Transitions by LosingInTranslation

Chapter 4

Warrick was still smarting from the talking to he had gotten from Grissom when he and Nick returned from their last case of the night. So, the note he found on his locker was not a welcome event. As he opened it up to find familiar and comforting handwriting, his shoulders sagged with his relief. After he changed his shirt and grabbed his bag from the locker, he slammed the door and headed off for the morgue.

He decided Stephanie probably had some questions for him about dinner or something, and knew that she would be working late (as usual). He just hoped that whatever she wanted did not take long, as he only had a little more time left to get to his place to pick up his car and get the rest of his stuff before he would have to deal with the other occupant after her shift. So, when he walked into Stephanie’s office, he was a little taken aback by the suitcases and cartons he found there.

As he stood there trying to make sense of the scene before him, someone walked up behind him and spoke, “She came by about an hour ago. Says the rest is in your car, which is in the parking lot.” Stephanie put a caring hand on his shoulder before continuing, “I guess she didn’t want a scene either.”

Warrick hung his head and showed his defeat, “I shouldn’t be surprised, but this.” He motioned at the items cluttering his friend’s office, “Pretty much puts the nail in the coffin, huh?”

Stephanie wrapped an arm around her friend and held him to her side for comfort. “She ran into Thomas and asked if you were staying with us… I guess she decided this arrangement had a bigger impact.”

Warrick looked up with a questioning expression on his face. “I don’t get it.”

“Thomas has been off duty since four, but she made a scene of bringing all your stuff here?” Her words struck him hard. He realized that his wife was trying to embarrass him with their breakup by bringing it to his work; the thing she claimed was the reason for the end of their marriage.

“I’m sorry you guys are mixed up in this thing.” Warrick was devastated by the breakup, but more by Tina’s actions since their last fight.

Stephanie pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it Warrick, “I know it’s the last thing on your mind right now, but this guy is good.”

He took the card and read it: Stephan Tompkins, Attorney at Law, Divorce and Family Law. Warrick visibly cringed at the notion, “Aww… I’m not ready for this.”

“I know, which is why I called him for you earlier. Steph and I have been friends since college. And he wanted you to know that there were already papers filed in this case.” Stephanie held her friend a little closer with the revelation.

“What?!” His indignation was beginning to boil to the surface.

“The day before your argument.” Her words sank into his soul, and it brought to the front of his consciousness the argument that sparked his departure from their home.

“Give me one good reason why I should throw away my whole career, Tina!”

The woman stomped across the room to stand toe to toe with him, “Because it is ruining our marriage!”

“What marriage?! You spend all of your down time with your girlfriends! You haven’t been home or with me on a day off in two months!” His anger was boiling over with each word.

She threw up her arms and stalked back to the chair, “Puh-lease! Like you’re ever here! You’d just take another shift anyways.”

“Well, if I didn’t work all the OT we’d never pay our bills, damnit!”

“If you had a decent job we wouldn’t have that problem!”

“If I had a decent wife it wouldn’t be a problem either!”

“Maybe I would be a better wife if my husband didn’t spend all his time with that skanky hoe of a stripper!”

He jumped to his feet and stood over her for effect, “Oh please woman! There has never been anything between us… Not like you and Dr. Grab-Ass!” She tried to push him away by force, but he stood his ground.

“THAT’S IT!!! I want you out of here!” She stormed to the door and ripped it open, “Get the Fuck out of MY house!”

He reached into the closet and tore his duffle bag out, “That’s the best thing I’ve heard out of you in months!”

Warrick was shaking his head at the memory, “She started that fight the moment she walked in the door and found me there. I must’ve screwed up her plans for the night.” He shook himself out of the fog of remembrance and looked around the room. “Well, I’m gonna have to make two trips to get this stuff out of here.”

Stephanie patted his arm, “Not at all, Thomas should be here any minute with a buddy’s truck. They’ll pull right up to the receiving bay, cart all this stuff out and you guys can head straight to the townhouse.” Warrick looked slightly relieved, but Stephanie could see there was something else bothering him, “Oh, and don’t worry about everyone knowing. They were all out in the field, and the dayshift crew was already in the lab, so no one there was the wiser. I just told them the rest of my stuff from San Fran had arrived.”

Warrick turned to see the smiling face of his friend and actually felt okay for the first time that day, “You’re the best.” He gave her a tender peck on the cheek to show his appreciation.

“Hey watch it, buddy.” Thomas came striding into the room behind them, “I got papers on that one.” His face was filled with his good humor when he came up to the two people in the office.

Warrick put his hands up in mock defeat, “I’m innocent. I swear.”

“Somehow, I doubt that very seriously.” Carter was the next to enter the room, “Damn, brother…” He gestured at the volume of suitcases, “You must have a serious style addiction, Slick.” Carter was never a man to let a serious situation go undiffused with his own brand of homespun humor, which was probably why he was Stephanie and Thomas’ dearest friend.

The three men hoisted up all of the bags in one trip and cleared them out of the office. As they were loading the bags into the truck waiting in the receiving bay, Greg and David had arrived with a new body.

Once the truck pulled out of David’s spot and the van replaced it, Greg jumped out and went straight to Stephanie in hopes of getting the dirt on what was going on. “Hey, Steph… What’s up with all the luggage?”

Stephanie turned to David (who had been there when the bags were delivered and knew what was going on), and winked, “Budget cuts.”

Greg gave her a comical expression, “Budget cuts?”

“Yep, we’ve been reduced to using mafia body disposal methods. Do you know where I can get my hands on some concrete?” Greg did an exaggerated double take and when he turned back to Stephanie she was already walking back inside and David was chuckling at his shock.

Chapter 5

At around ten in the morning, she had finally succumbed to sleep, so when she stirred at a little after one in the afternoon and found that she was still alone in bed, Sara got up and went on a search and destroy mission. She had purposely waited up for him since this was the start of their one shared day off, and she did not like wasting even a few minutes of it. During the work week, they had to maintain a certain professional distance, and they had both decided to adjust their schedules so that they each had a day off to themselves. But on that shared day, Sara sometimes found it hard to get enough of him.

She was about to leave the bedroom when she had a second thought, Maybe there was someone else out there. The last thing she needed was to walk out dressed in a teddy when Gil was having a heart to heart with Jim Brass or Catherine. So, she walked over to the chair on the opposite side of the room and slipped into her robe which had been lying there before heading back to the door. When her bare feet hit the stone tile floor she was instantly chilled. One of these days I should get some slippers. That thought instantly brought out the image of Gil sitting on the living room couch with a book in front of him, dressed in his robe and slippers. It seemed silly, but the first time she had seen him like that, she truly felt at home in this place. Living together had been a frightening prospect for her, but the transition appeared to be working. Most of the time. They were both so fiercely independent that there were bound to be problems, but so far each one had been handled swiftly, and with a generous amount of makeup sex things seemed to smooth over well.

After peeking in the bathroom to see that he had not fallen asleep in the tub again, she continued out into the living area to complete her mission. As soon as she swept her gaze across the room, her eyes stopped at the desk in the corner. There she found him, hunched over the computer. Moving closer, she realized that he was actually asleep. His head was lolled slightly to the side and his mouth was hanging open. She had to stifle the giggles threatening to spring forth from her mouth at the sight of him.

Sara decided to take pity on him this time, and walked around the desk to turn him around in his chair. First, she carefully removed his glasses, folded them up and placed them on the desk. Next, she bent down and removed the work loafers she had long despised, even after Gil had explained that they kept his feet from getting sore all day. She thought they just looked goofy, so when they first started going places as a couple she was relieved to see that he would wear different shoes on their dates. The socks were the next things to be quietly removed, and she placed them inside the shoes so they would not get lost. Then she sat up on her knees and started to unbutton his jacket and then his shirt. She knew it was going to be hard to actually wake him up, so getting him mostly undressed before she even tried would make the march to the bedroom much easier. The last thing she did before making an attempt at waking him was to unfasten his belt and remove it. That was probably the easiest task in undressing him, as she had gotten a lot of practice as of late. Satisfied that she had done all she could before she got him out of the chair, she stood back up and then leaned down to speak directly into his ear.

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Somewhere in the fog of his sleep deprived mind, he felt something warm. The warmth kept repeating the same thing, and eventually he realized that they were words and the warmth was breath carrying those words to his ear. Once more the words came, and that time they broke through the haze, “Dr. Grissom, you need to come to bed now.”

“Mmmmmm,” was all he was able to muster. He felt his body rise from the chair. He felt a hand gently guiding him somewhere and his body followed. As he trudged to wherever the hand was pushing him, he felt like his load was getting lighter and the air was getting cooler. When his leg hit a soft surface and his body came to halt, the warmth spoke to him again and he found his hands pulling something out of his trouser pockets. The hand then turned him around so that the back of his legs were resting against the soft surface. He felt his trousers fall away from his body. The hand pressed firmly into the center of his chest and he found himself falling backwards, but instead of an abrupt stop, he felt the gentle embrace of the soft surface. The last thing he sensed was the warmth tenderly enveloping him in its own embrace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One eye painfully opened to the afternoon sun escaping through the shutters and attempting to burn his face. Grissom then felt something shifting in the bed behind him. Sara had managed to fall asleep on his back, with one arm tucked up under his and her hand was unconsciously stroking his chest. He had one leg hanging slightly off the bed and his arm was flailed out with the hand resting on something hard. When he hazarded a look up, he realized it was the alarm clock on the night stand. It would seem that someone wanted them to be awake at four in the afternoon, but his hand had other ideas. That movement was enough to stir the woman at his back. Correction; on my back.

He held perfectly still, hoping not to wake her further. That is, until I can figure out how I got here. In his mind, everything was a complete blur beginning right after the unfortunate altercations which ended his shift the morning before. He knew it was late by the time he left CSI headquarters, and he knew he was not in the best of moods, but he was too tired to drive it off before coming home. He also remembered thinking that Sara was going to be upset at him for being so late on their one day off together, but it had been a horrible day. Between Ecklie starting his campaign to finish him at CSI, the patrol captain taking his own initiative to deal with a situation that had already been dealt with and the whole mess with Warrick, Grissom was no longer sure any of it was worth the headaches anymore.

He was genuinely worried about Warrick, but if the younger man was refusing to talk about it with him, there was not a whole lot he could do about it. Maybe I should have Catherine talk to him? She was always better at the people stuff than me. That thought was instantly put on the back burner as the delicate creature beside him stirred once more. She appeared to be soundly asleep, so he took the risk of trying to turn her away from him. Gently, he began to roll back towards her and she took the cue perfectly as she then rolled away from him and onto her other side. The move gave him his first look at her since he had arrived home and it made his heart sink: she had been waiting for him. The teddy that she was wearing was his first indication, but as he looked around the room and saw the half burned candles everywhere he knew that he had ruined something she had planned for him. I seem to have a knack for that.

He sat up and moved to the edge of the bed and that was when he realized he was no longer dressed. He was not able to even remember getting home, let alone undressed. Was I drinking? He checked his breath for the tell tale signs, but found none. He was about to get up from the bed when he heard a muffled and throaty voice speaking to him from the other side of the bed.

“Don’t even think about it, Bugman.”

He turned back to look at Sara, but she had not even moved from the position he had rolled her to in order to speak to him, “Think about what?” He tried to act innocently.

