why had she left so abruptly? What had he done wrong? Where had she been? Why was she avoiding his calls? What did the Marshal’s office have to do with any of it? Why did everything have to be so confusing? When was he going to catch a break? Was life ever going to get easier? Why did his heart have to ache so badly when he thought about never seeing her again?

Nick closed his eyes and inserted his key. Turning the ignition, he knew that he would never get any answers to his questions if he stayed there. He was going to have to face her, whether either of them liked it, or not.

There was an unusual amount of traffic on the way to the airport, and when it suddenly came to a halt, Nick decided that someone was trying to kill him. Eventually, the stalled car was moved to the side of the road and the flow of traffic was restored, but not without a few hundred more glances at his watch. By the time he reached the entrance to the terminal at McCarran, he was beginning to question the sanity of his decision, as well as his own mental state.

As his truck waited in line to enter the arrivals area, Nick began to doubt that he should be there at all. There was nothing he owed her, and he was not sure he would ever be able to trust her again after what happened. The whole thing seemed like a giant waste of time, and he was about to move over into the lane that looped away from the curb and led back to the terminal exit. That was, until he saw her sitting at the curb.

His foot was planted firmly onto the brake at the sight of her, and time seemed like it was moving at a crawl. However, he was quickly reminded of its constant motion by the blaring of a horn from the car behind him. He struggled to pull himself back together and slowly brought the truck down into the lane beside the curb.

Barely rolling to a sluggish stop, he brought the truck directly in front of where she was seated, along with a very large man in a dark suit. It took him a moment to register that she had not simply found a random chair to sit at the curb with, but that she was actually seated in a wheelchair. The mysteries just kept coming.

Nick put the truck into park, and deliberately took his time coming around the back end of the vehicle. Before he stepped up onto the curb, he clenched and opened his fists a couple of times, and he took one last calming breath to prepare himself for whatever came next.

When he walked up to her side, the man in the dark suit stepped into his path and asked, “Excuse me, Sir.” He reached into his breast pocket and brought out a U.S. Marshal’s ID to flash at Nick. “I need your name and identification.”

He was confused as to why the Marshal needed it, but he knew better than to make a scene. Besides, somehow, it would eventually get back to his brother. He learned that lesson after the incident with the Fibbies during the Strip Strangler case several years back. Danny had a way of getting the dirt, every single time.

Nick fumbled in his pocket for his county-issued flash wallet and brought it out to show the man his departmental ID, hoping it would ease the obvious tension. The man took his ID and then compared it to some papers he withdrew from that same breast pocket.

“Thank you, Mr. Stokes.” He brought out a pen and handed Nick the papers. “If you would read and sign these, I’ll be on my way.”

Confused could not even come close to describing what Nick felt as he took the papers and pen from the Marshal. He shook his head and looked up at the man. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s mostly a formality, really…now that the threat has been dealt with.” Nick’s gaze shot over to R.J. in an instant. “But the judge was made aware of the good doctor’s reputation, and he wanted some assurances that she would be back in the District when court resumed first thing Monday morning.” The Marshal looked over at the extremely nervous doctor and then back to the man in front of him, as he tried to understand the dynamics of the situation. “Anyway… If I could get you to read and sign those, we’ll have a legal transfer, and then I’ll see you back here Sunday evening.”

Nick broke his gaze from R.J.’s hidden face, and then absently flipped through the pages, not actually reading them, but looking for the lines where he needed to sign. Once the papers were signed, he handed them back to the Marshal without ceremony or emotion of any kind.

The Marshal checked over the documents and then tucked them back into his pocket. “You need any help with the chair?”

“Huh?” Nick turned back to the man and struggled to re-engage him. “Oh, um… No, I think I can handle it.” He looked around on the sidewalk for the luggage and was puzzled to find nothing. “The bags?”

Shrugging his shoulders, the Marshal simply said, “Just her and the chair… See ya both Sunday.” And with that, the man grabbed his own bag before walking over to the taxi stand to disappear.

Nick stood there trying to make sense of anything that had happened since he pulled up to that curb, but it all seemed to defy logic.

When there was not a word, or a single movement from Nick, R.J. slowly and deliberately rose up from the wheelchair, steadied herself on her crutch, and almost imperceptibly said, “Sorry…for all the trouble.”

He seemed to take that as a cue, and quickly opened the passenger door before turning back to offer any assistance with getting into his truck. The moment she let the crutch rest against the door, he took hold of it and held out his hand in case she wanted to balance as she pulled herself into the passenger seat with her left arm.

Once inside, she watched through the glass as he folded up the chair and hoisted it into the back of his truck. Through the mirrors she saw him walk back around the truck until he got to the driver’s door. She noticed that he paused for a moment before he opened the door, and since there was no traffic coming through the adjoining lane, she knew what the real obstacle was.

Not a single word passed between the two as they exited the arrivals area. Nothing was said as they drove out of the airport property. And there was no talking at all as they drove through the quickly darkening streets of Las Vegas. She wanted to speak, she wanted to hear his voice, she wanted to tell him everything, but she found herself silenced by the cold grip of fear as she sat barely a foot away from him.

Something in the back of her mind told her that the longer she waited, the longer he would still be at her side. Something told her that the moment she spoke, it would all be over and she was simply not ready for that yet. That something was her crippling doubt.

When she finally looked out the window, she realized that he was turning into her neighborhood. Her breath caught in her throat, along with the lump that rose with the bile from her stomach. She was about to do the hardest thing she had ever done in her life, and she was out of time.

As Nick brought the truck to a stop in front of her place, he was finished with the silent treatment. She was the one who walked out, she was the one who avoided him all week, and she was the one who called him up out of the blue to set up this little scene, and if she thought he was going to cut her any slack for anything, she was sorely mistaken. Nick yanked on the parking brake and turned in his seat. He wanted to see her face when he called her on the mess she had made of the whole thing.

“You could have called a car service…if all you wanted out of this was a ride.”

He watched as she swallowed hard, but she continued to look straight ahead. “That’s not…” She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes before she spoke again. “I didn’t think this was something to talk about while you were driving… I can’t offer you much, since there’s nothing in the house, but I would like to…explain?”

Nick ground his jaw, and fought the urge to go completely off of the deep end. Before he was willing go any further, there was one thing he needed out of her. “I’m not goin’ anywhere until you tell me what the hell was up with that Marshal.”

She shrugged with a stiffness that came from serious tension and answered, “That’s just part of the arrangements I had to make to get here… I’m in the middle of a criminal trial in federal court. And there was some trouble last week, so I have to deal with the Marshals until it’s over.”

“And those papers I had to sign?”

“Just a technicality, because the judge got pissed at me for telling him he was wasting my time.” Nick had to stifle the chuckle that rose just below the surface, because he could picture her in open court giving a federal court judge the business. “There is no reason I should have to stay in town, just because some asshat defense attorney might want to recall me later.”

Try as he might, he was having trouble keeping up the rage. Deciding that he needed to put some distance between them if he was going to get his answers, Nick nodded his head and stepped out of the truck.

As he walked around the truck, Nick reminded himself that he was there to get answers, and nothing else. He needed to know what had happened, if he was ever going to get closure on the whole thing. When he pulled the wheelchair out of the back, he reconciled himself to hearing her out, but he was certain that he needed to move past it all.

He began to unfold the wheelchair when he saw her feet on the ground beside him. When he looked up, she looked away and said, “You can just leave it at the door.”

Nick watched as she slowly and painfully hobbled toward her front door. He could see that her left leg was giving her a great deal of trouble, but she seemed to be determined to limp stiffly along without the wheelchair.

Upon reaching the door, R.J. fumbled with her keys until they fell to the ground. With an exasperated sigh, she gritted her teeth and leaned the crutch against the door as she started to bend over to retrieve them. Nick left the wheelchair on the sidewalk and leaned forward to get the keys before she fell over trying to get them herself. “Here… Let me.”

When she finally looked at him, it was with an expression of utter surprise. She stuttered, “Ah… Y-yeah, s-sure.” She stood aside as he picked up the keys, inserted one into the lock, and then opened the door for her. He turned to allow her entry, and for the first time, their eyes locked. In those eyes, Nick saw shock, and fear, and a sadness so deep that it made him more than a little worried.

In order to break himself from the spell of her tortured gaze, Nick looked back at the wheelchair and asked, “You don’t want to leave this outside, do you?”

“What?” She looked in the direction of his glance and then remembered what she said before they came inside. “Oh… I was just going to bring it in later.”

Nick shrugged and replied, “We might as well take it in now.” The moment he used the word “we,” she felt her heart clench.

“Uh… Okay.” R.J. slowly limped into the house and waited to see what would happen next. She wanted to hold out hope, but she was a long way from actually believing it existed.

As Nick brought the chair into the house, she watched his every move, looking for some indication about what he was thinking. The second thing that gave her a glimmer of hope was when he closed the door behind him and looked around the entryway before carrying the chair into the workspace, which was once a dining room.

She gathered up her strength and her courage, before taking those last steps into the house. As she walked past him on the way to the kitchen, she half-heartedly asked, “Can I get you something to drink? Water, or I think there’s some soft dri-”

“I didn’t come here for a drink… I came here for some answers.” The set of Nick’s jaw instantly told her that the worst was yet to come.

“Okay… Um…” Her heart was beating so hard and fast in her chest, she was fairly certain it was about to break through. She turned around to the kitchen counter for support and set her sling bag down on it. Without having to look at his determined and obviously angry eyes, it was easier to breathe and speak. “You deserve at least that much… What do you want to know?”

She felt his groan more than heard it, and she tightened her shoulders a little more in response. “Oh I don’t know… How was the weather in D.C.? What the hell do you think?” The anger in his voice spoke volumes to her, and she suddenly felt about three inches tall.

“Sorry… This is jus-…” She swallowed back the latest tide of bile and forged ahead, “a lot harder than I imagined.”

“You didn’t seem to have any trouble deciding to walk away, so I don’t know why it’s so hard now.” He would never know just how deeply those words hurt her, but there was no way she could ever fault Nick for saying them. She knew that her own actions had probably done far worse damage.

As she opened her eyes and stared into the brushed aluminum surface of her counter, she was able to see that there was a puddle forming on it. That was when she realized that she was actually crying. It took another moment before she could look away from the tears, as she marveled at the fact that she could still cry. She had shed not a tear in more than four years (not even when her mother passed away), and in the span of two weeks this man had brought her to that threshold twice.

As she thought about her tears, she remembered something her father told her many years ago: “There are only two people who can truly make you cry… Yourself and the one you love.” At the time, she was sure that her father had smoked a few too many joints, but, in retrospect, she knew that he was absolutely right. And so, she let the tears flow, because of what they symbolized.

“That’s not true… I didn’t decide to walk away.”

Nick instantly flew into a rage, “Puh-lease! That’s total bu-”

“I ran away…” Her simple statement sucked all of the air of the room, and left Nick standing with his mouth hanging open. “I got scared, and I ran away. I wasn’t doing anything in D.C. that first week, except hiding from everyone and everything that reminded me of what I left here.” She pushed away from the counter and straightened her back.

“And last week?” He was not about to let her off easy.

“I was due in court for two days, but something came up and I was forced to stay.” She was sure he knew that there was more to her flat statement, but she never wanted it to cast a different light on what she had already done.

“And the theatrics at the airport…did that have anything to do with it?”

She clenched her jaw and calmly tried to put all of that out of the picture. “That wasn’t important.” She knew she would have to face him at some point, but she was not quite ready yet. “The way things look…I’ll probably fly back in the morning.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? ‘The way things look.’”

“I just didn’t want to leave things the way they were, and after everything that happened…after… I felt it was important I come here to face you in order to try and explain.” Every word was filled with more pain than she could have ever imagined.

She was not prepared for what happened next, no matter how many times she ran it through in her head. His voice spoke from directly behind her, when he took her arm and turned her around. “Then do it.”

The shock she felt must have looked worse on her face, because when she looked into his eyes, she saw something switch over behind them. She swallowed hard and tried to speak, but it was made even more difficult by his close proximity. “I’m sorry… I-I never meant to…hurt you. Not like that… Not…ever.”

“Well… You got a…funny way of showin’ it.” As he looked down into her eyes, he felt like he was staring into infinite sorrow. No matter how much anger he had, it just could not compare with the desperate misery he found there. When Nick realized that he still held her arm, he slowly unwrapped his fingers from around it.

Nick had no idea where his behavior was coming from, because he thought he had already come to terms with the outcome of this encounter. However, he was having a hard time remembering what that decision was as he stood in front of her nearly trembling form.

“I know… I did something horrible when I ran like that, but I am truly sorry. I just…didn’t know what else to do.”