“Getting out of this bed.”

“Well, you’re the one who set the alarm, so I figure-…”

“Augh! I knew I forgot something.” She flipped over suddenly and caught him off guard. “You have to return a call to some, anthropologist somewhere.”

He chuckled at her disheveled appearance and her sleep clouded mind, “Well, that will be easy to do… I mean, with information like that.”

She pushed the hair out of her eyes, shot him one of those infamous glares and said, “Watch it, buddy. I haven’t had coffee or sex yet, so you’re walking on thin ice here.” She flopped back down in the bed and held a hand up to her eyes, “There’s a message on the pad by the phone.” He got up to go look for the message and when he entered the hall he heard her call out to him, “And you better have at least one of the two aforementioned items for me when you get back in here.”

He chuckled as he padded in his bare feet out to the phone. He was far from a shining star in the morning, but Sara made him look practically perky by comparison. She was not good at waking up, and it just endeared her to him even more.

Grissom found the note easily enough, but his glasses were another issue altogether. He looked around the room in the hopes of spotting them, but without his glasses his chances were slim. Finally, in desperation he called back to the bedroom, “Sara, have you seen where I left my glasses?”

The only answer he received was a single word, “Desk.” With that clue, he made his way over to the corner where his desk was at and there he spied the missing glasses. When he grabbed at them, the computer screen came out of sleep mode and he suddenly remembered what happened when he had gotten home: staring at him was a database of open positions for various PhD fields. It was the first time he had ever considered doing anything other than his current profession and was not even sure now if it was what he wanted. When he heard her bare feet slapping the floor as she trudged down the hallway, he quickly closed the window on the computer. “Oh good, you found them.”

“Yeah, why don’t you go back to bed… I won’t be long.” He smiled at her, trying to hide his discomfort, but he realized quickly that he had failed miserably.

“Right, and what was that for?”

He stood up, leaned over the corner of the desk and kissed her forehead, “Nothing for now. I’ll return the call and come right back to bed… Promise.”

She turned and headed into the kitchen and straight for the fridge, “Fine, I’ll just get it out of you later.” As she blindly walked past him on her way back to the bedroom she was drinking from the bottle of apple juice she had retrieved from the fridge. Before he had picked up the phone he heard her call back to him, “And I still expect one of the two when you get done.”

He had to hold back his laughter at her offhand statement as the phone had already started to ring. It was quickly answered on the other end, “Ah, yes, this is Gil Gris-… Oh, she has?... No, that won’t be necessary… Could you please just let her know that I will try again in the morning?... Thank you, yes… Good evening.” Gil put the receiver down and looked off into nothingness for a few moments, until a ding sounded from his computer and he found an email showing at his inbox. He did not have many personal contacts, and since Sara’s arrival in Las Vegas he was not accustomed to receiving many personal emails anymore. When he peeked at the sender’s address he knew exactly who it was and decided to check the email before he returned to bed.

From: T. Brennan <t.brennan@jeffersonian.institute.org>

Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 5:01PM

To: Dr. G. Grissom <g.grissom@email.com>

Subject: Recent Query

Dr. G.

I noticed a query regarding an entomology fellowship at large and immediately thought of you. You had mentioned having issues with your current position at the last conference we attended and I wanted to make sure I passed this on to you. Call me when you wake up. I also left a message on your voicemail, but who knows if you check it that often.

Until then,

-T

PS-Are you starting a private practice? Grissom and Sidle sounds like a P.I. agency.

Grissom was immediately struck by the irony of the email and its timing. Someone must have been reading his mind. However, the email had done wonders for his spirits and with the lightening of his mood, he was reminded that there was an amazingly beautiful creature waiting (somewhat impatiently) for him in the bedroom. He shut down his email and got up from the computer.

As he was getting ready to head back to the bedroom, his stomach growled at him. He looked at the clock on the wall and realized it had probably been close to eighteen hours since he last ate. It would not do for him to lose steam in the middle of the act due to malnutrition, so he turned and headed for the kitchen to find something quick to eat before rejoining Sara in bed. When he opened the refrigerator door he instantly remembered what it was he was supposed to have done on his way home from work: the grocery shopping. It was not only the emptiness of the fridge telling him what he had forgotten, but also the note taped inside with Sara’s chicken scratch handwriting; Did you forget something, Dear? He took the note down and found more writing on the back; Get some juice and check the box on the counter.

It was eerie enough the way he and Sara always seemed to be in sync with their work, but he found her ability to read him personally a little disconcerting from time to time. This was one of those times, but he did as he was instructed and removed a bottle of juice for himself and turned around to find the box on the counter. Once he spotted the familiar box from the European bakery, he made quick work to look inside. Cinnamon Streusel Muffins!

A great many things had changed in his life since he finally welcomed Sara Sidle into his heart completely. His worst day with her was still better than his best day without her. He looked forward to his days off and every minute away from the lab, as long as it was spent with her. He had finally learned the true meaning of relaxation. He developed an appreciation for vegetarian dishes (though he still was unsure about tofu). He knew what happiness was and worked hard to make sure he never lost it. But most of all, he had become completely addicted to cinnamon.

When Sara first found the little European bakery, she had brought home the normal stuff; rustic breads and croissants. However, on her second trip to the little place, she had been overwhelmed by her sweet tooth and that was when she found the confection that would always melt his heart; Cinnamon Streusel Muffins. Ever since their first night together, cinnamon had been their own private joke. And when she brought home those muffins, it meant only one thing; he had better be ready for her. So, he quickly tucked the box under his arm and trotted back to the bedroom.

He found her in the bed, under the sheets and propped up on her elbows waiting for him, “Took you long enough.”

He smiled sideways at her, because once again, she had anticipated his actions. He bowed slightly to her, “You have my sincerest apologies, my love.”

“Whatever.” She threw open the sheets to show him where he needed to be, “Just get over here with those.”

It took only two strides for him to go from the door to the bed in an instant. His speed of action might have fooled others into thinking he was a younger man, but in fact, it was simply his love for her that made him feel like a younger man.

When he set the box down on the bed he looked over at her and could not help but notice that she was no longer wearing the teddy from before. “Sara?” She looked up at him and he continued, “You changed?”

She took a quick peek under the cover and then looked back him with an impish expression, “Nope.”

“Okay… Well, you took off what you had on before.” His words came out sounding like a whine, and it surprised him a little.

“Awww… Sorry, babe, but those things have a shelf life, and it was way past due.” She patted his arm showing her mock sympathy. “If you want the full package, you’re gonna have to make it to the bedroom before I fall asleep waiting for you.”

She reached for the box, but he pulled it away from her, “No fair!”

He glinted at her appraisingly before he spoke, “I thought these were part of the full package?” She glared at him and he could not help but laugh. He sunk back into the bed with her and pulled her up onto his chest. “Sorry, I had a bad morning, and everything happened at once. I wasn’t in any kind of mood that I wanted to share with you, so I tried driving around a little, but I was just too tired and came home. I was still restless and figured I would do a little research before coming to bed.” With his free arm he pulled one of the muffins out of the box and held it tantalizingly in front of her mouth, “Forgive me?”

She went to take a small bite of the muffin, but he pulled it just out of her reach, so she gave in, “This time.” He moved the muffin closer again so that she could finally have her bite and once she was smiling as she chewed the morsel, he took his own bite and savored the flavor audibly.

“Mmmmm… I do enjoy these muffins.” He swallowed his mouthful and noticed that she was eyeing the muffin for a second bite, but he also noticed that she still had some crumbs at the corner of her mouth and that just would not do. He moved the muffin well out her reach and before she could see what he was doing, he leaned his head forward and pressed his mouth to the crumbs on her face and quickly licked them away. It was not long before they were engaging in one of those weak kneed kisses he was fast making a trademark of their relationship. When he finally pulled back, she was desperately trying to maintain the contact. “But I think I enjoy them on you so much more.”

His words brought a flush to her cheeks that he found even more alluring. She reached for the muffin and brought it and his hand close to her mouth. She took a large bite that time and also brought his index finger into her mouth before she let his hand go. The warm feeling of her lips wrapped around his finger was enough to elicit a small groan from his throat.

She released his hand and he found her once again chewing through her crooked smile. He took one more bite of the muffin (hoping that it would be enough to satiate his stomach until further business was concluded), then dropped it into the box and pushed the box onto the floor.

Once his attention was fully on her, he immediately felt her tongue on his chest. She was removing the fallen crumbs she found there and the sensation of her warm tongue dancing over his chest was bringing him immense amounts of pleasure. When he went to take her into his arms he found her pulling back from him and it was surprising. She shook her head at him and waggled her finger, “Nah-ah… It’s my turn, remember?” Then it was his turn to blush. She pulled herself up into a seated position over his torso and then took his arms and pushed them up over his head. “You just lie back and let me have some fun.” Her words came out in a sultry and wanton melody to his ears, and he was never so glad to have taken steps to save his hearing than he was when she was talking to him in bed.

When he saw her face again, she was covering his mouth with the deepest of kisses and as he welcomed the invasion of her tongue with the kiss he became aware that one of her hands was intertwined in his curls of silver hair. The kiss seemed to last forever and when the stars were starting to form at the corners of his vision, he understood that he had forgotten to breathe again. As much as she claimed his kisses would throw her off balance, whenever she took the initiative he seemed to lose sight of the need for respiration.

He was given a reprieve when she broke her hold on his mouth and began to trail her mouth down his neck. However, his first moan of the day came when he felt her tweak his nipple between her thumb and index finger. He never ceased to be amazed at the way she could arouse him in ways that no woman had ever done before, and when her mouth closed over the other nipple his back arched in the explosion of desire that came over him. However, she was a fair woman, and she devoted equal time to both nipples and his arousal was already building up steam. She returned her attention to his mouth and smiled into the kiss when she pushed back and felt the effect her lips already had on the man below her. “Like that do you?” He tried to respond, but by that point he was beyond verbal communication, and so he simply groaned into her mouth as she deepened her kiss again.

Again, she began to move southward with her lips trailing hungry kisses all along the way. When she reached his soft belly she stopped just long enough to give attention to his belly button. He had always been self conscious about his midsection, but she had never showed him any sorrow over his middle aged physique. When she nipped at the skin below his navel he was shocked to find that it too was giving him immeasurable pleasure. Is there no end to the ways she can turn me on?

He did not have time to ponder that question any longer than it took him conjure it, because she was slithering down the length of him, and when he felt her tongue dancing its way down his abdomen his whole body cried out for what he felt was coming next. His muscles tensed the instant she ran her tongue down the full length of his nearly erect shaft. Then she took him into her hand, giving herself access to the other side and ran her tongue along that as well.

His mind was exploding with desire and he knew if he did not do some quick thinking he was not going to last very long, and that simply would not do. As she took him into her warm and waiting mouth he began to recite the elements of the periodic table, in order, including atomic weights, in his head hoping to stave off the impending explosion until the right time. So focused on maintaining his erection, he failed to notice the devilish look she gave him when she sat up again. He felt her crawling back up the length of his body and when she captured his mouth in yet another mind blowing kiss he was relieved to have survived so far.

However, his relief and her mouth kept him from noticing what she was preparing next. So, when he felt her plant one hand firmly on his chest, he was completely shocked as she guided herself onto him with the other. In one swift maneuver he was buried deep inside her as she leaned back, arching into the thrust. When he looked on her, he found her head thrown back in her own ecstasy. He so desperately wanted to hold her to him as she began to rock back and forth on him, but they had made this promise and he had to honor his part of the deal. He could only lie there and enjoy the ride, and a ride it was going to be. She directed every rise and fall, every rocking motion and every slide across his chest.

As he looked up at her, he could see the sheen of perspiration forming over her body with her efforts, and he was thrilled by it. She was beautiful to him in every way and at all times, but when he could see the effect their lovemaking had on her, his heart was full.

He was doing everything in his power to hold out as long as it took her to reach her own climax. When he felt the quivering in her walls around him he finally gave himself leave to fall into the abyss. Within a minute he was arching his back and thrusting his hips up into her. When she finally fell down onto his chest, her breathing was rough and ragged and he could feel the slickness of her skin. As her breathing began to slow, he regained his capacity for speech, “Can I put my arms around you now?”

She heaved a few more heated breaths before answering with her face still pressed into the nape of his neck, “You better, or I’m liable to fall off.”

Chapter 7

The morgue was oddly quiet and empty for a Sunday night, so Stephanie was keeping herself busy by continuing to catch up on her journal reading. She was a good two months behind on the New England Journal of Medicine and they had two very interesting articles on autopsy that she been looking forward to reviewing. So, she was completely engrossed in the article detailing the historical significance of the art of autopsy to several eras of medical science when Sara came to stand in the doorway of her office. It was not until she leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the corner of her desk that she realized there was anyone else there. Despite her surprise at finding Sara standing there with a comical smirk on her face, Stephanie met her with a bright smile. “Hey, there.”

“Are you guys sure there’s no blood relation?”

Stephanie dropped her feet and put the folded journal down on the desk before responding to the strange question, “Huh?”

Sara laughed as she entered the room and took a seat in front of the desk, “It’s just that Gil does the exact same thing when he’s reading. You two seem to share a lot of mannerisms.”

Stephanie shrugged and chuckled at Sara’s observation, “Yeah, well, I spent the first fourteen years of my life following him around like a hungry bird. I must have imprinted on him or something.”

Sara flashed to a children’s book that she vaguely remembered, “‘Are you my mommy?’”

Her laughter preceded her response, “Exactly!” Stephanie shook her head, “He must be rubbing off on you too… Nobody else ever gets my little references.” They both smiled, but Stephanie could sense that the small talk portion of the conversation was over. “So, is this when the real interrogation starts?”

At first, Sara appeared to be shocked by Stephanie’s accusation, but then she demurred, “That obvious?”

“Only to his other star pupil.” The comment did not go unnoticed by Sara, but she only smirked at the joke, “So, what’s the subject of this little visit?”

“Well, it’s a slow night up there, and I thought I’d come by so we could-…” She stopped mid sentence and then changed her demeanor before continuing, “Are you buying any of this?” Stephanie shook her head that she did not, “Okay, fine. I got Warrick to cover my shift last night and-…”

“Yeah, I know, so what?” Stephanie figured it was time to get to the heart of the matter.

“That was you?!” Vindication and shock filled Sara’s face.

“Of course it was. So what?” Stephanie had no idea why that was such a big deal.

“Why are you answering Warrick’s cellphone?”

“It was going off on the coffee table, he was outside, so when I saw it was you I picked it up before it went to voicemail and handed it to him when he came inside. No great mystery there.” Stephanie recalled the entire event in a matter of fact tone that completely confused Sara. “I figured if you were calling it was important and he wasn’t coming in for a while, so I hollered at him to get the phone.”

“He was at your place?”

The continuing questions finally struck a chord for Stephanie and she instantly realized the problem. Sara doesn’t know about Warrick yet! “Ahhhh… Okay, now I see the problem.”

Sara sat forward on the edge of her chair, “Would you care to enlighten me?”

Stephanie paused for a minute, until she was certain that Sara was going to come over the desk at her throat, “I’m just not sure I should. I mean, it’s not really my place to-…” She was interrupted by the arrival of another person in her office door.

“Because I should have told you myself.” Sara nearly jumped out of her skin when Warrick’s voice spoke from behind her. “Sorry, Steph… I’ve pretty much gotten to everyone else.”

Steph got up from her seat and walked around her desk, clutching her New England Journal of Medicine, “I think I’m gonna go con some coffee out of Greg. Help yourself.” As she walked by Warrick to exit the office she put her other hand on his shoulder in a gesture of reassurance before leaving the room.

Sara shook the surprise off her face and looked out at Stephanie as she pushed through the Autopsy Room doors, “What the hell’s going on here?”

Warrick leaned against the desk and faced Sara, heaving a deep sigh before he started to explain, “Look… I’ve got a bunch of shit goin’ down right now, and Thomas and Steph are lettin’ me crash at their place for the time bein’.” He stroked at his chin, half covering his mouth as he did it, trying to find the words to continue.

“Things have gotten that bad?” The concern in her voice almost made him want to cry.

“Probably worse… She’s already filed. I just haven’t had the stomach to call the guy Steph and Thomas recommended yet.” His eyes were filling with unshed tears, and Sara knew that it was her turn to help him hold it together for a change.

She stood up and went to Warrick, taking him into her arms and allowing him to let go, “I’m so sorry, War… I know you thought you could make it work… I am so sorry.”

In her embrace, he found the permission he needed to release all of his agony, and the tears started falling down his cheeks. He bitterly thought to himself that he felt more comfortable in the arms of his friend than he ever had with his wife. That thought caused him to chortle, “Aw, man. How could I have screwed things up so bad, Sara?” He found the strength to pull out of her arms with his words and she handed him a handkerchief from her pocket. As he wiped away the tears he laughed again, “I mean seriously… What made me think this was a good idea?”

She shook her head at him and shrugged, “I don’t know, but we’ve all done some pretty messed up stuff… Especially when our hearts were involved.” The knowing look that she gave him made him smile that time.

Chapter 8

The Layout Room table held an unusual amount of paper clutter for the start of a shift, and with the two senior most members of the shift pouring over the piles, a normal person would think it was a high profile case. However, the lab had been dead for two days, and there were no more open cases. The other members of the shift were “running off the board” in hopes of sparking possible leads on their old unsolved cases, but that left other paperwork to the two seniors. It was evaluation time again, and it never ceased to amaze Grissom exactly how much paperwork was involved in telling someone whether or not they were doing a good job.

“Now I know why you always hated doing evaluations.” Catherine dropped another file folder onto the stack at her left side. “Has there always been this much paperwork for these things?”

Grissom sat up from the stack he was going through and put on his pensive expression, “No, I actually think there are fewer forms now.” Catherine stared at him with her mouth agape. “There’s just more documentation to weed through since Ecklie’s been around.”

Catherine chuffed at his final response, “Figures… Self serving little pri-…”

“Ah, I see you two are putting the time to good use.” Ecklie stood at the doorway with a prideful pose, cutting Catherine off from finishing her thought.

“Was there something you needed, Conrad?” Grissom spoke normally, but the man’s name was spoken with disdain practically dripping off of it.

He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned against the doorjamb and shrugged, “Oh nothing… I just needed to grab something from my office and thought I would stop by to check on the troops.”

“Really?” Grissom questioned the man from over the top of his glasses.

“Not everything is an inquisition, Grissom.” He turned to walk away from the Layout Room, but not before calling out over his shoulder. “You really should see someone about that persecution complex of yours.”

Catherine sat there in disbelief, gritting her teeth through her anger. When she was certain Ecklie was far enough down the hall, she shook her head in disgust, “Gil, I don’t know how you can sit there and take shit from that fucking weasel!”

“Catherine.” Grissom looked down his nose at her, showing his disapproval in her choice of language.

“Sorry, Gil, but if I were you, I would’ve crammed my fist down his sniveling throat years ago. It was bad enough when he was just an incompetent CSI, but now he’s taking the whole lab down to his level.” Grissom cocked his head to side in a question and Catherine continued, “You haven’t heard?”

Grissom shook his head and took off his glasses, “Heard what?”

Catherine leaned back in her chair in disbelief, but as she thought about it, she should have realized that Gil never paid that much attention to accolades, so why she thought he would know about the lab rankings report was a mystery. “Gil, didn’t you wonder why the director, the sheriff AND the Mayor changed the staff scheduling around here last year? Or why Under-Sheriff McKeen has been camped out in Ecklie’s office once a week for the last few months?”

Grissom shrugged, “Well, I know there have been some inquiries into a few budgeting discrepancies. The first one coming after I submitted that proposal you and Sara ran with in response to that whole dispatch thing.” That information shocked Catherine, and it showed on her face, but he continued, “And I know that quality control has been an issue on the day shift. You and I have spent enough time at the request of the D.A.’s to know about that one.” Grissom paused, trying to figure out what it was that Catherine had been referring to, and when he ran all the information through his thought process, he hit upon the answer, “Just how far did we sink in the rankings?”

Catherine should have been used to the way his brain worked, but he always managed to surprise her sometimes. “Enough to lose some major grant money.” He nodded at hearing that, and she continued, “Sixth; behind NYC AND Miami-Dade.”

“Let me guess; Quantico, L.A., San Francisco, New York City, Miami-Dade?” Catherine shook her head and laughed at his list: it was dead on.

“How can you live in your own head so much, and yet pull off something like that?”

Grissom smiled, in that crooked, knowing way he had and then shrugged, “Elementary deduction, my dear lady… Quantico has too much money to not be in first every year. I’m surprised they even consider them for the list anymore. L.A. has been campaigning for second since we knocked them off, why else would they have been recruiting the way they had?”

Catherine was not sure what he meant by that, “What kind of recruiting?”

“There isn’t a person hired there in the last two years that was any lower than the top five percent of their class, and more than sixty percent of them were once listed as child prodigies. Stephie said she felt like she was at summer camp for Einsteins half the time.” Grissom was actually being jovial, but Catherine was still shocked he had that information.

“There’s a frightening prospect… A whole building filled with young Grissom’s and Sara’s and Greg’s running around.” She shuddered to add effect to her statement.

“Well, anyway… The director in San Francisco is a friend, so I know what they’re capable of, and you gave me the rest of the list.” Grissom simply sat back in his chair and smugly nodded to Catherine as she chuckled.

“Fine, but it doesn’t bother you at all that you helped to make this the number two lab in the country and it’s falling apart around you?” Catherine also sat back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.

Grissom pursed his lips and thought over her question a moment before answering, “Not really… But I am rather proud of the fact that the efforts of our team are the only thing keeping it in the top ten.” Catherine could only smile at his answer, because she knew it to be the truth. And one day, she hoped the powers that be would figure it out as well.

Chapter 10

Stephan Tompkins was having trouble remembering the last time he had seen this side of seven in the morning as he made his way through the parking garage of his office building that Tuesday. As he gathered his belongings for the exceptionally early day he remarked to no one in particular, “If she wasn’t such a good friend…”

He shook his head while he balanced the travel coffee cup with his newspaper and briefcase when he pressed the button for the elevator. And as he made his way up to his office on the top floor of the building, he thought about the years he had shared with his good friend Stephanie. She was the only person to still lecture him about his lifestyle on a regular basis. In fact, he decided she was probably the only person who still believed he had any redeeming qualities at all.