He watched as she finally broke his gaze to stare at the space between them, and he could genuinely feel the pain rolling off of her. Some dark part of his psyche celebrated her agony, but the rest of him ached to take it away at all costs. He was completely lost in a tumult of confusion and frustration. He had been so sure about his choice, but now, seeing what she had become during their time apart, he no longer possessed that same certainty. She looked like she had not gotten any sleep in a long while, her eyes were darkened and rimmed with red, her skin seemed pale and sallow, and her stance appeared weak, at best. As much as the ordeal had taken out of him, he began to wonder if he had gotten the better end of the deal.

In a moment of weakness, he responded, “You could’ve taken one of my calls.”

She shrank away from his accusation, and he instantly regretted having made it. “Yeah… I… I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t even sure what I had done, at first… Let alone why… So, what was I going to say?” She held herself around the middle, as though she was suddenly cold. “Hey, I can’t really talk right now, but ah, about the other night… Sorry I freaked out and ran for the hills. Nothing personal, I’m just totally fucked up. Have a nice day.”

With that ridiculous statement, Nick unexpectedly lost all of the steam from his anger. “It would’ve been better than what I got. I’ve probably been put on some federal watch list at this point.”

“No… I wouldn’t let them.” Nick’s eyes flew open at her nonchalant admission.

“WHAT?!”

She finally looked up when she realized that she had actually spoken that last part. “Um… They automatically track that stuff. And well, the receptionist and the answering service flagged your number.” Without thinking, she reached out to lay a nervous hand on his forearm and added, “I spoke with the Director about it, and I told him it was totally my problem, not yours. It’s just, with everything going on with the case, they were really watching for anything. But I took care of it… I swear.”

He said nothing, and when she followed his gaze, she noticed where her hand was and let go of him as though she had touched a hot burner. “Sorry…I-” She turned away from him again and braced herself on the kitchen counter. She felt an unbelievable emptiness in her gut with his obvious rejection of her unconscious gesture, and it nearly knocked her off of her feet.

Nick fought the overwhelming urge to reach out and wrap his arms around her. He saw the wounded and frightened look in her eyes just before she turned away. As he stood behind her, he saw the slight tremble in her shoulders, and was fairly certain that she was crying again.

He slammed his eyes shut and willed himself the courage to ask the one question that had been haunting him ever since he read that note on the bedside table. He knew that if he waited any longer, he would never have the nerve, and it was the one thing holding him back. “I… I need you to answer me one question.”

When he opened his eyes and looked at the back of her head, she nodded slightly. “Okay.”

He fought back the demons of doubt and forged ahead. There would never be a better time. “What did I do to make you run like that?”

She instantly slumped over, and though she remained standing, he could not imagine she had any strength left. His question seemed to have taken the last of it from her. “You didn’t do anything.”

“That’s not an answer.”

She knew without a doubt that she needed to tell him the truth, but to tell him that meant she had to admit it to herself. “I’m sor-”

“I don’t give a damn how sorry you are, Roxanne. I came here to get the truth. That’s all I want… I deserve that much.”

She nodded her head at the hard reality of his words. “You’re right… I owe you that, and a lot more.” She held onto the counter as the knuckles of her left hand whitened from the strain. Taking one last steeling breath, she prepared to finally speak the truth that had been tearing her soul to shreds for two weeks.

“I’ve been on my own for more than ten years. I managed to convince myself that I didn’t need anything or anyone.” She swallowed and closed her eyes, willing herself the courage she needed to go on. “I was fooling myself, but it’s not like there was anything, or anyone willing to show me how wrong I was…until you came along.”

Every word became a struggle, but she had to continue. “When our friendship started, I didn’t know what to make of it. The one thing I did know was that I wanted it. What I didn’t realize, until it was too late…was that I needed it, too.”

She sniffed, and realized the tears were flowing again. “I found myself making excuses to see you. And when we spent that last weekend at the cabin, I realized things had changed. But I didn’t know what to do about it. I didn’t even know what I was doing when I asked you to dinner. And when I found out what day it was, I nearly panicked. I was sure I’d screwed it up.”

The end was in sight, and she took another breath to calm her nerves. “And then we kissed. I was already so taken aback with the night, and that necklace… I kind of got lost in the moment, and before I knew what was happening we were kissing. It was such a shock, I honestly wasn’t sure that it even happened at first. I was afraid I’d dreamed the whole thing.”

As Nick listened to her retelling of the weeks that led up to the most memorable night of his life, he felt like they had experienced the whole thing in the same way, just through different eyes. He remembered feeling much the same way about that kiss, and it was eerie to understand how much alike their thoughts had been.

“I think the time between that night and the last one… It was like a dream, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, or how I was supposed to feel. It just…it was like I was getting everything I had convinced myself I could live without…all at once.”

Nick realized as she spoke that he wanted something. He wanted to see her face as she spoke, but she remained fixed to the counter.

“That night… Here… It was the first time in more than ten years that I felt something. Something other than the pain and the isolation. It was frightening, but I trusted you, like I had never trusted anyone before.” She shook her head for emphasis. “Like no one before.”

That piece of information made Nick’s heart leap up into his throat. He was sure he knew the meaning behind those words, but he waited for her to finish.

“That night… I have never been more afraid of anything in my entire life. I thought for sure you’d be repulsed, or that I was dreaming the whole connection, or that you wouldn’t be able to deal with all of the mechanics, or that…” He watched as she choked back the bile. “That you’d decide I wasn’t worth all the trouble after all, and I’d be left to try and pick up the pieces again. And I wasn’t sure I had it in me anymore.”

Her uncertainty nearly broke his heart, and he found a tear making its way down his face. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and to chase all of that doubt away, but he still needed to hear the whole story.

“But you made all of that go away, and you didn’t just make me feel, you helped me to see that I could open up to someone again.” She hung her head and he could tell she was crying outright by that point. “I thought I was ready… I really did. But when I heard you say-…” Nick’s breath caught in his throat once he realized that she had actually heard his declaration into the night. “I didn’t think I was strong enough to ever go through that again. I’ve lost almost everything-everyone I’ve ever loved. I just couldn’t bear to think about losing someone else. So, I thought, before I had the chance to lose it, I had to leave before I fell completely in love with you…before I wouldn’t be able to live without you.”

He finally understood what had been working against them, but it only served to convince him that his feelings were dead on. Nick knew that the only thing standing in their way was the fact that he still had to convince her of that fact.

“There was just one problem with my logic…” Nick moved in to close the distance between them. “I was too late… I did everything under the sun to put you out of my mind, but it never worked. Even when I was in court… Even when I was being rolled around from one safe-room to the next… And when the Marshals finally got the all clear, the only thing I wanted to do was call you to come get me. It was the first time in my life that I wanted someone else to take care of me. And it was you I wanted, more than anything.”

She turned around, and found him standing a hair’s breadth away. Looking up into his eyes, she finally said, “I literally called in every favor I could muster, just so I didn’t have to spend another day without telling you… Telling you why I left… Telling you how I felt-how I feel.” She broke the gaze and looked down, staring into his chest. “And if you want to go… If you can’t see past this…I understand.” She finally looked back up at him and concluded, “I just couldn’t let it go without telling you why I had screwed it all up so badly.”

“Is that all?” She knew that she hurt him more than she would ever be able to understand, but she never expected something so callous from him. She was so shocked by the question that all she could do was nod.

“Good…” He reached in and firmly tucked a finger under her chin, so that he could see her eyes perfectly when he tersely said, “You have got to be the most ridiculously frustrating, pig-headed, irrational, emotional,” Nick could see the fear and confusion in her eyes and it made him glad he was setting the trap. “Unreasonable, exasperating, infuriating,” with each word, his voice appeared to be headed down a hill in pitch and level of anger. “Unbelievably foolish, intelligent, caring, compassionate and amazingly beautiful woman I have ever known.” As the last words were spoken, he brought his face in close to hers, and felt the heat rising from her cheeks.

Spoken almost like a prayer, he nearly whispered the last words against her skin, “And I still love you.” His words were met with what appeared to be a stunned silence that left her unable to move. He knew he had to do something, make some move in order to release her from that stupor, and so he did, with a kiss.

It started out with only the pressure of his lips on hers, but once the shock of the whole thing wore off, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist. He moved his hands up to hold her head between them, to deepen the kiss.

When they finally broke, Nick pulled her into his chest and held her tight in his arms. R.J. Seemed perfectly content to lay her head on his shoulder as they held onto each other and fought to get enough oxygen to enable speech.

Nick was the first to find his voice. “Don’t you ever do that again…got it?”

“Never. I promise.”

He looked down and brought his hand up to brush the hair away from her face. “All future freak outs will be done together… Right?”

She snuggled into the space below his chin and nodded her head slightly. “Deal.”

They stood like that, in each other’s arms, for several minutes; holding tight, laying kisses in the areas they could reach. It was as though they were afraid to let go, that they had to be sure the other was really there.

Eventually, the holding seemed to give way to the touching, and their hands began to explore other areas. The sweet kisses quickly turned into something deeper, something more intimate. Before long, they were locked in a rapturous embrace, their fingers and lips seeking to devour the other.

Nick was able to find that spot on the right side of her neck that thrilled him before, and was pleased to find that nothing had changed. In the mean time, R.J. managed to get her left hand up under his shirt and was splaying her fingers over the expanse of his bare back, relishing in the heat from the contact.

After two weeks of separation, anxiety, agony and feelings of loss their need for one another was being demonstrated with such an explosive intensity that they were completely overpowered by it. Without any thought to the consequences, Nick used his weight to pin her to the island counter. R.J. was already so off balance from the entire ordeal that she lost all contact with her self-consciousness. Instead, she worked to shed her jacket and overshirt while she attempted to keep her hold onto Nick.

Finally, when Nick tried to press into her further, he became aware of the obstacle as she groaned from being bent backwards over the counter. However, it was only a momentary disruption. Still in the throes of another knee-buckling kiss, Nick reached down and lifted her straight up into his arms.

He knew it was the right move when she wrapped her left leg tightly around his hips. Nick kept a firm grip on the right leg, as she wound her arms around his neck, breathlessly kissing him in every available spot she could find.

The moment he pressed her into the counter, she could tell that he was experiencing the same intense urgency she felt the instant their lips met. She spent nearly every waking moment of the last two weeks with the memories of their first night together, but there in his arms, feeling the heat from his body, she knew that memories alone would never compare to the devastating feelings of passion that came with the reality of being with him; of them together.

As she tried to keep her body pulled tightly to his, she felt another growing urgency and it sent a wave of arousal through her body. While she reveled in the sensation, it only caused her to grind into him a little more. R.J. nearly giggled when his mouth released its hold of her neck and Nick groaned against the contact she provided, but she was distracted by the firm squeeze from the hand he used to hold up her backside.

It quickly became obvious to the both of them that things were getting out of control. When Nick nearly lost his grip and brought her hard against the counter again, he struggled to pull them both away without dropping her. He managed to lift her up onto the edge of the counter and buried his head into her shoulder. His words came on the end of each heaving breath as he rasped, “Sorry…I…just…got…carried…away.”

R.J. held tight to his shoulders and breathlessly spoke into his ear. “Don’t…stop.”

Nick looked up into her eyes and found himself taken aback by the raw desire he saw there. He wasted no time in questioning that look, or her request. Instead, he instantly hoisted her onto the countertop with his hands gripping her hips.

There was nothing slow about the way he managed to remove her shirt. And there was nothing tender about the way his mouth devoured every inch of her neck and shoulders as he did it.

For her part, R.J. wasted no time, or energy, pretending that she was not just as desperate for him. Her fingers first moved through his hair, massaging his scalp until they moved down his neck to press into his shoulders. She let them find their way down his back and when she could go no further, she wound them into his shirt in an attempt to remove it. When she managed to yank it up part way, Nick pulled back from her and in a flash of movement he tore the shirt from his body before he returned to her lips for a scorching hot kiss.

Nick then worked his way down over her jaw, along her neck and descended her chest until he found the space between her breasts, and the clasp of her bra. With a simple twist, she was unbound and he was lapping at the released mounds of flesh.

Everything was just as he remembered it, only better because it was real. Her skin was still a tantalizing mixture of both salty and sweet, her breasts were still the perfect combination of firm and supple, the feel of her fingers digging into his skin was still just as exciting and warming. As he lathed his tongue around one taut nipple, while his fingers tweaked on the other, he wrapped an arm around her back to keep her from pulling away from him as R.J. arched her back in response to his ministrations.

Before long, Nick felt an ache to once again reclaim her lips, so he trailed his lips up over her flesh for the return trip. When he was finally standing before her again, he could see that she was flushed, but it was her eyes that captured his undivided attention. They were practically ablaze with desire, and Nick felt a chill run down his back, because they were intently focused on the object of their desire. The chill came from the knowledge that he was that object. He painfully broke the gaze and leaned in for another assault on her mouth.