Without a doubt, he knew that he was not what most would consider a moral man, but Stephanie saw through the bravado and knew him by his heart. She looked past his womanizing and saw that he never made any pretenses at being a one woman man, but always maintained his honesty in his romantic dealings. She knew he never let anyone get too close, not because he was cold hearted, but because he was so careful with his own heart. She encouraged him to not be so closed off, because she did not want him to spend his life alone. He had always joked that he could never be alone as long as she stayed his friend, but secretly he feared the truth of her words nearly as much as his fear of being hurt.

No, Stephan Tompkins was not a good man by most standards, but he was a fantastic lawyer. He only took cases he believed in, and he used the lucrative divorce cases he won over the years to finance the pro-bono work he did with children’s services. His ultimate goal was to insure that no child should be left alone to deal with the abuse and neglect he had witnessed in his lifetime. Stephanie was also the only person he had ever felt safe enough with to talk to about that part of his life. She knew what drove him and she had been the one he went to when the demons would come, and she was the one he turned to when his cases did not close successfully.

They had met the first week of their first semester at UC-Berkeley in the library. She was checking out their forensics collection and he was checking out one of the librarians. She had watched him trying to make time with the young woman for about ten minutes before she walked up to stand beside him and she gave him a quick jab with her elbow to change his focus as she called over to the librarian and said, “So, how are the women’s studies events here at the library?”

When the other woman had gone into significant detail regarding the events and had even winked at the younger woman, Stephan finally realized what had been going on and hung his head. Stephanie then placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and told him that she just could not bear watching him waste so much time practicing all those moves on a woman that was far more interested in what was between her legs than his. They had been best friends ever since that afternoon.

Her dark humor and amazing wit kept him on his toes, and she never let him slide for anything. For his part, he always tried to look out for her, and did his level best to keep her laughing whenever things were getting too heavy for her. But today he was getting an even better chance to repay his friend by helping out someone she knew.

Stephan had met the man and his soon-to-be-ex-wife at the wedding a few months ago, but it was not until he started investigating the relationship (at the request of his friend) that he realized just how bad off the poor guy really was. In addition to the indications of infidelity he found in his first quick inquiries, the wife had managed to max out his credit. However, her credit showed not a scratch on it, and in fact had improved since her marriage to the man. Stephan knew the signs all too well, and he was not looking forward to dropping the bomb on the man that morning. So, when the elevator opened up, he took a very deep breath before stepping off towards his office.

Taking another breath before he pushed through the doors of his office, he found three faces waiting for him: his receptionist, his dear friend and his new client. “Well, that’s a heartening thing to find this early in the day.” He turned to his receptionist after winking at his friend, “Cindy, please tell me you’ve been taking care of these fine people?”

“Of course, Mr. Tompkins.” The beautiful young woman was quick with her smile and her answer.

Stephanie rose from her seat and Warrick followed her action, but then Stephanie walked up to the man and wrapped her arms around him. “Scoundrel through and through, but damn if you still don’t look good doing it.”

He returned the hug and gave her a peck on the cheek, “Flattery will get you everywhere, my love.” He turned in her arms and faced Warrick’s direction, “Mr. Brown, sorry to see you again under these circumstances, but I am very happy to offer my assistance.” He gestured toward his private office, “Please, let’s get this thing started.”

All three made their way into the office, with Warrick and Stephanie taking their seats in the guest chairs at the front of his desk. Stephan took his own chair and then took a file out of his briefcase to set down in front of him. “Mr. Br-…”

“Please, call me Warrick.” Warrick leaned forward uncomfortably in his seat, “This thing is hard enough without feelin’ like I’m in the principal’s office.”

Stephan smiled through his chuckle, “That’s good. You’re gonna need that sense of humor and humility to make it through something like this.” He looked at his friend and smirked, “First off… Let me tell you that there is no way in the world you can afford me, so, if I so much as see a check with your name cross my desk, I’m going to be very offended.”

Warrick was instantly uncomfortable with that idea. “Hey, I’m not lookin’ for any chari-…”

“Please, this is no charity case… You and your reputation are quite familiar to me. I actually do a great deal of legal work for the community center where you have been something of a hero figure for the kids there.” Stephan was being completely serious and Warrick was a little shocked at a divorce attorney being involved with the same community center.

“I don’t get it, I thought you were a divorce attorney… Those people don’t use divorce attorneys.” Warrick looked to Stephanie for some kind of answer, but she was smirking at his confusion.

“He doesn’t advertise it, ‘Rick, but Steph is a bit of crusader for children’s advocacy. You could say that Vegas divorce finances his superhero alter-ego.” Warrick was beginning to understand what had happened: he had been setup.

“So, this was rigged?”

Stephan sat back in his chair and gestured outward, “Hey, it’s Vegas, baby… It’s all rigged.” When Warrick snickered at the obvious statement, the man leaned forward again and picked up the folder once more, “When Steph called me, I took some liberties.” He handed Warrick the folder and waited for him to get started. “I won’t lie to you, it’s not pretty. However, it is something we can get you out from under, if you’re willing to tow the line.”

Warrick flipped through the contents of the folder and his good humor began to fade very quickly. When he gripped his forehead and started to fight the tears that were threatening to spring forth, Stephanie moved closer to him and tried to give him some comfort. His voice croaked out his next words, “You got all this in less than a week?”

“I’m afraid she doesn’t seem to have much faith in your being able to put two and two together… Or getting an attorney.” That last statement was too much for Warrick and he had to know what was behind it.

“What do you mean by that?”

Stephan took a deep breath and Stephanie held his shoulders a little tighter. “As I said, I took some liberties… One of those was to place her under surveillance.” He waited for those words to sink in to the man seated in his office and once he was certain that he was ready, Stephan continued. “She’s made some statements to the effect that she believed you were just going to rollover and not know what happened until you were skewered in the end.” Warrick simply sat there shaking his head, completely dumbfounded that he could have been so mistaken about the woman he had married. “Warrick, I promise you, that if you are willing to follow my advice, I will set everything right. You will be able to walk away from this thing like it never happened.”

There was a long silence after Stephan made his promise, but then Warrick sat up and looked the man directly in the eyes as he spoke, “There’s no walkin’ away from this, and I’m always gonna know it happened.”

Chapter 11

Two nights without any new cases should have delighted everyone, because it meant the city was behaving itself. However, everyone was on edge that night, and they were hopeful there was at least something for them to process. When Grissom and Catherine walked into the Break Room to start the shift, the anticipation was palpable.

“Okay, I’ve got a suspicious circs at the UNLV Botany Lab, and Nick, I want you to take this one.” Grissom did not wait on formalities that night, but went right to work. Nick was happy to be able to get out of the lab, so it did not matter what kind of case it was at all. “Sara, you and Catherine are with Brass tonight. He has a possible poisoning at the Stratosphere, but he’ll give you the rest of the details when you get to the scene.”

Catherine handed Sara the assignment sheet, “Brass promises we won’t have a chance to get bored.” The catlike expression on her face drew a crooked smile from Sara.

“Why does that scare me?”

“Because it should.” Grissom did not miss a beat and did not stop, “Warrick, I need you to run Greg through his last proficiency tonight. If it doesn’t happen now, he’s got six more months of babysitting.” With the chorus of groans going through the room, Grissom felt his point had been made.

“C’mon, guys… I’m not that bad. Am I?” Greg put on his best hurt puppy look and spread it across the room.

They all looked at each other, nodded and said, in unison, “Worse.”

Greg sat back in his chair and crossed his arms in a defensive and sullen posture, “Gee thanks, guys.”

Grissom cleared his throat to get their attention, “If I can finish?” When everyone turned their focus back to him, he continued, “Fine, Warrick there is a mock case set up over at the body farm. They know you’re coming, so just take their cues and run him through the paces, please?”

“No problem, Gris… I’ll make sure junior is ready for the bigs.” Warrick tousled Greg’s hair to show the younger man there were no hard feelings.

“Okay, that’s it.” He got ready to turn and leave the room and then thought of one last thing to say, “Oh, and Nick?... If you run into any trouble over at UNLV, feel free to call me.”

“What for, Boss?” Nick was curious about his comment.

“Well, I do know a few things about Botany… And most of the professors in the science department.” Grissom’s look gave Nick his answer as well and he blushed. “If you need me.”

“Right… I know where to find you.” Nick shied away from further attention.

They all took that as an opportunity to escape and started gathering up their things to get going on their cases. Sara nudged Catherine as she got up from the table. When Catherine winked at her, they both shared their realization. They walked out of the room with a knowing look between them, and once they were well out of hearing distance to anyone, Catherine spoke their suspicions, “Sounds to me like someone is missing the field a little bit.”

“You have no idea.” Sara shook her head with her observation, “The man is driving me crazy. I have to go through every scene with him after every shift. But do you know what he was doing the other night?” She did not wait for Catherine to ask before answering her own question, “He was looking through the fellowship database.”

That was too much for Catherine to leave unanswered, “You have GOT to be kidding me? Can you imagine him in a purely academic environment… He’d be a wreck.”

“Don’t I know it.” The two women laughed at the idea of Gil Grissom as an academic, but they also held onto the knowledge that they were both concerned for the man and his state of mind. The rest of their conversation, as they loaded up the Tahoe, would have been considered small talk by most standards.

After getting into the SUV and they pulled out of the parking lot, Catherine finally worked up the nerve to ask the questions that had been plaguing her lately. “So, how are you guys doing anyway?”

Sara did not seem surprised by her question, nor was she concerned. “Who, me and Grissom? We’re fine.” She shrugged her shoulders, knowing that Catherine was just being the typical concerned friend. “We both work too much and we’re being careful to make sure we both have enough space, but the friction has been minimal. Especially considering our history.”

“I’m sorry.” It was Catherine’s turn to shrug with her answer, “I don’t mean to pry, it’s just he made a comment last week that got me thinking.”

Sara turned to her briefly in surprise, “What did he say?”

“Something about you not talking to him.” Catherine played it off as nothing as she hoped to find out what the trouble was between them.

“What day was that?” Sara thought she had a line on the day, but she wanted to confirm her suspicions.

“Ah… Friday morning? Kind of late in the day as I recall.”

“Figures.” Sara kept her answer cryptic and that only served to feed Catherine’s curiosity.

“Oh, don’t leave me hanging like that.” Catherine was more than intrigued by that time.

“Sorry… That was the start of our day off together.” Sara had to hide the smile that was playing across her face and a blush rose on her cheeks. “I, um, well… I had plans for the day.”

Then it was Catherine who was blushing. “Enough said.” Catherine needed something else to change the subject because the last thing she wanted was to be thinking about Grissom’s sex life. That was when she remembered the other thing that was bothering her. “So, how’s Warrick doing? I mean, he seems to be pretty on edge, but he’s trying to keep it under wraps.”

Sara shrugged off the question. She knew that Warrick was struggling to keep everything under control, and after his meeting with the lawyer, she was surprised at how well he was doing. “Yeah, well he’s got a lot on his plate right now.”

The only answer Catherine could come up with was, “Yeah.” She let it drop, but that was something of a bombshell. Only Sara didn’t seem to think so. Catherine had not heard anything about Warrick having trouble, so she had to assume that Sara had. And it was obvious from her tone that she assumed Catherine did know what had happened. That lead her to believe that it was probably trouble at home, and after her reaction to his marriage, she was the last person Warrick would talk to about that kind of thing. She was worried, because Sara seemed fairly resigned to his plight. Just how long has it been going on?

Chapter 12

Nick was quietly making his way down to the morgue to check in on his case. He knew that David had gotten the body delivered fairly close to the start of the shift, so he figured Stephanie probably had the preliminary report waiting for him. She was, without a doubt, the most thorough and deliberate coroner he had ever met, but she also worked with a speed that he had never seen before. Thank God for hyperactivity, he thought to himself as he pushed through doors to the Autopsy Room.

Stephanie looked up from the body she was working on to see Nick come striding into her domain, “Back for more punishment?”

The man blushed at her taunt and held up his hands in a sign of surrender, “This ole boy has learned his lesson, but good. I’ll stick to getting’ my ass handed to me by Warrick from now. Less humiliatin’, that way.”

She just laughed at his acquiescence, “Sorry, man… I thought for sure you knew I played in college, and were just being a typical male.”

“No… I think someone neglected to tell me that one on purpose. But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to pay Catherine back for that one. Just as soon as that bruise on my tailbone fades away.” Nick stretched awkwardly to show that he was still in a bit a pain from their recent match up.

“Sorry about that… I just get a little territorial under the net.” She was genuinely sorry for his pain, but then he saw a devilish glint come to her eyes. “Just ask Warrick to show you his court rash.” The sly raising of her eyebrows when she spoke elicited a playful grin on his face.

“I’ll be sure to do that.” Nick then put his game face on and asked his question, “So, you got the prelim on Adler, yet?”

He could see her searching her brain for the case file before she spoke, “Ah, David is prepping him right now.” She could see his disappointment, “But, at first glance, I would call it asphyxia.”

“Asphyxia? Based on what?”

“The amount of fluid that came out of his throat when we opened the bag.” She had already returned to her work on the body before her as he mulled over the information.

“Water?”

She looked up at him briefly, obviously distracted by the case in front of her, “Um, no. Looks to be bodily fluid… Probably mucousal.”

“So, we’re looking at natural causes then?” Nick was somewhat disappointed at that part of the equation.

“Definitely not!” Stephanie was shocked at the conclusion he had jumped to on the case. “What perfectly healthy thirty year old, marathon runner, vegetarian male dies from asphyxiation of mucousal fluid without an agent to produce the fluid?”

“Allergies?”

“None, according to the medical record sent over by the college. I’m having a full toxicology scan and serology workup done on this one, but I haven’t had a chance to perform the autopsy just yet.” She gestured at the number of bodies sitting around the room, “The swing guy had a pile up on fifteen, and he’s a useless stump anyway.”

“I resent that remark.” Dr. Robbins chose that moment to walk into the Autopsy Room.

Stephanie laughed at his assumption and welcomed him in for the day, “Good morning, Al… And I was talking about Edderlind.”

“Oh, well in that case, carry on.” He limped past them and headed straight for his office, “Coffee?”

“I’d name a child after you if you did.” He laughed at her reply and simply nodded his head as he made his way back to his office.

Nick gestured towards the departing head coroner, “What’s he doing in so early?”

“Edderlind… Guy walked out of here half hour before I came on duty, left David with all the pile up vics and another body besides. He’s here to help me clear the decks and start looking for yet another coroner to work swing shift.” Nick just nodded and started to leave the room.

Calling over his shoulder, he had one more thing to add, “Well, give me a holler when you start on my vic. I’ll even bring the donuts.”

“Donuts… Gross!”

“Muffins?” Nick was trying to figure out what she liked.

“Only those nasty bran and molasses ones that no one else will touch.” Dr. Robbins had returned carrying a carafe of coffee with him. “The girl has no stomach for junk food. Only coffee.” Nick laughed at Doc’s joke and nodded his head as he left the room. Once he was through the doors, Dr. Robbins spoke again, “So, how far did you get?”

“Well, this is the spare, and the pile up is what you see around the room. I’m just waiting on David to rack ‘em and stack ‘em for me once he finishes prepping the professor.” She appeared quite pleased with herself.

“So, that leaves me with the jumper and the paperwork?” He raised his eyebrow in question.

“And anything that comes in from now on?” She was asking the question, because, after all, he was her boss.

“Deal… Now, take a break and drink your coffee before it gets too cold and tell me where I should be looking for another swing shift coroner.” He saw the disbelief in her eyes and responded, “I haven’t hired another decent person in here in six months. I’ve become convinced you were a fluke.”

Chapter 15

The mirrors were all fogged up. There were towels stacked up on the little table beside the tub. The clothes were thrown into various corners of the room. And the faint sounds of water lapping at the sides of the tub filled the air. With his head resting on the little blowup pillow at the edge of the tub, Gil Grissom was perfectly content to sit that way forever. With her head resting on his chest, his arms wrapped around her and the water nearly up to her neck, Sara was not complaining either.

He broke the silence with a thought, “You want to hear something funny?”

She took in a deep breath and asked, “Funny; ha ha, or funny; oh?”

He craned his neck to try and see her face, “Would the answer be different?”

She smiled, in the way that always made his blood pump faster, “Not really… I just wanted to be prepared for which. So, go ahead.” He squeezed her a little tighter with her response.

“Well, before you… I had never actually used this tub.”

She pulled his right hand up to her mouth and kissed it, “I know.”

This caused him to bristle a little, because he did not understand how she could have known, “Is that so?”

Sensing that her answer had caused him some concern, she wriggled out of his embrace, reached up over her head and pulled herself up a bit by wrapping her arms around his neck, “Don’t get edgy… The first time I set it up for us, there was about an inch of dust in the thing, Gil.”

He rested his chin into her shoulder and blushed at her answer, “Oh.”

That time she laughed, “Don’t worry, honey… There’s only room for one neat freak in this relationship. And we all know it’s not you.”

She relaxed her hold around his neck and as her hands trailed down he took one into his mouth to suckle the fingertips for a moment, “Sara?”

“Mmmm hmmm?”

“We should probably get you out of this tub.” He then held her hand away from his eyes enough to get a good look at her pruned fingertips.

She sighed heavily, “Twice isn’t enough? I mean, we do still have to sleep before work tonight.”

He chuckled at her response. “All current evidence to the contrary,” he looked around the room at the damage caused by their first coupling of the day. “That is not the only thing I think about around you.” He wrapped his arms back around her torso, and she turned in them to get a better look at his face.

“Really?”

“Don’t get me wrong… It is my first and foremost priority at all times.” He paused to enjoy the lustful gaze she was giving him, “But, I am also concerned for your well-being, and those fingers are fairly well pruned.”

She looked at her fingers and had to concede the point. “Oh, all right.” She slid over to the other side of the tub and stood up. Grissom watched as the water sluiced off of her in little streams over her every curve. He was mesmerized by the display, but when she bent down to grab one of the towels he found the air escaping his lungs. And apparently, it was audible, because Sara turned to find him transfixed on her naked form and she blushed. “Gil!”

He looked down momentarily and a blush rose on his own cheeks at having been caught, but his answer rescued him, “I’m sorry, but you do take my breath away.” He stood up next to her and took Sara into his arms, planting a deep and passionate kiss on her lips.

When he finally pulled back to gaze on her face once more, he found that she had her eyes closed and her face seemed to have been freeze framed at the moment of his kiss. As her eyes slowly fluttered open she leaned forward and whispered into his ear, “You’re not so bad yourself.”

As she clung to him in the cooling air of the bathroom, he leaned down and grabbed another towel to wrap around her shoulders. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms to keep her warm, even as he was starting to feel the chill in the air himself. Sara took that as a sign and spoke up, “Okay, we have two options, as I see it.”

“I’m listening.”

“We can either get back in the water and re-think the whole sleep thing…”

Grissom raised an eyebrow at the hidden meaning in her words, “Or?”

“Or, we can dry off and go to bed, hoping we both have enough sense to get at least a little sleep, since we already have to get up early.” Sara pulled the towel she was holding between them, and put it around his shoulders and held him tightly to her.

He pulled back from her embrace with a questioning look on his face, “We have to get up early?”

“Gris! Remember, you told Steph that you’d take Thomas to the airport for his conference?”

“Oh yeah… That was this week?” The raise of his eyebrow told her that he was just kidding, but she still had trouble dealing with his forgetfulness from time to time. She pulled away from his arms and stepped out of the tub. Grissom was left standing there in surprise, “I guess this means we’re going to bed now.”

“Sorry, the moment has passed.” She grabbed a towel and wrapped it tightly around her as she took the one from her shoulders and started drying her hair. He shrugged and grabbed another towel as he too stepped from the tub, wrapping it around his waist. “So, can you believe this stuff with Warrick?” She had made her way over to the counter and was taking out her brush when he came up behind her and took it from her hands.

“I know…” He began to run the brush gently through her hair as they talked. “It’s really tearing him up, I guess.”

“Nick told me that she had him served at the bar the other night… Can you believe that?” Sara was still getting used to sharing her life with Grissom, but she had to admit that the little intimacies they seemed to have found delighted her in every way. This was one of her favorite little rituals. He was so gentle, and always seemed to relish the contact that they shared when he performed this small act. The only problem she had with it was that sometimes she got so caught up in the sensations that she forgot what else she was doing.

“Stephanie took her to see that lawyer friend of hers.” She scrunched up her nose, trying to recall if she had met the man, “You met him at the wedding reception… I believe you called him oily?”

“Oh yeah! He’s a divorce lawyer? Figures.” She rolled her eyes to punctuate her comment and Grissom chuckled.

“Well, Stephie trusts him and they’ve been friends for years. I checked him out, and he does have a rather impressive trial record.” Sara should not have been surprised by this move, but for some reason, whenever Grissom did something like that it always caught her off guard. She turned around and put her arms around his neck before kissing him gently, “Does this mean the moment has returned?”

She smiled from the side of her mouth and said, “Not exactly. But it does mean that I am always amazed at all the ways I can love you.”

He leaned his forehead to hers and wrapped his own arms around her tightly, “I say the same thing, every day, but it always comes out more like a prayer when I do it.”

Chapter 16

Sara and Grissom pulled up in the driveway at the O’Halloran townhouse. It was about six thirty that night, and the sun had already begun to leave them more quickly since September had fallen on Vegas.

Before either one had a chance to get out of the Denali, the young occupants of the townhouse were exiting through the garage. Thomas was carrying a pilot case and a garment bag, while Stephanie was dressed in her standard scrubs, carrying two cups of coffee.

As she watched Thomas head to the back of the Denali, Sara released her seat belt, leaned over to the driver seat, and kissed Grissom goodnight. This was her night off, and he still had to go to work, after having dinner with Thomas and dropping him off at the airport. Sara had made plans for dinner with Stephanie, so this was where she was getting out.

“Have fun tonight… And don’t be late, again.” Her admonition held a hint of suggestiveness that brought a slight blush to Grissom’s cheeks and he nodded his understanding.

He took her hand in his, held it up to his mouth and laid a chaste kiss upon the top of it, “As you wish, my love.” She giggled slightly at the display and then jumped down from the passenger seat, just in time to look at the back of the SUV and see a serious goodbye kiss being exchanged between Stephanie and Thomas. Not wanting to intrude, she looked back into the Denali and motioned for Grissom to be patient.