With tongues battling for space and mouths entwined with one another, R.J. became lost in the sea of yearning she felt for the man in her arms. She held onto him as though he was the only thing anchoring her to the earth. When Nick tried to pull away, she refused to release her grip, but he reached back and took her arms from around his back. When he brought her hands to the space he had created between them, he slowly pulled them to his lips to lay a kiss on the backs of each. He looked up at her through his lashes and sent another jolt of arousal through her body when he smiled. Then, he moved her hands to his shoulders before he took one step away and turned slightly as he bent down a little. Without a moment of notice, he reached in underneath her legs, drawing them and her up into his arms.

Once the element of surprise passed, R.J. wrapped her arms around his neck and laid kisses in along his ear and neck as Nick carried her off. For years, she told anyone within screaming distance that she would not be carried around like an invalid, and so this was not only foreign to her, it was shocking. She actually enjoyed being hoisted up into his strong and supportive arms, and if she was honest about it, she would have admitted that she enjoyed it the first time, too. There was simply something to be said for a man willing to care for someone in such a way, no matter the repercussions.

When they reached the bed, Nick laid her softly on the bed, as he followed her down with a kiss. His body covered hers and they lay there for a while simply kissing and sharing in the warmth of skin on skin. As they continued to kiss and explore each other’s flesh, Nick kicked off his shoes.

After a while of that, Nick pushed up on his arms, and then leaned over to kiss her forehead before he went to his knees, to smile down at her. He scooted down just a little and turned around as he bent to reach her right leg. With far more ease than he exhibited the first time, he made quick work of her pant leg and carefully slipped the brace from her leg. When he turned to the opposite side and ran his hand up her left leg he was shocked at the lack of a brace. His shock showed on his face and R.J. blushed at his obvious concern.

“I kind of left in a hurry… Didn’t really have to time to dig for the other one.” She was delighted to see a smirk form at the corner of his mouth as he shook his head.

However, her delight turned into a thrill when Nick brought her left leg up into the air, slipped her shoe and sock off, and then pressed his lips into her ankle. When he looked back at her, she could see the embers of his desire slowly burning in his dark, rich eyes, fueled by his indescribable hunger for her. The look alone sent chills through her body, but the sight of him standing up from the bed as he deliberately and languorously removed his pants quickly erased them with a flood of heat that coursed through her like a raging fire.

As Nick smoothly returned to the bed on his knees, his lips found hers again in a soul stirring kiss to demonstrate everything his words would fail to provide her. He stroked his right hand down over her shoulder, along her arm and then rolled it across her belly until he reached his intended target. With a deftness that belied his desperation, he swiftly popped the clasp on her pants and lowered the zipper completely undetected. When he realized his success, he smiled into her mouth and she giggled against his lips.

“Proud of yourself?”

Nick smiled a little brighter and kissed her tenderly before he said, “You have no idea.”

The moment she felt him pushing open her slacks, she got the idea pretty quickly. And if she was still in the dark, the feel of his lips as they made their way down the length of her barely clothed form, gave her a fairly vivid clue.

He stopped momentarily to pay a reverent tribute to her breasts once again, and it sent ripples of pure heat pulsing through her entire being. As his lips began to descend along the lines of her belly, R.J. felt a different kind of pulsing, and it made her heart begin to race with its implications. When she felt his fingers hook into the sides of her panties, she was unable to contain the whimper of anticipation that sprang from her throat.

Nick heard her strangled whimper as he nimbly pulled her panties down from her hips, but he was instantly distracted by the sudden flood of her scent permeating his senses. Nearly overcome with the aroma of her arousal, he almost lost control of his mind as he froze in place. Once he was able to come back to his senses, he completed the task of removing her last undergarment.

There before him she lay in all of her imperfect splendor, and Nick fought to keep the breath in his lungs. He found himself in total awe due to the sight of her bare, flushed skin as she practically undulated beneath his piercing glare. He found the whole thing to be too much to resist any longer and he moved in to skillfully kiss along the inside of her left thigh.

R.J. felt his lips pressing gentle kisses along the inside of her thigh as Nick made his way to the junction. Every muscle and every tendon screamed out with tension as she waited for the moment when his lips found her center. What she never imagined was that it would not be his lips that made first contact there, but that his cool breath blown over the moistened folds could send white hot tendrils of pure desire shooting through her very soul.

When she finally felt his tongue plow through to the core, she nearly came up off of the bed with the sheer power of her delighted arousal. As she bucked into him with the next lathe of his tongue, Nick reached out and held her down with his free arm. However, there was nothing that could stop her reaction as he first drew her nub into his mouth and applied a tiny bit of suction to the small bit of flesh. She had forgotten that her body could ever feel pleasure with such intensity as he continued to tease at her core with his tongue, but when he took one finger in through the folds to caress her from deep inside, she was certain that she had never felt anything like it before.

Slowly, Nick could feel her coming down from the climax that racked her body for a few minutes. As the muscles in her legs loosened and the spasms began to fade out, he felt an undeniable urge to bring her back to that pinnacle, but he also wanted to join her there. He knew that she was feeling the same way when he felt her left hand attempt to pull his head back up along her body.

As he made his way back up the expanse of her belly, he tasted of the salt from the sheen of perspiration that settled over her body. He closed his eyes and let his other senses guide him the rest of the way. When his cheek grazed one of her nipples, he was unable to resist the temptation they offered him, and he stopped to suckle at her breast a moment.

He would have stayed at her bosom a while longer, were it not for the pained moans of frustration that reached his ears. A devilish smile crossed over his face as he understood that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her at that moment. The sound forced him to move upward to her collarbone where he tenderly kissed at the supple flesh he found there.

When he finally reached the line of her jaw, he was about to try and broach the topic of a condom, but she caught him utterly off-guard as she brought her mouth to bear on his in a desperately passionate kiss. As they explored one another’s mouth and snuck in as much oxygen as they could, Nick was blissfully unaware of the path her hands had taken. However, he was made fully aware of the situation when she reached into the briefs and gave both of his bare cheeks a squeeze.

The left hand brought him down into her with a groan. While the right was too weak for most tasks, the left made up for it. As they ground into one another, all the while maintaining the intense kissing, Nick was made painfully aware of the growing problem between them.

R.J. seemed to notice this dilemma and pulled away from the rapturous kiss to twist her upper body away from him, much to his dismay and confusion. When she returned, it was with a condom in hand. Nick blushed at the idea of someone else taking care of the business of sex, and swore to himself that it would be the last time she ever had to take that responsibility. “Where are you getting those from?”

She smirked and answered, “Bed table…” R.J. leaned up to kiss his chin and explained, “Picked them up after that kiss in the restaurant… You know…just in case.”

The bashful smile that spread over his face hid the real emotion Nick felt in that moment. He was amazed at how much that one gesture could thrill him deep down in his soul. He took the packet from her and proceeded to rain kisses down along her hairline and into the shell of her ear. When he could feel his throbbing pulse begin to pound in his ears, and between his legs, he moved off of her and sat on the edge of the bed.

He was about to shuck his final garment and take care of business when R.J. sat up behind him and kissed his back. Nick turned to find her electric gaze as she asked, “Stand up?”

He gave her a puzzled look and then he watched as an obvious blush rose in her cheeks when she asked again, “Please?”

Kissing the end of her nose, he acquiesced to her request and got to his feet. Before he could turn around to face her, she reached up and slid her hands inside his briefs as she slowly dragged them down over his hips. When they fell to the floor he was struck both speechless and breathless by another shocking move; R.J. slid her hands down along the line at the junction of his thighs and torso until she reached the center. The moment she wrapped him up into her hands, all air was expelled from his lungs, through his clenched teeth.

The feeling of her soft, but firm grip around his length nearly sent him over the edge, and he had to fight to maintain control. However, she was not finished with the surprises as she guided him to turn around in order to face her. He found her seated on the edge of the bed, facing him, with an indescribable look in her eyes.

She continued to slowly and skillfully stroke him, while their combined gaze never wavered. As he tried to pinpoint just what it was that he saw in those endless mirrors, a wicked smile tickled at the corner of her mouth. In the same moment that he recognized her ravenous wantonness, she leaned forward and took the tip into her mouth, which caused him to lose any connection he had to his conscious mind. He tried to stay focused as she moved in a steady rhythm, taking him into her mouth and teasing him with her tongue.

Nick had no way of knowing when, but at some point he gripped either side of her head between his hands, his fingers twined through her thick, black hair. The only thing he was certain of, was that during his ride through the ozone of physical bliss he had gotten dangerously close to the end. It was confirmed when he felt his hips thrust forward of their own accord.

Carefully, and with great reluctance, he pulled her away from the task and fought for enough oxygen to explain his actions. With no words forming in his mind, he tried to hand her the foil packet, only to find that he had dropped it during his trip to Nirvana. From beside him, he heard a drawer as it slid open and then closed. The next thing he knew, R.J. had placed a fresh packet into his palm.

He looked down to find her flushed face staring back at him. Feeling the twitch and throb in his groin, Nick was quickly reminded why he was standing there with a condom in his hand. He leaned down and kissed her to steady both of their nerves, and to once again prove to himself that they were really there; that she was really there.

With the deftness that came from years of experience, he took care of his personal business as his kisses intensified. Nick leaned into her and wrapped them up together with his one arm as he moved them back up onto the bed. Soon, his body was covering hers once again, and his lips found their way back to his favorite spot on her shoulder.

As he continued to nibble at the tiny lines on her shoulder, R.J. brought her left leg up along the back of his calf, and then caressed the inside of his thigh with her heel. When she started to make her second pass, Nick broke away from her shoulder and looked down into her eyes. No words were needed when he gazed into those deep, dark pools of infinity, not to mention the fact that his own need was howling at him to get to it.

Sliding his arms up underneath of her shoulders, Nick rested his weight on his elbows. He nudged the hair from her face with his nose and cheek, breathing deep to catch the scent of her sweat and the remnants of her shampoo.

He was about to speak before his vision suddenly clouded over with ecstasy when her hand gripped him at the base, and she pulled him into place, as her leg brought him crashing down into her core. Nick ground his teeth and hissed with the sensation, as he threw his head back into the air.

The feeling of completeness that came with being surrounded and enveloped by her forced all rational thought from his mind. His back instantly curled and his hips began to move on instinct. Before he knew what was happening, he was practically pounding into her, but every ounce of him called out for it, and the way she buried her face in his shoulder and held onto him provided all of the reassurance he needed.

He pushed up onto his hands and arched into her to go just a fraction deeper, and to grind their bodies together with each curving thrust. He could feel the fire building within him and the friction being created as he moved forcefully within her walls only increased the flames. His breath became stilted and ragged, coming only in short gasping bursts as his pace ramped into a frenzy of locomotion.

His body dripped with the perspiration of his efforts, his mind completely over the edge of reason, and his very being acting only on primal instincts as he continued to drive into her. He ceased to be Nick Stokes, and became nothing more than a man fulfilling his own wants and needs without any regard to another soul. He would have kept going that way, had it not been for her leg wrapped around his, urging him on, or her hands as they ran up and down along the taut muscles of his arms, digging her fingers in with every thrust.

When he could feel each and every muscle in his body begin to tense, he knew that he was nearing the end, but he was no longer in control of his own actions. His body moved of its own volition, hammering away until he felt a wave of pure, unadulterated, sexual euphoria overtake his entire being. He would never be sure, but he had the vague notion of someone else crying out in sweet release just before he collapsed into a heap on top of another sweaty, overwrought body.

After a couple of minutes of gasping air and waiting for the oxygen to return to his brain, Nick was finally able to connect with his conscious mind again. Once he realized where he was, he was also reminded of something he had to take care. He painfully pulled away from her embrace, and dealt with last of his business before falling into the bed beside her as though he had just gone ten rounds with Tyson.

R.J. lay perfectly still on the bed beside him, and the only indication that she was still there was the rise and deep fall of her chest as she breathed in heaving waves. Nick smiled and then reached over to pull her up onto him. With her head resting against his chest he wrapped his arms around her and chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

He grabbed at the covers and tossed them over their rapidly chilling bodies as he chuckled again. “Oh nothin’…” He kissed the top of her head as he settled the sheets around her shoulders. “I’m just tryin’ to figure out how we’re gonna be able to walk when we go to Grissom’s party tomorrow night.”

She pushed up from his chest and looked him in the eye. “What party?”

“Well… I have to go to Grissom’s retirement party, or I’m gonna get scalped.” He reached up and tucked a lock of her dampened hair behind her ear. “And there’s no way I’m lettin’ go of you anytime soon.” He kissed the tips of his fingers and then pressed them into her lips.

R.J. closed her eyes the moment his fingertips touched her lips and she released the breath she had been holding. She knew that the moment had arrived, but she was still scared beyond reason.

Nick watched as something dark fell over her face. His first thought was that he would once again awake to an empty bed, but he was going to at least attempt to solve the dilemma before it actually occurred. “Freakin’ out a little?”