Grissom rolled his eyes, and smirked, “Kids.” Sara raised an eyebrow at his comment and he just laughed at the irony of his remark, for he had often felt like a kid as he and Sara continued to explore “this.”

The smile was still on his face when Stephanie poked her head into the SUV, “Thanks for doing this Uncle Gil… I don’t get too many chances to spend time with Sara, and this conference was a last minute deal.”

He nodded his head as Thomas slipped past both women to climb into the Denali. “Not a problem. Besides, it gives Thomas and I the chance to share grievances on the way to the airport.” Thomas looked almost stricken with that statement and quickly turned back to Stephanie.

“I swear, I have no idea what he’s talking about, Honey.” Stephanie and Sara both laughed and then Sara slammed the door on him as Stephanie handed her the other coffee cup.

As the SUV drove away, Stephanie put an arm around Sara and they walked into the house through the garage. “I see you’ve made excellent progress with him lately.”

Sara was a little confused by the suggestion, “What do you mean?”

“Are you kidding?” Stephanie laughed, “I’ve known him most of my life and he doesn’t even like it when I kiss him in public!”

Sara blushed a bit at the statement, “Yeah, well, there’s still nothing at work, but with you guys, he just feels a lot more comfortable, I guess.”

“Honey, that was a lot more than comfort I saw.” She winked and bumped Sara with her hip before letting go of her shoulder and headed for the door.

But Sara just had to get the last word in, “Like you have any room to talk there, Hot Lips.” And they both laughed at the exchange.

As they walked into the house, Sara was instantly assaulted with the most amazing aromas, and when they rounded the corner into the kitchen area she realized that Stephanie’s dinner invitation meant she was cooking dinner. “I sure hope you’re hungry.”

“Well, if I wasn’t when I got here, I sure would be catching a whiff of that!” Sara was absolutely delighted by the smells of whatever Stephanie had been cooking.

“Oh good! Because I got a little crazy this afternoon…” She took survey of the kitchen and walked over to the refrigerator, “I picked up some of that white tea you liked so much, and chilled it in the fridge.”

“That’s really sweet… You didn’t need to go through that much trouble, Stephie.” Sara held a hand up to her mouth as soon as she had spoken the nickname on accident. She had heard Gil use it so often lately that it simply slipped out. The straightening of the young woman’s back and the expression on her face when she turned around showed Sara she was less than thrilled at its use. “I am so sorry… It’s just, Gil doesn’t really call you anything else and I-…”

Stephanie held up a hand to stop her, “It’s okay… I was um… I was just a little thrown by it. I mean, I ah, I don’t even let, ah… Thomas doesn’t even use that name.” That caused Sara’s heart to pound a bit harder. She knew there was probably a reason for the name’s limited use, but obviously their relationship had not progressed that far yet. And with the slip, she was not sure it would get there any time soon.

Stephanie moved to the stove and removed a couple of the pans from the flames and reached into the cabinet for some plates. She then started to dish the food out onto the plates in a silent and careful manner. Sara was struggling to find a way to break the silence, but her mind was still reeling from the notion that she had just caused the young woman a great deal of pain.

Finally, Sara simply let her instincts take over and she walked up to stand beside the woman and tenderly laid a hand on the middle of her back. “Is there anything I can do?” She felt the woman tense the instant her hand made contact, but then she felt something very unfamiliar; Stephanie sagged. It was as though that pain was something she had held onto for a very long time and Sara’s mistake, along with her gesture of support, were the keys needed to unlock the doors holding her pain inside.

When she eventually turned and looked at Sara, she was completely unprepared for the sight she beheld. The amazingly optimistic, bubbly and jubilant Stephanie had tears streaming down her face. In an uncharacteristic move, Sara did not hold back and immediately put her arms around the young woman, letting her release whatever it was that was torturing her so deeply.

Very much to her surprise, Stephanie yielded to the affection. And even though she was easily five inches taller than Sara, it felt as though she had shrunk with her release, as she laid her head on Sara’s shoulder and held her tight while she sobbed. Sara instantly realized that she knew what the younger woman was feeling: She was grieving!

Sara had felt enough grief in her lifetime to recognize the effects, and she was quite certain that was what Stephanie was feeling in those moments. Sara stroked her back and tried to offer solace to the woman who was quickly becoming much more enigmatic to her by the moment. She had managed to bury her pain so deeply, Sara never received even the slightest hint it was there, and it furthered her conclusion that Stephanie and Grissom were indeed kindred souls.

She could feel the tide was turning and that Stephanie was slowly regaining her composure, so when she began to pull away, Sara was prepared. She reached over as Stephanie released her grip and grabbed a paper towel from the rack to hand her. Stephanie softly took the towel and wiped away the tears and when she drew in a deep breath, Sara returned her hand to the middle of the younger woman’s back, “Sorry about that… It’s just this conference came at a really bad time.” Once the tears were wiped away, Stephanie returned to preparing the plates.

Sara sensed that she needed a few moments to gather herself together, so she stepped away and went to the cabinet to retrieve some glasses. “Where are we setting this up?” Sara was working to give her the space she needed to sort herself out. Sara was used to that part of the personality; all too well.

Stephanie steadied herself on the counter and took a deep breath before answering, “Living room… Nothing formal tonight.” The words were hard to speak and Sara sensed the pain in each syllable, but she took the glasses down and got the tea from the fridge before walking out into the living room.

Just as she set the items down, Stephanie was entering the room with the two plates and two napkin rolls containing their silverware. “I hope you like portabellas.”

Sara smiled at the mention of one of her favorite foods, “Are you kidding? Sometimes I can’t get enough of them.”

Stephanie was able to offer her a meek smile in return, before setting the plates down on the coffee table, “Well, these are braised and grilled, served on rustic bread from that bakery you recommended. Some artichoke hearts in a white cream and butter sauce and I threw in some seasoned butter beans for extra protein. Oh wait!” She looked as though she remembered something and disappeared into the kitchen again. When she came back out she had two small plates of greens in her hands, “I also made a mixed green salad with currants and pecans… I hope you like currants.” She had a concerned look on her face, but Sara simply smiled again to reassure her that everything was fine.

“Sounds wonderful… When did you sleep today?” Sara shook her head at all the preparations, and decided that Stephanie really did express hyperactive tendencies the way Nick had commented recently, but she also suspected that this might be something else altogether.

Stephanie just shrugged and sat down next to Sara on the couch and handed her the salad before digging into her own plate. Sara noticed that the salad already had a dressing on it, so she decided that it might be a good way to keep the conversation going, “What kind of dressing is this, Stephanie?”

“Oh! Sorry, it’s a combination of oils and just a splash of balsamic vinegar; flax seed, canola and sesame oils.” She watched as Sara took her first bite and smiled broadly as she chewed.

“Wow… That really has an amazing flavor. I’ll have to get you to give that recipe to Gil.” Stephanie gave her a puzzled look following her request. “What, Gil hasn’t told you what a horrible cook I am?”

“How can you be a vegetarian and not know how to cook?” Stephanie was dead serious and it made Sara smile from the side of her mouth.

“It’s Vegas… I can name at least three twenty-four hour Vegan places across the city. Plus, most Thai and Chinese food is vegetarian, so I’m set.” Stephanie shook her head at the humor of Sara’s logic.

“Sorry, but that stuff is total poison if consumed in any quantity. At least, the stuff they serve the anglos is lethal. I’m not a vegetarian, but I couldn’t survive on take-out for more than a couple days.” Sara looked at her with a quizzical expression. She was always surprised by the things she learned about Stephanie, but this had to be one of the big ones.

“So, you really don’t eat out that much?” Sara asked just before she took the last bite of her salad, enjoying the sweetness of the currants mixed with the nutty flavor of the dressing.

“Once a week, when Catherine and I meet for a meal before shift on Sunday night. And maybe something during the week when I end up pulling a double and Thomas can’t bring me anything.” Stephanie put down her empty salad plate and then slid onto the floor to start on the main portion of her dinner. As Sara digested that information Stephanie poured them both a glass of the nearly clear tea.

Sara noticed that Stephanie had moved to the floor and decided that she should join her there, to avoid making the mess she was sure she would have managed with her face that far from the plate. Stephanie smiled as she joined her on the floor, and set about to attack her portabella mushroom. “Well, it seems to be working for you. I think you might be the healthiest person I know.”

“Thomas thinks I need to cut loose a little more. But he’s just afraid I’ll get too obsessive about it again.” She plunked a large bite of the mushroom and bread into her mouth and Sara realized she had just shared another interesting piece of the puzzle that was Stephanie. After she had finished chewing, she continued, “I was still a little crazy about food when we met, and he’s heard all the horror stories from Steph? So, anyway, he makes sure to harp on me now and then.”

Sara could not let that one slide, “Was there a problem before?” She made sure to take her own bite and look away, in case her question caught Stephanie unaware.

“Only because I was being a total Nazi about everything. It was when I was playing collegiate ball. I was so obsessed with keeping my lean muscle mass up that I sort of forgot that chicks kind of need a little body fat to function normally. Had some trouble with hypoglycemia and lactic acidosis for a while after that, but once I broke the cycle it all evened out.” She paused a moment to contemplate something and took a drink of tea before continuing, “The amennorhea took the longest to go away though. Which is probably why Thomas is such a nag about it. Try explaining that one to a boyfriend who is totally freaking out every month.” Stephanie let a small chuckle escape and it heartened Sara to know that she was dealing with sharing that information fairly well.

“I can imagine… But it didn’t progress any further than that?”

Stephanie quickly swallowed the bite in her mouth and answered the question, “God no! I have a complete and total lack of vanity, once I realized that my eating habits were affecting my ability to play ball, I totally backed off. The team doc said it wasn’t uncommon for female athletes to go overboard with their training like that, but he saw it most in gymnastics and track.” She paused to wash down her last mouthful. “He also said the male wrestlers were the worst, especially when they were trying to make weight. Then he told me most of the girls were on his doorstep freaked out about being pregnant the first time the amennorhea showed up, so that usually shocked them out of it fast. It wasn’t an issue for me.”

“No fella at the time?” Sara asked before plopping the next morsel into her mouth.

“Better than that… I was still a virgin,” Sara nearly choked on her dinner at the matter of fact way she had mentioned that information. “And I’d never been what you would call regular, so there were none of those red flags for me. Not until I passed out at practice with the most horrible extremity and upper abdominal cramping ever.” Sara nodded, having recognized the symptoms of the lactic acidosis and hypoglycemia, but there was something she needed to ask about that other tidbit.

“So, how old were you then?”

Stephanie looked up after she had put another forkful of the butter beans into her mouth and worked to discern her answer. “Um, my last year, didn’t play the first year, because of my age, so that put me at eighteen or nineteen… Almost nineteen, because we were in the Sweet Sixteen that year.”

Sara smiled as she continued to chew on her food, and then she remarked, “Which explains why Nick has been walking funny since that pickup game the other night?” Sara’s upturned eyebrow was enough to elicit a small laugh from Stephanie.

“Yeah, I guess I am still a little competitive… But I also work at staying in shape. It helps me keep my edge and increases my stamina… For a lot of things.” Stephanie’s faraway look and suggestive tone brought a slight blush to Sara’s cheeks, but it also reminded her of another question she had been wanting to ask.

“So, how old were you when you started dating Thomas?”

Stephanie did not hesitate to answer, “That following fall when I started med school.” Sara stared at her blankly for a moment, trying to process all that information into a coherent thought and when Stephanie looked over and watched her expression she laughed, “Yeah, that’s what it means.”

“So, he’s the only guy you’ve ever been with?” Sara was completely shocked. She truly did not think anyone did that kind of thing anymore.

“Well, it’s not exactly easy for a six foot plus, incredibly athletic girl, who is also two to three years younger than the other youngest person in class, smarter than most of the teachers and not afraid to show it, with a cop for a father to get a date.” It was Sara’s turn to laugh that time. She remembered back to her own school days and how difficult it was for her to date, so she could only imagine the trouble Stephanie had. “See? Even you, the self-professed science geek would have been laughing at me. I had to get all the way to L.A. before I could at least get away from the cop father thing… And at least by then I was over eighteen, so I wasn’t jail bait anymore.”

“I’m sorry… I really shouldn’t be laughing, but-…”

“Thomas always says he got the only supermodel wallflower in existence, but he exaggerates, badly… Man, if it hadn’t been for my best friend in college, I wouldn’t have even been on a date before I’d met Thomas. Thankfully, Steph took pity on me from time to time, and conned his frat buddies into taking me to various functions.” Stephanie shrugged and shook her head as she took another bite from her plate.

Things had been going along smoothly, so Sara decided to test the waters, “So, why did Thomas have to go out for this conference?”

She took a deep breath before answering, “One of the attendings had to cancel because his wife was showing signs of labor. Thomas volunteered to go… Trying to make points with the chief, I think.” Sara saw the sadness return to her face and was sorry for having brought it up.

“Sorry, I guess it’s not really my pla-…”

Stephanie put a hand on her forearm to stop her, “It’s not that… It’s just, my Mom doesn’t even know that I still do this. It would hurt her… And Thomas… just wasn’t looking at the calendar, I guess.” Sara put her right hand over Stephanie’s and squeezed it. Stephanie smiled faintly at her for the gesture. “And I’m sure you’re totally lost, since I know Uncle Gil doesn’t talk about it.”

That comment had Sara’s undivided attention, “What do you mean?”

Stephanie took a deep breath, pushed her plate away and took a long drink from her glass before she exhaled sharply and began to speak, “Did you know that I’m not really an only child?” Sara only shook her head to indicate she did not know that. “Has Uncle Gil ever talked to you about his trouble with cases that involve kids?” Sara’s breath was caught tightly in her chest by the lump that had just come up in her throat, but she only shook her head again in response. “Yeah, I kinda figured he hadn’t.”

There was a silence that hung in the air for quite a while before Sara heard Stephanie draw in another deep breath. When she looked over, Stephanie was reaching into the end table’s drawer and pulled out a small picture frame. She took another steeling breath, turned it over, and gazed at the picture it held for a few agonizing moments before Stephanie passed the frame to her in total silence.

It took a moment before Sara dared to look down at the image, and when she did all the air in her chest gushed out at once with what she beheld there. In the picture, she instantly recognized Gil, but he was much younger and he was walking with another man who was taller and older than him. Between them, a tall, but obviously young girl walked holding their hands in hers. But the thing that impacted Sara the most was the tiny little boy that sat perched atop Gil’s shoulders. They were all smiling, but the little boy seemed to be practically beaming, and with that mop of red curls on his head, she could tell that it probably bounced as they walked. She deduced from his size that he was probably no more than three or four years old in the picture. Sara’s heart was in danger of bursting, because she knew this was not going to be a pleasant story.

“That’s my little brother.” She paused, and Sara saw the tears trickle down her cheek before she wiped them away and continued, “Michael Gilbert MacInnerney. Pop didn’t want a junior, even though Mom insisted on naming him Michael. She said we could call him Mickey, but everyone just called him Little Mac.” Stephanie almost smiled at the memory, but her sadness appeared to overwhelm it, and it died there on her face.

“Uncle Gil was there when he was born, because Pop was in the middle of some hostage thing, or something. So, when it came time for them to fill out the birth certificate, Mom and Pop both agreed his middle name should be Gilbert. Uncle Gil said it was cruel and unusual punishment, and when I asked him what that was, he told me to look it up in the constitution.” That time, a small chuckle left her throat, and Sara had to admit it was a completely Grissom thing to have said.

“Anyway, we had three and half amazing years together. He was really smart, but his speech impediment was worse than mine. He had a lisp AND he couldn’t say his R’s at all, so he sounded like a lispy Bostonian. Uncle Gil called him his ‘Little Boston Bean.’” There was a faint smile on Sara’s face with that revelation. “So, anyway, he was the first one to call me Stephie, because he just couldn’t manage the whole thing. Of course, when he said it, it sounded more like ‘Shtuffy’, but I didn’t care.”

Stephanie took another sip from her glass as the memory flooded her eyes with tears once more. “Mom was only teaching one or two classes after Little Mac was born, because she said we were more than a handful to keep track of without adding a few hundred more kids into the mix. And most of the time we stayed with Pop or Uncle Gil when she had a class. Uncle Gil was teaching and getting one of his degrees back then, so he was usually on campus, or at our house. When either of them couldn’t be there, they dropped Little Mac at the campus day care for that hour or so. I usually stayed at a friend’s house after school on those days. This was before the days of taking your kids to work, so arrangements had to be made on those rare occasions.”

Sara sensed that the story was about to turn ugly and she wrapped her arms around herself in preparation. “Uncle Gil got called in by the State Patrol on some case that involved bugs on a body they found, and Pop went with him, so they were gone for a few days. Mom told me to stay at my friend Simon’s after school that day and that Pop and Uncle Gil would be home that night and would pick me up on their way to the house, and I should be very good for Simon’s mother while I was there. Which translated to, ‘the woman has enough trouble with Simon, so don’t go pulling any pranks while you’re there, you little troublemaker.’ I had something of a reputation when I was a kid, but I swear it wasn’t all me.”

Stephanie stopped a moment, giving Sara a slight reprieve from the onslaught of pain before she continued, “Pop and Uncle Gil picked me up that afternoon and we waited for Mom to get home with Little Mac, so we could all go out for supper. Uncle Gil was showing me the two new butterfly specimens he had found while they were gone, and Pop was checking in with the station house. So, when Mom got home, Pop was the only one downstairs, but when we heard her scream I was completely frozen. Uncle Gil made me stay in my room and he ran downstairs. I stayed right there, for a really long time, and didn’t even move from the chair I was sitting in. I still had the magnifying glass in my hand when Mom came rushing into my room. She held me really tight and cried and told me she loved me over and over again. If I hadn’t been scared before, I sure was then, because, up to that point, I had never seen either of my parents cry before.” She paused once again, her voice was faltering, and she took another sip from her tea.

Sara was crying by that point, and she was terrified of completely breaking down from the unbelievable things Stephanie was telling her. She had always known that it must have been something horrific to have caused Grissom to be so sensitive with any cases involving children, but she had truly underestimated how terrible it had been.

“After that, everything was pretty crazy. And the only thing they ever told me was that my baby brother was gone to heaven and that I should never go with anyone but the three of them, ever.” Stephanie stopped again, but this time it was to wipe her tears away again.

“Mom quit teaching and I didn’t see her for a long time. She was home, but she never came out of her room. That was one of the hardest parts of the whole thing for me.” The tears flowed freely and Sara joined her then. She was not sure what came over her, but she reached over, put an arm around Stephanie and pulled her closer. The younger woman immediately laid her head down on Sara’s shoulder and she could instantly tell that Stephanie had gained some comfort from the move.

They sat in that position for a few moments longer, and Sara knew that Stephanie was simply trying to find the energy to continue her story. And so, Sara waited for her to be ready for the rest of the gut wrenching tale. “I think that’s when Uncle Gil became my whole world.” She chuckled a little at that thought, “He lived on our couch forever. Pop took a leave of absence to take care of Mom, but he stayed in Michael’s room, and I never saw my Mom. Pop would only tell me that she was very sad and that we had to give her some time. Uncle Gil made all my meals, had a lunch ready for me every morning, did the laundry, helped me with my homework, took me to my lessons, watched all my games and went to any meetings at school. He was everything to me while my parents struggled with Michael’s death, and I loved him for every minute of it.”

Sara now had a total understanding about the relationship Gil shared with his goddaughter. She had long suspected that there was so much more to their comfort with each other than met the eye, and with that knowledge Sara realized she had come to love him even more.

There was more that had been left unsaid that bothered Sara about the whole ordeal and she felt compelled to ask the questions, “Steph… What happened to your brother?”

“The most I ever heard was that someone took Michael from the day care, posing as his uncle and they found him dead that night. But I only overheard that part at the memorial. My parents never talked about it, and neither did Uncle Gil, so I never asked any questions. I suppose I could’ve looked it up when I got older, but I didn’t think I could handle it. I saw what it did to my family, and that was more than enough for me.” Stephanie wiped away the tears that were fading away, but Sara had one more question.

“What about you?”

Stephanie scrunched up her brow in confusion and asked, “What do you mean?”

“You told me how your parents were affected and what they had to go through to make it out of that time. You told me what Gil did… But what about you, Steph? What did you do? How did you feel?” Sara continued to hold Stephanie close to her, because she felt that it was going to be important, if the woman was able to answer her question.

“Me?” She took a deep breath before the next words came out, “I went to school, I went to lessons, I went to practice and I did my homework. Never missed a single day.”

Sara instantly understood that Stephanie had learned another of Gil’s traits; the way he would simply shut down and became stoic when things were just too hard to handle. And that knowledge broke her heart. “No wonder this is still eating at you… What does Thomas usually do?”

She sighed heavily and answered as best as she could, “Mostly, he’s just there. He tries to stay out of the way, cleans up the broken glass, and never lets me get too far over the edge.”

To Sara, that was the worst thing she could have said. That was exactly what she had been doing with Grissom for years. No wonder these two have so much trouble expressing their pain… They’re both afraid no one would be there for them in the end. “Have you ever told him what really happened?”

She sniffed a little before answering, “Sort of… He knows my brother died.”

“Haven’t you ever talked about this with anyone else?”

“My friend, Steph… Um, Stephan, that lawyer guy you met at the wedding reception?” Stephanie tried to look up at Sara’s face, but was not quite ready to leave the comfort of her willing shoulder.

“Right, the one helping Warrick with his divorce. So, why did you tell him?” Sara was trying to understand the situation better.

“Other than you… Nobody else has ever asked.” And, for not the first time that night, Sara’s heart was broken with her words. The girl lying on her shoulder had waited for someone to actually ask about her pain, but until that happened she held it all inside and let it eat at her. Sara made a promise to herself in that moment, she would never let something like that remain unresolved or unspoken ever again.

“Stephanie, I probably know as well as anybody, that when you hold all that stuff inside, it only tears you up. You have to find some way to talk about this stuff with someone.” Sara stroked the other woman’s arm as she spoke, hoping to provide her with some additional comfort.

When she sat up and looked Sara in the eye, Stephanie simply said, “I think I just did.”

Chapter 18

The morgue seemed strangely quiet as Catherine walked into the room. There were no bodies, at least no new ones, since it was a burglary night, but there was usually some kind of activity or sound in there. That changed very quickly.