She gave him a bashful and nervous smile before she shook her head. “Good… Because it might take me a least a day to have the strength to get out of this bed, and that’s just too much of a head start for the likes of you.” The smirk on his face and the wink of his eye told her that he was simply teasing, but it only made what she had to say that much harder.

His eyelids grew heavy, and she watched as he struggled to keep his gaze fixed on her. She closed her eyes for the briefest moment, only to find his lids on a downward stroke which seemed to last for an eternity. “Before you go to sleep…”

“Mmmmm…” He fought hard against the urge to drift away into pleasant dreams.

She bent down to lay a gentle kiss on his lips before she spoke reverently into his mouth. “I just wanted to say…” She kissed her way down the line of his jaw to his ear and whispered her declaration. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Nick held her tighter in his grasp and stroked her shoulders. “You know why?” she asked.

“Because I’m not lettin’ you go?”

She smiled at his answer and relished in the warmth of his firm embrace. “Okay… Two reasons.” She took in a deep breath and worked up the added nerve she needed to finally tell him the truth, just as she admitted it to herself in the same breath. “But the real reason…”

Nick tried very hard to act as though everything was fine, that his hold on her shoulders was for her comfort and not due to his own fear, and that he was perfectly relaxed and ready for whatever she had to say. However, the truth of the matter was far from anything that resembled calm preparation. He waited with breathless anticipation and with every nerve in his weary body standing on end to match his deep seated anxiety.

“The real reason…is because…I…love…you.” He remained totally still, sure that he had just heard her wrong. Even when she repeated the same words, he found himself questioning his hearing. She brought her mouth to his and repeated the words against his lips. “I love you, Nick.”

He was suddenly overcome with a desire to make her suffer just a little, and so he smiled. “Oh, well that’s good…” His nonchalant answer made her tense just a little, and he knew he had done the right thing. “Because that makes us even.” Her worry quickly moved to confusion and he reached up to take her face in his hands when he said, “Silly woman… I love you, too… And I’m not gonna let you ever forget…that I said it first.” Just before he pressed his lips into hers he gave her a sly wink that set her heart racing.

He planned to remind her of that fact every single day, for the rest of their lives.

Chapter 60

07:15 – 2007.03.09

Desmaiseaux Townhouse

She found herself staring up at the ceiling, which was odd enough, but for some reason she felt like something was pounding in her head. Every day was always a challenge when she woke up, because sleep was such a disorienting experience for her, but she honestly could not remember drinking the night before. And through the fog of sleep, she could not think of anything, other than too much alcohol, to explain why her head would be pounding at the same time that every muscle in her body ached.

R.J. rolled to her side in order to get out of bed, and instead of finding the edge of the bed, she found a seriously disturbed tangle of covers in the middle of the bed. When she took in a deep breath to clear her head, she caught the distinctive aroma of male musk and instantly the events of the previous night came flooding into her senses. The smile that spread over her face with that realization did more to warm her body than her best quilt. But none of that explained the pounding.

When it started again, she realized that it was not a pounding in her head, but a banging on her front door.

She eventually made it to the edge of the bed, and instantly found her pedestal cane sitting by the night stand. Rising on slightly shaky legs, she inhaled deeply and tried to steady herself before investigating the source of the noise. As she walked to the door, she grabbed for the robe hanging on the back and slipped it on.

It was a precarious journey down the hall, with a few bumps, curses and wobbles. R.J. rarely walked without any braces more than a few feet, added to the fact that she had not felt that sore in a very, very long time, so it was a miracle she could move at all.

When she finally reached the door, she steadied herself and then yanked it open as she bellowed, “This fucking better be good, damnit!”

The blinding sun struck her dead in the face as the door flung open, so the only thing she saw were two blurry figures blocking a few of the bright rays from her eyes. Once she was able to focus, she found two men in dark suits on her doorstep. She immediately groaned and asked, “What the fuck do YOU want?”

The first man removed his sunglasses and flashed his Marshal’s badge before asking, “Dr. Desmaiseaux?”

“Obviously! What? What do you want?” she angrily whined.

The Marshal was clearly nervous about her reaction and he stammered through his response. “Uh, Doctor, we’re here responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle in front of your house and an unknown man seen leaving in your vehicle.” He looked to the man beside him and continued, “Deputy Green and I needed to check in on you, as per your arrang-”

“Suspicious what? What man?” She shook her head, trying to clear the fog, and to put together the pieces. R.J. glanced over his shoulder and found Nick’s pickup in the same place they left it the night before. “You mean that truck?”

The Marshal’s nodded awkwardly and she chuffed at their reactions. “Jackass! That’s the same truck that picked me up at the airport.”

From behind her, a distinctly male voice added, “And if you’d bothered to run the plates, you’d have known that already… As well as a lot more.”

Both Marshal’s tensed at Nick’s arrival, and placed their hands on their gun holsters. “Identify yourself.”

“Back the fuck off, Barney…” R.J. instantly dismissed their concern. “Nick… Would you deal with these jagoff’s, please? I’m going back to bed.” As she limped past him, she laid a hand on his arm and pulled him down slightly to kiss his cheek before she continued back to the bedroom.

Nick watched her slow trek to the hallway before he was able to break his gaze and return his attention to the men at the door. “So, why don’t you fellas run those plates and see what you get.”

The second man was on his phone before Nick even finished his request. He shifted the bag of groceries in his arm and waited for the answer. When he started talking to the person on the other end of the line, the first Marshal tried to watch him from the corner of his eye. It was obvious he was attempting to stare Nick down, but the Texan only stood there with a smug grin on his face.

“Are you serious?... No, I understand… Right… Got it… We will.” The second man closed up his phone and took a deep breath before he turned back to Nick with his embarrassment plainly showing on his face. “Mr. Stokes… You have my apologies, and if you would please extend them t-”

“No worries, man… Just pay more attention to what you’re doin’ in the future.”

Nick was about to close the door when the second man spoke again. “Sorry, but with everything that’s going on, we have to be extra careful with her safety.” They all nodded their heads and ended the conversation.

After he closed the door and brought the groceries into the kitchen, Nick began to wonder what the Marshal really meant with his last comment.

He put away most of the groceries, and then started mixing up the pancake batter as his mind continued to replay everything; from the exchanges with the Marshals, to their conversations over the last two days. As soon as the batter was finished, he cleaned up after himself, and then fired up the small griddle he found during his earlier exploration of the kitchen.

Eventually, there was nothing left for him to do to keep his mind off of solving the mystery, so he went to the bedroom for some answers. Among other things.

As he pushed open the bedroom door, he found the robe she had been wearing lying on the floor behind it. He shook his head and bent down to pick it up. He carefully hung it up on the hook at the back of the door.

Walking over to the bed, Nick noticed that she was wrapped up in the covers with her back to the door. He also noted that she was on her side, which is how he found her after waking up earlier, so he stored that fact away for posterity.

He sat down on the bed next to her and reached over to pull the hair away from her face. The peace he found showing on her face as she slept melted his heart, and made it impossible for him not to kiss her gently on the cheek as he leaned over her.

“Mmmmmm… Now that’s the way to wake up in the morning.”

Nick found the purring quality in her voice exceptionally pleasant. “Feeling better now?”

“Still not awake.” He watched a smug smile form at the corner of her mouth, even though her eyes were still closed. “Maybe there’s something you can do about that.”

Nick knew well enough to see a clue when it was flashing at him with bright lights and sirens. He quickly moved up onto the bed to stretch out behind her, and held himself up on his elbow as he started to kiss her neck.

He nudged the blanket away from her shoulder with his kisses, until it started to give resistance. Nick reached up and drew the covers away from her arm to free up more skin for him to kiss. As the blanket released from her arm, it also fell down from her back. He leaned in to kiss the back of her arm when his eyes caught sight of something strange.

From the exposed portion of her back, Nick saw the edge of a large dark circle of skin. Not dark from a scar, because he knew the placement, size and severity of each one of those on her body. No, the mark he saw as he sat up to get a better view looked more like a very large, very angry bruise.

Pulling the rest of the covers away from her back, Nick exposed a serious injury to the light of day. “What the hell is that?!”

“Boy, you know how to make a girl self-conscious about her figure…” R.J. rolled over to give him a wink when she added, “I know I have a big ass, but you don’t have-”

“Don’t even try that…” Nick was genuinely concerned, and more than a little angry at her attempt to play it off. “Where’d that bruise come from?”

She fixed him with a confused stare and asked, “What bruise?” She twisted a little to look at her side in a futile attempt to see what Nick was talking about.

“R.J., you have a bruise the size of a melon on your back… Are you honestly tellin’ me you don’t remember gettin’ hit hard enough to leave that?” He rolled her back to her side and gently grazed his fingers over the purplish and nearly blackened flesh.

“Fucking liars!” She threw her head back and howled with frustration. “They said I was fine… ‘Not scratch,’ they said.”

Nick shook his head in confusion as he tried to figure out what else to say.

“Those bastards! I can’t believe they lied like that!”

Nick was at his rope’s end when he shouted, “Who did what?!” He slammed his fists into the mattress and finally snapped, “You come here with some Marshal, make me sign papers to pick you up, then there’s these other Marshals come bangin’ on the door way too early in the mornin’, and now I find out you’ve got a giant bruise on your back. What in the hell is goin’ on here?!”

R.J. sat up in the bed, holding the covers to her front with her right arm as she reached out to Nick with her left hand. “It’s fine…seriously. It’s all over now, so there’s really nothing to worry about.”

Nick shook his head and refused to be placated. “Nah… I ain’t buyin’ it. And if you don’t tell me, I’ll find out what it is, with or without you. I’ll just cal-”

“The Farelli brothers.” Her answer stopped him cold, as he stared her down waiting for the rest. “Yeah, those Farelli’s… That’s who I was testifying against. The feds built a case on them through their contracting company. I was just one of several experts called in to evaluate their construction practices. Unfortunately, I was also the only one who hadn’t been intimidated by their associates during the trial, but only because they put me into protective custody after the other three had been threatened and refused to testify.”

He felt like his whole body was being tied into knots as she told him what went on in the time that they were apart. Nick knew it was irrational, but he was terrified of what she was about to tell him, even though he knew she was right there with him, so it was obvious that everything was just fine.

“Yesterday morning… As they were loading me into the car to go to court…there was gun fire.” If there was any air in the room, Nick no longer had access to it. “Luckily, the jackass they had in charge of my detail insisted I wear that stupid Kevlar vest whenever I was being transported. Damn thing was bulky and it wrinkled my suit, but I guess it was a good thing, because one of their idiot deputies misfired and hit me in the back. But the doctors said nothing was broken and I’d just be a little sore.” She chuffed at that and rolled her eyes, “Like that’s something new.”

“Don’t joke about this… This is serious. Gunfire, getting shot, these are not funny, Roxanne.” Nick turned away from her and planted his feet firmly on the floor.

She scooted in as best as she could and leaned into his back, wrapping her left arm under his, and then around to rest on his chest. As she pressed the side of her head into his back she said, “I know it’s not funny, Nick… And I was taking it seriously, but the guy who actually shot me had a badge, I was wearing a double thick Kevlar vest with armor plates in the front and back, as well as a freaking helmet. Also, they got the other guys, and my testimony is already on record, so there’s nothing more they can do to me.” She squeezed him a little tighter and continued, “Besides, I’ve got you, and I doubt anybody else stands a chance.”

Nick managed to relax a little by the end of her tale, but he was still hurt that she had not confided in him before he saw the bruise. “So, were you ever gonna tell me about this stuff?”

She slumped into him a little more as she exhaled. “Yeah…I was. I just wanted to wait until after the trial.”

“And how was I supposed to take care of you if I didn’t even know what was going on?” There was genuine pain in his words, but R.J. could not help but smile at the notion.

“You weren’t.” Nick spun around and looked her right in the eye, the shock and hurt showing plainly on his face. “That was about me taking care of you.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Nick turned in to her and pulled R.J. up into his lap as he buried his head into her shoulder and held her tightly. She instantly responded by holding him tighter as they both released a great deal of pent up tension. That would have been the end of it, except that she felt something wet on her shoulder.

R.J. suddenly understood what is was to have someone care about her, and how much it could hurt them to worry about the person they loved. She understood, because she also felt that pain as Nick quietly let go of his worry. Stroking his head and neck, R.J. allowed a few tears of her own to fall as she tried to soothe his concerns.

Eventually, they were able to gather themselves together, and R.J. noticed that Nick wore different clothes. “You changed?”

“Ah, yeah…” Nick blushed slightly at her question. “I woke up around one, and there wasn’t any food here, so I managed to find most of my clothes in the dark, and went over to my place to get cleaned up and change.”

She raised an eyebrow and asked, “And you took my truck?”

Nick shied away for a moment and then answered, “Well, I couldn’t find my keys in the dark, and they weren’t anywhere in the rest of the house. So, they’ve gotta be in here somewhere.” Nick looked around the room again with the accompanying daylight. “But your keys were right there on the hook, so I took it to run around town and get everything done.”

“Like?”

“I went home, took a shower, changed my clothes, grabbed my suit for tonight and packed an overnight bag…just in case.” It was R.J.’s turn to blush that time. “Then I went to the grocery store and picked up the essentials, which is why there is now a bowl of pancake batter sitting in the kitchen and a griddle all warmed up and ready to go.” He leaned his forehead into her cheek and added, “Just as soon as somebody gets her lazy butt outta the bed, we can have breakfast.”

“Maybe I was looking for a little something else for breakfast.” Her obvious innuendo did not go unnoticed.

“I bet you are… But when was the last time you ate?” She blushed at his implication and then shrugged her answer. “Yeah… That’s what I thought. So, let me cook you some breakfast and then I’ll let you put me to bed.” It was Nick’s turn to drop the innuendo bomb.

“That has to be the best thing I’ve heard in a very long time.” She turned out of his grasp and reached for her cane.

At first Nick was shocked that she walked right out of the covers, and while he sincerely admired the view, his upbringing quickly kicked in. He jumped to his feet and got her robe from the back of the door. Holding it out for her, Nick smiled at her approval of his gesture.

“Thank you, kind sir.” He knew it was a jibe, but the endearment behind it warmed his heart.

Nick winked and said, “Anytime, darlin’.”

R.J. shook her head and limped off toward the bathroom. “It’s gonna take some time getting used to that.” He smirked at her reaction. “Go on ahead, I’ll be out in a few.”

“Yes, Ma’am… Hotcakes and sausage, comin’ right up.”

Just as he was about to head down the hallway, R.J. called out, “Hey, what did you do to get those guys to leave before?”

He turned, shrugged, and simply said, “I just made them run the plates on my car and look me up… As soon as they saw who I was, they just wanted to get outta here in a hurry.”

He delighted in the sound of her chuckle as she responded, “Oh yeah… Big, bad CSI man that you are.”

“Actually… It has more to do with my big brother.”

She walked back to the bedroom door and leaned out to ask, “What the hell does your brother have to do with it?”

Nick looked back and slyly said, “You mean Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Daniel Stokes?” He enjoyed the slack-jawed look on her face as he smugly turned away and walked back to the kitchen.

Chapter 61

19:00 – 2007.03.09

Desmaiseux Townhouse

As Nick put another handful of gel into his hair, he remembered what it was that made him grow it out a couple of years before, and ultimately what made him shave it all off recently; he hated messing with his hair. At its current length, it was going to stick up no matter what he did, so he was attempting to at least get it all to point in the same direction.

He was about to slather yet another handful of gel into his hair when he heard someone laughing quietly behind him. “What are you doing?”

Nick looked back to find R.J. standing in the doorway in her robe. In one hand, he had a comb, and in the other was a glob of hair gel. He looked between his hands and then up at her again when he answered, “Spackling?”

Her laughter was the perfect reward for the torment of his hairstyling nightmare. “Drop the gel, and nobody gets hurt.”

She hobbled up behind him and turned his hand upside down over the sink before reaching in to twist on the water tap. He watched as she gently washed the gel off of his hand, and wondered how she was able to make something so incredibly mundane an insanely sensual experience.

R.J. smiled and then pushed him back from the bathroom vanity. “Sit down.” He looked behind him to see where she was directing, and reached back to lower the lid before falling down onto the toilet. “Now, what’s the problem?”

“I don’t want to look like Greg, and it hasn’t grown out enough not to spike.” Nick was surprised by the slight whine in his voice, and blushed a little at her knowing smile.

“Which one is Greg?” she asked as she took the comb out of his hand.

“Scrawny, dresses weird, always has the funky hair thing goin’ on.” He cringed as she tried to run the comb through his hair and it got stuck.

She reached over and soaked a washcloth, which she then started rubbing through his hair. “Okay, so that’s the guy who used to be a tech, right?” Nick found it hard to concentrate on what she was saying as she tried to remove some of the gel from his hair, because the motion caused her robe to open in the front. “Right?” She looked down at his face and then laughed when she realized what the problem was. “Nice… You wanna try and concentrate on something else for a few hours there, buddy?”

His face turned about twenty shades of embarrassed as she busted him for ogling. “Sorry, but it’s not exactly easy when they’re practically in my face.”

Her light laughter trickled down into his ears, and delighted him just as much. “Point taken… So, is there something specific you wanted to do with this hair?”

“I just wanna look like a grown up, and not totally embarrass myself at this thing tonight.” He closed his eyes as she ran the comb through his hair. It was an oddly comforting experience to have her combing his hair as he sat in front of her. As she continued to work on his hair, R.J. brought her right hand up to lie on his cheek.

When she stopped, he opened his eyes just in time for her to lean down and kiss his forehead. “Okay… Done.”

She turned and limped out of the bathroom, leaving him to check out her progress with his unruly hair. The moment he looked at himself in the mirror he was shocked to see that she not only managed to tame the beast, but she created a result that he was actually happy with. “Hey! How’d you do that?”

“You have to work with the cowlicks, Nick… Not fight them. Once you understand that your scalp is the boss, the rest is easy.” She called back to him from the bedroom.

“You say this like you have a lot of experience with it.” Nick slipped on his dress shirt and buttoned it as he walked back into the bedroom.

“Yeah, well, I’ve had this fascination with hair my whole life, and thankfully Uncle Petey was very patient with me when I was little.” Nick chuckled at the idea of a young R.J. terrorizing her uncle with hairbrushes and barrette’s. “And the man’s cowlicks had cowlicks. Momma said that I was the first person that ever got his hair to lie down without a whole tube of Brylcreem.”

“Well, it’s nice to know I’m not that bad.” He tucked in his shirt and then leaned into the bathroom to grab his tie from the hangar. Nick kept his gaze on the task at hand with the tie, so when he raised his eyes again he nearly had the breath knocked out of him.

R.J. slipped her dress over her head and allowed it to slide down over her body, hugging her in all the right places. “Damn…” He realized that the word left his lips when she turned to him with a surprised look on her face. “Sorry, but… Wow.”

She looked him up and down and winked. “The same could be said for you.” The smug smile on his face made her do something he never imagined from her; she actually giggled. “Quit gawking and get over here.” Nick did not even wait for the reason before he stepped towards her. “I can’t even remember the last time I wore this, and I need some help with this zipper.”

He walked up behind her and instantly reached for the zipper at the back. As he drew the zipper up with his fingers, Nick leaned over and kissed her bare shoulder. “Maybe we don’t have to go to this party after all.”

As if the fates we conspiring against him, Nick’s phone instantly started to ring. He cringed and pulled away to answer his phone as she said, “Busted.”

He shook his head and answered, “Stokes… Hey, Catherine… The memo said eight… Well, if you wanted me early you should have passed that on to my boss… I got a life, ya know… No, I am not trying to get ou-… Cath… Catherine! If you don’t let me get off the phone, I ain’t never gettin’ there!” R.J. slipped her jacket up onto her shoulders and struggled to keep her laughter at bay. “No… Yes… Yes… Yes, I have a date, and you DO NOT need to set me up with somebody…”

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19:15 – 2007.03.09

Rampart Hotel & Casino: Ballroom

“Nicholas Stokes… If you think for even one minute about bailing on this party, so help me, I will hunt you down and even Grissom won’t be able to put all the pieces back together when I get done with you.” Catherine hung up the phone with a snap and had to close her eyes to hold back the tension and frustration she felt.

With her nerves stretched dangerously thin, she nearly jumped straight out of her skin when a pair of long, strong arms wrapped around her from behind. “What the-” Her exclamation was silenced when a pair of soft, warm lips touched her neck.

“You were saying?” Warrick hummed the words into her ear as he held her tightly in his arms.

“Forget the party… Let’s get a room.” Catherine spun around in his arms and draped hers around his neck.

Before they could take the conversation any further, a gravelly voice spoke from behind them. “It’s not enough you’re gonna overrun my hotel with a bunch of cops… But do I really have to be here to watch someone molest my daughter, as well?”

Lindsey came skipping in behind him, and instantly shrugged off the display of affection between her mother and Warrick. “Oh please, Gramps… That’s nothing. You should see ‘em watching a movie. And besides, that’s Mom molesting him.” The teenager simply rolled her eyes and danced past the grownups to check out the buffet table behind them.

Sam shook his head and groaned, “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

Without missing a beat, or even turning back to look at them, Lindsey shot back with, “It could be worse… It could be me.”

All three of the adults cringed at the very idea, but it was Sam that pointed at Catherine and replied, “She gets that from you.”

Warrick kissed Catherine’s forehead before he let go and said, “Don’t I know it, Sam.”

Sam looked around the ballroom and waved his hand as he asked, “So, when’s this place turning into a donut shop?”

Catherine looked at her watch as she leaned into Warrick’s side and answered, “Less than thirty minutes… So, unless you want to have another heart to heart with the sheriff or Jim Brass, I suggest you make yourself scarce.” She then stepped away from Warrick to take her father’s hand and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for the space, Dad.”

The grizzled Vegas veteran turned the corner of his mouth up and nodded shyly at his daughter. “Only for you, Mugs.” As he started to walk away from the trio that made up a large part of his family now, he stopped and said over his shoulder, “Give the bug man my best wishes.”

“As always.” Catherine retreated back into Warrick’s arm as she watched her father walk from the room. “You know that wasn’t easy for him.”

“Yeah… Well, I think he’d pretty much turn Vegas on its ear if you, or the dimpled one over there ever asked.” Warrick took her hand in his and played with her fingers a little. “I also think he’s still a little sore at me for takin’ his best girl away like this.” He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the ring on her finger.

Lindsey chose that as her cue to rejoin the conversation. “You still gotta say it in front of the judge, ‘Rick. And don’t even think Gramps is gonna let you get away without a real wedding. Nana either, for that matter.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Linds.” Warrick smiled at her beaming, dimpled face, winked, and then took a survey of the room. “Okay, ladies… What do we have left?”

“Making sure the guest of honor actually shows up.” Catherine’s hand effortlessly found its way to her hip as she cast a dangerous look at the doorway.

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19:15 – 2007.03.09

Grissom Home

After his third fruitless attempt to fix his tie, Gil groaned at his image reflected from the mirror. He hated parties, but more importantly he despised anything where he was the center of attention.

When he told Warrick, all those years ago, that there would be no grand exit for him, he was actually speaking from a perspective of wishful thinking. He had always intended to slip away quietly in the dark. What he never imagined was that he would be leaving to start a whole new life; to start a life with Sara.

Slowly and quietly, Sara slipped in behind him and brought her hands up to his neck. “Having tie trouble again?”

“Having ‘I really don’t want to do this’ trouble.” He slumped into her as she leaned on his back. “Are you sure we have to go?”

“If I have to go…you most definitely have to, mister.” Sara turned him around by his shoulders and went to work on his tie.

Gil held up his chin to give her more room, as he asked, “Are you sure we’re up to this kind of thing? What with the move and everything…maybe we should just stay home and rest?”

“Not a chance.” She tucked one end of the tie through the loop and pulled. “You are going to this party. You are going to smile and nod as everyone congratulates and thanks you. And, you will thank Catherine for setting it all up.”

He smiled at his wife’s careful instructions and simply gave her the appropriate response, “Yes, dear.”

“Good boy… And if you continue to be a good boy tonight, I might even have a little surprise for you afterwards.” Sara cocked her eyebrow in a way that made it very difficult for Gil not to carry her off to bed and forget about the party altogether.

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19:50 – 2007.03.09

Rampart Hotel & Casino: Ballroom

With a definite spring to his step, Greg made his way to the retirement party of his mentor. The spring, however, came from the girl on his arm. Greg had been seeing her for nearly two months and this was to be the first time she met the other people in his life.

He was also excited because of the boxes in his hand. One was just a simple wrist corsage for Lindsey. Greg loved making the young girl smile, and he knew that she would soon forget all about him in favor of some gawky, baggy pant wearing teenage boy, but he always took her little crush on him very seriously. It might have been due to the fact that she was the only girl to have ever thought him crush-worthy, but he tried not to think about that aspect of it too much.

The other box was very important. It had taken him three months to find, but he was determined he was going to find the perfect retirement present for the man who had given him a chance at a life less ordinary. He owed his career to Grissom, and Greg was adamant about making sure he knew just how much that had meant to him.

Greg called in favors from every geek and nerd he had ever known, but he managed to pull off the find of the century. Encased in a rounded, vacuum sealed glass display, seated on a gold filigree shard was a perfectly preserved, petrified scarab beetle that was estimated to have been alive during the reign of the Pharaohs. He even had a friend laser inscribe, along the bottom edge of the glass case the words he heard come from Grissom a million times over; “The only objective witness to the crime.” He made sure the inscription also attributed the words to the great man, and so it wrapped all the way around the base of the casing.