CRASH “Son of a bitch!”

Catherine took a deep breath and turned for the office where the sound came from. “Must be something in the air tonight,” she said as she shook her head.

When she peeked around the corner, she found Stephanie seated at her desk, with her head in her hands and a large metal tray lying on the floor against the wall. Catherine took one look at the young woman and the sight pulled at her heart a little. She could tell Stephanie was in pain, but Catherine had not had any luck in finding out what that was yet, so she deduced it was much worse than she could have imagined. She planned on saying something to Gil about what she had noticed, but after his meeting with Ecklie, Catherine knew that was no longer an option.

Catherine cleared her throat to announce her presence, but Stephanie had not moved an inch. “Is it that bad, kiddo?”

“You have no idea.” The small voice that came from the young woman pulled at those heart strings once more.

Catherine came into the room and took the chair in front of the desk before she spoke again. As she took her seat, Stephanie looked up into Catherine’s gaze and that was when the lump rose in her throat. The young coroner’s eyes were rimmed with red, but her face was pale, and Catherine was certain that she had been crying recently. “Well, you’ve got my undivided attention.”

“If only that would help.” Catherine immediately knew that the young woman was serious, but that they were not talking about the same things. “Until I can get my hands on those research notes, I’m never gonna figure out what killed this man.”

“Since when is that your concern, Steph?”

“Adler had one of the finest minds in all of Botany, possibly in all of life science, and there has to be a legitimate reason for his death, Catherine.” Stephanie’s voice had a dangerous quality to it that Catherine instantly recognized.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong… It’s just that there’s only so much you can do, Steph.” Catherine leaned back, just a bit, knowing she was in a precarious position with the conversation.

“You think I don’t know that?!” Her anger was boiling to the surface. “You think I don’t know what I am and am not capable of?”

Catherine took a deep breath, she knew saying the wrong thing at that moment could make things ten times worse, so she chose her words very carefully. “Stephanie, I’m not saying anything like that.” Catherine took her time with her answer, “I’m just worried about how this case is affecting you.”

The words hit their mark, and Catherine could see the young woman’s anger deflate. “I’m sorry, Cath.” It was Stephanie’s turn to breathe deeply that time, and when she had regained her composure, she spoke. “It’s just a really bad week.” Stephanie sunk back into the seat and let her head fall backwards until she was looking at the ceiling.

“I gathered as much.” Catherine decided to use a bit of humor to try and lighten the mood, and so she added, “Just try to keep it to a minimum on Thursday nights, okay?”

Stephanie chuckled, but kept her face away from view, “Uncle Gil that bad tonight?”

Catherine shrugged, “With Ecklie on his ass, and that whole business at the Body Farm yesterday… And it’s Thursday night.” She waited for Stephanie to meet her gaze again, and when she did Catherine said her final peace, “I just wish those two would wise up faster.”

Stephanie laughed that time, “Yeah, I’ve been saying the same thing… But I have something of an inside track on that one.”

That little nugget was too much for Catherine, and her feline nature was instantly on alert. “Oh, now you can’t go dropping hints like that and leaving me hanging, kid.”

Stephanie gave her a sly sideways glance before the smile broke out on her face, “Sorry, but I had to promise someone that I wasn’t going to say anything.”

If Catherine had been standing, she would have had her hand on her hip when she spoke next, “Like that ever stopped us before. Who is this ‘someone?’”

“Oh, just my old ASL instructor.” Stephanie flipped the vague comment to her and Catherine’s brow was up in an instant.

“Gil?” She was confused by the comment, because Gil was the only person she knew of who knew ASL that could have taught Stephanie the language.

“I didn’t learn ASL until med school, so that would be a no.” Catherine realized Stephanie was enjoying tormenting her.

Having reached the end of her patience after spending most of her shift keeping the team in one piece after Gil’s outburst, she could no longer stand the guessing game. “Stephanie, I am not in any kind of m-…”

“Mary called me to make sure she could get a ride from the airport when she gets here.” Catherine screwed up her face, as she tried to figure out who Stephanie was referring to with her answer. “C’mon Catherine, how can you not know who Gil’s Mom is?”

The light turned on in her head and she shot Stephanie with a look of complete shock, “His MOM is coming out? When?”

Stephanie shrugged, “Grandma Mary didn’t say when, she just wanted to make sure I could help her out, because she wanted to surprise Uncle Gil, and she didn’t want to stay at his place either.”

“Wow! I had no idea… I mean, so Gil doesn’t even know yet?” Catherine was still processing the information.

“I don’t think I can say… Let’s just leave it at knowing that when Mary gets here, things could get really interesting.” The look on Stephanie’s face was practically impish, but Catherine knew the conversation was over, and her investigation was just beginning.

Something like this deserved careful research, and Catherine was going to learn every detail she could possibly discern. I have a feeling that Gil doesn’t stand a chance… With Steph AND his mother on his case; he’s toast.

Chapter 19

After starting out his shift with the scene in the Break Room and then learning that all efforts to get any more information or evidence from the university had failed, Nick was at his rope’s end. The problem was, the only person he could turn to had holed himself up in his office and he was afraid of walking into a time bomb situation. He blew out one last long, hard breath and knocked on the door. “What?” was the voice that came from the other side. It was not angry, but it was flat. Nick could only hope that he would be well received; Well, at least that I don’t get my head shot off anyway.

Quietly under his breath he said, “Here goes nothin’,” and he pushed through the door. “Hey Grissom, you got a couple minutes?”

The man’s head popped up upon hearing Nick’s voice and he gestured for him to step inside and take a seat. “What did you need, Nick?”

Nick shrugged a little, made his way to the chair, and took a seat before answering his boss. Grissom used the time to take off his glasses and cleared his mind of the madness of paperwork which had been holding his attention. “Well, it’s this case at UNLV. I’ve hit a brick wall, and Sofia can’t seem to find a judge who’ll give us any paper.”

Grissom furrowed his brow as he tried to make sense of Nick’s statement. “What are you trying to get?”

“Well, when I was looking through the photos, I noticed that there was a void on the table where he was found: about the same shape and size as the other journal books that were on the shelves in there.” Nick was trying to explain himself, and hoped Grissom would be able to offer some assistance.

“And you went back to get the journals, but they weren’t there, right?” Nick gave him an awestruck look and shook his head.

“How do you do that?” His crooked smile matched that of his boss and he chuckled.

“I just know how possessive the university research system is, at times.” Grissom shrugged as he gave his answer. “So, you were hoping I could make a call and see about getting access to those journals, right?”

Nick demurred at the question, but that was exactly what he had been hoping. “Well, you said you had some connections there.” Grissom nodded and then looked at his watch.

“Hmmm… Still a little early to be calling Walter, but as soon as the sun comes up, I’ll be sure to give him a call.” He looked over the desk at Nick before adding his next comment, “But I can’t make any guarantees… Adler was a renowned botanist, and his journals are like gold to the university now. None of his research can be saved, but his journals could prove useful to whomever they manage to replace him with. There might even be a bidding war just to view those journals.”

It was Nick’s turn to screw up his face into a question mark. “I don’t get it. Why would they be so valuable?”

“The man dealt in unknown plant life, and with all the money being made in the pharmacology industry from many of these plants, there is a great deal of competition for research dollars right now. Adler was working on a fully funded grant from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world.” Grissom paused for a moment when he realized that even if Nick had the journals, he was not entirely certain that the man had the ability to understand the notes. “Nick? What do you want the journals for anyway?”

Nick saw the look on Grissom’s face and immediately knew his boss was concerned he did not have the smarts to be able to read those journals. Nick just laughed at the notion before answering, “No worries, Boss… I was gonna process them, just in case they might have the agent itself, but Stephanie was gonna read through ‘em for any leads on the agent.”

Grissom nodded his head with his understanding. He knew that Stephanie had been dabbling in botany since she was a little girl, and he knew that she was probably better suited to help Nick, quite possibly more than anyone else. “So, Stephanie has time to help you out on this one?”

“Yeah, it’s been kinda quiet in the morgue this week, and with them losing another coroner, she’s been working a bunch of hours. And she said she’s got some experience with the whole plant thing.” Nick knew that Grissom did not need anything else to worry about, so he kept his concerns about Stephanie’s unusual interest in the case to himself. He almost thought she had become a little too fixated on the case, but with Grissom’s outburst earlier, Nick decided that he would talk to Catherine or Warrick about it later. He thought that if she could just get those journals, she might be able to finally find some closure on the case.

“Well, you could not have a better resource on the topic.” Grissom smiled with the memory that bubbled to the surface of his consciousness. “If you could see the garden at her mother’s house, you’d understand. In the fifth grade, she did a Mendelian genetics experiment with Sweet Peas for the science fair. She spent nearly a year, cross pollinating Sweet Peas, and recording all of her techniques and results. In the process, she managed to create a new variety of the flower.” Nick listened to Grissom go on, and realized just how proud he was of the young woman. Nick knew the two appeared to have a strong relationship, but he had always wondered about the dynamics of it. Listening to Grissom, he knew that not only were they close, there was also an admiration there. “After that, her mother’s garden became her laboratory playground. It is still one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon.” The corners of Grissom’s mouth turned up for the first time that night.

Nick smiled at the man’s obvious pride. “Good to see you still got some of that left, Boss.”

Grissom raised his brow at the remark, “What do you mean?”

Nick was instantly self-conscious of his words. “Well, I ah… I mean, after, uh, ya know, earlier.”

Grissom nodded once he understood Nick’s frame of reference, “Ah… That.”

Nick pursed his lips and nodded his head as well. “So, is it really that bad?”

“No…” He paused and Nick relaxed for a moment, until Grissom added, “It’s actually worse.” That statement made the air in the room seem to disappear for Nick. Grissom did not joke about things like that, so he knew the man was being serious.

“The word around the building is that Ecklie wanted to fire them both… Is there any truth to that?”

Grissom sat back in his chair and let a deep sigh escape his mouth. “I’m afraid so.”

Nick could tell the man was still struggling with the realities of the situation. “Man… Is that guy trying to kill the lab or what?” Nick just shook his head in disbelief.

Grissom scratched at the beard on his chin, as though he was struggling with that answer, “I honestly don’t know, Nick.”

They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Nick was trying desperately to make sense of the whole thing, but the only thing that kept coming to mind was that Ecklie was a completely incompetent asshole. “So, what stopped him this time, Boss?”

“The last of my credibility.” Nick felt the sting of the air as it left his lungs. Grissom had never been that open about anything before, and he knew that if the man had let that slip, his meeting must have been even more intense than any of the rumors let on.

“I, ah, um… Grissom, what happened?” Nick was truly worried at that point.

“I called in some favors with the director at the farm… Made some promises to the Mayor… Gave some assurances to the director… Pretty much sold my soul to the devil.” Grissom’s voice was a total monotone throughout his vague explanation.

Nick was having a hard time digesting all the information that came at him. Grissom had put his neck on the line to save the careers of his friends and teammates. Grissom had risked his own career for their benefit and yet he had not thrown that into their faces earlier. In that moment, Nick realized that there were probably a great many things Grissom had done to protect the people who worked for him. With all the things that he and the team had been through, and yet none of them ever really had to pay for them over the years, any questions Nick may have had about Grissom’s dedication to the people on their team were instantly washed away in his mind.