He had finally come to terms with Grissom moving on, of Sara’s change in shift, and all of the resulting changes that came with it. He understood that for people to grow, for life to continue, that change was not only inevitable, it was necessary. From that moment on, Greg would welcome all change with open arms.

When he reached the ballroom doors, he was stopped by hotel security and asked to show his invitation. Greg happily pulled the memo from his jacket pocket and handed it over to the burly security guard.

He was allowed to pass, and Greg held the door open for his date when she said, “Is security always so tight for one of these retirement parties?”

“Nah… The only way Catherine could get the big man to show was to promise there wouldn’t be any unwelcome visitors…” He winked at her as she walked into the nearly crowded ballroom and added, “Well, other than our boss, but it’s hard to totally keep him out, I guess.”

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21:00 – 2007.03.09

To say the place was packed would have been a gross understatement. Much to everyone’s surprise, it appeared that the entire Las Vegas law enforcement community wanted to pay their respects to the retiring forensic investigator.

Almost everyone was surprised by the outpouring of affection for the enigmatic man; everyone but Stephanie. She always knew that her dear uncle touched people in ways that they could never truly understand, but always felt, none the less. He was a constant in the lives of many, and that constancy was sorely needed and always respected. There was one thing that would always be said about the man she had loved nearly her entire life; Gil Grissom was a good man.

She smiled to herself as she watched him glide across the dance floor with his wife firmly in his arms. There was nothing more satisfying for her than to see the people she loved enjoying themselves. And that went triple for her uncle, a man who long denied himself the pleasure of human company in some ridiculous attempt to lessen his pain.

Stephanie was pleased to finally see her Uncle Gil happy and enjoying life. It was the missing piece to her family’s puzzle; true happiness. She saw it in his face as he bent low to dip Sara while they both laughed at some private joke, and she felt it in the comfort and peace she had found in him, as well as herself, since her arrival in Las Vegas.

Her quiet introspection was disturbed when a shadow passed over her and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Next slow one is mine.”

She reached up to touch the hand her husband laid on her shoulder. “Did you bring the wide load flashers?”

“Nah… Just the disaster scene markers.” She turned her head to look up at him when he finished his joke. “You will be dancing with a giant lummox, after all.”

Her other hand went to her swelling abdomen when she asked, “You think we’ll fit out there with these’s monkeys taking up so much space?”

“Sure… Their old man’s got orangutan arms, so we should be just fine.” Thomas pulled his chair up behind his wife and began to softly massage her shoulders as he leaned in to ask, “They sure are riding this wave, huh?”

“Leave ‘em alone… This is the best part.” Stephanie enjoyed the playful banter she had with her husband.

Their quiet moment together was disturbed by the arrival of another couple. “I had no idea Gil could dance like that.” The elegant, auburn haired woman was accompanied by a dark haired man with horrible taste in ties.

“Yeah, the old guy does have some moves.” The man cocked his head to side as he watched her uncle on the dance floor.

“Grandma Mary made him take dance lessons when he was a teenager.” Stephanie beamed up at the pair.

“They obviously worked.” The red haired woman smiled at the information and then looked from her companion to the seated couple. “Oh, I’m sorry… I haven’t introduced you to Booth.” Thomas stood from his chair and took the smaller man’s hand as Booth slowly stared up at the towering young man. “Seeley Booth, this is Dr. Stephanie MacInnerney and her-”

“Obviously Uncle Gil is just as bad about sharing information, Dr. Brennan… Thomas and I were married last year.” Stephanie carefully stood up from her chair, and the other couple found their attention fixed on the large mass at her midsection. “And we’re having twins in a few months.”

“Twins, wow! And yeah… Gil sort of forgot to mention any of that. I guess that means double congratulations are in order.” Dr. Brennan awkwardly tried to decide what course of action she should take, and then settled for a nervous hand on the younger woman’s arm. “Or is that triple?”

“Please don’t say things like that… I’m still dealing with the idea of two more of her at home.” Thomas reached around his wife to shake Dr. Brennan’s hand.

“So, you’re having girls then?”

“Actually, we’ve decided to keep that a surprise, so we have no idea yet.” Stephanie looked back to her husband for support.

“That seems odd… What with the technology to learn such things, and the need to make arrangements for the arrival of the children, wouldn’t it make more sense to know the sex of the fetuses as soon as determination has occurred?” Dr. Brennan seemed genuinely confused by their decision, as she looked from them to Booth, and laid out her argument. “Especially given the difficulties in dealing with multiple births, in relation to logistical and financial constraints.”

“Bones… Not everything is about logic.” Booth tried to lead her away from the couple as he said, “Excuse us, please.” He called back over his shoulder, “And congrats…on everything.”

As they walked away, Stephanie could hear him chastise her comments with, “Bones, you really know how to take all the fun out of life’s mysteries.”

The last thing she heard from the woman, as Booth led her to the dance floor was, “I don’t know what that means.”

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21:30 – 2007.03.09

The last place. The last place on earth. The last place in the entire galaxy he ever wanted to be standing. Giving speeches was usually the high point of his day, but this was something else entirely. This was a speech he never wanted to make.

Oh, he certainly wanted to send the man on his way, but he never wanted to be the one singing his praises and lamenting about his departure. No, he wanted to sit back in the dark and maniacally snicker about finally being rid of the pompous, self-righteous, know-it-all windbag. The last thing he wanted was to have to thank him for his years of service, or to wish him well in anything, and he certainly did not want to praise him for anything relating to his tenure at the crime lab.

He spent his entire professional career in the shadow of that insufferable man, and he wanted nothing more than to close the door on that episode in his life, but it seemed that he would be made to suffer through one more trial at the hands of his greatest adversary.

Worst yet… The one thing that he always excelled in over his enigmatic and over-inflated foe, was the one thing that forced him to have to give the speech in the first place; politics.

Conrad Ecklie flipped through his few brief notes and struggled to put on an aire of indifference as he prepared to give the speech at the great and all-knowing Dr. Gilbert Grissom’s retirement party. He sneered at the notes reminding him to thank the man for his tireless service to the lab, a fact that had been thrown in his face more times than he ever wished to admit. “Of course he was tireless… The bastard never had a life before now.”

“Conrad?” At the sound of his name, Ecklie stiffened.

When he saw the sheriff walk through the curtain behind which he hid, he relaxed a little. At least it wasn’t that bastard, McKeen. Just as the thought crossed his mind, the offending party followed directly behind the sheriff.

“There you are…” Sheriff Burdick was obviously checking to make sure he had not bailed. “We should really get this show on the road before Grissom slips out the back. Are you ready?”

“Ben, I’m still not sure that I should be the one giving this speech. After all, you are th-”

“Nonsense… I barely know the man.” The sheriff was not making it any easier on him. “And besides, if it wasn’t for Grissom and his team, you wouldn’t have a career.”

Ecklie could not help but notice McKeen’s struggle to keep from laughing at the comment, and it only served to make him dislike the man further.

As the trio of men exited the curtained area, Sheriff Burdick signaled to Catherine, who, in turn, signaled to the band leader to wrap it up. By the time the music quieted, they were standing at the microphone which had magically appeared.

The sheriff took the microphone first, for a few brief words. “It’s good to see so many people here to pay their respects to such a fine member of our law enforcement community. I won’t pretend to know enough about Dr. Grissom to fill an entire speech, but during my brief time with the man I was deeply impressed with his conviction and integrity. I only hope that he can instill some of those virtues in the students he will be mentoring in his new career.” Everyone applauded both the words and the man they were directed at, even as Grissom tried to graciously fade into the crowd.

Catherine knew what was coming next, and while she regretted putting everyone through it, she also knew that Ecklie deserved every single agonizing moment of the exercise in humility.

“There is someone more qualified than I to give a proper speech about this man, and so…” He turned to a stone faced, almost snarling Conrad Ecklie as he handed off the microphone, while the room quieted its applause.

“Thank you, Sheriff Burdick.” She watched as Conrad attempted to swallow the bile in his throat.

“When I first started as a CSI, Gil Grissom was already making a name for himself in the California law enforcement community. When he was first recruited by Dr. Cavallo all those years ago, I wondered what it would be like to have such a man in our midst. It quickly became evident that he would have a positive impact on our entire lab. And over the years, his dedication to his work and his reputation as a criminalist and a scientist, has been of immeasurable value to the Las Vegas Crime Lab.”

As Catherine listened to the sniveling coward of a man drivel on without actually saying anything, she almost regretted suggesting that Ecklie’s penance for missing the original announcement should be the speech at the party. The only thing that made it worth every painful moment was the fact that Conrad was suffering ten times more.

She watched as Ecklie took the glass of champagne offered to him by the under sheriff and struggled to keep his sneer at bay. “If you would all join me…In thanking Grissom for his years of service and wish him all the luck in the world with his future endeavors.” Everyone raised their glasses in Grissom’s direction and toasted the man who humbly accepted their attention.

From the back of the ballroom several distinctive voices called out over the crowd to holler, “Where’s the real speech?!” Catherine did not even have to look to know that Archie and the rest of the techs had already consumed a fair share of good spirits.

Warrick came up behind her and touched the small of her back for attention. “Maybe you should say something…meaningful?”

She could not help but smile at his obvious suggestion, and the sly look on his face was enough to warm her more than the champagne ever could. “You think?”

He bent down to kiss her cheek and sent her to the stage. As she walked through the small group of people still on the dance floor, she found Nick with his date. She had not gotten the full report on that situation just yet, but she was sure Stephanie would fill her in before the night was done. However, she had no doubts about the woman as she passed and overheard her not so quietly ask Nick, “So, is that the incompetent, pumped up windbag you told me about?” as she pointed at the incredibly flustered and frustrated Conrad Ecklie.

Catherine stopped just long enough to briefly lean over and say, “Good eye, and welcome to the family.” She saw just enough of Nick’s blush to satisfy her wicked streak and to put a decidedly feline smile on her face as she finally reached the stage.

Everyone in the room began to applaud Catherine as she rose to the stage. She flashed a bright smile at the crowd and then softly remarked to Conrad as she took the microphone from his clammy hands. “Thanks for warming them up, Conrad.” She took even greater satisfaction in the snarl on his face as Jeff and the sheriff escorted him from the stage.

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22:00 – 2007.03.09

Quite the crowd had formed near the animated brunette with the silver earrings and the flowing skirts. She seemed to be weaving a very involved story that required a raised voice and large hand gestures.

“So, then he calls me…like I can do anything…and tells me he’s standing on the corner of Twelfth and Pennsylvania Northwest with a cellphone in each hand-”

“And not a clue to be found anywhere.” Jack interrupted her story and tried to save face. “Thankfully, Booth was able to call in a few favors to find out what the hell was going on, because I felt like I’d just been hit by the Men in Black.”

Angela shook her head at his latest bout of conspiracy theories and said, “You would.”

Sara chose that moment to add her own two cents into the conversation, “Like you wouldn’t… I seem to recall someone telling me that the Longshoreman’s Union had put out some kind of mandate to keep you from being able to catch another free ride to Hong Kong, or get a decent date… Was that you, or some other roommate with a taste for burly men and authentic Moo Goo Gai Pan?” Angela’s mouth hung open at her friend’s disclosure. “Turns out she’d already managed to go through all of the ships’ captains in the Bay Area, so she just moved on to…Seattle, was it?”

“So not fair, Sara…” A dangerous smirk played over her face as she raised her eyebrow and said, “Especially seeing as you married the craziest thing you ever did.”

Sara sat up in her chair and placed her hands on the table. “Okay… Moving on now…” She was not about to open that can of worms with everyone standing that close, so she quickly tried to divert their attentions. “So, did they ever find the guys trying to intimidate the witnesses?”

R.J. decided to play along with the subject change and explained, “Yeah, they found them… But not before they took a few potshots at me yesterday morning.”

“Oh my God! What happened?” R.J. made a mental note to ask Nick who the tiny woman clutching onto the Asian guy was after the party. She thought that the petite woman was a little on the overdramatic side, but it could have just as easily been a personality quirk.

“Not much really… I’m not exactly sure how intimidating those Neanderthal’s could be when they couldn’t hit the broadside of a government building with an automatic.” R.J. rolled her eyes at the circumstances of the supposed attempt on her life.

“Yeah, but tell ‘em what did happen.” Nick gave her a pointed stare as he gingerly moved his hand up along her back to remind her of the actual outcome.

“Well…” She rolled her eyes again at his reminder, in an attempt to keep the blush from her cheeks. “Seems one of the Marshal’s was a little less than calm and collected during the spray of gunfire and decided to discharge his own weapon…into my back.” The gasps around the room had the effect that she was sure Nick had intended; she felt the real impact of the statement.

It was Brass’ turn to enter the conversation. “So, if they followed the standard protocol for witness protection…which I know they did since those gomers consult regs to put on their shorts in the morning…you were double vested, wearing a helmet, right?”

“And a set of armor plates in the front and back.” Brass nodded with a knowing smirk on his craggy face. “Just left me with a really nice bruise and the pleasure of making a whole cadre of U.S. Marshal’s blush by the time I finished yelling at them.”

“Trust me… It’s not something you ever wanna witness.” Nick squeezed her left hand and looked into her eyes when he added, “And I speak from experience.”

As the group laughed comfortably at the conclusion of the entertaining tale of her return to Las Vegas and her reunion with Nick, something caught her attention over in another corner of the room.

Over by the punch bowl, she watched as an attractive woman with long dark hair was desperately looking for something, or someone. That was when she noticed a pasty faced, wobbling and gawky looking guy with a receding, gray hairline as he blatantly attempted to pick up on the poor woman.

R.J. nudged Nick and got him to look in the right direction to catch sight of the scene as it unfolded. “What’s up with that?”

Nick shook his head and chuckled before he whispered in her ear, “THAT is Hodges.”

She instantly understood the heart of the problem; Complete dorkwad.

When it looked like the man was not taking the hint, R.J. turned to Nick and said, “Ah, maybe somebody should intervene on her behalf?”

Nick gave her a cockeyed grin and answered, “If anybody can handle Hodges, Mandy can.”

Before she had a chance to ask him about that comment, the female coroner leaned over to Nick and cryptically said, “Lone Ranger coming in at high noon.”

She turned in the direction the woman had gestured and found a very determined looking man crossing the room with a deep seated scowl on his face. In no time flat, the well-built man with the close cropped, dark hair had Hodges pinned to the wall with his arm across the floundering man’s neck.

In an instant, several of the men were up from the table in time to witness the entire exchange up close and personal. As they pulled the big man off of Hodges, R.J. watched them carefully moderated the dispute.

Nick was the first to try and calm the man. “Alex, man… Chill out… The guy’s just a little drunk, and I’m sure he’s very sorry.” Nick turned back to the barely standing Hodges and asked, “Isn’t that right, Hodges?” The man nodded his head like it was attached with nothing more than a loose spring. “See… He’s real sorry, and there’s no damage done, right?” Nick looked around at everyone to be sure that what he said was in fact true. When he saw Mandy nervously nod at him, he knew they needed to break the scene up quickly. “So, we’re all good, right?”

The man pulled out of Nick’s grasp and straightened his suit and tie when he answered, “Fine… Just fine… But keep that slimy, little toad away from my fiancé!” The man walked to the dark haired woman and as they embraced, all of the men gathered around them stood back in shock; all but Nick.

Back in their corner, R.J.’s attention was seized by the sound of two hands slapping together in the tell tale sound of a high-five. She turned to find Sara and Stephanie with a matching pair of Cheshire cat grins.

Dr. Grissom and Catherine both shook their heads at the display, but Grissom was the one to ask, “And just how long have the two of you known about this one?”

Sara gave him a look that R.J. could only describe as smug and satisfied when she asked, “Remember that wedding I told you we have to go to next weekend?”

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22:15 – 2007.03.09

His glass swirled in the dancing beams of light from the ballroom chandeliers, the amber liquid sparkling with the reflections. It was only his second drink, not counting the champagne, of course. Who counts champagne at a party?

For a change, the warmth he felt had nothing to do with the liquor in his hand. He was feeling the warmth of friendship, of caring, and of family. Jim Brass once thought that he could never truly be a part of a family, but it had been made abundantly clear to him that he was indeed part of someone’s family.

As he watched Sara deep in conversation with the new girl Nick brought with him, he wondered if he would feel like a part that family were it not for her. She held a soft spot in his heart since he first encountered the energetic, driven and deeply compassionate young woman. And when she began to spiral downward a few years back, he was the first one with a hand out to try and catch her. Through it all, the good and the bad, he watched over her and marveled at the way she bounced back from every trial, and soared through each accomplishment. Best yet, she always made him feel like he had some small part in getting her there. The warm feeling in his chest at that moment was most definitely pride.

To his left, he observed Gil talking with Al Robbins and Ray O’Riley. He figured the two geezers were trying to convince Grissom that he should be playing golf and not taking on another career at his age. What none of them could ever know was that Gil was taking on so much more than a new career; he was actually taking on a whole new life. Almost fifty-one years old and the man had truly come alive for the first time in his life.

His friend now looked to the future, instead of dwelling on the past, and he owed it all to a bright-eyed, red-haired, towering monument to the eternal hope of optimism. That god-daughter of his was not only a link to his past, but a glimpse of the future, a promise of things to come. With her arrival, and her constant presence in his life, Gil ultimately saw the reality of his life, and finally understood the value it could possess.

Jim would always keep one of those soft spots for Stephanie, simply because of what she has meant to his friends, but also because of the special relationship she managed to eek out with Sara. Another thing that warmed his heart on a regular basis was seeing Sara open up to the girl, and the support that they provided to one another. He liked not being the only family she had anymore, and it made him feel more confident in her future. Sara needed a family, a big family.

When he watched Nicky come up behind Sara and wrap her shoulders up in a playful hug, he was warmed by the safety of his family. They very nearly lost Nick in that damned box, and then again to the darkness that episode had cast over him. As he saw the young man smiling and laughing with Sara and his new girlfriend, Jim sensed that they had finally seen the last of the changed Nicky, and the fresh faced kid he hired all those years ago seemed to be peeking out from the corners of his sparkling eyes once more.

His thoughts swirled around him, just as the liquor in his glass swirled, and time became effortless as he watched the patterns in the light. He had long been deep in those thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder and a wisp of hair brush the side of his head just before a smoky voice spoke in his ear. “Enjoying yourself?”

His craggy face screwed up into a cockeyed grin as she leaned down onto his shoulders. “Watching Ecklie squirm alone was worth the new suit.”

Sara brought a chair around to sit beside him. “That was rather satisfying, wasn’t it?” He turned in time to see the purposefully raised eyebrow. “But I think I am just about partied out at this point.”

“You’re just used to that whole daywalker schedule.” Brass gave her a knowing wink which elicited a small, carefully controlled laugh from the younger woman.

With a suspicious and questioning look firmly entrenched on her face, Sara playfully asked, “Didn’t I hear a nasty rumor about you taking over the day shift down at PD?”

“Vicious gossip, I tell ya… Have you been talking to Sanders again, or what?” The mock irritation on his face told more of the story than anything he could have said. “Of course, it’s probably got something to do with finally convincing a certain lieutenant to take the friggin’ captain’s exam, so’s I could climb out of the dark ages.” Brass stretched his back a little, and added, “I’m gettin’ too old for stayin’ up all night with those punks.”

Sara looked over at Grissom and then nonchalantly asked, “So, you want to get up early and babysit a new group of punks?”

“Yeah, well… You gotta mix it up now and then, otherwise life’ll get boring.” He enjoyed the tinkling of her barely contained laughter.

“Well… I might have something else to keep your life interesting.”

Brass chanced a quick look over at her, and found a smug smile playing at the corner of her mouth. “Doll, you always make my life interesting… I’m just stickin’ around to see what’s next.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

22:30 – 2007.03.09

He instantly recognized the signs; she started to fidget, to pick at her nails, and spoke only in one word answers. Thomas knew without a doubt that his wife was about to get cranky. The joys of pregnancy, he thought.

The mood swings had been kicking in slowly over the last month, so he quickly learned to see the signals. Being the person that she was, he knew that Stephanie would never let them spin out of control, but at the same time, she hated letting on that there was something bothering her. And so, he became her handler during those shifting tides of hormonal waves. He made sure she was comfortable, hydrated and fed, and beyond that, he knew when she just needed to be left alone. That time was rapidly approaching.

Thomas had just consoled his wife by telling her that he would get their coats so that they could go home when Uncle Gil came up to him. “Thomas, I need your assistance.” He was immediately charged with slipping the man and his wife out of the ballroom, and away from the party. It would seem that Stephanie was not the only one at their rope’s end with the crowd. When he looked in the direction Gil pointed, he found an obviously tired and worn out Sara talking to Brass. Thomas happily took the assignment and went off on his reconnaissance mission for the coats, as well as an effective escape route.

After retrieving the coats for all four of them, Thomas noticed an exit hidden just behind a slightly open curtain beside the stage. His plan in place, he inconspicuously made his way along the perimeter of the crowd to find his wife and inform her of their mission. If he knew one thing, it was that he would need the likes of Stephanie in order to elude the likes of Catherine. Only another sneaky broad knows sneaky broad tricks.

Upon finding Stephanie hiding out at a table with David and Sandi, he quietly whispered their directives into her ear as he helped her into the coat. While he pulled his own coat on, Stephanie straightened his collar and softly said, “You’re getting pretty good at all this stuff… Maybe we should have some more?”

Thomas was unable to keep the smile off of his face when he responded, “Only after we get a little more practice in… I think we can do much better next time.” The slight color change he witnessed in his wife’s cheeks was the perfect reward for his effort, and the heat rising from her face as he kissed her gently on the forehead was a bonus. It was a rare occasion that he could get Stephanie to blush, so he made sure to treasure each and every time it happened.

He laid the other two coats over his arm and then offered the free one to his wife. “Shall we?”

“Off to storm the castle.” She winked with the delivery and he laughed. Thomas loved the many ways his wife was able to inject little quotes from their favorite movies into their conversations, but whenever she quoted The Princess Bride, he fell in love with her all over again. It was the first movie they ever watched together, and the mere mention of it always warmed his heart.

The moment they managed to break through the crowd, after skirting the dance floor, Thomas knew that the jig was up. There stood Catherine waggling a finger at Gil as though she was scolding a child.

As they got closer, he could hear the words he already knew were being said.

“This whole damn thing is FOR you, GIL… How can you just get up and walk out of here like that?!”

Stephanie leaned in and whispered to him, “She’s just getting started, so we’ve still got a chance.”

“What do you suggest?”

A smirk tugged at the corner of her tired face and she answered, “We need to just walk up, don’t say a word, get them their coats and get out.” Stephanie raised a pointed eyebrow and added, “It’ll be over so fast she won’t even have time to figure out what happened.”

“And if that fails?”

Stephanie shrugged and simply replied, “There’s always the old standby… Blame it on being pregnant.”

Thomas smiled back at his wife, knowing that her words were pure golden wisdom.

They walked up to the tiny circle of people engaged in brow beating Gil to stay at the party, and simply pushed their way through. Catherine, to her credit, instantly figured out their plan.

“Now wait just a minute, here… What the hell are you two doing?” With both hands firmly planted on her slender, silk covered hips, Catherine looked like she was about to come uncorked on the newly arrived couple.

Thomas was grateful when Stephanie spoke first, as he handed her Gil’s coat and helped a very weary Sara into hers. “Catherine, they were here…on time, and they stayed through the food, the speeches and they even danced! Cut ‘em some slack!” She punctuated her statement by handing her uncle his coat.

“It’s HIS party!” Catherine was not about to give up so easy.

The time had come to pull out the big guns. As Gil went to Sara’s side, Thomas led them both ahead of him as he also gestured for his wife to follow suit. “Catherine, we’re tired, and we want to go home… It’s as simple as that.”

“Puh-lease! I have watched all of you go for days without stopping! What’s so damn special about tonight?” Catherine’s sneer did not go unnoticed, but Thomas was not about to give in to her demands.

“Look, you need to just back off, alright… You’re not the one that has to live with them! So, just let us get the pregnant ladies home, before one starts to hurl and the other gets cranky!” Thomas herded the three of them through the crowd as Catherine stood with her jaw completely rooted to the floor.

As the two couples swiftly and silently slipped out of the room, Catherine continued to stare into the recently vacated space, while Warrick and Nick passed some bills between them. Brass seemed to be the only one in a position to speak at that point.

Jim leaned back in his chair, swallowed the last of his bourbon and smirked, “Always keepin’ it interesting.”

Epilogue

10:15 – 2007.03.10

McCarran International Airport

She hated being late, almost as much as she hated being short; both of which were making her crazy as she trudged her way through the terminal. Her bags were heavy from cramming as much into them as possible, and they weighed her slight frame down more than she had anticipated when she packed them. As the computer bag slipped from her shoulder once more and nearly took her down in the process, she wished she could just chuck the whole mess and start over.

Her computer bag was stuffed with all of her notes and books for a paper she was desperate to finish over the week, as well as a healthy mix of music. After her last trip to Vegas, she quickly learned that she and her uncle shared no interests in music, and she was not about to spend another week listening to the twang twins flavor of the day. She had her own CD’s, her MP3 player, and a beefy selection of off the wall stuff loaded onto her laptop. There was a guaranteed week of twang-free entertainment in that bag.

The suitcase was another matter, altogether. Normally, her little pilot case would be fine for a weeks worth of fun, but she was going to be working at the lab some of that time and that required a lot more than jeans and t-shirts. That meant she had to take her father’s stupid spare garment bag to drag her decent clothes to Las Vegas. It also meant that she was forced to get creative with her personal essentials. Fortunately, in a demonstration of her astounding brilliance, her grandmother told her to leave her toiletries at home, and have her uncle take her on a trip to the store for some smaller size stuff. But none of that helped her haul that blasted garment bag from the airplane to the arrivals deck through a crowded airport. She had already stopped to retrieve it from the floor three times, and not once did anyone stop to assist her. Chivalry is dead in Vegas.

The only thing that kept her from completely losing her mind was the fact that she was able to rest her tiny, weary body on the train as it took her from the D-Gates to Terminal One. She gladly gave up the chance to sit down in favor of setting her bags down in place of herself. She received several strange looks from the other travelers on the train, but she could have cared less by that time. She was interested in only two things; handing off those bags to her uncle and relaxing in front of his big screen for a few hours as the man slept.

She had taken the earliest flight out of Dallas-Fort Worth on purpose, but even that meant her uncle would have to stay up late to get her. The idea of calling someone else to pick her up had crossed her mind on several occasions, but she knew that her uncle would have been hurt at the insinuation that she felt like an imposition. It was always a tricky balance between logical assumptions and Southern propriety in her family, and as much as her uncle fought against many of those proprieties, he was still a sucker for being a true gentleman.

When she finally had the doors to the arrivals deck in sight, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. She was a little shocked when the person walking beside her spoke. “Sounds like someone is glad to be home.”

Not wanting to insult the man, she simply smiled and nodded her head, but as she thought about what he said, Neeley Stokes began to wonder if that fickle finger of fate had not just pointed her in a new direction.

The man held open the door for her the instant he saw her struggle to find a free hand, and she thanked him. I guess it’s not all dead, just mostly.

Once outside of the terminal, Neeley searched the line of cars for her uncle’s pickup. Instead, she found him leaned against a CSI SUV looking like he was actually asleep on his feet. When he did not motion to her from his position, she instantly knew that his eyes were closed behind those dark glasses and she chuckled.

She took a few steps toward him and then decided to be her father’s daughter. Taking in a deep breath, she prepared to let loose with that trademark Stokes bellow. “NO PARKIN’, MEANS NO PARKIN’, JACK!”

Nick nearly fell over with shock as he was rudely disturbed from his twenty winks. He began to sputter, even before his eyes were fully open. “Look, I got official business, and I-” Once his eyes were open, he instantly found his niece practically doubled over from laughter in front of him. “Nice… You came out here just to scare a few years offa me, didn’t you?”

Slowly recovering from her laughter, the diminutive girl with eyes just like his shrugged her one shoulder and said, “Nah… That’s just a bonus.”

He pulled himself away from the vehicle and managed to grab hold of her bags without too much trouble. But the moment he picked up the computer bag he groaned and asked, “Good grief… What’ve you got in here? Bricks?”

Without missing a beat she calmly answered, “Barbells.” The roll of his eyes was the reward she got for her joke. “So, did you get stuck with the on-call, or what?” She gestured at the departmental vehicle as he moved to open the door for her.

He fought back a huge yawn and barely got out, “Nah… Mel needed to borrow my truck after her shift to move.”

“Mel?” She searched her memory for a face to go with the name.

“She started after you went home… The new chick?” He set the computer bag on the back seat and carefully hung the garment bag from the hook before slamming the door. As Nick walked around the front of the SUV to the driver’s door, Neeley pieced together their conversations over the last few months to figure out who he was talking about.

When he clumsily hopped back into the seat, she finally remembered. “Right! The one that Catherine hired. The one that Wendy told me had all the guys falling over themselves.” She thought about his comment and had to ask, “But why is she moving again so soon?”

“Oh, she ah… She hated the place she found when she got here.” He started the engine and continued, “The drive alone was makin’ her nuts. Plus her girlfriend only lives like ten blocks from the lab. They figured livin’ together’d at least give ‘em more time th-”

“Her What?!” Neeley was completely blown away by his absent-minded revelation. After going through a little corner of hell bringing up the subject with him at Christmas, she was flabbergasted by his nonchalant treatment of the issue with someone else.

“Didn’t I mention that before?” The sly look on his face told Neeley that he was pulling her leg. “Sorry… But somebody once told me that kind of thing ain’t no big deal, and I shouldn’t judge anybody on account of it.” He shrugged and returned his attention to the road when he added, “Strange though… ‘Cause she looked an awful lot like you. I musta been mistaken.”

“Ha, ha ha, funny man…” She quickly tried to change the subject. “So, since you got the work truck, does that mean you took the on-call for her to move?”

“No… That’s where it gets complicated.” Nick wiped his hand over his face just before they pulled onto the highway. “If she gets a call, Mel’s gonna come back and get the Tahoe. Otherwise, she’s gonna swing by Grissom’s to pick Greggo up tonight on her way in to work.”

Neeley was confused by his explanation. “So, how does that get you your truck back?

“Well, ‘cause we’ll be over there, too…” Nick slapped the dash and shook his head. “I didn’t tell you about the barbeque yet, huh?”

“That would be a no.” She chuckled at his forgetful mishap.

“Okay, so… Sara and Grissom invited everybody over for a barbeque so they could have a chance to meet you.” Nick paused to turn off of the highway, but Neeley was confused when she failed to recognize the direction they were headed. “Anyway… Gris has to be in D.C. Monday mornin’ and he’s not sure when he’ll be back…” Nick seemed to ponder that bit a little while longer, and then he wondered out loud, “Maybe I should find out which flight he’s on Sunday night. I could swing by and pick him up on the way to save Sara the trouble.”

Neeley was intrigued by his musings and decided to try to ply some more information out of her uncle. “Since when do you try to make Sara’s life easier?”

He shrugged and answered, “I guess since I found out she’s pregnant.”

“Are you serious?! When did that happen?” Neeley began to think that her uncle had been withholding a lot of information lately.

“I have no idea… That’d be kinda creepy to ask.” When he winked at her, she knew that he just kidding.

“Ha, ha… When did you find out, Mr. Hilarious?”

“Oh, well, in that case… Thomas kinda spilled the beans last night at the party when they were tryin’ to sneak out under Catherine’s nose.”

Neeley laughed, because she had a pretty good idea about what happened. “Right, so they got busted and Thomas couldn’t think of anything else to get away clean, right?”

“Somethin’ like that.” Nick shook his head and chuckled. “Anyway, since this is the only time they’ll both be in town, they wanted to throw a little party for you.”

“That’s awful nice of them… Especially for people I’ve never actually met before.”

“Yeah, well, Steph and Wendy have been talkin’ so much about you since your last visit that it makes pretty much anybody feel like you’ve never left.” Nick laughed at his own explanation, which made Neeley realize that he was probably dead on with the reasoning.

“Great… So, I now have a reputation to live up to here, as well?” His laughter as they turned onto another unfamiliar street answered her question. “Okay, so we’ve got the barbeque tonight, but when do we start workin’?”

“Ah, not ‘til Sunday night… Apparently I’ve maxed out on OT for this pay period, barrin’ any major cases.” He brought the car to a stop at the red light and they waited for the green.

“So, other than this barbeque and workin’ nights…what amazing adventures have you got planned for me this time, Uncle Nicky?” she asked as they pulled away from the light.

He chuckled at her question and cocked his head to the side when he replied, “Oh, I got a lot for ya this time around… No slackin’ on this trip.”

“I expected nothin’ less… Especially after Daddy said you were to make sure I earned my keep while I was out here this time.” She laughed as she recalled her last phone conversation with her father. “He thinks I’m comin’ out here for wild nights and goofin’ off.”

“I don’t know what you got goin’ on with Wendy at the lab, but I’d hardly call it goofin’ off. But regardless, I’ve got a lot to do in the next week, and I’m gonna need a real hand.” Nick shot a thumb over his shoulder into the back of the SUV when he continued. “So, I’m hopin’ you packed some grubbies in those bags, ‘cause you’re gonna need ‘em.”

“Well, not exactly.” She tried to work out a way around that request when it hit her. “But maybe we can pick up some sweats and a package of t-shirts from Wal-Mart or somethin’ when we get my personal stuff.”

“Personal stuff?” Nick was obviously confused.

“Yeah… They won’t let you take hardly anything on the plane anymore, so Grams suggested that I just get my stuff when I got here, and dump it before I come home.”

“Oh yeah… I forgot about that stuff. And that’s a really good idea. Just remind me when we leave for the barbeque and I’ll stop on the way.” Nick turned into a complex of townhouses and Neeley tried to figure out where they were actually headed. He must have noticed that she was looking around, because he asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Nothin’, I guess… I was just tryin’ to figure out where we were goin’. I mean, you look like you’re about to drop from exhaustion, so I thought we’d be headin’ straight home.” She thought about what he had said for a moment and then asked, “And why are you so tired, if you didn’t work last night and you aren’t on-call… Unless you stayed up all night at that retirement party drinkin’.”

Nick laughed at her questions and her confusion. “No… The only thing I had to drink last night was the champagne when we toasted Gris. I was drivin’ last night, so I was good.”

“Then what’s the deal with the Dawn of the Dead look today?”

He kept a tight lip as they pulled up in front of a row of townhouses and put the SUV into park. When he jumped out of the car, she realized that he was attempting to avoid answering the question. Neeley followed suit and exited the car, but she was not about to let him off the hook.

“Are you plannin’ on answerin’ me?”

Nick took her bags from the back seat and started walking towards the townhouse on the corner of the closest row. “Well, you remember how you said I needed to…” He paused just before he reached the doorstep and contemplated what he was about to say. “How’d you put it?... Oh yeah, that I needed to have a cranial-colonectomy.”

She laughed at his recollection, and then she clarified her previous statement. “Right… I told you it would help you to pull your head out of your own ass.”

“That’s the one. Anyway…” He looked back at her as he walked to the door and opened it with a key. “I took your advice, and I’ve made a few changes since you were here last time.”

She was even more confused than ever as she watched him walk inside the townhouse. Neeley followed after him while she shook her head and tried to remember if her grandmother had said anything about her uncle having moved recently. “So, you figured movin’ would accomplish that for y-”

Before she had a chance to finish her question, a woman appeared from the darkened area to their left as her Uncle Nick walked through the corridor. “Hey, I’m glad you’re back. I’m gonna need to get some new banker’s boxes for these notes before I can have my under-grads come by to move this stuff to Beulah’s warehouse. I didn’t realize how flimsy some of these had gotten. And there’s no way I can keep any of this stuff and still get all of your furniture, plus the big screen in here.” She stopped when Nick came into view and then she turned to notice the pale faced, open mouthed young woman standing in the corridor. “Oh! I totally forgot you were one of his errands this morning.”

Neeley was in complete shock at the sight of the geology professor standing there, but she was quickly thrown into a total stupor when her uncle leaned down and kissed the woman on the mouth a lot longer than a friendly kiss. “I’ve got Mel’s leftover boxes in the back of the Tahoe, and I’m dead on my feet. Think you can keep her busy while I get some sleep before the party?”

The raven haired woman smiled and then wiped something off Nick’s face before she answered, “I’m sure we can find something to keep us occupied without you.”

Her Uncle Nick continued through the townhouse with her bags and called back over his shoulder. “Best behavior now, Squirt… And I’ll just drop these bags in the guest room.”

Within seconds, her uncle had left the bags in the first room and then disappeared into the one at the end of the hall. She was still trying to find the power of speech when the woman in front of her began to walk toward the kitchen.

“Did Nick stop and get you something to eat? Because I have some muffins here, or I could make some eggs, or something.” The Doc opened the fridge and disappeared for a moment. “I hope you don’t mind the guest room. It’s a little girly, but I put fresh linens in there, and you’ll have the hall bathroom to yourself. Sorry about all this mess, and I really wish I could stick around longer to help, but I’ve got to fly back to D.C. tomorrow night for this stupid trial thing.”

Neely was still awe struck by everything, but she suddenly became aware that the woman was still speaking to her. “I’m sorry… I ah…. I just need to get something out of my craw a second…” The Doc gave her a strange look, and then she shut her eyes tight as she screamed at the top of her lungs, “I FUCKIN’ KNEW IT WOULD WORK!!!”

With the faraway sounds of her uncle’s laughter, Neeley returned her attention to the smirking and blushing woman in front of her. She stepped up to the island and said, “So, eggs would be great, but let me do it. That way you can tell me everything.”

A/N: It has been an astoundingly long journey, but an amazingly rewarding one, as both a writer and a fan. I hope that you've enjoyed this little world as much as I have, and thank you all for making it so much fun to get lost in it for a little over a year now. From Displacement all the way through to this behemouth, you have helped me to find my voice and to improve my writing. Thank you, and Goodnight.

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